Tan Lines and Salty Kisses

by Danielle Jamie

  I don’t hear a word he says because Clarissa is by my side in record time and leading me down the hall to a bathroom. I give her a look of appreciation as I disappear inside just in time before my salad and everything I ate for lunch earlier today comes up.

  I kneel on the floor resting my head in my hands until the feeling of nausea subsides. After a few moments I climb to my feet and walk over to the sink to rinse my mouth.

  Resting my hands against the porcelain sink I stare at my reflection in the mirror and attempt to smooth my now wild hair.

  A light knock at the door startles me and makes me practically jump out of my skin. “Becca, it’s Clarissa. Are you alright?”

  With shaky legs I walk back over to the door and pull it open and find her standing in the hallway with a worried look on her face. “How far along are you?” she asks bluntly as she takes in my pale face as I pull the bathroom door closed behind me and sag against it.

  “Almost six weeks now.” I can’t bring myself to look at her. Since the moment I stepped into this house I’ve felt nothing but ashamed for who I am, and after the way his father reacted over seeing my engagement ring even though we’ve been together for almost nine months now I know he doesn’t approve of Parker being with me.

  “Mmhm. Well, I’m guessing by the diamond on your ring finger that the baby is Parker’s and he’s stepping up to do the right thing.”

  What the fuck kind of statement is that?

  Straightening my back I square my shoulders and bring my hands to rest on my hips. “Of course the baby is his. He’s the only man I’ve been with since we met last July. As for my engagement ring, we’ve discussed marriage a few times when talking about our future, but since I’m pregnant and he’s now going into the Air Force instead of taking the internship in D.C. we think it’s best to get married now.”

  She nods slowly as she listens to everything I’m saying. “With him in the military it will be easier for you to go with him if you’re married. As long as he’s happy I have nothing to say. I’m not his mother so it’s not my place to say whether I agree or disagree. But I can tell he loves you. As do you him. I imagine you’re probably scared, but Christopher will make sure you guys have everything you need. It’ll take some time to let the fact that his son is going to be a father to sink in, but he’ll come around.”

  I’m trying to believe that. But the way he looked at me and my engagement ring I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.

  We walk back towards the dining room in silence. As we get closer you can hear the raised voices of Parker and his father arguing back and forth over the now cold dinner.

  I freeze in the door way as Christopher’s words hit me like a bolder, smashing me square in the chest. “You will not marry this woman and you will definitely not claim this child as yours. She lives in Georgia for Christ sake! How the hell do you know she wasn’t whoring herself out. You’re up here and she’s there, all you have is her word. I know girls like her. They meet a guy and learn he comes from money and suddenly they see dollar signs. A baby is rather convenient and to happen supposedly the one and only time you flew to Georgia to see her,” he states in an inquisitive voice.

  Parker’s veins are practically bursting out of his neck and his hands are squeezing the back of his chair with such force I wouldn’t be surprised if it broke beneath his fingers.

  “How dare you! You don’t know her like I do. Becca isn’t like that! If anyone should be worried about gold digging whores it’d be you. What are we at now? Wife number three? Each marriage since you split with mom has fallen apart within year because every single one of them marry you because of the money. You’re fucking crazy if you think any of them actually love you. You’re the most miserable person I’ve ever met in my life and you’re not happy unless everyone else is miserable right along with you. As for your money, I don’t want it. Not if you are going to stand here and spew this shit about the girl I love and the girl carrying your fucking grandchild.”

  My body is frozen in place as the shock of what just unfolded sinks in. Parker turns his back to his father ignoring his ranting and storms his way towards me. Grabbing my hand he tugs on it, “Come on, Becca. We’re out of here.”

  I stumble behind Parker as I try to force my legs to work. My head is reeling and my heart is aching as I replay this disaster of tonight through my mind. Within seconds we’re climbing into Parker’s BMW and burning the tires off as we shoot down the long driveway leaving his father’s house in the smoke and dust behind us.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear all that,” Parker says in between deep breaths as he tries to calm himself down.

  I wipe the tears that are falling down my face and mumble, “Don’t worry about it. A part of me knew this was going to happen. Can you take me to your house to get my luggage? I think I’m going to fly home tonight on the earliest flight available. We need some time to let the smoke settle. If you’re okay with it can you tell your mother yourself tomorrow? I think I’m going to wait to tell my parents until after things with your parents are better. Then you can fly down to Georgia and tell them with me.”

  Taking my hand in his he gives it a squeeze before bringing it up to his lips. He brushes a soft kiss to the back of my hand before bringing our entwined fingers to rest on my thigh. “Anything you want. I wish you would stay until tomorrow but I understand if you want to go home. I knew he’d be angry and shocked. But I never imagined that he would say those things about you. I want you to know, Becca, I don’t doubt for a single moment that this baby isn’t mine.”

