Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1)

by Reese A. Stephens

  “Why don’t you come over Monday night?”

  “How about you come to me. You’ve moved and unpacked, let mama take care of you. I really need to run.”

  “Have fun gossiping. I’ll see you Monday.” I giggle.

  She smiles. I love the twinkle in her eyes. She lives for the latest juicy gossip, but at the same time, I know if they bring me up in a negative light, she’ll be the first to put them in their places.

  “You know I will. Dave Johnson was spotted with Helen Zhar. You know that will be the talk of the morning.”

  “I’m sure it will be. Love you,” I tell her, still chuckling with her.

  She kisses my cheek, returns my love, and then heads back to her neighboring house. I’m lost in the unpacking again when my phone rings. I smile when I see Ryan’s number. A few weeks ago, his number caused me panic. He was trying to reconcile the news of having an almost grown son and, as expected, he wasn’t handling it well. He definitely wasn’t happy with me then.

  “Hey,” I say as I take a seat on my bed.

  “Hey, you. How’s the unpacking?”

  “Good. I finished the living room and kitchen. I started on the den, but got distracted by my bedroom.”

  “Ah, bedrooms can do that.” His voice drops in tone. He might be sixteen years older, but it’s the same voice he used when we dated. It got me every time. Seems to be no different now. “But I wasn’t calling about bedroom activities, I was calling to see if you wanted to meet me for lunch? If you’re too busy, though, I understand.”

  “I can do that. I have all week to finish. The movers really did most of it already, I don’t have a ton left.”

  “Great. I’ll be there in ten. Is that enough time?”

  “Yeah, as long as you don’t mind me wearing what I had on at breakfast.”

  He chuckles. “Well, I would like to see you in less, but for lunch at the diner, it’s great.”

  “Oh stop it! I’ll be ready, but I need to get off the phone.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

  “The side door is open,” I tell him quickly, hoping he’s not disconnected.

  “Not safe, babe.” I can see the scowl on his face in my mind. I smile.

  “You’ll be here in less than ten. I’ll be fine.”

  “I need a key.”

  “Fine, we can stop by Hadley's.”

  “Seriously?” He asks at my mention of the local hardware store.

  “Yes! Your son lives here. You’ll need to have access.”

  He hums. “Yeah, that’s why.”

  I laugh. “Exactly why. He might accidentally lock himself out, and Maw and Pop may not be at home. Now, let me go so I can freshen up.”

  “I like you sweaty and dirty.”

  “Oh my God! I’m hanging up now.”

  I hear his laughter as I end the call. My face warms with blush, but I shake it off. I don’t have time for fantasies right now. By the time I’m exiting my bedroom, he’s coming through the side door in the kitchen. He looks incredible. He’s lost his jacket as the weather has warmed, and rolled up his long sleeves, tattoos exposed, and others peeking from under his sleeve. His hair is more tousled than this morning, like he’s been a little stressed through the day and had his hands in it often.

  “See something you like?” He asks, noticing my stare. He flexes his muscles.

  “You said that earlier. I think you’re a touch conceited.” I can’t help the grin that spreads on my face. I run my hands up his tattooed arms until they wrap around his neck. “You’ve aged well. You were hot in high school, all the girls thought so, but now you’re just so much more. I can’t stop staring at you,” I answer, going with my heart instead of my head.

  He smirks at me before leaning forward and pulling me tightly against him, taking my breath away with a searing kiss. Pulling back with a sigh, he rests his forehead to mine.

  “We should go before something happens we’re not ready for.”

  I nod, agreeing. “How can I feel this way after sixteen years, after everything we put each other through?”

  He hugs me tightly. “I don’t know, but I feel it too. I was serious when I said I’d missed you through the years. I tried to move on, but in the few relationships I’ve had, I just couldn’t get you out of my head.”

  “When you say things like that, it makes me incredibly sad. I feel so guilty.” I turn from him and grab my jacket and purse.

