His Love Shattered (Love Shattered #2)

by Cat Brown

  I really needed that girl time last night after the family meeting I called the other day. Of course my family doesn’t want me to leave. They would miss me as much as I would miss them. They also think it would not be the safest route to go with Dave but they could see where I was coming from on why I would want to go. The only reason I would say yes would be for the kids’ sake. They deserve a father and knowing theirs is alive and well, it just makes sense to go with Dave.

  My family also says they will support whatever I decide.

  Needless to say it’s been five days today that I have had to think about it and I have yet to come up with a decision.

  I head into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and head back into the living room to do some reading. This is my favorite room in the house. It’s decorated in a beach theme with a coral and teal paint scheme. I have collections of shells, sand dollars, shark teeth and starfish scattered around on the walls in shadow boxes. The outside of my fire place is made up of tiny baby shells that I have collected and my mom and I spent hours upon hours gluing on by hand. I sit down in my chair by the window and pick up my kindle.

  When I turn it on I have several books that I have apparently read already. I just don’t remember reading them. I search through trying to find a book to read but I can’t settle on one because I don’t want to start reading one I have already read. So instead I reach behind the chair to find my kindle charger so I can plug it up since I have decided not to read. While I am reaching behind the chair my hand comes across a cool smooth object.

  Out of curiosity I grasp it in my hand and bring it up to see what it is.

  I am surprised to see that it is a shell. It must have gotten knocked back here by one of the kids. I do not remember finding this particular shell on any of my trips. I would remember a shell like this one. It is beautiful. I am not quite sure what it is. It fits in the palm of my hand, its creamy white and it has brownish orange spots all over it. Flipping the shell between my two hands I get a strange tingling in my spine and I am jolted with a memory.

  Dexter walking up behind me resting his chin on my shoulder. He starts explaining to me about the shell.

  “Ahh I see you have found a Junonia Shell. That is one of my favorites to find here. That’s a pretty good size one too. Lucky find in deed.” I peer up at Dexter and with his chin still resting on my shoulder. I only had to go about one more inch and my lips would meet his.

  “Yeah I was wondering what this was. I was going to look it up when I got back to the hotel later but it seems I have my very own shell encyclopedia on hand here. I have never found one of these in North Carolina. It’s beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as you are.” Dexter turned me around in his arms and grabbed my face with both hands and slowly he leaned down and kissed my lips. The kiss was different than any kiss I had ever felt. It was deeper. The whole time he kissed me he rubbed the nape of my neck. He deepened the kiss running his tongue across my lips and I opened up and let him in. He tasted of coffee and mint. Suddenly remembering where we were I took a step back looking around nervously to see if anyone was paying any attention to us.

  “Wow that was some kiss. I don’t think I have ever felt anything like that before by just kissing.”

  After that memory came to me I was hit with an onslaught of other memories of Dexter and I. Watching the show By the Light of the Moon and deciding to take Lillian on a road trip for her birthday to meet the cast. Meeting Dexter and Rob at the park after Rob kicked the soccer ball and hit Lillian. I knew there was something about that Rob guy I didn’t like.

  Having dinner at a really delicious Italian restaurant. Going to a bonfire and the beach. Dexter fixing dinner for us. Meeting his pet rooster Cooper. I still can’t believe he has a pet rooster.

  After all of the memories have entered my mind I gasp in a deep breath of air and pull my hands that are still holding the shell to my chest and start to cry. I cannot believe I would have forgotten about him. He is the most amazing man I have ever met. He has been there for me in the past couple months more than anyone I could remember. I have come to the realization that I do love him more than I have ever loved any one in my life. We haven’t known each other long but I am madly and deeply in love with Dexter Sonners. My Dex.

  I couldn’t wait to tell someone so I called Dex but he didn’t pick up. I left him a message.

  “Hey Dex. Its Courtney, I was calling to tell you some good news. Give me a call back when you get this. Talk to you later.” He could probably tell by the excitement in my voice why I was calling.

  He was probably in the middle of filming and wouldn’t be returning my call any time soon, so I decide to take a little nap before my mom arrives with the kids this afternoon.

  When I wake up from my nap I notice I have a missed call from Dexter. Just as I am about to call him back I hear a car pull up into the drive way. I look out the window to see my mom and dad getting out of the car. Once they open the back passenger doors my kids pile out one at a time. God I have missed them terribly.

  I walk over to the front door and head outside to greet them on the porch. Jason reaches me first and gives me a gentle hug. He probably knows most of what went on. He is twelve after all and he doesn’t miss much. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and tells me he is glad that I am okay and hearing him sound so grown up brings tears to my eyes.

  Next up comes Caleb and I bend down to give him a hug. He wraps his arms around my neck and starts to cry. Mumbling on and on about how he was so scared that he was going to lose me too. By now I have tears streaking down my cheeks and I do my best to reassure him that I am going to be just fine and I am not going anywhere.

  My little Miley bee toddles up the steps and I squat down to my knees so I am on her level. She has no clue what’s going on but she sees my tear stained face and she asks me what is wrong in the sweetest toddler voice I have ever heard. I tell her that I just missed her so much and I am just so happy to see her. I am crying happy tears. That seems to satisfy her because a moment later and she is already inside with her toys strewn out across the floor.

