Renewed (The Fractured Series Book 3)

by James, Holleigh

  He led me out of the house and up the block.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m going to draw you in the most beautiful place on earth.” I knew he meant by the creek.

  When we got there, it was even more special than ever being in such a beautiful place, in a beautiful dress, with a beautiful man.

  “Where do you want me?” I asked.

  He pointed. I climbed up onto the rocks that I had posed on during one of the first times I brought him to the creek. I leaned back on my arms and waited for him to correct my position. Gentle hands moved my arms and legs. It took all I had not to react to the sparks I felt when he touched me. He brushed my hair forward so some of my reddish-blonde banana curls rested on my shoulder.

  “Are you comfortable?” he asked. I nodded. He was no-nonsense. “Okay, then stay like that.”

  Rob sat on the ground a few feet from me. He leaned against a small boulder and crossed his legs out in front of him. I wished it was me drawing him. I watched him on the ground in his jeans and tight tee shirt. A serious look washed over his face as he picked up the charcoal pencil and began to draw. Each time I tried to talk to him, he’d say, “Shhh. I’m working.”

  After what seemed like years, but was really only thirty-five minutes, I had to interrupt. “Ah, excuse me DaVinci, but I’m getting stiff over here. I have to move.”

  He put the sketchpad down, but didn’t face it toward me. “Okay. You have a two minute break.”

  “Can I see?” I shifted from side to side, hoping for a glance at the sketchpad.

  “Not until I’m done.”

  I got off the rock and stretched my arms into the air. Breathing in deeply, I rolled my head to stretch my neck. Then I walked up and down the side of the creek to get the kinks out of my leg muscles. I sauntered up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. But he was not in a playful mood. I pulled away.

  “Man, you’re serious.”

  “I want a good grade in this class.”

  “Why? You’ll pass.”

  “Because I want to impress you.”

  “Rob, you don’t have to impress me with art. You impress me with everything else, especially with how you make me feel. I don’t need anything else, as long as I have you. I couldn’t care less if you failed art, or any of your classes. In fact, I wouldn’t even care if you dropped out of school.” I replaced my arms around his neck and kissed him. This time he kissed back.

  “Okay, I need you back on the rock before I lose my light.”

  What happened to my break? “Yes, Sir,” I said and jumped up on the rock.

  Rob studied his drawing to see how I was positioned before. He walked over to me and moved my arms to get the correct position, the way I had been before my break. His pencil dropped to the floor. He bent down to retrieve it. When he looked back up, he said, “There’s one thing I have to add to your pose – a prop.”

  “I’m not putting a wreath of flowers in my hair, so don’t get any wild ideas.”

  He looked at me with a straight stare – still serious. The blue of his eyes was deep. He rested on one knee and moved his hand in front of me. Instead of the pencil, as I expected, he held a small, black velvet box. He moved it closer. It was opened, and inside sat the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. A two-carat, emerald cut, white diamond sparkled in a platinum setting as the sunlight streamed through the trees and bounced off it.

  Everything disappeared. I only saw Rob. “Oh my, that’s the most beautiful—”

  His mouth opened and my heart raced. “Amanda Stewart, you mean the whole world to me. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you. I’d probably still be miserable. Since I’ve met you, I’ve known beauty on so many levels: intellectual, emotional, physical. I know I can’t live without you, and I don’t want to try. I’d like to ask if you would honor me in being my wife.”

  My brain screamed, YESSSSSSSS! But nothing came out of my mouth. Instead, I grabbed him and pulled him up on the rock with me. My mouth found his.

  When I finally let go, he asked, “Does that mean yes?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I screamed it out loud. Yes, I would love to be your wife.”

  He smiled. Both of his dimples were present. He slipped the ring on my finger to make it official, and we kissed again. We didn’t stop for a long time.

  Wiggling my fingers to watch the sunlight dance off the sparkly diamond, my concentration had shifted. I jumped off the rock and followed him to the sketchpad.

  “Did you really have to do a portrait for Mr. Kingston?”

  “Yeah. It’s due on Thursday.”

  “I want to see what you’ve drawn.”

  “Remember, I’m an amateur,” he said.

  “You’re more than just an amateur.”

  He hesitated, and then turned the pad around. My eyes widened; my mouth dropped open. The drawing had perfect shadowing. I was sitting on the rocks in my goddess regalia. The left hand was back, supporting my weight. The fingers gripped the rock. On the fourth finger sat the beautiful ring he had just placed on my real finger.

  Now I truly felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When we got back to my house, the Bowmans and Bryan and Jennifer were there. Chelsea was there, too. Rob had planned the whole thing, including having a long talk with my father beforehand, asking for his permission for my hand. He was such a romantic.

  Everyone congratulated me – everyone except Chelsea. The only one Chelsea offered her best wishes to was Rob. She managed to aim her kiss on his lips, the ones that belonged to me.

  When Chelsea stepped away, I saw Rob’s cheeks flush red. He didn’t look at me. I guess he knew what my reaction was.

  Mom had ordered in tons of Chinese take-out, and we all celebrated our new engagement. For the next few hours, everyone showered Rob and me with attention. Chelsea receded into the woodwork.

