Love Song Series Box Set

by Emily Minton

  “Yes, she does, and so does Bethany.”

  My eyes instinctively move across the crowd, seeking out Bethany. It takes a few seconds, but when I finally find her, my heart starts to race. She’s the woman I’ve been dreaming of for nearly nine years, since the day Julie sent me the first picture of her new friend.

  “Hmmm…” I mumbled, not sure what else to say.

  When it comes to Bethany, I never know what to say. She’s a complete fucking enigma to me. From the second I saw that picture of her, I wanted her with an intensity that I still don’t understand. I had never felt anything like it in my life. For years, I thought she was going to be my future. I had it all planned out. I would finish my time in the Army; then I’d make her mine. My plans changed the day I found out the truth about my sister’s marriage.

  “I don’t think she has ever been truly happy a day in her life.”

  I’m watching as Shane steps beside her. As they start to talk, I have to fight the urge to rush over there and pull him the fuck away from her. He has no right to talk to her. She’s mine, has been mine for years; he needs to leave her the hell alone. But I stay planted in my seat, knowing that I can’t have her.

  I stayed away from Julie, not visiting during my down time. I knew the life I was living wouldn’t be good on a relationship, and I knew that if I ever met Bethany, there would be no way I could let her go, so I stayed away. Because of that, I didn’t know what kind of monster my baby sister was married to. I didn’t protect her.

  I look over to Kris and shrug, trying to appear calm. “She looks pretty happy to me.”

  “He likes her. He has for a while.”

  “He can get over it.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

  “Why should he?” she says with a shrug. “She needs a good guy, someone that isn’t ashamed of the way he feels about her.”

  As always, Kristen sees right through me. This time, though, she isn’t seeing to the heart of the matter. I’m not ashamed of Bethany; I’m ashamed of myself. I lost all focus on what was important, keeping Julie safe, and because of that, Julie was hurt. I can’t ever forgive myself for letting all that shit happen to her, and being around Bethany just reminds me of my failure.

  “I’m not ashamed of anything,” I lie right to her face.

  “Then why are you over here, while she’s over there?”

  I should lie to her again, should tell her to mind her own fucking business, but this is Kris. She’s my sister in everything but blood, so she knows me. She’ll figure it all out soon enough, so I tell her a half truth. “She’s that bastard’s sister.”

  As much as I want Bethany, a huge part of me can’t get over the fact that she shares blood with the man that nearly killed my sister. Even worse, she should have told Julie what a monster he was. She should have warned her to stay away from him.

  “Yep, she is. Not sure what that has to do with you fighting whatever this is you feel for her.”

  Just like I thought, she saw right through my bullshit. “She was supposed to be Julie’s friend. Instead, she led her right to the man that ruined her life.”

  “What?” she asks in voice just below a shout.

  “Bethany should have warned Julie.”

  “She did,” Kris says, leaning forward to poke a finger into my chest. “She tried to warn us all, but we wouldn’t listen.”

  “She didn’t do a very good job,” I reply with a shake of my head.

  “I honestly think she did the best she could. There were some things that Bethany just couldn’t tell us.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Kris looks past my shoulder, her eyes full of pain. “Dean hurt Bethany just as bad as he did Julie, maybe worse.”

  “He’s her brother,” I state the obvious. Brothers don’t hurt their sisters. They protect them.

  “Yeah, he is. The same brother that has abused her since the moment she was born. Watch her. It won’t take long for you to figure out how,” she says in a near whisper, her voice filled with anguish.

  That one sentence causes bile to rise up in my throat. It couldn’t be what I think she means, could it? “What do you mean by that?”

  Do I even want to know? My gut is telling me that once I find out, I’ll never be the same. Not only had I failed Julie, but I didn’t protect Bethany either.

  “She hates to be touched, especially by men. The only man she will even let near her is Jase, and I think that is only because she thinks of him as her protector.” Her eyes slowly move back to mine. “When we were roommates, I knew someone had hurt her, but I never even imagined it was her brother.”

  “No, way. No, fucking way. A brother doesn’t do shit like that.”

  Kris’s eyes narrow before she leans forward and places her face merely inches from mine. “He does if he’s a monster.”

  My eyes fly back to Bethany just as Shane leads her to the makeshift dance floor. “I have to talk to her.”

  Finally stepping back, she looks over her shoulder. “If you hurt her, I’ll never forgive you. I’ll always love you, brother, but I’ll never respect you again.”

  I already had, but I plan to fix that right now. “I won’t. She will never be hurt again.”

  The End

  Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

  Broken

  Love Song Series #2

  By: Emily Minton and Dawn Martens

  Prologue

  Bethany

  10 Years Old

  Tears stream down my face as I sit in the dark closet clutching my favorite stuffed puppy to my chest. I know I’m too old for it now, but sometimes it helps to keep my nightmares away, even the ones that come when I’m still awake.

  I’m scared, so afraid, of what is waiting for me on the other side of the door. I want out of this tiny cramped space so bad, but I’m afraid of what will happen when I finally get out. I don’t want my brother to hurt me anymore, and he will if he lets me out before Mom and Dad get home.