  A sob escapes my lips as I use the sleeve of my sweater to wipe away the tears that keep falling from my eyes. “I love you, Parker. I would never in a million years cheat on you. Hundred miles away or a world away. You own my heart. As long as you believe that—I don’t give a flying fuck what your father thinks.”

  We drive the remainder of the trip in silence with the music on low. After stopping at his apartment and grabbing my luggage we head to the airport where I luckily get an empty seat on a flight leaving in forty minutes.

  I check my luggage and then prepare myself to tell Parker goodbye before heading up to security.

  We stand holding each other for a few moments as I cry softly into his chest. “I’m sorry, Parker. I hate that I’m leaving you. Promise me you’ll come see me as soon as you can?” I ask tilting my head up at him.

  Using the pad of his thumb he brushes the tears from my cheeks before pressing a soft, sweet kiss to my lips.

  Pulling away he smiles down at me through his own tear filled eyes. He blinks them away refusing to let me see him sad and vulnerable. He’s going to be a great soldier. He’s already strong, supportive and willing to put himself out on the line for those he cares about.

  “I’ll be down as soon as I can, baby. Nothing is going to keep me away from you.” He gives me one more kiss before releasing me.

  “Bye, Parker.” I blow him a kiss as I walk away and try to will my tears to stop.

  I can feel eyes on us he shouts back, “I love you, Becca.”

  With each step I take towards my terminal I can’t help but feel as if I’m making a mistake leaving. I should stay by his side and show his father that his harsh words won’t scare me away. But I’m not strong enough right now.

  Blame it on the hormones.

  Blame it on my fears and insecurities.

  Blame it on anything you want, but none of those reasons will make my decision to leave and go back home any easier.

  THE END FOR NOW!

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I need to thank my fans! Especially my street teams. ithout your support, I wouldn’t be living my dream right now. It still feels surreal to think I’m an author! And not just an author, but because of your undying support, I hit Amazon Bestseller twice & now New York Times AND USA Today!!

  My street team is seriously the BEST! Especially my team captain Traci Hyland. They spending all day, every day pimping me
out and helping get the word out to new readers, and I cannot say enough how much I appreciate every single one of you. You’ve slowly become great friends, not just fans. I appreciate everything you do! Without your support, Brooklyn’s series never would’ve happened!

  My always FANTASTIC BETA Readers! Tammi, Kelli, Sophie, Tabby I can’t thank you girls enough for all that you do! The most important one being supporting me no matter what I decide to write. You girls are always my biggest cheerleaders. So thank you! Your support and friendships mean the world to me.

  I need to give a big thank you to my family. My husband, for supporting this dream and doing everything from housework, to cooking, to traveling with me to signings, and patiently waiting every night for me to finally make it to bed after a long day of writing.

  My girls, Madison and Bailey, for being such big helpers! They’ve been a blessing helping keep their little brother Finn occupied, and not complaining when I say we’re ordering pizza again tonight.

  Thank you to my AMAZING beta readers, Amy, Tammi, Kelli, Tabby, and Sophie who sent me all the feedback and enthusiastic emails after reading each chapter; it helped keep me focused and determined to deliver the most amazing novel I could write. I truly appreciate all their feedback and their love for Brooklyn’s first story.

  A special thank you to my girl Sophie Monroe. Not only is she an AMAZING author but an AMAZING best friend too. I don’t know what I’d do without having you to talk to, vent to, or brain storm with. I’m excited for what we have planned for 2015!

  I just want to say THANK YOU! To every single one of you who support me and purchased this book! You will never know how appreciative I am for the support I receive from every single one of you.

  If you can please rate and review this novel on Goodreads and the site you purchased it from to help share Becca & Parker’s story with the reader world, I would truly appreciaite it.

  License Note:

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and you did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for supporting and respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Note:

  The characters, places, situations and events of this story are developed materializations of my imagination and, therefore, belong entirely to me. Distribution of this story is only permitted with my written consent, and any use of the aforementioned factors must be approved of also. Please do not steal; I shouldn’t be punished for your lack of originality and dedication.

  Disclaimer:

  I don’t own any of the name brands i.e. Nike, Victoria Secret, etc. that might appear in the story.

  Copyright

  Tan Lines & Salty Kisses: A Novella

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  2015 Danielle Jamie eBook edition

  Copyright © 2015 Danielle Jamie Wright

  All Rights Reserved

  Published in the United States by Danielle Wright, Mineville NY

  Cover Design by: Danielle Jamie

  Edited By: Silla Webb

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  ISBN: 9781311848833

  Title: Tan Lines and Salty Kisses

  Author: Danielle Jamie

  Publisher: Smashwords, Inc.