Heaven With You Read online

  Heaven With You

  Rebecca Julia Lauren

  This book is dedicated to my mother for taking the time to read it and offer suggestions. Thank you for your help. It’s greatly appreciated.

  I’d also like to thank my daughter for offering to read my book, however her dad said she wasn’t allowed to read any of my books until she was thirty. Thanks anyway sweetheart. I love you.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 Rebecca Julia Lauren

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  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

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  EPILOGUE

  Prologue

  I was sixteen when I met Hunter McAllister.

  All day I’d been on edge, a restless energy chewing at my nerves until I was jumping at every sound, and dropping enough orders that my manager was glaring at me as if I’d screwed up everything on purpose.

  “Can I get you some more coffee, sir?”

  The man looked wary. “I like it in a cup. Think you can manage not to miss this time?”

  Since he didn’t say it unkindly I smiled. “Yes, sir.”

  Turning to get the pot, I halted when Sara stepped in front of me shaking her head. “I’ll cover for you. Get the hell outta here.” She jerked her thumb towards the door.

  I started to protest, God knows I couldn’t afford to give up the money, but Sara held up her hand. “You break another plate and Dennis is gonna fire your ass. Go home and work out your shit. Tomorrow you’ll still have a job.”

  Feeling the weight of Dennis’ glacial stare, I figured she was right and I thanked her before walking back to the trailer. I refused to call it a home. It hadn’t been anything close to a home since Mom had been gone.

  My heart lurched. That’s the last time I’d felt as if I could jump out of my own skin, the night Mom had been killed. A cold sweat broke out over my body and I realized I was completely at the mercy of fate. The only thing I could do was wait for disaster to strike and pray I was strong enough to get Reed and I through it.

  It happened at midnight.

  Jimmy, owner of the Outcast Bar called to tell me I needed to come pick up Darryl, and I started walking the mile long hike to the bar. It was not the first time I’d made this trip, and it wouldn’t be the last. Since Darryl drove our only means of transportation Reed and I had to either walk or rely on friends to get us to and from work and school.

  The moon was full and it was a warm, sultry May night. If I hadn’t been going to get Darryl, I’d have enjoyed the walk, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was going to be a bad one. Darryl was a mean drunk, and I was afraid of him. The threat of Reed being thrown into foster care kept me moving forward. If it was only me I wouldn’t care if Darryl rotted in jail, but social services had been watching us carefully, and I was scared that they would separate Reed and I.

  Something was wrong.

  I saw the blue and red flashing lights in the bar parking lot, and I stumbled, catching myself before I went down. My stomach felt hollow, and for a moment I just wanted to turn and run. Taking a deep breath, I walked faster toward the scene in the parking lot.

  Darryl was shouting and an officer had him pinned to the ground.

  “’Bout time you got here, girl!” Darryl cried when he saw me.

  I recognized the officer standing over Darryl, and I forced a smile. “Please, Officer Jenkins, can I just take him home?”

  Officer Jenkins smiled sympathetically at me, but turned his attention to another man that had just walked up with Jimmy. Frowning, I followed his gaze and my eyes landed on the hottest guy I’d ever seen in my life. He looked to be in his late twenties, and he was wearing a dress shirt, slacks and had a badge pinned to the belt at his waist. I was five-seven and he towered over me by several inches. He had sandy brown hair, a tanned complexion and he looked fit, but I somehow knew all that muscle hadn’t come from pumping iron in a gym. I shivered, despite the warm air.

  As if sensing my regard he turned and my gaze collided with his soulful, clear blue eyes. I’d never seen eyes quite that shade before, incredibly light, nearly translucent and undeniably striking.

  “Is he under arrest?” I directed the question at Officer Jenkins, but he answered.

  “Not at this time. We’re just trying to calm him down.”

  His voice was a deep rumble that seemed to slide over my skin like silk.

  “I can take him home. I’m his daughter.” To my dismay, my voice actually quavered. Lifting my chin, I met those intense blue eyes and faked a confidence I didn’t feel. “Do I need to call my lawyer?”

  His mouth tugged at the corners, then he pressed his lips together as if trying not to smile. “You have a lawyer?”

  Stiffening, I squared my shoulders and spoke as if I had several lawyer friends. “I can get one.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Not as long as he behaves himself.”

  My legs went weak with relief. “Then I can take him home?”

  “You shouldofgot here sooner!” Darryl’s drunken words slurred together, making me flinch.

  “Jus’ wait til’ I get you home girl! I’ll take the belt to your ass and that’ll teach you to mind me!” Darryl had hoisted off the ground, but the guy with blue eyes pushed him back down.

  I was shaking and praying no one noticed. My cheeks were hot with embarrassment, and it was a thousand times worse that he had to witness my humiliation. “Can I take him home?”

  Blue eyes looked surprised. “He just threatened you.”

  “He didn’t mean it,” I lied.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “No?”

