Our Song
Page 1
Our Song (The Wilder Books #1)
Savannah Kade
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Published by Griffyn Ink
www.griffynink.com
Copyright © 2016 Griffyn Ink
All rights reserved.
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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
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For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Griffyn Ink at Mail@GriffynInk.com.
Contents
Join Savannah
Also by Savannah Kade
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Afterword
Preview of HeartStrings (Wilder - Book 2)
About the Author
Never miss a sale or a free book! Keep up with Savannah HERE.
Novels by Savannah Kade:
The WILDER Books:
Our Song
Heartstrings
Love Notes
Music & Lyrics
The Wilder Complete Book Set
That Night in Nashville
Georgia Grace
The TOUCH OF MAGICK Series:
WishCraft
DreamWalker
LoveSpelled
SoulFire
ShadowKiss
The Touch of Magick Series: Complete Set
The AGAINST ALL ODDS Series:
Steal My Heart
Call Me Yours
Ask Me to Stay
Promise Me Always
Against All Odds Complete Set
The BREATHLESS Series:
Gifted
Perfect
Ruined
Rebel
Lucky
Charmed
Saved
Dreamer
The DARK FALLS Series
Dark Falls - Lori Ryan
Dark Secrets - Savannah Kade
Dark Legacy - Trish McCallan
Dark Nightmares - Becca Jameson
Dark Terror - Sandra Owens
Dark Burning - Lori Ryan
Dark Echoes - Savannah Kade
Dark Memories - Sandra Owens
Dark Rage - Becca Jameson
Dark Tidings - Trish McCallan
Dark Obsession - Lisa-Marie Cabrelli
Dark Passion - Lori Ryan
For Jarett and January who keep me smiling and laughing.
Chapter 1
The screams tore the air. High pitched and long, they sounded like someone was being stabbed.
Kelsey’s head swiveled, like every other head in the store, until she found the source of the wail. Then she relaxed.
It was just a normal little girl, maybe five years old, screaming her head off, but looking quite unharmed. Her head tipped back to make sure that the sounds radiated in every direction. Her straight dark hair slid down her back, looking as if it hadn’t made friends with a brush in a few too many days.
“She’s upset.” Daniel commented in soft tones. He looked up at her from the basket of the shopping cart, his widened eyes and slightly opened bow mouth told what he thought. He watched, but that was all. Daniel had never been one to participate in anything resembling a tantrum, for which Kelsey was supremely grateful.
Her eyes flicked back to the girl, as she let loose another wail. A store employee was rapidly making her way over to help, hands wringing nervously as she gamely pushed her way through the racks.
As the girl took another gulp, Kelsey mentally closed her ears. She wanted to push her cart and her kids away, but something held her there. She needed little girls’ clothes for her own daughter, and she wasn’t about to let a screaming kid rule her decisions.
This time the wail got through to Kelsey’s shut-off brain. Just as she had picked up the leg of a pair of bright blue jeans, the little voice spoke, “He is not my Daddy!”
Well, that made her head snap around again. She barely registered the employee looking between the child and the father, but she saw that the little girl’s pants were too short and too tight. Her shirt didn’t cover her belly when she tipped her head back to scream. She was unkempt, upset, and glaring daggers.
The father instantly earned Kelsey’s sympathy. She wasn’t sure why she never believed that the little girl had been kidnapped. But she didn’t. And a father didn’t deserve to have his kid pull any of this on him—certainly not in public.
She also felt supreme pity for his total lack of parenting skills. Otherwise, he looked strong and capable in fitted jeans and a t-shirt that showed off what he’d worked for. His deep brown eyes and straight nose looked like they belonged on a man who stood his ground. Her heart turned over for him as he stood with feet apart and shoulders straight as he held up a sweet little outfit that was totally dwarfed by the sheer size of him. His dark hair slipped over one eye, only partially obscuring the red that crept across his face and appeared to be setting up permanent residence.
Even though he was facing her down, the child had clearly won.
“Look!” Allie held up a small doll. “Look!” Kelsey blinked for a moment. Only when her eyes landed on a nearby display did she realize that her pigtailed three-year-old had filched it as they passed. With a frown, she looked down and saw the shredded cardboard blister-pack. Well, that would have to get purchased.
Now she needed to take the doll away, or get something comparable for Daniel, who had been an angel. There was no good way around that one. Except, maybe . . .
“I don’t want new clothes!” The voice was rude, sharp, and tiny. At least the little girl wasn’t shrieking anymore.
