by C. Shell
Before he can say anything, I turn and run out of the house, desperate to get away from everyone’s glares and whispers. I cling to the anger swirling within me, knowing that revenge will be mine.
I’ll bide my time and do what’s necessary until the pieces of the puzzle are in place, then I’ll hit them where it hurts. They won’t see it coming. And I’ll sit on the sidelines with a smile on my face, watching as everything they care for goes up in flames.
To be continued.
About the Author
C. Shell lives in the hot state of Texas with her husband and two beautiful girls Romance books are her obsession. One that includes a bad boy or an alpha male who knows what he wants is her own personal version of heaven. She finds the happy endings and endless possibilities of books alluring and addictive. When she is not thinking up her next kick-ass character, she is working in the community rescuing dogs.
For more information:
Twitter: @Cshellauthor
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cshellauthor
Website: http://www.cshellauthor.com
Also by C. Shell
Harlow Series:
Beneath Him book 1
Embracing Him book 2
Karma Series:
Chasing Karma book 1
The Associates Series:
Unholy Creations book 1
Runes & Embers book 2 -Coming Summer 2020
CW Boys Series:
The Beginning Book 1
Starting Over Book 2
Tell Me No Lies Book 3
Happily Ever Book 4
Weak Link Book 1
Weak Link Preview
Letter from my mom
My dearest ladybug:
I'm sorry for leaving you so early in life. I fought as hard as I could, but the cancer outmatched me and nothing—not even my unwavering love for you—could pry away its vice grip. You will always be my little ladybug. You sacrificed so much in the end, and I couldn’t have asked for a better, more loving daughter. I’m proud of the young woman you’ve become.
By now you should’ve been contacted by your father and his attorney. Please don't hate me for keeping him a secret all these years. Nathan Scott is an amazing man, and once upon a time, I loved him dearly. He was headed for greatness and I couldn’t take that away from him. He is the type of man that would’ve given up the world to help me, and I didn’t want to be the person who derailed his future. He was headed for greatness.
I never stopped to consider what I was denying either of you. My selfishness cost you both. I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. You've sacrificed a lot in taking care of me, and I want to make it up to you. I have no right to ask anything else of you, but as your momma, I feel as if I need to right my wrong. Please read the rest of this letter with an open mind.
You’re only seventeen, which means you must be in an adult’s care until your next birthday. I understand that you and David worked out a plan where you will live with him until that time, but that’s not going to happen. I’ve already signed papers listing Nathan as your father and guardian. I can just imagine how mad you are right now. Your emotions are justified. I’m doing this for you both. You deserve a chance to get to know each other and Nathan has the stability you need right now in your life.
Nathan has agreed to pay off my medical bills, and once you graduate high school, he will continue supporting you through college. Put aside your anger and stubbornness and give him a real chance. I know it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
I will always love you, ladybug. Stay true to yourself and don’t ever let anyone take away your happiness. You deserve only the best in life.
Love you always and forever:
Mom
Chapter One
Chloe
“You look like you’re a million miles away.”
A sigh slips through my lips. Spread out on my bed, I turn my head to the side and gaze over at David, my best friend, and occasional late-night hookup. We've only fallen into the latter category a handful times and most of them were after drinking more than our fair share of tequila. David is also my first in every way.
After my mom fell ill, most of my spare time was spent by her side going from one doctor's office to another. When things got worse, the hospital became my second home. Kids at school didn't know how to handle the drama in my life. Dating became nonexistent and friends started dropping like flies. David looked beyond my troubles and saw the real me. When the world was falling apart around me, he always knew what to say to bring a smile to my face.
You might be thinking that we have an unusual relationship. You wouldn't be wrong. Some have tried to label us as friends with benefits. They don’t get it. We are so much more than that. Our closeness has never gotten in the way of our friendship. We’re better than that.
Sex between us is simple and easy. David is my release when life gets too serious. We’ve had other relationships and we respect each other. I’ve never once turned into a green monster when seeing him with another girl on his arm. I want the best for him and vice versa. David is my rock and my sanity all rolled into one.
I pluck at the pink carnation in my hand, something I collected from one of the arrangements at the funeral. My mom hated roses, but she could never turn down a carnation. She claimed they were special because they were resilient and could be created in any color. Sadness clutches at my chest, making each breath I take that much harsher.
“I miss her.” My voice is rough from all the crying I’ve done. “All the months I've had to prepare for her death did nothing to dampen the pain. I thought I would be stronger than this when the time came.”
The feel of his hand wrapping around mine grounds me. His touch is like magic. David has always been able to read me like a book. In a perfect world, he and I would make an epic couple, but life didn’t hand us those cards. Instead, I got a friend to hold me on my darkest days and he got…well, he got me. I might not be much of a consolation prize, but I am loyal to a fault.
“You don’t always have to be strong, Chloe.” I scoot closer to him, welcoming the warmth his body is putting off. I’m not an overly affectionate person, but I would never turn down a chance to cuddle with David. With strong shoulders, a toned physique, and a chiseled face that would make any girl swoon, being near him isn’t exactly a hardship.
“Just hold me,” I reply. I'm a royal mess right now. Too bad I’m out of fucks to give. Everything I need is in this room and I have no intention of leaving until I’m forced to.
