AJ's Salvation

  AJ’S SALVATION

  Sam Destiny

  Copyright © 2015 Sam Destiny

  KINDLE EDITION

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied or reproduced without written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, places or people, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Cover Copyright © DCP Designs

  Edited by Jenny Sims at Editing4Indies

  Formatting by Ready, Set, Edit

  For here I lie completely broken,

  And you came with your healing touch,

  Not many words between us spoken,

  Yet you made me smile and such.

  To my best friend Yvi, who always makes me feel better.

  Together forever, never apart,

  maybe in distance, but never at heart.

  Alessia looked at the guy who wanted to change her life forever. She was packed and ready to leave for college and start her new adventure, yet right now, she was hesitating.

  "You never bothered to speak to me," she accused, her heart breaking at all the times she had looked at her brother's best friend and longed for him just to acknowledge her.

  "You never planned to come back here, Aly. You’re the perfect choice. Just go. You already told everyone bye! Everyone who matters knows you’re leaving. And everyone who matters knows you and I never had anything going on. Ever. Please."

  Alessia couldn't get herself to look at what he was carrying, so she focused on the face she had seen so many times during the day and touched so many times during her dreams. The bundle in the carry-on babbled quietly and she watched as Jam placed it on the floor. A baby. Aly had just turned eighteen, and her life was supposed to begin. She wanted to leave because her heart couldn't get over being in love with Jamison, and now, he stood in front of her with a plea like this.

  "Jam, you have no idea what you’re asking," she pleaded, her throat feeling dry.

  "You know Collene. She'll never stop treating him as she does now. And you know her father. I can't take him anywhere because they'd forever hunt me. You, on the other hand ... you’re the only logical option for me."

  “Treating him how?” Alessia asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  Jamison knelt next to the carry-on, opening the light green blanket before carefully pulling up the baby boy’s shirt. The sight of the black and blue little body made Alessia gasp. "No," she almost sobbed, her heart breaking. She knew Collene had a rather violent streak, but she never thought the woman would hit her own child.

  "They’re going to say I beat him. Her whole family will attest to it. You need to take him far away."

  "You’re asking me to kidnap a child," she replied, outrage clear in her voice.

  "I'm asking you to save his life," Jam answered, and she shook her head, hugging herself. She simply should have kept going once she had spotted him on the side of the road. Aly should have told herself not to care when he had flagged her down in the middle of some forest, but it was Jam and she hadn’t been able to ignore the bag and baby at his side, either. Her heart had started a wild rhythm. In her mind, she had told herself that maybe, just maybe, he had finally realized he loved her and now wanted her to come with her.

  She would have taken him in a heartbeat.

  Collene Karmison was the mayor's daughter, and they ruled the city as if they were kings and queens. Corruption was rich in their hometown of Townsend, but Alessia had always stayed out of Collene's way. Being a nice girl and just average looking had always kept her safe from attacks, but she had heard about them and had seen the victims, too. It had always been a mystery to her why someone like Jamison had slept with Collene. A mistake, which had ended badly for him, if she considered where they stood now.

  "They can't lock you up for that. You don't even love her." She tried to reason with him, but he just choked out a cold laugh. He knew just as well as she did that they'd be able to do whatever they wanted to him. It was the only reason she considered this craziness at all. "Do they know you have him?"

  "The nanny left him on the doorstep to get his bottle of milk. No one knows where he is. I need to get back soon or they’ll know something’s off. You need to make a decision now."

  "My life is over if they ever realize where your child is," she argued, and finally, the green eyes clouded with unsheltered grief.

  "I know. I’m sorry for asking. You don't deserve to clean up my mess for me," Jam agreed, and it was what made Alessia move forward and reach for the baby boy. She wasn't even sure the little guy had a name yet since Jamison and Collene had fought over it for the last four months.

  "What's his name?" she wondered, and Jam kissed the little boy's forehead before taking the tiny bundle out of his carry-on and giving it to her.

  "He's yours. You name him. It doesn't matter what Collene called him. It doesn't matter what I'd call him. He's your boy now." It was more than obvious how much it hurt Jamison to let his son go, but that didn't matter.

  He put the bag in her car, another addition to fill the last spot she had left before he placed the carry-on as a car seat in the front. "Ditch it and buy a new one tomorrow. You should be far enough by then to switch the seats. Make sure to keep him safe and warm," Jam demanded, his request without much heat, though.

  "Come with us," she pleaded. There never had been an ounce of hope for them, but she was desperate now. A child would keep them together. Maybe she could get her chance with Jam finally. Then another thought occurred to her. "How in the world will I be able to afford a child?"

  Finally, the smallest of smiles lifted the corner of his mouth. "You'll figure it out. Leave now, or you'll never go."

  She nodded. He didn't even bother to take her in his arms as a thank you or as a way of saying good-bye. Instead, he just held open her door and watched as she slipped behind the wheel.

  Aly started the car after strapping in the little boy. Driving was something she knew how to do, so her body needed no real input. Her mind was racing. She needed a name for the boy and a story to go with it.

