by Sandi Lynn
“I’m positive, Carter. Trust me, you’re going to know when I’m in pain.”
We slowly walked down the stairs and took the elevator to the lobby. Juan had the night off, so we took a cab to the hospital.
“Can you please call my dads and Holly once we get there?” I asked as I laid my head on his shoulder.
“I already sent them a group text message, sweetheart.” He took hold of my hand and brought it up to his lips.
We arrived at the Emergency room and Carter climbed out of the cab and grabbed a wheelchair for me. It just so happened that John was working and he met us outside.
“So, I hear your water broke.” He smiled as he and Carter helped me into the wheelchair. “Are you having any contractions?”
“Not yet.”
He wheeled me up to the labor and delivery unit where Dr. Perry was standing at the nurses’ station. Giving me a kiss on my head, John spoke, “I have to get back downstairs, but I’ll be up later to check on you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled.
Dr. Perry had a nurse wheel me into a private room, where I changed into a gown, lay down on the bed, and was hooked up to a fetal monitor.
“I can’t believe this is happening already,” Carter spoke as he took hold of my hand. “I don’t want you to be nervous, sweetheart.”
“I think you’re more nervous than I am.” I grinned at him.
“Okay. Let’s see what’s going on down there,” Dr. Perry spoke as he examined me. “You are dilated to one centimeter. If contractions don’t start within twelve hours, we’re going to have to induce labor. Hopefully, we won’t, but I’m just letting you know it’s a possibility.”
“How long could this take?” Carter asked him.
“It depends. Possibly twenty-four hours, but we’ll do everything we can to make Zoey as comfortable as possible.”
“No drugs,” I spoke. “I’m doing this naturally.”
“Okay. I will make a note of that in your chart. Meanwhile, I have two other women who are in labor now, but your nurse, Jessie, will keep me updated.”
As soon as Holly and Scott arrived, Carter left the room for a while.
“I’m going to run downstairs for some coffee. I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” He leaned down and kissed my lips.
When he returned, he was holding two dozen roses with a smile on his face.
“Carter, they’re beautiful.”
“The red ones are for you and the pink ones are for our little girl.”
It was getting late, so Holly left to go home and Scott went downstairs to see John.
“Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” Carter spoke. “You have a long road ahead of you and you’re going to need all the strength you can get.”
“I am tired.” I sleepily closed my eyes.
I don’t think I was asleep even an hour, when suddenly, a rip-roaring pain shot through me.
“Holy shit!” I opened my eyes and yelled.
Carter jumped, for he was asleep in the chair.
“What? What’s wrong!”
“I think I just had a contraction.”
“Shit. Okay. I’ll go get the nurse.”
A moment later, Carter and Jessie walked into the room. She walked over to the baby monitor and glanced at the paper that was spewing out of it.
“Yes, Zoey. You definitely had a contraction. That’s good news.” She smiled. “You are officially in labor. I’m going to check you to see if you’ve dilated any more. Yep, you sure have. You’re now at three centimeters. I’ll go let Dr. Perry know.”
After she walked out of the room, I looked at Carter, who was standing over me, gently rubbing my forehead with his thumb.
“Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer.” He smiled.
“I still have to get to ten centimeters.” I narrowed my eye at him.
Another contraction emerged and I let out a screeching howl. This went on for four more hours.
“I can’t do this anymore, Carter.”
“Yes, you can, Zoey. You’re one of the strongest people I know.” He smiled. “I’m not leaving your side, not for one second. We’re doing this together.”
“NO WE’RE NOT!” I shouted as another contraction came. “I’m doing all the work. I’m the one in excruciating pain. You’re standing there doing nothing!”
“Zoey, breathe. Use your Lamaze skills,” he spoke and I wanted to rip his throat out.
“Fuck breathing! It doesn’t work! The only thing that will stop this is when I push this kid out.”
Carter’s eyes widened as he stared at me. My insides felt as if they were being shredded. Dr. Perry walked in and examined me.
“You’re dilated to nine, Zoey. One more centimeter and you can start pushing.”
“Dr. Perry, please do a C-section. Let’s just end this now.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile.
“You’re going to do just fine.”
Carter continued to wipe my forehead with a cool cloth as I continued to scream in pain. I was exhausted and the hard part hadn’t even come yet. I was more than ready to have this baby.
“Okay, Zoey, it’s time to push,” Dr. Perry spoke.
Hannah Avery Grayson came into the world at six pounds seven ounces. She came out with a healthy set of lungs.
“Oh my God, Zoey, look at our baby,” Carter spoke with tears in his eyes. “She’s perfect.”
After she was cleaned up, Jessie wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in my arms. Tears started streaming down my face as I stared at her.
