My Calling

by Lyssa Layne

  Beck’s lips are bright red against his pasty white cheeks. I try to laugh because it reminds me of how much he hated it when I wore lipstick like that. I lift my hand again, ever so slowly and run my finger over his bottom lip.

  “Why do you get to wear all the color and I don’t?” I tease, gasping for air as I do.

  Beck shakes his head and opens his mouth, trying to speak, but no words come out. Tear after tear falls down his cheek. I nuzzle my head against his chest, taking comfort in my final moments.

  Through his tears, Beck whispers, “I love you, Saylor, so fuckin’ much.”

  He leans down, touching his lips to my own as I take my last breath. I smile as I close my eyes and move closer to Eddie’s voice. Not a bad way to die at all, in the arms of the man I love and headed toward the man who taught me how to. From one calling to another…

  EPILOGUE

  Beck

  “Morning, Beck. Here’s your coffee, you’ll have to take it to go since we’re going out for breakfast.” Saylor sets the hot pink sassy pants mug in front of me, giving me a quick peck as she does.

  I shake my head, groaning. “How the hell did this thing follow us to the afterlife?”

  Saylor shrugs, grabbing her purse. “I grabbed it when I ran back to my apartment. I knew it was your favorite.”

  That’s how Saylor copes with our new environment—pretending nothing’s changed. In some ways, it honestly hasn’t but in others, it’s a whole new realm that we’re all still getting used to. Chuckling, I take a sip of the delicious coffee in this mug. Thankfully in life after death, there’s no such thing as bad coffee. I follow Saylor out to our garage so we can get on our way to eat.

  “Dammit, Saylor, let me drive,” I grumble, irritated that she’s already jumped behind the wheel before I’d even sat down my sassy pants mug.

  “What’s wrong, Beck? Your sassy pants in a twist?” Saylor mocks me, making fake pouty lips.

  I roll my eyes and climb in the passenger side. I reach over and wrap my hand around her thigh. My fingers slide toward the inside of her legs and she giggles but doesn’t dare push them away. Saylor leans toward me, kissing me over the console of her green Mustang. My fingers move to her head, slipping through her hair and pulling lightly. God, this never gets old. I could kiss this woman forever and that’s what I intend to do. A car horn interrupts our kiss. From the car in front of us that we’re blocking the driveway, an arm hangs out the window, flipping us the bird.

  I shake my head, laughing. “Damn, he’s a grumpy old man.”

  Saylor lifts an eyebrow at me as she puts the car in reverse. “Like you have any room to talk, Mr. Grumpy Pants?”

  “Drive,” I rumble, letting my hand roam over her denim shorts.

  Saylor lets out a moan and then pushes my hand away. “You’d better stop since you know you won’t be able to finish.”

  Reluctantly, I follow her directions and a few minutes later, we’re pulling up in front of our favorite diner. Saylor leans over, giving me a quick peck before jumping out of the car and running to greet the driver of the car joining us. I smile, watching the two embrace and giving them a moment before I get out of the car.

  “Jonathan, I warned you to be respectful with my niece.”

  The old man’s hand clamps down on my shoulder and I nod. “Always, Eddie.”

  Saylor links arms with each of us, standing in the middle and moving us toward our eating destination. “Oh, Uncle Eddie, Beck is nothing but a gentleman,” she says, looking at me and giving a wink. I laugh because we both know neither of us are very well-mannered behind closed doors.

  The bad news is Saylor lost her life six months ago to the day. The good news is I only spent ten minutes alone without her breathing. Argento fired off more than one shot, hitting both of us only seconds apart. I was so fixated on Saylor and losing her that I didn’t even notice my own life was slowly slipping away from me at the same time. The best part of the whole situation is that I’m free now, we’re all free. No more living our life in fear.

  As for where we are now, well, I’m not really sure. I wouldn’t exactly say it’s heaven because as Saylor would say, “calories still exist,” but it’s definitely not hell. It’s a lot like how things were back on Earth, minus the bad shit. Saylor and I were reunited with Eddie, who operates a garage exactly like the one he had before and I help him there. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed working with him until I was up to my elbows in grease and laughing with the old man.

  Obviously, there’s no need for paramedics here, but Saylor’s found a new calling. When children arrive, she’s their surrogate mother until they find someone from their biological family. It burdens my heart that Saylor was never able to have children of her own. The love she shows these kids is unconditional and never ending. Those kids love her just as much as she loves them and I have to admit there’s a few of them that I’ve grown pretty fond of myself.

  Eddie walks ahead of us to the table and I grab Saylor’s hand, pulling her to face me. Her eyes are bright, radiating the happy state she’s constantly in. I slip my hands over her waist and kiss her gently since her uncle is nearby. When I pull away, Saylor’s grin is even bigger than normal.

  “What was that for?”

  “Because I love you.”

  Saylor giggles, reminding me of those days when I first met her. “Aren’t you glad I listened to my calling?”

  I laugh and nod. Saylor listened to her calling that caused us both to die and live in this constant state of happiness. Saylor Warner was my calling like I was hers and now we have eternity to share together.

