Heart of the Matter: Love Me, #2.5

By Jaime Russell

The time is fast approaching for Cash and Abby's baby to be born, but the closer they get to the due date, the more frequent the nightmares are coming. On top of having a baby, Abby decides to open a business with Max's girlfriend, Reagan. Is she ready to start two new adventures in her life, or has she finally put too much on her plate to handle? 
 

Sarah starts to feel unwanted with Abby and Max's life moving on, since they all moved down to Miami. Her life seems to be on hold, and she's constantly trying to play catch up with everyone else. Sarah lashes out, saying some inappropriate things to her friends. Is it to late to take back her words, or has she finally ruined her life long friendships forever?

Jack Stephens is an abusive man who likes to take his anger out on his daughter, Abby, but when he has a heart attack, he starts to take restock of his life. Max and Cash decide to go behind Abby's back to help fix the relationship with her father. Jack has done more harm than good, and he's worried that it's too late to fix his past mistakes. 

Relationship and friendships will be tested more than ever before. Can this group of friends help each other heal from the past, or is there already to much damage to even repair?
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaime Russell
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386033912

Book preview

Dedication

"Healing doesn’t mean

The damage never existed

It means the damage no

Longer controls our lives."

~ Unknown ~

Table of Contents

Dedication

Abby

Jack

Cash

Abby

Sarah

Max

Reagan

Sarah

Jack

Cash

Abigail

Jack

Sarah

Cash

Sarah

Abby

Epilogue

Abby

Jack

Acknowledgments

Abby

––––––––

Congrats Mommy. You have a beautiful baby boy. Dr. Michaels exclaims as he lays my son into my arms. I’m staring into the face of the beautiful little boy who is the cross between Cash and me.

Hello little man. Your daddy and I have been waiting for you. I whisper as the tears flow down my face. I never saw myself as a wife, let alone a mother. As I feel this precious little baby on my chest, breathing in sync with me, I play with his perfect small fingers. I kiss the top of his head as I close my eyes to let the sounds of my breathing baby and the feeling of finally being a mother. I open my eyes in frantic panic because the air in the room changed.

There was only a dark figure in the corner. I could tell it was a man by his tall physique, broad shoulders, and him clearing his throat. The hair stands on the back of my neck and panic was settling in my bones. I squeeze my newborn son a little tighter to protect him from the man in the corner. I frantically search for the call button on the bed but it’s not there. Where is it? I say as I begin to move my head around to find it.

I notice movement out of the corner of my eye that the dark figure is starting to move closer to me. Step by step, my heart beats faster.

Abigail. The husky voice speaks.

Dad? I reply with apprehensive. Jack Stephens walks toward me and I start to relax.

Abigail, can I hold my grandson? My dad stretches his arms out to me.

Not until Cash holds him. Where is he?

I sent him outside so we could talk, is that alright?

I guess. The hair is standing up again and that feeling of nervousness and the heart monitor reflects that as my rate increases.

Abigail, do you not trust me? Jack’s smile is more of a sneer.

Of course, I do. I stammer as I squeeze my newborn tighter to me.

Good, now let me hold my grandson please. I thought you wanted us to build on our relationship. I remember these guilt trips from him. I look down at my sleeping baby and agree to it.

Be gentle. You are holding the most precious gem in the entire world. I stretch out my arms to hand him the baby. He starts to fuss so I start to rethink it but my dad has him. He is shushing him and talking baby talk to him. I couldn’t help but smile at the scene before me.

Abigail, you made a wise choice.

What choice?

To give him up. I will take very good care of him. I will raise him like my own and he will be just like me. Jack Stephens says as he heads to the door. Remember my ugly duckling, you don’t deserve love. With those parting words, he is out the door with my baby. I start to scream but no one comes. I’m struggling to get out of the bed but I’m strapped down, the more I move, the tighter they become. No this can’t be happening to me; Jack Stephens has taken everything from me.

CASH! I scream at the top of my lungs but it’s useless. I lost everything.

My eyes fly open as my hand goes straight to my ever-growing belly. My heart is beating so fast and I can barely breathe. You are safe little one. I promise you that no one will ever take you from me or ever hurt you. I feel the tears start to form and I can’t stop them from spilling out onto my cheeks. I look over to see that Cash isn't in bed and I’m relieved. He has been so stressed out from work and I haven’t wanted to bother him with these silly nightmares. I wipe the tears and start my morning stretching to get out of bed.

Alright monkey, let’s get this day started. I rub my belly and he starts his kicking up a storm. Well good morning to you too. Should we start the day? I groan as I try to sit up. I laugh because I haven’t been able to sit up in my bed without help for about three months now. I have less than a month to go before I finally get to meet this little boy. I wiggle, shake and roll my whale of a body out of the bed. I wiggle my toes and wonder if I should consider getting a pedicure. I’ll ask Sarah what color they are since I haven’t seen them in three months and make plans for a pampering day.

I head to the bathroom as my monkey boy is kicking the heck out of my bladder.

Hey partner, I have breakfast. Reagan yells from downstairs. Reagan, who is now my business partner in Books A Latte, that she started with her sister and brother in law who were killed, and who happens to have stolen Max’s heart. I hated Reagan at first not because of Max but this beautiful, sexy brown hair beauty also happens to be Cash’s best friend and my insecurities got the best of me.

And we have gossip. Sarah exclaims.

I smile as I walk into the master suite bathroom of the house that Cash and I bought a couple of months ago so we weren’t moving in plus caring for a newborn. It’s bigger than what we need but he wanted a big house due to our growing family and friendship circle. It was only Max, Sarah and I for the longest time now we have Shawn, Reagan, and Nicarra plus her kids and Jonathan, Reagan’s nephew. The house sits on the beach which I love because I get to hear the waves and smell the ocean air. It’s a five-bedroom house with six bathrooms which is good for a pregnant woman. The rooms are filled with boxes except for our bedroom and the nursery. Once the baby is born, we will work on getting everything unpacked and feeling like a home.

I hear laughter coming from the state of art, black and white kitchen that Sarah and Max redid for us. I love to bake so I got to tell them what I want with the help of Joan. I waddle into the kitchen throwing my brown hair into a ponytail. I threw on some yoga pants and a t-shirt since I gained so much weight this pregnancy, sleeping naked doesn’t feel like I’m suffocating the baby. I couldn’t help but laugh at the scene before me. Sarah with her long blonde hair is up on the island sitting Indian style while Nicarra is standing in front of her swatting her hands away from the food on her plate. Reagan is trying to take the food in the basket away from them.

I hope you saved the pregnant woman some food. I say with a smile on my face.

"I would hurry if