A Torey Hope Novel Series: The Complete 4-Book Box Set

by A. D. Ellis

  Sadly, their baby arrived about 6 weeks too early. Beckett Jeremiah Jordan was born with a cleft lip, total hearing loss in one ear and partial loss in the other and extremely poor vision. Jeremiah loved Beckett at first sight; it was if his heart had been dead until the very second he heard Beckett’s cries; his son breathed life back into him. He now had a reason to do more than just survive.

  Shelly wouldn’t even look at the baby or hold him. Beckett had to have surgery to repair the cleft lip so he was going to be in the hospital for a while. Forty-eight hours after Beckett’s birth, Shelly checked out of the hospital saying that she just couldn’t handle seeing her baby like that. Jeremiah was granted some time away from the base so that he could be in the hospital with Beckett during his surgery and recovery. For being born 6 weeks early, Beckett was doing surprisingly well. The doctors talked to Jeremiah and Mr. and Mrs. Jordan about the future surgeries Beckett would need to continue repairing the cleft lip. Beckett also had doctors and specialists to guide Jeremiah in decisions regarding his hearing and vision. It was unknown what other challenges Beckett would face as he grew up.

  One month after his birth, Beckett Jeremiah Jordan went home with his daddy. Luckily, Grandma Judy had gone to get a car seat so that Beckett could travel safely in Daddy’s 1984 blue and gray Ford Bronco. Jeremiah drove away from the hospital in disbelief; they were letting him take this baby, with all of his challenges, home with him. He was just driving away. He didn’t have to sign anything saying that he was prepared to care for his son. No one came running out trying to stop him from leaving. No one shook their head and said, “I’m sorry, you can’t take Beckett home with you, you’re just not ready.” Jeremiah felt like he was in a dream; he almost wished someone would have forbidden him from taking the baby home. He didn’t have an inkling of what to do with a baby, especially a baby with all the obstacles that Beckett was facing. And he wasn’t sure what Shelly was planning. Would she be there when they arrived home? Could she help with Beckett? Did Jeremiah want her helping with Beckett?

  Shelly stuck around for about 2 weeks. In that time, all of Jeremiah’s hopes for her bonding with the baby and making this family work died a sad, ugly death. Shelly wouldn’t take Beckett out in public. She wouldn’t feed him. She would barely even hold him. Thankfully, Grandma Judy and Grandpa Jack stayed with Beckett during the day once Jeremiah was back on duty at the base. Shelly was MIA most days, never bothering to stay home with Beckett. Jeremiah knew she harbored guilt that his problems were because of her drinking and drug use. He made up his mind that he was going to offer Shelly an ultimatum; either be Beckett’s mom or leave forever. Shelly saved him the trouble of issuing that demand.

  Shelly had been missing for about 2 weeks; the guys around base laughed and joked about how she had been sleeping on a different couch each night and how she definitely wasn’t sleeping. It seemed that Shelly’s sex life had returned to normal; that normal just didn’t include her husband. Jeremiah continued to be embarrassed and angry that his wife, the mother of his child, would openly sleep around on him, but his one and only focus had become Beckett so he had no time or energy to waste on Shelly.

  One evening a very polished and put together Shelly came into the house and spent an hour packing her bags. She came to him, “Jeremiah, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be around him and have people stare at him all the time. Half of them look at him like he’s less than human and half of them look at me with speculative eyes, trying to figure out if any of his problems are my fault.” She looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to stop her.

  He couldn’t say that he was surprised, it’s not like their relationship had been all that serious; marrying her had been a mistake. But, instinctively now, he knew he had to protect Beckett from her.

  “Fine. Go. But, if you leave, don’t ever come back to us.” Jeremiah said this with conviction. He said it, possibly, with a sliver of hope that she would choose to stay with him. But, he said it with finality. If she left, she would never be welcomed back.

  She walked away, right then, that day, never turning back. He didn’t dwell, his heart didn’t hurt, he picked Beckett up and their lives went right on as if nothing had happened.