  “It’s not against the law to discipline children.” I spoke confidently and hoped this would all turn out okay. Bailing Darryl out of jail would eat into our meager supply of money, and I could not allow that to happen.

  “I have a daughter not much younger than you. I’ve never laid a hand on her.”

  Lucky girl, I thought. On the heels of that came the realization that he probably also had a loving wife at home. It was stupid to feel sad about that, but for some reason I did.

  “Sergeant McAllister?”

  “I’ll take care of this. You can go, Jenkins.”

  “You sure?”

  “Get outta here. Tell Abigail I said hi.”

  Officer Jenkins smiled at me before he got into his patrol car and drove away.

  “You need some help with him, Hunter?”

  Hunter. It fit him.

  “I’m good. You pressing charges?”

  Jimmy glanced over at me and I saw the pity in his eyes. “Nah, but I doubt I’ll let him in my bar again.”

  “That’s probably best.”

  McAllister pulled Darryl to hi
s feet and then shouldered most of his weight as Darryl sagged drunkenly against him. Making it look as if Darryl didn’t weight almost two hundred pounds, Hunter McAllister lifted the older man in a fireman’s hold and deposited him in the back of our beat up truck. My jaw dropped at the ease with which he did this, and I was in awe, and fear, of such strength.

  “Did he pass out?” I heard the hopeful note in my voice and so, apparently, did McAllister.

  He nodded, his expression grim. “What’s your name?”

  “Why do you wanna know?” I asked suspiciously, sounding every bit as belligerent as my little brother.

  His eyes locked with mine, and I could tell he was in no mood for games. I sighed. “Isabelle.”

  “How old are you, Isabelle?”

  “Sixteen.”

  His jaw tightened. “Has your dad ever hit you before?”

  “No,” I lied. I could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t believe me.

  “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth.”

  “That is the truth.”

  He sighed, rubbing his jaw. “Get in the truck Isabelle.”

  Clearly he was upset with me and I hesitated. Glancing back in the direction of home, I considered making a run for it, but then I remembered Darryl passed out in the bed of the truck and I deflated. Jimmy had already taken off, and I was stuck with the scary but hot Sergeant McAllister.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” His tone was soft, but he’d stiffened and was studying me in a way that made me feel as if I could hide nothing from him.

  I guessed that he was either offended or frustrated that I wasn’t jumping into the truck, and I knew enough about men to be wary. “How will you get home?” I asked suspiciously.

  “I’ll walk back and get my truck. Or I can call a unit to pick me up.” He spoke carefully, his eyes never leaving mine.

  I liked that he looked me in the eyes and his gaze never skated down my body like most men’s. “I live over a mile away.” My tone was almost challenging, but he didn’t seem fazed.

  “Isabelle,” McAllister said gently. “Would like me to call a female officer?”

  At first I wasn’t sure what he’d meant because I’d been too busy looking at him, but then his words registered. Isn’t that what they did with rape victims on TV shows, called female officers to deal with them?

  He’d already pulled his cell from his pocket. “No, I just want to go home,” I told him. It was after two in the morning and Reed would be home from his job hauling grain by now and wondering where I was.

  “Okay.” His expression was guarded, as if he thought I might suddenly freak out. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” I opened the truck door and hopped in.

  McAllister slid in the driver’s seat, cranked the engine and put the truck in gear. He drove slowly, probably because of Darryl passed out cold in the bed of the truck, but we reached our trailer much sooner than I’d hoped. I clasped my hands tightly together so that they wouldn’t shake, and sent up a prayer to heaven asking that Darryl stay passed out for the rest of the night.

  As soon as we got out of the truck, Reed charged out the door, heading straight for us. “Isabelle, you alright?” He glanced worriedly at me before turning his hard gaze to McAllister.

  “I’m fine. Sergeant McAllister helped me take Darryl home.”

  Reed’s eyes widened at McAllister’s title, and I knew my brother wasn’t impressed. “Don’t expect us to thank you,” he snarled with the belligerence only a fourteen-year-old boy could manage.

  “Reed,” I warned.

  “We barely get by as it is. I’m tired of him drinking our money.”

  “That’s enough,” I said sharply, and my brother looked chagrined.

  McAllister looked between Reed and I, glanced at our pitiful trailer and seemed to reach some conclusion about us. “Is your mom home?”

  Reed and I looked at one another, and I caught the flash of pain in his eyes before he quickly hid it behind a mask of indifference. My own mask was firmly in place and it never faltered. I lifted my chin and met Sgt. McAllister’s knowing gaze. “She’s dead.”

  McAllister sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  Reed’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t feel sorry for us or act like you understand because you don’t.”

  McAllister glanced at Reed before turning his attention back to me. “I told you I had a daughter. She’s ten. Her mother died of leukemia when she was six.” His gaze slid to Reed. “No. I don’t understand your situation, but if you need some help I’ll do what I can to make you and your sister’s situation better.”