Ovarian Cancer is a bitch. For the last year, my mom has fought it with every morsel of spirit she had. She was already at stage four when they discovered it, which left us with a small window of time to adjust to the news. Her doctors rushed into action pumping harsh chemicals and toxins into her already frail body in an attempt to fight it off.
The word cure was never once uttered, but her doctors promised to do their best to prolong her life. They spoke in terms of months instead of years, something that made no sense to me at the time. With no other family to turn to, my mom and I clung to each other and hoped for the best.
The treatment didn’t work. It only made her weak, turning her once beautiful tan face ashy and destroying what was left of her glossy black strands of hair. It only took three months from the day they told us the news until the time she died. I was left an orphan carrying around a mountain of debt and a hole in my heart.
Then came the lawyer.
An elderly man by the name of George showed up on my doorstep with a folder filled with legal papers and a letter from my mom. It seems as though my mother kept a big secret from me.
Surprise! My father is alive and well. And to top it off, the man has money. A lot of money apparently. He paid off my mother’s medical bills and took control of the house we live in. It would’ve been nice to have known about him when I was young and asking why I didn’t have a daddy like the other kids on the playground. I’m a big girl now
and the fairytales I once harbored over having a father in my life are long gone.
"How long until your dad arrives?"
"Father," I correct, my harsh tone echoing in the quiet room. "A dad is someone who raises you, cares for you, and is a constant in your life. Nathan is a sperm donor with a birth certificate that links us together."
David releases a hard sigh. "Fine. When will your father arrive to take you back with him? I don't want to waste any time we have left together."
My eyes skirt around my empty room, landing heavily on the pile of boxes in the corner that contain everything I’ve accumulated over seventeen years. “Nathan will be here with a moving van tomorrow morning at eight sharp.”
“I'm happy for you, Chloe. You deserve a fresh start and some stability in your life. With all the bills now paid, you can concentrate on school and getting that scholarship you’ve been working on. You've had to take care of yourself for far too long.”
“I don’t want to go,” I counter. We’ve had this discussion before and nothing about it ever changes. Why can’t he see how unfair this is? I shouldn’t be uprooted and moved just because my nonexistent father shows up one day.
“Nothing about you leaving is easy on me. You're my best friend. My partner in crime. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you around.”
“You better miss the hell out of me when I’m gone.” I sling my arm around his chest, allowing our bodies to get that much closer. “It’ll be weird not having your hairy butt barging into my room and waking me up at ungodly hours," I tease.
Mornings are not my cup of tea. On several occasions, David has come over to get me up and going so I won't be late to school. I looked but haven't found an alarm clock loud enough to rouse me.
“No one said being your friend was easy,” he laughs.
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” I shoot back, enjoying our easy banter.
I concentrate on the rise and fall of his chest. The sound of his beating heart helps to ease the tension building in my chest. David tilts his head to the side and flashes me a wicked grin. “I think we should make our last night together count.”
My eyes feather down his corded body, taking stock of the muscles and hard planes that I know to be tucked away under the button-down shirt and slacks he now wears. A slow warmth takes root in my stomach. Tonight won't be our usual drunk and fumble roll in the hay. This will be something we will remember with complete clarity when the sun rises. Our time together tonight will be ingrained in our minds for years to come. At least for me it will.
Goodbye is a filthy word. After attending my mom's funeral, I won’t utter that same word to David. It’s too final. I refuse to believe that I may never see him again. That hope is the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
Pushing up onto my knees, I lock my eyes on David and say with my body the things my mouth can’t. Gripping the bottom of my shirt, I yank it over my head and fling it across the wood floor. My skin tingles with nerves as I watch him mimic my movements, each of us continuing until we're both naked as the day we were born.
It's always a little weird being with David this way. On the one hand, he's my very best friend and confidante. I wouldn't have made it through these past years without him by my side. On the other hand, we've crossed this line too many times to pretend that it never happened. It's a big clusterfuck that always leaves me flustered and confused.
David reaches out to caress my breast. Before he makes contact, I pull back and give him a stern look. “You've got a condom with you, right?”
Not the most romantic words ever spoken. From the moment I became a teenager, my mother hammered it into my skull how important contraception is. Some lessons stick with you and her making me sit still for two hours while she fumbled her way through a very disturbing lesson on the birds and the bees is something I will never forget. No amount of therapy will erase those images.
“Yes, Chloe. I put a new one in my wallet before coming over.”
I roll my eyes. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren't—” My gaze collides with his, and the words die on my tongue. David is looking at me with such intensity that it makes my heart feel heavy, as if it's made of lead.
I love David, but not in the same way that he loves me. We’ve had the dreaded relationship talk before and although we don’t see eye to eye on why us being more than friends is a bad idea, we’ve agreed to disagree and moved past it.
Under normal circumstances, I would bring up the elephant in the room and point out why having sex again isn't a good idea. There is nothing normal about this situation. This is my last night in this city and in this house, so no matter what feelings David might harbor for me, it’s a moot point.
Tonight is all we have.
With that in mind, I shut down my mind and press my body against his. I relish in the fact that no matter what Nathan and his family throw at me, they will never be able to take this away from me.
Fuck life
Fuck cancer
And fuck my new made-to-order, family.
