Author's Notes: If you've read my other stories, you'll probably notice that I do tend to utilize music in my writing. I've also used a song in this fiction titled, "By Your Side" by Sade. It's an older song I recently came across and I thought it would fit for this storyline. If you would like to hear what it sounds like, it is available online. I apologize but every time I've tried to copy the link in my stories, it sadly doesn't work. I recommend listening to it because it truly is a beautiful song.

If you want to read more, let me know by leaving a review. I try to write these chapters in a non-cliffhanger type of way in case readers are no longer interested in reading this. Thank you for all the lovely reviews you've left, it really motivates me to move ahead.

As always I hope you enjoy….

Chapter 3: By Your Side

"Good evening Norma," a familiar voice breaks the silence as an obtrusive light is suddenly flipped on in the otherwise pitch black living room, "or should I say good morning."

In an automatic response to the unexpected brightness and sound, Norma flinches and lifts her hand dramatically to her chest with a loud gasp. After a few moments of trying to catch her breath, Norma directs her focus to the sound with a squint of her eyes. "Dylan?" She whispers while glancing quickly at the clock on the wall and then at her son, who is wearing a noticeable smirk.

Dylan looks down at the display of his watch and then meets his mother's widened eyes. "You do realize it's 4 in the morning, right?"

Norma instantly feels an overwhelming sense of panic emit throughout her body as she watches her eldest son rise from the couch and step closer to her with his arms crossed over his chest, establishing his dominance in this situation.

"So, where were you?" He asks with a hint of concern in his stern tone.

Instead of answering her son's blunt question, Norma moves past him to set her purse and coat on the nearby couch. She refuses to turn around, even when she hears a set of footsteps follow and stop in front of her. Daring to look up she's immediately met with narrowed baby blue eyes staring back at her own.

Dylan stands his ground, determined to not let his mother squirm out of an explanation.

"Shhh, you're going to wake your brother," she mumbles. Even though she cringes at the thought of lying to her son, Norma can't allow this conversation to continue since she will inevitably make the situation worse. "You are not the parent here Dylan," she whisper-yells with a pointed finger jabbing in the Dylan's direction. "I am a grown woman with two adult sons. I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone."

The young man uncrosses his arms and softens his expression a bit at hearing his mother's response, but doesn't budge from his stance. "I know you don't have to explain yourself Norma." He sighs loudly and then steps around her to approach the stairwell leading upstairs. "I just thought as my mom, you would feel like you could share whatever is going on in your life with me." Dylan then glances over his shoulder to see his mother still has not turned to face him. "I won't jump to that conclusion again Norma," he mutters under his breath. "And don't worry, I won't tell Norman you're keeping something from us." She hears her son whisper as he quietly jogs up the stairs and disappears.

Unfortunately Dylan didn't see the guilt-ridden tears gathered in the corners of his mother's eyes. She remains frozen in place until her tired body ultimately collapses in a nearby chair. The stress of keeping this big part of her life a secret from her children is becoming increasingly more difficult as the days go by.

In theory Norma knows she's in the wrong for keeping her relationship and the seriousness of it from her boys. The problem is she can't stop thinking of the possible catastrophic outcome this could all have if not done at the exact right moment.

So many thoughts and questions are spinning around in her head that she's dizzy with confusion. The only aspect of her life giving her constant comfort at the moment is how her feelings for the Sheriff continue to deepen.

It seems with each passing day, she cares for him a little more.

Norma is steadily accepting she is on the edge of love and falling completely for Alex, but she's also still too scared to fully let go. Therefore, she remains in limbo of being too afraid to tell him how she truly feels and too afraid not to.

Ever since she begged the Sheriff to take her back a little over a week ago, Norma has made time to see him every day. The time she shares with Alex is always comforting and allows her to feel safe, a feeling she rarely has had in her life. She basks in the radiation of his touch, even if it is the most innocent of sensations.

With everything going on right now, the only thing she knows for sure is after a week of sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to see Alex must stop. It is clear Dylan has figured out her sneaky ritual and now after a week of the same routine, Norma is forced to create a new plan.

XXXX

Almost a month has passed since Dylan confronted her in the living room after her secret late night escapade with the Sheriff. Since that awkward and tense conversation, her eldest son has essentially ignored her and has only communicated with her when he has absolutely no choice. Even then, the young man only offers one word answers before quickly putting distance between them again.

It's heartbreaking to realize all the effort they both put in over the past several months to improve their relationship appears to be irreversibly torn now. It's devastating for Norma to see her son rush out the door for no other reason than to avoid her. Though she's incredibly hurt on the inside, Norma forces a smile and attempts to push aside the agony in order to continue on with her days. She hopes one day the young man will move past this or she gains the courage to let him in on her deepest secret.

The happy distraction in her life is Alex.