  Saylor

  I hear Beck’s 1970 Buick GSX pull up in the driveway. My nervous pacing increases as I wait for him to come in the door. Considering everything we dealt with when we were living, it’s kind of funny that I’m nervous about what I’m about to tell him. Six months ago, I found out the truth about who killed my uncle. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to forgive Beck then I made the best decision of my life when I followed him in that alley which led us to our reunion with Eddie.

  “Hey, Say. How was your day?”

  I smile as he calls me by my ‘pet name,’ which it is far that. Beck isn’t a ‘babe,’ ‘sweetheart,’ ‘honey’ kind of guy so ‘Say’ is the closest to an endearing term that he’ll ever use. Beck wraps his arms around my waist from behind me, my back to his chest. He dips his head, parting his mouth and dragging his tongue over my earlobe.

  Closing my eyes, I sigh and wiggle against him. “Don’t get me wrong, Beck, I love what you’re doing, but we aren’t alone tonight.”

  “No?”

  His voice doesn’t reveal an ounce of irritation because he’s used to it. Luckily, it doesn’t happen often but when children join our world, I bring them into the home that Beck and I share, which now has a permanent nursery. Beck’s shown me a side of him I never knew with his compassion but then again, he sacrificed everything for me so it honestly doesn’t surprise me.

  I nod nervously and take his hand. “Come on, I want you to meet him.”

  Beck follows me down the hallway of our four bedroom house, the walls lined with the happy memories we had from our lives before. We get to the nursery and I take a step into the room, moving to the side for Beck to pass. Not waiting for me, Beck makes his way to the crib, picking up the dark haired infant and immediately fawning over him, melting my ovaries even more than he normally does. Tucking the little boy under his arm in a football hold, he picks up a bottle and begins to feed him.

  He turns to me with raised eyebrows. “Do I even want to know his story?”

  In the beginning, both Beck and I wanted to know these kids’ stories about how they died but it got to be too depressing. Whether we knew or not, we loved them all the same so we stopped asking and kept loving. This time is different though so I take a deep breath and walk to Beck, replacing his hand with mine on the bottle so he can put his arm around my waist. The three of us stand there like p
arents do with their newborn, both of us gazing adoringly into the little boy’s eyes.

  Softly, I whisper three little words that will change our future. “He’s our son…”

  Beck squeezes my waist. “Saylor, I told you not to get attached. Of course, we’ll treat him like our own, but let’s not call him that.”

  Slowly, I lift my head so that I’m looking into his eyes. “No, Beck, he’s ours. His parents won’t ever make it here, he’s our son.”

  After life is pretty straight forward. Beck and I can still practice our babymaking skills but we will never procreate. Everyone tries to stay with their own families from their lives before. So far, every child we’ve ever taken care of has had a loved one appear within hours of their arrival to welcome them into their new lives, but this baby is different.

  “Saylor—”

  “It’s Argento’s son,” I blurt out.

  Beck’s jaw tightens and he shakes his head. I reach out for the baby but Beck pulls away from me, taking a seat in the rocking chair and staring down into the child’s face. He lightly runs his fingertip over the baby’s thick eyebrows, his head still moving back and forth in disbelief.

  Butterflies battle in my stomach and I drop to my knees in front of Beck. My hands on his thighs, I search for the right words to say. Argento is the reason my entire life is here now. He’s also the reason his only son is here, too. I have to convince Beck this is the right decision but my mind is coming up empty. With perfect timing, the little boy coos, interrupting the silence and bringing a smile to both mine and Beck’s face.

  “You’re going to be a fantastic mother, Saylor,” Beck says, moving his hand behind my head and pulling me toward him so he can kiss my forehead.

  “And you a fantastic father,” I whisper.

  Beck laughs. “Sure, whatever, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

  I look up at him with a smile. “Me either, but we’ll figure this out together?”

  He nods. “You know it… this is our calling, right?”

  My smile spreads and I kiss him softly. “Definitely, Beck, this is our calling.”

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Another book in the… uh, books? My “To Write” list is ever growing and this story came out of left field when Chantel Rhondeau, Rachelle Ayala, and myself had a late night conversation about starting another set. I was told I needed a hot hero and I definitely think Beck filled that description! The pressure was on to get this book finished and I barely beat the ticking deadline but I did! As always, I couldn’t have done it without my biggest cheerleader, Dawn Brock, who encouraged the broody Jonathan Beckerdyte so everyone can thank her for that. A huge shoutout to author D.L. Gallie who I can always count on to give me her honest opinion and to my writing bestie, K.S. Thomas, thank you for your digital creativeness and bringing Beck and Saylor to life! To my Lovers of Lyssa Layne, hope you enjoyed this psych out and will keep reading my works. You never know what kind of twists I’m going to throw at you. Love you all!!!

