Lost Until You (The Sorrentino Brothers Series Book 1)

by Grant, J. R.

  “Yeah. I think we can help you start searching again, except this time hopefully you’ll have better luck.”

  I must have missed the point there because I was muddled. “Why do you think? That I’ll have better luck, I mean,”

  “Because Stone has been known to track down people who have been unreachable for years. Just ask Brix to show you his file,” she insisted before continuing. “That’s why he mentioned it to me. Apparently, when Brix asked Stone to come on board, Brix knew he was good but not this good. Stone’s done several missing person cases, a handful of stuff for most wanted individuals with warrants and crap, but the majority of his PI cases have been finding birth families.”

  “Oh, my God.” I threw my hand over my mouth. “Do you really think he can help me? I mean, I have nothing to go off. Nothing other than the day I was born and the location of the hospital. That’s it. That’s all I have.”

  Tanya pulled out her phone, dialing Stone’s number. Scooting toward me, she placed it on speaker, waiting as it rang.

  “Yeah.”

  “Hey, it’s T. Remember what you and Brix talked about the other night?”

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “I was just telling Jazz what we all talked about the other night with finding her birth family. Here,” she handed me the phone. “Tell her what you told us, Stone.”

  “Hey, Stone,” I said into the speaker.

  “Hey, girl. You good?”

  I smiled at his possessiveness. Stone had been Brax’s best friend since they were kids. Ever since Brax and I became a couple, Stone had turned into a big protector of mine. I still think Brax had him watching me over the years even though he swore it wasn’t true. However, I secretly loved it anyway. Stone was a great guy and totally swoon-worthy to drool over, so I didn’t mind one bit. Being around all those dark-haired guys forever, it was nice to look at a handsome blond for a change.

  “I’m great, actually, how about you?”

  “Can’t complain, babe…All right, so…Brix called, asking if I could help you find out any information regarding your birth family. He said you didn’t know anything other than your mom passed away and your father was unknown. Is that correct?”

  I nodded my head even though he couldn’t see me. I was starting to become a nervous wreck, but I wasn’t sure why. I knew better than to get my hopes up, but still, I couldn’t believe what Tanya and Stone were offering me.

  “Yes, she passed away after having me. That’s all I know regarding my mom. Apparently, my father was there for the birth but didn’t sign the birth certificate. Marla, one of my caseworkers, said once they pronounced my mom dead, my dad left the hospital and never returned. I’m unaware of anything else.”

  Stone asked a few more questions, including the correct spelling of my first, middle, and last name, my blood type, and the date and location where I was born. After writing everything down, he promised to get back to me sometime in the next few days.

  I didn’t know how I felt about everything. All my life I had wondered about my birth parents. I wanted to know what they looked like, where they lived, what they enjoyed doing. But now that it was all out in the open, I was having doubts, major doubts, about whether I wanted to stir up havoc in my life again.

  It was extremely hard on me as a child not knowing any family. While others at the group home had knowledge of who their blood family were, I had none. It was just me against the world.

  Maybe it was just my nerves getting the best of me. I had been pushed around regarding my situation as a child, so I was feeling a little conflicted. Either way I looked at it, only time would tell. I knew better than to get my hopes up, anyway. I could only pray I would stay strong, regardless of the outcome. But knowing me, this was going to be hard, no matter what kind of response Stone got.

  Chapter Six

  Brax

  <>Present<>

  Peeking through the door, I tiptoed across the room, stopping at the front of Savanah’s crib. Leaning down, I pushed her hair to the side of her forehead and gave my little girl a kiss.

  “Sweet dreams, Angel.”

  Pulling her blanket up, I closed the door, leaving it cracked behind me.

  The lights were out in our bedroom, but the TV was still on. Jazz was laying on top of the covers sound asleep. I grabbed a pair of sweats and some boxers and made my way into the bathroom. Turning on the water, I stripped out of my clothes, climbing inside the porcelain tub, allowing the beads of hot water to soak my skin. As I lathered up the soap and washed myself clean, I ran through everything that needed to be done this upcoming weekend.

