Normally, after dinner, Mom would break out dessert and coffee, but I warned her I had to cut things short this time. I had a surprise for Sera.
“You two rushing out soon?” John asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Something to do.”
“Oh yeah?” Serafina asked me.
I winked at her.
“You two are cute together,” Mom said. “I’m happy for you both.”
Serafina had thankfully gotten used to Mom’s forever calling us cute, forever dropping hints at a wedding and a baby, which was all insane at that point. We were just together… in love… taking advantage of every moment put in front of us. Nobody knew the secrets we knew, and that made us closer. Like with Becca and Matt. There was a little backlash that Becca had gotten pregnant by Matt, but that was on them, not me. She had the baby three weeks early. A healthy baby girl named Rachel. Becca asked me if I wanted to have a test to make sure I wasn’t the father. I said yes.
I wasn’t the baby’s father.
I’d be a liar to say I wasn’t slightly disappointed, because there was a piece of me that had always wanted to undo what my father did to me. But maybe that would come in time.
After dinner, I shook hands with John and he gave Serafina a hug. That was all for show for Mom. She walked us to the door and made sure to hug Serafina tightly. She always whispered something into her ear, something Serafina would never tell me. Then Mom would grab my face and kiss me right on the forehead, pulling me down. Every damn time we left, she would get all misty eyed. It used to drive me nuts, but after hearing the shit that Serafina’s mother did, I appreciated my mother a little more. We had a long way to go on figuring it all out though. But time was a friend. At least I hoped.
“Want to know what she said to me?” Serafina asked as I drove away.
“No,” I said. “Some secrets are good to keep.”
“Like the one you’re keeping from me right now?”
“Exactly,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
“Nowhere.”
“If you do something stupid like propose to me at a really stupid spot, I’m going to be mad at you. I’ll say no.”
I laughed. “But if I proposed in a not stupid spot… you’d say…”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “Trev…”
I reached for her hand. “So, Serafina, will you marry me?”
She gasped. “What?”
“What? It’s an honest question.”
“That’s a pretty heavy question.”
“Nah,” I said. “It’s just a question.”
“Okay then,” Serafina said. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Glad we got that out of the way.”
I drove her to the other side of town and stopped in front of a small cottage-like house. The fence was in need of paint. A couple of panels were missing. The yard was overgrown. The shutters were chipped and one was hanging off the house. It was a cliché for a shithole of a house.
“What is this?” Serafina asked.
“Come here,” I said. “I want to show you something.”
We got out of the truck and I took her hand as I walked her through the squeaky gate and through the thick overgrowth to the front door. There was a small porch with two old chairs.
“Open the door,” I said.
“What?”
“Open it.”
She reached and the door wouldn’t move. “It’s locked, Trev.”
“Oh, shit. Right. Here. You need a key.”
I took a key out of my pocket and gave it to her.
“What…”
“Open the door.”
Serafina opened the door and we went inside. I had been in the house ten times in the last month getting everything ready for me and her to move in.
“What is this?” she asked, looking around.
“This house is a dump,” I said. “And I bought it. For us.”
“You… what?”
She stopped and turned to face me.
“I bought it,” I said. “From my boss at work. Got a good deal since it’s a piece of junk.”
She looked around. “It really is a piece of junk. I mean, the walls are disgusting. Half wallpaper, half peeling away. There are water stains on the ceilings. It smells bad. The carpet is gross. Everything is dirty and dusty.” Serafina walked toward the kitchen. “Look at this kitchen. It’s terrible.”
“Yes it is,” I said as I followed her.
I stopped and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen.
She kept looking around. “It’s really… horrible.”
I laughed. “I know it is.”
“But I think I love it.”
“You think, huh?”
“I love it. You really bought this for me?”
“For you? I bought it for us, sweetheart.”
I winked.
She walked toward me and I grabbed her to hug her.
We kissed and at that exact second, one of the cabinet doors fell off and smashed against the counter and hit the floor.
Serafina screamed and started to laugh.
I loved it when she laughed like that.
“Oh, Trev,” she said, “everything is wrong with it…”
I touched her face, stroking her cheek. I nodded. “Just like us.”
Darlin’ -
Thank you for reading EVERYTHING WRONG WITH US. This book took a strange journey for me. The concept was gritty and raw when I came up with it. I was told ‘NO’ several times until I finally just wrote the book when I had free time. And even after it was done, there were several more screams of ‘NO’ that came my way.
So much so, that this book sat silent for a long time. But it never left me. Trev and Serafina deserved their moment in the spotlight. I knew it was hard to sell a book like this because the subject matter is a tough sell. Those of you who know me already know that what I write is real and honest to me. There’s a piece of my life in each book, including this one. So to leave a book just sitting there, gathering dust, it bothered me.
