“That’s correct. However, you will also be charged with driving while intoxicated. The offense will be placed on your criminal record, but once you have completed the listed requirements, you will have served your sentence.” My attorney chimes in, placing a pen in my hand.
“Alright,” I sigh before signing the next four years of my life away. Both attorneys sign the forms, then leave the room.
“This is for the best,” Colton says before my doctor hands him a pile of paperwork.
“Am I getting out of this place?” I question as I swing my legs over the side of bed, careful of my injured leg.
“Yes, your transportation is waiting for you.” The doctor shakes my and Colton’s hands before leaving the room.
“What did he mean by transportation? Aren’t you going to give me a ride back to the house? I need to let Lucy know what’s happening.”
“You aren’t going home. I packed a bag for you before I came here. You are being transported directly to the rehab center.”
My chest tightens in fear. “What about Lucy? I can’t even tell her goodbye?”
Colton shakes his head before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and handing it to me. “You need to leave immediately. It was the only way we could get them to agree to no jail time.”
I grip the phone, my hand shaking from the onslaught of emotions filtering through my mind. I dial her number. It rings a few times before going to voicemail.
“Lucy, baby, it’s Tyler. I’ve gotten into a little trouble and have to go away for a little while. Just remember I love you and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I end the call and hand Colton back his phone.
“You don’t want to tell her how long you will be gone? That’s a long time to wait for someone?” Colton questions as he hands me a pair of crutches and helps me stand.
“What kind of asshole would I be if I asked her to wait? If she waits for me to come back, I want it to be because she wants to, not out of a sense of obligation.”
Colton nods his head as he helps me out the door. As I take a seat in the back of an unmarked police car, the realization of what is about to happen hits me like a ton of bricks.
Lucy Duke is the love of my life. I just hope she understands why things had to be this way.
Chapter Two
Lucy
“Alright, I’m coming,” I mumble into the darkness of my room. I rub the sleep out of my eyes before throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I wait a few moments before pushing up off the bed and striding down the hallway toward the second bedroom.
I have no idea where I would be right now if it wasn’t for Rylee and Corporate Cares. When all my other friends deserted me for their partying ways, Rylee stepped up to help me move forward in my life.
I push open the door and see a pair of blue tear-filled eyes staring back at me. “Is my little man doing okay?” I ask in a hushed voice.
“Bad dream,” Colt responds in his little voice while reaching his hand toward me, begging to be picked up. I smile at him before picking him up and heading to the rocking chair in the corner, a gift from Colton and Rylee.
“Momma is here. I’ll make all the bad dreams go away.” I kiss the top of his head, burying my nose into his hair that’s so much like his father’s.
“‘Dank you momma.” Colt snuggles into my chest as I rock back and forth, soothing both our nerves. As his breathing evens to a steady rhythm, I allow myself to think about how things could have been.
Tyler Davenport was the man of my dreams. Tall, lean body, and drop dead gorgeous. Most of the girls around the track only had eyes for Colton, my best friend at the time, Tawny included, but there was something about Tyler that drew me in.
I met him at one of the many events Tawny dragged me to, hoping to catch Colton’s eye, but I soon sought Tyler out whenever I could. Going to the track during practices, making sure I was near winner’s circle on race day. Anything I could do to ensure I was close to Tyler.
He blew me off as a track bunny, just there to get my hooks into an up and coming racer. But after a few months of passing conversations, Tyler discovered there was more to me than finding a quick paycheck.
It took a few months, but he finally asked me out. The rest is history. After one date, I knew he would be the one for me. It took him a little bit longer to come to that conclusion. After almost a year of being an official couple, we were talking about having a family and making a life for ourselves. However, the partying and drinking caught up to the both of us. We were headed down a path of destruction, that is until Tyler disappeared.
Everything changed for me that day. The other half of my soul went missing and finding out you have another person growing inside you could do that. It was hard, but I stopped all the partying and worked toward a better future for myself and my little man, hoping that one day Tyler would return to us, but that day hasn’t arrived and probably never will.
I stand, tiptoeing over toward Colt’s toddler bed and lay him down gently. “Sleep tight, little man,” I whisper before double checking that his race car night light is on as I exit the room.
Tears slip down my cheek as memories
