by Beth Rinyu
Also by Beth Rinyu
The Exception to the Rule
An Unplanned Lesson
Drowning in Love
An Unplanned Life
Beth Rinyu
An Unplanned Life Beth Rinyu
Copyright © 2013 by Beth Rinyu
First Printing, 2013
This book is a work of fiction, the characters, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design by Cover it! Designs
Editing and Formatting by BZHercules.com
Quotes from Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch, reprinted by permission.
ISBN-13: 978-0615903798
ISBN-10: 0615903797
Acknowledgments
A very special thank you to…
Robert Munsch, for allowing me to use those famous lines from my favorite children's book Love You Forever. It means so much to be able to incorporate such a wonderful book into my storyline. Stephanie Lane, for putting in all of those “long hard” days sitting on the beach and pre-proofreading for me. Beth from BZ Hercules Editing & Consulting, for her final attention to detail in fixing all of my “small little” mistakes. Amy Queau, for reading over sections and giving me honest feedback to help me perfect them! And last, but certainly not least, all of you guys who have been waiting patiently for more Dailan and Nicole ... the wait is over! Enjoy!
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all of my Dailan O'Maley lovers who encouraged me to bring him back to life in the pages of a second book.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
EPILOGUE
Excerpt from Drowning in Love
Preview of A Cry for Hope
Chapter 1
Nicole
I quickly sat up in my bed when I saw 6:18 flashing on the digital clock. A million thoughts raced through my mind. What if she’s been up crying for me and I didn’t hear her? She didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, either. What if somebody had come in and kidnapped her?
I swung my legs over the bed and rubbed my tired eyes as my feet hit the hardwood floor. I rushed into her room. She was still fast asleep. I stood over her crib, measuring every breath that my beautiful baby girl took. She looked like a cherub with one hand placed above her head and the other touching her rosy cheeks. The little strands of her platinum blond hair that were finally coming in were sticking up all over the place. Finally, at ten-months old, Ella Rose O’Maley, the up all night party girl, was actually sleeping through the night. I stood there for a few more moments, thinking back to the day she was born.
It was a hot July day, exactly two weeks after Dailan and I had celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. I wasn’t due for another week, but had been feeling slight contractions all day long. Then, at dinnertime, they became much more regular and much more intense. I tried to stay calm. I looked in the backyard at Dailan and Ryan having a baseball catch. I called my mom and explained to her what I was feeling.
“Well, how far apart are they?” she asked
“I don’t know, like every five minutes. Ouch!” I screamed into the phone as I felt another one coming.
“Where is Dailan?” she asked with panic in her voice.
“He’s outside with Ryan.”
“Well, for heaven’s sake, go and get him! Your father and I will meet you at the hospital.”
“But, Mom, I’m not due for another…..o-u-c-h.” I dropped the phone and hunched over in pain.
“Nicole!” Dailan shouted as he walked into the house and rushed over to me.
“Dailan, I think I need to go to the hospital.”
I checked into the hospital and was informed that I was too far along for an epidural. I cried upon hearing that news. I wasn’t one of those women who wanted to experience real childbirth - I was a wimp; give me the drugs!
“I can’t do this, Dailan, I can’t.”
Dailan laughed. “What are you laughing about?” I snapped.
“I’m sorry, but you can do it, Nicole. You have no choice,” he said, trying to sound a little more sympathetic.
“Where’s Ryan?” I asked, looking around and not seeing him.
“He’s off somewhere with your mom and dad.”
I squeezed Dailan’s hand tightly as I felt another one coming on. “It hurts so bad,” I said as tears streamed down my face.
He looked at me with compassion. “I know, beautiful, but it will be over with really soon and you will have a beautiful baby.” He kissed me on the head and gently rubbed my back.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my doctor enter the room. “Hi, Nicole, how are you feeling?” she asked.
I didn’t answer – I couldn’t. I was sure that the look on my face said it all. She quickly examined me and confirmed that I was ten centimeters dilated.
“Well, the labor is the worst part and you’ve already been through that.”
The worst part? Really, was she joking? Somehow, the thought of squeezing out a human being didn’t seem to be too enjoyable either! I guess what they say is true about childbirth; that eventually, you forget the pain. Because if I had remembered it hurting this badly when I had Ryan, I would have never have had another.
“Are you ready to push, Nicole?”
