Read Online Forever Changed by Jambrea Jo Jones - Free Book Online

Chapter One
     
     
     
    “Tommy, you go. Go and see your father.”
    “Ma—”
    “Don’t Ma me.” She coughed and continued ignoring the spittle of blood on her lips. “Tell him I said goodbye. Promise me.”
    She started gasping for air. Short little breaths as though she couldn’t seem to find what she needed. The sound she made at the back of her throat was familiar. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard the death rattle. He just never thought it’d be from his mom.
    “I promise.” She squeezed his hand tight once before letting go. The machine she was hooked up to beeped. As he looked at the screen, he saw the flat line going across it. And like that, she was gone. Tommy wiped her mouth and waited for the hospital staff to show up. They couldn’t help her now. He hoped she was in a better place and he’d see her again.
     
    “Can I help you?”
    Tommy shook his head, coming back to the present. His ma had died of a broken heart and nothing anyone said could make Tommy think otherwise. Now here he was, at his dad’s ranch. He wanted to get this over with. He needed to leave town, but he’d made a promise to his ma and he wasn’t going to back down from it now that she was gone.
    On the porch stood the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. He was slim, but muscled. His blond hair shone in the sunlight. He wished he was closer so he could see what color his eyes were. Tommy swallowed. No time for that. Not now. He had a plane to catch and discharge paperwork to fill out. A new life to start.
    “Sorry, yes, I was looking for Daniel Grey.” Tommy stuffed his hands in his pockets.
    “And you are?” The guy raised an eyebrow.
    He was even sexier now with that cocky look on his face.
    “Eric, are you talking to someone?” A stunning woman with curly red hair joined the man on the porch. She was wiping her hands on a dish towel.
    They made a beautiful pair and that ended Tommy’s daydreaming. He wasn’t one to break up a couple. Tommy was only here on emergency leave from the Army and had to go back, but there was still the matter of the promise he’d made. He would have waited until his enlistment was up and return, but he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible and he didn’t have time for a distraction.
    “I—” Tommy cleared his throat and walked up the stairs holding out a hand to the guy. “I’m Thomas Daniel Grey.”
    “Tommy?” The woman’s eyes got huge and she ran toward him.
    He tried to back away, but wasn’t successful—she leaped into his arms and he had no choice but to catch her or they’d both have ended up on the ground.
    “Ma’am?” He released her and backed away. She was clinging a bit, but finally released him.
    “Abigail?” The man didn’t look too happy.
    Tommy stood at parade rest, not wanting anyone to think he was taking advantage of the situation. That was how people got hurt. He didn’t want any trouble. He wanted to find his dad and be done with the whole situation. Maybe have a little time to mourn. He missed his momma something fierce and he hated that he’d been away for such a long time.
    “Eric, don’t you know who this is?” Abigail turned away from him.
    At least now he had their names, but this didn’t get him closer to Daniel and he needed to get out of there.
    “No, Abi, I don’t.”
    “This is Danny’s boy.”
    Now he was stunned. How did they know about him? His mother had never said anything about staying in contact with the Grey family. They’d fired her once they had found out about her and Daniel. Gave her a check and said, ‘ Don’t come back or you’ll never find another job again.’
    They’d scraped by. She’d never cashed the check, at least not until she had found out that she was carrying him. Then she’d had no choice—she’d needed the money. He’d heard the story over and over again, but his mother had never been bitter.
    Not even when her first husband had got drunk and beaten her. They’d left in the