A Beautiful Purpose Read online

  Copyright © 2014 by Alicia Rae

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations, www.okaycreations.com

  Editor and Interior Designer: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, www.unforeseenediting.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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

  Visit my website at www.aliciaraeauthor.com

  To all my readers who have stood by my side through this incredible new journey in my life,

  words can never express my gratitude for your support, your caring words, and your love for my stories.

  Much love to you all, and God bless.

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  The Beautiful Series Epilogue

  Dear Readers

  Acknowledgments

  ~Audrey~

  I had only been home with my parents in Lake Tahoe for three weeks now, and I was already about to break. I missed my job, my coworkers, my close friends, and my life back in San Francisco. It was my first true home away from home and complete with people who had actually cared to see me and talk with me, and they’d never been rude or demeaning to me.

  I gazed over at my mother, Rosanne, who was fast asleep in her bed with sad eyes. Her sandy-blonde hair was tucked behind her nape. A light sheen of sweat bathed the pale skin of her forehead, making her look fragile, and she was fragile in every sense of the word.

  I dunked a washcloth into a small white bucket of water beside me, wrung it out, and leaned forward to tenderly pat my mother’s face. With every stroke against her delicate ashen skin, all I could think about was how deeply I wished things were different between the two of us, that someday she could love me or care to be in my company for more than a few minutes, the way a mother should be toward her child.

  As I continued to softly bathe her, I recalled our conversation from just moments before she’d drifted off into a deep slumber.

  “Why are you here, trying to take care of me, when you hate me?” Mom asked with a distasteful tone.

  Acting as if I had some sort of contagious disease she might catch from me, she repositioned herself to the far left side of the bed since I was seated at her right.

  I despondently shook my head at her, forcing myself to blink back the tears I felt rising, not wanting to give her the satisfaction that she still had the capability to wound me. “I don’t hate you, Mom. I love you,” I corrected her.

  Mom pinched her brows together and scrunched her face in disgust. “Well, who knows?” she asked, clearly ignoring my sentiment. “Maybe if I had never gotten pregnant with you all those years ago, my life would be much better. I would be happier. I would never have been forced to marry your father, and I could have found a man who loved me”—she lifted her hand and placed it on the center of her chest—“for me.”

  Bitterness occupied her features now, just as they always did during conversations involving my father, Tim.

  Her head was swinging back and forth with its own rhythm, and she shrugged. “But you ruined everything.” She looked me directly in the eyes. “You ruined my life.”

  It was something I’d heard on a weekly, if not daily, basis as a child. I was my mother’s personal target, her emotional punching bag, so she could release her pent-up hurt, especially since my father had an uncanny ability to so easily tune her out whenever she’d try to speak her feelings to him.

  I let out a deep breath, forcing the air in my lungs to return to a steady rhythm and not falter.

  Even as an adult, her words inflicted profound pain on me, much like if she had taken an arrow and driven it straight through the center of my heart.

  So, I did what I always did, and I pulled out my steel barriers and guarded my heart, desperately trying to save myself from any more anguish or despair. Then, I quietly responded, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mom.”

  A cool tear streamed down my face and snapped me back into the present. This was my reality. Even as Mom napped now, I prayed that my relationship with my mother and father could have been different—better, normal. Hell, I would have settled for a fraction of normal.

  Since the day I’d packed my belongings and left to put myself through nursing school, I had not returned home. Yet, when I’d received the phone call of my mother’s terminal illness a few weeks ago, I had given up everything and rushed to be here with my family. I found it within my heart to love her even if she did not love me back, and the same went for my father, too.

  Part of me deliberated if I was here because I felt it was a duty I owed to my parents during this difficult hardship, and another piece of me questioned if I was hoping to find some inkling of their love or affection toward me.

  Lastly, I wondered if I had flat-out lost my mind.

  The only positive part of being home so far was the reminder that my past had taught me a significant lesson in life.

  Don’t ever fall in love. Love does not exist. It’s a fixation of the imagination, and it only leaves a broken heart, destroyed families, and a shattered soul behind.

  ~Audrey~

  I stepped out of my 1976 black Dodge Charger and shut my door, careful not to make the hinges squeak too loudly at my back. With a soft whine, Betsy willingly closed all the way.

  Betsy was an oldie but an all-time classic in my eyes. Considering her age, her body and interior were in pretty good condition. I had picked her up at a car auction for dirt-cheap three years ago. My dream was to restore her someday, but I had no clue where to even start with that task, nor would I have the funds until after my college loans were paid off.

  I slipped my keys into my clutch before wrapping the leather loop around my wrist. Then, I ran my hands down the sides of my white dress as I started to head toward the large crowd gathered outside of M & J Construction & Co.