“She has your nose.” I smiled at Carter.
“She has your beautiful mouth.” He smiled back as he softly kissed her tiny head.
I handed her to Carter and he sat down in the chair next to my bed. As much as I already loved him, seeing him holding our baby raised that love to a whole other level. The struggles we went through at the beginning was worth it for everything we had now. My life was perfect in every way possible. He was perfect in every way possible. Everything for us had been planned since we were children and I couldn’t wait to see what our future held.
Carter
Holding Hannah in my arms for the first time was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. She was so tiny and the most perfect gift from God. After Zoey had fallen asleep, I put Hannah in the hospital crib next to her bed and went down to the chapel, where I took a seat in the very front and prayed. I knew in my heart that a thank you was in order.
“I know in the past I haven’t been a very good person, and in some way, I don’t feel like I deserve to have the two most beautiful girls in my life. I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for sending Zoey to me and thank you for the beautiful gift of my daughter. I’m a changed man because of her and I’ll become an even better man for my daughter. I promise to take care of them and protect them for the rest of my life. I guess all I’m trying to say is thanks for giving me another chance at this life. You can count on me and I promise not to let you down.”
My name is Carter Grayson and that was the story of how one special woman dragged me from the depths of hell and showed me how to live again. A woman who gave me two of the greatest gifts of life, something I never thought I could experience ever again: love and a family.
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson
Chase Calloway
Redemption Series Book 2
New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
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Sandi Lynn
Chase Calloway
Copyright © 2018 Sandi Lynn Romance, LLC
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incide
nts are the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Photo by Wong Sim
Model: Lucas Bloms
Cover Design by: Sara Eirew @ Sara Eirew Photography
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Editing by B.Z. Hercules
Created with Vellum
Mission Statement
Sandi Lynn Romance
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Providing readers with romance novels that will whisk them away
to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.
Chapter 1
Kinsley
Have you ever just wanted to run away from your life and move somewhere where nobody knew you? Not one single person? A place where you could start fresh and reinvent yourself? Your life? Your dreams? That was something I’d thought about since I was a little girl, and finally, I’d done it.
A nervousness settled inside me as I boarded the plane to California and took my seat. I needed to get as far away from Berkshire, Indiana as I could. My heart hurt, and I felt broken inside. Every emotion I could feel, I did. I sighed as I clutched the small white pillow to my chest and stared out the window at the runway that would take me away from this miserable place. I should have done this the minute I turned twenty years old, but I wasn’t financially prepared at the time. By the time I was, when I was twenty-three, I met Henry, and he gave me a reason to stay. I should have known better. But this so-called thing everyone likes to say is love kept me from doing what I’d dreamt of ever since I was a child.
Eight hours earlier…
I awoke with a smile on my face. Today was my boyfriend Henry’s birthday. I got the day off from the greasy diner I worked at so I could plan something special for him. I’d made reservations at the Alpines, a fancy a la carte steakhouse that we’d talked about going to since the day they opened. I had these reservations for over a month because that was how far in advance they booked up. I hopped out of bed, showered, got dressed, and headed to Henry’s favorite bakery to buy him his favorite cherry turnovers and coffee. He didn’t know I had the day off from work. I wanted it to be a surprise and to be the best birthday he’d ever had.
I quietly inserted the key into the lock and slowly opened the door to his apartment, tiptoeing to the kitchen, where I set the bag of turnovers and the cups of coffee down on the counter. I arranged one of the cherry turnovers on a plate and stuck one candle in the middle. After lighting it, I carefully walked to his bedroom and opened the door. My heart started racing as I stood there and stared at him with his arms around another woman. And not just any other woman, but my best friend, Krista.
“What the fuck!” I shouted.
Henry jumped out of bed while Krista sat up, holding the sheet up to cover her naked body.
“Kinsley. What are you doing here?” he nervously spoke.
“Kinsley, I can explain,” Krista spoke as she held up her hand.
I swallowed hard as tears streamed down my face and a sick feeling erupted inside me.
“Kinsley.” Henry pulled on a pair of shorts and began to walk towards me.
I had so much to say, to scream, to shout, but nothing would come out of my mouth. I put my hand up in front of Henry to stop him from coming any closer.
“Don’t,” I managed to speak in a shaky voice.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Baby, please. This isn’t what it looks like,” he spoke.
I shook my head in disbelief as he stood there and tried to lie his way out of it.
“This isn’t what it looks like?” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I walk into your bedroom and find you in bed, totally naked and holding my best friend! How long has this been going on?” I shouted as my eyes met Krista’s. “TELL ME!” I screamed.
