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

by A. D. Ellis

  Oh my God! Could I actually be pregnant? How did I never get pregnant with Wayne but with Kyle it happened almost immediately? I needed to calm myself down; I would be devastated if I took the tests and found them all to be negative. I needed to prepare myself for disappointment; but my heart swelled at the possibility that my dream was maybe within my reach.

  “Well, I guess I better go pee on a stick.” I said with a tearfully happy smile as Audrey handed me the package.

  After the longest three minutes of my life, I had the answer in my hand and tears streamed unchecked down my face.

  **********

  “Thank you all for coming over and being here for me.” I hugged the ladies as they filed out the door to head home.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I feel terrible about leaving you like this.” Audrey held me a little longer than usual. “We can hang out until Kyle is home; he’d probably be pissed if he knew we were leaving you without him being home.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m just going to lay down, I don’t need a babysitter. Thank you again for being here.” I smiled shakily.

  “We love you, Josie. Let us know if you need anything.” Carly and Libby each gave me a hug and I was so very grateful for this group of women, my family, who I knew would support me through anything.

  Locking the door, I headed to the kitchen to get a drink before I laid down; I was exhausted both physically and mentally. Within minutes, I was sound asleep. My nap wasn’t peaceful though; Izzy kept trying to talk to me. Josie, go see Kyle; you need to be with him right now.

  “Izzy, I’m tired, please just let me sleep. I’ll talk to Kyle when he gets home.” I rolled over and tried to sleep.

  Josie, please. You two need to be together right now; you need him and he needs you. Go to him or have someone take him to you or call him to come home.

  “Dang it, Izzy, I love you, but I feel like crap and I just want to sleep. Kyle will be home soon and we can talk then. I haven’t even been able to let today sink into my head yet, I just need to sleep.” I sat up, irritated with being so tired yet not being able to sleep because Izzy kept pestering me. I knew I shouldn’t have felt that way, she had been our biggest supporter and I owed a lot to her for bringing Kyle and me together. That didn’t mean that I was thrilled that she kept interrupting my nap.

  “I’m sorry, Izzy. If I call Kyle will that make you happy?” I thought maybe if I could placate her then maybe I could sleep. Kyle had about an hour before he’d be home.

  Call him, Josie. Ask him to come home to you. You two should be together right now. I feel like something is wrong, but I can’t figure out what it is.

  “It’s just from all of the emotions from today and the fact I’ve been so sick. It’s okay, Izzy, I’ll call him.” I picked up my phone and called Kyle. It went straight to voicemail which meant he was still with a client finishing up a design. I left him a message.

  “Hey, KJ, I’m going to try to finish taking a nap. If you get a chance within the next five minutes, you can call me. If not, I’ll just see you when you’re home. I love you. Um, we should probably talk tonight.” I hung up and went to the restroom hoping he’d call back before I fell back to sleep; now that I’d left him the message, I really just wanted him with me right now.

  As my eyes were drifting shut, I heard my phone ring. “Hello?” I should have glanced at the screen; if it wasn’t Kyle, I was going to be irritated that I’d answered instead of falling to sleep.

  “Hey, Jo, I just saw you left a message; I didn’t listen to it, just called you back. Everything okay, baby? How are you feeling? Are you and the girls having a good day?” The love and concern in his voice reached to my heart and made me smile a warm, gooey smile.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m really tired so I’m going to finish a late afternoon nap. I made the girls leave a bit ago; I just wasn’t up for company. I’ve not gotten it all figured out just yet, but I think I may have a surprise for you tonight.” I yawned as I spoke.

  “I don’t like that you’re there by yourself. I’ve got to finish this piece, but I’m going to have either Nate or Jeremiah come over to check on you. Hang on, I’m texting them both right now.” He disappeared for a moment and then his soothing voice was back. “Okay, hopefully one of them can run right over. I’ll keep you on the line until they get there. So, a surprise, huh? Does it involve lingerie? If so, I think I already like this surprise. Jo? Jo, baby? Are you still there?”