Lately, the Sheriff has become even more supportive of her, sensing the increasing stress she's been feeling for the past few weeks. Tonight for example, Romero has set time aside to drive three towns over to take Norma out for dinner and dancing. Of course the restaurant is far away to ensure no one will discover the couple, but it's refreshing to get out of their comfort zone and explore more options. It's sad to realize since they have started dating almost 8 months ago, they've spent their time together either at the Sheriff's house or in some random meet up that only appears to be a friendly exchange in the eyes of unsuspecting strangers.

The truth is Alex is ready to share his relationship to the world and has been for quite some time, but unfortunately Norma is still unwilling. It hurts him, but he's trying his best to no longer hold the situation against her and is instead overlooking his own pain to respect her wishes. He hopes this evening will convince her to rethink her current decision of keeping their connection from her sons.

XXXX

The Sheriff has lost his composure and he's convinced Norma can see the nervousness written all over his face. He's forcing himself to keep his expression stoic, but he's pretty sure the sweat moistening his brows at the moment and the way his collar is suffocating him is a dead giveaway. He shakes his hands under the table to loosen the nerves building in his fingers when she moves her stare from him to the almost empty dance floor as music gently places in the background. She's itching to dance, Romero can see it but he needs to take a chance with his words before he can even think about dancing. That is the whole point of taking her here after all and so far, he hasn't gathered the courage to speak.

It's getting awkward now as their plates have been cleared over ten minutes ago, leaving only a few sips of wine left in both of their glasses. It's now or never, he silently reminds himself as he reaches forward to gain a little extra liquid courage by quickly swallowing up every last drop of his drink. With a deep breath and a tug of his collar to relieve the pressure in his throat, Romero once again stretches his arm forward but this time it's to cover Norma's hand with his.

"Norma?" He attempts to gather her attention with a shakier voice than he wants while intertwining their fingers.

Norma immediately tears her focus from the dance floor to meet the Sheriff's gaze. She isn't blind, Norma knows something is bothering him. With a sympathetic smile, she acknowledges her name with a soft hum.

"I've been putting this off all evening and I just can't do it anymore. I n-need to s-ay something." He stutters, ashamed of how ridiculous and weak he sounds right now.

Meanwhile, Norma is beginning to match Romero's nervousness. Her smile suddenly drops from her face when she starts to believe this may be dreaded news. Is he finally done with her? Did he decide she is no longer worth the wait? With these dark thoughts, her fingers begin to tense and she feels her breath slowly leave her lungs.

Alex clears his throat suddenly, breaking the silence that has consumed the table. "I don't know how to exactly say this, so I'm just going to say it." He fills his lungs with air again and briefly closes his eyes. "I love you," he says with a soft tone while apprehensively snapping his eyes open after the words leave his mouth. With a squint, he attempts to evaluate her reaction but he's unsuccessful in figuring it out. Her expression barely changes, almost as if she didn't hear him but he knows she had.

Her fingers sharply untangle from his, making him feel as if she's stabbed him directly in his heart. The worst is when she quickly moves her chair backwards, grabs the phone from her opened purse on the back of her chair and disappears.

He shouldn't have said those three words.

Not knowing where his love has gone, he panics. He catches a glimpse of the exit at first and then finds himself staring at it, wondering if she's left him behind. The only thought giving him hope at the moment is her coat and handbag have remained untouched. The problem is that it's been nearly 15 minutes since Norma has disappeared and she's nowhere in sight.

The Sheriff feels such a sense of loss at the moment. He sets his elbows on the table top and then presses the heels of his palms roughly against his eye sockets, trying to make sense of everything. His thoughts are abruptly broken when all of a sudden he feels a light touch on his shoulder. The touch now rubs soothing circles across his shoulder blades, steadily calming him after an initial flinch. His focus changes toward the sensation, instantly noticing a sniffling and reddened eyed Norma staring back at him.

"Please come with me," she whispers while pulling on his hand.

Romero willingly wraps her fingers in between hers and allows her to pull him toward the dance floor. When their feet touch the barely lit floor, Norma spins the almost pliant Sheriff in front of her and then swiftly nuzzles closer to him. Alex's brows lift in confusion, but he goes with the motion and allows her to proceed her movement without interruption. "I picked this song for us a while ago and I'm ready to share it with you. This is how I feel about you," she says quietly and then lifts her right index finger to his lips when he opens his mouth to speak. "Just listen." She smiles, snuggling against his chest again so she can feel his heart beat wildly against her check. Norma's smile grows when she feels his strong arms embrace her.

