My Texas Sweetheart (book one) (18 page)

“Don’t cry, baby. I love you,” I tell her, raising my head from her lap.

I
see that all the guys are standing around us. “Don’t worry about me, Jase. Come on. I think we should go inside. I’ll take you up to bed.”

“No, not yet. Are you col
d?” I ask.

“I’m good,” she says, worried.

I stand up and pull her up with me
. Looking around, I see the worry on all of their faces. “Baby, go inside and get warm. I’ll be there in a while.” I look towards my truck.

“No, I’ll stay out here with you.” I want her to go in. This is something she doesn’t need to see and hear. It would kill me if she knew any of the things running through my head right now.

“I’ll be fine. Please, go get warmed up.” I pull her into my arms one last time and kiss for forehead before I shove her towards the house.

“Don’t worry. We won’t leave him alone,” Creed tells her, and she nods.

As soon as she is inside the house
, I start for my truck, but I am stopped by dad and Brad. “No, I don’t fucking think so, Jase. I know you wanna hurt him. Fuck, so do the rest of us, but where would that leave those left behind? You’d get jail time, and the girls would be here wondering what they could have done to stop you. Maggie would blame herself. Face it, she is already. So you need to ask yourself if it’s worth it. In the end, he’ll have won,” Brad says.

“I need to do something! I can’t just sit here!”
I yell.

“Come on. Let’s play some ball; get it out while we play,
” Jade tells me.

“Why the hell not? I guess it’s worth a shot,” I mumble. We all head towards to back of the house. Creed grabs a football and we all start playing.

****

After a few hours, we head inside. I don’t feel any better. I see that Maggie’s mom has made food, coffee, and hot chocolate. “Go clean up, boys,” Lily says.

****

The next couple of days pass by in a blur
. Dad and Brad went to the police station to read the note, but neither of them would tell us what it said. I have noticed that all of Maggie’s brothers haven’t left her side. She’s taking April’s death really hard. I know she blames herself, and it doesn’t matter how much we tell her it’s not her fault.

I’m sitting up in my room
, getting ready to burry my baby sister. I just wanna hear her laugh again, or see her smile. I don’t know what I am going to do without her. This is gonna be a hard day for all of us. “Jase, come on! It’s time to go!” Dad yells. I get up and grab my tie, then head downstairs. We all get into my dad’s truck and head for the church.

Pulling up
, I see the Summers’, Amy, and Jake waiting outside. Getting out, I walk over to Maggie and pull her into my arms. “Hey, baby,” I say.

She
gives me a sad smile.
“Let’s head in,” Mom says.

Walking into the church
, I never let go of Maggie’s hand. When we get to the front, she pulls her hand from mine and sits with her family behind us. “Baby, please sit with me,” I say.

She looks over at my parents and they nod
. “Of course.” She sits next to me and I grab her hand again.

Once we are all seated
, Pastor Dan starts the service. I block it all out, until I feel Maggie pulling on my hand. I look over at her, and she whispers, “Jase, I need my hand so I can go up there with your mom.” I nod and let go.

Hand-in-hand,
Mom and Maggie make their way up to the front. “Maggie and I are going to read a poem for April,” Mom says, letting out a little sob.

Mom:
“If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.”

Maggie:
“If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss, calling you back for one more.”

Mom:
“If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would videotape each action and word so I could play them back day after day.”

Maggie:
“If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute to stop and say ‘I love you’, instead of assuming that you KNOW I do.”

Mom:
“If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, I’m sure you'll have so many more so I can let just this one slip away.”

Maggie:
“For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything just right.”

Mom:
“There will always be another day to say ‘I love you’, and there’s certainly another chance to say ‘Anything I can do?’”

Maggie:
“But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope you never forget.”

Mom:
“Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old, and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.”

Maggie:
“So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day,”

Mom:
“That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss, and you were too busy to grant someone what turned out to be their one last wish.”

Maggie:
“So hold your loved ones close today and whisper in their ear how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear.”

Mom:
“Take time to say ‘I’m sorry’, ‘Please forgive me’, ‘Thank you’, or ‘it’s okay’. And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.”

I don’t know how either one made it through that poem
. They’re both crying so hard. When they sit down again, I put my arm around Maggie and kiss her cheek. “Thank-you for going up there with my mom,” I whisper.

“There’s no need to thank me, babe.”

Ten
minutes later, we’re being called to carry April’s casket. Adam, Creed, and Jade are on one side, and Dad, Brad, and I are on the other. When we start walking past, Mom and Heather stand. They both line up behind us; Maggie, Lily, Amy, and Jake behind them. I notice Mark, Gabe, and Kara by the doors. They nod when we pass them, falling into line with the rest of the family. Once outside, we put the casket inside the hearse and we all pile into our trucks.

When we get to the cemetery, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Chase
, holding an American flag, and all the SEALS are standing there in uniform, rifles in their hands. We line up outside the car to carry April’s casket to the grave site. Once there, we set it down and move aside. Chase drapes the flag over the casket. Then looks at me. “Sorry we didn’t make it to the service,” he says. After the ceremony and we said our final goodbyes, we all head back to my parent’s ranch.

