Yolanda Olson Bücher

Life has never been this good. I miss my friends and everything I had, but now there’s hope where it never existed before. Inside me is her. She’s created something wonderful, welcoming all—except for him. He believes he’s welcome too, but she doesn’t remember him, or chooses not to. I see the disgust and jealousy in his eyes, and I’ll protect her from all the evil in the world, including my own father. Past lives are meant to stay in the past. I’ve been blessed with more than I used to have, and I hope to share that with everyone who comes to my desert home—a place filled with love and light, far from the terrible things I once did. He resents that I don’t remember him or his friend, thinking I’m lying. I recall some trauma but never want to again. Perhaps he’ll learn to forgive and forget; perhaps he won’t. Regardless, I’ll guide him to the light, showing him he can be more, and he may thank me for it in the end. Deviant Blondes and junkies have always been my no-gos. After returning home, I felt his disappointment when he accused me of being something I’m not. I’ll venture back to the holy land for answers, confused about how someone can be so happy living a lie and forgetting the past so quickly. I promised him I’d bring her back, and I will. All’s well that ends well, right? It depends on whose ending you’re looking at.

He was from the wrong side of the bayou. A place where voodoo was revered and fallen angels whispered. I didn't care. I loved him from the first time we played together, and I love him still. I haven't seen him in so long. I went back to New Orleans when I could. I never stopped thinking about him. My bayou boy with the heavy Cajun accent. I just didn't know that the happy little boy had turned into such a different man. I didn't know that he had been looking for me too. I didn't know a lot of things. But finding out was much worse than staying in the dark.

The best and worst idea I’ve ever had blew up in my face. Willa and Dexter are gone, traded away for the worst man I’ve ever met and an obsessive little fiend who demands my full attention. I’m on the road again, heading to a destination I can’t even name. I’d rather be anywhere but here. My friends, I’m sorry. I thought my luck had run out at a rest area in Pennsylvania, but I was wrong. Someone found me and promised a great time, though it mostly led to disappointment—until him. He sees me in ways I don’t even understand, and when he smiles, I know I’ll never let him go. If it’s not the emo kids at the church, it’s something else. I spent my days happily at home with my friend, thinking that was all I needed. Anyone who crosses my path knows they’re in for a magnificent time, and I always aim to show them that. But I also enjoy my own fun, in my own special ways. Now, I have the chance to confront someone who has haunted me for far too long. What’s one more road trip to the pits of hell to see this through? Am I right?