Wounded Pride

Wounded Pride

By

Mandee Mae

This book is a work of fiction created by the author. Any names, places, events, and occurrences in this book are completely coincidental.

This book is intended for entertainment purposes only. This book is recommended for readers 18+ due to its language and sexual content.

This book cannot be copied in any way, shape, or form without the written consent of the author. Legal action will be taken if this is found to be true.

Copyright Protected 201
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©

Cover Designed by Wicked by Design

Photographs provided by Depositphotos.com

Edited by Editing4Indies

Formatted by Brooke Cumberland

Poems provided by Michael E. Peadro

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Poems

Prologue

“You can’t marry me?
”
His eyes narrow and a look of confusion and disbelief are plastered on his face as he stands here before me. It’s almost as if he’s waiting for me to turn right around and say that I’m playing some sort of sick joke on him, but I’m not. I wouldn’t joke around about something like this.

He called and asked me to meet him at our favorite spot for a picnic earlier that day. I agreed, not knowing what was in store for me. When I got to the park, I saw Pierce ahead. A blanket was spread out, and a basket lay wide open with food ready to be eaten. He looked so happy to see me. So in love. And then it changed.

All I could do was stand there and cry. It took all I had just to stay standing up on my own two feet. My hands are shaking. My legs are trembling. Seeing the disappointment and hurt in his eyes only made it worse. One tear, then another. He didn’t try to hide the fact that he was crying. He didn’t try to hide the fact that I had just ripped his entire world apart with one little word. A word that holds so much power. No. “No…I’m sorry Pierce. I can’t…I just can’t, okay. I never meant to hurt you.” I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest.  It doesn’t matter how much I apologize. It doesn’t matter how much I love him, I just can’t give him what he wants. 

Chapter One

My parents showed u
p
earlier than planned with a few muscle men they had wrangled into helping out. Mom and I stand in the doorway trying to contain our laughter as we watch Dad try to direct the truck currently backing into the driveway. Mom gathers the men around her and directs everybody as they begin the daunting task of unloading the truck, making sure to put everything in the proper place. It wasn’t that hard to figure out since I labeled everything so they could see it. My father stands there, arms crossed, with a stern look on his face, making sure everyone behaves themselves.

I was lucky enough to find the place that I did. It’s small but big enough for me. The living room is just inside the door, which is big enough for my sectional. Since the house has an open concept, you can look directly into the kitchen and see exactly what’s going on. Taking a right from the kitchen leads you down to the master bedroom decorated in dark gray with white accents. The master bath is done tastefully in black and teal. You can tell that someone had excellent taste with the way all of this is put together. The intricate tile work around the sink and tub are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I know that I will be spending many nights covered in bubbles and salts. I can’t wait to see how all of my furniture will fit in here. I have an inkling that it will look even better than before.

Left off the kitchen takes you down another small hall that leads to a second bathroom and a spare bedroom. Browns and blues decorate this bedroom. Not quite as romantic as the other room, but still just as nice. The bathroom has black and white subway tile. The shower is large enough for at least two people, which makes me wonder why it’s so large.

On the other side of the kitchen is a utility room which houses the washer/dryer and a mudroom, but what really sold me on this place was the backyard. Not only is it spacious, but the prior owners put in what can only be described as a small koi pond with what appears to be a small creek that circles around back to it. The amount of work put into making it look this beautiful is unimaginable. There’s a small table on the back deck, but when you step off and follow the path, you’re transported back to a much simpler time. The trees and flowers are so fragrant that it instantly calms you. At the back of the yard is a brick patio with a couple of benches and a set of chairs. I could sit back here and read for hours on end and not even know the outside world existed. It’s the perfect hiding place.

I walk over and stand by my dad. “Don’t look so angry, Dad.” I laugh, looking up at him only to see him staring back at me. His face goes from strict to smiling at me in a matter of seconds.

He swings his arm around me and pulls me closer, kissing the top of my head. “It’s so good to have you home, baby girl.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

I made sure everyone stayed hydrated because, by the time noon rolled around, the temp was soaring. The sweat was rolling off all of us. As hard as it was to sit still and watch all those men…all those gorgeous, sweaty men…carry box after box and then my furniture into my house, slowly losing their shirts when they became too hot. Yes, as much as I wanted to argue with my mom and insist that I should be helping, I just didn’t see the point in it.  

