by RJ Heaton
What Brings Tomorrow
Book Three
RJ Heaton
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
© Text Copyright
ISBN-13: 978-1976561405
Cover Artist: R.L Weeks
Edited by
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
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www.rjheaton.com
Books by RJ Heaton
The Fate intertwined Series
Never Again
Broken Again
What Brings Tomorrow Book one
What Brings Tomorrow Book Two
What Brings Tomorrow Book Three
This book is for all my readers
The lovers, the mothers, the fathers, the children
And most of all the dreamers
Thank you to all of you!
One
Not that I’ve been keeping exact track, but score one more for Nikki’s losses. I watch as Ethan pulls away from the curb dragging a piece of my heart against the asphalt behind him. How much can one take in the matter of only a couple of months before all wits are lost? It should be no surprise that the leaky faucet that are my tear ducts open up and drain over my raw flesh. I try to catch them in my palms not wanting to lose one more ounce of me, but they quickly pool and spill over.
“Nikki?” A soft worried voice reminds me I’m not alone on the porch. I wrap my arm around one of the posts of the railing trying to hold onto anything solid to keep me grounded.
“Why did you say that to him?” Every single one of my muscles tense by my own words, as I let the feeling of pain and loss of Ethan’s presence shatter my senses. I glare at Shad.
“I didn’t say it to him. I said it to you.” Although his words are said in a quiet hushed tone, I can feel the brash underlying sharpness of them. “There is obviously something going on between the two of you, yet I had thought …” he doesn’t finish his sentence, but I know what he’s thinking. He’s wondering about what about this thing the two of us have going on. I have no answer for him. I’m just as confused too, and the worst part of it all, no matter how things are maturing between us, I still feel like I need to call Ethan and talk to him before he’s completely gone from my life.
“Please Shad can you just give me a second?” Being flustered is an understatement. My head is going berserk and if there’s no calming it, it may as well end up exploding right here on my sister’s porch. Time is ticking with every sigh and glance Shad gives me. Ethan is driving off and gaining a fair distance between us, and the thought makes each of my breaths harder to take. Shad’s face is hard as steal and impossible to read; it has a mix of confusion, elation, and pity all mixed into one. But it doesn’t matter right now … Ethan speeding further down the road spreading the distance—does.
Shad’s strong arms bend at the elbow as they come up, the vision of knowing exactly how those muscles bulge as he had laid half naked on my bedroom floor flash through my mind, but now’s not the time. I watch as he lifts those arms and runs his hands through his soft brown hair all the way to the back of his neck where they stay. The muscle in his jaw ticks relentlessly as he silently hides his frustration. Suddenly, those strong arms swoop down and he pushes up to a standing position high above me with a strained stance. “I’m sure little lover boy will come zooming back after all it’s Sunday his fast food job can’t need him that much. I’ll be right over there.” He lifts his head to indicate the side of the house. It’s then that I realize he doesn’t intend on going too far away. He’s one of those people that thinks ‘personal boundaries’ is a band name not a literal action that he should partake of, but at least he’s not right in my space now.
I scowl at him for not wanting to give me space and for the innuendo of Ethan not having a real job. “He doesn’t work in fast food. He’s a therapist at the hospital.” I shout. “The hospital is open twenty-four hours seven days a week the last I checked.” I glare at his stunned face and pull my phone from my usual holding spot, my bra, and look down at the screen.
“Is he your therapist?” I ignore him, but I hear him growl under his breath as he walks down the stairs and to the side of the house.
My senses are on full-blown-overload; Joe and Heather were assaulted and Joe is now currently at the hospital, their house that they invited me in with wide open arms is now in shambles, my soon-to-be ex-husband was hauled off in the back of a police cruiser, and now Shad is throwing a hissy fit in the corner, because he met my boyfriend. Seriously, how much more can I take in one day? My fingers shake as I type in Ethan’s number. “Ugh,” I grumble as I push the wrong number and have to start over. I finally get it right and press send…
It feels like the ringing goes on forever, and then the automated voicemail robotic disembodied voice tells me to leave a message. Of course, there’s no answer. He’s upset with me. The voice mail beeps indicating it’s time to leave a message. I take in a deep breath and begin begging, “Please Ethan. Give me a chance to explain. This is the same situation I jumped the gun on when Simone walked in. Please let’s talk?” I push end on the call and dial again … still no answer. Frantic, I type a text:
Ethan please this isn’t what you think.
You need to believe me
Ethan … please …
I don’t know how to get him to speak to me. This must have been how he felt when I disappeared without giving him the benefit of the doubt.
My eyes look up hurt and feeling wrecked but instead of seeing Shad, I see the broken glass littered across the lawn shattered into a million pieces caused by my deranged husband. Sunshine reflects off one piece in particular glimmering splashes of color against the house. My entire existence feels like that tiny piece of glass—shattered—, but even though it’s been broken to smithereens it still has a unique beauty to it. If only I were that lucky—nope. I’m being ripped into pieces and there is nothing pretty left behind. Only bits and tangled up gnarled flesh. The worst part of it all is that I’m afraid it may be too late to repair it.
Unable to digest the last fifteen minutes I clamber back into my wheelchair and find myself pushing to the one place I always seem to find when I’m down—my bed. Depression always seems to lead me to the same place. I hear the front door close and foot steps fall down the hallway and I silently pray he won’t come inside my room. The steps fall quiet at my closed door. A shadow plays under the small opening alerting me to his presence, but thankfully Shad turns back down the hall leaving me alone to think.
I lay my head back on my pillow. I am completely destroyed inside. I stare at the ceiling of my room when tears blur my vision. I don’t bother wiping them away instead I just let the wet droplets soak my face. My self pity continues. I giggle between my sobs, just when things start looking up…
My phone rings startling me into reality after my hysterical giggles. My heart skips a beat. I’m hopeful and anxious that maybe it’s Ethan calling back. I reach for my phone and lift it to see his name pop up on the screen.
“Hello,” I answer quickly before it goes to voicemail.
“Hi,” he pauses. “ … Look I shouldn’t have taken off like t
hat. I was just, crap.” I can tell he’s fumbling to try to find the right words. “I was jealous. I saw that dude with his hands in your hair, the two of you sitting so intimately close, I had to bail. I was pissed.”
I know the exact emotion, feeling the exact same way when the tables were turned not all that long ago. When I had gone to his house after my daughter Lexie’s graduation dinner, and woke up with Simone standing above me freaking out about a crippled woman being in her house. I was devastated thinking Ethan and I were maybe building a relationship to be crushed by another woman. There was no way I was going to be the other woman after what Sean did to me with Sarah. Thankfully, I had read the entire situation wrong and now realize that they had split up and Simone is on a petty quest to continually haunt him on a regular basis. If we can fix this, she will have to be dealt with, but one step at a time. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m not even sure Ethan will come back, yet he did call.
“Ethan,” I sigh into the phone. “Shad is just a friend. You … well, you are so much more than that. You were right when you said we could have something special. I believe it now. You and I, we can face anything if we put our minds together. We make a good team.” My mind instantly goes to my business idea and I know in my heart that we are a good match for it to really truly work. With his therapeutic abilities and my cooking skills, I know that we can make the center a great place for others with unfortunate disabilities. I need to help others and Ethan has the same need.
“Can I come back?” His voice is husky and laden with fear. A fear I put there.
“Of course you can. Actually, I’d very much like if you did.” I hear him take in a deep breath and release it out in relief. Maybe, he had expected me to say no. We undeniably have some weaknesses we must get through. If we’re not careful our self-doubts and personal nightmares will end this relationship before it even gets started.
“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” A small smile tugs at my lips with the knowledge he hasn’t given up.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, things are a little bit on the disastrous side here. We kind of had an incident in the middle of the night. Don’t mind the mess.”
“Huh, what happened?”
“It’s a long story I’ll explain it when you get here.” I take a deep breath in to steel my nerves from jolting at the memories of last night. Had it been last night? Hopefully, telling the story to Ethan will go smoother than him meeting Shad, especially after he finds out that I called Shad for help instead of him. I’m still not sure why my mind sent a text to the egotistical man everyone calls Ramp and not Ethan, but I did.
“Sounds like it’ll be interesting. See you in a few.”
We hang up and I remember a certain strong, sexy, arrogant, walking-jealousy-pulley is still out in the other room. He had insisted on staying since Heather and Joe are not home from the hospital yet. After, Sean hit Joe unconscious they wanted to make sure he had no skull fractures or bleeding on the brain. They decided to keep him for more tests and observation. Heather the loyal wife she is, stayed by his side, but not after making Mr. Ramped-up promise he wouldn’t leave me alone. Thank you, Heather. I know there’s no way the man will leave, and how am I going to explain to Ethan why he’s here hovering? Even though silently, I’m grateful he’s here.
I slide back into my chair and wheel out into the living room where Mr. Dangerous is covering the gaping hole where the window once was with clear plastic. At least when my crazy husband Sean decided it was a great idea to break out the window by throwing a table through it, most of the glass shattered out into the front lawn. The pieces of glass that litter the living room floor are miniscule to what it could have been. The kitchen on the other hand looks a lot worse.
“Ramp can I speak with you please?” He looks over his shoulder at me while finishing the last staple in the plastic hovering over his head. It looks ridiculously difficult to be holding onto the light clear material wavering in the air by himself and trying to maneuver the staple gun, but somehow he’s doing it.
He looks over his work and says, “My maiden calls.” I’m not sure if it’s a slam or a compliment. I roll my eyes and wheel toward the kitchen with the sound of glass and broken figurines crunching under my tires while Shad follows.
“What’s up sugar lips?” I spin around surprisingly fast and don’t even bump into the haphazardly thrown furniture.