“Honey, those clothes are too small.” The father stood over her, his voice steady, although Kelsey wasn’t sure how he managed that.
“My mommy bought me these clothes.” The little girl’s arms crossed over her chest and she clamped her jaw so tight Kelsey was certain that she’d hear little teeth grinding.
Again his voice was soft, and this time full of defeat. “I know.” He absently hung up the outfit on the nearest rack and sighed.
The store employee had disappeared, but Kelsey pushed her way through to them. They probably didn’t need her help, but she felt drawn in. Besides, there was that cute doll that she had to pay for and couldn’t let her daughter keep. “Allie, give me the dolly.”
With a small pout that had Kelsey pressing her lips together, Allie handed over the do
ll and assumed her own cross-armed position. Kelsey ignored her.
“Would she like this doll?” She was grateful that her voice didn’t shake like it wanted to.
The father looked her square in the face, the first time he’d looked at someone since his daughter had started wailing in the middle of Target. Kelsey felt something tug inside. His eyes were a combination of grateful and exhausted, the deep brown riddled with shadows and regret. His voice sounded the way he looked. “You are more than welcome to try.”
Daniel and Allie looked on with avid curiosity, while she leaned down to the little girl and held up the doll as bait. “Do you think you could help me out?”
There was only a pout and glare as response.
“I’m buying some clothes for Allie and maybe you could try on some of the same things.” Kelsey wiggled the doll, watching its pink nylon hair sway, and she got a great idea. Quickly, she stood and searched the cart, certain that the doll had come with a little plastic hairbrush.
Grabbing it, she began brushing the doll’s hair as she walked back to the little girl. Brown eyes were watching her with interest although no other part of the small body had abandoned the furious stance. “This dolly really needs her hair brushed, can you help her?”
Kelsey didn’t wait for an answer, just shoved the doll and brush into the little girl’s hands and turned past the father, offering a small smile. Grabbing the abandoned outfit from the rack she turned and carefully picked out the same clothes in Allie’s size.
“Allie?” She held them up. “Do you like these?”
Allie nodded vigorously and attempted to stand up in the cart. Kelsey held out a hand and shook her head. Allie promptly sat back down, but held her hands out for the clothes.
Kelsey turned back to the little dark-haired girl. “Would you like to try some on, too?”
She didn’t say ‘yes’, but neither did she protest, and Kelsey led the bunch through to the fitting rooms. Only as she walked in did she realize the father wasn’t allowed in the ladies’ fitting rooms. Kelsey started to explain, but he just shook his head.
“If you can find out if they fit, then you are light years beyond me.”
“Okay.” Kelsey felt as small as the word, but she plucked Allie then Daniel from the cart and reached out for the little girl’s hand. After a moment, there it was in her own. The little face was a little dirty, she noticed from up close, but she didn’t say anything. “What’s your name, honey?”
The answer came from behind her in a masculine voice lined with a deep sigh, “Andie.”
Kelsey felt her back stiffen. Not another Andy.
Her hand must have jerked, because the little hand belonging to little Andie grasped a little tighter.
With some resolve, she marched the three of them into the changing room and tried the clothes on the girls. As she had expected, little Andie bore no marks of abuse, just a need for a bath and new underwear. But she tried on the new clothes without much fuss, and Kelsey was pleased to see that the 5T size fit her perfectly.
“Look!” Allie jumped exuberantly in the new outfit, eyeing Andie and smiling that they were dressed alike.
“Let’s go show your Daddy.” Kelsey stood and walked out, three small children trailing her like ducks. Daniel solemn and sweet, Allie bubbly and charming, and Andie defiant as ever.
Her father stood outside the doors, his head leaned back against a mirrored column, looking like the day had worn him down. He snapped up at the sight of his daughter wearing clothes that fit. He gave an obvious sigh of relief. “They’re great.”
Kelsey smiled. One screaming fit averted for the day.
“Andie,” She choked the name out and then pushed through the rest pleasantly, “I think Allie is going to just wear her new outfit.” She reached down and pulled the tags off to ring them up when they left.
Andie motioned for her to do the same, but Kelsey pawned the job off on Daddy. “Can you stay out here with them? I’m going to go grab their old clothes.” She didn’t really wait for a reply. The pained expression on his face told her he was going to say ‘no’. So she simply smiled and didn’t let him.
Kelsey gathered small clothes in her arms, and then stepped back out, handing Andie’s dad the too-small clothes, and wadding up Allie’s. She helped her own kids back in the cart and turned to speak over her shoulder. “She needs new underwear, too.”