I nodded. Dailan kissed me on the head. I pulled him closer. “Don’t let go of my hand, Dailan. I’m scared.”
“I’m right here, beautiful; you can do this, baby,” he whispered in my ear. I squeezed his hand tightly and bore down as hard as I could.
“Come on Nicole, you’re almost there, one more good push,” my doctor said.
I looked at Dailan, still squeezing his hand
tightly. “Come on, Nicole. You can do it.”
I closed my eyes and pushed with all my might. The pain I was feeling just moments ago washed away as soon as I heard the cries of my newborn baby.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor said as she held her up and smiled.
I looked up at Dailan. I had never seen him look as emotional as he did at that very moment. “I love you so much, Nicole,” he said as he kissed me over and over on my head.
“I love you too.” I waited patiently for her to be cleaned up and given to me. It was instant love the minute she was placed in my arms. I knew right then, that if I had been given this moment with Ryan, I would have never been able to give him up.
“She’s so beautiful,” I whispered as she cooed, seeming so content in my arms.
Dailan softly caressed her face with his hand. He was unable to hold back the tears as he looked at her. “Thank you so much, Nicole.”
I looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek. “Ella Rose O’Maley,” I said.
Dailan nodded in agreement. I kissed her on her head and handed her to Dailan. His smile lit up the room as he held her for the first time. The tears flowed down my face just watching him with her. “I love you so much, baby girl,” he said as he kissed her on the head. He was unable to take his eyes off her. “She’s perfect,” he said as he sat down on the bed next to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder while we both sat silently and stared at her.
“Wow!” Ryan exclaimed as he walked into the room with my mom and dad right behind him. He ran over to the bed to examine his new sister.
“Do you want to hold her?” Dailan asked. Ryan nodded. He took a seat in the chair next to my bed as Dailan placed Ella in his arms.
“She’s so small!” Ryan said.
“Do you think we should keep her?” Dailan joked.
“Yeah, she’s really cool,” Ryan said.
My mother anxiously took Ella from Ryan’s arms and looked her over intently as tears flowed down her face. I signaled for Ryan to come over to me. He walked over to the bed and I pulled him closer until he was sitting next to me.
“Do you like your baby sister, Ryan?” I asked.
“Yeah, a lot.” He smiled.
I kissed him on the head and squeezed him tightly. How I had wished that I had held this sweet little boy from the minute he was born. “I love you so much, Ryan.”
“I love you too,” he responded back, making me feel like there was never any time lost between the two of us.
I stared down at Ella and thought back to how much my life had changed in such a short time. Two years ago, I had just found out that my son that I put up for adoption eight years prior was the nephew of the man I loved and I had just become engaged to that man. Now, here I was; married to the love of my life, with my son and a 10-month-old baby – I was never happier, but my life wasn’t always that way…
Chapter 2
Nicole
The past…
It was the summer before my senior year in high school and I felt like I had it all. I was the captain of the cheerleading squad. I had the greatest best friend that anyone could ask for and I was going out with Jonathan Caldwell, quarterback of the football team. Jonathan was the guy that all of the girls wanted to date, but he was only interested in me. Jonathan was a year older than I was and he was headed off to Boston University in the fall. Every time I would stress about what would happen to our relationship once he left, he would always reassure me that we would be together forever. Being seventeen and thinking that you were in love for the very first time, you tend to believe some pretty crazy things and that just happened to be one of them. Jonathan and I hadn’t officially gone “all the way.” In fact, I had never gone “all the way” with any guy. My parents were strict Catholics and it was instilled into my brain that those things were only supposed be done after you were married. Despite my parent’s warnings, I was beginning to feel the pressure from Jonathan and knew that it was inevitable.
Jonathan came to my house to pick me up. We were going to the movies. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. He was leaving in two weeks and I wouldn’t be seeing him until Thanksgiving.
I stuck my head in the living room where my mom, dad, and younger brother Justin were engrossed in a movie.
“See ya later, guys!”
“Nicole, I want you home by eleven,” my dad said.
“Okay,” I responded.
“Bye kids; have fun!” my mother shouted as we walked out the door.
We got into Jonathan’s Mustang and he took my hand. “My parents are at a wedding tonight and are going to be out until late. I say we skip the movies and go back to my house.”
“Okay, we can get a movie on-demand.”