  Chapter 5

  Jeremiah

  Four Years Later

  Jeremiah loved his son with every fiber of his being. Four years ago, when Shelly walked out, Jeremiah immediately began seeking release from the military due to the hardship of being a single father. Under the circumstances of his wife leaving and promptly filing divorce papers along with his newborn son’s medical issues, Jeremiah was allowed to leave the military. Ever grateful for his training with computer systems, Jeremiah applied with several IT companies and informed his parents of his job search. Jack and Judy Jordan were secretly thrilled that Shelly had left; they were saddened for their only child to be faced with this mountain to overcome, but they knew that he was destined for better than Shelly. Jack and Judy vowed that, as retired grandparents, they would relocate wherever Jeremiah and Beckett ended up.

  Just days after applying for jobs, Jeremiah was relieved to receive a phone call from the human resources division of an IT company in a small town called Torey Hope, Illinois. Jeremiah would be in charge of the day-to-day technology needs of this company; he would keep the hardware and software running smoothly for the whole company. The job was 8am-5pm with only rare night work and no weekends unless there was an emergency. Jeremiah felt like he had hit pay dirt; having his weekends free for Beckett was a dream come true.

  So, Jack and Judy packed up their lives, along with Jeremiah and Beckett, and headed to Torey Hope, Illinois. One month later, after living in a hotel room while their relator found the housing situation they were looking for, Jeremiah and Beckett moved into a ranch-style home on a quiet street. The selling point on this home was that Papaw Jack and Grandma Judy were just through their backyard fence in a beautiful, older Cape Cod style home. Jeremiah knew that he would be relying on his parents to help with Beckett, so having them this close was an answered prayer.

  Four years ago, when Beck was born and Shelly left, Jeremiah had made a vow to himself. He would never be as reckless with women as he had let himself become. He’d had enough dating and sex with random women to last the rest of his life; he wasn’t looking for a relationship, nor did he have time for one. Between work and Beckett’s therapies, Jeremiah had zero time for himself, let alone a woman. But, he did it all with no complaints because of Beckett.

  Aside from not having time for a woman in his life, Jeremiah also had no desire to bring a woman into his life because of Beckett. He was very protective of Beck. He couldn’t stand the pitying glances that people sometimes cast Beckett’s way. He had no plans on ever letting a woman into his and Beck’s lives only to leave them like Shelly had done. He didn’t miss Shelly, not one iota. Beckett had no memory of his mother and Jeremiah had no plans on changing that. He and Beckett were doing just fine on their own with his parents there to help out. He’d be lost without them; he hoped to never have to find out how he’d cope in that situation.

  After work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jeremiah usually let Beck stay later at Papaw Jack and Grandma Judy’s house so that he could go to the local high school to play basketball with some guys from around town. This day, as he walked into his home to change clothes before hitting the hoops, he paused to look around and take account of his present life. He had a son who was his entire world. He had a great job that he enjoyed which allowed him to provide for his son. His parents were close and they were invaluable to him.

  Gazing around his home, he was pleased with what he saw. Jeremiah claimed no sense of fashion or decor, so most of what he saw was credited to his mother. Judy Jordan had taken it upon herself to decorate not only her own new home but Jeremiah’s as well. His parents had a full set of furniture in their basement at their own home and didn’t need it in their new home so they had given it to Jeremiah. Upon walking into his kitchen from the
garage, Jeremiah was greeted with a modern looking black and tan color scheme. A breakfast bar was where he and Beckett ate most of their meals. If Grandma and Papaw came over, the four of them sat at the small kitchen table. The kitchen/dining area gradually ran into the living room. Judy had picked up the red from the couch and used it to accent the rest of the room in gray and red. She left this room pretty simple since Beckett’s toys were the main knick-knacks in here. Jeremiah’s room and bathroom were black and gray, very simple and masculine. Judy hadn’t shared her vision that a woman would easily be able to add more feminine colors in these rooms to make it more female-ish. Judy knew that Jeremiah had no plans to ever remarry, but she hadn’t given up hope yet. Beckett’s room was a jungle of dinosaurs. The boy was obsessed with dinos and Grandma Judy had outdone herself with the décor in his room. Every major dinosaur was represented and the landscape of the dinosaur-age was depicted perfectly as well. The second bathroom was a pretty sage green and cream color. The only contrast in the room was the tub full of red, yellow, and blue bath toys that belonged to Beckett.

