Renewed (The Fractured Series Book 3)

  Renewed

  By: Holleigh James

  Renewed

  Copyright © 2013 by Holleigh James. All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: January 2014

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1494755720

  ISBN-10: 1494755726

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  I’d like to dedicate this story to my family, my friends, and to everyone who believes in happy endings.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Mandy, can you meet me at the diner up the block from your house?” Jennifer’s voice was shaky on the other end of the phone. I could tell she was crying.

  “Of course. Be there in ten minutes.” I pulled my strawberry blonde curls into a ponytail, grabbed a light jacket, and my purse. I ran down the stairs. Stopping in the living room, I addressed my mother. “I’m meeting Jennifer. She needs to talk to me. I won’t be home late.” I didn’t look at my father.

  “Be careful, Sweetie,” Mom said.

  I sprinted the four blocks to the diner. Even though it wasn’t cold, the March wind still had a job to do. Jennifer waited under the awning at the front of the diner. Her blonde hair whipped around her head. She was shaking, but it seemed more from nerves than from the weather.

  After being seated at a booth in the corner of the fifties-style diner, the waitress appeared with her pad and pen. We both ordered a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Jennifer used her fingers to comb through her usually awesome blonde curls, but tonight they were stringy and unkempt. She wasn’t wearing make-up, which was also rare. Her green eyes were red and puffy.

  “How’s the therapy going?” she asked. I had regular sessions with my rape counselor, Gina, because my brother’s best friend, Jimmy tried to rape me, twice. She tried to make small talk, but I knew that wasn’t the topic she called me out to the diner for.

  “Fine. Jennifer, what’s the matter?”

  She leaned over the table and whispered, “Mandy, I think I’m pregnant.”

  I wasn’t expecting that. My mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?” I whispered back. “Did you take a test?”

  Between sobs, she answered, “I took three.”

  “Does Bryan know?” Bryan is my twin. Well, we’re really triplets, but our sister, Cassandra, didn’t live past the first week after birth. We didn’t really look alike either. I was a strawberry-blonde like my dad, and Bryan had light brown curls; not to mention he was handsome in a rugged kind of a way. Bryan had been dating Jennifer since the end of August last year.

  She shook her head. Tears flowed from her eyes.

  I sat back in my chair, astonished at her news. “Well, first we have to get you to a doctor to make sure.”

  “Mandy, my parents are going to kill me. I was supposed to start Harvard in the fall.”

  I leaned back in over the table and continued in the lowest audible voice I could. Even though our town isn’t small like Mayberry, news travels fast. A visible family like Jennifer’s would definitely be on everyone’s lips quicker than a tornado blowing through a Kansas farmhouse. “Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I looked up at her. She dabbed her eyes with the paper napkin from the table. “When was your last period?”

  “Six weeks ago. Bryan and I only had the opportunity to do it once since we came back from the ski trip in February.” Jennifer counted on her fingers. “It had to have happened before that.”

  “Do you want to keep the baby?”

  She looked at me with a blank expression. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I think that’s the first thing you need to decide. If you are, you have to tell Bryan first. Then, your parents.”

  She leaned back in her seat. Tears streamed down her face. I handed her my napkin.

  Our short, husky waitress brought the cake, but neither one of us felt like eating. We picked at the confection without saying much more on the subject, or any other subject for that matter.

  “I’ll call my doctor tomorrow,” I said. Once I told my mother that I had been intimate with my boyfriend, Rob, she made sure I had a reliable doctor. “Maybe he can give you an appointment after school.”

  “Mandy, will you go with me?”

  I reached across the table for her hand. She gave it. “Of course.”

  Jennifer drove me home, and before I got out of the car, I turned in my seat. “Jennifer, I’m here for you, no matter which way you decide to go with this. We’re friends now. I’m going to help you.”

  She smiled and hugged me. I hugged back.

  Chapter Two

  I bit my nails down to nubs during the next twenty-four hours.

  “Are you okay?” Rob asked. His deep blue eyes searched mine for an answer. He parked at the far end of the school lot and held the passenger door open for me. I stared at him and remembered the first time I saw him. I lost my ability to speak that first day at the supermarket deli counter. He was so cute back then. Now, he was absolutely perfect as far as I was concerned.

  “Jennifer has a problem. I’m trying to figure out how to help.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  I ran my hand over his wavy dark hair, then leaned over and kissed him. “You’re so wonderful to ask.”

  His muscular arms embraced me as he kissed me on the cheek.

  “So, I’ll meet you in our spot at last bell?” I asked, taking my backpack from his hand. We didn’t have any of the same classes this semester.