  Today was the grand opening of the construction business belonging to Kyle Madison, Jason Johnson, and Damon Johnson, all of whom I knew through my friends Abbey Madison and Gail Bennett. Abbey was Kyle’s younger sister, and she was engaged to Jason. Abbey and Jason had recently adopted a little girl, Pearl, who was seven years of age. Damon, Jason’s brother, had started dating Gail after Abbey had coyly suggested the two be roommates.

  It was a lot of people to keep straight. They were all exceptionally great, fun, and loving, and I always enjoyed hanging out with them when given the opportunity. Today, I was so elated that I could be here to support my friends.

  After walking across the parking lot, I neared the front of the newly refinished brick building. Abbey was the first person I spotted. Her infectious smile had me genuinely reciprocating one of my own for the first time in days. Abbey closed the distance between us, her brown eyes beaming with affection. We wrapped our arms around each other, squeezing one anot
her with excitement.

  “Audrey!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’m so glad you made it!”

  It wasn’t until Abbey had her arms around me that I realized just how much I’d needed a hug after a long week of being cooped up at home. I drew back and mentally shifted my gears. Today was a happy, carefree day, so I was going to soak it in and greedily embrace every second of it.

  “Of course I made it!” I beamed, gazing into her glowing eyes. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!”

  Gail bobbed and weaved through the crowd with her own equally infectious smile. Her brown locks bounced along her shoulders from the slight breeze. I squinted against the bright sun as she neared.

  “There she is!” Gail cried before her arms banded around me, hugging me tightly. “How are you?”

  As Gail and I parted, Abbey set her hand on my shoulder. “Yes, how are you?” she chimed in. “Are those folks of yours treating you good?” Without pausing for a beat, she continued, “And you’d better tell me the truth, or I’ll head over there and kick some ass.”

  “You just say the word,” Gail piped in.

  A loving warmth for my friends filled me. They always had my back as I did for them.

  “I’m doing well,” I replied, attempting to be positive. “I’ve just been busy caring for my mother.”

  Gail gave me a look, the one she always expressed when she believed I was brushing my true feelings aside. “I think you’re bullshitting us because Rosanne and Tim always give you a hard time, but since today is a day for celebration, I’ll let it slide.” She pointed her finger at me. “Just for today. On the first night the three of us can get together, we are going to force you to spill those sour beans you’re holding in.”

  Even though her face meant business, I resisted the urge to laugh at Gail’s naturally gifted talent to make me laugh, no matter the circumstance.

  “All the beans.” Abbey grinned playfully, tag-teaming with Gail against me.

  I shook my head at these two women. Gosh, I love them like my own family. Hell, they even love and treat me with more genuine affection than my own parents.

  It was a sad fact but nevertheless very true.

  With a smile, I linked my arms around each one of theirs. “I love you, ladies, and I missed you both like crazy.”

  “Good.” Abbey snorted, tilting her head at me. “Because we aren’t letting you leave us again.”

  “Ever,” Gail added with a smirk.

  “Whoa.” I chuckled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, we’ll definitely enjoy the time we have together.”

  “For sure!” Gail responded as Abbey added, “Yes, ma’am!”

  I scanned the crowd. “Don’t you two have strikingly good-looking men waiting for you guys somewhere?”

  Grinning wide, Abbey lifted her free arm and pointed over at Jason. “My hunk is right there.”

  I gazed over to see Jason deep in conversation with a few guys whom I did not recognize. They were standing in front of an enormous red ribbon that Kyle, Jason, and Damon would soon be cutting.

  “And my handsome man is…” Gail trailed off, looking around the area, and then she laughed. “Well, he’s somewhere around here!”

  I nodded, remembering when I’d met Jason and Damon at a bar a few weeks ago. Kyle and his wife, Lily, had been there, too. They had all been so welcoming to me.

  “We’d better get the ball rolling with the opening celebration, so we can break out the champagne.” Abbey removed her arm from mine and tilted her head over at me. “Or these men will chitchat all day.”

  “Okay.” I smiled between my friends. “I’ll catch up with you all soon.”

  “Of course,” Gail agreed, stepping forward to Abbey’s side. “Make sure you come find us before they cut the ribbon.”

  “I will,” I answered with a nod before they walked off to round up their men.

  I stared around at all the people, trying to keep calm and not feel out of place. Large crowds weren’t really my thing, especially when I didn’t know anyone here except for Gail, Abbey, Lily, and their significant others.

  I positioned myself off to the left of the gathering, so I could be out of the way but still see the front of M & J Construction & Co. I observed as my three girlfriends found the guys and motioned them to the front of the office building. Then, Abbey, Gail, and Lily came to stand in front of the stoop alongside their families and friends to watch Kyle, Jason, and Damon.

  My cell phone vibrated in my purse against my side, grabbing my full attention. I retrieved it to see my mother calling. I politely stepped away, so I would not disturb the celebration.

