A Second Chance (13 page)

As we hear all the names being called and watch all the students walk up on the stage, Rayleigh’s name is next. As the dean calls her name, she walks up on the stage like an angel and gets her diploma. I yell for her as she walks down to her seat with a big smile on her face. After all the students were called, her family and I walk down the field to greet her.

Ray jumps in my arms as I hold her close to me kissing her on every spot that I could reach on her face. She gives her family each a hug then returns back into my arms.

“Congratulations baby!” I whisper in her ear. I look at her family and nod my head at her dad. We all head to the party, but before Rayleigh could get in the car, I blind folded her. Before I got in, I sent a text to Ben to let him know that we were on our way.

We get to the ware house and I help her out. We walk in, as I pull her blindfold off everyone jumps out saying “Surprise”. I look over her shoulder at her as I saw tears come up to her eyes.  Everyone came up to her and congratulated her, Lily and Ben were the last to come up and give her hug.

A few hours after that party started, I decided to show Rayleigh her surprise. I walk up to her and slide my arm around her waist. “I have a surprise for you.” I whisper in her ear. I feel her shiver against me. “Not that kind of surprise.”  She looks at me and giggles.

I pull Rayleigh to the other room where the ring is set up for her. I put my hands over her eyes so she couldn’t see it before we went in. “Again with covering my eyes?”

“Yes, now shush.” I tell her. She giggles at me again.

I push her gently in the room and move my hands. “Surprise baby.” I whisper in her ear. I hear her gasp as she saw the ring.

“Is this for me?”

“No, it’s for the Easter bunny, silly. Of course it’s for you.”

She giggles as she turns around and hugs me. “Thank you.”

“That’s not all, here.” I push an envelope to her; she takes it in her hands and looks at me confused. “Just open it.”

I watch her as she opens the envelope and reads it; I see tears form in her eyes as she covers her mouth. She looks up at me. “This place is really mine?”

I nod, “I figured you could set up a small gym here when you start taking on patients.”

Rayleigh throws herself into my arms, and I hug her tight and kiss her temple. “Thank you.” I hear her whisper. “No need to thank me, now go up and check out the ring.”

She wipes her eyes, as she nods at me. Rayleigh easies her way up into the ring, as she walks around it to get a feel for it I walk up into the ring without her knowing. She takes her time getting a feel for it as I bend down on one knee behind her.

She turns around and stops, as she sees me down. I clear my throat. “Rayleigh Bell, we have been through it all, but not a day goes by that I don’t see you by my side. I will honor and cherish you for all the days to come. Will you please do me the honor, in being my wife?” I pull out the ring box and open it. She is looking at me, then her eyes land on a square cut diamond ring with little diamonds going down the band half way.

Before she answers, she looks up and sees everyone in the room now. I can tell by her face that is she surprised by all this. As she looks back down at me, she gives me the answer I have been dying to hear. “Yes, yes I will marry you, Tate Davis.”

I stand up and grab my soon to be wife and give her the most passionate kiss that has ever happened. As I pull away, everyone starts whooping and congratulating us, as I put the ring on her finger.

This is the day that has completed our lives forever.

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***PLEASE NOTE THAT WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ HAS NOT YET BEEN REVISED OR EDITED!***

~Only Chance is book 2 the Chance Series~

Only Chance By Isabella Bearden

C
hapter 1

Age 15

“Courtney?” Momma calls for me, as I walk in from school.

“Yes, Momma?” I walk into the kitchen where she usually is when I arrive home.

She has her head down on the table with an almost empty bottle of whiskey in front of her. She looks like she hasn’t bathed in days, her brown hair is stringy and hanging in her face as she props herself up on her hands. She is still in her house gown, that is covered with holes and stains all over it.

“Come here, girl.” I walk slowly towards her, as she puts her arm out to pull me close to her.

She gives me a hug as I hold my breath, she smells like booze and cigarettes.  I turn my face away from her, as she looks at the clock on the stove and sees that it’s about time for daddy to be home. She pushes me away as she says, “Go make dinner, and make sure it’s done before your daddy gets home.”

