by C. A. Harms
Before I could respond, she tightened around me, and the sensation threw me into overdrive. I began rotating my hips, racing for my own release. “Avery,” I groaned as my body began to tremble and my legs tensed with the extreme pleasure. My orgasm rolled through me as I buried my face against her hair.
We both lay silent, taking the time to regain our self-control. With Avery near, it was easy to lose myself. Nothing felt better than having her close. I had to fight against her stubbornness, but she finally moved in with me. We’d only been living together four weeks, but I couldn’t remember what living without her felt like. I never wanted to remember, either.
This was my life now, with Avery and our little girl. I couldn’t think of any place in the world I would rather be.
***
Avery
Getting out of bed was becoming harder each day. My basketball, or so Quinn called it, was difficult to maneuver.
I slipped out from underneath Kade’s arm as carefully as possible without waking him. My shift at the hospital started in less than an hour. I had picked up extra hours when Brad had fallen and broken his ankle, so I would be going in at five a.m. instead of seven for the rest of the week.
Kade didn’t like it, but he got over it.
As I walked into the kitchen, I smiled, remembering what Jett said Saturday night when he and Quinn stopped by.
“This place looks like a chick’s place. You still live here, Kade?”
Of course, all Kade did was smile brightly and wink at me. He said he loved that all my things were now filling his apartment, that it felt like a home now, when before it was just a spot to lay his head.
After I drank a glass of orange juice and ate a piece of toast, I gathered my bag and my keys. I knew this schedule couldn’t go on for long; I was already feeling the effects.
A few minutes later, I pulled up to the hospital, got out of my car, and waddled to the front door. I spent most of my time doing paperwork or anything to stay off my feet and left the bigger items to the staff that could get around better.
“Hello, Mommy, how are you feeling on this Tuesday morning?” Judy asked. I met Judy in nursing school, and when I found she too got hired on at the local hospital, I was happy to see a familiar face.
“Fat and jolly,” I said, placing my bag onto the table in the back room. “Anything exciting happen last night?”
“Well, it was pretty quiet until around an hour ago. They brought in a guy that was found outside of Mason’s Bar, beaten up pretty badly.”
“Mason’s?” I asked. “Isn’t that a rough place?”
“Yeah.” She took a big drink of the coffee she held. “They run those amateur fights, and if you ask me, they are shady.”
“Do you think the guy was a fighter?”
“He was pretty messed up—concussion and a collapsed lung. But they stabilized him, and he’s still hopped up on meds. All that’s left is contacting family. We found a phone in his pocket, but I don’t think anyone had made the calls yet.” Judy shrugged.
“No worries, I got it,” I said as I turned from the room and walked toward the nurses’ station.
“I need the phone you found on the guy that was brought in from the alley behind Mason’s,” I told Gina.
“It’s actually lying on the countertop in his room. Number 4. We didn’t want it to get misplaced, so I left it there myself.” She didn’t look up from the paperwork she was completing.
“Okay, I got it,” I said as I turned away and walked toward room 4.
I didn’t even look at the bed until I had the phone in hand. As I turned to leave, I noticed the person there, and my hand tightened around the phone. My heart hammered in my chest, and nausea ran through me.
I dialed Kade’s number and waited for him to answer.
“What the fuck, Jude? You better have a damn good reason for waking my ass up at five in the morning.”
“Kade, it’s me,” I whispered as the tears fell down my cheeks.
“Baby, why do you have Jude’s phone?” he asked.
“You need to get Jett and come to the emergency room. They brought Jude in about an hour ago,” I whispered between the soft sobs that shook me.
“Avery?” I could hear the shuffling of his movements on the other end of the line.
“Kade, just get here, please,” I said.
“We’ll be there, pretty girl.”
Once he hung up, I scrolled through the phone. The name Katelynn was listed as an emergency contact.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed her name and listened as the phone began to ring.
“Hi,” a tiny voice said from the other end. The last thing I expected was a little girl to answer the phone.
“Uh, um,” I stumbled. “I was trying to reach Katelynn.”
“That’s my mommy. She’s sleeping. Her medicine makes her super tired,” the sweet little girl said.
Her mommy? Who were Katelynn and this little girl? The idea of Jude being married or having a family made my heart ache for Callie. Why would he hide that?
“Sweetheart, I really need to talk to your mom about someone she knows. Can you wake her up for me?” I asked.
“She won’t wake up,” she replied. “Uncle Jude waits until after breakfast to get her up for her exercise.”
Uncle Jude?
“I’ll try back later, okay?” I whispered. I had no idea what else to say.
As I hung up, the door creeped open, and Jett and Kade stood in the doorway, staring at the bed before them. At a man they considered a brother.
I held up the phone when Kade’s eyes shifted to mine. “I tried calling his emergency contact.” I paused, swallowing hard. “Do you know a Katelynn?”
Jett’s gaze shifted to mine. “Shit,” he groaned.
“What?” I asked.
Neither of them answered me as they looked at one another in distress.
“What the hell is going on?” My voice rose, just enough to show I was not playing this game of secrets.
“Katelynn is his sister,” Jett explained. “She’s disabled, in a wheelchair. Jude takes care of her and her kids after her husband ran off on them. He’s all they have. His parents died years ago. Even before Katelynn’s accident. Not only is she in a wheelchair, she’s also in the advanced stage of breast cancer. Jude is truly all she and those kids have.”
“Who is going take care of them?” Kade asked, concern in his voice.