He smirked at me and nodded. “Yeah, sure.” Within minutes, we were pulling into the driveway of Jonathan’s mini mansion. Mr. Caldwell, Jonathan’s dad, was one of the biggest real estate developers around. My dad, who owned his own construction company, worshipped him. Jonathan was an only child and I often wondered why on earth they needed a house that big. I walked into the house and was immediately greeted by Chauncey, Jonathan’s German Shepherd. “Hey, pretty girl,” I said as I pet her on the head. Jonathan took my hand and led me up the stairs. “Jonathan, I thought we were going to watch a movie.”
“We will, later.”
We walked into his bedroom and sat down on his bed. I knew that the inevitable was just about to happen. He began to kiss me and pushed me down on the bed. “Jonathan, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, Nicole. It will be fine.” His hands ran up my shirt and down my shorts. He stuck his finger inside of me and I gasped. His tongue continued to move around in my mouth while he moved his finger in and out of me. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to feel good or not, but I was leaning more towards – not so good.
He wasted no time taking my shorts and underwear off while removing his own.
I stared at him as he stood up and exposed himself. I had never seen him completely naked and I was now getting really nervous, realizing that this was actually going to happen. “Put it in your mouth, Nicole.”
“What?” I asked as I looked at him nervously.
“I want you to give me a blow job.”
I bit my lip, not knowing what to do, mentally or literally. “I-I don’t know what to do.”
He lifted me up so I was sitting on the bed and moved closer to me. “Just wrap your lips around it and move it in and out of your mouth.” I looked up at him nervously before taking him in my mouth. “Watch your teeth!” he shouted.
“Sorry,” I said with my mouth full. I began to slide it in and out of my mouth. The whole time, I was thinking that my parents would kill me if they could see me right now. A million thoughts began to go through my head. What was I supposed to do if he came? There was no way in hell that I was going to swallow that!
He began to move himself in and out of my mouth. I started to gag, but it didn’t stop him. He finally stopped and pushed me down on the bed. “Nicole, I want to have sex with you.”
I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to if I wanted to keep him as my boyfriend. “Jonathan, I don’t know if I’m ready for this. This is a big step for me.”
“Nicole, I love you and I thought you loved me too. We’ve been together for two months and the furthest you’ve let me go is touching your tits. I’m leaving in two weeks.”
“I know, but –” He put his lips on mine to stop me from talking. My body tensed up and I took a deep breath as I watched him get ready to enter me. “Jonathan, do you have a condom?”
“Ah, come on, Nicole, I don’t need to wear one. You can’t get pregnant your first time.”
“Says who?” I laughed nervously.
“Nicole, trust me. You can’t.” He didn’t even wait for my response before he was shoving himself into me. Two thoughts ran through my head. The first was that this wasn't how I had pictured my first time, and the second was that even though I could have
said no at any point, I was actually allowing this to happen.
“Ouch, it hurts,” I cried.
“Nicole, just relax. It will be fine.”
I closed my eyes, trying to dull the pain. It felt like I was being torn in half. I didn’t get why everyone made such a big deal over sex; so far, I thought it was horrible! He moved around inside of me for a few minutes before he let out a loud groan. He quickly pulled himself out of me and came on my stomach. I felt the tears beginning to form in my eyes. I felt so horrible. I couldn’t stop thinking about how disappointed my parents would be if they had known what I just did. He handed me a towel to wipe my stomach. “That was great, Nicole. Thanks.” He bent down and kissed me on the cheek. I was silent. I quickly dressed and went into the bathroom. I couldn’t hold back the tears when I looked down and saw my underwear stained in blood. This whole sex thing was not at all what it was cracked up to be – I hated it! I finished up and walked down the stairs to find Jonathan in the kitchen, eating a bowl of ice cream. “Hey, babe, you want some?” I shook my head.
“Can you please just take me home? I’m not feeling so good.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The car ride home was mostly silent, before I finally spoke up. “Jonathan, did you pull out in time?”
“Yes, Nicole! It’s fine.” He sounded like he was annoyed.
“I’m sorry, but you know my parents would freak if –”
“Well, they’re not going to freak, because you’re not!”
We pulled up to my house and I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. Jonathan leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks again, Nicole.” Really, why was he thanking me for having sex with him? I found that to be a little weird. Was that something people did after they had sex?
I walked into my house, trying to get to my bedroom as fast as I could. I just couldn’t face my parents. “Nicole, what are you doing home so early? I thought you were going to the movies?” my dad shouted from the living room.
