Pulled

by A. L. Jackson

  I started on dinner, and seconds later, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I reached for a towel, patting down my hands before digging the phone out to see the name on the screen. I grinned. “Hey, Katie. How are you?”

  Katie and I were still very close, though we didn’t get to spend as much time together as we would have liked. The last few years had been rough on her and Shane.

  Nicholas had been sentenced to only three months in jail for the assault and ordered to undergo anger management classes. To me, the penalty had seemed much too lenient, but in the end, it had cost him his company. During the months he was away, their clients steadily dropped off and no new contracts came in. People seemed unwilling to do business with a company that had Nicholas’s name attached to it. Nicholas had always been about image, and he was forced to leave Chicago where people knew him for who he truly was. He’d sold his portion of the company to Shane and left town without a trace.

  Shane had changed the company name and Katie went to work for him. Unfortunately, their first year was incredibly trying as they tried to salvage what was left of Shane’s years of hard work. He’d used all his profits from Daniel’s building to buy Nicholas out, and Katie and he had struggled to stay afloat. Not surprisingly, though, considering Shane’s work ethic and skill, it all paid off. By the time Katie gave birth to their son Jordan a little more than a year ago, the business was flourishing, and she was able to turn her duties over to a new office manager so she could stay home to raise their son.

  “I’m great, babe, how are—” She was cut off by the shrill cry of Jordan, obviously coming through a baby monitor. Her voice was somewhat muffled but still loud as she pulled the phone away from her mouth, yelling, “Shane, I’m on the phone. Get Jordan.” I was unable to restrain my giggle. Their house was screaming chaos every time I spoke with her, but it was a happy, loving chaos in which they all seemed to thrive.

  “Sorry,” she laughed under her breath. “Every time I pick up the phone, one of my boys suddenly needs me for something.”

  “No problem. Everything is good here, just making dinner.”

  “Good. So, Shane and I are taking Jordan to the zoo on Saturday and wanted to see if you guys might want to meet us?”

  “I’m sure Andrew would love that. What time?”

  “Noonish? Thought we could just get lunch there. Why don’t you see if Erin wants to tag along?” Erin had settled in a house just ten minutes from us, and we saw her at least a couple of times a week. She’d always show up unannounced, saying she needed to practice with my son for the children she hoped to have in the near future.

  “Sure. I’ll give her a—”

  The sound of something crashing in the background interrupted us. Shane yelled for help and Katie snapped, her voice no longer directed at me, “Seriously, Shane?” She grunted her mild annoyance into the phone. “I’ve gotta go, Melanie, Shane just made a huge mess. See you on Saturday?”

  “Yep, we’ll be there.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  “So guess what, Andrew,” I said, drawing his attention from the paper in front of him that was now nearly black from all of the different colors he’d mixed together.

  He looked up, excited by the tone in my voice. “What?”

  “That was Katie, and she asked if you wanted to go to the zoo with Jordan on Saturday. Does that sound like fun?”

  He nodded his head, emphasizing the movement. “Yes, I love the zoo, Momma.”

  I ruffled my hand through his curls and placed a kiss against his head. “Good, because I love the zoo, too.”

  With the sound of the garage door opening, Andrew jumped to his feet, squealing, “Daddy!” He grabbed the picture he’d colored and raced down the hall to meet his father at the door.

  My heart did its own little flip-flop, ever anxious for the reunion with its match. The door opened and Daniel’s voice echoed as it carried down the hall. “There’s my little man!” Shrill laughter and commotion followed as the daily round of tickling and loud, exaggerated kisses commenced. Loud steps hurried down the hall and Daniel shouted, his question obviously meant for me, “Where’s Mommy?”

  I hollered back, “Kitchen.”

  They rounded the corner and came into view. Andrew laughed hysterically as Daniel carried him upside down over the shoulder. Daniel’s face was alight with love, glowing with complete joy. “There she is.” His voice softened when he spoke, his words holding more meaning than any other could ever know. He stood before me, the energy thick, drawing me to the man I could never live without. He flipped Andrew and set him upright on the floor before he reached out to wrap his arms around my waist. He drew me into a closed-mouth, albeit fierce kiss.

  I grinned, my lips still pressed to his, and murmured, “I missed you too.”

  He nodded, smirking against my mouth, lingering for a second longer. He stepped away and took Andrew back into his arms. “So, what did you and Mommy do today?”

  Andrew proceeded to give Daniel a play-by-play of our entire day, his jumbled, sweet words clear to Daniel and me. He ended his speech by telling Daniel of our planned trip to the zoo this weekend.

  “The zoo! I can’t wait,” Daniel said, throwing Andrew into the air, an act I had long since given up telling him to be careful about.

  “Okay guys, dinner’s ready.” I took two of the plates I had already filled, and Daniel grabbed the special one for Andrew. We all settled around the table in the breakfast nook. Daniel’s hand found my knee, his thumb caressing over the fabric of my pants, distance for us never an option.

  “How was your day, baby?” He watched for my reaction as he speared a piece of chicken and placed it into his mouth.