  He runs his fingers down my arm to my hand and twines our fingers. “Don’t. I could have talked to you. I wanted to, but I let my dad get in my head. I had choices, but I let someone else make them, thinking it wouldn’t be my fault. It was wrong. I loved you with my whole being. I should have never let you go. I lost not only you, but my son too. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  I blink away the tears building in my eyes and clear my throat. We don’t have the time we need for this conversation. “We should go. You have to be back to work soon.” He nods, tugs my hand, and leads me outside. “I didn’t know you had a squad car?”

  “Loaner. Mine’s being serviced.” He opens the passenger door for me to get in.

  “They don’t care if you have a civilian in your car?”

  “Nah, but I could cuff you and make you sit in the back if you’d like.”

  I guffaw. “Ah, no. I’ll be just fine up front.”

  “Suit yourself.” He smirks. “Is the diner okay?” He asks as he buckles his seatbelt.

  “Yeah, I haven’t been there since I’ve been back. Does Ray still run it?” I ask, thinking of the man who was in his early fifties when I moved away.

  “No, his son, Ray Jr., took over. They use the same recipes. He worked there for a long time before. It hasn’t changed much. He has put a few new things on the menu though.”

  “Sounds great.”

  We hold hands and chat about Dylan on our way. It only takes about ten minutes to arrive. He kisses the back of the hand he’s holding before telling me to stay put while he gets my door. He has always opened my door. When I was young I thought it was silly, but now I think he’s incredibly romantic. Gentlemen are hard to find nowadays. It’s another thing about him that our son has missed out on. Guilt flares once more. He helps me out of the car and leads me into the diner with his hand on the small of my back.

  The diner is exactly like I remember. Red and white décor, pictures of the greats through time scattered all over the walls, an old juke box in the corner as before, but also a new version alongside the older one. There are touches of new, but mostly it’s remained the same. It’s comforting.

  “Hey there, detective. Usual?” A very endowed blonde girl asks as she pours another customer’s coffee.

  “Yeah, but she’ll need a menu.”

  The woman then notices me. Her eyes travel down to our joined hands and scowls. I guess Ryan still has a fan club. He motions for me to sit in a booth then slides in beside me. He lays his arm on the back of the bench and turns towards me.

  “This okay?”

  “Yeah. I take it you come here a lot.”

  He smiles cockily. “Yeah. You jealous of Tracy?”

  I roll my eyes. “No, but she’s clearly not happy about you holding my hand.”

  “Nah, she’s harmless. We went out once, but she’s not my type.” I don’t know if I like knowing that he’s been with her. It makes me insanely uncomfortable, especially since she’s our waitress.

  “What if she spits in my food? She looks like she’s trying to blow my head off with her mind,” I whisper as I look at Tracy, who's shooting daggers my way.

  “I didn’t sleep with her. We went on one date, to the movie in the park. She spent most of that time talking to the guy beside us, who she went home with later that night.”

  “Well, that’s rude.” I shake my head. “I don’t understand how anyone could not want to be with you.”

  “You’re biased, though. Maybe I make a horrible boyfriend.”

  “I doubt it. You were
a great boyfriend.”

  “No, a great boyfriend wouldn’t have broken up with the girl he loved unconditionally.”

  “You did what you thought was the best. Let’s not dwell in the past. We have a fresh start. Let’s just start over.”

  “Okay, sounds perfect.” He gives me a quick peck to the lips as Tracy arrives with my menu and a cup of coffee for Ryan. “Tracy, this is my girlfriend, and mother of my son, Shayla. Shay, this is Tracy. Best waitress Ray’s has.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I tell her.

  “Girlfriend? Didn’t you just move to town yesterday?” she asks me.

  “Actually, I moved here on Thursday.” I figure she’s questioning Ryan’s declaration.

  She rolls her eyes. “So you move here two days ago and you’ve already snagged the town’s hottest bachelor?” She mumbles. “You must be giving it up.” Ryan hears her.

  “Listen, Tracy. Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve known Shayla since we were kids. We have a fifteen-year-old son together. This isn’t new, this has always been.” Tracy looks offended as she turns and storms off. “Sorry. I don’t know what her problem is. We can go somewhere else.”

