This Love of Mine (Raine Series #1) (20 page)

To be continued....

(Look for book #2 in The Raine Series due
out May 2013)

And
check out the first 3 chapters of a new adult contemporary romance coming
October 16, 2013 (date and content subject to change)

Beneath
You're Beautiful

By
Tamsyn Bester

Prologue

~
Huntley ~

I
know first-hand how hard life can be. I don’t pretend that it’s all butterflies
and roses. When I moved to Breckinridge, Alabama, it was so that I could start
over and forget about my past, even just for a little while. I had it all
figured out then. I would go to college, graduate and then start my career as a
child psychologist. For the most part it was simple, fool proof. Until Grayson
Carter walked into my life.

Now,
as I lay here praying to God that someone will find me and for the pain to
subside, I realise that he is the one who pieced me back together. I think it
took 2 weeks for me to fall for him and it scared the shit out of me. He made
me feel things I didn’t think possible. It was unfortunate that our pasts
collided the way they did but I couldn’t bring myself to regret that they had.

I
hope he knows I love him and that I always will. He might have walked away but
there is a piece of him inside me that will keep us tied together.

Forever.

"Beneath
Your Beautiful"

(feat. Emeli Sandé)

You tell all the boys "No"

Makes you feel good, yeah.

I know you're out of my league

But that won't scare me away, oh, no

You've carried on so long,

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it,

But I'm gonna try.

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now,
girl

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful tonight?

You let all the girls go

Makes you feel good, don't it?

Behind your Broadway show

I heard a boy say, "Please, don't
hurt me"

You've carried on so long

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it.

But I'm gonna try

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, boy, take it off now, boy

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful tonight, oh, tonight?

See beneath, see beneath,

I...

Tonight

I...

I'm gonna climb on top your ivory tower

I'll hold your hand and then we'll jump
right out

We'll be falling, falling but that's OK

'Cause I'll be right here

I just wanna know

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now,
girl (take it off now, boy,take it off now, boy)

'Cause I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful tonight, oh, oh, oh, tonight?

See beneath your beautiful, oh, tonight.

We ain't perfect, we ain't perfect, no.

Would you let me see beneath your
beautiful tonight?

Chapter 1

~
Huntley ~

“Are
you ready sweetheart?”

I
spin around at the sound of my aunts’ voice. She’s standing in the doorway to
my old bedroom with a box tucked under her arm. “I’ll be down in a minute,” I
reply

I
take one last opportunity to look around my childhood bedroom, remembering
where everything once stood. It would be impossible to forget this place but I
would never be able to recall the few good memories it held. Those were all
tainted, the innocence ripped apart and thrown away.

Thinking
about my mother is difficult, especially when the house still smells like her.
It has been just over four months and her vanilla perfume still lingers
everywhere, wrapping itself around me like a blanket. Every time I look in the
mirror it is as if she’s staring right back at me. I have her long blonde hair,
crystal blue eyes, heart shaped face and button nose. That is where our
resemblance ends. Where she was short and willowy, I inherited my fathers’
taller and slightly muscular build. Thinking about my parents brings a wistful
smile to my face, the melancholy of the moment palpable.

I
quickly wipe a tear that rolls down my cheek and pick up the rest of my meagre
possessions.

This
was it. I’m about walk out on 17 years of memories and never look back. Am I
ready for this? I have no idea. All I know was that I need a new beginning, a
chance to start over and try to move forward with the pieces of my life that
are left over.

As
much as I want to forget the events that have lead me to this point, I won’t be
able to. They are of such a nature that remembering them would continue to keep
me alive and safe. I need to remember how my mother died; it serves as a
constant reminder of how close I came to making her mistakes. It’s taken me
months to build the carefully constructed walls that now protect the pieces of
my frail heart.

Moving
3000miles to Breckinridge, Alabama won’t keep me safe, I know that, but it’s
the closest thing to home I’ve ever really had. I spent countless summers there
visiting my uncle Alex and aunt Emma and after everything around me fell apart,
it seemed the most logical place to go to. I needed family and since I didn’t
have parents, my uncle and aunt were the next best thing. Literally.

“Ok,
let’s get the show on the road”, my uncle Alex yells from the front seat of his
truck. My aunt meets me at the bottom of the stairs and pulls me into a
one-armed hug before walking me to the car.

As
we pull away from the curb I look back one last time, wishing that my parents
were here with me. The familiar ache that had made itself at home in my chest
not so long ago returns and as soon as the small 2 bedroom, dilapidated house
disappears from my view I promise myself that no matter what, no one would ever
get close enough to break me again.

****

It
feels like days before we arrive in Breckinridge. It’s a quaint little town
where everybody knows everybody and most people who were born here, died here.

My
exhaustion is diminished as soon as we park in front of the apartment building
where I’ll be staying while I attend Whitley University. I argued with my uncle
and aunt over getting my own place since they stayed 20 minutes away from the
main campus, but eventually got them to concede. I got them to understand that
it was never about whether or not I was welcome to stay with them; I need my
own place and the chance to experience college the way I’m supposed to. I need
some form of normality. Admittedly, that in itself isn’t going to be easy.