  “I’ll throw the trash out for you, Mrs. Stewart,” I heard Rob say. He went out the back door with the bulging garbage bag. Chelsea followed him. I made some excuse to go into the kitchen so I could look out the window to keep my eye on her.

  Rob placed the trash in the bin and then walked back to the house. Chelsea walked up to him. I could barely make out what they were saying.

  “Chelsea,” Rob said with surprise. “Did I forget some garbage?”

  “Ah, no. I just came out to get some air. It’s awkward for me. I don’t really know the Stewarts.”

  “Oh, they’re great. You should get to know them.” Rob’s unprovoked assessment of my family made me smile.

  “Well, I’d rather get to know the other side of my own family.”

  Rob’s face twisted with confusion.

  “I’d like to get to know you better, Rob.” Her well-manicured index finger traced Rob’s shoulder. I grabbed the edge of the sink and clenched my teeth.

  Rob smiled. “Chelsea, when are you going to give up? I’ll never fall for your games.” Woo-hoo! That’s my fiancé!

  “Rob, you haven’t even given me a chance. And now you’ll be off the market forever. At least let me have you one time before you get married. It’ll be good for you, too. This way you’ll know if you’re making the right choice.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “You know, your parents always liked me.”

  Mentioning his parents was a cheap shot. One nail broke as I squeezed the sink. My finger started to bleed, but I didn’t dare run the water, because then I wouldn’t be able to hear Rob’s answer.

  He reached up and put his hand on hers. My heart sank to my stomach. Please don’t… don’t…

  “Chelsea, I’m flattered,” his voice was sweet. “I’m sure there are hundreds of guys who would love to take you up on this offer, and maybe I’m crazy for not being one of them, but I love Mandy. She’s everything to me. I’m not interested in anyone else. She’s all I need.”

  I released the death-grip I had on the sink and let out the breath I had b
een holding. Rob walked in through the backdoor and saw me standing with my hand in the sink.

  “What happened?”

  I stared at him blankly.

  “Your finger is bleeding.” He turned the water on, then took my hand in his and held it under the cold water. I looked at his face and melted. All of my silly insecurities ran down the drain with the bloody water. He loved me.

  Rob stayed by my side the rest of the evening, until he had to leave for work.

  “Now I really don’t want to be away from you,” I said as I walked him out to his car.

  “You won’t be for long. Think about a summer wedding.”

  “What? So soon?”

  “There’s no reason to wait, is there?”

  “College in the fall,” I reminded him.

  He traced my mouth with his index finger. “You can still do all of that; we just have to change your status to ‘married’, and your last name to ‘Cooper,’ unless you’re going to be one of those women that hyphenates their maiden name.”

  “No. I want your name. I want everything of yours.”

  He smiled.

  “Okay, so think about it.” He gave me the kind of kiss a man gives the woman who just accepted his marriage proposal. How could I think about a wedding when all I could think of was that kiss?

  When everyone left, Mom came into the kitchen. She sat at the table, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “My babies are grown up. Bryan is married with a baby on the way, and now you’re engaged. This happened so fast. I missed so much of your lives, and now, it’s speeding by me.”

  I took a paper towel and dabbed at her tears. I moved her brown curls away from her face. “No one is going away. We’re all still here. So we’re a bit older, but we’ll always need you. Bryan more than me, I think, but I’ll always need you, Mom.”

  She smiled and hugged me.

  “Go upstairs and take a nice, long, hot shower. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to need your help planning a wedding.” She laughed and kissed me on my forehead.

  ***

  Finally, it was the last day of school. Rob had to work, as usual. I waited a half an hour after he left me before I walked to the supermarket. My destination: the deli counter.

  “Can I help you?” the skinny, pimple-faced boy asked from behind rows of meats and cheeses.

  “Yes. Can you page Rob Cooper?”

  “Sure,” his voice crackled.

  When he disappeared from the counter, I kept myself occupied by looking at the items in the deli case. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone with blond stringy hair next to me. My body stiffened and I held my breath. Only my eyes moved as I glanced over. I released my breath with a whoosh. It was a teenage boy grabbing a package of rolls from the rack next to me. He couldn’t have been older than fourteen. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Get a grip, Mandy. I shrugged it off.

  When I looked up, Rob was standing behind the counter.

  “I want to order some of that tan goop.” I pointed to the humus I had accidentally ordered a year ago, when I first laid my eyes on Rob.

  He looked at me with furled eyebrows. It took a moment, but then he realized why I had ordered it. “A half a pound?” he asked.

  “Um, yeah,” I said.

  “A half-pound each of potato salad and coleslaw, too?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “How about some whipped cream?”

  “Like the whipped cream, do ya?”

  “Oh yes,” he said with sultry enthusiasm.

  “Well, I’ll make sure I get some more of that.”

  The skinny, pimpled-faced kid stood at the counter, his eyebrows high on his head in surprise as he followed the conversation between Rob and me.

  Rob walked around the counter to where I was standing. Several older ladies and moms with small children were waiting in line for someone to take their orders. Rob grabbed me around the waist and placed his wonderful, soft lips on mine. I was lost in the torrent that took over my body.