****

Over the next few weeks, Adam, Jake, and I continue to look for Christian. From what we know, he isn’t that far away from Bumble Bee. Chase and his buddies are also looking so we have high hopes of finding him. I am just not sure what I will do once we find him.  A huge part of me wants to get revenge for April, Maggie, and the rest of us. I haven’t seen much of Maggie in the last few weeks, but I don’t really want her around when all this shit is going on. My girl has been through more than enough.

My thoughts come back to the present.
Adam and I are at our football game. So far, we are winning 45-22, but I am thinking more about shit with Christian than the game. “Jase get your head in the game!” Jake yells.

I glare over at him
. “Shut up, man.” He is just about to say something else when Adam shoots him a look that tells him to back off.

After the game is over
, which we won, and just before I reach my truck, I hear someone yelling my name. Looking over, I see Amy and Heather running towards me. I start to panic. “What’s wrong? Is it Maggie?”

They both
glare at me. “You have been ignoring her for over two weeks and now
you’re concerned about her?” Amy sneers at me. They’re both pissed and I can’t blame them, but why can’t they stay out of it?

“Yeah, I’m concerned when I see you to running this way and calling my name. Seriously, I love her.”

Amy and Heather both roll their eyes
. “You have an awesome way of showing it!” Heather yells. Adam and Jake are both standing with us now.

“That’s my business,” I say.

“Maggie is my best friend and she is hurting right now. She thinks she did something wrong! Look, Jase, I know you are going through a lot right now, but don’t shut Maggie out. She needs you and you need her.” Maybe she’s right, but I can’t help this. I need to do this for April and if I lose Maggie, then I’ll just get her back when all this shit is over with.

“I’m sorry, girls, but I need to do this. April deserves it.”

They
both look at me with tears in their eyes. “She was my sister, too, Jase, and I loved her to death, but I am not pushing away the love of my life to get revenge,” Heather sobs. Amy and Heather both turn around and walk away from me.

I look
over at Adam to see that he is staring at me. “You have something to add?” I ask.

Adam shakes his head
. “No, dude. I know how much this is ripping you apart, but she is my sister.” I nod and get into my truck.

Adam
and Jake jump in. “We aren’t letting you do this shit alone, Jase,” Adam says.

I start shaking my head
, but they both glare at me. “Don’t go there, Bro!” Jake yells.

I sigh. “Alright, guys,
” I say.

I hope
that Maggie can forgive me one day, and will take me back. I love her with all my heart. I’m just not sure how to let this go and I can’t take her down this road with me. ‘Baby, please come back to me one day. I love you so much’. Looking at Adam, I nod.

The End to be
continued…

Epilogue

My name is Lily Summers and I’m Maggie’s mom. All the kids are going off to college in a few more weeks. I am so proud of my twins, Amy, and Jase. Months ago, we lost April and so many things fell apart…my baby girl’s heart got broken, and Jase lost himself through his grief and anger. He also lost Maggie because he pushed her away. So, today, I’m standing in the kitchen at the Jacks’ ranch. “Jase, what are you going to do about getting my daughter back?” I ask him.

He shakes his head
. “I have no clue on how to get her back right now, Lily.”

Something
tells me that he does know, but doesn’t think he deserves her. Adam, Jake, and Jase will all be going to the same collage and will be playing football there. Maggie and Amy will be attending the same collage as the boys so I am hoping things work out.  “Oh, baby boy, you do know how to get her back. I am pretty sure that you think you don’t deserve her, but you’re wrong about that.” He shakes his head again. I swear I can see a tear in the corner of his eye.

I walk over and give him a hug
. “She loves you so much and I know you love her.” Jase starts to cry so I hold him tight.

Quinn and Carol are standing in the
doorway, watching us. They have tears rolling down their faces. Releasing him, I say “I love you also, and I think of you as a son.” After one last hug, I leave and head for home.

Maggie and Amy are in Dallas with her older brothers
, Mark and Gabe. She’s supposed to be coming home next week so I hope Jase does something about getting her back then. I want to see my baby girl with a real smile on her beautiful face again. Just as I am walking through our front door, Adam and Creed come walking by me. “Hey, mom, we are headed off to visit with Mark and Gabe,” they say.

“Alright, boys. Give them my love and tell your sister I love her, too.” They nod and head out. I miss not having all of kids at home. I smile to myself, knowing one day all of my kids will have their soul mates.

But right now I need to focuses on getting Maggie and Jase back together.... Until then the rest of my boys will have to wait.

About the author

Hello
, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed my very first book!!!! I love Maggie and Jase like they are my own kids. I am married to a wonderful man that believes in me. There will be more books with the rest of the Summers family telling their stories. I am a stay-at-home mom with two kids. I love reading and thought that, one day, I would put my thoughts into a book and hope for the best. I live in Ontario, Canada, and have a huge family…three biological sisters, three step-sisters, and three step-brothers But I don’t think of them that way. They are my sisters and brothers. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me…

Facebook: Pauliena Acheson –Author

Twitter: @pauliena21

Email: [email protected]

A website will be coming in the near future.

Always remember to smile, laugh, and love to the fullest

Love
to you all!