  I had promised Jazz I would take her to the movies to see The Fault in Our Stars. It wasn’t something I felt like doing, but I would suck it up and go anyway. Jazz had me wrapped around her little finger. I wasn’t afraid to admit it.

  A happy wife equaled a happy life, and I’d be damned if my girl didn’t run the show. She never asked for much. Jazz wasn’t the needy type, but when she said she wanted something, I did my best to give it to her no matter how much I didn’t feel like it.

  Jazz was my life. If I could move Heaven and Earth to see my girl smile, I would drop everything, any time of the day, doing what I needed to do. Nothing compared to her. She was my everything.

  **

  “Dadadadadadaaa…….” Something hit the back of my head, forcing my eyes open.

  “Momomomomommommmmmm……” Tiny little fingers gripped my hair.

  “Stop it, baby. You’re gonna hurt Daddy,” Jazz told our daughter, and then lifted her off my back.

  I rolled over, and came face to face with two of the most beautiful girls in the world.

  “Morning, handsome.” Jazz leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  I cupped my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her mouth toward mine and kissing her soft sweet lips.

  “Morning, beautiful.” I gave her another peck then released my hold around her.

  I pulled Savanah out of Jazz’s arms and sat her down on top of my stomach, holding my hands behind her back.

  “Morning, Angel.” I kissed Savanah’s cheek, making a loud, puckering sound.

  She giggled, pushing my face away. “Dadadadadadaaaa….”

  “Daddy’s up, baby. Daddy’s up.” I pulled the pillow behind me and propped my head up.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up last night? I told you we needed to talk?” Jazz asked as she moved around the bedroom.

  “I don’t know. You looked cozy, so I just hopped in the shower and went to sleep. Why? What’s wrong?”

  She sat down in the rocker and looked at me. “When Tanya pulled me out front, she called Stone.” Looking at her confused, she sees my uncertainty and then continues, “He said he could help me find my birth family.”

  “Really? That’s great, baby.”

  Jazz smiled, showing me how excited she was. “I know. I’m thrilled, but a part of me is scared, B. What if my dad doesn’t want anything to do with me? What if Stone tracks him down and he’s some psycho monster or something?”

  My girl had always looked for the worst in people. I couldn’t blame her, though. If I had lived the life she did, I would probably feel the same way.

  “It’ll be fine,” I insisted. “Let Stone do his job and when the time comes, I’ll hold your hand and walk you through every step of the way.”

  I could see her eyes glow from across the room. I knew Jazz wanted this to happen for years, but she gave up after being shot down so many times as a kid. It pissed me off to no end hearing what all she had been through. And the day we promised each other forever, I vowed to never let her go without again. But if finding her birth family meant that much to Jazz, then I would do my best to help her get through it, no matter what the outcome may be.

  “Oh. I forgot to ask you.” She stood up, stretching her arms. “Who was that guy last night?”

  “Who, Parker?”

  “Hell if I know, B. The guy who came over. He just showed up and yo
u let him in without introducing us. I just thought it was kind of weird. I mean, you’ve never done that before.”

  I sat Savanah on the bed, pushing her back against the pillow. “It was Parker Johnson, baby. He owns Ocean City Accounting Firm. You don’t remember him? He does our taxes and my business payroll.”

  Jazz turned around and threw her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God. That was Parker? But he looked so different,” she announcd, conflicted. “Great. Now I feel like an ass, looking at him like he had ten heads. Oh, my God…where has he been?”

  “From my understanding, he and Lani got married and bought a house in Fenwick. They have a little girl now, probably around Savanah’s age, maybe a year older.”

  “Lani Foster? As in Kade Foster’s ex-wife?”

  I nodded my head. “That’s what I heard; Kade hooked up with Parker’s ex, Jules, knocking her up, and then left Lani and the boys to take care of Jules. Shit’s crazy, baby.”

  Jazz walked out of the room and then came back with a basket of laundry. She dumped it on the bed and started folding the towels.