Even with all of these half-naked men hauling all of my personal belongings into the house, there’s only one who occupies my mind. He’s the one who seems to haunt me day and night these last few months since the decision was made that I would move back down here. I had a couple of boyfriends when I lived up north, but I always found myself comparing them to Pierce. And when it came down to it, I was sabotaging my relationships every time I allowed thoughts of him to enter my mind. As hard as I tried, he always seemed to work his way into my thoughts one way or another, even subconsciously. In some sick, twisted way, you could even say that I was punishing myself for doing what I did. I never tried to contact Pierce. There were many days that I would sit on my couch with the phone in my hand, dial his number, and yet never push send. There were nights when I would write him a letter but never mailed it, knowing that if I were to send it to his parent’s house they would make sure he got it.

“Kinlee, did you hear what I said?” Hearing my mom brings me out of my thoughts. I turn my head to the side and see her standing there with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot, waiting for my reply.

“I’m sorry, Mom. What did you say?” I give her a sheepish smile in hopes that she won’t be too upset with me that I wasn’t paying any attention at all to her.

She smiles wide. “I bet I know who you were thinking about. You always get this look on your face when you think about him.” She comes over and sits down beside me on the swing, forcing me to move over so she can have enough room. She reaches for my hand, squeezes it tight, and looks like she wants to say something. The smile she had plastered on her face falls and her eyes begin to tear up slightly, but she shakes her head and tries to place that smile that always seemed to brighten even the gloomiest of days. “I was saying that everything is moved in. Listen; don’t worry about unpacking everything tonight. Come over and have dinner with us. We’ll unpack what we can and then I’ll come over tomorrow and help you finish up. Listen, Kinlee…”

It’s never good when she starts a sentence with that.

“I just want you to know how much we appreciate you moving back.” She squeezes my hands tighter and I notice a couple of tears fall down her cheek. “I know how hard this must be for you; all the memories. Just remember that we love you.”

“I know, Mom.” Leaning over, I give her a hug, “I love you guys, too.”

Mom had called me a while back and said that Dad was going to have surgery. She says that it would really help if I could move back home. Dad’s really nervous about how he’s going to recover so to help ease his mind, I agreed to move back and help with the therapy and anything else that they needed.

She nods her head. “We’ll have everything in place before you start work.” She releases my hand but pats my leg. “Now, let’s get inside so we can get started on all those boxes.” I don’t even get a chance to respond before she’s up and heading back inside the house. I better get my ass in gear or she’ll have everything put away and I won’t have a clue where she put all my shit.

The guys have all gathered on the front lawn, finishing up their water. “Thanks for helping, you guys. I really appreciate it.” I offer a smile as I head for the door.

“Anytime,” Sam says. At least I think that’s his name. “Let me know if you need anything else.” He winks at me and hands over a card. “And I do mean anything,” he says, licking his lips.

I hear my dad growl at him, causing me to laugh. “Move along, guys,” he says.

“Yes, sir. Later, Kinlee,” Sam replies, grabbing his buddies as they all head off. 

Damn! She’s fast. As soon as I walk into the kitchen, kicking my shoes off into the corner, I noticed an empty box on the floor. How in the hell does she do that? “Okay, Mom…where did you put everything that was in that box?” I wiggle my finger at the box on the floor.

She starts laughing and walks over to the cabinet and opens the door so I can see where my cups are now located. I don’t know if I would have put them there, but that’s where they’ll stay…for now. We spend the next three hours unloading box after box, moving from the kitchen and into the bathroom and the living room. There is no way in hell I’m going to let her into my bedroom. That’s my sanctuary and there’s a certain way I like things. She’ll just have to accept that.

“I’m fixing your favorite for dinner tonight. A little celebration for you moving back home,” she says, looking over her shoulder at me. The worry is evident on her face. The bags are visible under her eyes. For the first time in a long time, I can see how worn down my mom is and that worries me. Not only does my dad need her, but I need her, too.

“Sounds good, Mom. Dad all set for the surgery?”

“Yeah. We’re a little worried about how long it will take him to recover.”

I stop what I’m doing and walk over to my mom. “Mom, he’ll be fine. His health is good.”

“I know. You sound like the doctors,” she huffs, continuing to help me put things away. “But what if something does happen, Kinlee? What will I do if something happens?” Tears start to roll down her face.