  I place my ear to the door, and I can faintly hear Dean playing a video game in his bedroom. He’s always playing on his games, and he gets really mad if I bother him, so I do my best to never bug him. Today, I made the mistake of walking down the hallway while he was playing. The sound of my footsteps was enough to set him off, so I’m stuck in the closet until he decides I’ve been punished enough.

  This isn’t the first time I’ve been stuck in here, not even close. It seems I spend more time inside my closet than out. The first time it happened, I was only five. I made the mistake of telling my kindergarten teacher about it. After being punished by my mother and Dean, I promised that I would never tell anyone anything that happened at home ever again.

  I kept my promise, though some days I wish I’d never made it, especially right now. I place my ear against the cool wooden door again and hold my breath so I can listen for any sounds or movements in the other room. I don’t hear Dean’s game anymore, and I’m praying that he must have gone downstairs to get something to eat.

  My stomach starts to rumble at the thought of food. I was on my way downstairs to get breakfast when Dean shoved me in the closet. The way my stomach aches, it’s probably after lunchtime by now, and I’m really hungry.

  My heart pounds and all thoughts of eating disappear when I hear a shuffling sound coming near. I place my ear against the door again and strain to hear any type of movement coming from outside. After a few scary minutes pass, I hear Dean’s footsteps pass by. Willing myself to calm down, I curl up into a ball and close my eyes. I’m just about to fall to sleep when the door to the closet flies open.

  I look up into the blinding light from the outside world and see that Dean is standing at the entrance smiling at me. The look on his face is anything but happy; it’s cruel and scary. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I know for sure it will not be good.

  “Come on, Sis,” he says as he reaches down and pulls me off the floor. “You and I are going to g
o have some fun.”

  As he leads me down the hall, toward his room, I look over my shoulder to the open closet door. It doesn’t look so scary anymore; it looks like the safest place in the world.

  Chapter One

  Bethany

  29 Years Old

  I’m standing at the front of the church when I hear the wedding march start. A huge smile spreads across my face as I see my best friend, Julie, walk through the church doors. My eyes instantly move to her groom, Jase. He’s wearing a look of awe, mouth hanging open and eyes shining brightly, as he watches her walk up the aisle. Looking back at her, I can’t blame him. My friend is literally glowing.

  She is beyond beautiful in her white satin wedding dress. Her gorgeous dark brown hair is pulled up into a twisted knot on the back of her head. She even has small white roses woven throughout it, making the simple style look exotic. I look down to her feet, noticing the bright red peep toe heels, and my smile grows. Only Julie could pull off wearing them with that dress.

  Looking back at Jase, I feel warmth start to spread throughout my chest. Love for him, love for Julie, and love for their children fills me to almost bursting. I’m so happy for them, so glad they’re finally getting their happily ever after, and even happier their family will finally be complete.

  They’ve been through so much; death, cheating, an unplanned pregnancy, and my psychotic brother. They fought their way through it all and came out smiling. Thank God! I’m jerked out of my reminiscing when I hear the preacher ask, “Who here gives this woman to this man?”

  “I do,” comes from a gravelly voice that I have never heard in person before, one that sends a shiver down my spine.

  For some reason, I’m afraid to look. I just know that turning my head will change my life forever, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for that. After a moment’s hesitation, I look to the man holding Julie’s arm. When I do, my entire world spins.

  Brandon Walker, Julie’s brother, is here. He is the man I’ve been dreaming of for the last nine years, the man I have waited my entire life to meet. He’s been in the military and has spent most of his time overseas, and because of that, he was never around. I’ve seen pictures, read his letters to Julie, and even peeked at him a time or two during his Skype calls to Julie and Jenny. But nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to the vision of him standing in front of me.

  I’ve always known he was handsome, extremely handsome, but standing in front of me, he’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s a big guy, huge really. I would guess he’s a few inches over six feet, towering over my five foot two frame. Even through his black suit, I can see the ripples in his arms that let me know his body is layered with muscles beneath the fabric of his suit.

  Of course, he has the same blue eyes that everyone in the Walker family seems to have, a bright sapphire color that shines in a nearly ethereal way. His hair reminds me of melted caramel, a mixture of blonde and brown that seems to make up the perfect shade. There’s a jagged scar running from his temple to the bottom of his jaw, making him appear hard and almost unapproachable.

  He was part of a special ops team that seemed to always be on some secret assignment, but that all changed this past winter when the Humvee he was riding in hit a roadside bomb. He was critically injured; an injury that led to the end of his military career. The same injury gave him the scar.

  Even with the injury, he is still shockingly beautiful. I swear, I could stare at him for hours, which is exactly what I’m doing when my eyes focus back on to his face, and I see a smile cross his lips. I look up to his eyes, and he winks at me. I can feel a blush cross my face as I quickly jerk my eyes toward Jase and Julie, where they stay until they say their ‘I dos’.

  As soon as the preacher announces them man and wife, Brandon makes his way over to me. Without saying a word, he grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the door. A moment of fear flashes in my mind before I grab onto the knowledge that this is Julie’s brother. This is my Brandon, the same man I have been secretly pining after for years. “Where are you taking me?