  As Kyle’s voice broke through my slumber, I realized I’d fallen asleep while he was talking. A knock at the door brought a groan from me. “Ugh, I think one of the guys is here. Hang on, I’ll go let them in. This seems really silly, they shouldn’t have to babysit me; you’ll be home within the hour.” I trudged myself to the front door, feeling bad that Nate or Jeremiah was having to give up their time to “watch me”.

  As I reached for the door, I heard two voices. Kyle was shouting, “Wait, Josie! Check to be sure it’s Nate or Jeremiah first.” Izzy was right at my side, her voice commanding, No, Josie! Don’t open it!

  Both of their voices registered in my brain as I swung the door open. Expecting to see Nate or Jeremiah, the words of Kyle and Izzy sunk in simultaneously with the panic that seized my heart and my phone clattered from my grasp. Too late, I realized that I shouldn’t have opened the door without asking who it was. Wayne was standing in front of me, reeking of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, clothes and hair is disarray. I immediately knew that a drunk Wayne was a mean and unpredictable problem.

  “Hello, Josephine, you little tramp. I’ve come to take you back home. You’ve made enough of a mess for me; we need to start sweeping certain things under the rug and piecing our love story back together before you can ruin everything.” He staggered into the door, pushing past me. Jumping out of his way, my stomach revolted at the stench of his breath and sweat.

  “Wayne, I’m not going with you. I’ve done nothing wrong and I don’t want to be your wife or help you run for office. I need you to leave; if you leave now, the police won’t have to know about this.” I instinctively glanced toward the street, hoping the patrol car would miraculously drive by.

  “You stupid, whore. Don’t you think I know you’ve got police watching you? I’ve been sitting here for a week watching you. I had my people doing it for a while, but they weren’t telling me enough, so I came to do it myself. I know all about your disgusting tattoo; don’t worry, I’ve got an in with a dermatologist who will laser it right off. You’re a real little slut, aren’t you Josephine? Spreading your legs for that piece of trash, you better hope you don’t have any diseases from him; I don’t plan on making it a habit to fuck you, but you definitely won’t be getting off on my cock if you’ve picked up something from him.”

  Blanching at his harsh words, I protectively rubbed my stomach. In a split second, with no warning, Wayne’s fist struck out and crashed into my temple. The intense pain washed through me at the same time the contents of my stomach threatened to erupt. I crumpled to the ground, instinctively rolling myself into a protective ball.

  A large, clammy hand stroked my cheek and then fisted in my hair, causing screaming pain to shoot through my scalp. “You fucking little whore, did you think you could hide your dirty little secret from me? I had an inkling it might be true when I saw that blonde bitch making her little purchase at the drugstore; but now, watching you try to protect yourself, I know the truth. No worries, we’ll get that taken care of right away, even before we remove the tattoo.” I whimpered as he deliberately twisted his fist in my hair, causing even more searing pain.

  “Wayne, stop. You don’t need this type of bad press; if the media finds out what you’re doing right now, you’ll never get elected. If you let me go, I’ll go home with you and help you get elected. Please Wayne, just don’t hurt me.” I stopped myself before saying anything about the baby. The precious life growing inside of me was barely a reality to me just yet, I was scared to believe it was even true, but I wanted t
o protect it with everything I had in me. I didn’t know if Wayne was bluffing about knowing my secret; perhaps he was hoping I’d reveal the answer if he pretended to know.

  “Ahh, Josephine, you’re more stupid than I thought you were. I won’t be placated; I know you have no intentions of going home with me. I’m not going to fall for your little ploy.” He shifted our bodies on the ground so that he was pressing himself between my legs; I swallowed as bile threatened up the back of my throat when I realized he was hard against me. The thought of him being turned on by hurting me didn’t give me a lot of hope in this situation.

