Twenty-four months. It had been exactly two years since Shay had last seen Jared BelaForte, the man that she loved. Some days, it felt like an eternity. And in others, she would wake up and smell his scent surrounding her like he had been at her side moments before. The only thing she could count on from day to day was that she missed him.
There had been so many things she had wanted to tell him. Things she no longer believed she would ever get to say. He wasn’t coming back.
She had spent the last twenty-four months reassuring herself that there was hope. But, today she woke up with the sinking notion that he would never again look at her with his cerulean eyes. She would never hear him laugh or admire his beautiful smile and he would never get to meet his daughter, Sera.
When she woke up this morning, she cried. She cried the tears she had been keeping to herself for the last two years. She cried tears for all the things he had already missed. And she cried tears for all the things she knew her daughter would never have.
She would never know her daddy. His half brother, Dylan had stepped into the role of Daddy to Sera. Though he adored her as if she had been his own, they both knew that her little girls’ daddy could not be replaced.
In spite of the hardship, Dylans’ little girl Ellie had become like a big sister. She spent afternoons on the beach with Sera, Shay and Dylan as they splashed in the surf and Sera loved watching Ellie bury her daddy in the sand. Her little girl was the glue that held her mom together. She was the only reason Shay had not crumbled and they all knew it.
Shay felt his presence everywhere she went. Some days, she even thought she saw him on a busy street corner, down the beach or even outside her window when she looked down at his truck that she drove to work.
Her heart ached every time she felt it idle, but at the same time she found it impossible to let go of any of the possessions that she knew he loved, especially his truck. Even if he wasn’t coming back.
Excerpt 2
Two Years Ago...
Jared walked into his house on cloud nine. He and Shay were finally going to tell everyone that we had been seeing each other and that she was going to move in with him.
It was a house that had felt so empty since Jared had returned four years ago to bury his dad, but it was finally going to feel like a home because of Shay. He walked into the bathroom and started the shower. He would be late for work, and for sure that would get everyone talking. But, their news would surely make everyone forget.
As soon as Jared stood up straight, he felt it. The back of his head exploded with pain and he felt a cool sensation on his neck. He reached back and felt blood as it ran from the wound at the base of his skull. Quickly, Jared turned towards the doorway and spotted his assailant.
The big man held a bat in one hand and a taser in the other. Before Jared could react, the taser connected with his neck sending him to the ground. His whole world went black and all he could think was ‘did I tell her that I loved her?’
Jared started to come around as he felt the truck bounce down a dirt road. There was no way of knowing where they were or how long he had been out. It could have been hours, minutes. He tried to put his hand on the wound at the back of his head, but it was no surprise that Jared’s hands were bound together behind his back. His eyes watered as the pain seeped in to cloud his thoughts once again.
The next time Jared came around, he was in front of a two-way mirror, bound to a chair. He tried to take in the surroundings, but every time he turned his head pain sliced through his body and he’d lose the battle to stay awake and aware. He needed to stay alert.
After what seemed like hours, a stocky man walked into the room and flicked on the fluorescent light overhead. Jared’s eyes burned as they worked to adapt to the change.
“So, Lieutenant Commander BelaForte it seems my boss is quite enamored with the idea of torturing you. In fact, he is right behind that mirror watching as we speak. So what do you say we give him a show?” The man asked.
“S.... you.”
“If you say so.” Said the lackey as he landed a hard hit to Jared’s left kidney sending the chair side ways and rattling his already scrambled brain.
He quickly lifted the chair and Jared’s dead weight and delivered another blow to the chin bracing the chair with his foot so Jared would stay upright this time.
“Now, we can continue this little game until you lose consciousness or we can talk about why we brought you here. I think he’s hoping you’ll play hard to get.” The man said as he pointed towards the mirror again.
“Why don’t you tell him to come out here?” Jared asked. “Ah, ah, ah. He doesn’t get his hands dirty for just anyone.”
“Then, the hard way it is.” Jared said as he grit his teeth and waited for the next blow to land.
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