The Heart of Mine Read online

  "Always Gran, always."

  I squeezed my gran tightly and then excused myself to go pick up Kayla from school. I could only imagine how hard it must be for her to be back there, given everything that had happened over the last little bit. There was just one place I needed to go first.

  ****

  I pulled into the parking lot of the local seedy motel about twenty minutes later. I only had about a half hour before I had to pick up my girl, but I was hopin' this wouldn't take much longer than a few minutes.

  I put my truck in park and rehearsed what it was that I needed to say to my father. Just as I was opening the door to my truck, I saw his grizzly figure walk out through the door of his room. I quietly closed the door to approach him, when I saw another guy follow out behind him. From this distance I couldn't quite make out the face, but from what pictures the authorities and Joey had shown me, there was no mistaking who it was.

  What the fuck! How did these two even know each other and what in god's name were they doin' here with one another? I watched from behind the driver's side of my truck as they shook hands and then the other guy left in an unmarked vehicle. I watched as he drove past me, before I made my move in my father's direction.

  "We need to talk." I shouted.

  "I'm not so sure I have much to say to you." He growled.

  "Well, you may not have anything to say to me, but I gotta a whole helluva lot to say to you. So listen up, because I'll only say it once. Leave town. Stay away from my family and me and that includes Kayla's family as well. There's nothin' left here for you."

  He walked slowly in my direction and my hands balled into fists at my sides the closer he got.

  "Listen here little boy. You don't get to tell me what to do. I'm here for one reason and one reason only, to get what's mine. Now you can either hand it over, or we can do this the hard way."

  "What happened to you? How did you become such a heartless asshole in the time you've been gone?"

  "Things change, Madison. I've always been this way, it was your momma who thought she could change me and well, the day she died was the day I was done with bein' something I wasn't."

  At the mere mention of my mother, my fist went flyin' through the air, connecting with his nose. Blood spewed from the contact I had made and splattered across my shirt. "I said stay the fuck away. I will find out what you're up to and how you are involved with that low life you were just talkin' to. Make no mistake, I will end you and him if need be."

  "Is that a threat, Madison?"

  "You bet your sorry ass it is. One I intend on keepin'." I spat back.

  I turned to walk towards my truck when he mumbled something intangible under his breath. I wanted to turn around. I wanted to know what it was he thought he could threaten me with, but I chose to be the bigger man this time, and walk away.

  Chapter 8

  Kayla

  I sat solemnly on the brick retaining wall, waiting for Madison to pick me up. It was only five minutes past since the last bell had rung, but I guess I assumed he would want to be here waiting for me. I watched as the parking lot slowly emptied out and eventually there was no one else left except for the football players cars. I was checking the clock on my cell phone, when I heard Joey's voice becoming increasingly louder. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him today, but I suppose I didn't have much of a choice.

  "Hey KJ, whatcha doin' out here all by yourself?"

  He sat down on the wall next to me, gently nudging my arm. "Hey Joey, just waitin' for Madison."

  "Seems like you're always waitin' on him. How are you feelin'?"

  Nobody knew about my pregnancy yet. I made it extremely clear to Madison and Cami not to say anything. I wasn't ready to deal with all of that on top of the accident. I hadn't spoken to Cami since she was released from the hospital and I was pretty sure her mother wanted it that way. The dynamic of our relationship had drastically changed, and I couldn't help but blame myself.

  "I'm okay. Still a little bit sore, but nothin' too major. What have you been up to?" I really hated small talk, but I knew if I didn't do this now, he would just keep buggin' me until we finally talked.

  "Glad to hear it. I was worried about you."

  "I'm fine Jo. Where's your little girlfriend, Sarah, Jane, Carly or whatever her name is?" I let out a small chuckle. In the last few weeks since the show, Joey had literally switched girlfriends about three times.

  "Ah, you mean Carrie. Nah, we're done. Nothin' too promising there."

