Trusting Me

By Belle Aimee Truax

Henry Lov Stuart is a busy physician who wants to find true love and eventually start a family. Yet the memory of a young woman who once held his heart as a teenager often overshadows the present, leaving him feeling sad, empty, and wondering if he will ever be able to get over her.

Mandi Rivers, who escaped an abusive marriage more than a year ago, is just trying to get through life, one day at a time. Even though her ex-husband is in jail, she is still haunted by the horrific memories of his last abuse on her. When her worried mother makes an appointment for her at Dr. Lov’s clinic, the past collides with the present as the two high school sweethearts cross paths again, creating the possibility for a second chance at love. Now only time will tell if faith, love, and trust have the power to transport them out of their pasts and toward the happily-ever-after they never dreamed possible.

In this moving tale of romance and second chances, two high school sweethearts who reunite after years apart must decide if their love is strong enough to help them reconcile their pasts and move into the future together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480873797

Belle Aimee Truax

Belle grew up on a farm in a small town with her large family, as the youngest of 6. Belle spent most of her childhood with her nose stuck in a book. Her love of reading and writing started when she was 4 years old and she wrote her first book, The Little Ladybug. When she is not writing, Belle loves to spend time with her family, bake, dance, and read anything she can get her hands on; while her beloved cats and dogs fight for the chance to sit on her lap. Belle resides in South Texas with her family. This is her debut novel.

Book preview

Trusting

Me

Belle Aimee Truax

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Copyright © 2019 Belle Truax.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

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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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7380-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7381-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7379-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902683

Archway Publishing rev. date: 4/17/2019

Contents

Prologue

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

Epilogue

Thank you Momma for always being my rock.

I could never have done it without you 143

Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

Bless you

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Prologue

Three years earlier…

The gala was in full swing, everyone had a drink in their hand and a date on their arm. Henry leaned against the bar sipping his rum and coke as he glanced around the room, bored out of his mind. He half listened to his friends reminisce about the crazy shenanigans they’d done when they were younger when something or someone caught his attention. There she stood across a sea of faces, in an elegant blue gown, that would make any man pay attention. Mandi.

After all these years she still had the ability to turn heads, and make you forget your wits. To his surprise, she was standing all alone in a corner and keeping to herself.

His brow scrunched in confusion. That wasn’t how he remembered her; she was always fun and out-going making the shiest person of the group feel important. She was always a social butterfly, and for her to be alone seemed odd. Turning his attention away, he finished his drink and set his glass on the bar, and then left his friends and slowly made his way across the floor.

Grabbing two flutes of champagne being offered from a nearby waiter, he slowly approached her from behind, then he softly whispered in her ear, Hello, Mandi, I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.

Mandi stiffened in surprise, only to relax when she recognized that oh-so-familiar voice, only deeper, with a hint of a Southern drawl. Turning around, hoping she wasn’t crazy, she gasped in surprise to see that it was really him. He offered her a flute of champagne and remarked with a grin, You’re even more beautiful than I remember.

Hesitantly accepting the drink, in shock, Mandi met the green eyes that she knew so well; before letting her gaze wander over his tuxedoed physique. She responded gently, Henry? Wha—what’re you doing here?

He grimaced nervously, combing his fingers through his hair, a habit she remembered, when he remarked, I could ask you the same. His eyes widened in surprise I’m sorry, that was rude. Please forgive me then clearing his throat, he said, Let me try this again. How are you, Mandi? It’s been a long time.

Mandi gave him a fake smile before she sipped her champagne and said, I’m doing well. It’s been a while since we last saw each other. He nodded his head in agreement while Mandi added, You look great, Henry. Nervously scanning the room, she asked curiously, How have you been?

Better now that I’ve managed to run into you he replied softly. Looking around the crowded hall to see what she was looking for, he asked curiously, So what brings you to the gala tonight? Do you volunteer at the SickKids Foundation?

Taking another sip of her drink, Mandi shook her head no. She cleared her throat answering, No, I’m here with someone tonight. He works with an investment firm that manages the SickKids Foundation. Oh, and here he comes now.

Henry turned to look, as a handsome gentleman approached and took his place next to Mandi. Proprietarily taking her hand in his, he said, There you are, sweetie. I’ve been looking everywhere for you he then turned to Henry as if barely noticing him and asked curiously, Who is this?

Mandi looked from the man whom, Henry presumed to be her date, back to him when she remarked anxiously, Todd, this is an old friend of mine, Henry Stuart. We just happened to bump into each other.

Todd held out his hand with a grin and said, Todd Rivers. It’s nice to meet an old friend of Mandi’s.

Henry shook his hand using a firm grip when he replied, Nice to meet you.

Both men eyed each other, though Mandi pretended to be oblivious when she asked curiously, So what brings you to the gala, Henry?

He took a moment to stop sizing up her date, and smiled sweetly as he told her, I’m here with a few colleagues. We volunteer and donate as much time and money as we can to charities like this one.

