Secrets in Battle: Secrets of Savannah Series Book 3 (2 page)

BOOK: Secrets in Battle: Secrets of Savannah Series Book 3
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Chapter 1

Staring at the walls of this hospital room for the past few months has been hell
. I’m ready to get the hell out of here and go home. Well, to Ryder’s house anyway. I can’t stay with my family yet, my mom would smother me. Along with rehabilitation, both mentally and physically, I have to get used to the fact that the career I chose is over.

My door swings open.
“You ready to go home, man?”

I l
ook up at my best friend Ryder. “Yeah, I’m ready to get out of this fucking place.”  I grab up my crutches and start toward the door.

He shakes his head
. “Whoa. Slow down. Don’t worry man, I have the downstairs set up for you and your physical therapist. Nana is all ready to have you home to feed and take care of.”

“Please tell me they didn’t plan some kind of welcome home shit
. I’m tired and I really don’t feel like seeing people.”  I love my family and friends, but I don’t want to deal with everyone else.

He shakes his head
. “No, man. Not today, but I can’t promise about another day this week.”

“I just really want to be alone.”

“Okay, man. I’ll do what I can.”

“Look
, I know everyone means well, but I just can’t handle crowds right now.”

He puts his hand on my shoulder
. “Alright, we’ll just take it one day at a time. Okay?”

“Yeah
. Thanks for letting me stay with you. I don’t think I could handle my mom 24/7 right now.”

He walks out with me to his jeep
. “I know, man.”

After we get everything loaded and ready to go
, we hit the road for the long drive home. I look over at him. “Thanks again, man, for everything. Getting my parents to Germany so quick, coming to get me. Just everything.”

“Hey, you’re like my brother
. I’d do anything for you. So, have you talked to Annabelle?”

I shake my head
. “Nah. I really haven’t wanted to talk to anyone while I was here. I just wanted to concentrate on getting well enough to go home.”

Ryder turns up the radio a little bit trying to break the tension
. It’s weird, he’s my best friend, practically my brother. The person who knows me better than anyone else, and I’m nervous and scared to be around him. I guess because I know he’ll see through the facade, see all the things I’ve done. I don’t know why I’m so uncomfortable in my own skin right now. I just keep staring out the window, watching small towns and mile markers go by.

After a few hours
, Ryder looks over at me. “Hey man, I’m gonna swing in here to refuel and take a piss, you want anything?”

“Yeah, grab me a water
. I need to take my meds.”

He nods and goes in the store.

Once he’s back in the jeep, I take my pain meds and lie back in the seat.

Finally
, he looks over at me a little bit later, trying to break through the invisible wall in the vehicle. “So, I heard you got to spend some time with Ivie, Gable and the guys overseas.”

Whew
, something generally easy for me to talk about. “Yeah, they were all pretty cool. They’re an awesome band. Ivie is great and she’s one of a kind, that’s for sure. I’m guessing she and Gable have worked things out.”

“O
h yeah, more than anyone knows.”  I look over at him with a questioning look on my face and he smiles. “Don’t tell anyone but since you’re family, you can know. Well, once we get home Nana would tell you anyway. Right after I proposed to Scar, they slipped off to Vegas and had a quiet wedding. They don’t want the media getting ahold of it yet. They have this whole thing about labels, blah, blah. I don’t really get it, but I can understand how they wouldn’t want people all up in their personal lives.”

I shake my head
. “Wow, that’s some crazy shit. Oh yeah, so how is engaged life?”

He takes a deep breath and exhales
. “It’s great. I never thought I could love someone at all. Never thought I deserved someone like her. She and Annabelle have been working on wedding plans, we both want something small at the farm.”  He shrugs. “Waking up next to her everyday just feels right.”

I smile
. “Sounds good.”  I shake my head. “Damn, I never thought I’d see the day that Ryder Abbott settled for one woman. Son, hearts are breaking all over Dixie right now. I’m happy for you though, man. Scarlet is good for you. Let’s face it, she passed the Nana test, that says enough right there.”

