by Autumn Stone
Distracted Love
Destructive Love Series, Book #2
Prologue
The Next Day
The Journey
The Interview-Cree
Dante
Javier
Cree
Javier
Dante
Cree
The Next Morning
Dante
Part I-6 Months Later
Dante
Cree
The Mountain Cabin-Cree
The Mountain Cabin-The Guys
The Mountain Cabin-Cree
The Next Evening
Dante and Cree-The Confrontation
Cree
Later that Night
An Unexpected Visitor
Dante and the (Newest) Model
Dante
Dante-20 years earlier
Dante 10 years Earlier
6 Months Later-Cree
Dante
That Night-Cree
Dante
It All Goes to Hell-Dante
Liliana
The Aftermath
3 Months Later
Dante
5 Months Later-Cree
Gage Stevens
Jordan and Javier
The Next Morning
An Unexpected (Early) Arrival
Cree and Liliana
One Month Later
That Evening
The Attack
The Call
Cree
The Battle
Cree
Dante
Two Weeks Later-Dante and Cree
Cree
Dante
Cree
Three Months Later
Dante
Cree
Epilogue
The Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding
Sienna
Preview
Daunting Love, The Destructive Love Series, Book 3
Javier de la Cruz and Autumn Jackson
Autumn
Javier
Autumn
Javier
Autumn
Acknowledgements
Keep Up with Autumn Stone
Distracted Love Soundtrack
All rights reserved. The reproduction, transmission, or utilization of this work in whole, or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now know, or hearafter invented, or in any information storage or retrieval system is forbidden without written permission.
This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.
©2018 Autumn Stone
Distracted Love
Destructive Love Series, Book #2
Prologue
The rain pounded on the car, a thunderous noise threatening to drive her crazy. Her little sister is thankfully sleeping through it all and Cree wonders how could things get so bad?
She fights back the tears in a losing battle between her emotions and the reality that she’s living in a van with her little sister with no chance of changing that reality anytime soon. Adjusting her position, she sights and tries to get comfortable on the pallet that she created in the back of the van, cuddling her baby sister and kissing her cheek. Her life wasn’t supposed to end up like this.
Once, not so long ago she had a wonderful pair of parents who loved each other in a way that made her friends jealous. Her parents were the parents that other kids loved talking to, and she never felt embarrassed by her mom and dad.
Her dad was a serious man who loved working with his hands and ran his own plumbing business. Everyday for him was an honest day’s work. Cree was his pride and joy and he worked hard to give her the best life possible.
Her mom was a nurse and nothing made her happier than helping people get well. She felt that she was acting on behalf of something that was greater than herself. Their family was like the Huxtables (but with one kid and pre-Cosby drama) or Blackish, and she had a beautiful childhood.
Then, on a night like this one, her father was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Leaving her and her mom without an anchor and unfortunately, without a lot of money.
After her dad died, her mom slowly began to unravel. Drifting mentally in the way that brokenhearted people drift. And, the foundation of their family was broken.
They went through the motions, getting up for school and work, making dinner, but the empty spot was always there at the table.
Until one day her mom began humming and a small smile lit her face. At the time Cree didn’t know what to make of it. Until her mom told her that she met someone new at work. They wanted to take it slow and even though it almost felt like a betrayal of her dad’s memory, seeing the joy on her mom’s face was priceless.
That was until the next shoe dropped. Her mother was pregnant. It was a surprise to her and her lover. She was in her mid-forties and thought that it was unlikely that she would conceive.
But, she did.
Her mother’s lover, a doctor, refused to acknowledge the baby and again her mother’s heart was broken. This time there would be no repair.
Laying listlessly waiting for the baby to arrive, Cree watched her mother helplessly, praying that something, anything would help her mom with her broken hear.
But, nothing did.
And, 6 months after her beautiful baby sister was born-her mother slipped into the waiting arms of death with her husband’s name on her lips.
Cree was now an adult orphan with no family, limited resources and a small child to raise.
Her mother’s life insurance policy paid for the bulk of her mother’s health expenses, but she still had a ton of debt an school loans to pay for.
