Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1) (2 page)

Winyan Press, LLC would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions on
Vengeance: An Oak Grove Suspense.

Leeanne Lemaster, copy editor

Alex Marin, Graphic Artist/Illustrator

Amanda Rash, proof reader

Tawa Witko, developmental editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

EPILOGUE

AUTHOR NOTE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CONTACT INFORMATION

PROLOGUE

As humans, we grow, evolve, and simply change. Everything that happens to us alters our outlook on the world, and the choices we make. Even the people we surround ourselves with make a humongous impact on our lives. Although, some choices are not our own and there’s nothing we can do to change how our lives are forever affected by these events. One choice, just one decision, started a chain of events that forever changed the course of my life.

Shayla

I stand in my shower pondering all the ways my life has changed since my parents’ death when I was thirteen. How would things be different for me if my parents hadn’t been killed, if I hadn’t ended up pregnant at fifteen, or if I hadn’t had to raise my son alone? How different would things be if his dad would have been there for us? What if I hadn’t married a man who was already married? That last one is still a sore subject for me. But none of these things were in my power to control or change. Not that I’d want to change anything … okay, I would change marrying a married man. The rest, though it’s a nice idea to have one’s parents, I couldn’t change it and still be sure I’d have my son. I love my son more than words and I’ve made something out of myself in spite of everything I’ve gone through in my life. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger they say, and I believe it. I’m definitely a stronger person because of my experiences. Even if those experiences were due to others’ choices for my life.

I haven’t squandered the gifts and privileges that the Thorns (my adoptive parents) and my birth-parents’ trust-fund gave me. I’m sure
trust-fund
sucked all sympathy for me out of your mind, but it wasn’t an extreme amount. It was enough to get me through college, buy myself a car, and my first house. Plus, the Thorns helped with my son and anything else that came up. They went above and beyond as I became a doctor and got my life started in our new home. They even supported my decision to marry my husband, even though they weren't pleased.  

The latter was entirely my choice and it was the wrong one. He was a fellow resident and things were easy with him. I thought he was the forever my son and I needed, but I was terribly wrong. He seemed like a good man. Everyone (minus my parents) loved him, but two weeks ago, I found out that his business trips were really just to see his other wife. He handed me “divorce” papers, giving me everything. In exchange, I was to never contact him or his real wife, whom he had married the day they graduated high school, making our marriage a complete farce. Angrily, I signed the papers and threw them back at the lawyer before storming out of his office. 

My son, Dylan, was devastated. Todd had been the only father he knew. He didn’t even have the decency to tell him goodbye. Instead, he left a note telling Dylan he was sorry. I can forgive a lot of things, but that isn’t one of them. A pounding on the bathroom door startles me back to the present.

“Mom! The movers are here!” Dylan shouts.

That would be my current life choice. One I’m not sure is the best, but at least I’ll be back home. I’ll have the Thorns around for support. Plus, Dylan’s dad (his biological one) wants to get to know him. I’m probably more nervous about that than Dylan, but only because it’s Ryan, the love of my life. I shake thoughts of him from my mind as I quickly finish up my morning routine and head out to instruct the movers what must go. It doesn’t take them long to clear out the already packed boxes, and by ten in the morning, we’re ready to make the six hour trip home. We ride in almost complete silence for the better part of two hours before Dylan says anything.

“Is Ryan going to be there tonight?” Dylan asks.

I quickly glance over at him. He seems nervous. “Um, I asked him not to be.”

“Why?”

“I just thought it would be better if we could get settled in before we have to deal with him.”

Dylan turns in his seat. “What’s that mean?”

I run my hand through my hair. “Nothing bad. I just haven’t seen him in almost sixteen years.”

“Oh.” He pauses then asks, “Do you still love him?”

I scrunch my nose. Not that it’s unexpected for a kid to want to know about his parents, but it’s so complicated. Ryan and I had decided it would be best to not tell Dylan about our phone calls. He knows that I’ve talked to him, of course, just not the extent or frequency. I wanted to be sure Ryan was really committed to having a son and everything that entails and that he wasn’t just feeling entitled because he contributed DNA. Especially, since a lot of his reasoning was that he wanted to get to know me again with the added caveat that we should work through our issues. Our issues have nothing to do with him knowing his son. But, I agreed, because I honestly believed Dylan would be better off in the dark for now. Why get his hopes up if Ryan turns out to be a jerk about the whole thing?