  "Oh my god Joey, you go through girls like you go through underwear. You better make sure you keep it wrapped up mister, or a new girlfriend won't be the only thing you catch." I laughed at my own joke as I caught sight of Joey laughing along with me. It felt amazing to laugh. It felt amazing just to feel something besides depressed. I had missed this. I had missed hanging out with Joey and being able to be myself again.

  "There's the KJ I know and love."

  And that's when the laughing abruptly stopped. “Look, Jo-"

  Joey's head dropped in embarrassment and I felt bad for even insinuating that's how he still felt. "I didn't mean it like that, KJ. I just meant, well, you know I care for you, a lot. But only as a friend. I know how much you love Madison. I'm happy for you, I really am."

  I placed my hand on Joey's denim covered thigh as a show of comfort and friendship. "I know Joey, I'm sorry. I love you too, as a friend. You mean a lot to me. I'm glad that we can still be friends after everything. Your friendship means a lot to me and no matter what happens, I need you to know that I need you in my life. Take that as you will, but I honestly do."

  Joey snaked his fingers through mine, giving it a small squeeze.

  "Hey Green, you wanna let go of my girl's hand?"

  Joey pulled his hand from mine faster than imaginable and stood just as quickly. "I'll talk to you tomorrow KJ."

  "Bye Joey."

  I stood and smacked Madison hard on his arm. "Are you serious right now? You need to stop being so damn overprotective. You know I'm with you, Joey and I are just friends. If you can't understand that, then we are goin' to have some major issues, cowboy. You got me?"

  He let out a loud sigh before pullin' me into a huge bear hug. "Yeah, I got it. How's my little girl doin' today?" His hand fell to my belly and I quickly pulled back from his touch.

  "Madison, I haven't told anybody yet. You have to stop doing that in public?"

  "Are you serious right now?" his deep voice vibrated off every close surface.

  "Yes, I'm serious. I have enough to deal with, let's not add teenage pregnancy to the list of reasons people don't like me."

  Madison stopped mid stride as we reached his truck. He turned and swept me up into his arms, then gently placed me in the cab. His deft fingers reached out and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear, before lifting my chin up with his hand so I was looking directly at him. "Are you ashamed of me, pretty girl? Because I gotta say, I'm startin' to feel a little insecure here."

  "Of course not." I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to mine so my breath was now skimming across his skin. "Madison Raine, I love you more than life itself. I could never be ashamed of you. I just need some time to let things sink in and settle down around here. For Christ’s sake, since I've come into town nothing but bad things have happened."

  "And you blame me?"

  I pulled back, dropping my hands to my side. "No Madison. Jesus, why can't you understand that not everything is about you? Take me home."

  "Kayla, talk to me, please. I need you to talk to me."

  "I will Madison, I promise, but please let's go somewhere else."

  My intentions were not to hurt his feelings, but I could tell that's exactly what I did. I swear, lately everything I said or did led to unspeakable consequences. I was just thankful that I no longer had Wren or my mother to add to the ball of mess I was busy building. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the two of them. I had done my best to keep both of them o
ff of my mind, but every now and again, there they were.

  I could feel the tension between Madison and I radiating off of him. I've learned that Madison didn't deal well with me not speaking to him and the thought of that made me sad. I never wanted Madison to feel unloved by me. I never wanted him to think that I didn't love him more than anything else in this world. I slid my hand across the bench seat grazing his fingertips with mine. The minute our skin made contact, a small jolt of electricity shot through me affecting every part of my body.

  I could feel the excitement flowing through my veins and other places that I yearned for his touch. It had been far too long since I had felt him against me, in me, and I had an overwhelming need to have that. Here, now, regardless of where we were going.

  Without second guessing myself, I made my way over to Madison, slowly sliding my leg onto the other side of him so I was now straddling him. My lips started at his collarbone and I trailed featherlike kisses all the way up to his earlobe.

  I took the sensitive skin between my teeth and bit down hard enough to make him swerve.

  "Ya know if you keep that up we may crash, and I'm not willing to lose you."

