Copyright© 2018 Erica Marselas
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination and used in a fictitious manner Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Editing: Kristen Your Editing Lounge
“I Found You” Song Lyrics written with Leslie Middleton
Cover Page
Copyright
Author’s Note
Dedication.
ONE January 3rd, 2002
May 15th, 2006
May 19th, 2006
TWO OCTOBER 5th, 1999
May 19th, 2006
THREE October 5th, 1999
May 20th, 2006
FOUR October 23rd, 2001
May 20th, 2006
May 21st, 2006
FIVE December 10th, 1999
May 24th, 2006
May 27th, 2006
SIX August 29th, 2003
May 27th, 2006
SEVEN August 5th, 2000
May 27th, 2006
EIGHT April 26th, 2000
June 2nd, 2006
June 11th, 2006
NINE May 30th, 2002
June 17th, 2006
TEN February 10th, 2001
July 2nd, 2006
ELEVEN August 2nd, 2001
July 7th, 2006
TWELVE August 11th, 2003
October 5th, 2006
October 12th, 2006
October 25th2006
THIRTEEN June 4th, 2007
5 a.m. June 5th, 2007
EPILOGUE August 9th, 2010
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author’s Note: A minor heads up to my wonderful readers. Each chapter will begin with a flashback. Though not in order, each of their past moments correlates with their present moments. All while also giving you a small glimpse of their past- how they started- and some of the things they have been through together.
Each day and year is labeled at the beginning.
That is all. :0)
Thank you and I hope you enjoy Violet and Cooper’s story as much as I did writing it.
Erica Marselas
Living the Dream Through Words. <3
To the ladies, who gave me the strength to keep going and write the story I wanted to be told, no matter how different it seemed. Who some days held my hand, offered me help, and gave me their guidance. Thank you-I couldn’t have done this without you. This is for all of you… you know who you are.
To my husband: You always have my back, encourage me, and let me vent. I know this story drove you insane as much as it did me, but now that it’s done, you can have your wife back----well, ‘till the next book :p.
The past is an outline for our future. Sometimes we can learn and grow from it, or you can let it consume you.
But I can tell you one thing….
True love does win in the end... uh-huh
ONE
January 3rd, 2002
Violet
M y boyfriend, Cooper, dropped me off a block away from my house wanting to avoid my mother giving him a hard time. She wasn’t happy when Cooper and I left two days after Christmas for Los Angeles to spend the rest of our winter break and New Year’s together. She tried to forbid me from going, but I was going no matter what she said or did. So, I know I’m about to get an ear full and be grounded until summer.
Whatever.
Nothing could bring me down after the week I had with Coop. We spent most of our time locked in a hotel room, naked in bed. When we weren’t, we toured the city, which will hopefully soon be our home.
Yep, nothing could bring me down from soaring.
Well, that’s until I flew straight into a large yellow moving truck sitting in my driveway.
Two bulky guys in blue overalls carry our couch to the back of the truck. I move behind them and see most of our furniture sitting inside.
What the fuck is going on? And what’s the possibility we’re getting robbed in broad daylight?
I march into the house, but suddenly my feet are frozen to the ground. Every hair on my body stands on edge in fright seeing all the boxes lined up in the living area. There in the middle of all the cardboard squares stands my mother, talking to her boyfriend, Jeremy West.
I’m not a fan of this jerk-off.
For one, he’s not my father, and second, he’s a douchebag. The man owns a bunch of sleazy car dealerships in California and Arizona. I have no idea what my mom sees in him, and now looking at my packed house, I realize he has something to do with this sudden move.
Wherever the hell they’re going, I’m not.
“What the hell is going on?” I shout, grabbing their attention.
“Oh, good you’re home, just in time to help us finish packing up the rest,” my mother says with a forced smile.
“Pack up what? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Oh, yes you are. Jeremy and I got married over New Year’s.”
I pale and my eyes dart to the new shining diamond on her left hand. She got married and didn’t think to fucking tell me? We don’t always get along, but I could’ve sworn my mother loved me enough to want to me to be present for her wedding.
“He’s opening a new lot in Tucson and we’re going with him.”
I shake my head and try to keep the tears from falling down my face. I have five months ‘till I graduate and she thinks it would be okay to just uproot my life now? I’m not eighteen ‘till October, but Goddammit I shouldn’t have to obey this.
“You don’t think you should have talked this over with me? Or gave me an option to stay? I’m almost done with high school and you want me to uproot everything I know because you decided on a whim to marry this asshole?”
Jeremy has the nerve to chuckle before he kisses my mother’s cheek, telling her he’ll let her handle this. Once he’s left the room, throwing a glare my way, my mom takes a few steps closer to me.