  “Foster care is what he means by better,” I told Reed, but my eyes never left McAllister. “Our situation isn’t perfect, and we’re sure as hell not making it worse. My brother and I are together, and that’s all that matters.”

  His eyes flashed with emotion, and his jaw tightened. We stared at each other in a silent battle of wills until I saw the glimpse of sympathy in the depths of his eyes and I quickly looked away. I could deal with anger, ridicule and even pity, but knowing that he cared about what happened to Reed and I made me want to break down and cry, and that was something I could not afford to do.

  Stalking to the back of our truck, he lowered the tailgate and attempted to rouse Darryl. When that didn’t work he drug him toward the gate, picked Darryl up and carried him toward our trailer. Reed and I hurried to catch up. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his strength, and I envied his daughter. Hunter McAllister’s strength wasn’t just physical, and even though he’d suffered his own share of heartache I knew without a doubt that his daughter would never have to haul his drunken self home from a bar, never have to clean up his vomit, and she’d never have to fear his wrath.

  I moved in front of McAllister, stepped up to our door and held it open for him. “His room is on the right.”

  Stepping through the sea of dirty clothes scattered on the floor of Darryl’s room, Hunter McAllister dumped his burden unceremoniously onto the bed and turned to face Reed and I. His expression was grim. I was embarrassed by the stink of body odor in the room, and I knew that he was aware of it as well. Reed and I did our best to keep the rest of the trailer clean, but we both avoided Darryl’s room.

  “Thank you.”

  McAllister nodded, withdrew his wallet from his back pocket, and pulled a card out. He handed it to Reed. “If you need anything, either of you, call me.”

  A lump of emotion caught in my throat, but I didn’t reveal my upset to him. Lifting my chin, I met his mesmerizing blue gaze.

  “Thanks,” I heard Reed say, and to my surprise my defiant little brother placed the card carefully in his own wallet.

  “C’mon, Isabelle. You know you want it.”

  I liked kissing Mike. He didn’t know it, but he was the first boy I’d ever kissed. I still couldn’t believe he’d actually wanted to go out with me. Mike was gorgeous, popular and the quarterback of our high school football team. Girls practically fell in line at the chance to catch his attention, and out of all of them he’d chosen me.

  His mouth moved over my neck, and I shivered. One hand squeezed my breast and the other moved insistently at the button on my shorts.

  “You’ll like it. I know you will,” he whispered against my neck.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never done it before.”

  He laughed. “Sure you haven’t, baby. C’mon, don’t you want me?”

  “I do.”

  Mike unfastened the button on my shorts, unzipped them and pushed them down my legs. It happened fast. He undid his pants and shoved me into the seat, my knee bumping the steering wheel.

  “Mike, I don’t think I’m ready.”

  “Don’t play games with me, Isabelle.”

  “I’m not. Please—“

  I heard the rip of foil and saw him unrolling a condom on himself seconds before he shoved inside of me and I screamed.

  Trembling, I sat still in the passenger’s seat of his
truck as he drove me home. We hadn’t spoken since it happened, and I was thankful when his truck pulled up beside the trailer.

  I looked over at Mike desperate for something to assure me I hadn’t made a huge mistake.

  “Don’t even think of telling anyone about this, you hear?”

  I froze. For a moment, I actually thought I’d heard him wrong. “What?”

  “Get out of my truck.”

  “I thought…”

  “You thought I’d actually want a piece of white trash to be my girlfriend?” He laughed harshly. “You’re hot, but that’s all you got going for you, babe.”

  Shoving open the door, I ran.

  From a distance I heard voices, but I didn’t open my eyes.

  “She won’t get up,” I heard Reed say. “The jerk she’s dating has been running his mouth at school. I think he did something to her.”

  This caught my attention, breaking through the blissful haze where I’d been resting. Reed sounded worried. I hope he hadn’t called Mr. and Mrs. Foster again. Their daughter, Amber, was Reed’s girlfriend and we imposed on them more than I was comfortable doing. I wasn’t in the mood to confess what an idiot I’d been to them, and I didn’t feel strong enough to pretend that everything was okay.

  “Isabelle, can you hear me?”

  My stomach dropped at the sound of his voice. McAllister’s hand touched my forehead in a paternal gesture that brought tears to my eyes. I fought back emotion, furious with Reed for calling him.

  Struggling to sit up, I glared at my brother. “You called him?”

  “You haven’t been to school in three days. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  I saw the anxious look on Reed’s face and felt guilty for snapping at him. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t been feeling well.”

  Reed and McAllister shared a look that made me wonder what all Reed had told him. “Get up and get dressed. I’m taking you and your brother to lunch.”

  Blinking, I stared at him. Amber’s parents had taken us out to eat before, but not many times and I could see that Reed was eager at the chance to go. I looked down at my t-shirt and shorts and my hand flew to my dark hair, which was undoubtedly a mess.