  My lips parted as I let out a small sigh. My heated breath sending goose bumps across his exposed flesh. "Mmmmhhmmm." Was my only response, as I let my tongue lick from one side of his collarbone to the other. I could feel his excitement growing beneath me and it was taking everything in me not to free his erection so I could slide down on top of him.

  My hands pushed back through his hair as I continued my assault on the other side of his neck. I gave it a small tug and his cock jumped in reaction. A smile spread wide across his face as I sat back taking in this gorgeous man in front of me. "Pull over."

  "I can't Kayla. There's a lot of traffic and we are right by the market."

  "So help me god Madison, if you don't pull over right here and now, I will find a way to have you inside of me."

  And with that sentence, he slammed on his brakes and quickly put the truck in park. His hands flew to the back of my head, clutching a small handful of hair and giving it a tight tug. I let out a strangled moan as his lips sealed over mine. His tongue entered my mouth without question or hesitation. He tasted of mint and salt and of everything that made me want him more than any other man on the planet.

  He made quick work of unbuttoning his pants and slipping them down past his hips.

  "I see someone is going commando again." I whispered just below his ear.

  "A little birdie told me that my girl liked it better this way."

  "That bird would be correct."

  I slid my hand down the front of my body, skimming my wet panties as I wrapped my fingers around his length. I stroked it a few times before leaning back against the steering wheel so he could take in the view in front of him. His eyes fluttered shut for a brief second and when he opened them, pure lust sat in his gaze. He wanted me just as much, if not more than I wanted him.

  I slipped my thin lace panties to the side and slid my fingers between my wet folds. My fingernail caught my swollen numb and a small pleasurable moan escaped between my lips.

  "That's mine." He whispered.

  "Then you might want to tend to it." I responded.

  "Oh I fully intend to." Within seconds, he was ripping the thin lace and discarding the remnants onto the truck floor. I lifted my body high enough for him to position himself at my entrance. Usually I would start off slow, letting my body stretch around his girth and get used to the full feeling, but something had taken over me and I just couldn't wait that long.

  I slid down his cock, filling all of me with one swift motion. Deep husky moans escaped from both of us and I quickly began moving up and down, not wanting to waste a second. He felt amazing sliding in and out of me and I could feel myself on the brink of my first orgasm. His fingers dug deep into my hips, guiding me up and down. When I felt my walls tighten around him, I let out a loud pleasurable cry. As I pulsated around his thick cock, he flipped me onto my back and began slamming into me with full force. I clutched his back through his tight white shirt, raking my fingernails down the thin material.

  Our breathing was rapid and I was finding it hard to take in a deep breath, but I didn't care. This was exactly what I needed. I needed to feel him inside of me, claiming me as his own.

  "Harder, Madison. Harder."

  That's all it took for him to find his release and for me to find mine, again. His heavy sweaty body collapsed onto mine, as we both lay unmoving, trying to catch our breath. Madison suddenly jumped up and started profusely apologizing.

  "Oh my god, Kayla. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt the baby?"

  I let out a loud laugh as I pulled myself into a sitting position. "Madison, you can't hurt the baby by having sex."

  "I know, but fuck. I was really rough and then I just laid down on you like it was no big deal."

  Laughter took over my entire body and I couldn't help the tears that ensued from all of it. "Madison honey, I asked you to go harder. If I thought you were hurting me, I would've said something." I glanced over at the worry expression slowly fade from his face. "You're gonna give yourself a damn heart attack, cowboy."

  "You're tellin' me. But holy fuck, if that wasn't just down right amazin'. I don't know what it is about this whole pregnancy thing, but I'm loving the affect it's having on your sex drive."

  "Oh are you now?"

  "Damn straight. Now get over her and give me a kiss. I've missed my girl today."

  "Happily."

  Chapter 9

  Madison

  Thanksgiving was fast approaching and I was thankful that Kayla would have some time off of school to rest. I hadn't told her yet about my plans to not finish school. I knew she was gonna be pissed, but I had made a decision that would be a better option for the both of us.