Mandi’s smile grew genuine as she clasped his forearm briefly and exclaimed, That’s wonderful, Henry. I’m happy to know you achieved your dream of becoming a doctor.

He grimaced slightly when he admitted while meeting her gaze, I did achieve my goal, but not without making sacrifices.

Mandi stared in stunned silence before Todd took the moment that followed, to take her arm and say, Sorry to cut this short, Henry. I want to introduce Mandi to a few friends of mine.

Mandi broke her gaze from Henry, looking away and ending the spell that came over them. He cleared his throat and told Todd, I don’t have much say in the matter. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my colleagues as well. Taking Mandi’s hand, he squeezed her fingers and said meeting her gaze head on, It was good to see you again, Mandi.

Todd pulled her hand out of Henry’s grasp and began to lead her away, but not before she turned back and told him with a sad smile, It was nice to see you again, Henry.

Chapter 1

It was a wonderful, brisk morning in Hickory Creek. The temperature was in the sixties with the sun slowly rising overhead. It was the perfect time to hit the trails surrounding the lake for a run. At five o’clock in the morning, that was exactly what Henry did.

It was almost six-thirty before he decided to head back to his house. He ran up the few steps to his back porch, pulled open the screen door and stepped into his kitchen. Checking his heart rate, he walked up to the counter and poured himself a steaming cup of black coffee. Cup in hand, he headed to his bedroom.

Kicking off his sneakers, he pulled out a pair of clean scrubs from the dresser drawer and headed to the bathroom. He set his cup on the sink and flipped on the hot water, before stripping off his sweaty clothes and stepped into his walk-in shower. Turning his back to the steaming water, he stood there a moment letting it relieve the tension in his shoulders. After a rough night’s sleep and an equally hard run on the trail, he needed some relief.

Ten minutes later, he jumped out, wrapped a towel around his waist, and used his free hand to wipe the steamy fog off his mirror. Finishing his cold coffee, he lathered up with shaving cream and went after his short beard with a few quick swipes of his razor, wiping off the extra shaving cream from his jaw. After getting dressed, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and noticed the time, sighing tiredly.

Back in the kitchen, he threw some bread in the toaster while running his fingers through his still-wet hair. He poured another cup of coffee before buttering his toast, then scarfed it down. After brushing his teeth, he made sure that he grabbed his phone, and the stack of patient files he had worked on and was on his way out the door.

Henry arrived at his recently opened pride and joy, otherwise known as The Doctor Is In Clinic and headed for his office. At the reception desk, he paused, smiling at their temporary receptionist, but fulltime head nurse, Clara Jonas, as she said, Good morning, Dr. Lov.

Good morning, Clara. How are you settling in? You think you’re gonna like it here? he asked as he made his way by.

So far, so good. I’ll let you know if I change my mind about it, she replied cheekily with a grin, making Henry laugh with a shake of his head. Making his way into his office, he deftly set out the unfinished paperwork on his desk before heading back to the lobby to give Clara his schedule for the day. Clara smiled politely while taking the folder he handed her before speaking into the phone she had cradled on her shoulder, Yes, ma’am, I have you down for a three o’clock appointment tomorrow to see Dr. Hoo. She listened a moment before she nodded. Mmhmm, you too, ma’am, have a great day. Buh-bye.

You’ve got this down pat, and it’s only your first day. I get the feeling this is going to be easy for you. Henry remarked with a chuckle as he leaned against the counter.

Let’s hope it stays this way. It isn’t even eight o’clock, so it’s still too early to tell, she stated while she booted up her computer to put the newest appointment into her calendar. The front door swung open and in rushed none other than the good doctor himself.

Look who finally decided to show up, Henry teased before turning to him and asking, Have you met our new team member, Miss Jonas?

We’ve hung out before, was Tanner’s response, catching Henry a bit off guard; he turned to find Clara blushing. Clearing his throat, he straightened his lab coat and said, Well, now that that’s covered. Dr. Hoo, you have patient files waiting for you. Catching Clara’s gaze, he asked, Miss Jonas, can I see you in my office, please?

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Sitting at his desk, Henry leaned forward on his elbows, and waited for, Clara to take a seat before he asked curiously, During your interview, when we talked about the allegations in your file, you assured me that you weren’t seeing anyone, and hadn’t dated since your ex. Is that untrue? Do I need to be concerned.

She blinked at him in consternation before shaking her head, No! I’m not seeing anyone. What gave you the idea that I was? she asked defensively.

"You and Dr. Hoo have ‘hung out before’" he repeated. Then he asked accusingly What did he mean by that? Before Clara could respond, he went on to explain, Dr. Hoo, is a brilliant doctor but boyfriend material he is not; and after what you’ve shared with me about your past, I don’t want you getting hurt. I also don’t want there to be any friction in the work environment.

Clara shook her head and told him earnestly, No! We met at a bar, months ago. I was out with my friends. That was all, it was nothing more. I had no idea who he was or that he works here.

Sighing in relief, he nodded in understanding and said, Okay. I just didn’t know how you would’ve felt working together, had the relationship been anything else.

Clara nodded and told him honestly, I completely understand and agree, Dr. Henry – I mean Dr. Lov, I appreciate it.

Henry smiled with a laugh, You can call me Henry, Dr. Lov makes me feel old.

She gave him a wry smile and replied, Yes, sir. Is there anything else you needed?

Shaking his head, he waved his hand toward the door and said, That will be all, Miss Jonas. I hope you have a good first day here.

With her hand on the doorknob Clara turned back and replied with a smirk, It’s only fair that in return you call me, Clara. Thank you, Henry.

Henry had already begun typing away on his computer when he looked up and nodded and said, Let me know if you need anything else, you know where to find me.

Once he was alone, Henry began to tackle the ever-present pile of paperwork on his desk. He heard a baby cry in the hallway, signifying Ruben and his family had arrived. Henry sat back in his seat and tried to imagine what it would be like to have a wife and daughter of his own. Unwillingly a memory of the young woman who once held his heart, popped into his mind, leaving him feeling sad and empty.

Shaking away his heavy thoughts, he attempted to return to his work, only to struggle focusing on the task at hand. Hearing more voices in the hall he stood from his chair, curious and made his way to the door where he caught Tanner sniffing around their new nurse.

Taking it upon himself to cut in, he crossed his arms and asked mildly, What are we running here? I thought this was a medical clinic?

Clara blushed a pretty pink and muttered a quick apology, before fleeing back to her desk while Tanner stood in his place with a cocky grin on his face.

Shaking his head Henry glared at Tanner and spoke softly with a warning in his voice, Would you mind leaving our new receptionist alone he added with caution, She’s had a rough couple of months, Tanner. The last thing she needs is your attention.

Tanner snapped to attention and glared back at him before he turned toward his office and walked away.

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a few months later

Henry sat behind his desk thumbing through the clinic’s paperwork, happy to see all was going well in their first months of business. Never would he have thought their hair-brained dream, during medical school, of opening a clinic would actually become a reality, after years of hard work.

Sitting back in his chair he looked over at some of the photos he had framed on his desk, of him and his family at his graduation, as well as the opening day photo of The Doctor Is In Clinic. There, he stood with his arms around his adoptive parents, Emily and Alan Stuart, and his brother Grant.

Henry had been adopted into the Stuart family at the age of 9, after being raised in foster care from birth. His adopted mother is a professor of English Literature at the University of Arizona, while his father owns a successful real estate firm.

Henry obtained his Medical degree at the University of Texas in Houston, while his brother, Grant, studied at Alabama State before joining the army. In the third picture in front of the clinic, standing beside him were his two new business partners. His roommate in college, Ruben Peper, standing at six-foot-two with his mothers’ Hispanic coloring and his father’s steel grey eyes. Next to him stood their younger colleague, Tanner Hoo, standing at six-foot-one with his unruly fawn colored hair and baby blue eyes.

Henry stared at the photo of him and his adoptive family a bit longer and decided he would give his parents a call later that afternoon. It had been a while since he’d last spoken to them, not including his adoptive brother, Grant. Even with his success and all his blessings, he knows there’s still something missing in his life.

He was startled from his musings by a knock on the door; Clara stuck her head inside and remarked a bit panicked, Henry, we have a crowd of men in the lobby and the exam rooms waiting to be seen. A gentleman named, Mr. Lancaster says we’re expecting him.

With a nod he stood up from behind his desk, and shrugged into his white jacket as he replied, I must have been so caught up in work, I lost track of time. I’m sorry, Clara, I meant to give you a better heads up, but it just slipped my mind.

Clara briskly handed him an arm full of files and sent him in the direction of the exam rooms when she said, Make it up to me later, we have patients to attend to.

Henry shook his head with a chuckle as he made his way down the hall and said, Yes ma’am.

Chapter 2

Hours later after they finished seeing each player from the Tumbleweeds Baseball team….

Henry sipped what had to be his third or fourth cup of coffee, while looking over the last couple of patient’s files with Clara. Ruben decided to join them in the break room, with Tanner not far behind. Ruben set down a bag of sweets and offered, Maria sends her regards.

Opening the bag of sugary confections, Clara snagged one of the freshly baked cookies. She groaned when it melted on her tongue, making her eyes cross. She murmured, So good before taking another bite. Clara stated around her mouthful, Maria sure knows her way around the kitchen.

Henry chuckled at her, while Tanner glowered in the corner, when Ruben remarked fondly, She sure does.

Making his way to the table, Henry took a cookie for himself. Then he turned to Clara with a smile, You did really well for our first big client, Clara. You were great.

Ruben shook his head and said offhandedly, I’m surprised you didn’t get all starstruck, with all those celebrity baseball players sitting around. Tanner snorted with a shake of his head. Henry laughed, making Clara shake her head, Thanks, I think?

Ruben touched her hand to get her attention and he told her honestly, "You did