“Nothing’s going to happen.” I hear my dad from the doorway. “I’ve passed every test. My heart is good. The surgery will go as planned, Helen. You’ll see.” He walks over and takes my place, reassuring my mom that all will be okay. I know that Dad’s putting on a show. I can tell by the way he’s acting that he’s a little worried as well.

Once I finally help get mom calmed down and both of them convinced that I will show up for dinner, I shove them out the door, leaving me enough time for a shower and to have some time to myself before I head over. I pour myself a glass of wine and sit at my vanity, brushing my hair, imagining that Pierce was standing behind me doing it. He would always brush my hair for me. He used to tell me that he loved the way it felt between his fingers; silky, soft. Little things like that always seem to pop into my head throughout the day. 

I knew as soon as I walked into my parents’ house that something was up. Mom looked like she had been crying. Dad…well, Dad looked at me, but even he had this sad, pitiful look on his face. He’s standing there with his hands in his pockets like they’re the key to keeping his mouth shut.

Since I know what mom’s fixing, I jump in and help where I can hoping I can prod her for some information. “Mom, what’s going on? I know it’s not just Dad’s surgery that’s bothering you.”

The knife she has in her hand stills for a moment as she visibly takes a deep breath. “Oh, sweetie. You’ll find out sooner or later…”

“For God’s sake, Helen. Just tell her before I do,” Dad says.

Mom looks over at me and abruptly stops what she’s doing. “Pierce is back in town,” she says as fast as she can and then turns and heads for the cabinets on the opposite wall to grab the plates.

Did I just hear that? “What?”

“You heard me. He’s back home.”

“But…”

She cuts me off before I can continue. “Come on, now. Dinner’s ready.” She smiles at me and I know at that moment that the conversation is over. For now.

She doesn’t go into detail about why he’s back or if he’s okay. There are a lot of questions running through my head right now as to why she was trying to hide the fact that he was in town. I know in my heart that she’s hiding something, that they’re both not telling me the entire truth about this new revelation. She has to know that I’ll run into him eventually being that this is such a small town.

The silence is almost deafening after we sit down and fill our plates. I’m the first one to break. “Thanks for helping today. I appreciate it.”

My dad nods while my mom grins. “Of course, dear. You didn’t think we’d let you do all that work alone, did you?”

That seems to lighten the air around us just enough to get a little conversation flowing. “So, have you been seeing anyone?” Moms asks, smiling wide while she dishes out the salad.

My mouth drops and my brows narrow. “No, Mom. I have not been seeing anyone.”

I start passing around the rest of the food until our plates are full. They tell me about how they’ve been and how I’m going to help them out. But after I sit here and listen to everything, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s the real reason. After hearing that Pierce is back in town, I’m wondering if it has something to do with him.

“Are you ready to start your new job? I bet you’re excited,” my dad says out of nowhere.

“Actually, yes.” I nod my head in agreement. “It’ll be nice to work in a smaller hospital.” I’m a physical therapist. I loved my job up north, but the hospital I worked at was huge and the patients were plentiful. I could spend the allotted amount of time with the patients and not one second more. It was like a revolving door. Several patients of mine could have used a few extra minutes, even if it were just to sit there and talk. It will be nice to have more one on one contact with the patients down here. Being able to see the smile on their faces after they’ve accomplished something that the doctors told them would never happen is what feeds my soul. Being in this field allows me to work with all kinds of injuries. There are times when I’ve been thrown for a loop, but I always do my research and persevere to accomplish the task at hand. I live for it…breathe it. It’s what I was put on this Earth to do and I enjoy every minute of it.

***

My heart just stopped
.
Chills race down my body. I’m sitting in front of my house, enjoying my cup of coffee when I see her drive by. I thank God she’s not paying attention to the people outside. She’s not looking at her surroundings. She’s on a mission to get to her destination, and that’s fine by me. I honestly don’t know what I would do or say if she were standing in front of me right now.

The last time I saw her was the day she turned down my proposal. The day my life changed. I was being deployed the next day and wasn’t sure how long I would be gone. That was one thing I tried to make sure she understood when we started our relationship. She had to understand the lifestyle that would be ahead of us.

She has no idea what happened or what I’d been through since that day. My life has changed drastically since I went into the Army. The missions that I went on could only be described as hell on Earth.