Cross My Heart: A Waverley-Cay Novel

by Avery Maxwell

  “Okay, well, right before my attack, Julia was scheduled to go to a conference in Boston. I was trying to push her out of her comfort zone a little. I got her to agree to a new wardrobe and made her promise she would put it to good use. I just thought she needed a one-night stand, so I told her she didn’t even have to use real names if she didn’t want to. How was I to know you guys would keep the game going all week?”

  “I called her Angel, so she called me Charlie,” Trevor says with a crooked smile, obviously lost in a memory.

  “Right… I didn’t know the part, we called you Boston when she got home. Anyway, the day she left, she was already planning on telling you her real name and exchanging numbers. You had dinner plans at the hotel that night.”

  “Yeah, but she didn’t show up. I searched everywhere for her for months, it was like she disappeared.” Trevor says.

  Dexter’s head is going back and forth between us like a pinball machine, all news to him apparently.

  “Her not showing up was my fault, Trevor.” The familiar feeling of guilt washing over me. “About two hours before she was supposed to meet with you, she got a call from her parents that I had been attacked. She wasn’t thinking, she just left. She didn’t even pack up her stuff from her hotel room, just grabbed her keys and took off. I’m so sorry, Trevor.” I tell him. “We have been looking for you ever since, but with no real information to go on, we’ve had no luck.”

  “I’d say luck just smacked you in the face,” Dexter laughs. Then his face pales, and I know he is about to spill Julia’s biggest secret.

  Before I can stop him, he blurts, “Holy Fuck, Trevor, you’re a dad. You are Charlie’s dad, that’s why he always seemed so familiar. He has your fucking crazy colored eyes.”

  I hang my head and sigh.

  Trevor is up and screaming before I catch a breath. “What? Is that true, Lanie? Do I have a Goddamn son no one told me about?” he yells.

  “Trevor, I’m going to tell you again to calm the fuck down. Did you just hear Lanes? They looked for you, they had no way to contact you.” Dex tells him.

  “She needs to come back here right now,” Trevor growls, reaching into his pocket for his phone. Pressing dial a few seconds later, we hear the telltale ring coming from the floor covered in pickle juice.

  “What the fuck?” he says, walking over to the mess and pulling out her phone. “She left without her phone? And her wallet? What the hell?” he mumbles, staring down the hallway, “she didn’t even leave with any shoes on, where the hell could she be?”

  He is pacing the floor now, looking as frantic as I’ve ever seen him and mumbling incoherently. “Julia is Angel. Charlie is my son. Fuck, my father, what am I going to do?” Stopping abruptly, he asks Dex, “Is she in Lanie’s car?”

  “Yes,” Dex replies, seeming uncomfortable all of a sudden.

  “Then you can trace her car, tell me where she is.”

  “What?” I screech, “you track my car?”

  Embarrassed, he shrugs his shoulders. “It’s a feature that came with the car,” he says by way of explanation.

  We will be talking about this later, for sure.

  Dex pulls out his own phone, presses a few apps, then scowls as he follows the dot. “Ah, I don’t think she is coming back tonight.”

  Trevor runs over and grabs the phone from Dexter’s hand.

  “Where the hell is she going?” He asks, looking at us both now.

  I peek over Trevor's shoulder and cringe. “It looks like she is headed to her parent's beach house in Corolla,” I tell him.

  “How in the hell is she going to do that with no phone, no money, and no God damn shoes?” He bellows, pacing once again.

  “I-I don’t know,” I tell him

  Doubling over, hand on his knees, Trevor tries to catch his breath. Oh shit, I think he is having a full-blown panic attack.

  Running to him, I say, “Deep breaths, Trevor, full deep breaths.” After a few minutes, he composes himself. Standing to his full height, resolve in place, he turns to me.

  “Give me the address, Lanie. I need it now,” he says.

  “Trevor, I’m not going to give it to you unless you promise you’re not going there to yell at her. This wasn’t her fault, it was mine. She was devastated when she found out and realized she would never be able to tell you. This is as much a shock to her as it is to you,” I remind him.

  Sucking in deep, he admits, “Lanie, it wasn’t your fault either.” Exhaling, he continues, “It was fucked up circumstances, no one is at fault, but I do need to talk to her as soon as possible, there are things, things about my family she needs to know.” He gives Dex a foreboding glare.

  “She will be safest here, Trevor. Bring her back, don’t worry about Lanie’s car, I’ll send someone to pick it up later.” Dex tells him.

  “Wait, what do you mean safest? Why would Julia be in danger?” I ask, my heart racing.

  “She isn’t in danger, yet,” Trevor states, “but if my father finds out I have a son, everything will change.”

  I don’t hesitate, I start pushing him out the door. Slightly hysterical myself, I tell him, “Hurry up and get to Julia.” Dexter is already texting him the address. “I’ll keep calling the house phone until she answers.”

  “Please don’t tell her anything about my father, I would like to do that in person. We have a lot to talk about. Just tell her I’m on my way and to talk to me. She has only been gone an hour. I’ll make up the time on the highway.”

  Trevor and Julia’s story is coming soon!

  Extended Epilogue

  To find out what happens when Dex and Lanie return home to two sets of twins, Tate and more adults than they know what to do with, click the link below for your free extended epilogue.

  Teaser alert!!!

  You’ll also get a sneak peek into the lives of Trevor and Julia! You don’t want to miss this!

  https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qw7m10tftx

  As an Indie Author, the best promotion I can get comes straight from you, my readers. If you loved Lanie and Dex please consider leaving a review. Reviews are how authors like myself make it in this business. Thank you in advance.

  https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?channel=glance-detail&asin=B089CQVH3X&ie=UTF8&

  Cross My Heart

  Acknowledgements

  There are so many people to thank for helping me with this book.

  First, my family. To my husband, my daughter, and three sons, thank you for your support. Even when the laundry was piled to the ceiling and you were having to get your own snacks, you supported me. You let me sleep in when I’d pull an all-nighter writing and you very rarely complained:)

  Renee, my critique partner for her many beta and alpha reads. Not to mention the rewrites. Your support and guidance through this process has been amazing. The late night texts, phone calls and screenshots are what have helped get me this far. For that I’m eternally grateful!

  Beth, my dear friend who managed to complete my developmental edits in under a week while also working 12-16 hours days at the hospital during Covid-19. Thank-you. Not just for the instrumental part you played in this book but for all you do to care for and help others. At the hospital and in your personal life. XOXO

  Brooke & Valerie, what can I say? I wouldn’t be Avery Maxwell without you;)

  Laura & Lauren & Chelle, knowing each of you has made me who I am today. Thank you for your friendship and constant support. Without each of you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to ever even begin this process. Luvs.

  Editor: Laura Wilkinson https://www.fiverr.com/lmwilkinson

  Cover Designer: https://www.fiverr.com/methodmike

  About the Author

  Avery Maxwell is an emerging author of Contemporary and Chick-Lit Romances. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, four children and two dogs.

  www.AveryMaxwellBooks.com

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