Saving Us

by Jennifer Foor

  Chapter 21

  Amy

  Driving all this way to meet someone that we didn’t even know if we could trust, wasn’t exactly how I had planned my evening. Things were going so good for us. We had settled into living in Kentucky. Each day of my pregnancy was spent preparing for the baby’s arrival. I thought it was going to be a girl and Conner insisted that it was going to be a boy. I was certain that, as long as it was healthy, it just didn’t matter.

  I actually enjoyed living in Kentucky. It was so beautiful and aside from girls Conner’s age, everyone in town was very welcoming. Colt’s mother and Van took me to a salon one day and introduced me to a couple of the stylists. They were very kind and said that if I decided to go back to work they would rent me out a chair.

  I think just knowing that if I wanted to work I had a job set my mind at ease. We didn’t have a house payment, since the house had long been paid for. Conner was able to save almost everything and I never worried that he wouldn’t be able to provide for our family.

  We’d bought all sorts of things for the nursery, but couldn’t agree on a theme. Conner wanted all John Deere stuff, but without knowing the sex, I couldn’t decorate in the boys green and yellow, or the girls pink version.

  There wasn’t one single day that past that I didn’t wonder when Rick was going to come along and spoil my happiness. Each moment I would feel overwhelmed in bliss, I always had to stop and wonder just how long it would last.

  One thing that I really enjoyed was how close the family was. I’d seen Ty and Miranda interacting with his parents, but this part of the family was exactly the same way. We still had dinners together and before each meal we prayed. For some reason, every single time I saw Conner fold his hand and close his eyes, my heart fell in love with him even more. My rough cowboy had a passionate side. He knew what his life stood for and he appreciated what he had.

  Conner seldom complained. He worked long, hard hours and then came home and spent time with me. Our routine was repetitive, but we liked things that way. I never thought I would get used to being with a farmer. Now I thought it was the perfect job. Conner was always somewhere close. He never had to ask permission to do things. I knew that when our baby came, he was going to be by my side the whole time.

  I was starting to get scared about the delivery part. It didn’t help that Miranda reminded daily of how bad it hurt. Knowing that she had survived such a terrible labor didn’t exactly make it easier not to worry. I had faith that everything was going to be okay.

  As I sat outside waiting for Conner, I was more nervous than ever.

  Conner came walking out a few minutes later with Heather walking behind him. She had cut her hair even shorter and kept it a dark brown. When they got up to the window, I rolled it down. Conner leaned inside of it. “Here’s the plan. Heather is goin’ to ride with us to another place. She wants us to believe that she is here alone.”

  I nodded.

  After unlocking the door, Heather climbed in the back. Once Conner was back into the driver’s seat, we pulled out of the parking lot. I turned around to face Heather. “What happened to you that night? We waited for hours.”

  She put her head down. “I couldn’t ask you to help me, Amy. I’ve done too much to Conner’s family to be able to do that. I drove all night long and finally came to a town in Maryland the next morning. Once I was there, I went into the library and used their computers to search Rick’s ex-wife. Her family was from Virginia and she still had some living there. With nothing to lose, I used the last of my gas money and drove there.”

  I couldn’t wait to hear what she found out.

  “Once I got there, it wasn’t exactly easy to approach them. The family ran this bed and breakfast, so I acted like I was just looking for a place to stay. I knew I couldn’t use my credit card, so I had to find a way to pay for a room. When they didn’t ask me to pay until my stay was over, I figured that I could just sneak out and not have to pay.”

  “There was this guy there, who worked around the grounds. Right away I knew it was Rick’s son. He looked just like him. After sleeping for a while, I walked outside to get some air and he was there. He had snuck a bottle out of the kitchen and was drinking it by himself. We made quick friends and after finishing off a bottle, you can imagine where we ended up.”

  I put my hand over my mouth and I was sure my eyes were huge. Conner made a chuckle sound, but said nothing else. “You slept with Rick’s son?”