  “Mmm, feel that? Little dirty slut like you, my cock hard against you probably gets you all wet. Think that piece of trash would care to share you with me? He didn’t seem to care that I’d had you first, maybe he won’t care if I have you last.” At my sob, Wayne laughed cruelly. “You see, Josephine, the media already got wind of your torrid little relationship and life here in Torey Hope; my opponents are having a field day running my name in the mud because of you. ‘Ex-wife’, ‘live-in boyfriend’, ‘out-of-wedlock’, ‘tattoos’, all of those words are being slung against me and used to show me as unfit to run our state. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!! So my supporters are bailing ship, my campaign is over. FUCKING BECAUSE OF YOU!” His spit spattered against my face as his hips thrust against me.

  “So, you and I are going to go away for a while. My career is already ruined, might as well go all out. At least I’ll get the pleasure of watching you suffer and knowing that your filthy little boyfriend will suffer too. Or suffer again I guess I should say. Really is a shame about all that he’s already been through and now he’s going to lose someone again. Does he know about the baby?” He narrowed his eyes and sneered as he spoke to me. “Ahh, I can see that he doesn’t know yet; how sweet. Did you have a big plan to surprise him with the news?” I could tell he was still fishing; he wasn’t 100% sure I was pregnant. I knew I couldn’t give anything away.

  “Wayne, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You and I both know that I can’t get pregnant. Why would you come here and rub something in my face that you know hurts me.” I spoke as calmly as I could. I prayed that he bought my act.

  “Oh stop fucking around with me, Josephine. The little letter that arrived for you saying you couldn’t get pregnant was a total fabrication. Being in the same social circles with a doctor who would do anything to make sure his sweet little wife didn’t know he was banging his nurses left and right has its advantages. All I had to do was promise to keep his little secret and he wrote down whatever I wanted him to; I felt like the 1% was a nice touch, don’t you think? I figured it would keep you just desperate enough and clinging to that slight chance.” He chuckled as he seemed to reminisce over his deceit.

  “So, if the letter was a lie, why did I never get pregnant?” I was in pain and scared, but I needed to know. In my gut, I already knew, but I needed to hear it from him; I needed to hear him confess his complete and total deceit of me.

  “Ah, that. Well, that’s another secret I can’t have getting out. The public would have a ball knowing that I couldn’t keep a wife, I couldn’t get it up, and I couldn’t father children. I had some tests run and it appears I’m completely sterile; I couldn’t let that get out, so I made you think it was your fault. And now, all of this is your fault again. Blame yourself for the pain your man is going to suffer.” His hips ground into me again. “Damn, I could never get hard for you before, but knowing you’re scared and trying to protect your precious little baby, that’s got me all turned on; I think I may fuck you once more, right here in his living room, before I take you away. We’ll leave enough evidence so that he’ll know I was the last one in you before you were lost to him forever.” His fisted hand let loose long enough to reach down and attempt to get my pants off. “Stop fighting, bitch; the more you fight, the more I want you.”

  I stilled momentarily; trying to gather my wits and devise a plan. Physically, I couldn’t fight him off; I needed something to hit him with. In my mind I spoke to Izzy. “Izzy, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I need your help and then I need you to go get Kyle. Izzy, please, can you hear me. I need you to move something close to me so I can hit him. Then get Kyle as quickly as you can. Izzy?” I didn’t know if she could hear me; she had been around less and less since Kyle and I had gotten together for good. It was almost as if she’d done what she needed to do and then it was her time to move on. What if she couldn’t hear me? I began to furtively glance around the room, trying to think of something I could reach to hit Wayne.

  “Stop looking around, bitch!” I gritted my teeth and swallowed a sob as he roughly shoved his hand down my pants. “Mmmm, still dry as a desert; no worries, I’ll be happy to shove myself in there and make you scream.” Grabbing my hand he forced me to feel his erection and I battled the vomit threatening to escape. If letting him do what he was planning would protect me and the baby long enough for Kyle to get to me, so be it; I would suffer through sex with Wayne once more if it meant I could save the baby and stay with Kyle.