Thanks to readers like yourself, this year took a wild turn for me and allowed this book to finally get some life. That, and me being so stubborn, I finally just said ‘screw it’ and took it into my own hands.
I hope you enjoyed this book. I hope you will continue to read the stories I bring to life. Without you, I have nothing. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please take a second to leave a review. If you have any questions or comments, email me at [email protected].
And also… please don’t miss out on my other books. I get asked all the time ‘what’s your favorite?’ or ‘what book should I start with?’ … and my answer is never an easy one. Because to say ‘READ THEM ALL’ is so cliche. But it’s the truth. Each book is its own journey and experience. Each book is a piece of my heart and my life.
Thanks for the journey darlin’ … I’ll see you next time around.
- Jaxson
PS - on the next page or two I’m including the title and blurbs of my most successful titles. Check them out and read if you haven’t. And when you do read, please connect with me so I know what you thought.
About the Author
Stay social with Jaxson:
Readers List (part of the True Romance Obsession team): bit.ly/jk-readerslist
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Instagram @kidmanthejaxson
* * *
Look for the heart wrenching, emotional upcoming duet:
SOMEBODY ELSE
NOBODY ELSE
* * *
The True Hearts Collection are all stand alone novels, meaning they have no reading order. They are all different characters, settings, and come with their own complete ending. They are based on similar themes of second chance romances, hard pasts, and love that is re
al.
Each book in the series has been Top 100 in its category, with half the collection reaching the Top 100 of the ENTIRE Kindle store, including titles award as ‘Kindle Unlimited All-Star’ novels.
Start reading the True Hearts Collection
(in order of publication date)
5 Years Later
Dear Everly,
Anna’s Dress
Let You Go
When I’m Gone
What You Don’t Know
Every Other Weekend (coming November 2018!)
Check out the books here:
http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
5 YEARS LATER
When I was 13, he stole my heart
When I was 18, he took my innocence
When I was 23, he said he loved me forever
When I was 28, he broke my heart
Now I'm 33... and there's a knock at the door. He's back, again. And this time he's not alone.
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
DEAR EVERLY
Dear Everly,
We promised each other forever, and now that's gone. My memory of you is our daughter. I said I would never move on, but something happened. Someone moved into the house next door. She works at our daughter's preschool. Everywhere I go, she's there. My forever is changing now... I'm falling in love with her. Loving her means forgetting you. Loving her means letting you go. Loving her... means everything to me.
I love you endlessly,
Jake
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
ANNA’S DRESS
He stole my heart long before my sister stole his.
She was the "bad girl" all the guys wanted and I was the "good girl" everyone overlooked.
Now my sister is dead. I'm alone, left in the shadow she cast over me.
He's the last person I expect to see at the funeral.
And now I need him more than ever.
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
LET YOU GO
After our first kiss, he moved away.
After our first time together, he confessed it wasn't his first time.
After buying me my first drink, he said he was with someone else... but still loved me.
Now I'm staring at two pink lines on a pregnancy test... and the number he gave me to call?
It's been disconnected. Great.
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
WHEN I’M GONE
The night I met her, I had no idea I saved her life.
The night I took her home, I never wanted her to leave.
The night I fell for her, she was running from somebody else.
The night I give her my heart, she doesn't give me hers... and I'm about to find out why.
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
When I fell for you, tragedy ripped us apart.
When you came to save me from myself, I pushed you away.
When we said goodbye to the town that ruined us, we never wanted to go back.
Except now, someone else needs your heart more than I do.
But what you don't know... is now I'm coming to save you.
Read more here: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
* * *
AND COMING NOVEMBER 2018…
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND
Every other weekend, my mom gets a break. At least that’s what she tells me. My mom has a new friend too. I’ve only met him a few times. She tells me she only sees him every other weekend. It’s nice to see her smile. She used to be sad after my dad decided he wanted to live somewhere new, by himself, and only see me every other weekend.
My mom’s new friend makes her happy. I think they want to see each other more than every other weekend. Which doesn’t bother me at all. I just want my mom happy. I’m pretty sure everything is going to be okay, like my mom always tells me.
Except now, something happened. My mom is crying again. When I ask her why, she says her new friend won’t be coming around anymore - not even every other weekend. And that my dad is sick again and he won’t see me every other weekend either. I gave her my favorite toy to make her not cry, but I don’t think it’s going to work.
My name is Sam, and I’m just a kid, and maybe this isn’t my story to tell.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. (This also includes the cover image and/or cover model(s) appearing on the cover. The context of this book does not in any way depict the personal life of said cover model(s). Image is licensed and used purely for fictional purpose only.)
First electronic edition August 2018
Copyright © 2017 by Jaxson Kidman
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part of any form.
Copyright image Lindee Robinson
Copyright cover Mayhem Covers
EVERYTHING WRONG WITH US_a novel by: Page 22