Saving Us

by Jennifer Foor

  She blew her nose before continuing. “It wasn’t until this one day. I went into work like normal. I was working primarily in the surgical ward of the hospital. I had this patient that had just come out of surgery. During her recovery period, I went to remove her IV’s. She grabbed my hand and stared at my wedding ring. She asked me where I got it. When I told her that my husband had given it to me, she started accusing me of stealing it. It got so bad that another nurse had to come in and take over for me. Needless to say, I was a little shaken up over it. During my break, I looked up the patients name and did an internet search. I found out that she was Rick’s ex-sister-in law. I knew right away that the ring I was wearing had once been his first wives. I felt sick of it. I didn’t want to be wearing something that had been hers. After my shift I went home and confronted Rick about it. He beat me worse than he ever had before. I waited until he passed out and took my daughter with me to a women’s shelter that the hospital recommended to abused patients. We stayed there for four days before Rick came looking for us. Our friends thought I was overreacting. I started saving money and hiding it from him, thinking I could get my daughter away from him. Two days later I woke up to find that Rick had not only moved out, but taken our daughter with him. He left a note that said that he would die before he let another person take away another child. I swore he would come back, but as time passed, he never did. I learned that he wasn’t the man I thought he was. I found out about the money and the debt that we’d incurred. We had fifty grand in credit card debt. He never even worked during our whole marriage. He was running cons on people and taking their money.”

  The woman went into a full blown emotional breakdown. “I couldn’t afford a lawyer and the police were little help with finding my daughter. I’ve looked for her for almost sixteen years. It wasn’t until your friend here walked through my door that I learned he had only been living a few states over under a different name. All these years I’ve lived without seeing her beautiful face. I remarried and had another daughter, but there hasn’t been one day that I didn’t think about the one I lost. Heather told me that you would know how I could find her. Please tell me. Where is my daughter. It’s been so long. I just need to see her.”

  She was pleading with Amy and until I turned around, I had no idea that she was crying too. How could someone not feel sorry for this woman. Out of anyone that could relate to her situation, it would have been Amy. “I saw your daughter a couple months ago, ma’am. I’m sure Amy would be happy to help the two of you reconnect.”

  She smiled and wiped her eyes again. Amy stood up and looked right at her. “He told me that you had abandoned them. I swear I knew nothing about what you were going through. I never would have kept her from her own mother. I swear it.”

  The woman tried to smile as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. It was like I could feel the pain seeping out of her. “I believe you.”

  “I promise you that I will help you get to know her. She’s been through a lot too. She moved out a few months ago, after her father started beating on her. I didn’t know it was going on. I was already trying to leave myself. He’s so much worse now. All I want is to be divorced from that man, so that I can have a real life with Conner.”

  “I don’t think you understand, Amy. Rick illegally changed his name. I had to wait almost ten years to finally get the courts to allow me a divorce. Part of it was because I couldn’t afford it.”

  I stood up. “Wait! Are you sayin’ what I think you are? Are you tellin’ me that Amy was never really married?”

  “That is exactly what I am saying. Even if his name was changed legally, which I know it wasn’t, he couldn’t still be married to me and marry Amy at the same time. Now, I’m sure you will need my help and some old documents to prove it, but you are not married to that man. You never were.”

  Amy immediately stood up and buried her head into my chest. She was crying so hard that I wanted to cry myself. I rubbed her back and kissed her on the head. We still didn’t have a solution to the Rick problem, but coming to West Virginia had been worth the trip. I looked over at Heather and saw her crying too. I smiled at her. “Thank you, Heather. Thank you so much for this.”

  Chapter 23

  Amy

  There were no words to describe how I was feeling at that exact moment that this complete stranger told me that my marriage to Rick wasn’t legal. It didn’t matter if he legally changed his name. What mattered was that he was still married to someone else, which would void our nuptials all together. I was overjoyed and I could tell that Conner was as well.

  Heather hadn’t brought us here because she thought it would help us find Rick. She brought us here because she knew that finding this out would change everything for my future with Conner.

  Reaching out to my step-daughter was going to be difficult, especially since she had been laying low and avoiding her father. Still, I owed it to the wonderful woman to follow through with what I promised. I sent her a text message telling her that I wanted to talk and it had nothing to do with her father. All I could hope for was that she would respond. She had a mother out there that had been searching for her for too long. She needed to know that the woman loved her.

  I couldn’t wait to call Miranda and Van and tell them both the good news. Conner seemed to finally relax too. After exchanging our contact information, we left and headed back to the place where Heather’s car had been left. Ty and Miranda would never forgive the girl, but I had to appreciate what she’d done for me. Who would have thought that it would have given Conner and I a fresh start. We could move on, well, just as soon as I could prove that my marriage was a sham.

  Heather didn’t divulge any information on her new beau, Rick’s son, Jessie. I could tell that she was truly serious about the guy. With that being said, she needed to come clean with the kid. Lying to the person you love was no way of starting a new relationship. Granted, he probably would want nothing to do with her, if the truth did come out.