  “Hey Mom. Hey Dad. Thanks for bringing the kids home and thank you so much for taking care of them and making sure they get where they needed to be. I know it couldn’t have been easy with two of your own children in the hospital. I really appreciate everything you have done for us.” I tell my parents. I really don’t know what I would do without them. They are always there when I need a helping hand.

  “You are very much welcome dear. The kids have been wonderful. We love to have them over whenever we get the opportunity. Are you sure you are up for having them home already? We can keep them a few more nights if you’d like.” My mother asks.

  “I am sure mom. We will be fine and Jason is always a big help if I happen to need anything. I may need you to watch them in a few more days though. Today I got my memories back. All of them of Dexter and everything. I wanna fly out Saturday morning to Alabama to surprise him. I was going to go ahead and tell him over the phone but I think I would rather tell him in person. I can’t believe I forgot about someone so special to me. So if you could watch the kids Friday I am going to head home after my appointment and get some rest and head to Alabama on the first available flight Saturday.”

  I was bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet the whole time I was telling them my plans. Excitement radiating off of me in waves.

  I wish I could go to him sooner than that but I really don’t want to miss my appointment to get these stitches out so Saturday will have to do.

  My parents agree that this is a wonderful idea. They both love Dexter and they are happy to watch the kids for me. I have the best parents in the world. They stay for a little while to make sure everyone is settled in and by dinner time I am starving. I order some pizzas just so I don’t have to cook.

  I told Becky and Sarah that they didn’t need to worry about coming back tonight that we would be fine. They insisted on at least coming over to have
some pizza with us so I agreed. The more the merrier.

  We played some board games and about ten rounds of Uno before everyone started trickling off to bed.

  When the kids went to sleep I stayed up a little while longer and shared a bottle of wine or two with Becky and Sarah. I told them about my plans to surprise Dexter. They insisted on tagging along with me to my doctor appointment Friday so we could grab lunch and do some shopping. They insisted I needed some new clothes to wear to surprise my man. We decided we would invite Lillian as well and we could all have a girl’s day and go get manicures and pedicures too.

  I couldn’t wait. Some time with my sisters before I left sounded like a lot of fun. The four of us could get into some trouble when we are all out shopping together. I felt sorry for anyone working in any stores that we entered.

  After Becky and Sarah left I texted Dexter and climbed into bed.

  Me: Hey Dex. I am sorry I didn’t call you back earlier. My parents showed up with the kids and we have all been going nonstop all afternoon and evening. I will call you tomorrow I am headed to bed. I am exhausted. Night

  To my surprise he didn’t respond to my text or call me back. I won’t deny I was a little sad that I didn’t get to speak with him before I went to sleep. I would be seeing him in a few days though so it was all good.

  I realized for the first time that day that I have not thought about Dave at all. I know I still had to make a decision on whether or not I was going to go with him or stay in town but I feel like I deserved a few days to enjoy myself before I made a life altering decision like that. I also feel like I need to see Dexter and talk to him before I make up my mind.

  I snuggled up in my blankets. My pillow still has a lingering scent of Dexter on it and that helps me drift off into a peaceful sleep.

  The next few days fly by and before I know it Friday has finally arrived. We all meet at Lillian’s house where my mom will be watching all of her grandkids while all the siblings have a day out.

  We head to my appointment first. That was quick and painless and I was happy to have the itchy stitches removed. After the doctor examined me I was good to go with a clean bill of health.

  Since our mall was no longer standing thanks to the tornado, we had to head a couple towns over. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to our destination. We shopped until our car was loaded with bags and we couldn’t fit anything else in the back. We barely had room for ourselves we had done so much shopping. Becky and Sarah had to climb in to the back seat and Lillian and I had to stuff bags all around them. It was the only way to fit everything in. When you looked into the back seat you couldn’t even see them. If anyone saw us coming down the road they wouldn’t even know we had back seat passengers. It was hilarious and we laughed about it all the way to lunch.

  It was a pain getting in and out of the car the rest of the day. We kept having to unload and reload the bags whenever we stopped.

  We grabbed a late lunch and then headed to the spa for the manicures and pedicures. I also decided to get my hair cut and some highlights added. When my hair is cut, colored, and styled I stand up to head over to where my sisters are at.

  Becky lets out a wolf whistle from where she is sitting getting her toes painted. Everyone turns to stare at me and my face turns beet red.

  “Woo hoo sexy mama. She is getting hot for her man. Go get ‘em tiger. Rawwwr” Lillian cups her hands around her mouth and shouts. For crying out loud she just had to add the roar at the end. Give me a break.

  Sarah gives me a sympathetic shrug.

  I swear these two were always the instigators where Sarah and I always kept to ourselves. Lillian and Becky liked to embarrass the shit out of us whenever they got the chance.

  I took a look in the mirror and had to admit to myself that I did look damn good. The highlights in my hair made my eyes pop and the cut framed my face nicely.