She couldn’t catch up and she couldn’t find someone to take care of her sister while she worked who was safe and affordable. It felt like every time she tried to get ahead something would happen. She was drowning in debt and responsibilities. Her only saving grace was going to college where she was studying to get her child psychology degree. Then one day, she had to make the hard decision to delay her studies for the upcoming semester. Her student loans weren’t enough to take care of herself and her sister and her financial aid eligibility was based on her past life’s finances. The life that had a working mom and a working dad.
She worked temps, at sporting events, and even tried her hand at babysitting but, there was always more month than money.
Until the day when she traded her car for a van and outfitted it so that it was basically a tiny home. It broke her heart to leave her childhood home behind, but, she had no choice.
The few friends that she had before faded away as she fell into a cycle of: struggle, loneliness, and fear.
Cree had always been shy and the experience had made her shyness even worse and triggered a habit of emotional eating as she tried to keep her head above water.
Each week she would sit in her coffee shop and order a bottomless cup of coffee while looking for work. This week she came across a job posting that felt like it was sent from above.
Seeking live-in childcare provider for non-verbal 4-year old child. This position would be good for a single parent of one child, and or, a person without children. Women only. Position to start ASAP. You must be able to provide credentials, proof of childcare experience, and must be able to handle unexpected situations. NDA to be signed prior to interview and an additional NDA upon hiring. Pay in the five figures not including benefits.
It seemed too good to be true. But, her money was dwindling fast and e
ven her weekly coffee was a treat she couldn’t really afford. Fortunately, the barista had befriended her and would treat her to a cup of coffee whenever she came in.
Blowing on the hot brew she shakily prepared her response.
Here goes nothing.
The Next Day
She received an email requesting that she come in for an interview. She wanted to scream and shout but it wouldn’t do to get too excited. Life had a way of kicking her whenever that happened. Instead she decided to focus on a positive affirmation
I am doing the best I can, and thus choose to release myself from guilt and shame.
With the interview scheduled she made plans to drop Sierra off at a nearby childcare center that she used from time to time. She didn’t have a lot of extra money so she decided to take the bus and walk the rest of the way to the interview. It was happening in a part of time she seldom went to. It was filled with mansions and gated communities, golf courses, and beautiful people.
It didn’t matter.
She just had to make her case that SHE was the right one to care for the child. And, Cree just hoped that they would ignore the fact that she was: overweight, black, and shy.
Yeah, just that.
The Journey
The day was a beautiful, sunny day, that also happened to be 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Her suit was well-made but it no longer fit well because of all of the weight that she had gained.
Her carefully styled hair was beginning to look crazy and her edges had given up. Carefully counting out her change, Cree got on the bus and tried to not to freak out during the hour-long ride.
The bus was a stuffy mix of body odor, funk, and exhaust since the air-conditioner wasn’t working and passengers had opened the tiny windows at the top to try and get the air to circulate…it wasn’t working.
She just hoped the funk wouldn’t cling to her clothes.
“Ma’am, this is your stop.” The bus driver called out to her. Everyone else had long departed the bus and she was the last person remaining.
“Thank you!”
“Don’t forget to go over there to take the bus back. What time will you be done?” The kindly man asked.
“In about an hour or an hour and a half.”
“The bus runs every 45-minutes, I’m driving for the next couple of hours so just look for me and this little ole funky bus.” He chuckled, making the laugh lines around his eyes crinkle.
“See you soon! I appreciate the help.”
“My pleasure little lady.” And, with a smile, he was off.
In what was the smartest decision she made today, Cree thanked God that she decided to bring a pair of walking shoes. Once she arrived at the house she would change into her interview pumps.
The houses were stunning, well-groomed monuments of wealth. She couldn’t imagine having the wealth to live in a place such as these.
Humming to herself, she walked along the road because the side-walk had ended. One foot in front of the other, wiping the sweat from her face, and finally taking her jacket off and hoping that she didn’t smell.
The sound of a car coming at a crazy fast rate from behind her, had her scrambling off the road.
Shit! Whoever was in that car was a menace. Shaking her head she kept walking.
She was finally there.
The home loomed ahead of her as if it was part of a movie set. Bending down she began the process of switching out her shoes and putting on her jacket. It was at that moment she recognized the car that had passed her down the road with the maniac inside. It was parked at the house.
Wiping her face with a small hand towel and spraying herself with perfume, she said a quick prayer and walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.