  “Hello, Mom. Is everything okay?” I asked in a quiet, worried tone.

  “No!” Mom screamed into the phone.

  At the screeching sound, I yanked the phone back slightly from my ear.

  “Where are my pills? You were supposed to set them out for me before you left.”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but she continued without giving me a chance to speak, “I asked you to do one simple thing, Audrey, before you so eagerly ran out the door, and you couldn’t even do it!”

  I let out an exasperated sigh as I prayed for patience. I politely responded, “Mom, they are on the nightstand to your right, next to the two fresh bottles of water I left for you. There is also a chicken sandwich wrapped in a Ziploc bag and an apple.”

  I could hear my mom shuffling around.

  “Oh. You know I hate water,” she complained with a sigh in my ear.

  “I know,” I replied softly, “but the oncologist said you needed to double your water intake. In order to keep you on pace with his request”—I lifted my hand to check my watch—“those two water bottles must be gone by the time I get home in a few hours.”

  “That won’t happen,” she scoffed in protest. “But seeing as you left me stranded here with no coffee or lemonade, I guess I have no choice, do I?”

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” I responded sincerely.

  She was going through a heavy round of chemo, and I truly felt bad for her. The side effects of such a harsh drug were already apparent in her features and behavior, including tiredness and weakness.

  “But it is the doctor’s orders. Please just listen to him.”

  “Again, I don’t have a choice anymore with you around all the time.” She released an irritated sigh. After a moment of silence, she added, “You know I hate to talk on the phone, so I’ll see you when you get home. And make sure you get me some more saltine crackers before you return.”

  “Okay.” I scanned the entrance of M & J Construction & Co., hoping the celebration had not yet started. Luckily, it hadn’t, but it appeared to be nearly time. “I have to go, Mom. I’ll be home within the next two hours.”

  “Bye,” she huffed, her tone cold as stone and completely void of any emotion.

  “Good-bye,” I replied with a frown, inwardly wishing she would just speak nicely to me for once.

  I ambled back over to the crowd. A gust of wind blew my long blonde hair in my face, and I lifted my hand to tuck the loose strands behind my ear. From the corner of my vision, I could tell someone was observing me. I rotated toward the person, only to lock eyes with a stunning set of blue ones. Studying them tentatively, I could see they were full of questions, as if he had been observing me for some time.

  My nerves filled with dread at the thought of someone witnessing my conversation with my mother, recalling all the embarrassing faces I had probably made in response to her less than graceful mood. I felt myself go red at the mere notion. I disliked sharing that side of my personal life with…well, anyone. It wasn’t pretty, and it was private.

  I shoved away that unwanted mortification and drank in the fine sight of the exquisitely attractive man across from me. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and I regarded his beautifully bronzed tan while skimming the length of his distinctive cheekbones. My breath hitched as I took in his full lips slowly curving into a breathtaking smil
e.

  I could not resist my inner desire to let my eyes roam over the expansion of his gray collared dress shirt that gave me a hint of his shapely, extensive shoulders. His stance was wide, radiating certain strength and poise.

  I forced my stare back up to his, seeing his gaze still on me after who-knows-how-long I had been silently devouring him with my eyes. His grin was more prominent now, and I noted the softer look in his eyes with a hint of playfulness. In that moment, I knew he had caught me gawking at him.

  I felt a blush sweep throughout my face at my embarrassment, so I glanced away and broke our connection, unable to hold the power of his stare for another second. The man was ridiculously hot, so he was probably used to all the attention. At least, that was what I chose to believe in a feeble attempt to make myself feel better.

  Besides, it all went back to one prevailing lesson I had learned in life—love did not exist. It was a fixation of the imagination, the ultimate destroyer of one’s heart. All I would have to do was walk through my parents’ front door and hear the way they spoke to one another or behind each other’s backs to know I was better off alone.

  So, fairy tales be damned, I would not let my mind dream of such a fantasy. I was a realist, a conservative, a guardian of my own heart. Therefore, I reluctantly kept my eyes away from a man that I would never allow myself to dream of having. I let my eyesight slowly move to the right, and I took in an older couple. It was then I realized the older gentleman was a mirror image of said hot guy, so my gaze bounced between the two of them. Down to every last striking facial feature, their build, and the golden-bronzed skin, these two men were identical. The man and woman must be his parents.

  I let out a sigh, inwardly chastising myself at my failed effort to stop my ogling. Today is obviously not my day.

  A tap on the microphone in front of M & J Construction & Co. suddenly had the crowd glancing forward, and I was thankful for the welcomed distraction.

  “Hello, everyone!” Kyle exclaimed in a friendly tone. He gestured to Damon and Jason beside him. “We cannot thank you all enough for joining us today as we open M & J Construction’s doors for the first time. Your support means a great deal to us.”