He chuckles
. “Tell me about it. Nana likes having all these girls around now. Between Scar, Annabelle and Ivie, she has a house full of them.”

“I feel like I’ve missed so much.”

“You have but we’ll catch you up. So, what have they said about your enlistment?”

I prop my elbow on the window and rest my head in my hand
. “They are probably going to medical discharge me. With all the shit with my leg and back, I’ll never pass a med review board.”


What are you thinking about doing?”

“Shit, I don’t know
. I thought maybe about going to college and taking some classes.”  I shrug. “I have a little time to make up my mind and I have quite a bit in savings. It’s just, I never thought I’d need a backup plan.”

“Hey man
, you can stay with me as long as you want. You know how big and empty that damn house is. Dad is spending more and more time in Atlanta, I honestly think he’s seeing someone there, but he hasn’t said anything to me. Ivie and Gable stay with us every once in a while when they’re in town, but other than that it’s just Scar and me.”

I need to change the subject
. “So you think Greer has a woman?”

He shrugs
. “Well, like I said, he’s been spending more and more time up there. I’ve also noticed him texting more. He’s never been into texting before and he’s all secretive about it.”

“Whoa!  Do you think your dad is sexting someone?”
I chuckle.

Ryder’s face contorts into this look of sickness
. “Dude. What the fuck? I don’t even wanna think about that. Don’t ever say something like that again.”

I laugh
, holding my ribs. “Why? I’m sure Nana has already said something like that.”

“No, she’s much more colorful about it.”

“Gotta love Pearl.”

“Ain’t that the damn truth?”

              “I bet Nana is wanting you to have her some great-grans, though.”

             
“No, actually she wants us to take time for ourselves, get to know each other and not rush into the whole kid thing.”

             
I shake my head. “You know she sent me homemade wine while I was overseas at Christmas?”

             
He rolls his eyes. “Who do you think helped her package it so it didn’t look like wine?”

             
For the next few hours, it feels good to laugh and carry on with my best friend. Not worrying about physical therapy, nightmares, anxiety or my future, just laughing. This is the exact reason I needed Ryder to be the one to pick me up.

 

Chapter 2

What is that fucking ringing sound
? Would someone please shut it off?

Finally realizing that it is my phone, I fumble with it to answer it, seeing Scarlet’s face on the screen.

“Hello.”

“Hey
, what time are you gonna be over today?”

“Huh?”

“Today. You know, our little cookout for Judd? Ringing any bells?”

“Shit, I forgot.”

“You forgot?”

“Yes, I had a damn twelve hour shift last night with my ER Clinical rotation for school
. I had a freakin’ meth head go nuts trying to tear in to a locked cabinet, and we had a big car wreck. So I’m still a little out of it.”

“Shit
. I’m sorry. It’s just I was hoping you being here would bring Judd out of his shell a little. He’s been kinda withdrawn since he’s been home.”

“Scar, don’t get caught up on that
. He’s been through a lot. He’s not going to be himself right off the bat.”

“Yeah, I know
. We sat through the reunion briefings with his parents, but he’s really withdrawn.”

“I’ll be there around noon
. Is that okay?”

“Yeah
, that’s great. I’ll see you then.” 

Hanging up the phone, I glance over at the clock and see that it’s already after ten
. I groan, get up out of bed and make my way to the bathroom to jump in the shower.

Is it weird that I’m nervous to go see him
? I mean I haven’t went out of my way in the past week that he’s been home to go see him, but he hasn’t really invited me over, either.

He promised me that he’d come back home to me and he almost didn’t
. My mind drifts back to the hotel room in Richmond Hill.

We barely make it in the hotel room door before I’m reaching down to unbuckle his belt and jeans
. He’s shoving the straps of my dress down. Realizing that I don’t have a bra on with this dress, his mouth goes directly to my nipple. Lifting me under the ass, I wrap my legs around his waist. I feel his erection against my panties.