The Interview-Cree
A frazzled looking woman opened the door, there seemed to be some chaos in the background.
“Hi dear! What’s your name?” She asked
“Cree Johnson, ma’am.”
“Call me Mrs. Paul, I’m the house caretaker.” She smiled at me through round glasses.
I felt myself loosening up and hoped that she would be holding my interview.
“Now, dear, Mr. Bonnano has some of his friends here. Don’t let him or them intimidate you. They eat sweet girls like you for breakfast. You just have stand your ground.” She advised me.
Now, I’m feeling a little concerned. Why would she need to warn me about them? And, I was really hoping that she would do the interview.
I’m now distracted by the fact that my feet are killing me and I try not to limp in my high-heels.
Mrs. Paul opens the door and I step in.
My eyes widen in shock. In front of me is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in real life. He is around 6’4” maybe even 6’5” he has gorgeous green eyes that look like emeralds, creamy tanned skin, and jet black hair.
He slowly looks me up and down and I feel as if he finds me lacking. In that moment, the fact that I’m disheveled, sweaty, and clearly out of shape, makes me feel self-conscious in a way that I haven’t felt in awhile.
All of a sudden, I begin to feel woozy and everything goes black.
I find myself looking at Mrs. Paul as she looks down at me. The handsome man is looking at me with an unreadable look on his face. He presses a cool cloth on my face and I struggle to get up. Mrs. Paul hands me a glass of water and I drink it greedily. Note to self-humidity and interview attire plus walking for 30-minutes don’t mix.
“I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t worry about it dear. Just keep sipping that water.” Mrs. Paul pats my hand and I feel better but the man hasn’t said anything.
They life me up and help me to a cozy chair as I reassure them that I’m ok. At this point I’m convinced that there is no way in hell I’m getting this job.
The door opens and a woman who I basically would call a model walks in and sits on the man’s lap while kissing him as if there is no one else in the room.
“Gianna, not the time.” His voice is like smooth whiskey. Sexy, leaving an aftertaste of lust and want in its wake.
I’m trying to work with this man? He is like sin wrapped up in a well-fitted Armani suit.
Gianna unravels herself and walks over to me with a gleam in her eye. I feel like a deer looking at headlights-I can’t turn away. She reaches me and slowly kisses my cheek.
What.the.hell? I can’t be dealing with crazy shit.
“Dante, she’s my favorite.” And then walks off in a cloud of perfume and crazy.
Mr. Bonnano looks amused.
“Ignore Gianna, she likes to play games. Ms. Johnson, do you feel better?”
“Yes…thank you.” I whisper while forcing myself to look him in the eye. One of the habits I struggle with the most in situations that intimidate me.
I need this job.
My little sister needs a safe and secure place to live and so do I.
“Before we talk, I need you to sign the NDA.” He points towards a paper and pen on the table and I tentatively walk towards the table and sign. Why does it feel like I’m signing my life away?
“Now that that’s done, why are you interested in working for me?” He looks at me with those piercing eyes that seem to see right through me.
I practiced this question and felt at ease. If only he wouldn’t look at me so intently.
“Currently I’m in the process of my working towards my graduate degree in child psychology. I have a particular interest working with smaller children who are struggling to share their problems.”
He raises his eyebrow and I realize that I may have surprised him with the strength behind that answer.
“You are the sole caregiver for your infant sister?” He asks curiously.
“Yes, unfortunately, my mother passed away recently due to complications during and after my sister’s birth.” It’s hard to get the words out of my mouth, but I do with a strength that I don’t realize that I have.
“If you’re hired for this position you will ha
ve to sign on for a minimum of two years. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, sir, I don’t.” I think about the fact that those two years will be enough time to save money and get my life back on track.
“Mr. Bonanno, may I ask about your daughter? Do you know why she isn’t speaking?”
He stands up and walks towards the window. There is a tension in his body that wasn’t there before.
“Lily is the product of one night stand. The woman who bore her (because I refuse to call her a mother) neglected her for the first year of her life. I didn’t know about Lily until that woman overdosed on prescription drugs. When my daughter came to my house she was underdeveloped and suffering from neglect. My friends and family have done a great job of supporting me in raising her…but, she continues to refuse to speak. This can’t go on. That’s why I decided it was time to bring in a professional.”
