Forgotten Message

By Renee Lee Fisher

One life changing decision. A field to play professional football on, or join the Army and be on a battlefield.

Rayne’s heartbroken he never reached out to her, but she must push on with her life.

Liam struggles daily and would never burden her with his pain.

So much time has passed, and the hope for Rayne and Liam to have a future is becoming less and less.

Their last chance might be hidden in the burnt envelope Liam holds, which is addressed to Rayne.

It is his Forgotten Message.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Renee Lee Fisher
• Release date: Jul 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463784624

Renee Lee Fisher

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Renee Lee Fisher has the passion to put the pen to the paper and WRITE/CREATE. She is truly a romance junkie who loves to tell stories. She has written a variety of romantic works from novellas to novels. Her belief is that everyone should Indulge in LOVE.The first four of The Heartbeat Series of six planned Romance Novels. ROCK NOTES, LOVE NOTES, MUSIC NOTES, FIRST BEAT are completed and available. FIRST BASS and FIRST TASTE are yet to come.The Crossing Series (The Knot Hole, The Passage and The Muse) will take you on an endearing time travel romance from present day to centuries past.If you love a Suspense Romance - read Derailed. It is a sweet suspense that stands alone.Looking ahead, there will be many more romantic scenarios to come.Renee resides in Eagleville, PA with her loving husband Michael of many years and her cats Leo and Lincoln. She love to travel often and engage in meeting new people who provide her with future inspiration for stories.

Book preview

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Prologue

I have felt incredible love from two women in my lifetime. Both have held my heart. First, my mother, who I know my father drove away from my life far too early. She up and left me and my brother, and I often wonder where she is. My father told us that she didn’t want us and we would be much better off. I was very young then, but I knew there was more to his words. The second was Rayne Blessing. I needed no further proof than the day she had her hands across my chest on the football field when I was knocked out cold during a game. Although there were other cheerleaders closer to me, Rayne was the quickest to react. The moment I opened my eyes and saw her long, chocolate-brown hair above me, I knew for certain that she would always be the one to keep my heart. Her compassionate amber eyes sought out mine and hers seemed to warm to a golden hue. I was glad I had such an effect on her as she certainly had one on me.

I had always been drawn to her from the time our eyes would collide throughout grade school. I would seek out a look, a chanced glance from her, and from then on, it was a game of stares. We would catch each other at different times exchanging glances, only to shyly avert our eyes when caught. I admired her ever-changing style of clothes and hair. In high school, she seemed to have found one style she was in favor of. Her long, brown hair—which had grown from shorter styles—framed her face and hugged her shoulders. I wanted to cup her face with my hands and kiss her lips that were always glistening with a shiny, light pink gloss. Rayne and I had this connection, and the moment she helped me off the field and never left my side until the doctors cleared me, I needed no further proof that she was the one for me.

I had always believed no one knew that we had this quiet connection, but how wrong I was to think so. I later found out from a friend’s sister, who was friends with her, that the entire cheerleading squad knew that she was crushing on me and they often teased her about me. They joked that she only always looked at me during the games as if I was the only player on the field. So, little wonder she leapt to my rescue when I went down injured.

I felt my heart warm inside when she was close to me at the hospital. However, my warm heart soon chilled when my dad walked in. My father had been informed of my injury. His face showed the regular disappointment he always felt when I missed the game-winning points or fell short of his sky-high expectations of me. To others, I was a pretty decent kid with good grades, and I tried very hard to be a standout player on the field, but that was not good enough to my dad. His expectations were near impossible to meet. He didn’t introduce himself to Rayne, but she sat quietly waiting for him to say something.

I’ve told you, boy, playing football will get you nowhere. Maybe it’ll earn you some girls flocking around you, just like this one. His eyes shifted to acknowledge Rayne. Son, that’s no achievement! That’s not what it takes to be a man. Just look at you now, always getting knocked out like a pussy. Besides, you lost the game for your team. After he finished berating me, he sighed with disappointment and shook his head. Look, son, it’s time to be a man and choose a different path. I’m tired of coming here to sign you out of the hospital and rescuing you. His thunderous voice rocked my stance each time.

I didn’t even care about anything he was saying as I was used to it—it was his regular anthem. My concern was that Rayne was there; that’s what embarrassed me. I turned to her and she just smiled tenderly and shrugged her shoulders with that ‘what are you going to do’ motion. What Rayne did for me in the moment was offer a tiny reassurance that she had my back and didn’t care or support what my father said. I quickly flashed back a smile at her, and a wink when my father wasn’t looking. I found comfort in her eyes.

"Do you hear me, boy?" he shouted at me. As always, he expected—or more so demanded—a reply of a ‘yes, sir’ after he spoke to me.

Yes, sir, I answered just before the nurse came in. I was glad for her distraction, as my father turned in her direction and I rolled my eyes at his authoritative manner.