  The next several minutes played out perfectly yet so horribly. A knock sounded at the locked door just as the flower vase sitting in the middle of the coffee table fell over, rolled to the edge, and dropped to the floor. As I stretched my fingers toward the vase, I felt the cold glass fill my hand. “Josie! Josie! Open the door! Are you okay? JOSIE!” I heard both Nate and Jeremiah pounding on the door just as I brought the vase up to connect with the side of Wayne’s head.

  “You stupid bitch! Now you’ve gone and fucked it all up. You’re dead if I’m not walking out of here with you.” I watched his fist come at me, almost as if I were in a dream and it was moving in slow motion. My only thought was that if he hit me in the head, maybe the baby could still be okay. My head jerked violently when his fist pounded into the side of my face; the pain throbbed through me and the light began to fade. “You did this, bitch. All you had to do was help me out, but instead you’ve gotten yourself and your baby killed. Think about the pain you’re causing your friends and family. You never could do anything right.” He punched the side of my head again and stood up. Fighting to keep my eyes open, I fought against the blackness that threatened to sweep me under. “Say goodbye, baby.” And with that, my world shattered in heartbreak and pain as his foot connected over and over with my chest and midsection.

  Kyle

  “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” ~Author Unknown

  Talking to Josie on the phone made me feel a little better, especially since I knew that Nate and Jeremiah were both on their way to the house to stay with her until I got there. My heart clenched in my chest to know that she was still so tired that she was falling asleep on the phone with me. Tomorrow, no question, I was taking her to the doctor to find out what was wrong. Her sweet sleepy voice came back to me as she woke up, “Ugh, I think one of the guys is here. Hang on, I’ll go let them in. This seems really silly, they shouldn’t have to babysit me; you’ll be home within the hour.”

  How did the guys get there so soon? They weren’t that close to our house, there was no way they’d be there yet. Panic seized me, “Wait, Josie! Check to be sure it’s Nate or Jeremiah first.” My heart sank and I immediately called the police after I heard the sickening words, “Hello, Josephine, you little tramp” and Josie’s phone clattered to the floor.

  The extra patrol car had been called out to a wreck on the interstate so it wasn’t nearby. It wouldn’t take me long, but I feared it would be longer than Josie had. My only hope was Nate and Jeremiah. And Izzy. Her voice came to me, softer and further away than it had in the past. Kyle, get to her quickly. Wayne isn’t planning on either of them coming out of this alive. She needs you, get to her, please. Hearing the sob in Izzy’s voice broke my heart and filled me with such anxious fear I didn’t know if I was going to be able to drive. “I’m trying, Iz, I’m going as fast as I can. Can you go back to her? Help her in any way you can. Please, Izzy, help her, I can’t
lose her too.” I choked down tears as I started my bike and screamed the tires down the road.

  Pulling up less than fifteen minutes from the last words I heard from Josie, I found the front door wide open. As if in a nightmare, not wanting to know what lay ahead of me, but needing to know, I dragged my legs up the stairs. Jeremiah was on the ground, holding my sweet Josie; she looked to just be sleeping but I saw tears in Jeremiah’s eyes and I knew she was hurt badly. Nate had a bloody and barely moving Wayne pinned to the ground.

  Walking to Josie, I dropped to my knees, “Josie, baby, I’m here. I’m so, so sorry, Jo. I should have been here. Please, Jo, open your eyes, don’t leave me.” I took her hand and lightly ran my finger down the side of her face which was already black and blue and swelling up. “God, baby, I’m so sorry.” Without taking my eyes off of her, I spoke harshly to the other men, “Where the fuck are the police and ambulance?” As I spoke, Josie groaned and doubled over in pain; tears ran down her face and she gasped for breath.

  “Nooooo, please, nooooo! Baby….can’t breathe….hurts…,” with a final gasp for breath she was out again. Knowing she was in such severe pain was killing me. Wayne began to stir and I was on my feet before I even knew I’d made the decision.

  “You fucking bastard! If she dies I will spend the rest of my life making sure you suffer for it.” I watched in sick satisfaction as my foot connected first with his face, then his head, then his stomach, over and over.