“Mom?” Dylan asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“I don’t know,” I finally say. “People change, Dyl. I love a part of him, the part that gave me you.”

“That’s grownup speak for, ‘Yes, I pine for him.’ or whatever those romance novels say.” He laughs. I swat him playfully.

“I have no clue what they say, but no, it’s not
adult speak
for anything. It’s just the truth. I’m not the same person I was when I was fifteen and I’m sure he isn’t either.”

“He sounds like a total douchebag to leave his pregnant underage girlfriend to join the military.”

“First, watch your mouth. Second, he didn’t know anything about you until a year ago.”

Dylan scoffs. “Why didn’t he step up then?”

I exhale. I know he’s not a little kid, but there’s so much he just wouldn’t understand. I don’t even understand it myself. This bond that Ryan and I had. I can feel it simmering under the surface, and I know if I let it, it will consume me again. I just need time to sort through my feelings without giving a blow by blow to my son. I let out an exasperated sigh and try to be as honest as I possibly can.

“Because he was in the middle of moving across country to care for his mom and he didn’t find out about you in the best of ways, so he was a little rattled.”

“Yeah, you’ve told me that already.” I can tell by his tone that he’s not happy with my answer. 

“Yes, but you keep asking. Dylan, there’s really not much to it. He broke up with me and joined the Marines. I found out I was pregnant after he left. I tried contacting him and couldn't reach him. Then a year ago some girl we knew from high school told him I had been pregnant and had a little boy who she thought the Thorns kept.”

“So he went to Maw and Pops?”

“Yeah, and they told him the truth; that I’d tried contacting him. He knew that was true, because he was the one rejecting my calls.”

“Why would he do that?”

“The one time he answered, he basically told me he was an adult and didn’t have time for childish games anymore and I should stop calling him because he was with someone else. He hung up and I never tried again.”

“Jerk.”

I hate that Dylan is forming a low opinion of his father, but I can’t lie to him either. Ryan hurt me deeply.

“Yep, but in his defense, he had no clue about you.”

“But you knew each other your whole life; your parents had been best friends. Weren’t they supposed to take you when your parents died?” my son asks. I can hear a tinge of anger in his voice.

I inhale a deep breath and explain to him again, “Yes, that’s true. I later found out that they’d had a huge falling out and had planned to change their will so that the Thorns would take me. That’s why it took them so long to get me. They only had a handwritten letter that my dad had started. They had to go through foster classes and be approved, since the change wasn’t put in place.”

“That took over two years?”

“Yeah, because at first they tried fighting to get me with the letter, but I got lost in the shuffle of things and they couldn’t find my file. The system is so bogged down that things just happen, but luckily I went to them right before I found out I was pregnant. I have no clue what would have happened to you if I’d been in a group home.” I shudder at the thought.

“Was your adoption finalized before you knew?” Dylan asks.

I shake my head. “No, not until June, right before I had you.”

“Right. So, Maw and Pop adopted you, you had me, then went to college and became a big time surgeon.”

I laugh. “Yeah, exactly.” There was so much in between those things, but that was the perfect summary for a teenager.

We’re about an hour from our new, old home when the phone rings. I groan when I see that it’s Ryan. “It’s your dad, you want me to answer?”

“Go ahead, but do hands free.”

I roll my eyes at my protective offspring, but do as he asks. Nosy kid. “Hello,” I answer.

“Hey, you almost here?”

“About an hour out.”

“Awesome. Listen, I know you don’t want me there, but I’d really like to have dinner with you guys tonight.”

“Ry …”

“I know what you said, Shayla! You’ve kept me from my son for fifteen years and I will not miss another day of his life. You owe me this much. It’s just pizza.” Sighing, I look at my son, who looks almost hopeful. I’m about to answer when Ryan continues. “Unless Dylan doesn’t want to meet me tonight, I’ll be there.”

