Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3) Read online

  Breathe with me

  Copyright © by Wendy L. Wilson.

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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

  Warning**This book vaguely brushes over sexual trauma that could trigger emotional distress.

  Cover Design by DCP Designs

  Cover Photo by K Keeton Designs

  Models, Dusty James and Gabriela Marie

  Author Photo by Ashleigh Pettis

  Editor, Jeremy Thompson

  Formatting by Champagne Formats

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  A Friend

  I remember

  Grand Slam

  Keep me safe

  Walk away

  Forget

  Still Here

  Open my heart

  The Look

  Crushed

  Hot in Here

  Need Him

  Go for it

  First Kiss

  Christmas came early

  You never know

  Remember

  Mine

  Right where I want to be

  Nightmare

  A Fresh start

  Let Go

  Here we go again

  Let’s do this

  Tears

  Perfect Day

  I can’t wait

  How could you?

  Damn my mouth

  I have to do this

  Never Again

  A Long time coming

  This time

  I’m free

  Breathe with me

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About The Author

  Other Books

  Grandma

  I love and miss you every single day and although I wish you were here to celebrate the completion of another book with me, I know you are in a happier and healthier place now. Thank you for being such a huge part of my life and for always believing in me. I’ve always tried to relay emotion and feelings into words and I do it much better on paper, but I don’t believe there will ever be enough words in the world to tell just what you mean to me. I love you so much Grandma. I hope I always make you proud.

  SLINGING MY BAG ACROSS MY back, I make my way across the gravel parking lot, immediately feeling at ease with my surroundings. This place has always seemed more like my home than anywhere else.

  Feeling the sharp, shifting pieces of rock beneath my feet, I let my eyes wander about. Ribbons of sunlight bouncing along the surface of the water catch my attention. As a kid, I’d spend hours sketching pretend treasure maps in hopes of discovering some long-lost, forgotten booty at the bottom of that lake. After a couple of years passed by, the maps were history and it was a different type of booty that had me on the prowl.

  The tranquil sounds of water splashing at the shore and against the edges of the dock along with choppy waves alerts me to early morning boaters that are braving the cold weather for a little fishing. How many hours have I spent there boating with my brother and Grandpa? I’m sure it would add up to years. Not to mention all the times I went out on the lake with her.

  Shaking my head to brush off any memories that are likely to sneak up on me, I step onto Grandpa’s new front porch, taking a few strides to the door. A creaking noise draws everyone’s attention to my presence as soon as my feet cross the threshold.

  “Evan.” Grandpa nods his head as he reclines in his chair in front of the fireplace.

  “Hey, Grandpa.” I smile then throw my bag to the side of the door.

  “Evan, why don’t you toss that out in your camper rather than cluttering up the cabin?” My father’s commanding tone fills the air and it takes all the willpower I have to not turn around and leave.

  So much for greetings. No, Hello son, good to see you, or Hey, Evan, long time no see. I’ve missed you, Nope, not our family. It’s only been two months since I’ve seen him.

  “No problem,” I say, turning to head back outside.

  I reach down to grab my bag and a cold blast of air hits me as my brother walks inside.

  “I think some of your buddies just showed up across the way.” I stand back up and nod, holding my bag at my side.

  I’m already aware that Judd and Alyssa are headed here for Christmas break, but I still made up a lame excuse that I had to visit Dad while he was in town. I really just want to be where she is; a part of me still feels protective when it comes to Piper. I could not care less about the whole family thing.

  Aside from Grandpa, our family is beyond dysfunctional. Lord knows there’s never been a group of guys that needs the stability and good graces of a woman around more than us.

  Mitch is a complete ass. He only knows how to treat a woman like shit. He’s steering in the same direction as Dad, putting his career as a recruiter to the top of his priority list, but doing it all for the wrong reasons. I’ve always thought being in the military would be a humbling act, but I’m thinking my dad and brother didn’t get that memo. It only aids in their cockiness and fuels their thoughts of viewing themselves as God’s gift to women and above everyone else.

  Dad, much like my brother, has gotten good at using women then tossing them to the curb which is how he acquired two sons and no mom willing to hang around long enough to put up with his shit. Mitch’s mom split when he was only two, unwilling to take on the hardship of moving from military base to military base.

  Mine, however, didn’t even give it a chance. My father received a call from the hospital in Vegas stating his name had been listed as the father of a new baby boy. She apparently skipped out on the hospital bill before the doctors even had time to discharge her, leaving only me and a sticky note with Dad’s phone number behind. After a paternity test and a mountain of paperwork, he says he left with a new born baby and not a clue what he was going to do. He claimed he tried to find her repeatedly, but she had disappeared.

  After that, Dad hung up his dogging around for a while to raise us boys and lug us around the country for years before we had the mindset to ask to come live with Grandpa. I was ten when Dad finally settled us in with him, before taking off again. It is the one thing in life that I am the most grateful for.