  Although seniors in high school, there were a few classes left on our required lists that needed to be taken before we graduated. I had to take history of something or other, which I was horrible at. Both Rob and Bryan said they would help, but I didn’t want to rely on Bryan coming through; he hadn’t the last two times I asked. And when I tried to study with Rob, I didn’t get much studying done. Guess I’ll really have to pay attention in that class.

  Rob had to take a drawing class to satisfy the art requirement he needed. I was just glad that Jimmy was in jail, and that I wouldn’t be seeing him any time soon.

  “I’ll miss you,” he said, kissing me again.

  “I’ll miss you, too.”

  Time crawled. I looked at my watch every few minutes, anticipating the moment I’d be with Rob again. Finally, the last bell of the day rang and I ran to the place where we always met.
On my way, I ran into Jennifer.

  “Hey, how are you today?” I asked, careful not to say anything too loudly.

  She looked at me, still with puffy eyes, except today she tried to cover it with make-up. “I told Bryan this morning. I called your doctor’s office. They can see me this afternoon at four. You don’t have to go to the appointment. Bryan’s going with me.”

  “What have you decided?”

  “I’m keeping it.”

  I gave her a small smile. “I’m here.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “I know. Thanks, Mandy.” She hugged me. Then ducked into the girls’ bathroom.

  Rob took me for ice cream. I liked his method for mixing the flavors. Since the first time he showed me, I had gotten better at not letting the ice cream drip all over me.

  “So what has your mind so preoccupied? Waiting to hear about colleges?” Rob asked finishing his cone.

  “I told you, I’m going to the local community college for the first couple of years so that I can work and save for a four-year college.” Rob knew that my parents couldn’t afford to send both Bryan and me to college simultaneously. My dad’s automotive repair shop was successful, but the cost of two kids in college at the same time was too much for him to handle. Mom didn’t work, and if she had, she’d have to be home by three-thirty for my little brother, Dillon. He has autism and required a lot of structure. She volunteered at his school twice a week, and had her name on the list to be considered for the next available salary-based job. That way, she could come home at the same time Dillon did, and would be too busy to give in to the temptation of her previous habit – drinking alcohol.

  Dad wouldn’t let me get a job. Up until my Mom decided to get help for her alcohol addiction, I was the one taking care of the family and the house, which included all of the finances and scheduling. I think Dad was afraid Mom would relapse any minute and I’d have to quit whatever job would hire a teenager with no skills.

  I didn’t have any secrets from Rob, except who my father was having an affair with.

  “Jennifer is pregnant. She told Bryan today. She’s going to confirm it with my doctor, but she’s taken three tests; they all couldn’t be wrong.”

  Rob’s expression got serious.

  “I told her I’d help with whatever she decided.”

  Rob pulled me toward his chest. “You’re so good to everyone.” It felt as if nothing could go wrong when I was with him.

  Rob changed the subject. “I have to work tonight, but I want to be with you up until the last minute. I hate to be away from you more than I have to. Think your mom would mind if I stayed for dinner?”

  A big smile filled my face. “You know how much she loves you. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  We tried to do homework at the kitchen table, but I couldn’t stop looking at Rob. His deep blue eyes were a sharp contrast to his dark, wavy hair, and they accentuated his angled features. As he wrote in his book, I watched the muscles of his arm flex under his shirt. My mind drifted to how those arms held me, and how his soft, pink lips tasted.

  “Mandy, you okay?” he asked from across the table.

  “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.” I snapped my head back to my textbook.

  “Thinking of something good?” One eyebrow raised on his forehead.

  “Oh yes.” I hoped my smile translated my thoughts.

  We ate dinner early. Rob helped clear the table and dried the dishes as I washed. At 6:30, I walked him out to his car. His arms were around my waist. Mine were around his neck. I loved to look at him; he was so perfect.

  “I’ll call on my break.”

  I nodded. “I miss you already,” I said.

  “I know. I miss you, too.” He touched his forehead to mine. The scent of his shampoo filled the air around me. It was intoxicating. Our noses barely touched. His lips found mine. Electricity surged through my body as I collected as many kisses as I could to last me through the night, but there were never enough. Finally, I had to let him go to work.

  Bryan walked into the house a few minutes after that. His gaunt face told me Jennifer’s appointment confirmed what the three pregnancy tests had already told her.

  Chapter Three

  Bryan crossed the living room and walked into the kitchen, where Mom was putting away the dried dishes. I stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited.

  He tilted his head into the living room. “Dad, do you have a minute?” he asked. Bryan hardly ever interrupted Dad while he was watching television. I was going to leave them all to talk, but then I thought it would be best if I stayed close, just in case Bryan needed me to hold Dad off him.