  “Parker’s on our fantasy football league again this year. He mentioned stopping by when I called his office the other day to add a new employee to the payroll, but I hadn’t heard back from him. I’m sure he just wanted to see our house. I’ve done my share of bragging over the last year.”

  Jazz rolled her eyes. “Conceited much?”

  I pulled her by the arms, while Savanah giggled, yanking Jazz’s body up to where we’re seated.

  “I have every right to be conceited and it all starts with the two of you.” I leaned forward and kissed her nose.

  She pushed her body up and continued folding the towels. “So, what are we doing today?”

  Ah-ha. There was a test. See? I had been waiting for it. My girl wanted to see if I had forgotten about taking her to the movies. The question was, should I play along and act dumb? Or should I give in and make her happy? A little bit of both sounded good, but I admit, I loved when my girl got all feisty and shit. The sex was better with Jazz when she was hot and flustered.

  “What’d you have in mind?” I played it off coolly.

  She stacked the folded towels back in the hamper, and then set them on the floor. Crossing her arms over her chest, my beautiful wife gave me the evil eye.

  Oh boy, here we go…

  “You forgot, didn’t you?”

  I tried to contain my laughter, but the look on her face was priceless. Instead, I picked Savanah up and grabbed her sippy cup from beside her. “Fine. I’m going to hang out with my little angel. At least she appreciates me.”

  I walked out of our room, leaving Jazz to ponder what the fuck just happened. Good. Maybe I would get a little bit of action when it was all said and done.

  Fuck. I hoped so.

  I made my way into the kitchen and sat Savanah in her highchair. “Eat…eat….” She clapped her hands, repeating her words.

  “That’s right, Angel. Daddy’s gonna fix my girl a mean breakfast.”

  I buckled her in and set down her cup before grabbing a box of crackers out from the cabinet. I opened the package, breaking two up at a time, and then handed her a few pieces.

  “One at a time like Daddy showed you.”

  Savanah smiled up at me and chomped on the crackers while I pulled out the eggs, bacon and sausage from the fridge and started up the stove.

  Breakfast didn’t take long to cook. By the time I fixed our plates and called Jazz’s name, she stormed into the kitchen with wet hair, sitting down next to Savanah.

  “Momomomom……….” Savanah said with a mouth full of food.

  “You ready, baby girl?”

  Savanah clapped her hands, excited to eat some more. She might have only weighed seven pounds when she was born, but at her one-year-old check-up, she weighed in at little over twenty. My angel loved to eat.

  Jazz snatched Savanah’s plate out of my hands, smashing up the eggs then laid them out on her tray. I poured us some OJ and sat across from both of them.

  “You know…if you didn’t want to take me, you should’ve just said something. I’m sure I could’ve asked Kelly. I know she would have gone,” Jazz said without looking up at me. “But now I’m stuck, because Bray’s home for the weekend and she’s going out with him instead.”

  “Take you where, baby?”

  Yup, she was pissed. I just got a death glare. I had better ‘fess up or shut up before I got my ass kicked.

  “Never mind,” she ignored my question.

  I reached across the table for her hand. “Hey.”

  She ignored my plea, pulling her arm back as she continued eating.

  “I was just joking, baby.”

  Jazz still ignored me.

  We finished eating breakfast in uncomfortable silence, while I kicked myself in the ass for being a dick.

  No fun and games were happening on this Saturday. My girl was pissed.

  **

  She won. Jazz always won. That wasn’t really a surprise. After giving in to my pouty face, Jazz got ready while I played with Savanah in the living room.

  We went into Rehoboth Beach and caught a two-thirty matinee, seeing The Fault in Our Stars. I had gained some experience in my marriage and learned that with my wife, you either shut up or give up. And since I wasn’t one to give up anything, I guess I would have to continue suffering through those chick flicks as long as my beautiful wife made me. After all, she ruled the house, regardless of what I said. There was no use in fighting it.

  I was one whipped sonuvabitch.