“I was going to tell you, but you ran off with that boy. You won’t listen to reason when it comes to him, so what better chance for you to fix your life, then by starting over, as I start mine.”
“I don’t want or need to start over, mother. And Cooper isn’t ruining my life. It’s you and his mother doing that to us. I’m not going. And screw you. You should’ve told me all this before you got MARRIED!” I scream the last part out, the venom in my voice doing nothing to convince her of what she’s done wrong.
She crosses her arms over her chest and squints her eyes at me. I stand my ground, pushing my shoulders back, mocking her stance.
“This isn’t up for debate, Violet. We’re moving, and it’s happening bright and early tomorrow morning. You’re my daughter and you have to do what I say. Your father isn’t here, so it leaves you with no other options to stay.”
“I’ll live on the street then, I don’t care,” I argue and look away for her.
I’m sure Cooper will let me hide somewhere in his room.
“I know what you’re thinking, and you need to get over it. You think his parents will allow you to live under their roof? They won’t. Who’s going to pay for your college if you stay here, because it won’t be me. Hell, Violet, you haven’t even picked one yet. You have no clue what you’re going to do come June. As your mother, I have to do right by you and also for me. You can’t keep following in his so-called footsteps. You real
ly think his fleeting music career will take care of you with no degree to fall back on?” She tilts her head and thinks she won.
Cooper and I made plans to run off to L.A. along with his brother Brody, and work on getting Cooper’s music career started. I know he has what it takes and the drive to be successful. I still planned to go to college; we even did a tour of UCLA while we were visiting this week. There’s also community college to start if I had too. Whether or not I had it all figured out, my life is my own and I’m going to do what I want to do.
Sometimes in life, you have to take a leap of faith.
But now my leap is crashing down on me before I’ve even jumped.
“Why can’t you let me live my own life, make my own mistakes? Why does it bother you so much that I’m with Cooper? It’s been over two years and you still won’t give the guy a chance. He loves me, why is it so hard to understand? Here you are marrying some dickwad car salesman, who I’m sure is going to use you for every penny you have.”
“He won’t do that, but I’m an adult, and you are a child, Violet. End of discussion. I’ve already had your belongings packed.”
“You packed my stuff?” I scream, my fists clenched at my side. “You better not have thrown anything away, or I swear mother.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t throw any of your precious mementos.” She sighs and scrubs her hands down her face. “You’ll be eighteen in October. ‘Till then, you’ll be living in Arizona with me. If you’re really meant to be with Cooper Reid, well, I guess he’ll be able to wait the next ten months for you, but I wouldn't count on it. Hopefully, you’ll see how much better of a life you’ll have without him bringing you down.”
A piercing, fiery, roar bubbles in my chest and leaves my throat. If only I was a dragon I would’ve burned her to a crisp with my anger.
“You’re ruining my life, and I’ll never forgive you for this.” I run towards the door, needing to escape, needing Cooper.
“You’ll thank me one day.” My mother calls when I make it past the threshold, where a moving man blocks my path.
I stop and face her, glaring at her with tears in my eyes. “That’s never going to happen,” I sneer and bolt around the confused man in overalls to race down the street.
Finding a pay phone, I dial Cooper’s number. It rings a few times before he picks up.
“Hello?”
“Coop,” I try to keep my voice from shaking because I don’t want him to worry. He doesn’t need to add worry on top of the heart I’m about to shatter.
“Ace, what’s wrong?” There’s a slight panic in his voice.
Guess it didn’t work.
“Meet me at White Park, please,” I beg. “I’ll explain everything when you get there, but I need to see you.”
“I’m on my way,” he says quickly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Please never forget that.” I whisper the last part before I hang up.
Hues of orange, yellow, and red filter from behind the trees of White Park in Riverside. Cooper has me wrapped tightly in his arms while we admire the array of colors as the sun continues to dip below the horizon.
Neither of us says anything as the cool night breeze dances across our faces and the whippoorwills call into the dusk.
I pull Cooper’s arms tighter around me, snuggling deeper into him, wanting to inhale his scent; a mix of Irish Spring and cinnamon. He presses a kiss into my temple, mindlessly, as if he knows I need his comfort. I smile and my heart warms because he always knows what I need without saying it. Glancing up at him, I try to memorize every inch of his face. From his wild untamed blond waves, which are still wet from his shower, to all the fine hairs of his five-o clock shadow. My smile falters and I’m not sure how I can make it without him.
He’s the center of my universe and I’m seconds away from telling him news that will destroy our perfect bubble.
I’ve been with Cooper since we met our sophomore year, when he saved me from being attacked by Thomas Ryan.
That was the beginning of our love story. Yet, it has been difficult at times due to our parents not wanting us to be together. They believe we aren’t good enough for each other, for reasons I’ll never understand.