Mr. Harper, the doctor would like to have a word in his office, she said.

Swearing under his breath, he exited the hospital room. This was the first time Rayne met my father. I was happy to be temporarily alone with her.

Thanks for being here, I told her. I saw her smile lifted up from catching my eye rolling a few seconds ago.

Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t mention it. Better I’m here than you are being stuck with Mr. Harper, she kidded, and I laughed. Although laughing made my ribs hurt, I appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood. I enjoyed time with her … any time.

You know, you’re right, Rayne. My father is the worst person to get stuck with anywhere, I said. I held my stomach carefully, to have it not hurt more, but I needed to laugh. Try to smile and find humor in me being here and my father blasting me, yet again.

* * *

Dad had his dream of being in the military crushed when his own father did everything to make sure it didn’t happen. My father rebelled and ran away from home to enlist, but he was only seventeen at the time and needed parental consent. He went on to forge his father’s signatures on documents. When his father found out, he contacted the authorities and the military released him after only a few months of training. If only he had waited until he turned a year older, then they wouldn’t have needed any additional consent. My father was headstrong then and continued to be.

Now it was the exact opposite with my dad and his own children—he was bent on fulfilling his own shattered dream through his sons. He wanted so badly to see Grady and me in the military. Grady had already enlisted, but Dad was not satisfied. He sought a double revenge.

Don’t worry, Liam, you’re gonna be okay, Rayne assured me with a smile that drew out a bigger one from me.

There was no winning with Dad, no compromise, no meeting halfway. He wanted it all. My brother, Grady, enlisted immediately after he graduated as my father gave him little choice. I think at the time Grady was unsure about what he wanted to do, so it seemed to be an option he was not shying away from. He was always great with numbers and toyed around with the idea of becoming an accountant, but he never seemed passionate enough or persistent enough to pursue it into college. He told Dad he wanted to take at least a year to focus on his choices for a career. Unfortunately, you can’t tell my dad anything; he was having none of it. As far as he was concerned, Grady had only one choice: the military. Dad was very convincing and drove him to sign up. A career in the military was not a bad thing, yet the way he went about it was crazy. I was young but remember the change for the worse in my father when my mom left him. He didn’t strike us with his hand but developed more intense outbursts with his voice. Her leaving him only poured fuel on the fire. I wish she stayed as she was clearly the calming effect in his life for a long time. I often saw a sadness in her eyes. If she was singing a song or reading a story, there was something off in her look. Early on I thought I made her sad, but later on I realized my father was definitely to blame.

I miss my mom and the way our family was structured growing up. Now it was just dysfunctional. She moved far away I was told. Also, I was told never to reach out to her … never!

I love you, kids. I hope you know that! But I can’t live with your father, he makes me a very unhappy woman, were the last words she said to us before she left. I heard her tearful whispering voice in my room as I pretended to sleep. I didn’t want to get in trouble for not going to bed and being sound asleep already. Although I didn’t understand it then, I do now. My dad was a hard man to please, a hard man to deal with, a hard man to live with. Dad would have intercepted if she attempted to reach out to us. I’m sure if she tried eventually she gave up at some point. I hope in my heart she at least tried. Now I just wished to connect with her in some way. The only key to getting through to her was my dad, but that was the sorest topic in the world for him. If you ever wanted to see him at his worst, just bring up my mom. He would silence any inquiry of her immediately!

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Chapter One

Growing up it was us three men—me, my father, and my older brother, Grady, who is a few years ahead of me. When Grady joined the military he was stationed on the other side of the country. It was hard to tell if he was happy serving in the military because he seemed indifferent. Grady just simply obliged and went along with our father’s decision for the military. However, he and I exchanged letters. We talked about simple, everyday topics. Not about our father or forgotten mother. I wanted to ask Grady why he never wrote to our dad, but I let it go. Perhaps he was angry with Dad for pushing him along the path, but I’ll never know. Every letter he stated that he was doing okay. ‘Doing okay’ didn’t sound to me like an enthusiastic way to describe one’s job, or life decision.

One good thing that happened to my brother as an offshoot of joining the military was that he found love. Grady met a girl named Keira where he was stationed and he confessed to me that they had been secretly married and were expecting their first child. He warned me not to tell Dad because he didn’t want his family to meet with him. I was happy for Grady because growing up he had been a loner and was extremely introverted. He didn’t have any girlfriends up until the time he enlisted in the military. After that he met Keira and his life and heart were full. His letters told me a lot about his finding his soulmate. I was really excited for him, and at the prospect of meeting their baby. I was going to be an uncle. I knew I would do my best to be a great influence on their child.

* * *

After the football field incident I asked Rayne out, and I, too, was happy. I couldn’t wait so I made my move toward her at the hospital, and we became an item. We passed through the high school years enjoying being boyfriend and girlfriend, a formidable one at that. Rayne just totally understood me as a person, and she was supportive of my goals and aspirations.