The song begins …. (Sade – "By Your Side")

"You think I'd leave your side, baby

You know me better than that

Think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees

I wouldn't do that

I'll tell you you're right when you're wrong

And if only you could see into me

Oh, when you're cold

I'll be there, hold you tight to me

When you're lost

You're alone and you can't get back again

I'll find you, darling, and I'll bring you home

And if you want to cry

I am here to dry your eyes

And in no time, you'll be fine"

Their bodies slowly sway to the melody, making sure they absorb every sensation of their closeness. When the song begins to slowly fade, Norma pulls away slightly from his hold and reaches her arms upward to gently secure the sides of his face in between her hands. In order to directly gaze into his glistening eyes with her own, she stands on her tip toes and leans her face close to his. "I love you too Alex," she whispers and then places a sweetened kiss to his lips causing him to instantly let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding.

XXXX

Shortly after their emotional dance ends, the couple decide to leave the supper club and retreat to the comfort of the Sheriff's house. Norma quickly scurries away to the corner of the darkened room and retrieves her phone from the man in charge of playing the music for the evening, offering him many thanks for assisting her with the impromptu special dance.

The couple is delighted with large smiles consuming their faces and their hands clasped tightly together as they step through the restaurant's door. Their expression doesn't change while they approach Alex's personal black SUV or when they are both comfortably seated inside.

"I love you," Norma mentions again when she looks to her left. "I can't stop saying it now," she giggles earning a smirk from her boyfriend.

"I guess I can't either because I love you too." Alex chuckles, resting his right hand on top of her left thigh.

Norma glances out her window briefly with a continued grin, but then abruptly slumps her body down in the passenger seat. Instantaneously, she grabs the front of Alex's shirt and roughly forces him down in his seat as well.

They sit like this for a few seconds before he can't stand the odd silence. "Norma, what are you doing?"

"What on earth is he doing here!?" She whisper yells in a fright.

"Who?" He questions, refusing to quiet his voice while straining his neck upward in an attempt to look out Norma's window.

"Oh my God! He found us Alex. How could he find us?" She asks with alarm evident in her tone, tugging him down again into the uncomfortable position.

"I'm not going to ask this again Norma," he advises sternly. "Now for the last time, who are you seeing out there?"

Her eyes widen and her hands shake as she grips the material of his shirt tightly. "It's Dylan. He's here. How can he be here?"

"Are you sure it's him?" The Sheriff takes ahold of her hand, in a forceful yet somehow gentle way.

Norma finally releases her grasp and then slowly bobs up her head so only her eyes can peek out the window. "It's him. Do you honestly think I don't know what kind of truck my son drives or what he looks like?" She bites back now releasing all contact with Romero as she contorts her body to get a better view of her son exiting his vehicle. "Why is he dressed like that?" She scoffs in curiosity. "I didn't even know he owned pants other than jeans and I definitely didn't know he owned a suit jacket."

Romero can't help but snicker at his love's typical over the top behavior. Without Norma noticing, he sits up a little straighter and tries to lean into her even though he hears his back emit a cracking sound in discomfort. "Maybe he brought someone here. It's not out of the question for a 22 year old man to have a girlfriend," he responds sarcastically.

"I do know that Alex, I'm not an idiot. I just mean why would he hide someone from me?" She sniffles a little with her voice barely noticeable in speaking her last words.

The Sheriff rolls his eyes at the irony that apparently escapes her, but then molds his chest to her back while wrapping his arms around her the best he can from his uncooperative position. Even though she's being unreasonable, her disappointment and sadness affect him. All he wants to do is comfort her. "Norma you literally had to sneak out a dress and get ready at my house for our date tonight." He whispers seductively while running the tip of his nose alongside the length of her neck in an attempt to regain her focus from the outside scene. "We had to go to dinner at 5pm because you were worried your sons would see you came back too late and you wanted to leave enough time to come back to my place. Time we're wasting at the moment." He places a few innocent kisses on her skin, noticing her breathing pick up a bit and a small moan leave her lungs. Feeling his slight triumph he encloses her a little tighter in his grip and basks in his slight win, even though deep down he knows it's short lived.

"I know what you're trying to do mister," she whines in protest even though her whole body wants more of his touch against her warming skin. "Fine, we'll go. But at least let me see who he's with."

"Does it really matter?" He's growing antsier by the second, especially since this whole situation is overwhelmingly ironic. "You won't know her anyway. Plus spying on your adult son is wrong Norma, you know this."

"I'm his mother. I have a right to know!" She exclaims harshly while still keeping the volume of her words quiet.

The Sheriff rolls his eyes for the second time that evening, realizing it is for the best to just let her have her moment so they can move on with their evening.

"Alright Norma, but then we're leaving." The Sheriff tries to sound intimidating, but he knows his dominating façade fails when it comes to her. "Everything will be fi- " he begins to say, before he's interrupted by a loud gasp and an uncontrolled screech.

"It's Emma," she mutters under her breath in disbelief. "I'll kill him!"