As he’s kissing across my breasts
, I groan. “Judd, I need...I need you.”

He spins around
, throwing me on the bed and snatching my panties down. He whips his shirt off, shoving his pants and boxers down.

He drops to his knees
, planting his face in my pussy. This boy must have taken extra credit classes in Oral Communications because Holy Shit. I know he’s saying something to me but I’m not sure what the hell he’s saying. I’m screaming something incoherent, I’m sure, as I come on his face.

Climbing up my body, I see him roll a condom on and he bites my nipple
as he thrusts inside of me. Fuck, that is awesome.

As the water starts to turn cold
, I’m brought out of my sex daydream to the present. I rush through my shower to finish before the water is ice cold.

I slip on a cute sundress and flip flops, throwing my hair up haphazardly in a bun on top of my head.

I’ve gotten to the point that I’m actually more comfortable with everyone that will be there than my own family. I’m not so worried about how I dress around them. Funny thing is, until I started my clinicals I would have still worried, now I’m too tired to care.

My parents would prefer that I find some nice
, wealthy young man to take care of me for the rest of my life. I refuse to be like my mother, though. I’ll never know what my father saw in her, much less saw in her enough to have five kids with her. I guess he saw her as weak, and he likes to dominate his world and everyone in it. My goal is to pretty much avoid him. He’s always been a little abusive to all of us, even the boys. A slap here and there, telling us we’d amount to nothing without him.

No one really knows about our life, not even Scarlet
. Who would believe it anyway?

That’s the reason it’s so important that I get through nursing school
. I need something to support myself. I need to get out of this house and put distance between us.

I look in the mirror again.
The secret life of rich people, what a fucking joke.

I throw a swimsuit and a change of clothes in a bag
. Then I make my way downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

Great
, my mother is in here, another person I try to avoid.

“Annabelle, please tell me you aren’t leaving the house dressed like that?”

“Yes, I’m going to a cookout. Most people dress very casual for a cookout.”

She looks like she just drank sour grapefruit juice or something
. “What people? Hobos and white trash?”

“I’m going to the Abbott
’s house.”

She shakes her head
. “Oh, too bad you let Scarlet snatch up Ryder, he’d be a heck of a catch.”

“Mom
, a year ago you said he was nothing but an embarrassing male whore.”

“Well, he’s grown up.”

“Yes, because of Scarlet. He loves her. Besides, I could never be with Ryder.”  I laugh.

“You have dark circles under your eyes.”

“Yes, it comes with lack of sleep. I worked a twelve hour shift last night.”  My God, is this coffee ever going to brew?

“Like I’ve said before
, if you’d find a nice young man to take care of you, working wouldn’t be something you’d have to worry about.”

“Mom
, as I’ve said to you before, I don’t want a man to take care of me. That’s not the kind of relationship I want. I want to be an equal partner, not a dependent.”

“Oh
, so you think I’m dependent on your father?”

“Yes
. What would you do if you didn’t have dad? What kind of job would you do?”

As I’m finally pouring coffee in my cup, she throws her hands up and storms out of the kitchen.

I make my way out to my car and leave for Scarlet’s. Ten minutes later, I’m pulling up in front of the house. I hear the noise from out back so I know everyone is already here. I let myself in the front door.

I hear what sounds like weights moving in the den area
. I walk through the doors to see Judd on a rowing machine.

I give a small wave
. “Hey.”

He nods and exhales
. “Hey.”

“It sounds like everyone is out back
. What are you doing in here?”

Wiping his chest with a towel
, he looks up. “Just getting a little exercise in before I go out there.”

I nod
, feeling uncomfortable. “Oh, okay. Well I’ll just leave you to it then. I’ll go on out back.”  I point as I’m walking toward the door.

“Hey
, Princess?”

I turn around
. “Yeah?”

“It’s great seeing you.”

I give him a half smile. “Yeah, you, too.” I say as I walk through the house to go out back.

BOOK: Secrets in Battle: Secrets of Savannah Series Book 3
3.08Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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