  “I don’t want to cause you problems. We can stay.”

  “It’s not causing me any problems. She’ll get over it. She doesn’t have a say in what I do. I literally see her once a day, in here; I order and leave.”

  “She obviously thinks she has some sort of claim to you.”

  “Nope. You’re the only one I want to claim me.” He winks and kisses my lips softly.

  I sigh. “We need to talk about the girlfriend proclamation. I told you I wasn’t ready for a relationship right now.”

  A clang breaks us out of our bubble. Ryan turns, eyebrows scrunched together with an unsatisfied look on his face. “Tracy, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think we need to have Melody as our waitress.”

  “Whatever,” Tracy snaps as she rolls her eyes.

  A few moments later, Melody comes to the table and apologizes for Tracy, takes our order, and doesn’t stare at Ryan like he’s a piece of meat. Our lunch is smooth from that point forward. We talk mostly about Dylan and how he did at tryouts. They went well, but I knew he’d do well. He’s as good as his dad, if not better, when it comes to sports. We also talk about my schedule at the hospital and clinic, we don’t, however, mention anything about our relationship.

  “So, you don’t stay at the hospital all day?” he asks, taking a big bite of his sandwich.

  I take a drink to clear my throat before answering. “No, well sort of. The clinic is right off the hospital in the medical complex. I do consultations there, but mostly I do emergency surgeries.”

  “So you work in the ER?”

  “Yeah, but only when they need a possible surgery. I stay in the OR wing.”

  “What days do you do consultations?”

  I pull out my phone to view my schedule. “I’ll print this out for the fridge at the house and you can have a copy if you want. I’m basically working four twelve hour days, though at times it turns into sixteen hour days or longer. I’m on call once a week, on one of my working days. I have three days a week off, unless I need to fill in for someone. It’s a pretty set schedule.”

  “Do you have days that are just in the clinic?”

  “Yes, unless I have a patient in the hospital or emergencies. I do surgeries on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays and again if there’s an emergency. Tuesdays and Thursdays are clinic days. I work my clinic schedule on Thursdays around my surgeries that day. I have off Friday to Sunday. On occasion I might have to work a weekend.”

  “That seems like a pretty good schedule.”

  “It was one of my stipulations on taking the job. I didn’t want to miss any of Dylan’s games.”

  “You’re a good mom.”

  I blush at his compliment. We’ve never addressed me being a mother directly. I mean, we both know, we’ve just never talked about what it has been like for me being a single mother.

  “Thanks. I think you’ll be a good dad. You’ve been great with him so far.”

  He doesn't say anything for a few moments, then looks up with a glisten in his eyes. “I hope so.” I squeeze his hand in assurance.

  We leave the diner and head back to my house. “Thanks for lunch. Will you be done in time for dinner with us?”

  “Yeah, Dylan is going to ride home with Tyler from down the street. I meant to tell you earlier.”

  “Is he on the team?”

  “Yeah. You might not remember his parents, they were in my grade. Sam and Julie Winters. I think Julie’s maiden name was Porter.

  “Is she Debbie Porter’s older sister?”

  “Cousin, but yeah, that’s her. They’re good friends of mine. Tyler’s a good kid. He’s a year older than Dyl.”

  The silence stretches in the car, it’s a bit uncomfortable. I want to say so much, but know it’s not the time for anything I could bring up. I settle with, “I should let you get back to work.”

  “Yeah, I should check in.”

  “Thanks for lunch.”

  He kisses the back of my hand. “Of course. I love spending time with you. It’s like no time has passed, but at the same time, it’s like an eternity. We have so much to learn about each other.”

  “Yes, we do. Be safe, I’ll see you at six for dinner.”

  “Sounds good, Shay.” He leans over and kisses me. I can’t help wrapping my fingers in his dark wavy hair and pulling him closer to me. “Keep that up and I won’t be going back to work.” He winks as I giggle at him. I feel like that love sick girl from so long ago. It’s a nice change for my heart.

