The Road That Leads You Home

By Vanessa Bryan

Everett is the bad boy that every girl wants, but should avoid. His charm is alluring and his eyes draw you in. He seems perfect, but will his dark past get the best of him?

Bianca has fought hard to build her life in the city, far away from the memories of the past. All is well in the world, or at least that is what she tells herself. That is until a quiet dinner turns ugly.

Forced to return to a place she hoped to forget, Bianca is brought face to face with her old flame and overwhelmed by the memories of her past.

As her life is turned upside down Bianca must fight for her very survival.

Will Everett let her go? Will she be able to resist Austin? Most importantly, will she be strong enough to weather the storm?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329193383

Book preview

The Road That Leads You Home

The Road That Leads You Home

Vanessa Bryan

Copyright © 2013 by Vanessa Bryan

All rights reserved.  Except as permitted under the US copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without written permission of the author.

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

ISBN #: 978-1-329-19338-3

THANK YOU!

For my loving friends and family ~ Thank you for all of those who have supported me!  I wouldn't be the person I am today without you.  You know who you are. 

A special thank you for the best sounding boards ever : Mom - I love and appreciate everything you've done.  I'm so proud to have you as my mother and friend . Ariel -you've been instrumental in getting this book edited and finished, but mostly for keeping me sane all these years.  You're the best friend a gal can have! Lee - Thank you for supporting the decision to finally publish and your patience as I finally found myself.

Xoxo

Chapter 1

I never thought it would come to this I mutter to myself as I strain to see through the rain.  As if driving these back roads at night wasn’t hazardous enough let’s add pouring rain and a black eye. It is hard to find myself leaving the life I've built in the city for six long years only to come back to this place – Darby, North Carolina, Population 642.

I grew up here, in this little farming town.  Mama and I moved in ’96. The year after Daddy died.  I was only 13 then. We bought a modest house on eight acres, and Mama threw herself into making it a home.  I went to school, made some friends, but really I just drifted through the days.  It wasn’t until I met Austin that I really knew what living was.  He brought me to life and to the decision that broke my heart.  The reason I swore I’d never come back.

No I demand.  Time to shut this memory down.  Just as I always do, every time he crosses my mind.  I don't know what this decision will bring, all I know is, there isn’t much choice, otherwise.  I have to get away that's what I keep telling myself.

I glance at the clock again, repeating this pattern every few minutes it seems.  Only 2:45 AM.  If I’m right, it should only be about 30 more minutes before I get there.  Up ahead I spot that old familiar marker barely blinking through the rain – the stop light at the intersection of County Road 46 and Old Oak Road.  After that left turn it’s a straight shot. No turning back.

Oh, is this really a good idea? I question out loud, with no comforting answer from the rain. The closer I get, the harder it is to breathe.  I haven’t been back since right after mama died.  The house is probably in shambles, and it harbors such hard memories to face. Should I just turn around?

As if on cue, the thunder booms and only intensifies the pounding in my head.  A lovely reminder from my newly declared ex.  It's all the motivation I need to keep moving forward. If there is anything that mama taught me, it’s to be strong and independent. Never let someone make you feel weak she would tell me.  My decision was really made the moment he raised his hand.  I regret thinking about the domino effect of today that led to the final straw.  I cringe sending another ripple pounding through my head.

Today started off like any other day;  6:30 AM wake-up, get ready for work, lunch with Chloe, hit the gym, dinner with Everett… It promised to be as mundane as any.  Such is life, right? What a cruel twist fate had in store for me.  I should’ve known it would only get worse after the news Chloe gave me at lunch.

Chloe is my best friend and it feels like forever since we’ve seen each other.  We haven’t had a moment to sit down and catch up for months.  Luckily, when I called her this morning she had an open block during lunch and even though she was uncharacteristically hesitant, she agreed to meet me.  A few hours later there she was on our favorite park bench, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.  I envy her enthusiasm so much; she is always so excited, so chipper and happy. That’s something I could never wrap my head around. For the first year I knew her, I thought that dimple was permanently engraved into her cheek. She is always smiling and her pretty emerald green eyes light up when she is amused. Chloe is the most amazingly sweet and caring person you’ll ever meet.  Beautiful on the inside and out for those who know her, though she wouldn’t describe herself that way.  She has gorgeous strawberry blond hair that falls in perfect waves without her even trying.  I don’t think she’s ever had a bad hair day. She has pale skin with freckles that are accentuated by her hair and make her green eyes pop. She is a little on the short side and maybe a little heavier than average, but it suits her perfectly.  She's ready to give you the shirt off of her back and will do anything for a friend in need.  Friends like Chloe are a once-in-a-lifetime find, and I often take her for granted.

Chloe started our gabfest with news of her new promotion, the new guy she met, and the weight she was starting to lose. 

I'm so proud of you!  Things really sound like they are going well.  Keep it up! I smile congratulating her like any good friend would.

Chloe blushed, yeah, well things did seem to be going pretty smoothly, at the moment.  How about you?  Feels like forever since we've gotten together!

I open my mouth to begin, eager to share my recent events with my best friend, but I drew a blank … I couldn’t think of anything worth sharing.  Umm, well, nothing new really .  You know, my life isn't all that exciting.  I started.  It was honestly the truth, work was so boring and honestly, I’ve been slipping in my duties.  Something I used to truly enjoy now was, well, the bad side of work.  I haven’t been out in a while. Outside of my coworkers, Everett was my only company, and even he isn’t around much. Which was kind of a blessing since he has been so edgy lately.  Truth be told he has the habit of making me nervous recently.  That should've been warning sign number one. 

Oh come on.  You've really got to have something to tell me now.  You're one of the most exciting people I know.  Chloe pushed.

No, really, Chloe.  Work, home, boyfriend... It's really my entire day I admit slightly embarrassed, I really had nothing to add.  As I glanced up I saw Chloe frowning knowing that she wasn't about to let this go easily.

Bianca, what's wrong?  This isn't like you.  What about that dance class you're taking?  Or photography?  You've really started to get good.  Tell me what's new with that.

Nothing really.  I whispered , dropping my eyes to the ground.

Are you okay? Hey, you know you can tell me anything.

Yeah, I am, I promise.  It's just I've kind of taken a break from dancing and photography.  Everett hasn't been himself lately and I just wanted to devote my time to kind of helping him feel better.  I fibbed.  I knew telling Chloe that Everett didn't want me to go to those classes anymore would be a mistake.  Especially, since I really couldn't justify it myself.

I could see the worry on her face when I spoke of Everett.  She never made it a secret that she was concerned about the fact that my once exciting social calendar and bustling work life were dwindling, much in part because of him.  I knew she didn’t like him, but she’s always been a good sport about our relationship.  I tried to tell her that it was all fine and smile it off like always, but the look on her face caught me off guard and made me hesitant.  Guilt.  Why would Chloe possibly feel guilty?

What’s wrong, Chloe? I asked, not sure I was ready for the answer.

After a minute of biting her lip, she finally rambled out the answer "Everett stopped by my house yesterday.   It was very unsettling to find him outside, waiting for