“Just a couple of times,” she spoke. “I’m so sorry, Kinsley. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Yeah, baby. It was only a couple times thing. Please believe me,” Henry spoke. “It meant absolutely nothing. I promise, nothing.”
“How could the both of you do this to me?” I asked as the tears wouldn’t stop falling. “Henry, how could you?” I slowly shook my head as I stared into his lying eyes.
“Kinsley, I—” he started to speak.
I looked down at the turnover, blew out the candle, and proceeded to throw the plate at him. He ducked as it smashed against the wall.
“You two are dead to me.” I pointed at both of them. “Do you understand? DEAD!” I turned around and stormed out of the bedroom.
“Kinsley, wait!” Krista yelled as she came after me.
I grabbed my purse from the kitchen, and as I was walking to the door, she grabbed hold of my hand to try and stop me.
“Don’t do this. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen,” she begged as she fell to the floor with a tight grip on my hand.
“You sleep with my boyfriend, the man I’d been dating for over a year, and you have the nerve to tell me not to do this!” I shouted. “Well guess what, Krista, the two of you can have each other and you can both rot in Hell.”
“Kinsley, baby, me and you need to talk about this like adults,” Henry spoke. “It was a mistake.”
“Adults?” I glared at him. “You’re not a man. You’re a fucking coward and far from ever being an adult. Happy birthday, Henry. I hope you get everything you want, and by the looks of it, you already have.”
I jerked my hand from Krista’s grip, flew out the door, got into my car, and sped away. I pulled over on the side of the road about five miles from Henry’s apartment. My hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as my forehead fell onto it. I felt as if I was having a panic attack. I couldn’t breathe, and now, I knew what I needed to do. I pulled my phone from my purse and dialed Jimmy.
“Hey, Kinsley, what’s up?”
“Do you still want to buy my car?” I asked.
“Yeah. Sure. You’re selling?”
“Yes. Give me a couple of hours and I’ll drop it off. I want four thousand cash. Is that enough time for you to get the money?”
“Yeah. No problem. I’ll go to the bank now. What’s going on?”
“I just don’t need it anymore.”
“Did something happen?” he asked.
“I’ll see you soon.” I ended the call.
I drove to the bank and closed down my bank account. Then I drove home, and as soon as I stepped through the front door, I found my mom passed out on the couch. Rolling my eyes, I ran to my bedroom, threw as many of my things that would fit in my suitcase, and headed back to the living area.
“Mom?” I lightly shook her.
“Not now, Kinsley,” she moaned.
Shaking my head, I went into the kitchen, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the drawer, and wrote her a note.
“Mom, I’m leaving. I can’t stay here anymore. This isn’t the life I want. Don’t worry about me and I really hope you get your shit together someday.”
Kinsley
I placed the note on the coffee table in front of the couch she was passed out on and walked out the front door, pulling my suitcase behind me. As I drove to Jimmy’s shop, I called an Uber to meet me there.
“What’s going on, Kinsley?” Jimmy asked.
“I’m leaving town. I can’t stay here anymore,” I spoke as I took the cash from his hands and handed him the keys to my car.
“What about Henry? Does he know?”
“Henry is fucking Krista, so I’m positive he won’t care.”
“Gee, I’m sorry.” He scratched his head. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“And what about your mom?”
“She’ll be fine. It’ll probably be a couple of days before she notices I’m gone anyway.”
The Uber pulled up and rolled down the passenger side window.
“Are you Kinsley?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
I walked over to my car and took my suitcase from the trunk.
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
“You’re welcome, Kinsley. Good luck and stay safe.” He hugged me.
“I will.” I gave him a small smile and shoved the money he gave me into my purse.
As I was sitting in the back of the car, my phone was being blown up by calls and text messages from Henry. I rolled down the window and tossed it out in the middle of the highway.
“Lady, why did you do that?” the Uber driver asked.
“I don’t need it anymore. That part of my life is gone.”
He dropped me off at the airport and I wheeled my suitcase up to the reservations desk.
“How can I help you?” the friendly brunette asked.
“I need a one-way ticket to California. Next flight out if possible.”
“You’re in luck. The next flight leaves in two hours and there are two seats left.” She smiled.
Chapter 2
Chase
“Oh, Chase,” Rachel moaned. “You—are—amazing.”
“Yes, darling, I know.” I smiled at her as I buttoned my shirt.
“Do you have to go already?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, adulting calls. I need to get to the office or my father is going to have my head.”
“Call me later?” She seductively smiled.
“Of course.” I winked as I grabbed my suitcoat and walked out the door.
I climbed into my black convertible Aston Martin and sped down the highway like I owned it. As I was jamming to my favorite tunes with a grin on my face, my secretary, Lexi, facetimed me.
“Morning, beautiful.” I smiled.