  “Will I see you later?” he whispered.

  “Without a doubt,” I confirmed between heavy gasps.

  “Good.”

  Matt, his boss, was standing on the other side of the aisle. He looked at us and rolled his eyes. Then he continued his task. Rob kissed me again. “I’ll see you later.”

  When he walked away, Old Mrs. Mandelburg asked if she could order the same thing as I just did. I laughed, as did most of the other customers.

  I ran home to get my car keys. Mom was sitting in the backyard. Dillon was playing in his blow up pool, in the same clothes he wore to school.

  “Mom, I’m going to Rob’s. It’s a year since we met, and we’re going to celebrate.”

  “Okay, Sweetie.”

  “Mom, why is Dillon in the pool with his clothes on?”

  “He said he wanted to go swimming, so I let him.”

  “You should have made him change into a bathing suit. Now he’s going to expect to do this every time.”

  Mom shrugged.

  “Mom, just because you’ve missed some things, doesn’t mean you should let him do whatever he wants. It’ll just make it worse when you have to tell him no.”

  Mom smiled and caressed my cheek with her hand. “You’re right, Sweetie. Next time, I’ll make him change.” I started to walk back into the house. “Oh, Mandy, you got mail. It’s on the kitchen table.”

  Suffolk County Jail. I didn’t even open it. With a gentle toss, it landed in the trashcan.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chelsea had her butt planted on the steps to Rob’s front porch when I drove up. Her hair fanned across her back, and her clothes did little to hide her great shape.

  As I collected the supermarket packages from the trunk, I gave myself a pep talk. Now Mandy, be nice. You can’t blame the girl for trying. He is the most beautiful human being on the face of the planet. It’s only natural she’d want him.

  I looked down at my hand. My engagement ring sparkled in the sun, reflecting light in every direction. Confidence replaced worry inside me, as I felt a smile spread across my face.

  Taking the key out of my pocket, I carried the grocery bag up the stairs. “Hey, Chelsea.” That’s a good start.

  “Hi, Mandy. I was just waiting for Rob.”

  “Oh, he’s working. Won’t be home until much later. I can tell him you stopped by.” That should get rid of her.

  “If it’s all right with you, I’ll wait for him. I wanted to ask him a few questions.”

  She’s persistent. I stuck the key into the lock. The door opened with ease. “If you’d like, you can wait inside. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” Although I would. Nice. Be nice.

  “That would be great.” She pranced into the house as if she owned it, and made her way to the family room off to the side of the kitchen. She threw herself onto the large beige couch.

  Breathe, Mandy. I placed the package on the kitchen counter and removed its contents, putting things where they belonged.

  “Wow, the place looks great. Rob did a great job of redecorating since the fire.”

  “Yeah, I like everything he picked out.” I tried to continue her small talk banter, even though I couldn’t wait for her to leave.

  “So you and Rob have been together a few months, huh?”

  “Well, actually, today is the one-year anniversary of when we first met. We started dating shortly after.”

  “Oh, so things are moving quickly with the two of you. Would your parents have more than one grandbaby on the way?”

  What a cheap shot. With a deep breath, I swallowed my anger at her question and smiled.

  “No. We’re both going to go to college first. Then we’ll talk about children. We’re still so young, and we have our whole lives together to start a family.” There, take that, bitch.

  She leaned back in the cushions of the couch and stretched her arms above her head. “Yeah, I remember when we were all younger, Ro
b used to say he wanted to play the field for as long as possible. He didn’t want to settle down or have kids until he was well established. And he said one would be plenty.”

  Now I knew she was full of it. Rob told me he always wanted a large family. He knew his parents weren’t able to have any more children after he was born, and he wanted to make sure they had plenty of grandchildren to make up for it. Plus, he said practicing with me would be worth changing diapers for the rest of his life. Rather than accept her petty confrontation, I answered with a smart retort. “Well, I guess he’s changed his mind since the fire.”

  That shut her up. I could almost see the gears in her head turning, trying to think of some other way to jab at me. With the last of the groceries away in their place, I walked over to the couch and sat across from her. She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. I don’t think she expected me to be so bold, but I had to show her she wasn’t a threat.

  I looked at her large brown eyes and flawless nose. Men must throw themselves at her feet on a daily basis. Why would she want Rob? Maybe because she knew she couldn’t have him. I bet she was one of those girls who liked a challenge.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” I asked. I didn’t want her to accuse me of being a bad hostess.

  “No, thank you.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. It was awkward, but I really had nothing to say to her.

  “What college will you be attending in the fall?” she asked, but I don’t think she was too interested.

  “Stony Brook University.”

  “Is it because it’s close?” Another attempt at a dig.

  “No. It’s because they have the program I’m interested in.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I’m going to study neuroscience.”

  “Oh, you don’t look the science type.”

  That tightened my strings. “And what does the science type look like?”

  She laughed. “I’m not sure. People always say that to me.”

  “So you’re majoring in science?”

  “Yes. I’m going to be a bio-technical engineer. I’d like to work on cloning.”