He panicked. “What size?”
“She was in fours, so sixes should do it. They’re right over there.” She shrugged and pointed. “The size 5T fit her great, so you can pretty much pick up anything else that size and not worry about trying it on.”
Again his shoulders worked through a sigh, and Kelsey felt a pang of pity for both of them. “Thank you.” He stuck out his hand, and gave her an odd look before shaking his head as though to clear the thought. “I’m JD. And I can’t tell you what a help you’ve been. How did you do it?”
She shook his hand hoping she looked nonchalant. She wasn’t getting into any of that with a perfect stranger. “I’m Kelsey. Good luck.”
She wheeled away thinking she needed a new seat cover in the car. She needed to replace one Daniel had ripped accidentally, and do it without upsetting him about the one he had ruined. He was sensitive that way, but no wonder.
She browsed the automotive aisle a few minutes before trying to furtively place the blue Hawaiian slip cover under the cart. But Daniel saw it and his lip began to tremble. At moments like these she prayed that she wasn’t seeing vestiges of his father. But the problem was either there or it wasn’t; she knew that from experience. No amount of hope or help could change those facts. So she smiled and made the best of it.
“I think we need to re-do the whole car. Maybe these ones with the frogs on them?” She pointed. At twenty bucks a pop they weren’t what she was planning on spending. But she could afford it. Just.
Daniel smiled. “They have lizards, too, can we get some of each?”
Allie spotted ladybugs and Kelsey smiled. So the car wouldn’t match. Those smiles were worth every penny. The four different covers were all black velvet, so Kelsey figured they wouldn’t embarrass her when she went to meetings.
Just before she buried it, she pulled out the shred of cardboard with the barcode for the doll and put it with the tags from Allie’s clothes. This trip had turned far more expensive than she planned.
Pushing the cart to the register, she mentally tallied how much they had spent and tried not to grimace. At least her kids were being well behaved.
What the hell. “Who wants to get pizzas?”
“Me!”
“Me, too!”
Allie jiggled like Jell-O with the prospect, and Kelsey made a mental note to strip off the new clothes before she handed over any pizza.
A few minutes later, Kelsey had tucked the bags and the pizzas into the cart, filled up the drinks, and headed out to the car. Once she had everyone buckled, she pulled out of the parking lot, the passenger seat loaded down with bags. It made her sad the seat didn’t have her own Andy in it.
“Mommy! My new shirt is pink.”
“Yes, baby, it’s pretty.” She answered Allie with a pre-packaged smile, grateful to be distracted from memories of Andrew.
“When we get home, can we put the new covers on the car seats?”
“Well, Daniel, I think we need to eat dinner first.”
Kelsey went back and forth with Daniel, trying to work out exactly when they could put the new covers on. She wasn’t sure quite when, but sometime during the conversation she noticed an old grey sedan following them. Andrew’s phrasing came to mind: an old Honda P.O.S. he’d always called them. Piece of shit. Kelsey had always argued in favor of any car that stayed on the road, functioning, for that long. But it figured—Andrew had never worried about money. He’d never understood it.
The Honda followed them through the next few turns, ratcheting Kelsey’s anxiety up a notch every time it stayed close behind. She had her kids with her.
She wouldn’t lead someone to her house. She considered driving on to the police station and made the decision just as she drove past her own garage.
They lived in the corner house, so she swung to the right, ready to head around the block, when she noticed that the Honda had pulled into the condos that stood on the corner just behind her house.
With a hiss of breath and a shake of her head, Kelsey cursed her own paranoia. It was only one of her neighbors. If she’d made any effort to get to know them better, she might very well have recognized the car and driver and never thought anything of it. Wasn’t that part of the reason she had moved here?
“Okay kids! Out!” She unlocked all the doors and helped Allie down and over to the sidewalk before grabbing the pizza.
“Why are we parked over here?” Daniel looked up with glassy eyes, worry shining bright.
“Oh, I just felt like it.”
He nodded, and traipsed off after Allie, only to both be called back. “Daniel, you can close your door, and everybody carries something.” The kids grumbled, but they knew the routine, and each picked up a bag and lugged it to the front door.
Kelsey juggled what she was holding and got the front door unlocked. Just as she was marching the kids inside, she heard her name.
She looked up to see JD from Target round the corner, wearing a true grin for the first time. “Kelsey? I thought you looked familiar.”