  OTHER BOOKS BY LYSSA LAYNE

  The Right Pitch

  Loved by the Linebacker

  Fear of Striking Out

  Another At Bat

  Until You Fall In Love

  Everybody’s After Love

  My Favorite What If

  Catch My Heart: A Valentine’s Day Collection

  Love & Familgia: The DiDominzio Novellas

  Burning Lovesick Series:

  Love is a Fire

  Burst Into Flame

  Love Can’t Save You

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

  Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

  Contact Her:

  Website: http://www.lyssalayne.com/

  Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bq2JQn

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyssalayne

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/layne_lyssa

  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/authorlyssalayn/

  Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/LyssaLayne/e/B00KP1Y5BY

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8280977.Lyssa_Layne

  Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/lyssalayne

  No one said love was easy. No one said love was perfect. No one said love didn’t hurt. No one said love would last forever.

  Follow these characters from your favorite Lyssa Layne books as they experience Valentine’s Day in an unexpected, non-traditional fashion…

  Love is a Fire/Burst Into Flame - Andy Garrity lost the love of his life almost three years ago. Giving in to his daughter-in-laws, he decides it’s time to get back in the saddle and go on a first date for the first time since high school. Before he even meets his mate, Andy’s having second thoughts and ready to pass on this opportunity at love.

  Everybody’s After Love/My Favorite What If - James Paul and Brianna Rossi are expecting their second child in less than a month. Brianna can’t wait to have a daughter while James Paul is thrilled to have a new princess to spoil. Brianna has the perfect day planned for her husband until she’s blindsided in a way she never imagined.

  Loved by the Linebacker - Recovering from a torn ACL, Blake Purser isn’t used to taking it easy. He also isn’t used to not having his best friend, Camila Lemos, spend more time with her boyfriend and his brother Evan than him. His long-time on-again, off-again girlfriend, Molly Feiser, is doing her best to entertain him during the off season but Blake isn’t prepared for her latest news.

  Holding the Other - Lee Maverick and Miranda Wallen are the king and queen of country music. The married couple have ruled the charts for the last ten years and fans love the chemistry between them. Before the night is over, this Valentine’s Day will be one for the records.

  My Favorite What If - Sloan Talbott and Jacob “Smitty” Smith are spending their first Valentine’s Day as a couple. In the short time they’ve been together, they’ve carved out the perfect nook for just the two of them. Having spent the last six months in Italy, it’s time they head back to the States and learn to be together with their meddling families surrounding them 24/7.

  Love’s not easy. Love’s not perfect. Love hurts. Love doesn’t last forever. Can these couples endure love at its ugliest or will it break them down more than they can endure?

  “I feel like I can conquer the world with one hand when you’re holding the other.” ~Anonymous

  On Valentine’s Day, Country Music King Lee Maverick’s life took a drastic turn when his wife, fellow country crooner Miranda Wallen, asked him for a divorce. It’s exactly what both of them wanted but after ten years touring together, Maverick is unsure what his career will be like without Miranda. Kyle Kelly, or KK as her friends call her, has been waiting for her big break into the country music scene. After another broken heart from a local guitar player, KK decides to give up on her musical aspirations, but her best friend, Brianna Rossi, refuses to let it go that easily. Thanks to her best friend, KK joins the newly divorced Maverick in his singing endeavors. After spending the first part of the tour fighting their attraction for one another, they finally give in to the inevitable. Both think they’ve found their happiness… until Maverick’s ex wants back in the picture, exactly where she left off.

  Find it on Amazon and add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads.

  “Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off…the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases.” -Rick Maksian

  Colie Adger is trying to make it in the big leagues as a
n athletic trainer. Working in a man’s world isn’t easy but Colie has the help of Grant Adamson, a veteran pitcher on her team that has her back through the good, the bad, and the oh-so-ugly times.

  Colie’s elated when big time pitcher Jace Richards, her former crush, comes back into her life. This time, he wants it all, with Colie front and center.

  Grant thinks Jace is too good to be true and doesn’t trust his rival with the heart of his trainer. Voicing his opinion, Grant steps to the side and lets Colie follow her own path. Colie is torn between Jace’s lavish attention and the common sense of a solid friend.

  Throughout the season, Colie must figure out how to make the best decisions for all the men in her life—both on and off the field. As good as she is at making decisions for others, can Colie figure out her own heart and hit a homerun off the right pitch?

  Order your copy today on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or Kobo. Add it to your TBR on Goodreads, too.

  In a man’s world, Camila Lemos is one of the top sports agents in the market. The athletes beg for her attention, not just for business, but in the bedroom as well. However, feisty Brazilian beauty Camila is more than meets the eye and refuses to become involved with any of her clients, no exceptions.

  Linebacker Evan Purser is the newest man in his family to join the NFL. Guided by his older brother and fellow teammate, he signs with Camila. Once the agent and the linebacker meet, anything but sparks fly.

  As the tension rises, so do the feelings for one another, but neither will admit it. Evan can’t let go of the past. Camila’s not sure she can risk her reputation for love. When the walls are broken down, will a touchdown be scored or will it be yet another fumble for both?

  Loved by the Linebacker is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Be sure to add Loved by the Linebacker to your bookshelf on Goodreads.

  Shortstop Tate James has been traded from the all-American town of Milwaukee to the trendy City of Angels.

  Pink hair, manscaping, dogs in purses… not his thing. This ball player is less than excited about his new hometown. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune.