Peccant: Chaos

By B. L. Bryant

Ten long years had passed since Bridget ran away from Pleasantville a broken soul. Many things have changed for everyone since the birth of the twins. Some people changed in good ways, a few have changed in bad ways. How different were James and Billy going to be since she had last seen them? Her kids were now much older, but were they ready for Bridget to go back to town? The place that had robbed her of the life she wanted with James. After all, she wasnt welcomed and that was made perfectly clear. But it was time. It was time to show Victoria that she couldnt get away with ruining her life! But Bridgets life would once again be full of turmoil. She had no idea what her future had in store for her. Would she be able to beat Victoria, or would she lose once again and be cast aside? From the frequent violent fights to a natural disaster, Bridget would find that the roller coaster of her life wasnt about to endit was just getting started!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496937070

B. L. Bryant

B. L Bryant is an American author who resides in Indiana with her family. She enjoys writing books of many different genres as a hobby.  She has enjoyed writing since she was a child, but didn’t have the courage to publish her work until now! She wants her books to be a source of enjoyment  for readers and make them feel like they are a part of the book as well!  She loves living out in the countryside and spending time with her family.

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© 2014 B. L. Bryant. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   08/26/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3708-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3707-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014915483

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 1

Bridget opened her eyes, it was a mild winter morning. The birds chirped outside the window as the sun warmed her face. She lay in her bed listening to the sweet sounds of spring on its way. Staring at the ceiling and thinking, time had passed. So much time had passed, seasons have come and gone. It is time to go back. No more hiding away and pretending to be invisible. All of the skeletons of the past were ready to be dealt with. Bridget had years to prepare herself, ten years in fact. All those years on her own had made her a stronger woman. The years were rough on her, but she knew it was the best thing to do. When she looked at how much her children loved one another, she knew it was right. Her decision was the most painful she had ever made in her life. She thought of James every day of those ten years. She never asked her kids questions about James’ or Billy’s lives and she made sure the kids kept her life private from them as well. Although, she couldn’t help seeing the gossip in the tabloid magazines on newsstands. She would see all of the stories about Billy possibly fathering another child to James bedding a few celebrities. But, the latest for the past four years was James had been in a serious relationship with a model named Samantha. Bridget felt happy for him that he had found love again, but all at the same time she felt her heart break in two. Seeing the photos of him with his hand wrapped around this beautiful model felt like a blade stabbing deep into her stomach. For those ten years Jon was a rock for Bridget. They never reunited as a couple, but he was a strong friend for her when he wasn’t in a relationship himself. He would just be there for her when she needed anything and after three years of no intimacy, she chose him to make love to for the first time in years. He felt so familiar and safe. But, she still hated his career. He would leave more often than James would for roles. She did a good job to keep Jon away from her house when the kids were home so they wouldn’t be confused. The first five years were the hardest. Being a mother to four kids with no help was tough. There were several moments that made it worth the pain. One of those moments was when she walked into the living room to see Dylan and Kimberly both asleep on a bean bag with Kim’s arm draped over Dylan. All Bridget could think of was, look at that a Hillenbrand touching a Mackenvoy in a loving way instead of fighting. The kids did love one another unconditionally no matter what their last names were. Megan was an excellent bigger sister, if not a little bossy. Tyler and Megan were so similar in personality while Dylan and Kim were the same. Bridget was surprised at what a wonderful father Billy had turned out to be to his children. She knew James was an excellent caring father, but Billy was a wild card. Kim was a daddy’s girl for sure. When Sophia would bring the kids to spend their time with Bridget, Kim would become so upset screaming for her daddy. It would take Bridget an hour to calm her down. The other kids learned to ignore Kim when she would scream at the top of her lungs, which she did often. Tyler was a stinker and he would get into all kinds of mischief. Anyone could tell he was Billy’s son, in fact Bridget couldn’t see much of her looks in those kids. It was all Billy, and the same went for Dylan and Megan. They looked exactly like James, Megan had his hair color and soft brown eyes. Dylan’s face was a carbon copy of James, the only difference was he had brown hair. It was hard to look at these beautiful kids without feeling the pain. She was reminded of the past everyday she spent with them. The last ten years were very difficult for James. The pain would seem unbearable at times. He still couldn’t believe his marriage was over. He would mistakenly call Bridget his wife for up to two years after the divorce. The first year without her was the real test for him. He would sometimes sit in the dark and sob trying to figure out why it took him so long to treat his wife the right way. When he did figure it out, it was too late. It felt like a curse hanging over his head. But, in reality it was his vicious mother who loomed like a vulture in his life. Two years after the divorce, Megan came downstairs to find James crying in the dark at the kitchen table. She was only five years old, but she knew he was hurting. She was older than her years. She walked over and wiped his cheek telling him it would all be okay. Finally, after a few years of being without Bridget he decided to put out a new CD with Hangman’s Noose. If he could occupy his time he wouldn’t hurt as much. The CD was a success, as always. He met a lot of women during his shows or when he would attend high profile celebrity parties. During the first couple of years of his divorce, James would use Jackie for the occasional romp. She was always happy to oblige him even though she knew he would never be hers. She was just so happy Bridget didn’t get the pleasure in saying James was hers either. She couldn’t stand the thought of someone insignificant having someone as wonderful as James. The guys in the band were extremely excited to be on the road again during their tours. Cindy was not so happy. She and Matt had a trial separation for a few months, but decided to try to keep it together for the kids. Their kids, Shaina and Wyatt were now 15 and 12 years old. Olivia and Marcus were doing very well. There were some women that tried to break up their marriage during those years the band would tour. It did take its toll on Olivia, but she trusted Marcus and stood by him. Marcus and Olivia’s kids, the twins Justin and Amanda, were 16 years old while Hunter was 12 years old. Cullen was in a few relationships, but he couldn’t seem to find that woman who made him feel the way Rachel did. He would sneak to visit her grave every year on her birthday and her death day. Cullen’s son was now 13 years old and Emma’s daughter, Roxy, was now 12 years old. James began dating some singers or movie stars, but would only stay with them for a few weeks. He would never commit to one woman. Sometimes it would be brunettes or redheads, but mostly he adored blondes. One of the front page tabloid stories Bridget read about was an angry female singer who had went out on a few dates with James. She let it slip to friends about one night during their making love, he accidentally called her Bridget. Needless to say, that was the end of sleeping with girls at random for James. Bridget couldn’t help to feel a little bit flattered knowing that she still had an impact on his life. But, that would all change soon. Six years after the divorce James finally decided to date a woman who pursued him for some time. She was a model, but had a beautiful natural look to her. She didn’t need to wear makeup, she was already pretty with her blue eyes and blonde hair that fell beautifully over her shoulders. Victoria adored her since she was rich, of course. It didn’t matter that she posed nude at times, Victoria played it off as being artistic. James was now finally beginning to be happy and he was settling down with someone Victoria would have chosen herself for him. Billy had a rough ten years as well while Bridget was away. He was a fantastic father to his twins. He would give them horseback rides on his back until he felt like they were old enough to ride real horses. He taught Tyler how to shoot a BB gun until he was old enough for a real gun. Those kids were the light of his life. Nobody would have thought he would be so wonderful with them. He took care of them when it was his time with them, he refused to use babysitters. He never drank whiskey or went to his bar when he had his kids. One of the things he kept from everyone was how he thought about Bridget often. He wondered how she was doing. He even remembered the smell of her skin and hair. He went back to being the same old Billy with having a different woman every week when Bridget left. He would always use a condom, but once it caught up with him. A woman claimed to have had his child. He was sickened, the woman who was claiming to have his child was a fling that meant nothing to him. He did a paternity test and to his delight, the child was not his. The next week he had a vasectomy so this situation would never happen again. Besides, he had a daughter and a son now. He had just about everything he had ever wanted in his life. Joey had married Missy at one point and divorced her years later. His kids, Noah and Amber, were now 12 and 10 years old. Walker was the same as he always was, no kids no wife. Monica’s kids, J.T and Rae, were now 16 and 13 years old. All the kids were growing up so fast. The Mackenvoy kids all had the same trade mark dark hair and dark eyes, except for Megan. The Hillenbrands all had blue eyes with blonde hair, except Joey’s kids. They had dark brown hair and blue eyes taking after their mother. Megan and Dylan were now 15 and 12 years old while the twins, Tyler and Kimberly, were 10 years old. Bridget felt like they were old enough to understand that it was okay to love each other no matter what family they belonged to. Now that James was in a serious relationship with Samantha and in love, things shouldn’t be so hard on him when Bridget would come back to town, or so she thought. Surely, he had forgotten about her by now. Even though she could never stop thinking about him for one day while they were apart. There had been so many times she would dream about him and wake up thinking he was lying beside her. She would hold her pillow and cry herself back to sleep. She felt like she never deserved him anyway. She tried not to think about what Victoria thought of her. As far as she was concerned, Victoria was an evil wretch who would soon get hers one way or another. It was now February 14, 2017 and the annual Hillenbrand and Mackenvoy Valentine’s Day dance would be underway in six hours. Bridget was nervous as she put her beautiful black dress on. Her hands were shaking as she tried to understand what the hell she was doing? The kids were already in Pleasantville staying with family friends while James and Billy would be attending the party. She had warned the kids that this was it. She was preparing to come back to town so the two hour car rides wouldn’t be so brutal on the kids anymore. Megan was extremely excited to have both her parents living in the same town. Bridget was anxious, but much wiser and prepared for Victoria, at least that’s what she told herself. She felt like she had beat Victoria at her own game, by allowing her kids to love each other with no hate she had beat her. There was nothing Victoria could do to change that now, and Victoria didn’t have any control over those kids. She made the mistake of believing Bridget was weak and had given up, but she didn’t give up. She bided her time. She did what was best for her kids first, and now it was time to do what was best for her. If seeing James happy when she moved back to Pleasantville hurt her, it was worth ever sting. She wanted James happy, she had caused him enough pain. She didn’t know that he had changed over those ten years. He was still a good man, but a part of him had died. Or was it a part that Victoria had burrowed into him to make him more like her? Bridget would find out soon enough. This night, she wouldn’t bring her belongings yet to town. This night, she would bring only herself. In her pretty black dress, she pulled up to the huge building she remembered attending so many times with James on her arm. She sat and thought about all those parties that she had once been a part of. Feeling the knots in her stomach, she turned the key off to the ignition of her car. Opening the car door she shuffled through the nicely shoveled parking lot, skipping over standing water puddles. She made it to the doorway and thought for a moment as she grabbed the handle. She walked in holding her stomach and told herself to calm down. Once inside the building, the gym where all the dances were held was on the second floor. As soon as she stepped inside she could hear the loud music blasting. In front of her was a stairway that led up to the second floor. The gym was off to the left of the stairs as the bathrooms set off to the right. After getting up the nerve to climb the stairs, she immediately ran off to the bathroom to catch her breath and dab her face. Looking in the mirror she asked herself, what are you doing? Gaining her composure, she knew she needed to do this. She needed to just walk into that gym to show them she was back and to let them see that she was stronger than ever. Victoria did not break her, and that was important to her. Coming to the entryway of the gym she sighed as she stood in front of the door.

CHAPTER 2

As Bridget stood in the open door way she could hear the song True Colors By Cyndi Lauper playing loudly. She closed her eyes and told herself she could do this. Her stomach felt like there was a bowling ball laying inside of it and she was having trouble swallowing. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and stepped in the doorway, there was no turning back now! Once she walked in the door she opened her eyes grudgingly. She immediately seen sitting directly off to the right of her, was James and Samantha. Olivia, Marcus, Cullen, Cindy and Matt were all sitting at the table as well with all of their backs to her. Bridget’s eyes panned up to the balcony diagonally above where Cullen was sitting. She failed to notice Billy across the gym sitting at a table. He noticed her the minute she walked in and he was shocked. He sat with his mouth open and he felt his heart jump. The song Here With Me By REO Speedwagon began to play over the speakers when Victoria looked down to notice Bridget. Their eyes met and Bridget gave her a little smile with a nod. Victoria’s glare could have been like a hot laser going through Bridget’s soul. Suddenly, she heard a scream when Olivia noticed her. Oh my god, Bridget! Come here, oh my god we have missed you! Olivia shouted out rushing over to her. Cullen stood up and hurried over to give her a huge kiss on the cheek. He lifted her up off of the floor and squeezed her tightly enough she had lost her breath. Easy Cobra, I can feel my ribs cracking, Bridget choked out the words. Oh, sorry I just missed you! Cullen said smiling. James turned around as soon as Olivia screamed. He gazed at Bridget in shock while everyone went over to her to see her. Samantha kept her eyes on James the whole time. Bridget sheepishly looked over James’ way and raised her hand to give a little wave. He gave her a nod and then turned back around to look across the gym. He noticed Billy sitting there staring over at Bridget. James felt flushed and nervous all of the sudden. There she was right behind him. The woman that said she would come back to him after only a few years, but it had been ten long years. He felt so many emotions he thought he was going to pass out. He took a big gulp of his champagne before he looked at Samantha to say, I need to go to the restroom. He stood up and started to walk past Bridget, but suddenly stopping before he went on out the door. He leaned into her ear without touching her and said, You look beautiful. She felt her stomach drop to her toes. James walked on out of the gym as Samantha continued to watch. Billy rolled his eyes in a huff when he seen James stop to say something to her. He looked over at Joey and said, It is diabolical with that son of a bitch. Here he has that other chick sitting there who he has been with for the past four years and he couldn’t help himself. He just had to say something to her to suck her back in. Joey just shook his head. Yeah, if she is smart she will run the other way that is for sure. That psychotic Victoria will skin her alive, Joey said with a smirk. Billy looked back towards Bridget and said, She looks gorgeous. Joey just stared at him surprised. Then Joey spoke up, The last ten years have sure been good to her. James went into the restroom to collect himself. He breathed heavily and washed his face. Marcus came in to the bathroom to see if James was okay. How are you doing little brother? Marcus asked him patting his back. Why did she come back now? I gave up hope she would be back after about five years ago, James said still standing bent over the sink. She looks beautiful, Marcus said. Yes she does. She looks like an angel, James said and then he raised up. But, some angels can have black wings, He said as he walked past Marcus. When James was starting back to the gym, Emma walked up to Bridget while she was still talking to Olivia and Cindy. Hey, how are you? Emma said hugging her. I am good thank you. You look beautiful, Bridget told her. Emma looked up at her mom with a scared look. Momma wants to talk to you, Emma told her with a sad look on her face. Oh, boy, Bridget said as she dropped her head walking to the steps that led up to the balcony. Billy watched as Emma walked over to Cullen. Bridget made her way up the stairs with anxiety filling her body. Well here we go, Billy said as he watched her make her way up to Victoria. James walked into the gym and noticed Bridget approaching his mother. Bridget felt like she was walking up to a firing squad. On the opposite side of the balcony sat Packard, Lisa and Jack. Packard watched Bridget like a hawk. That poor girl, Lisa whispered. Well she has balls I will give her that, Jack said watching her stop in front of Victoria. Colton and Rick looked over at Bridget surprised to see her. Well I will be damned. Look what the cat dragged in. What brings you back here? Colton asked her. Hello sir, I am considering moving back here for the kids. It would be easier on them, Bridget said. Victoria looked at her with daggers in her eyes. But, you are not welcome here. Not at this dance and not in this town. You lost that privilege when you divorced my son, Victoria reminded her sternly. Oh back off of her for god’s sake. She is the mother of your grandkids, Rick hatefully said to Victoria. Colton stood up and walked over to Bridget. Rick’s right, welcome back darling, Colton said grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her cheek. I am sure Megan and Dylan will be over the moon knowing their parents are in the same town again, He said as he glanced over at Packard. He sat back down in his seat and pulled a cigar out of his inner vest pocket. Victoria couldn’t stop staring evilly at Bridget. Is that it, am I free to go? Bridget asked staring deeply into Victoria. Victoria gave a wrinkle to her nose as Bridget turned to walk away. Bridget walked back down the stairs slowly since her legs were feeling like jell-o. She felt great about herself for standing up to Victoria and not letting her see she was afraid. But, she was trembling under her performance. When she came to the bottom of the steps, James looked her way and stared at her while Samantha talked to Olivia. Bridget started to walk off when Cullen came up behind her tickling her sides. Hey, want to dance? He asked her in a goofy manner. Dance? No I don’t dance you know that…… As soon as Bridget started to finish her sentence the song December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) By Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons began to play and Cullen grabbed her hand pulling her to the dance floor. No stop, Cullen, I can’t do this! She yelled staring over at Billy for a second. He ignored her pleas as he began flailing her around the dance floor. At first she was apprehensive, but as the song continued to play she started to laugh and enjoy herself. Cindy started to laugh and grabbed Matt’s hand, dragging him to the dance floor. They all danced with silliness and Bridget felt less nervous as she let herself unwind. Cullen was good about making people feel better. He knew exactly what he was doing. He seen how uncomfortable she was. James watched her with sadness in his eyes. After the song ended Bridget breathily said, Thanks Cullen, I needed that! He quickly asked, Can I get you a drink so you will stay and enjoy yourself? He smiled raising his eyebrows. That is okay, I can go get my own drink, Bridget said as she walked off of the dance floor. Billy felt as though this was his chance to talk to her. He hopped up three seconds after she made it passed his table. She gave him a smile as she walked by. She went to the bar and he came up behind her. So, how have you been doing Bridget? He asked. She turned around slowly and smiled. I have been getting by. That is the best way I could put it, She said smiling. He smiled back in a childish manner feeling flushed in the face. You look very handsome in your tuxedo, She said reaching out tugging at his necktie. Thanks, He said laughing. I don’t like dressing like this too much. I like my blue jeans and t-shirts, He said still smiling. You look nice either way you dress, but I am sure you know that with all the ladies who throw themselves at you, She teased him. Uh, I haven’t known too many ladies. They are mostly tramps, He said just gazing into her eyes. She looked back at him not knowing what else to say. As she turned around to grab her drink he became serious. Can I ask you a personal question? He asked to her. She took a sip and swallowed her drink hard. Sure, She replied. Why did you stay away so long? He asked her. She thought for a minute smiling down at her glass. I just thought it was best for my kids, all of my kids, She answered him. Well either way I am glad you are back, He said as he walked away. James watched Billy talk to her and he felt rage surge up in his belly. Bridget sat down at the bar to sip her drink when Olivia and Cindy came over to talk privately with her. So are you doing okay, really? Olivia asked her. As good as can be expected. I am glad to see James looks happy with her. She seems to be better than Jackie, Bridget said looking over at James. Yeah well, James has changed some since your divorce, Olivia said while Bridget stared at her concerned. What do you mean? Bridget asked. Cindy spoke up, It is like he don’t care like he used to. He just seems cold. And it don’t help that she does stuff to try to make him jealous all the time. Bridget was very curious now, Jealous, what does she do to make him jealous? Bridget asked. She will tell him shit like Billy, Joey or Walker have flirted with her and stuff. You know James, he hears anything like that and he gets irate. He has been in so many fights over the years. He and Walker really went around last year. Oh and I have to warn you about something, Olivia said. Oh boy, I have only been in town one hour and I am going on my second warning, Bridget said grabbing her drink. Well I know they aren’t married yet. Mostly because James is afraid of being hurt again, but Samantha has been trying to get pregnant, Olivia whispered. What?! Bridget shouted. Shhhh, Cindy said while Bridget grabbed her mouth quickly. It’s okay nobody can hear over the music anyway and we are way over here, Olivia said looking around. So, they are trying to have a baby out of wedlock? That doesn’t seem very responsible. I can’t believe Victoria would condone this, Bridget grumbled looking over at James again. Well she likes Samantha and I am sure she is thinking if Sam gets pregnant then James will marry her, Cindy said. But, they have been trying for a year and she never became pregnant, so they went to a specialist. James had to go through that humiliating testing. Come to find out he isn’t the problem, she has some type of issue where she doesn’t ovulate like she should or something. But, James is getting aggravated with the whole situation, Olivia explained to her. I can’t believe James would do this, Bridget said sadly still staring at him. He looked back at her like he knew she was talking about him. And she should have known there was nothing wrong with him he has two kids already, Bridget said hatefully. After their conversation the girls headed back towards all of the tables. When they started to get closer to James table, Bridget began to feel uncomfortable with Sam’s glare. You know what I have to go to the restroom, Bridget said to Olivia. She walked on passed James’ table without even a glance over his way. She walked into the restroom and relieved herself. As she washed her hands she looked in the mirror at herself and felt more confident than she had just an hour earlier. She stood there in the bathroom, taking everything in what Olivia and Cindy had just told her. It broke her heart thinking of James having a baby with someone else. But, then all of the sudden she knew some of the pain James had felt. Only his had to have been much more painful. After all, she had babies with his biggest enemy. She fixed her hair and made sure her makeup was perfect. She walked out of the bathroom and heard a voice behind her say, Are you too good to talk to me? She jumped and turned around to see that it was James.

CHAPTER 3

When Bridget turned around, she seen James walking out of the shadows of the coat room. What are you doing sneaking up on me like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I am not as young as I used to be, Bridget said to him holding her chest. Yes, I know you aren’t. You are ten years older than you were the last time I seen you…… ten whole fucking years, He said with a deep voice. Bridget didn’t know what to say. I know it has been awhile since I have been here, She had just finished her sentence when James looked at her frustrated. Awhile? Bridget, really? How could you do this to me? I waited for you to come back. I was patient and gave you your space. I never pushed. I never tried to find out where you lived. I was just stupid and waited for someone who never planned on coming back! So why now all of the sudden? James asked her as she looked down at the floor. "What can I say?