  After our time at the spa we headed home so I could get some sleep. I had a great day with my sisters. I think we should definitely do that more often. See these are the types of things I would be missing out on if I went with Dave. I wouldn’t have this type of relationships with my sisters anymore. Hell I wouldn’t have any relationship with them at all.

  Oh well, I will think about all that later. I had a flight leaving at six in the morning taking me to Alabama, Maybe I can find some answers as to what to do there.

  I couldn’t wait to get to Dexter. I just hope he was going to be as happy to see me as I am to see him.

  Chapter Eight

  Dexter

  I have hardly talked to Courtney all week and it is killing me. We have shared a few text here and there. I never did get to hear what her good news was. I was in the middle of filming when she called.

  When I got her voicemail I called her back as soon as I could. I was hoping she was going to tell me she got her memory back and she remembered me especially after she called me “Dex” in the voice mail. That is something she hasn’t done since she woke up after the accident.

  She texted me that night but I was out filming a night time scene and couldn’t respond back to her right away. Since then we have only talked through text messages a few times a day.

  I miss her voice and I need to see her. That’s why I have been busting my ass hardly sleeping all week long. I have been trying to get all this filming done so I can leave. The producer has been extremely understanding of my need to get it done. I am very thankful to him for that.

  It’s Friday and I have one final scene with Rob today. We got together last night to go over the lines and he apologized for acting like such a dick the other night. I forgave him of course, he is my best friend after all. I think he finally realizes how much Courtney means to me and he said he would never do something so insane again.

  I have a flight scheduled to head out tomorrow morning at six. So by tomorrow at this time I will have my girl wrapped in my arms.

  Once we are done filming that evening Rob and I head back to my house for a bit to have some dinner and a couple beers to celebrate another season under wraps. We will have several months off throughout the summer until we begin filming again in late August. We will only need to come back for a few public appearances but I plan on spending all my free time with Courtney. That is as long as she plans to stay and not leave with Dave. If I know her like I think I do I think she will choose to stay.

  Rob leaves a little while later and I pack up my suitcases planning to stay in North Carolina until I need to return. Rob isn’t planning on leaving for another couple weeks so I ask him to keep an eye on the place for me while he is still here. Then when he decides to come to North Carolina a friend down the road a few miles will take over for him.

  The next morning Rob gives me a ride to the airport so I don’t have to leave my SUV parked in long term parking. I get through check in and the flight is actually on time for once so I get right on the plane and take my seat. I put my earbuds in and settle back for the flight.

  It was a smooth plane ride to North Carolina. After exiting the plane I head to baggage claim and get my luggage and then head outside to grab a cab.

  When we pull onto Courtney’s street it is almost nine thirty in the morning. I know with having little kids she should be up by now. When we pull into her driveway it feels like a dozen butterflies have been let loose in my stomach. Yeah I might sound like a chick but I was just anxious and excited to see Courtney.

  I get my bags out of the back of the taxi. Pay the driver and then head up the walkway towards her house. I can hear the kids playing around inside before I reach the door. I ring the bell and wait for Courtney to answer only she isn’t the one that answers the door. When the door opens Courtney’s mom Julie is standing on the other side giving me a confused stare.

  “Hey Julie is Courtney home?”

  “Hey Dexter. Funny seeing you here. You and Courtney are more alike than you know. She left this morning heading to Alabama to surprise you. I guess you were trying to surprise h
er as well?” She chuckles.

  I just stand there speechless with my mouth hanging open.

  “Better close your mouth Dexter before you start to drool.” Julie jokes. She seems to be full of herself this morning.

  “Right Right.” I say, “I guess I need to try and give her a call huh?”

  I tried calling Courtney but she did not answer. Of course she is trying to avoid speaking to me so that she can just show up on my door step and shock me.

  “I guess I better head back to the airport and catch a flight back home.” I say to Julie.

  “If you want a ride Dexter you can hang around for a few minutes. Becky will be here soon and I can give you a ride to the airport. It would take about that long for a taxi to arrive here anyway and Becky should be here any second. Oh look here she comes now.” She nods her head to where a silver Honda has just parked in front of the house.

  Becky gets out of her car and bursts out laughing when she sees me standing there.

  “I told Courtney she should have at least told Rob she was coming to Alabama so something like this wouldn’t happen. She thought you would have been in Alabama at least another week filming.” Becky shouts as she heads toward the house.

  “Yeah well great minds think alike I guess. I am just going to head back to the airport now and head back to Alabama.”

  When we get into the car Julie and I get into a deep conversation about Dave and Courtney. We discuss what decision we think she will make and how we would feel with each decision she could choose. When we pull into the airport drop off zone I tell Julie thank you for the ride.

  As I am about to exit the vehicle I feel Julie’s hand grab my arm.

  She looks over at me with watery eyes.

  “I know it is selfish of me to want her stay and maybe I shouldn’t be asking you this Dexter, but if anyone can change her mind I know it’s you. I want her to stay and not go with Dave. She is my child and if I was to know that she was alive out there living somewhere and I could never see her or my grandkids again.” She pauses to collect herself. “I just couldn’t live knowing I’d never see my child again, Dexter, I just can’t. She has to stay.” I lean over in the seat and give Julie a big hug trying to comfort her.