My
apartment is on the 5
^th
floor and the only 2 bedroom apartment left
without a tenant. I’m still deciding whether or not to get a roommate but
figured I could use the extra room as a guest room in the meantime. The idea of
having a complete stranger move in with me makes me all sorts of uncomfortable,
my imagination drifting to possibly ending up with a serial killer or closet
pervert for a roommate.

When
I open the door and walk in there is no chance of supressing the thrill that
comes with finally having a place I could call my own.

The
small foyer opens up to a spacious open plan living area, kitchen, balcony and
another hallway to the left that leads to a master bedroom, guest bedroom and
guest bathroom. Hardwood floors stretch through every space and compliment the
earth tones that spread across the walls. It immediately feels like home. My
little home.

To
my surprise, it has already been furnished with plush leather couches, a large
brown shag carpet, and all the electronic equipment imaginable. Thinking how
busy my aunt has been furnishing this place makes me laugh. She always goes
above and beyond and I love her more for it.

Walking into the
master bedroom my attention immediately falls on the King size bed in the
middle of the room.
 
The covers are
all ivory in colour, and soft, with huge matching pillows. I would have to thank
my aunt for buying me all this. I know they can afford it but I hate the
thought of them spending money on me. It’s definitely a step up from the single
bed I grew up with. In fact, everything around me is luxury I’m not accustomed
to.

 
The feel of the plush white carpet under
my toes is amazing, spreading across most of the hardwood floor. The walk-in
closet, filled with new clothes, shoes and accessories catches my attention
next

Oh. My. Goddamn… this stuff must’ve cost a
fortune…

I let out a small
gasp at the sight of the gorgeous clothes that I assume are now mine. The shoes
were just as beautiful. I giggle when my eyes catch sight of not one but three
pairs of cowboy boots, all in different colours. It would be wrong not to have
them, living in a place like this. This town is as Southern as they came.

“Did I get your
sizes right sweetheart?”

I jump, startled
at the sound of my aunt Emma’s voice. “Aunt Em, this is too much! I can’t
accept all this!” It really was too much.

“Oh nonsense! I
may have gone a little overboard but it is nothing less than you deserve. Your
uncle Alex and I want you to feel at home, because as of right now this is and
always will be your home. Besides, I didn’t want you starting you first day of
classes tomorrow stickin’ out like a Barbie doll at a Rodeo.” She smiles and
opens her arms, a gesture I’ve become very familiar with when she wants to hug
me.

As she embraces
me a small tear slides down my cheek and I wipe it, but not before she sees me.
I have so many emotions running through my mind, I have no idea whether to cry
or jump up and down from excitement.

“Hey now, we
won’t be havin’ any more of that you hear?” she puts her hands on my shoulder,
“I know the last few months have been hard for you baby girl but you have a
family here that love you. I don’t want to be your mamma but I’m here for
anything you need, and I know uncle Alex feels the same way. And I also know
the girls are super excited to have you here too! Hannah and Finley have been
tellin’ all their friends about their big cousin comin’ to stay here. We want
you to be happy here, this is where you belong,” she states matter-of-factly.

I smile at her
Southern accent; it was such a warm, soothing sound to my ears.

“I can’t thank
you enough for what you and uncle Alex have done for me. It is more than I
could’ve dreamed of. I don’t know how I would ever be able to repay you” I
choke out.

Great, these stupid tears just love
popping up uninvited…

“
First of all sweetheart, stop with this
uncle and aunt stuff. It makes me feel old! Its Emma and Alex from now on
alright? And second, you are as much a daughter to me as my two brats are so of
course I will give you as much as I can. But you can still repay us by joining
us for Sunday lunch every week and stoppin’ by your Uncle’s office every now
and then” she teases with a wink. Before I can respond she starts again.

God this woman could talk an ear off a
horse if given half the chance…

“Now,” her eyes
grow serious, “you take a minute or two to get settled while I unpack some of
your things. Once we’ve left you can have yourself a nice long bath! I hope
you’ll like your well-stocked bathroom,” she snickers. With that she kisses me
on the forehead and leaves.

Standing alone in
my big room I’m suddenly overwhelmed by how loved I feel. I was a little girl
the last time I felt this way. Thoughts of my mother pop into my head again and
I missed her.

Her funeral was
held a month after her death. We decided to have her buried here in
Breckinridge, next to my fathers’ grave. It is what she would’ve wanted, and
it’s only a few miles away so I can go visit her grave whenever I want to.

My Uncle Alex and
Aunt Emma are both very well-known here in Breckinridge. Uncle Alex is the
coach of the Whitley University Football team and because they are the current
state champions, it gives him a kind of ‘celebrity’ status. Aunt Emma owns the
biggest Bakery in town and is also involved in every charity and fundraising
event to take place throughout the year. But the job she loves the most is that
of ‘mamma’ to my two little cousins. Hannah is 4 years old and Finley 6. They
are easily the cutest toddlers in town and it’s no secret that I adore them
both.