Jenn Faulk, you have been an inspiration to me since I read your first book a few years ago (and all the rest since). Thank you, thank you, for your kindness to a fledgling author. Your excitement to read my book based on a single sentence, and then sending me feedback less than 48 hours later, was exciting and humbling and exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it. Thank you for your advice on the industry and support getting going. You have blessed and made a difference to this fan.
To the wonderful friends and other incredible people who have liked, shared, and otherwise supported this endeavor on Facebook, thank you. I’ve been blessed with so many encouraging word, helpful votes and excellent suggestions along the way.
Most of all, thank you to my heavenly Father, who placed this project on my heart and wouldn’t stop nudging me until I completed it. May the words within be your hands and feet. You have pursued me with an unending love, and the only response I could ever give is surrender. May the works of my hands always bring you glory, joy, and praise.
Sneak Peek
I appreciate you taking the time to read What Could Be and would like to give you a quick sneak peek of Gina’s story (title still TBD). Gina and Brynn are friends, but we don’t really know much about her yet other than she has a crazy sister and tends to be motherly even with her younger bestie. She’s been through a lot, as you’ll see next.
I’ve also begun kicking around Caleb’s story, because even though he wasn’t right for Brynn, I do rather love the guy. He’s a goofy mess and needs a little flavor in his rather vanilla existence. I have big plans and a great girl in mind for him!
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. You can also follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jayceeweaver/ , Amazon’s Author Central, or email [email protected] to stay in-the-know about upcoming books, giveaways, and other fun things!
Again, thank you for reading and I welcome your feedback. Up next…your sneak peek! **Be sure to re-read it when the book comes out, because chances are good I’ll have edited…something or other!**
(The following Sneak Peek material copyright 2017 Jaycee Weaver, Albuquerque, NM)
Prologue
If she just stayed hidden, she’d be okay.
If she were quiet enough and stayed around other people, she’d be okay.
If she wore baggy clothes to hide her body, she’d be okay.
If she pretended she was okay, she’d be okay.
Lies. All lies. Lies she couldn’t stop telling herself, desperately hoping they would be true. Regina found herself huddled silently in the back of her mother’s tiny walk-in closet, tucked behind the long summer dresses. She was afraid to breathe for fear she’d be discovered.
Her mother’s most recent boyfriend had decided to “stop by” shortly after she’d gotten home from school. Luckily, she’d seen his car come roaring into the parking lot before she’d shut the door to the second-floor apartment. The icky feeling in her stomach was a warning she’d known not to ignore, so she’d hidden her backpack under her bed before racing to the hiding place where she felt safe.
Who knew whether or not this latest one had…intentions…, but it wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. At fifteen, Regina knew better than a lot of girls her age just how risky it could be to find herself alone in a room with a grown man. Especially one whose mere presence gave her the creeps and whose eyes tended to follow her every move. She had been hypervigilant to never be alone with any of them.
Not that her mother noticed.
The woman was rarely without a man in her life, and most of them were total winners. Her sister, Tonya, was five years older and had already moved out of the ratty two-bedroom apartment and in with her own dumb boyfriend. There was no one left to protect her from situations that sent her imagination on overdrive and made the fear choke like fingers around her throat.
She knew from experience just how that felt.
Regina closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, her hand loosely touching her neck without intending to. The memories swept over her in a rogue wave and threatened to close the walls of the closet in on her. The air grew heavy and thick, and an elephant was sitting on her chest. The pressure built until she curled herself into a tiny ball on the floor behind the curtain of dresses.
“You’re becoming a pretty little thing, aren’t you, Reggie?” She cupped her hands over her ears as the memory of that leering voice made the awful images play across the inside of her eyelids like a rapid slideshow.
“If you scream, I will kill you.” He was holding a hand over her mouth as he’d awakened her in the middle of the night. She couldn’t help the gut instinct and the sound came out muffled against his hand, her legs attempting to thrash. He clenched the other around her throat and slowly squeezed. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and fought the urge to gag. And then his body crashed against hers, heavy and overwhelming. Through her pajamas she felt one angry hand wandering everywhere, harsh but controlled. She wanted to cry out for help, but the hand around her throat kept her still. “Be a good girl, now, Reggie.” The heavy hand dipped inside her pajamas and its rough calluses sent a tremor of terror through her.
“What do you think you’re doing, you sick pig?!” Regina nearly wept with joy at the sound of her sister’s voice as the bright lights blinded her. The disgusting man leapt off of the thin, ancient twin bed and loomed over Tonya, his foul, heaving breath moving the tiny hairs around her face. Her face was steel. He grabbed Tonya’s breast hard and seethed menacingly just inches from her face, “Don’t bother telling. No one will believe a skank like you. But in case you get any ideas, think of your mother. Wouldn’t want her to have an accident, would you?”
Regina fought hard against the rising panic the memories triggered. She made herself remember the rest of that awful night two years ago, just to regain some sense of hope and control. After his threat, he’d left the room. Tonya had raced to then thirteen-year-old Regina and put her arms around her. Her sister had saved her! Through the sobbing, she had heard Tonya’s hard voice whisper, “Shh, Reggie, shh. It’s okay. He won’t hurt you again.” Tonya had held her, rocking her like a baby and smoothing her hair as she spoke. For the first time, she’d felt like she’d had an ally in her sister. Until Tonya had turned eighteen and abandoned her.
The apartment door slammed. She could hear the most recent loser calling out in a smooth, confident voice laced with the barest hint of steel. “Reggie? You home?” She could hear his heavy footfalls from room to room. She held her breath when the steps reached her mother’s room. Frozen, she waited until she heard the door to the apartment slam closed and the locks turn after him. Mom gave him a key? She shook her head.
Anger flowed through Regina’s body, warming her from the inside out. She crawled out of her hiding place and into the light of her mother’s cluttered bedroom. She looked around at the dust laden bottles of cheap makeup and perfume on the dresser, the rumpled bed, and the nightstand littered with papers, castoff jewelry, and an ashtray full of lipstick-rimmed cigarette butts. A rush of loathing flowed through her as she went from room to room, making sure the creep was really gone. She blew out a forced breath and slowly, a plan began to take shape in the back of her mind. A plan and a resolution.
Never again would she be afraid of the losers her mother brought home. Never again would she need saving, by anyone. No more scared, pretending, quiet Reggie.
She was going to get out of there and make a new life for herself. She didn’t know when, or how, but she resolved this to herself. No more lying to herself and hiding in the shadows. She would be in control. She would be someone new and better. She would be strong.
Gina Hernandez would be a force to be reckoned with.
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What Could Be (Everyday Love Book 1) Page 25