Returned

Chapter 1: Angel

10 years later

As I looked out the window watching my son run along the shoreline of the beach house that had been his home for the last nine years, I couldn’t help but remember the night I’d shown up here. This was the best choice for us both. I was just a disheveled seventeen year old, tear-stained face, heartbroken and pregnant. Grandma had taken one look at me and gone off about what that man must have done to me, how he was the reason that her daughter died, and she was glad that she was going to get another chance with me. She helped me establish myself in the town, and because she was so respected, it made the local’s respect me as well. No one made comments about how I was too young to be a mother or anything of the sort. They helped me get my GED at the local high school, helped me start my online college courses and as I got my degree, my grandmother had gotten the local police chief to take a chance on me and give me a job as the desk clerk of the local precinct, so that i would have money to pay my own way, and learn how to raise Camden on my own.

Camden, my blonde haired, blue eyed little prince had grown up so much in the last nine years, as a child does. Looking at him, he was looking more and more like the boys that I left behind a lifetime ago. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure which of the boys was his father, though I had a feeling which was most likely. I wondered what would have happened if I had stayed, would they have made me choose? Would we have raised Cam like we’d done everything else in our childhood? That is to say, together. I let out a sigh and looked at the sink where I was supposed to be doing the dishes, instead i was taking a stroll down memory lane. With a shake of my head, and one last glance out to make sure Cam was okay, I finished the job.

A knock on the door startled me, we weren’t expecting anyone, not since Gran’s passing. It’d been eight months since my Gran had passed away, and I missed her so much. I looked out the kitchen window, Cam was still playing on his playset on the small beachy area we called our backyard. I turned away and went to open the front door.

“Angel McCarthy?”

“Yes, that’s my name,”

The man at the door didn’t look familiar, and I wondered for a moment if I should have denied who i was, but I hadn’t been worrying about my father looking for me after ten years, Maybe I should have been, but no one had reached out here, it was as if once my mother died when I was ten, my father forgot that his former wife had once had parents. I guess it’s not too surprising since he’d already been screwing the step-monster by the time mom got diagnosed with cancer, I was seven at that time and walked in on them together. I shook my head and looked at the man.

“I have an envelope for you, I need you to sign for it and then I’ll be on my way”

I took the pad, signed my name and then took the envelope from the man, thanked him and shut the door. I stared at the writing of the address. I didn’t recognize anything about this letter until my eyes drifted up to the return address. Copperton. My hometown screamed at me from the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. Did someone find me? Was it the boys? Did they know about Cam? Breathe Angel, just breathe. I took a deep breath in and opened the package quickly, finding a letter, among a few other pieces of paper in it. As I scanned through the paper I felt my heart drop to my knees. My father was dead. Murdered by my step-monster just three months ago after he divorced her. They’d had a prenup and according to the lawyer’s letter, my step-monster had broken the prenup, ended up with nothing but rage, and taken it out on dear ole dad.Karma really is a b***h old man.

I was still trying to calm myself down so I could read the other papers inside. One stated that the entire estate was mine, as my father had never had children with his ex-wife, and he’d never had a will drawn out to disinherit me. Everything was mine, the house, the vacation home in Mexico, the three cars. I now had a fortune and didn’t know what to do with myself. It felt almost like dirty money, but if it would help Cam and myself then I’d take it. It meant going back to Copperton though, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that. I decided I needed to think about it as I went to get Cam inside and cleaned up for dinner and then bed. Once I got Cam in bed my phone rang. I rolled my eyes at the number that flashed on my screen.

“What do you want Jaxon?” I knew I sounded exhausted, but between the letter from the lawyer, and now my ex calling me, tonight was turning out to be shitty. I didn't want to deal with him, but I knew he wouldn't give me the choice. Therefore I waited to see what lame excuse he had now.

“Angie, baby, don’t be like that, you know you miss me” I rolled my eyes at the words and cringed at his chosen nickname for me, Angie was not something I ever liked to be called. I'd accepted nicknames from others, Gel and Ang among them but Angie just wasn't for me.

“Maybe next time my aim will be better Jax” I was still angry and I hoped that he could tell. I wasn't one for idle threats.

“Babe come on she meant nothing to me, It was a fling, to get out of my system before we got married, you know you’re the only girl for me”

“No Jaxon, it was the final straw. Ya know I should have realized that when I didn’t want to let you meet my son. If i couldn’t trust you to be introduced to my son, I had no right being with you. He’s the most important person in my life, and you know what, you never seemed interested when i brought him up either. You cheating on me, well that was just the cherry on the red flag cake.”

“Angie c’mon you know if you’d let me meet him, he’d love me, and the boy needs a father, he’s what seven, boys need their dad”

“He’s nearly ten but thank you for proving me right you complete asshole. Don’t call me again Jax, I’m done”

I hung up my phone, blocking his number as I shook my head. That conversation made up my mind for me, I knew Jax wouldn’t give up, so maybe going ‘home’ and taking care of dad’s estate would get me away for a while, hopefully long enough that Jax would move on to his next victim, because she was not me. So the next morning after breakfast I told Cam to pack up some clothes and toys for a trip we were taking. I didn’t need to know the details and I guess I thought it was time to go home. Even if I was terrified of what would be waiting for me there.