  In her rearview mirror, she saw Jamison shrink away. He looked like a broken man, and as much as Alessia wanted to go back, she forced herself to move forward. She knew this could ruin her life faster than a Ferrari could get to a hundred, but he was her weakness and the boy next to her actually gave her a reason to go through with it. No kid ever deserved to be beaten.

  “Oh God, Jam, please tell me you didn’t lie to me,” she whispered as the thought hit her. Now it was too late to turn back, though. She had more or less kidnapped a child, and she knew returning now would not change anything at all.

  Jamison ran a hand through his blond curls, feeling relief like never before. His son was out of danger. As much as he felt guilty for bringing the only girl he had ever loved in this life, the boy was all that mattered.

  Turning away, he walked back to his car, which he had hidden in the forest. He had waited for quite some time, so he was freezing, but he was sure it was well worth it in the end.

  His beat-up truck was just as cold as he felt as he sank back into the seat. His hands were shaking, and he wished it were because he had handed over his only child. Deep down, he knew it was because it had taken everything in him not to kiss Alessia at least once in his life.

  “You did the right thing.” Even though Jamison had known he wasn’t alone, he still jumped.

  “Greg,” he murmured, watching Aly’s brother and his best friend from the corner of his eye.

  “Still here. I was with you when we got here, remember?” Of course, Jamison remembered since Greg had been his plan B. Just then, something hit him.

  �
��You didn’t bring a bag. You were ready to run with my son without anything but the clothes you’re wearing?”

  “Alessia has loved you for as long as I can think. I had no doubt she was going to take him from you, especially not after seeing the little boy’s injuries.” Jamison wasn’t surprised. After all, that was, too, what convinced Greg to tag along. “How exactly did that happen anyway?”

  Jamison closed his eyes; still seeing the way Collene had grabbed the baby and shaken him until Jamison had feared his little boy would end up dead. Taking him from her without hurting his son any more had almost been impossible.

  “She used to hit him when he wouldn’t stop screaming. And I told her she needed to stop that, so she started to shake him. I can still see her fingers digging into his tiny body, and …” A shiver passed through him, and Greg interrupted him with a gesture.

  “He’ll have the best home any boy can get. Be sure of it,” he promised, reminding Jamison he had just saved his baby more pain.

  “No doubt about that,” he agreed. “Collene will be pissed … immensely so.”

  “You finally can move out. She no longer has any leverage on you,” Greg commented, and Jamison only nodded.

  “Good-bye,” he whispered. Then he started his car and headed back into hell. But now, it had become just that tiny bit more bearable.

  Ten Years Later and Halfway Across the Country

  Alessia Rhyme pulled her dark hair back in a ponytail while standing on the porch of their little house. She had worked hard to get her own safe haven, and finally, after nearly a decade of nightly hours and having to put Alessandro in the care of a neighbor, she had reached her dream. Or what had turned into her dream after she had run away with a tiny baby boy. Now, he was hers, and she would never ever give him away.

  Running had been surprisingly easy, and five years after she had taken him, no one had come looking for the boy. In fact, no one had ever even bothered to contact her about the kidnapping, either. She had hidden the baby away and then had vanished. In the end, she simply pretended she had birthed him in some tiny country hospital. The people in her new town didn’t know any different.

  Sunrow was a small town like any other coastal town in the continental US. Tourists were equally loved and hated, but Aly didn’t mind them. She had a small café because it gave her the chance to spend a lot of time with Lesso. He usually came right over after school, giving her the most beautiful smile ever.

  “Mom, can I please, please, please go for a swim?” It was early summer with June just presenting its most impressive sunshine. Still, the weather wasn’t nearly warm enough for her to be comfortable with letting him out in the water.

  “Nope, Lesso. Stay away from the water’s edge or your afternoon outside will rapidly end,” she threatened, laughing as she saw him grin at her. Whenever he looked over his shoulder at his mother, he reminded Aly so much of his father that her heart was aching.

  She had tried the dating game, but in her first year here, she had been too busy. Then afterward, she had been a mother. No matter how young she appeared on the outside, she knew she had left behind a girl and arrived a woman.

  No guy was able to capture her heart. People who told you that you couldn’t lose your heart while you were young had never met Jamison. Or grown up watching a guy who was probably as unique as a snowflake.

  “Sweet girl, you have that pensive look again.” Aly shook her head, clearing Jamison from her thoughts to focus on the new arrival. She hadn’t even noticed her elderly neighbor walking up to her porch.

  “Dorly.” She smiled, kissing the old woman on her papery cheek. She had been like family ever since Alessia and Alessandro had arrived.

  “Will you tell an old woman what kept your thoughts busy this time around?” the lady inquired, and Aly started to collect Alessandro’s towels and clothes. She had made him change earlier since, like all boys, he hadn’t been able to resist getting his feet wet.

  “I was just enjoying the view,” Aly explained, lowering her eyes since she had a feeling the old woman could read her better than all the cheesy novellas she usually carried.