  Jeremiah shook his head to clear the haze that had settled there as he continued taking stock of his life. It was a far cry from where he was four years ago and miles away from where he pictured himself when he was a cocky high school kid. But, if he was being honest, he felt satisfied. He wasn’t elated with his life, but with all he’d been through, he thought that satisfied was pretty darn good. And, if he were to only consider Beckett, he knew without a doubt that his life was rich and full and perfect. The love he had for that little boy was enough to knock him to his knees.

  Jeremiah headed to his room and pulled out some basketball shorts and a t-shirt that had seen better days. He had cut the arms off of it all the way down to the bottom so that the arm holes were gaping open. Jeremiah looked in the mirror before he pulled the shirt on. He had a couple tattoos which remained as a constant reminder of his less than respectable years in the military and with Shelly. He didn’t regret the tattoos, just the mistakes he’d made during that time; but his motto was to learn from mistakes and not let them control you. His tattoos all had some sort of meaning to him. The cross on his back was a reminder of his faith, which he held onto even when he knew he wasn’t deserving of the grace or mercy being shown to him. He felt lucky that his parents had raised him in a faith-filled home. The American flag on his side represented his time in the military, of course. If Beckett hadn’t come along, Jeremiah knew he’d still be enlisted because he enjoyed what he did there. The demon on his other side was reminiscent of the demons he still fought. The images from those suffering women and children he saw when he was overseas that still played on a loop through his head; the other demon which still ate at him was Shelly. It still messed with his head to wonder why she would cheat on him; why did he just sit back and let it happen? Why couldn’t she stay faithful to him and him to her? He glanced down at the tree on his arm/shoulder. It represented his life and his family; his family was his life and his life was his family. The newest addition to the ink had come almost four years ago when he put Beck’s footprints over his heart. Since the second that baby boy was born, he’d marked Jeremiah’s heart as his own and held on tight, so footprints on it seemed appropriate. He slid the red shirt over his head and bent to pull on the black basketball shorts. As thoughts of Shelly drifted through his mind, he took another look at himself. He knew that at one time he was considered an attractive guy. The girls he’d been with since joining up in the military had never complained and always came back for more. He was built from his days of basic training and that was something he’d never let go of. He knew he had to be strong and healthy because of Beckett. His son needed him to be strong and healthy, so he would keep himself fit. Once a cocky, confident, attractive man, he now just saw a tired daddy doing his best to be a rock for his son. His brown hair ranged from a short military cut to a longer style, depending on if he’d had the time or the desire to get it cut. More often than not, lately, it was the longer style but he still kept it looking nice. His eyes were a brownish hazel color that more than one girl had told him they could get lost in. So, what was it that made Shelly sleep around on him? He knew it wasn’t that the sex between them was bad, because sex with Shelly was always very, very good. He cursed and shook his head as he took in his muscular legs encased in black boxer briefs. Sighing, he slid the black basketball shorts up and figured he’d never know the answer to the puzzle that was Shelly. “Time to stop being a pussy, Jordan. You’ll never figure that girl out, so let it go.”

  Jeremiah grabbed a bottle of water and headed out to his 1984 gray and blue Ford Bronco. He loved this vehicle. His dad had given it to him in high school, and they had spent many an evening out in the garage tinkering with it in the year leading up to Jeremiah getting his license. He took care of it throughout his years in the military; his dad stored it for him and kept it running during his time overseas. The Bronco was in great condition. The best part was that it was completely paid for so it allowed him to spend money that would have gone toward a car payment on other more important things. He loved the sound of the engine as he backed the Bronco up and revved it a bit before gunning it down the street and heading to the gym. Jeremiah laughed a bit to himself when he hit play on the CD player and then looked in the rearview mirror. Shaking his head with a self-deprecating smirk, he spoke out loud to himself. “Yeah, Jordan, don’t get too cocky in your badass truck. Sure, you were once a hot guy. Yep, you’re heading to the gym to play ball with the guys. But, your kid’s car seat and sippy cup in the backseat along with the ‘Let’s Sing About Dinosaurs’ CD don’t exactly scream STUD.” Jeremiah was still laughing to himself when he pulled into the school parking lot. He smiled as he thought, “It’s a damn good thing I’m not looking for a girl because I doubt there’s one out there looking for a single dad and all that comes with him.”