Even though Cooper rescued me from being physically attacked, my mother despises him. She thinks he’s a violent “thug” with severe anger problems.
Cooper has a reputation for being a bad boy, but I don’t know how anyone can’t see how he has changed since he met me.
If it isn’t bad enough that my mother hates him, his parents dislike me as well. They think I’m helping him throw away his potential, but it’s actually Cooper who wants nothing to do with their visions for him. He has even bigger dreams that they don’t recognize as more than pipe dreams, and they’re making me out to be the bad guy because I encourage him to reach for the stars.
With his dad being a successful lawyer, his mom a doctor, and behind them a long line of powerful and influential family, they’ve been trying to mold him into some kind of suave businessman or a politician. To them, it’s the only way for him to succeed in life.
How can they not see it’s them standing in his way, making him unhappy, and not me?
Sure, we both like to party, and we’ve gotten tattoos, and we drink, but we’re young and adventurous. Our moral compass isn’t broken; other than our first meeting, we’ve never been in trouble with the law. We both keep our grades up. No, we’re not pounding out the A’s anymore like our parents expect; now we just get more B’s tangled in with those A’s. No big deal. Overall, I say we’re pretty damn good kids.
Even though our parents push back, we’ve made it. But now, sitting here in Cooper's arms, watching the final rays set behind the trees, my heart breaks…because maybe our love won't be enough to survive me moving hundreds of miles away.
It seems my mother is finally getting what she has always wanted by ripping us apart.
My father, the only person who is willing to listen, accepts and supports our relationship, and could help us, is gone. He got stationed overseas in Afghanistan and will be for another six months.
With no money and no place to stay, I know I have no other option than to go.
“My mom is making me move with her to Arizona. We’re leaving in the morning. I don’t have a choice,” I blurt out, ripping it off like a band-aid.
His whole body freezes as tension ripples through him. “In the morning? How? I mean, don’t you need to pack?” Hurt, shock, and anguish cloud his blue eyes. It’s as if the glass house that surrounded our relationship has been hit with the final stone and it’s shattering around us.
“It seems she had someone do it for us while we were away this week. I came home to a packed house and moving truck.” I frown remembering the argument with my mother that had ended with me running off and calling Cooper to meet me here.
“You can't leave.” He holds me tighter and his voice cracks. “Maybe we could get married...” He ponders the same thing I’ve been thinking since I saw the large yellow truck outside my house.
Though there’s nothing more I want in this world, we can't. No way in hell our parents would allow it. Well, my dad would, but sadly my country needed him more than me, so we’re in screwed-ville.
“We can’t get married before we're eighteen without our parents’ permission, and I don't think that's going to happen.”
“I’ll kidnap you,” he says seriously, and I can't help but laugh. I have no doubt that he would, but living on the streets in the cold isn’t ideal for either of us.
“I really wish we could,” I muse.
We sit in silence a little while longer. The sun has disappeared, and the sky has gone black. The stars twinkle above us, and I close my eyes, wishing upon all of them I won’t have to leave; my home is here in this man’s arms.
My hand glides across my flat stomach, remembering the loss of our baby last year. It still makes my heart ache and my stomach twist when I think about our little angel. Cooper
is the only one I can talk to when I’m feeling down about it. The only hug that puts me at ease, and the only one that understands the pain it brings. He’s my heart and soul, and now I have to move a hundred miles away from him. I don’t know how I'm going to make it, how we’re going to make it, without each other. We’ve only ever had each other in our worst of times.
I'm doing everything not to cry, but the ache is too much and I fail miserably, letting the tears fall from my eyes like rain. Cooper grabs my face and brushes them away with his thumbs. His lips gently kiss my nose and cheeks, but the flood keeps coming.
All I want to do in bury myself in him and never leave. Why do our mothers have to hate our relationship? Why can't they see what we see.? That the two of us are nothing without each other?
“Ace, baby, stop.”
I shake my head and nuzzle myself into his chest. What seems like a lifetime later, my shuddering sobs cease, but stray tears still fall. When I lift my face to gaze at the man I love, his face is also wet and stained from tears. I wipe them away, and kiss him the way he did me. I’ve only seen him cry once before, after losing the baby, and now he’s losing me. Seeing him so affected, gives me hope we can make it through.
“I need you to promise something,” he whispers, looking me dead in the eye, his hand tangled in my hair around my neck.
“Anything.”
“Promise me you'll write me every day, call me every day, and when you turn eighteen come back to me.”
“I promise. I love you, Cooper.”
“I love you too, Violet. I always will. You're my girl. My only girl, and one day I swear I'm going to marry you.” His wet lips kiss the side of my neck, as he pulls my body closer to his.
My heart leaps and the tears fall again at his words. All I want is to always be his.
“And I promise to say yes.”
I Found You Page 1