“Yes, Momma.”  I acknowledge her.

I cook dinner and get it done right before my daddy gets home. He sits at the table and waits, as I serve him and momma first, then myself. Everyone eats in peace; once everyone is done, I clean up the kitchen. Every night I have to cook and make sure to set the table before daddy gets home from work. If it isn’t done, daddy gets really upset with me.

As I am washing the dishes, which I do every night as well, I hear someone knock at the door. I never answer the door, because most of the time its daddy’s friends and I don’t like being around them. They give me funny looks and creep me out.  I hear a knock again, as I also hear daddy get up and curse.

I peek around the corner to see who was at the door. I see a girl dressed in a white sun dress along with her hair tied up. She is looking at the ground, and then she looks up at my dad. Then I see its Tess. Tess is a girl that I meet at school at the beginning of the year and we became best friends ever since.

“Hi, Is Courtney home?” I hear Tess ask my dad.

“Courtney is not allowed to have company.” He snarls at her then slams the door in her face.

I run back to the sink before daddy sees me watching him. If he sees me doing something that I’m not supposed to be doing, I get into a lot of trouble. As I pick up another dish to wash, I hear my father.

“Courtney, Get your ass in here now!” I can tell by the sound of his voice that he is upset.

I walk into the living, not wanting to get close. “Yes, daddy?”

“What did I tell you about having company over here?”  He growls out.

“But daddy...” He cuts me off.

“What did I tell you about having company over here?” He repeats himself, but this time yelling at me.

“I am to not have company over, at all. No matter what.”  I tell him looking down at the ground.

“Look at me, girl.”

I look up at him, but I can tell by his eyes that something bad is going to happen. I try to turn and run, but before I could, he grabs me by the arm. “Please daddy.” Is all I could get out before he back handed me across the face.

“You know the rules. You are not allowed to have any company over here at any time. You hear me?”

I hold my face as he starts to jerk me. “Answer me!” I can feel the tears rising up, as my face is burning.

“Yes daddy, I’m sorry.” I get out without the tears spilling down my face.

He lets me go, as I fall to the ground. I try to catch myself before I hit my head on the coffee table, but it was too late as the corner of the glass table caught right above my eye. I can feel the blood stream down my face, as my parents sit there and pay absolutely no attention to me.

I get up and run to the bath room to clean up the cut, and take care of it properly. I also check out my face, trying to hold back the tears as I glance at my face.  I’m pretty sure there will be a bruise tomorrow. 

I walk out of the bath room, as I hear my parent’s call for me. I sigh to myself, all I want to do is just go to bed, and hide from them. I hate living here.

I walk back into the living room, and stand to the side. “Yes?” I ask my parents.

“Who was that girl, Courtney?” My mother asks me.

“That was Tess. We go to school together.”

My father doesn’t attempt to acknowledge me. My mother looks over at my father then back to me. “Please, tell your friend that she is not allowed to come here. I would hate to have another incident like tonight.”

“Yes, momma.” Is all I say as I walk to my room for night.

I get into bed and cover up. A few hours later as I lie awake, I hear the TV turn off in the living room. I fake asleep, waiting to see if my father will be coming in. These are the nights that I wish my brother, Brayden, was living here instead of our grandparent’s home; I know he would protect me.

I
wake the next morning, relieved that my father didn’t come into my room last night. I get up and tip toe to the bathroom, trying not to wake momma, or daddy. They get grumpy if you wake them. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth, and fix my hair to cover up the cut on my eye, adding a little bit of make-up to hide the bruise. If the kids at school see either one, I know they are going to ask questions and it may cause more problems at home. I throw on a t-shirt with pants and slide on my sneakers.

I grab my bag from my room and head out, as I see my father sitting at the kitchen table. He usually doesn’t get up this early. I try to slide past him, as I don’t want another conflict, like last night. I get to the door, as I hear my mother groan in the next room. I walk to her door and peak inside. She is pale, and sweaty.