  He looks down at me with a smile on his face, never missing a step. “Outside.”

  He doesn’t expand on his explanation, just continues to weave his way around the people still standing around the church. As soon as we step outside of the door, I pull my hand from his and face him. “Why did you bring me out here?”

  He shoots me a sexy smile that I’m sure has caused many panties to magically hit the floor. “I’m heading over to Pop’s. Figured I’d take you with me.”

  “Why?” I ask in a whisper, wondering what in the heck is going on. This is not at all how I envisioned our first meeting would go.

  “I want to get to know you. That’d be hard if I left you behind.”

  “You want to know me?” I ask, becoming confused. He knows me, doesn’t he? He has to know who I am. I’ve heard Julie talk to him about me hundreds of times. I know she’s sent pictures of us together, so he has to know me.

  “Oh yeah. I want to know every inch of you.”

  Brandon’s words send a chill down my spine, my fear spiking to an almost uncountable level. “I… I don’t know.”

  “Don’t be scared, baby. We’ll start with your lips before we move on to the rest of your sexy body.”

  No one has ever talked to me like that; at least, no one that I wanted has. Dean’s sexually charged words always caused me to be sick, both mentally and physically. Just hearing the word ‘baby’ makes my heart race. However, there is something about the way Brandon says it that makes me feel safe. Hearing him call me baby causes my heart to race in a completely different way.

  I know that I’ve just met him, but I feel like I’ve known him forever. He’s my dream man; the man I fell in love with just by reading the words he wrote to his sister. How can I walk away from him? I take a second to think about what leaving with him will mean. Am I ready to be with a man in that way? I don’t know, especially when I’m nothing more than a broken shell of a woman. Actually, I have never thought about being with anyone at all, but moving to Cromwell is supposed to be my new start, so maybe I need to truly embrace being a new person.

  I look up into Brandon’s beautiful blue eyes, and my doubt starts to fade. I can do this; I can go with him. Nodding my head in consent, I try my best to smile at him, but I think it comes out more like a grimace. “Okay, I’ll go to Pop’s with you.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.”

  Without hesitation, I nod my head. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  He takes my hand and slowly leads me to his truck. Walking along with Brandon triggers a reaction deep inside of me and causes my brother’s face to pop up into the forefront of my mind. Dean was an evil person. No the word ‘person’ is too nice for what he was; he was a monster for what he did to me and Julie.

  I’ll never be able to hand over one of the most precious gifts that a woman can give her lover; my monster of a brother took that from me when I was just a child. A shiver runs through my body as I recall the damage Dean inflicted upon my body, poisoning my soul. I try in vain to shake the thought of him away, but no matter what I do, his face is all I see.

  Before I know it, we’re a few steps away from Brandon’s massive truck, and as soon as we get near it, he pushes me against the passenger side door. Even though it causes me no pain, the quick movement makes my heart take off in a gallop.

  “You are so fucking beautiful,” he says, looking directly into my eyes. “I want nothing more than to kiss you.”

  “Uhmm...” I am so tongue tied that I have no idea how to respond.

  “Are you okay with this? If not, I can take you back inside.”

  I shake my head, not wanting to leave him just yet. Somehow, I work up the courage to look him in the eye. Slowly the words, my dreams, come bubbling out. “I want you to kiss me.”

  His eyes rest on mine for just a moment before he lifts his hands to my jaw. “Only if you’re okay with
it. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want.”

  I know he can see my fear, and that is the last thing I want. Squaring my shoulders, I lift my chin and look back at him. “I would love for you to kiss me.”

  Without saying another word, he brings his mouth to mine. His quickness catches me off guard, igniting something deep inside of my belly. I let out a small whimper at the initial contact before relaxing into his body and letting him take control. His lips feel so good, so soft but rough at the same time.

  Suddenly, my mind is comparing his gentle kiss to Dean’s brutal one. The instant the thought runs across my mind, my body turns to stone, and I feel myself fall into the nightmare of my past.

  I had been working on stupid fractions for over an hour, and I was so glad to be done. Tossing my homework onto the dresser beside my bed, I rolled off of the bed and started to make my way toward the bathroom. Before I could even reach my door, Dean came storming through it.

  “Sweet little Bethany,” he sinisterly slurred into my face while blocking me from exiting my room.

  I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He had been drinking again, which meant that Mom and Dad must be gone, because that was the only time that Dean would get into Dad’s whiskey. I started to back away from him, but in return, he mirrored my movements and walked closer to me, causing me to instantly freeze.

  “Dean, get out of my room,” I try to say in a firm voice, but instead, the words catch when I say his name. “Please.”

  “Oh, Bethany, I know you don’t mean that. You love being with me as much as I love being with you,” he says as he grabs me around the waist and tosses me onto my bed.

  “Leave me alone,” I beg him, tears already starting to pool in my eyes.

  Dean doesn’t say anything, but he starts undressing himself in a slow, sloppy manner while I cower in fear on the bed, praying that he will just go away. When I hear his belt hit the ground, I really start to panic. I just know he’s going to make me touch him again. I don’t want to do it. I can’t!