“First off, I’m not your maiden and I’m definitely not your sugar lips.” I don’t know why I’m so on edge. I would, under normal circumstances, never talk to him this way, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“Mmm hmm,” he hums and then smirks.
“Look, I’m grateful you showed up and saved us …”
“… You’re welcome, sugar lips.” He interrupts. I can feel my cheeks heating up. The audacity—he’s so infuriating.
“Ugh,” I growl. “Ethan is coming back.” I all but shout out, beyond frustrated. “I need to fix this with him. He’s been good to me.”
Shad crosses his arms and leans against the wall, “And?”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why’s that Nik? Are you afraid because deep down you don’t know what you—really want?”
I cross my arms almost identical to him in agitation. He doesn’t take my ice cold stare as a clue. Instead, he steps closer puts both of his hands on either side of my wheel chair and leans forward. “Say it. You don’t really want me to leave. After all, I am the one you called when you were in need.”
I hate that he’s right. He was the first one I thought of when Sean broke in. I had the choice and without a simple thought he was the one I picked. He’d be the one I would pick if I had to do it all over again, too. Sean was terrifying in his rage. In all of the twenty years we were married I had never seen him so out of his mind. He knocked my sister’s husband, Joe, out with a baseball bat and then hovered over Heather as if hurting her would be no problem for him. Sean stepped way into the deep end last night, and if I hadn’t called Ramp, who knows what would’ve happened. He saved us. The strength in which he wrestled Sean to the ground … the vision makes me lick my parched lips. I look up into his deep chocolate eyes and try to inhale. His close proximity seems to suck all of the oxygen from my space, making each breath a heavy labor.
“Shad …” I can’t even get his name out before his lips crush over mine. The intense heat envelops my entire body in a rush. Even my wheelchair seems to shimmy underneath my bones, but then I realize it’s just me shaking. It’s been so long since I’ve been kissed like this. His hunger drives his tongue to press against mine wrapping and unwrapping rhythmically. With their very personal agenda my hands reach for his head and all ten digits come to life on their own snaking through his silky soft strands urging him to be closer, deeper. When we finally break away, I’m left breathless panting to catch any molecule of oxygen that may be left in the room.
“Shad we can’t,” I say between gulps of air. The longing in his eyes pierce my soul. He nods once and walks back to the living room without a single argument. I stare after him in disbelief while my head reels with confusion.
Two
I’m thinking about that kiss when Ethan knocks once on my bedroom door and peeks his head around the doorframe. He came back. I let out a deep sigh at the site of my blonde hair, blue eyed man. He steps in and makes sure the door latches closed before he comes to me where I lay in bed. I scoot over offering him a spot next to me and he smiles nervously while sitting down.
“Was there a tornado last night that I hadn’t heard about?” I had been so wrapped up thinking about Shad’s luscious lips moving hungrily against mine that I had completely forgotten what Ethan would be walking through to get to my room.
I shrug my shoulder trying to dismiss the magnitude of the situation. “Nah, just a crazy ex-husband throwing a temper tantrum.” I state.
“What?” Ethan tenses and his eyes fly up to meet mine with worry. “Holy crap Nikki. He tore the house apart.
What the hell was he doing? Or a better question why?”
“I haven’t got all the details from him considering the last I saw of him was when he was in the back of a police cruiser being hauled away, but he mentioned getting served.” Shock flashes through his eyes, even though a hint of a smile crosses his lips after the realization of our divorce moving forward settles over him. “He knocked Joe out with a baseball bat and I’m pretty sure he would have hurt Heather too, but …” I pause knowing I need to tread lightly with my next words. “If Shad hadn’t gotten here so fast, I think Sean may have hurt me and Heather or even worse.” The shiver that runs over Ethan is visible. Goose pimples rise over his arms and I know the dreaded thought of what could’ve happened is running over in his mind. It’s a haunted thought that keeps pushing its unwanted presence into my mind as well.
“So,” I brace myself for his building question. “Shad got here and …?”
“Yeah, I was talking to Sean trying to distract him while he hovered over Heather with his baseball bat making threats. Sean didn’t even see him coming when Shad tackled him to the ground. Shad was able to render him unconscious and secured him until the police showed up.”
“What time was this?” He asks trying to connect all the dots of the night’s events.
I look up at the ceiling like I’m contemplating what time Sean broke in, but in reality I’m just trying to avoid the accusation of the plain and simple fact that I didn’t call him. “Umm, maybe like around two, or three? When I heard Sean in the house yelling for me and demolishing windows, furniture, dishes and whatever else he felt like smashing, I called the cops. They got here pretty fast, especially after my attorney had thought it would be a good idea to add a no contact order when he filed the divorce papers. Sean probably hadn’t even noticed the restraining order when he was skimming the divorce papers.” I wait for the gazillion questions to come, but I am surprised when Ethan leans over and takes me into his arms in a tight embrace.