  After saying our goodbyes, we watched her get in her car and drive away. This time we had exchanged numbers. I didn’t want to be her friend, but I knew that if I needed her help, she would probably come.

  Conner and I drove back to Kentucky that afternoon. I was so giddy that I scooted over to the middle truck seat and snuggled up close to him. He put his arm around my shoulder and tickled my skin with his fingers, while he drove. For the first hour, neither of us said much. I was excited but also still in shock. I couldn’t believe that what happened was real. I was going to be free from Rick. I didn’t have to wait a year. It was surreal.

  The burning question in my head was how did I proceed with things. Obviously, Rick’s ex was going to have to be a part of it. Without the information she’d given me, I wasn’t sure if the courts would believe me. It wasn’t like I had a copy of my fake marriage certificate and Rick’s birth certificate. He kept all of the paperwork in the marriage.

  If that wasn’t enough to worry about, what was really on my mind was what Conner was being so quiet about. Of course, I was thinking the worst. I felt like Conner kept telling me that he wanted us to have a future, because he thought it could never really happen. What if he never planned on marrying me? Would I be okay with that? Would he get tired of me and find someone younger? It was driving me crazy and as much as I wanted to mention it, I couldn’t.

  We stopped around four to grab something to eat at a popular chain restaurant. Conner, who had been unusually quiet for the whole ride, finally started to talk, once the waitress had taken our orders.

  “I need to say somethin’.”

  This was it. This was where he told me that all we were ever going to be was what we were this very second.

  “I’m listening.” I gave him a half smile and waited for him to break my heart.

  “Ever since I met you, I knew you were different. I didn’t care what I had to do, I just knew that I had to have you. For over a year, I have waited so patiently to finally be able to say that yo
u were mine without any other baggage. I had no idea that this trip was going to make that happen for us. I feel like I’m dreamin’. You do know what this means for us, right?”

  I shrugged. If this was him trying to tell me that he was never going to put a ring on my finger, well he was really sucking at it.

  “Blaze, you know I love you, darlin’. I think I’ve proved just how much I am willin’ to do for you. I realize that it’s goin’ to take some time to prove that you’re a free woman, but as soon as it happens, I want you to think about gettin’ tied down to me. I ain’t good with bein’ romantic. Hell, I don’t know a damn thing about flowers. Valentine’s Day was always a bullshit holiday. I don’t like apologizing, and you know how stubborn I get, but you can always count on me to be there. I will never lay a hand on you. I will be the best daddy to our child and I will love you for all of the days of my life. That’s about all I can offer.”

  I think my mouth hit the floor.

  I just sat there, flabbergasted.

  Did Conner really just say that to me?

  New tears were down my face, but they weren’t because I was sad, or because I felt sorry for someone, or because I was in any pain. It was because the most perfect man had just offered me a life; a life with him.

  He reached over the table and wiped my eyes. “Are these good tears or should I be worried?”

  “They’re good tears.” I started sobbing. “I just can’t believe this is happening. I’ve wanted it for so long. I just…I just thought you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

  “Why in the hell would you ever think that? I told you from the beginnin’ that I wanted you for myself. It was never a joke to me.”

  “I didn’t know. I mean, I wanted you to love me, but I couldn’t ask you to. I just thought you were offering me a forever because you knew it would never happen. You really want that?”

  He grabbed my hands and kissed them. “Amy, please stop cryin’. Of course it’s what I want. It ain’t because you’re carryin’ my child, or because you don’t have other options. I want you because I love you like I have never loved before. If you don’t want me, I know I will never find another that compares. Our future is in your hands, Blaze.”

  “Do I get a ring?” I didn’t want a giant ring. I didn’t even care if it was a diamond. An emerald would be just as great. I just wanted something that I could shove in all those little bitches faces. I wanted them all to know that he was mine.

  He started laughing and shaking his head. “Is this some kind of test?”

  I shook my head. “No, I just want to know.”

  “Do I need to go get it now?”

  “Why, do you already have one?”

  “Maybe.”

  I cried even more. “I’m sorry. I must look like a fool. I swear these are happy tears.”

  “So is that your answer? You goin’ to marry me or not?”

  “Yes…yes, I will marry you. I will marry you a million times, Conner Healy.”

  He kissed my hands again. “I ain’t wearin’ no tux.”

  We both started to laugh. “I don’t even care.”

  “Camilla and Joshua.”

  “Huh?”

  “You wanted to know the two names that I liked. I like the name Cammie for a girl. When I was a kid my dad brought me home this baby raccoon. My mom about flipped her lid, but it was all alone and goin’ to die. Randa and I named her Cammie. We would get up at night to bottle feed her. She was litter trained and we could let her run around in our rooms. One day I forgot to shut my bedroom door and our Springer Spaniel went in there and busted through the cage. She killed our little baby raccoon. I guess I had a soft spot for that name ever since.”

  It was such a sweet story.

  “And Joshua?”