  Grandpa is the only decent one among us. He, at least, had my grandma around until 6 years ago. He always tells me that she’s the one that kept his ass in line, and she did. I never got to know her as well as Grandpa, but I remember when she would say jump, Grandpa would smile, give her a little hell then carry out whatever she asked of him. She’s the reason he started the construction company and why it continues to thrive after all these years. She was also the brains behind investing in this land which was a damn good idea, if I do say so myself. What started out as a measly piece of property with all of two cabins on it, now houses thousands of campers through the summer, and is Grandpa’s bread and butter during the warm months.

  “Who all is joining them?” Mitch’s cocky tone jolts me out of my train of thought and reminds me that I have to deal with him for a whole week. Yippee-freaking-yay!

  “I don’t know,” I mumble, knowing Mitc
h’s only concern is what single girls will be arriving.

  Turning back as I pass my brother and open the door, I see Dad heading towards me.

  “Is the radiator heater out there?” I ask, wanting to just collapse down on the bed for a couple hours of shut eye but only if it’s warm, of course.

  I am definitely not a lover of cold weather; I can suck it up if need be, but I prefer coming out here during the peak seasons when the sun is beaming over the trees and the water has just the right amount of chill to it. This time of year, I try to stick to hibernating in my apartment.

  “I already cranked it up a little over an hour ago. It was making a strange noise so you might want to check it out and make sure it is putting out heat.”

  Heading out of the cabin, I scan the parking lot quickly and notice Piper hasn’t arrived yet, only a dark green vacant pick-up truck that looks unfamiliar. A cool breeze sweeps through the air, slightly rocking my grandmother’s old white wicker rocking chair that still adorns the front porch. The tree branches near the lake shore rattle and crackle like a storm may be brewing, yet the inviting rays of sunshine that soak the beach not far ahead brings a warm glow to the day. For December the temperatures have been pretty mild, thankfully only dipping as low as the 40’s.

  The screen door slams behind me and I turn, firmly gripping the rustic log banister and gritting my teeth. I’m already in a lousy mood and not sure I’ll be able to tolerate my brother the entire Christmas break.

  “Your grandpa wants me to show you those heaters that need to be installed in the shower houses,” Dad’s smooth voice calls out behind me. He makes his way down the stairs and around the side of the cabin before I have time to move. “You coming?”

  I shrug my shoulders to no one in particular and bounce down the three steps, joining him right as my ears pick up on the sounds of crunching gravel across the parking lot. Walking over by my camper, I glance around, catching a glimpse of Piper’s dad’s van. Here we go. Let this torturous winter break begin.

  After Dad shows me the three units I agreed to install in the shower houses, I make a quick run into the camper to check the heat and drop my bag, then head back to the porch. From here I have a great view of Piper unloading her bags. A tad bit creepy maybe, but from afar is about the only time I can enjoy her presence anymore. This past summer, she probably had no idea how much I watched her, wishing things could be how they used to be.

  Her long, jet black hair catches in the wind and her arms immediately fold across her chest in an effort to warm herself. I can’t help but envy those arms; it used to be mine that would be wrapped around her.

  Lifting the hatch of the old white van that her dad has driven for the past seven years, she pulls a red duffle bag out and hoists it over her shoulder along with a black case that looks like it houses her laptop. She crosses the lot and disappears into the cabin for a minute or two, only to return for more stuff. My eyes stay glued on her, waiting and wondering if she can feel my presence like she used to; if somehow she may be able to sense that I’m watching her.

  At last, my curiosity is satisfied as she lugs a large navy suitcase out of the back of the van before slamming the hatch shut. The loud clank of the hatch echoes across the lake and back to me, but instead of turning and carrying on in the direction she has taken the last two trips, she comes to a dead stop, turning her head to look right at me. Standing a full twenty yards away, the anger in her piercing, deep brown eyes cannot be missed. Her dark brows dip down into a scowl as she stares right into my eyes as if she is shooting an arrow directly into my heart. How do I make her not hate me, if she won’t hear me out?

  I stare back in a deadly standoff, refusing to look away. Her gaze wavers as she looks down and then flicks her sights back up with a different expression; softer, almost sad. My heart is shredded by that look; torn from my chest, lying motionless on the ground bleeding out from the pain I have caused her. She’ll never trust me again.

  Once she turns and her sad, angry eyes leave mine, I watch her walk away with the suitcase rattling along behind her and I am reminded of the first day I ever saw her. The day I knew she needed to be in my life; in any way possible.

  “Hey, did Grandpa tell you anything about the family that he sold cabin one to?” I call out to my brother as I hoist myself up onto the dock, feeling a sting in my biceps, and the heat from the sun already sucking up all the moisture that is dripping down my body.

  My brother flops about in the water like a dog desperate to get to dry land. “A little. I know they have two kids, or well…I think one of them is their adopted nephew or something like that. The other is a girl around your age.”