  “Don’t even try to judge me right now. It happened. I regretted it the next morning, but after he learned I was on the run, he took care of me. He got me something to eat and talked his aunt into letting me work there. I was so scared and he was just there, offering me a safe place to stay. For the first time in over a month, I felt like I was able to sleep without looking behind my back.”

  I tried to think about what it was like for Heather. She didn’t have someone like Conner to make her feel safe and take her somewhere else to live. No, Heather gave up her whole life and was on the run from my psycho ex. “So, what is his son like?”

  She smiled. “He’s great. He goes to college and still works for his parents. He calls his aunt and uncle his parents and from what I gather, he doesn’t know that they aren’t his real parents. If he does, then he is proud to have been adopted by them. They have a beautiful place that they live in and are the kindest people I have ever met.”

  “Heather, have you been living there this whole time?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah. Please don’t say anything. I can tell you think I’m a whore. Jessie is different than other guys. I know he is younger than me, but look at the two of you. You make it work.”

  “So you’re a couple? You are in a relationship with Rick’s biological son?”

  Heather pulled out her phone and brought up a picture. “This is Jessie. He saved my life and I fell in love with him.”

  I grabbed her phone and looked at the resemblance for myself. It was uncanny. He had his arms wrapped around Heather and was looking into her eyes. “Does he know who you really are? Have you told him why you ended up at his parent’s place?”

  She stuck the phone back into her purse. “No. I tried to tell him so many times. He does know that I was running for an abusive ex. I told him everything except who the guy was. You can judge me for that, but I just want to be happy. I left my family and my friends and there he was, protecting me and taking me into his life like I belonged there.”

  I reached over and stuck my hand over Conner’s leg. “I know how easy it is to fall in love with someone. My whole life changed the day I met Conner.”

  Heather leaned back against the backseat. A smile formed in the corner of her cheek. “How far along are you now?”

  “Six and a half months. We are due in May.”

  “I used to never want children. For the longest time, I was so in love with Ty that he was all I could think about. I was obsessed with him. I know now how it wasn’t healthy, but at the time, it was all I lived for. I was willing to do anything for him to want me too. I made a lot of mistakes and then that thing with Rick happened. It was like I had to prove that I could have anyone I wanted. Conner is the person who made me wake up and see what I’d become. I really was starting to like him and had even told Rick that I wanted to stop seeing him. I thought that if I had a chance with Conner, it would finally end my addiction to Tyler Mitchell.”

  I think Conner shocked both of us when he chimed into the conversation he had been so quiet, just driving and listening. “I ain’t sorry for what I did, either. You deserved exactly what your little ass got.”

  I almost felt bad for how rude Conner was being. I understood why, but it was just uncomfortable.

  “Maybe we should just get back on task. You obviously found something out. We’ve been driving for a long time, so why don’t you tell us what we came to hear.”

  “I found Rick’s second wife. You are not going to believe this unless you see it for yourself.”

 
Suddenly, I started to realize that whatever Heather found out had to be big. I never would have thought it was possible, but she may have a way for us to not have to hide anymore. “Tell us.”

  “I want to tell you everything, but it would be better if I let her explain it. When I told her about what was going on, she insisted that I get you here as soon as possible. I wouldn’t have called you otherwise.” Heather crossed her arms over her chest. She looked so different now. Being on the run had taken a toll on her appearance.

  “Where do we need to drive to? I ain’t driving around all damn night. Amy needs to get some sleep.” Conner was so cold when he spoke to Heather.

  “There is a hotel a few miles from the woman’s house. Why don’t we get some rooms and rest up for tomorrow, Heather suggested.

  ‘Sounds like a plan to me,” Conner finally agreed.

  We pulled up at the hotel and Conner got out to book our room. Since he didn’t trust her, he thought it would be best to share a room. I don’t think he realized how uncomfortable it was going to be for all of us. As we made our way into the room, we all three looked at each other. “We’re all here to get some sleep. It’s for one damn night. I don’t feel like hearin’ either of you complain. Just get into bed and go to sleep.” Conner kissed me on top of the head and walked back outside. I ran to the door and followed him. “Where are you going?”