  Today was the day that we were going to sit down with her grandparents and tell them about the baby. I wanted to tell Kayla my plans for us before we talked to them, but when I picked her up from school, she wasn't in the best of moods.

  "Hey pretty girl. How are my girls today?"

  "What makes you think it's a girl?"

  "Because I'm a genius and I just know these things." I leaned over and gave her a giant kiss on the mouth. I half expected her to slap me, given the mood she was in, but I was pleasantly surprised when she pulled me back in for another one.

  "I missed you today, cowboy. What have you been up to?"

  I wanted to tell her the good news, but now just wasn't the time. "Oh ya know, just hangin' out with my gran. How was school?"

  "It was shitty. Let's go get this over with. The sooner I deal with the grandparents, the sooner everyone else can know. And let me tell you, the way my clothes have been fitting lately, it's now or never."

  "As you wish."

  Kayla slid over next to me as we exited the parking lot, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Everything seemed in place, the way it should be and I couldn't wait to tell everyone the wonderful news.

  We pulled up into the round drive at Kayla's house and I quickly ran around to help her down from the truck. I tucked her tiny hand into mine and let her lead the way. I hadn't been the least bit nervous, until we crossed through the living room and found her grandparents sitting at the dining room table.

  They were in the middle of a serious conversation and I tugged Kayla gently back, wondering if we should wait until later. She gave me a reassuring smile and pulled me right along with her, until we were face to face with the one man that had the ability to end me. I could feel my palms gettin' sweaty and my heart rate increase.

  "You okay?" Kayla whispered from beside me.

  "Sure. Let's just get this over with."

  I took a seat next to Kayla across from her grandparents and sucked in a deep cleansing breath. Here goes nothin'.

  "Granddad, Grams, we have something to tell y'all. So, the day of Mr. Raine's funeral, I was feeling a little, off." I kep
t an eye on Mr. James as Kayla continued. I had already planned my escape route, just in case he came flyin' across the table for me. "Well, it would seem that I am pregnant."

  The room fell to a deafening silence as Kayla sat back gauging her grandparent's reaction.

  "Before the accident, I found out that I was ten weeks pregnant, now twelve. Now before y'all go sayin' anything or start blaming and pointing fingers. I just want you to know that Madison and I couldn't be happier about this. It's not like it just happened and we can't accept it."

  "Are you done?" Mr. James sounded beyond angry and I sat forward in anticipation of his wrath.

  "Yes, I think so." Her confidence had wavered and she now sounded scared. My grip on her hand loosened just enough for her to wipe a stray tear falling from the corner of her eye.

  "How could you two be so irresponsible?"

  I was amazed that this was the only thing he said. "Sir, with all do respect, with everything that had happened before and after I came back, it just happened. I know that is a horrible excuse, but I have every intention of marrying your granddaughter."

  "Why, because she's pregnant? Because I don't think that is the wisest choice, son."

  I was growing angry at the thought that he would think so little of me. "Of course not. I have wanted to marry her long before this happened." I quickly turned towards Kayla, remembering that I had never told her this bit of information. When I saw the look on her face, my heart raced and I felt an immense amount of love for this girl.

  "I'm sorry. I should've told you this before, but it's true Kayla. I would marry tomorrow if you said yes."

  Just then her grandmother cleared her throat. "I believe it is my turn to say somethin'. Now just how do you plan on supporting my grandbaby and great grandbaby? Where will y'all live?"

  "Grams calm down a minute. This is all brand new to us too. We haven't gotten that far yet."

  "Well, actually, I have." Kayla whipped her head around so fast I thought she was gonna get whiplash. "Just let me explain." I lowered my voice hoping to soothe her anxiety. "Sir, first off, I am selling my house back home. I've actually been looking at a few houses around here, but I wanted Kayla to pick the one she wants. I also recently found out that my grandfather left me quite a bit of money, but I don't want to solely rely on that, so my band and I have decided to accept the recording deal we were offered last month.