  I’m only thirteen, but my ears perk up at the mention of a girl my age. “Really?!” I ask, totally psyched to meet our new neighbors now. “When are they supposed to get here?”

  Swimming around to the other side of the dock, my always-flexing-and-bragging-that-he-is-a-stud brother climbs up the metal ladder that is attached to the floating dock. I snicker to myself at what a wuss he really is as I sit on the edge, kicking my feet through the cool, misty lake water.

  “I’d say that is probably them, now,” Mitch says, as he plops down beside me and vigorously shakes his head, spraying me with drops of water.

  I snap my head up to the shore, instantly raising my hand over my eyes so that I can block the sun and get a better view. An older lady steps out first, followed by a man on the driver’s side then a guy that looks to be my brother’s age, from the back passenger side.

  Then she steps out. Dark, black, tangles of hair hang down her back and nearly touch the waist of her jean shorts. She spins around as soon as her feet hit the gravel and gazes out to the lake, more than likely taking in the breathtaking beauty of this property.

  Her ghostly pale skin tells me that she may need to invest in a boat load of sunscreen and her scrawny, boyish figure is a complete contradiction to the bright red girly bikini top that she is sporting.

  As her eyes sweep the scenery beyond me, her mouth curves into a slight smile and I see a flash of color across her teeth; braces maybe. Her eyes continue on their journey until at last they land on me. Me; sitting on the edge of the dock, dripping wet in a pair of cut off jean shorts, my chestnut brown hair in bad need of a cut, a chest that has yet to discover puberty and legs that would make a chicken feel beefed up.

  For a moment, our eyes lock and her smile grows, which instantly draws my mouth up at the corners to mock her expression.

  “Piper, come on!” A shout sounds from the shore and she turns away from our trance.

  My brother bursts out in laughter beside me and hops up. “Well, she’s a beaut! Good luck with that one! I’m out of here. Catch ya later.” With that he hops back into the water with a huge splash that soaks my nearly sun dried shorts and causes me to flinch, but I still don’t look away from the shore.

  The girl runs off with a suitcase nearly as big as her, bumping along behind her. Once she gets to the cabin door, she turns back one more time; I assume for another look at the lake, but instead her eyes look to me and that amazing smile flashes across her face again.

  No sooner than it happens, she darts inside, leaving me puzzled, curious and smiling from ear to ear with the hopes of finally…

  …making a friend.

  COZYING UP IN MY GRANDMA’S rocker, I kick my feet up on the banister and watch as yet another vehicle pulls across the lot and parks right on the bumper of Piper’s van. The car door opens no sooner than it slams into park and out hops Abby. She hollers something into the car and the passenger side slides open. I would assume maybe Alyssa drove with her sister, but I know better. Judd had big plans and no way would they be driving separate; not unless his surprise didn’t go as planned. That would suck! Here I have big plans for a quiet apartment soon!

  Right then a muscle-bound, sandy-haired guy steps out of the side door and walks around to the trunk to join Abby. He looks familiar. I think I’ve seen him in a few of my classe
s and maybe even at Alyssa’s Halloween party. He and Abby gather gifts and bags, giggling and carrying on as they make their way to Piper’s cabin.

  Once the door closes behind them something occurs to me and has my face crinkling into a disturbed frown from the thought. Whose green truck is that, then?

  Abby scurries back out, over to her car and happens to catch me watching. Fixing her eyes on me, she slams the trunk closed and crosses the lot as another car pulls in. I follow her eyes as she waves at the silver car with Skylar bopping her head like a freak to music I can’t hear. Just what I need.

  After this past summer, Skylar has become relentless in her pursuit of me. It’s not a bad thing. We did hook up a couple of times and she is completely insane in the sack, but it put me in an awkward position wondering if she has disclosed this information to Piper. I guess in the back of my mind, I haven’t closed the door on that, yet.

  “Hey, Evan!” Abby’s spunky voice calls out as she walks up the stairs on the porch.

  All of Piper’s friends are pretty cool, but Abby has always been my favorite; probably because she was around the summer that Piper and I became an item. She more than likely knows more details of our past relationship than anyone else, including Judd. I haven’t even told Judd all that happened that summer, three years ago. It was a memorable one for us all; the year Judd’s mom died, the year Tristan and Mitch became pals and even bigger jerks, and the year all hell broke loose here at the campground, thanks to my big mouth…

  I smile and get up from the rocker, looking out in the distance as Skylar waves her arms in the air to get my attention.

  “New guy?” I casually wave at Skylar and then nudge my head toward the blonde brute that had unloaded from Abby’s car earlier, which is now helping the rest of the girls with their bags.

  Abby looks back and a warm smile covers her face as soon as she makes eye contact with him. I guess so.

  “Oh yeah, I think you met him at the Halloween party at Alyssa’s old apartment. That’s Hayden.” She looks back at me and there is no hiding that she is crazy about him.