  I really never had a bad day. Some were more stressful than others, but I had been given back my life, and I never let the small things skew that truth.

  “Perfect.”

  He grinned and shook his head, knowing exactly what I meant. He lived his life the very same way.

  “Oh,” I sputtered through my full mouth, chewing and swallowing my food. “I talked to my mom today, and everyone’s coming out for the Fourth of July.” Mom came out to visit often, but Mark and my sister had only been here a few times. I couldn’t wait to have the house filled with all of my family. In the past three years, we had all become very close. That piece of me had been lacking for so long, and I now found I couldn’t go long without seeing them.

  The only missing person had been my father. My chest tightened a little as I thought of him. Even though he had caused me so much pain, he was still my father, and I had been willing to forgive him. I had reached out on more than a few occasions, sending him an invitation to our wedding and cards with pictures of my family on every holiday. I had also left him numerous phone messages, trying to get in contact with him. He’d never replied.

  When he’d died last year of a sudden heart attack, I’d had to accept I would never reconcile our relationship. As angry as I was at him for being so prideful and unwilling to allow us to come to terms with our past mistakes, I would never deny that his death had been a huge blow.

  Daniel smiled and tightened his grip on my knee. “I can’t wait to see them too.”

  It had taken Daniel a while to forgive Mom, but after they’d had several heart-to-hearts and hashed out their past differences, they’d accepted that they had both been guilty of harming the other. Once they had resolved them, though, they’d become impossibly close.

  Andrew kept us entertained through the rest of dinner, making us laugh at every turn. His innocent insight into the world was something that left us feeling pure and hopeful for the future. Finished with dinner, Daniel rose to clear the dishes from the table and took them to the sink. “Why don’t you give Andrew his bath, and I’ll take care of these.”

  I nodded, released the straps of Andrew’s chair, and drew Andrew into my arms. “You ready for your bath, pumpkin?”

  Bathing him was hardly a chore. His little body was covered to his chest in bubbles an
d his face was my very light as he laughed and played in the warm water.

  Every moment with him was a treasure.

  My son.

  Never would I forget Eva, my precious girl I knew only in my heart, but she was there, ever present and forever a part of me. My love for her would never diminish and Andrew would never take her place, but he’d completely filled the gaping hole in my heart that had been reserved only for him. I’d longed for him my entire life; I just hadn’t known it until he made his undeniable claim on my heart.

  I massaged shampoo against his scalp and through his hair, carefully rinsing the suds away. I wrapped him in a towel, hugging him to me as I walked him to his room and dressed him for his night of sleep. I drew the covers down, and he crawled into his small bed.

  Daniel appeared in the doorway, smiling at us. He snuggled in beside me, and we took turns reading our son his favorite poems. Andrew’s eyes drooped more and more with each rhyme we sang. When his lids began to flutter, I closed the book and leaned in, kissing him reverently on his forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

  He yawned and rubbed his eyes with tiny fists. “Night, Mommy. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Daniel scooted in, nuzzling Andrew’s neck before kissing him on the cheek. “Goodnight, little man.”

  Nearing sleep, Andrew muttered, “Goodnight, Daddy,” through very tired lips.

  We both stood and Daniel tucked him in, making sure he would be warm for the night. I switched off his lamp and flicked on his night-light.

  Daniel and I lingered in his doorway, holding each other while we watched our son drift into a deep, restful sleep. His little body rose and fell with each breath he took. I spoke quietly against Daniel’s chest, “He’s so beautiful.”

  Daniel drew me in, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Perfect.” He leaned in closer and whispered against my ear, “Just like you.”

  His words brought a rush of heat, the fire ignited as his lips traveled from my ear to my mouth. Immediately, my body reacted to his touch. Every touch, every day, always the same. The need never dimmed.

  He stepped back, pulling me into the hallway and pressing me against the wall. He held my face in his hands as he gazed down at me. His eyes filled with adoration and longing, his desire palpable in the energy traveling from his fingertips as they cupped the curve of my jaw.

  His voice became rough as his need grew. “Melanie.” He crashed into me, mouth and hands and body and soul. He tugged and pulled at the collar of my shirt seeking more. I hummed against his mouth as I rushed through the buttons on his shirt, just as anxious to feel him as he was to feel me. No barriers.

  He groaned, grasping my hand and dragging me across the hall to our room, quick to shut the door behind us. He rushed back to me, his kiss forceful. We shed our clothes as we danced our way across this sanctuary that was ours alone.

  He wrapped me in his arms and spun us, sinking back onto the bed. His hands gripped my hips as he looked up to me, his gaze filled with intense love that would never lessen. Our connection was not one that could be severed or used up. Our souls were one as our hands and bodies became twisted and entwined, our own existence—a single creation.

  He called through hushed breaths, “Melanie,” his rapture so much more than physical. “My love.” And I spoke his name, “Daniel.” A statement, a definition. My life.