  Chapter 6

  Jeremiah

  A good game of basketball with the guys always left Jeremiah feeling relaxed, but thoughts of Beckett were always in his head. He dreamed of one day being able to play ball with Beck, but he didn’t know if that would ever happen. Beck had surprised them all with the way he overcame challenges, but he still had some physical and mental struggles. If basketball wasn’t in the cards for them, so be it; he’d find something else they could do together. Tomorrow, for example, he was taking the day off to spend with Beckett. His mom and dad usually took the little boy to story time at the Torey Hope Education Center, but tomorrow Jeremiah was taking him. Beckett loved going to the center. He especially loved story time. Thoughts of Beck turned toward his birthday. He was turning 4 soon and Jeremiah wanted to give him a nice party. At almost 4, Beck could finally tell him what he wanted on his cake and what decorations he wanted. Jeremiah assumed it was still dinosaurs, but he decided to call his mom to make sure the child hadn’t changed his mind.

  As he hung up the phone with his mom, who assured him that dinosaurs were still the birthday theme of choice for Beckett, he realized the guy next to him had heard his conversation on the phone. The guy hesitated and then said, “Hey, man, sorry I don’t remember your name.” Jeremiah knew how it felt to forget someone’s name and have to ask for it, so he let the guy off the hook. “It’s Jeremiah. Jeremiah Jordan. And you’re Morgan, right?” He felt bad that he could remember his last name but not his first. Jeremiah hoped the guy wouldn’t catch on and would just think he was doing the guy thing in calling him by his last name.

  “Jeremiah, right! Yeah, Nathan Morgan, but most people call me Nate. Hey, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you talking about a 4th birthday party. My future sister-in-law is a party planner, and she’s really good. Would you want her contact info? I know she’d be able to help you plan a great birthday party for a 4-year-old.”

  A party planner? “That’s exactly what I need.” Jeremiah thought. “I need someone to take the reins on this and get it planned: the cake, the decorations, the guests. I can’t have
my mom do it because she will go way overboard and way over budget and it’s just a 4th birthday. But, I want it done well. It’s the first birthday that Beckett will probably be able to remember and I want his memories to be good.” All of this ran through Jeremiah’s head as he looked down at the paper Nate had handed him and saw the name Audrey Decker. He would definitely be looking at her website as soon as he got a chance. Maybe tomorrow since he didn’t have to go to work.

  Beckett and Jeremiah had already been to the park and lunch when they headed to the center the next day for story time. Jeremiah didn’t know if he had just gotten used to the people staring at Beckett when they went places or if it just didn’t bother him because he was so blinded by love for his little boy. Jeremiah had always known he wanted kids, had known from the second that Shelly told him she was pregnant that he wanted the baby, but he hadn’t realized what it would mean to unconditionally love another human being until Beck was laid in his arms for the first time. He didn’t care that Beckett couldn’t hear well and wore hearing aids. He didn’t give a damn about the scar on his lip from the surgeries to repair the cleft. He couldn’t have cared less about the thick glasses that Beckett had to wear because his vision was so poor. Glasses that were constantly smudged and forever getting broken and having to be repaired or replaced due to how rough a four year old boy can be. Luckily, they had spares at home. They even had spares for the spares. Jeremiah was proud of all that Beckett had learned to do. He was speaking almost at the level of many other four year olds. He was slightly hard to understand, but if you were around him enough you got to know his speech better and it made it easier. Beck still struggled with fine and gross motor skills, but his therapists said that he would likely overcome a lot of the struggles because Jeremiah had gotten him into therapy so early. Even when Beckett was an infant, Jeremiah had taken advantage of the state-offered therapies that Beck qualified for. He had been getting physical therapy and occupational therapy and speech therapy since he was about three-months-old and it was making a huge difference. Who knew that a speech therapist could work with a baby as young as three months? She mostly helped with his eating issues to begin with. All of Beck’s therapists always went on and on about how proud they were of his accomplishments; the therapists expressed to Jeremiah that Beckett’s progress was impressive, not all babies born with the challenges Beckett was born with progressed as well as he had.