  Chapter Seven

  Brax

  “It’s good to see you, man.” I stepped inside the door and gave Brody a hug. It had been a while since my brother was back in town.

  “You too, B,” Brody returned the hug, slapping my back.

  We were at my parents’ house for dinner. It was something we had done every Sunday for as far back as I could remember. With all of the kids grown and out of the house, our family gatherings gave Ma a reason to cook a big meal again without hearing Dad’s mouth complaining about making him fat. That man would bitch about the color of the sky if he were given the opportunity. I suppose that was what old age did to you because he had never been this grumpy before. My dad had always been a funny, laid-back kind of guy. But this man, I didn’t know who the hell he was sometimes.

  “There’s my sexy twin,” Jazz squealed, shoving me out of the way and jumping into Brody’s arms. “How are you?”

  He pulled back and kissed Jazz’s cheek, looking her over. I stood to the side with my eyes glued to my brother’s hands. I was pretty sure you could hear my loud growl through the living room. Brody better watch it. I would set his ass straight in a heartbeat. That was my girl.

  “I’ve been good but busy. Trying to stay ahead of the game,” Brody replied, glancing over at me, leering.

  “Something funny?” I crossed my arms over my chest ready to pounce his ass. I meant it. Brody might have been in better shape from playing ball right now, but I wouldn’t hesitate to whoop his ass if he kept messing with my wife.

  Like a dick, he leaned down and swooped Jazz off the ground, turning her in a circle. I knew he did that shit just to piss me off. He might have been my brother, but he was still an asshole.

  Jazz laughed hysterically, thinking it was all fun and games. Just wait. She was in for it tonight if she kept that shit up.

  “It’s you, B. You act like I want your girl or something. Jazz is family, man. Calm the fuck down.”

  “Keep your hands to yourself. Then I’ll calm down,” I demanded in a God-fearing tone.

  One day that fucker would learn. When you had a prized possession like my wife, you didn’t want anyone’s paws near your girl. Not even your twin brother. That was a fact.

  I ignored the two of them mumbling to one another and picked up the car seat while Savanah stayed asleep, making my way into the kitchen.

  “I thought I heard my boy.” Ma wiped her h
ands on her apron then pulled it over her head. “Come here.”

  I set the car seat on the table and walked around the island, pulling her into my arms.

  “It’s good to see you, sweetie. How was the drive?”

  “Not too bad,” I kissed her cheek and then grabbed a chip out of the bowl, popping it in my mouth. “The fog was the worst part, but the roads aren’t slick yet. I don’t think it’s icy. Just wet snow.”

  “That’s good. I hope the ground stays warm so it doesn’t freeze over before you kids head home. If not, it looks like it’ll be a sleepover at grandmas.” She lifted her hands and did some kind of dance or whatever the hell you wanted to call it. Leave it to Amelia to try to sucker us into staying the night. Ma would do anything she could to have all of us kids home again.

  The front door opened and everyone hollered vociferously. “Brix is here,” Ma and I said at the same time.

  My cousin never knew when to shut the hell up. I swore he needed hearing aids. Since we were little, Brix had always been outspoken, no matter where we were. And if you tried to tell him to be quiet, he would talk louder. I didn’t know if he did that shit on purpose, but God help him when he decided to have kids. They would never be able to sleep with his big mouth in the same house.

  Almost on cue, Savanah started fussing in her seat. I walked over to the table and unbuckled her seatbelt, pulling her out. “Did my angel have a good nap?” I slid her jacket off and held her in my arms.

  Ma followed me over to the baby and waited until I was done before taking Savanah out of my arms and showering her face full of kisses.

  “Come to Nana, sweetie. Let Daddy get settled and relax.”

  Just like grandma’s touch, Savanah calmed down as Ma walked her into the living room. I grabbed her bottle and sippy cup out of the diaper bag, and placed them in the fridge before following behind them.

  “What’s going on, brother?” Brix reached out his hand.

  “Nothing much.”

  “Ma, when’s dinner done?” Brayden shocked us all when he peeked his head around the corner.