  I watched my husband, this beautiful man, his eyes drawing me deep into the currents that flowed where our souls met, to the place where we were healed, to the place where we were free. No longer was there the pain, the loss, the suffocating hurt. Now there was life and peace and contentment, all found in this flawless love. What we’d endured had cost us so much, so much I’d never thought I’d survive.

  When I look back now, though, I would never change it. There had always been a reason, and I would never regret where the path had led.

  Here, loved by this man, his body burning into mine, our spirits consumed by a fire that could never be quelled.

  Here, where our son slept peacefully in the room across the hall.

  Here, where we were home.

  Here, where we’d been Pulled.

  Read on for a sneak peak at A.L. Jackson’s latest Come to Me Quietly

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading Pulled. I truly hope you enjoyed it! If you did, I would be completely honored if you would leave a short review on Amazon. Those reviews are the best kind of support you can give an author, and I am so thankful for every single one!

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  All the best ~

  Amy

  A. L. Jackson

  More From New York Times Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson

  Lost to You ~ http://bit.ly/ltykindle

  Take This Regret ~ http://bit.ly/ttrkindle

  If Forever Comes ~ http://bit.ly/ifckindle

  When We Collide ~ http://bit.ly/wwckindle

  Come to Me Quietly

  Prologue

  Dashed lines blur until they become a solid line. My bones vibrate from the thousands of miles I’ve spent straddling this leather seat, the muscles in my right arm screaming from the hours my hand has been locked on the throttle.

  But I don’t stop. I can’t, and I don’t know why. Something in my gut spurs me forward. I plough ahead.

  Hot air blasts my face and my hair thrashes in uncontrolled chaos.

  I bite back a bitter laugh.

  Uncontrolled chaos. That’s exactly how they described me.

  The desert sky goes on forever, an ocean of the deepest blue. The city rises like a beacon in the distance. Because I am drawn.

  What am I doing?

  There is nothing here for me. I know it. I’ve already destroyed it all. I destroy everything I touch.

  Still, I can do nothing but press on.

  Chapter 1

  Aleena

  I was propped up on my bed with my sketch pad balanced on my bent knees. Megan was doing her best not to laugh from where she sat cross-legged at the end of my bed, bouncing.

  “Hold still,” I commanded, biting my bottom lip as I attempted to get her mouth just right. The shading was difficult, and I wanted it perfect. Megan had the most genuine smile of any person I’d ever met. I refused to mess it up.

  “But I have to pee,” she whined. She bounced a little harder. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she released this hysterical laugh as she rolled off the edge of my bed. “I’ll be right back.”

  With a groan, I tossed my sketch pad to the bed. “You’re such a pain in my ass, Megan,” I called after her as she ran out my door and across the hall to the bathroom. She’d gotten up to pee at least three times in the last hour. The girl could not sit still to save her life.

  “That’s why you love me so much,” she yelled back.

  The bathroom door slammed behind her, and I picked the pad back up to study it.

  Megan’s striking face stared back at me, smiling, her normally long blonde hair traced in shades of charcoal, her normally blue eyes wide and black.

  She’d been my best friend since she moved here from Rhode Island during our sophomore year of high school almost five years ago. I loved drawing her because she was so different than the typical model who offered themselves up. She was short, just shy of the 5’2” mark, wore her curves well, and had the most unique face. It was somehow both sweet and curious, this constant expression that made me think of innocence trying to work itself out.

  She still lived with her parents in the same neighborhood where I’d grown up, just two streets over from my old house where my parents and younger brother still lived. She hung out here a lot at t
he apartment that I’d shared with my older brother, Christopher, since I graduated from high school two years ago. Christopher and I both went to ASU, and our apartment was near the campus. I was going to school to be a nurse, but God, sometimes I wished I could do something with my art. I knew it was absurd, that there was little chance that anything would come of it. That didn’t mean I didn’t want it.

  She was grinning when she came back less than two minutes later.

  “Feel better?”

  “Oh yeah.” Climbing back onto the bed, she crawled forward to steal a peek.

  I hid the pad against my chest.

  “Let me see.” She reached out and tried to grab it.

  I shook my head and held it closer. “You know the rules.”

  “I know, I know.” She sat back. No one ever got to see. No one except for me.

  From the floor, Megan’s phone rang in her purse. She leaned over to dig it out. When she rose back up, excitement had transformed her expression. “It’s him,” she mouthed to me as she accepted the call and brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

  Turning back to my sketch, I tried not to smile while I listened to her talk to Sam. She’d been chasing that guy for the last month, ever since she hung out with him at a party our friend Calista had thrown in May to celebrate the end of last semester. One kiss and she was hooked. I wasn’t so sure he felt the same.

  “Yeah. . .we can come. . .okay, see you there.”

  She dropped her phone to bed and squealed.

  Oh God. Megan didn’t squeal. She was in trouble.

  “Sounds like you have a date tonight?” I muttered, my attention trained on the motion of my hand.

  “Not me, we,” she countered. “Sam is having a party tonight, and he wants us to come. I can’t believe he actually called,” she said, obviously talking to herself. “Two weeks and no word from him. I was beginning to think he was going to ditch me.”