  “I was goin’ to sleep in my truck.”

  “Why? Do you really think it’s best to leave me alone with Heather?” I couldn’t believe what he was saying.

  He started laughing. “Calm down, Blaze. I forgot my bag. I was comin’ right back.”

  Yeah, I felt like an idiot for thinking he would leave me. “Oh, okay.”

  He pointed in the direction of the room. “Get your ass back in that room before you catch a cold. I’ll be right there.”

  I walked back to the room and took a deep breath before going in. I didn’t think I was going to be able to sleep, not with Heather being in the room with us, even though I was exhausted.

  “Amy, thanks for coming. I know Conner hates my guts. I don’t blame either of you for that. I made my bed. I deserve to have nothing.”

  Heather was sitting on the edge of one of the beds. I sat down on the one across from her and looked right at her. “Heather, I can’t speak for Conner or anyone in his family, but I hate that you got dragged into my Hell. That bastard played us both. I can see the fear in your eyes and I recognize it because I live with that same fear every single day.” I grabbed my belly and started to rub it. “I have a real chance at a future with someone who loves me. The Bible says that we should forgive, even the worst of sinners. I forgive you, Heather. I will never forget what you did, but I can try to forgive you.”

  Heather started to cry. She buried her face into her hands. “You don’t know how much that means to me. I swear that I’ve changed Amy. I know that family would never give me a second chance, but I appreciate that you would. I will do whatever it takes to help find Rick and get him locked up. I want to be able to see my family again. My God, the last time I saw my mother, she was being thrown to the floor by that bastard. You don’t know awful it was to see that and keep running. I miss them so much.”

  I could feel the tears forming in my own eyes. I grabbed Heather’s hand. “We are both going to get our lives back.”

  She nodded, but continued to cry.

  Conner was going to be mad at me, but Heather and I had more in common than he understood. I was living the same way she had been.

  A life in fear.

  It was time for it to end.

  Chapter 22

  Conner

  When I got back into the room, the girls were holding hands like old friends. I wanted to walk back out and then in again to see if I wasn’t just imagining it. They separated once they saw my dirty look and both climbed into bed without saying anything. After using the facilities, I climbed into bed next to Amy and wrapped my arms around her. Amy was already half asleep, while the baby was wide awake and moving all around. I kept my hand placed right on her stomach and fell asleep with my family in my arms.

  The next morning we all got up and got showered. Heather had a small book bag with her, while Amy and I had packed a whole change of clothes and other things we needed. We got on the road at about nine and within a couple minutes were pulling up to a nice size single family home.

  Amy and Heather were being cordial to each other. It pissed me off, but I wasn’t exactly in a place to be saying anything about it. I knew they had both been scared for a long time. I didn’t blame them for having that in common.

  We all three got out of the car and went up to a large red front door. The sign above it read Silverman. Heather stepped in front of us, which made sense since she already had met the woman. The lady was nothing like I expected. She was tall and lean with long blonde hair. From far away I could see where she would have been mistaken for someone much younger. The woman must have had a lot of work done on her face and probably more parts of her body.

  “Good morning. I wasn’t sure if you would be coming by today. Come on inside.” She walked us into a little room with two couches but no television. The furniture was all a light crème and I felt like just sitting on it was going to ruin it.

  “This is Amy and Conner. They drove from Kentucky last night.” Heather sat down next to the woman, while we sat across from them. I kept my hand on Amy’s leg, feeling like I needed her to know that she wasn’t in this alone.

  We both leaned over and shook hands with the woman. She smiled and noticed Amy’s belly. “How far along are you?”

  Amy looked over at me. “Six and a half months.”

  She kept smiling and staring at her stomach. It was kind of weird.

  I cleared my throat. “Excuse me for bein’ blunt, but why did you need to see us?