I gesture for Dylan to answer. He clears his throat and says, “Uh. Yeah, that’d be great.”

“I’m on speaker?” Ryan says with an edge of anger.

“Duh, you called me while I’m driving.”

He huffs. “Right, sorry. It’s good to hear your voice, Dylan. I can’t wait to finally meet you.”

“Me too,” Dylan replies.

I’ve spoken to Ryan a handful of times since he called me that first time. That initial conversation was full of anger and accusations, but eventually we called a truce. The rest of our conversations were … nice, for lack of a better word. He filled me in on a few things about his past, and I about mine. We never talked about our break up other than both agreeing we wished things had been different. It’s crazy that those little interactions have stirred up feelings in me that I don’t know what to do with. I miss Ryan; that much I do know, but there’s a hopeful longing inside of me that things between us might work out this time. I’m not sure how I’ll react to him when I see him. I know I want to be careful, and take things slowly, but it’s hard to tell my heart to do that. I’m scared we’ll move too fast, and not only will I get hurt, but Dylan will as well. That alone makes me so anxious that I feel sick.

Dylan and I are quiet the rest of the ride until we get about a mile from the house. “Um, we’re almost there. You sure this is okay? If you don’t want to meet like this, I’ll call him.”

“No, it’s fine. I want to meet him.” I nod in agreement, hoping this isn’t the wrong choice for my son.

We arrive at my childhood home not long after. My heart thuds a rapid rhythm in my chest as I see Ryan standing on the porch steps. He looks so … good.

“Dang, that’s him?” Dylan asks.

I can’t help but giggle. “Yep, that’s your dad.”

“Awesome. I hope he can teach me how to build muscle like that. Wonder if he’d take me to get a tatt.”

“No!” I yell, looking at him with wide, surprised eyes. He throws his head back and laughs.

“You’re so easy, Mom.”

I smack his arm. “You snot.”

He continues to laugh as he gets out of the car. Taking a deep breath, I reach for the door handle, only to let go when the door is pulled open by Ryan.

“Long time, no see,” he greets me with an easy bright smile. The one I remember so well, the one his son also has. 

“Yeah, I guess it is.” My smile is involuntary.

This easy nature is one of the things I fell in love with when we were kids. He’s like gravity; he’s always pulled me in. Suddenly, and without warning, he pulls me into a tight hug. My arms hang limply at my sides. 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers into my hair. I exhale softly, closing my eyes to keep my tears at bay. Just as quickly as the hug starts, it ends and he says, “Introduce me to our boy.”

I pull back and wipe my eyes before turning to our son. “Dylan, this is your dad, Ryan.”

“Hey,” Dylan says quietly.

He sticks out his hand into the customary first meeting handshake. Ryan, who is a hugger by nature, swats his hand away and pulls him into a full bear hug. Dylan squeaks in surprise, but accepts the hug from his dad and returns it. My heart melts at the sight of it.

“I’m so glad you’re here. We have a lot to talk about, but first, I want to introduce you to Luigi's famous pizza!” He slaps Dylan on the back and pulls him towards the house.

I can already tell that Dylan is being sucked in by Ryan’s charm, but I guess that can only be a good thing. Gale Thorn, or Maw as Dylan calls her, stands on her porch next door and waves hello with a big smile. I return her smile and wave.

“I’ll come over soon.”

“Take your time, darling. Get reacquainted. We’ll be here.” I nod and hurry up the stairs. By the time I get inside, the guys have filled their plates and have started to eat.

“Just alike. No manners.” I tease. They both give identical snorts.

“So I get my awesomeness from my dad,” Dylan says with a cheese-pizza-filled grin. I shove him playfully by the shoulder.

“You get your nastiness from your dad.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark!” Ryan defends with the same pizza-filled grin. I knew they looked similar but seeing them together, it’s remarkable. Dylan is a younger Ryan.

“You’re ridiculous as always, I see,” I tell him.

“Always,” he agrees. “So, Dylan, you excited about going to school where your parents went?”