  Dad walked into the kitchen, his brows drawn together. He leaned against the refrigerator with apprehension in his expression. Mom recognized the seriousness in Bryan’s tone. With a dish still in her hand, she turned and gave him her full attention. I walked up behind Bryan and nodded my support.

  “Mom, Dad, I’m getting married.”

  “What?” Dad shouted.

  “What do you mean you’re getting married?” Mom asked in disbelief. She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down, shock on her face.

  Dad’s arms crossed his chest, waiting for Bryan to elaborate on his newly announced plan.

  Bryan explained the whole situation and told my parents he wanted to do the right thing.

  “But, you’re too young,” Mom said.

  “Jennifer wants to keep the baby. You were pregnant with Mandy and me at seventeen,” Bryan defended.

  “But we’ve tried so hard to teach you not to make the same mistakes,” Mom continued. A tear rolled down her face.

  “What about college? Notre Dame? The football scholarship?” Dad asked.

  “I have to get a job, Dad. I’m going to have a family to support.”

  “What kind of a job do you think you’re going to get without a college education?” Dad yelled and took two steps toward Bryan. I expected him to have a tirade, like Dillon does when his eggs touch the second piece of toast.

  “Oh, Bryan,” Mom couldn’t continue her sentence. Dad put his arm around her. It was endearing, but it made me sick to think he would put his adulterous hands on my unsuspecting mother. Her sobs forced her breath inward.

  There was a very long period of silence after that.

  “I love her,” Bryan said. “I don’t want Jennifer to go through this alone. It’s my responsibility. I’m going to be a father.”

  More silence. Mom couldn’t speak.

  “Can’t we talk about this, son?” Dad asked. “There has to be another way.”

  “No. There isn’t,” Bryan said. “Jennifer and I have already decided. We’re getting married, and we’re going to have the baby.”

  Mom stared into space. I knew she was trying to remember if there were still any hidden bottles of alcohol somewhere in the house. “Are you sure, Bryan?” she asked.

  “Yes, Mom. I love her. I planned to ask her during the summer. This has just sped up my timing.”

  Dad ran his grease-stained hands through the mass of strawberry blond curls on his head.

  I looked at Bryan. He was serious. I was proud of him. Walking over to him, I placed my hand on his back. “Well, I’m here for you, Bry.”

  “Thanks, Mandy.”

  “Of course we’re here for him, Mandy,” Mom said, as if she was accusing me of being false. She shook her head and finally put the plate down on the table. She pushed up off the tabletop and stood. Then she walked over to Bryan and hugged him, without saying another word. She couldn’t hold back the tears as they started streaming down her cheeks. She released Bryan from her tight hug and went upstairs.

  “Bryan…” Dad started, but Bryan held up his hand. Dad pushed at the open air between them, and then went into the living room and flopped on the couch. He stared at the television, but I don’t think he was really concentrating on the game. Dillon went upstairs to play with his planes, oblivious to what was really going on. Bryan went to his room to cal
l Jennifer. I was left in the kitchen, to finish putting away the cleaned dishes.

  The next morning was Saturday. I agreed to work at Dad’s garage. Not because I was talking to him, or that I felt as if I wanted to help out; he said he would pay me for ‘an honest day’s work.’ I knew Rob would be sleeping until noon, so I agreed.

  Bryan stayed under the radar. He had gotten up early and went to Jennifer’s. He was supposed to work at the garage, but he left Dad a note saying he needed the day off to be with Jennifer.

  The morning was quiet at the shop; there were only three cars to be worked on. Mid-way through the day, Mr. Sutton came into the storefront. His light brown hair was graying at the temples, but was very neatly combed to one side on top of his tall, thin frame. He might have been very handsome in his younger days. He was a stockbroker, and he looked like stockbroker—a stockbroker who was out of place standing in the dirty store portion of a garage. His khaki trousers and pink button-down Oxford shirt was quite different from the coveralls the mechanics in the back wore. His polished leather shoes were cleaner than the scuffed linoleum tiles of the floor.

  He walked over to the wood paneled counter I sat behind. “Good morning, Mandy.”

  I looked up and gave him my best business smile. “Good morning, Mr. Sutton. How can I help you?”

  “I’d like a word with your father, if he’s around.”

  “Sure, I’ll go get him. If you’d like, you may have a seat.”

  He looked at the grimy row of folding chairs up against the only wall without a stack of tires against it. He opted to stand.

  I pushed the door that led to the shop and walked into the garage. Dad was at the far end, past all of the other mechanics, each busy with a car. Dad’s head was under the hood of a Lexus.

  “Your slut’s husband is here to see you.”

  Dad lifted his head from the engine. Concern, then panic swept his face. “What does he want?”