“We will,” I said. “All of us. I know he’s secretive and keeps everything about his life tucked safely away. But someone has to help them. We can’t leave them alone.”
Jett and Kade stared back at me, clearly running over the options they knew we didn’t have.
I was just about to make another argument when Jett spoke. “We need to call the girls. Katelynn is gonna need some help with Zoey and Matthew.”
*Sneak Peek*
Undeniable
Jude’s Story
Jude
I sat at the small kitchen table, looking down at the new bill in my hand. Katelynn’s bills just kept piling up.
Wayne ran out on my sister after she ended up in a wheelchair. He also left behind his six-year-old daughter Zoey and three-year-old son Matthew—and all the debt he had accumulated under my sister’s name. Just when I thought I was caught up on paying it down, something new would happen.
Two years ago, I never would have thought I would be caring for my sick sister and raising her two children. But life happens, and leaving them on their own to figure out what to do, well, that wasn’t an option.
“Uncle Jude?”
I looked over to find Zoey staring up at me with her big doe eyes. She’s the sweetest damn kid, and she had me wrapped around her little finger.
“Hey, Squirt, what are you up too?”
“Matthew drew on my dolly with marker. I need a new one.” She held up the doll, whose face and clothes were now covered with black permanent marker. “Can I have one with brown hair this time?”
<
br /> “Maybe we can clean this one up,” I said as I stood from the table and walked toward the kitchen sink.
Zoey stood by my side while I tried everything possible to clean off the marker, my frustration only growing stronger with each failed attempt. When I looked over at her, those eyes that got me every time were now filled with tears. Her lower lip vibrated as she fought back the sob I could tell was going to cut loose at any time.
I knelt down in front of her, bringing my eyes level with hers. “Hey, Little Angel, no tears. Uncle Jude will make it better, I promise. We’ll get you a new doll.”
The smile that spread out over her lips made this whole morning just a little better.
“Monster, roar.”
Zoey and I turned as Matthew raced into the kitchen, his arms held above his head, his little back hunched, and a fierce look written all over his face. What caught my attention most, though, was the black marker that now graced almost every inch of his tiny face.
“Roar is right, buddy,” I said as I reached out and hooked his waist with my arm.
“Matthew, what have you done now?” Katelynn’s weak voice filled the room.
I looked up to meet the tired eyes of my younger sister. The girl I had spent my entire childhood and teenage years protecting from any guy who even attempted to get near her. But Wayne slipped in under my radar when I was away in Italy. When I returned to find my sister four months pregnant and engaged to be married, I had no choice but to accept both.
“Looks like Little Man here found a permanent marker and got a little creative,” I said as I stood up, lifting him in my arms. I walked toward the living room as Zoey followed closely behind. We’d converted the open room into a living space for Katelynn and all her equipment.
“What are we gonna do with you?” Katelynn smiled, because nowadays nothing bothered her. She had come to realize more than anyone else I knew that life was too short.
My phone rang from my back pocket, and I quickly lowered Matthew to the floor to take it out. The number that lit the screen made my stomach tighten. It was Mason Frampton, the owner of Mason’s Bar and the guy that kept food on my table. Yeah, working at Jett’s was my main source of income, but it wasn’t enough.
“What’s up, Mace? What do you got for me?” I said as I answered, turning toward the kitchen and leaving the kids to talk to their mother.
“Drake is in town for a few nights, and he’s looking for a fight,” he said.
Just the name Drake made my anger take over. He and I had a lot of bad blood, and the last time the asshole was here, he took things to a whole new level. This would be my chance for revenge.
“What time?” I asked.
“Ten o’clock tonight is open,” he replied. “But, Jude, you gotta come prepared, man. You know he don’t play clean. The pot will be huge. It’s just that—”
“You worry about getting the crowd, I’ll worry about me.”
This money would be good. With shit piling up, I could use the extra cash.
Since the fight wasn’t for a few hours, I would be able to get the kids to bed, give Katelynn her meds, and call Mrs. Reames, a neighbor of ours, to check in on them while I was out.
One quick fight and I could return home with enough money to pay a few bills and grab a new doll.
At least that was the plan.
Acknowledgments
My husband and children, the three that make life more amazing every day. I love you with all my heart and thank you for making it possible for me to accomplish my goals.
Mrs. Maria Trojanowski, what would I do without you? You give me a push when I need it most. If I hit a dull point, I know that in some way you will get me moving again. You are one of the good ones, and I am so thankful that we became friends. Thank you for being there when I need you.
Thank you to Lydia from HEA Book Tours, PR & More. I don’t think I tell you enough just how amazing you are. Once again, lady love, you are adored. You are my go-to girl for tours and promo. You are so trustworthy and fun. I place my books in your hands, and I don’t think twice about it. You always hold up your end of the deal and shoot well above the expected. I love what you do.
Ena and Amanda from Enticing Journey Book Promotions, thank you both for all your hard work and for helping me spread the word about my upcoming releases. I am so glad I stumbled upon your services. You two rock my world!
All my fans and followers, thank you all for your dedication and kind words. You all make me want to lock myself up in a room and pump out another book just for you.
About the Author
C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn’t always been a lover of romance and was once addicted to a good mystery. But recently, she has taken on a new liking and now is a full-blown romance novel addict. She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband of sixteen years and two children. You will always find her with her Kindle or a paperback in hand as reading is her favorite pastime.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-CA-Harms/354791947956151
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Charms0814
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6895633.C_A_Harms