“Mom, are you okay?” I go to her side, knelling down on my knees.

She does nothing, but groans. “Mom. Answer me please.” She doesn’t answer me.  “DAD!”

“What!” He snaps at me, from the kitchen.

“What’s wrong with mom?”

“I don’t know. She has been like that most of the night.”

“Shouldn’t we do something!? Look at her! She looks like she is dying!”

“She will be fine girl, go to school.” He pushes me out of the front door. I push back at him, no, I can’t leave my mom this way. I admit my mom hasn’t been the best parent in the world, but she has never hit me or abused me like my father has.

I push past him and run back to my mom, grabbing the phone from the receiver. I call an ambulance, telling them that my mom can barely move, she is sweating and really pale. They arrive here in less than 5 minutes and move me out of the way.  My dad does nothing, but stands to the side and doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t even answer any questions that the paramedics ask him.

They load her up in to the ambulance, and they ask my dad if he was riding with them, he shakes his head. I go to climb in the back, but before I do, I turn to my dad and look him straight in his eyes. “I hope nothing seriously is happening to her. If she dies, because you want to be selfish and not take care of your wife. I will never forgive you! You are worthless! All you do is beat me and treat us like crap. Go to hell!”

I then climb in the back to be with my mom. I hold her hand all the way to the hospital, as she lies there and groans, holding onto her stomach. I try to keep the tears back, but it hurts to see my mom in so much pain that I can’t help her with.

We get to the hospital, and they take her right back. The nurses escorted me to the waiting room, they said once they knew something they would get me. I sit in the waiting room, praying that my mom is okay. I gather myself together and go to the front desk, knowing I need to call my brother and let him know what is happening.

“Excuse me.” I say to one of the nurses back. I know I talk low, so they probably couldn’t hear me.

“Excuse me.” I try again.

“Yes sweetheart.” She turns around this time.

“Is it possible for me to use your phone?”

“Of course.”

The nice nurse turns the hospital phone towards me, and tells me to dial 9, before I put the whole number in.

I dial my grandmother’s number, and let it ring. As I was about to hang up, my grandfather answers.

“Hello?”

“Hey gramps.”

“Courtney! How are you sweetie? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Yes sir. But before I left this morning, I heard mom in her room groaning. I went to check on her, gramps, she didn’t look so good. I called the ambulance. She could barely move.”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m at the hospital, waiting to see what is going on.”

“Where is your father?”

“He... he is at home.” My grandparent’s don’t know that my dad is abusive towards me. Brayden went and lived with them when he was 15, because he didn’t get along with dad. But he never told them the real reason they didn’t get along.

Brayden walked in one day when my father tried to hold me down. I screamed at him to stop.  I even screamed for help, but no one was at home. But Brayden came home early one day from baseball practice and saved me. He wanted me to come with him and live with my grandparents. But I was too scared to leave.

“Courtney?”

“Yes sir?”

“Why is Glen at home?”

“He didn’t want to help momma, he tried to shove me out the front door. But I couldn’t let him.”

“I see. Grandma and I will be there shortly.”

“Are you going to tell Brayden?”

“Let’s not. You know how he feels about your dad, we don’t want him even more upset with him.”

“Yes, sir. See you soon.”

I hang up the phone and tell the nurse thank you. I walk back over and take a seat, and wait patiently for any kind of news bout momma.

Facebook and Goodreads links!

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/isabellabeardenauthor

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/isabellabearden

TO BE RELEASE IN DECEMBER!!

By Devon Youngblood

Chapter One

LILY

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to receive that dreaded phone call? The one about someone you care about being in the hospital? Well, it is the worst thing you can hear. Today started out as any normal day. I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. Waiting until the last minute to get up, I rush to get showered and ready for work. Looking in the mirror, I pull my thick dark auburn hair into a ponytail and put some makeup on, just enough so my face is not bare. I race quickly to the kitchen, pouring my morning coffee into my mug. Grabbing my lunch bag, I open the fridge for a frozen dinner to throw inside.