  “Bye,” I whisper as I jump out of the car and head up to my house. I stop on the steps to wave and blow him a kiss. He returns it before backing out and heading down the street.

  Chapter Four

  Ryan

  A year ago, if you would’ve told me I’d be dropping Shayla off after a lunch date, I would’ve laughed in your face. A year ago, I hated her. I was too consumed with anger and guilt to see anything good in my life. Anger with myself, my dad, heck, even my mom, took over my life, and everything else was not important enough for me to give a second thought. I couldn’t believe they’d keep something like this from me. In my mind, Shayla was the enemy. I was dead set on getting my kid no matter what it cost me. I wanted to hurt her for the hurt she’d caused me. Remembering that first phone call now, well, let’s just say it makes me feel like total scum.

  I angrily pace back and forth in my childhood bedroom. I had come home to interview for the chief of police position. A position I would have never taken if it hadn’t been for my mom. She was sick, cancer, and even though my brothers and sister were close, most of them have kids and families. They tried to take care of her, but I could tell it wore on them. I loved my job with the FBI, but I couldn’t keep it and help at the same time. This was the only reason I came back to this backwards town. I hated this place so much when I left at eighteen. I haven’t come back here since. My parents always flew to me. I didn’t even come back for my dad’s funeral. I was on a case, undercover. No excuse, I guess, but that’s the one I used. He was my dad and I loved him, but we didn’t get along. Everyone knew that. So, here I am back in the town I hate, looking at the house next door to the house Shayla lived in until her parents died. I had no idea when the realtor told me about the perfect house for me, that it was the one beside her old one.

  The house was perfect. It was one of the smaller houses on the block, three bedrooms. Everything I needed. It was at the end of the street, woods surrounded the back and one side. I could purchase the wooded lot too. It was really perfect. That was until that dumb, gossipy tramp, Sarah Davidson opened her mouth and told me I was a father and my son was fourteen years old. Fourteen! In her defense, she had no clue what she’d just done. She never mentioned me as the father. I didn’t say another word to her though. I just stormed out of the house and straight to the Tho
rns.

  “Ryan?” Mr. Thorn addresses me.

  “You knew?”

  Sighing, he pulls the door open and waves me in. “Gale, Ryan Jacobs is here.”

  “Oh dear,” Gale mutters as she comes around the corner.

  Looking around the room, I notice pictures of Shayla growing up, then of a little boy. I grab the one closest to me. There’s no denying he’s mine. He has the same black hair, bright blue eyes with the annoying ring of navy around the outer edge that I have. He even has a dimple in his left cheek as I do. My legs feel as if they’re about to give, so I collapse onto the chair nearest me. I look up to them with angry tears burning my eyes. How could she do this to me? I thought she loved me.

  “Ryan,” Mrs. Thorn starts, but I interrupt.

  Shaking my head angrily, I ask, “Why would she do this to me? I thought she loved me.”

  “Oh, sweetheart. She did love you and she tried so hard to find you. We would’ve helped her, but she refused to tell us who the father was. We, of course, suspected you, but she was in the system so long, and some of that time we didn’t see her. We didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her placement with us. It was wrong, I know, but we only did what we thought was best for her and Dylan.”

  “Dylan?”

  “Your son,” she answered kindly.

  Tears spill down my checks. I’ve never in my life felt so many emotions at once. Hurt, anger, joy, confusion, and a slew of others I can’t even begin to pinpoint.

  “How long have you known?” I ask after I’ve collected myself.

  “Since she graduated from med school, so about six years. She only told us then because Dylan had asked about his dad.”

  “I don’t understand why she wouldn’t have tried to find me. I mean, I get while she was in the system, but she would’ve been out by the time he was two or when you guys adopted her, right?”

  “I think you need to ask her that. She would never tell us what happened. But please know, she did what she thought was best. It killed her not to tell you. I would find her rocking him and crying her little eyes out. It was heartbreaking to watch.”

  I shake my head and halfheartedly chuckle. “Shay was always the stubborn one.”