  “Yeah, that was my father’s middle name. I think it’s a strong name, plus it’s in the bible and my mother would really appreciate that.”

  Of all of the hundreds of names I had been looking at in every book possible, none of them made me fall in love with them, until I heard these two names come out of Conner’s mouth. It literally took my breath away. “I love them.”

  “Really? You don’t have to like them. I just wanted you hear what I liked.”

  “They’re perfect, Conner. I would love to have a Cammie or a Joshua.”

  His smile was so big. I studied his perfect face as he sat there looking back at me.

  He cocked his eyebrow. “Maybe we could have both? I was kind of hopin’ you would want more, with me?”

  “I will give you whatever you want. This has been one of the best days of my entire life, Conner.”

  “You just wait till you have my last name, darlin’. It’s goin’ to get even better.”

  Chapter 24

  Conner

  Everything was looking up for Amy and I. Though we weren’t making wedding plans yet, I knew that eventually it was going to happen. If it were up to me I would have been fine with the way things were, but I knew it meant more to Amy and my mother. I’d done so many things the wrong way for so long, that it was important for me to grow up and be the responsible man that my family wanted me to be.

  After arriving back to Kentucky and telling the family the good news, Amy and I were finally able to be optimistic. It was then that she starting making calls to find out how to prove that her marriage was not legal. Since it didn’t happen very often, she was tossed around from person to person. Rick’s ex-wife was going to have to contact her lawyer and see what he could do from his end. In the meantime, we contacted our family lawyer and met with him.

  While we waited for that to be taken care of, we focused on getting ready for the arrival of our baby. We decided on just waiting on decorating until we knew what we were having. However, we did decided to paint the room a light brown. I made sure to buy the paint that didn’t contain fumes, because she insisted on pitching in.

  I think Amy got bored easily. I know she didn’t hate the fact that she wasn’t having to stand all day long, but she still missed the interactions with all of her clients.

  About two months after the salon was vandalized, the police contacted her to let her know that they still hadn’t caught the perpetrator and with no new leads they weren’t very optimistic. It pissed me off knowing that Rick was still out there just waiting to make a move to hurt the people that I loved.

  Amy finally heard from Rick’s daughter and after a three hour phone call, she agreed to meet the mother she thought abandoned her when she was a little child. I think it was hard for Amy having to do something for a family that was never really hers. Still, she did it anyway. While she waited to see how the meeting went, we focused on what she was going to do with the salon.

  We were settled in Kentucky and Amy felt safer than she had the whole time we were in North Carolina. Here, she was just my woman. Back there, she was a married woman who’d had an affair and got knocked up.

  She still missed her friends, my sister especially, and the father that she finally had reconciled with. I’d secretly arranged for the man and his family to come visit. Amy had no idea that I had planned it. The ranch was big enough that you could get lost if you didn’t know where you were going. On the day that they arrived, I met them at my aunt’s house and got them situated. My aunt was away on some trip with a couple ladies from our church congregation, so it was just Lucy there anyway. I think they were taken back at first at the size of my aunt’s house. It made me laugh considering that Amy and I were perfectly comfortable in our four bedroom double wide. Of course my mother had fixed it up over the years. We had a whole new kitchen and both of our bathrooms had been remodeled.

  Once I had them all situated, I took the golf cart back to my place to get Amy. When I came inside, I could already hear her crying. I rushed into the living room and found her curled up. Once I got to her side and pulled her into me, she looked up. “He called Conner. All this time had gone by and he picks today to just call and threaten me. Why can’t he just leave me alone. I
don’t owe him anything.”

  “What do you mean? You don’t owe him shit!”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t have even answered after it said the number was blocked. He said that he’s been patient, but he isn’t going to wait any longer. He said he is coming for me.”

  “Bullshit! He ain’t gettin’ near you.” I’d kill him with my bare hands if I had to. There was no way in hell he was getting anywhere near her.

  “How do you know that? He could be right down the road. We don’t know.”

  I walked back through the hallway and entered my old bedroom. Here lately it had just been for storage. I could hear Amy talking to me, but I had no idea what she was saying. I reached the cabinet in the back of my closet and grabbed out a few of my favorite pieces. When I came around the corner carrying two rifles and a handgun, I heard Amy gasp. “Ever used one of these?”

  She shook her head and I almost wanted to laugh at the shocked look on her face. “They were in our house this whole time?”

  “Locked up. Look here, you need to be able to protect yourself. If that bastard comes near you, I want you to know how to shoot his ass.”

  She sat down on the couch, so I walked closer to her and handed her a handgun. She sat it down on the table like it was too hot to touch. “I can’t, Conner. I could never shoot someone.”

  I sat down beside her and rubbed her leg. She looked right at me, so I rubbed over her belly. “This is my child too. If someone tries to hurt either of you, I’m going to put a bullet in them. This ain’t no laughin’ matter, darlin’. This is as real as it gets. Now, I can either show you how to use it, or I can let John show you. It’s probably going to be easier if we get you somethin’ smaller to start out with anyway.”