  She stood up. “How about I get us some refreshments first. My mind isn’t that reliable unless I’ve had some morning coffee.”

  Amy and Heather both asked for water, while I asked for nothing. The woman brought back two bottles of water and handed them to the girls. “I supposed I should just get right to it. I’m sorry for asking you to come all this way, but after sixteen years, you can imagine that things haven’t been easy for me to let go of.”

  “I don’t understand. We don’t know anything,” Amy explained.

  “I supposed I should start from the beginning, back when I was married to Rick Martin. I’m not really sure when you met him, but when I met Rick he was still married. His wife was the daughter of some big attorney. At first he didn’t tell me he was married, but after I had seen them out in public together, he had to come clean. He told me that their marriage was a joke and that they hadn’t been in love for some time. I wanted to believe him, because he was the sweetest man that I’d ever met. For months we snuck around stealing kisses and meeting in hotel rooms for heated moments together. Every time we were alone he would ask me to marry him. You can imagine how something like that would make me feel. What woman doesn’t want to be seduced by such a sexy man. Rick told me that his wife wouldn’t give him a divorce. He claimed that she said she would take away his son and he would never be able to see him again. I guess you don’t know that part either. Rick had a three year old son. That kid was his world. It was all he ever talked about. He was so afraid of his wife that he couldn’t take the necessary steps to leave her. It wasn’t until I got pregnant that things got all messed up. I’d given him an ultimatum. He could be with me or he could be with her. I wasn’t going to share him anymore. I had a child to consider. I never saw a man cry like he did that night.” She paused and stared off for a moment.

  “When Rick made his choice, I moved on like I said I was going to. I started working for a doctor as a secretary and put myself through night school. I shared an apartment with seven other people, just to be able to afford to live. I will never forget that night I came home and Rick was on my porch. He had flowers in his hand and was all
smiles. He wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. I remember looking there first. Rick then proceeded to tell me how his wife had taken a terrible fall. She died before the paramedics could arrive. He told me that we were finally going to be together and a family. God, I was so naïve. I believed every word out of his mouth. I even believed his lame excuse why we couldn’t live together at first. He neglected to tell me how he was being investigated for the murder of his wife.”

  She took a sip of her coffee and looked around the room. “One night he came home and said he was in big trouble. He swore that he hadn’t done it, but said I had to be his alibi for the night his wife died. He told me that her father was trying to pin murder charges on him so that their son could be raised by the family instead of him. His wife’s father filed for a petition with the courts giving her sister and her husband temporary custody. We rehearsed what I was supposed to tell the officers when they came to visit me. I did as he said and because of my later testimony, Rick was cleared of the charges. He told me we were going to be rich from the life insurance policy. We started living a different lifestyle and taking advantage of our new fortune. While he fought to regain custody of his son, the father stepped in again and had Rick charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Apparently, he had obtained the computer from their house and on it the police found several searches on the best way to make a murder look like an accident. At the time, I didn’t know this. The insurance company retracted the settlement and Rick was left with nothing. In the meantime, our daughter was born. While I was busy being a new mother, Rick was busy pretending that we were still rich. I had no reason not to believe him. He always had money and seemed to be happy even without being able to see his son.”

  “It wasn’t until my daughter was over a year old that I started learning the truth. We’d been married for seven months. Rick would leave for work and come home every night. He spent his weekends around the house. We looked happy to everyone around us, even to our closest friends. But we had secrets. Rick liked to drink at night. He’d come right home and pour himself a drink. After I would put the baby down at night, he liked to get rough with me. At first it was just sex, but it didn’t take long for it to be more physical. He started with hitting me in places that nobody could see, but after two years, he started to just not care anymore. I worked at a hospital and hid the scars easily. I’m sure some people knew that I was unhappy, but not one person stepped forward.” The woman started to cry. She got up and grabbed a tissue. Amy and I looked at each other, but we were both so involved with the story that neither of us knew what to say.