A Cowboy's Love (Ford Brothers Book #3)

Chapter Fourteen: Amelia

"I can't go with you, Jackson. I have to stay here and go to school. I have to make something out of my life instead of always being in my parent's shadows." I tell him and it is the hardest thing I ever had to do. I can feel the cracks in my heart to begin.

"We can figure it out together. Please come with me to Oklahoma. You can have a new start there. Please." Jackson begs and I can see the pain in his eyes. He cannot stay here with me and I cannot go with him.

"I want to, but I can't pass this opportunity. I will always love you, Jackson."

"I'll be waiting for your call. I'll drop everything and I'll come get you." He promises as he takes my hands in his. "I'll never stop loving you, Ellie."

"I'm so sorry." I cry as I pull my hands away from his and running in the opposite direction. I could not handle the look in his eyes when I told him I could not go. Tomorrow he will be gone with his whole family and I will still be here with no one. I am stuck here with a family who does not care about me and it is all my fault. I chose this for myself and I cannot take it back now. He will be better off without me and all of my baggage. I did not think it would hurt this much when I walked away from him. What did I do?

************

"I'm pregnant." I say to my parents who are sitting across the table from me.

"We will take care of it tomorrow." My mother tells me. How could she act like it is not a human being growing inside me. This is her grandchild not something you can easily take care of. I would never forgive myself if my parents try to talk me into ending my baby's life.

"I am not getting rid of mine and Jackson's baby. I will not do it."

"You have two oppositions. You can get rid of that." My father states as he points towards my stomach. "Or you can be disowned by this family. What will you choose?"

"You would disown your only child and grandchild?"

"Yes, we would. Now, what are you going to do?" He questions again.

"Remember who supported and cared for you." My mother adds.

"I do remember and it wasn't y'all." I noticed that she did not say love.

"Who has been paying for all your clothing, your phone, and your schooling?" He states as if I am some stranger and not his daughter.

"I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. I will always pick Jackson and this baby over y'all." I tell them not backing down. For once I am standing up to them. I never thought I would ever stand up to them. Proud of myself for finally doing it. The smile gracing my face fell when my father spoke again.

"Get out of my house." My father demands like he was not kicking his only child out.

"What?"

"You heard me. Get out of my house and don't come back." He barks out as he rounds the table to my side. He took my arm in a firm grip that actually hurt. He pulled me out of my chair and started dragging me through the house.

"I need to get my stuff." Mainly my phone, so I can get a hold of Jackson.

"You don't own anything in this house. I paid for everything, so it all belongs to me." He replies stopping in front of the door. My mother opens it and holds it open. He did not drag me out the door instead shoving me through it and slamming the door shut behind me. I steadied myself up right and began to walk. I do not know where I am going, but I cannot stay here. I have lost everything. Why did I not go with Jackson when he asked.

I do not know how long I walked or even how I made it to our park. Mine and Jackson's; we would always meet here when I needed him. Taking a seat on the bench and praying that Jackson would know to come here. I know it is hours away, but I am losing all hope. How am I going to raise my baby without a place to live? How am we going to survive? I should have agreed with my parents long enough to get my phone. How stupid could I be. I could have called Jackson to come save me and our baby, but now I am too late. Why can I not keep my mouth shut.

I have no way to get a hold of Jackson all because I left my phone in my room. I do not have any money at least not enough to get a bus ticket to Oklahoma. I have no way to get to him or even tell him that he is going to be a dad. We have always dreamed about starting a family together, but now I have to do this on my own until I can get back to him. I should not have hesitated when he asked me to go with him. I should have ran away in the middle of the night to go with him. I should have done things differently.

"Hey, Ellie."

"Hi, Drew."

************

I cannot do this anymore; I have been admitted to the hospital too many times to count. All at the hands of Drew. I cannot put my girls through this any longer. I cannot put myself through this again. He is abusive to me; sometimes I did not know if I would make it through all the beatings that he gave me. He talks down to me and the girls. He was different before Gabby was born and then he changed. He went from a loving and caring man to an abusive one. I have a way out now and I am going to take it. The girls are here with me since Drew wants nothing to do with them.

Rosie, an older nurse that has been taking care of me and the girls. She has taken us under her wing and helping us through this. We will be staying with her until I can get divorced and move to Oklahoma. She is putting a roof over our heads and finding a lawyer that will help us to get out of here. I will also be filing charges against him. I know this will be a tough road to travel, but I have to do this for us.

I do not know if Jackson still loves me or not. I do not know if he really found someone else. For all I know Drew could have been making the whole thing up. I have to find Jackson and tell him everything. That I still love him and that he is a dad. I do not know how he will take the news, but I pray that he will understand once I tell him everything. How do you tell someone this after eleven years that you had their baby? This has to work for me and the girls; there is no going back now.

I can see this going two ways. One is where Jackson forgives me for everything and gives me a second chance. The other way will be a hard pill to swallow. I can see him slamming the door in my face and telling me not to come back. I am hoping for the first one. We could finally be a family, but I know how life works out; for me anyways. All I want is to have my first love back. I know it will take a lot of work, but I am willing to put the work in. I cannot forget the love that Jackson and I shared. All of our dreams, but I hope it gets better from here. I want it all back; everything that Jackson and I had. I want it all.