  “Okay, let me tell you what you’ve been thinking about,” Dorly said, drawing a beach chair near. Aly sat down on the porch steps as she usually did, turning to look at her neighbor.

  She had to hide a grin as she arched a brow. “Sure, share your wisdom,” she teased, and Dorly shook her head.

  “Don’t make fun of me, young lady,” she scolded gently, and Aly laughed. It was weird, but she only felt as if she could be her true self around that woman. The smile vanished from the older neighbor’s face, though, as she looked out at the ocean. “You were thinking about the kid’s dad.”

  Okay, she wasn’t watching the ocean. Dorly was watching Alessandro.

  Aly decided not to say anything, so she stayed quiet. She didn’t even try to deny it because she knew Dorly would see right through it.

  “He looks so much like his dad. It’s incredible.”

  “Yeah, he has nothing from me,” Aly agreed, swallowing as Jamison’s face came back to her. She didn’t even think about the comment closer since she had heard it a lot over the years. Alessandro’s teachers always asked about his father since they obviously guessed he must be a handsome guy. Aly no longer had any idea if that was true, but he sure had been a looker back when she had still seen him daily.

  “How long have you lived next door?” Dorly asked, confusing Aly with the sudden change of topic. She had started renting the house next door before Dorly had actually sold it to her for a bargain. Alessia knew it was because she was helping her out and Dorly had no children of her own, but that didn’t matter. Aly would forever be indebted to her.

  “Nine years? Give or take,” she finally replied, and Dorly nodded.

  “Not once have you been back home. Not once has anyone visited you. I never asked about where you’re from, but let’s be honest, an old woman has to be curious. A young lady like you and a handsome boy like he without any family? I can’t believe that.”

  Aly had always avoided answering those questions, but she figured she owed Dorly some explanation. “I have a brother. My parents died when I was still young. My aunt raised us until she ran away when I was sixteen. My brother took care of me after that. Not that he needed to. I was pretty independent by then.” She paused for a moment, wondering how to go on.

  “Independent enough to be a mother? You were just a child when you came. You were what? Barely eighteen?”

  Aly pulled the rubber band from her hair, making the dark brown waves cascade over her shoulders. She combed her fingers through the strands a few times before nodding. “I planned to visit a nearby college. I got a full ride. Before I left, I realized I was expecting. I didn’t want to burden my brother and having the father be part of his life was out of the question, so I still went and pretended everything was all right. I couldn’t go back. After all, how would I explain a child? I didn’t want to do that to my brother. In the end, he had just gotten free of me to enjoy his own life. No one deserves to be burdened with a child they didn’t ask for,” she explained, being careful to pick her words.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to enforce the lie. She had practiced it for so long; it felt like her true-life story. Now, after so much time, it was easy to imagine, too. She barely felt like she was deceiving anyone.

  As it was, Greg had supported her from day one. Each week, she’d get money from him, two hundred dollars every time, and even though she had no idea where he got it from, she put it aside to get him out of trouble should the need arise. Had she wanted to ask him where he got the money? More times than she could count. But she knew Greg would not have told her anyway.

  “Lesso’s father - ”

  “He was my brother’s best friend. I think I was his last choice, but he always had been the one for me.” God, how much she wished those words weren’t true any longer, yet she could feel them resonate deep within
her.

  The elderly woman stayed silent for so long, it made Aly wonder if she had checked out on her. “I’m guessing your brother was what? Twenty-one when you left? So Alessandro’s father is about the same age.”

  “He was just about to turn twenty-one, yes,” Aly agreed. They all had been so young and too many things had been left unsaid.

  “Alessandro’s father was just a boy really. They don’t turn into men until later, do they?” Dorly wondered, and Aly wasn’t sure if she needed to answer.

  “I think certain things will make us grow up much quicker than others,” was the comment she opted for, and Dorly reached out to brush her thumb over Aly’s cheek.

  “Mom, why are you crying?” Lesso asked, coming over. Only then did Alessia realize tears were rolling down her cheeks.

  “Mommy’s just so happy she has you,” Aly explained, trying without luck to stop her tears from falling. Her son watched her for a long moment, appearing much older than his ten years.

  “Tom is coming over tonight. Do you remember?” he asked, and she nodded, checking her watch. She had no more than thirty minutes left, but luckily, she didn’t need to prepare anything. She always had frozen pizza and popcorn in the house. It was obviously the only thing feeding two ten-year-olds.

  “How about you go inside and get ready, and as soon as Tommy gets here, I’ll send him up to your room?” she asked, and Alessandro planted a wet kiss on her cheek after grinning in agreement. He left the two women alone, and Aly tried to remember where her boy had interrupted their talk.

  “Aly, did you ever wonder if the boy you knew turned into the man you imagined him to be?” Caught off-guard by the question, Alessia pushed herself off the stairs and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “After I left, I never allowed myself to think about him. It just hurt too much,” she eventually answered, watching how Dorly’s glance settled on something behind her.