Breaking Kate: The Acceptance Series

Breaking Kate

The Acceptance Series

Book
One

By D. Kelly

Copyright © 2014 D. Kelly

Editing by - Tiffany Tillman

Cover design by - Regina Wamba of www.maeidesign.com

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For informati
on contact Dee Kelly www.dkellyauthor.com

This book contains mature subject matter and is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains profanity, sexual situations and alcohol consumption.

Dee Kelly

P.O. Box 630185

Simi Valley, CA. 93063

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Jennifer Lawrence. I don’t know her but I think she’s pretty awesome. She makes it okay to have vagina armpits. She can flip off the camera with an Oscar in her hand and still look graceful. She can trip in front of the world and laugh at herself.  She doesn’t let a formal dress get in the way of her love for Doritos. She likes Big Mac’s and doesn’t apologize for it. Because she talks about shitting herself on live TV like it’s no big deal.  Because she admits she’s hungry. She makes the rest of us realize
it’s okay to be yourself and we don’t have to apologize for it.  I don’t think we hear that enough. Be yourself and never apologize for it.

There is love of course. And then there's life, its enemy.  - Jean Anouilh

Prologue - Katherine and Michael 3 years ago

My life is pretty amazing, and I’m feeling truly blessed. Lying on a peaceful beach under the stars, listening to the waves crash against the shore, and breathing in the saltwater air with the boy who stole my heart is right where I want to be. I can’t believe in less than a month we’ll be in college! I glance over at Michael who’s gazing intently at me.

“Michael, why are you looking at me when you’re surrounded by such a breathtaking view?” 

Pulling my hand to his mouth, he kisses my ring finger almost as if promising me the future, and my heart skips a beat.

“The only breathtaking view is you, the rest is just scenery. I love you more than anything. You know that, right?”

He has the cutest little smirk on his face as he gives me a quick kiss.
God he’s sexy.

“I do. I know that more than anything else in this world. You are my true love, Michael Matthews; the only thing in my life besides my friendship with Jess that I know is real. You have my heart and soul. I just hope that in a few weeks, when we’re back in school, we can still find time to come out here to just be us.”

“All of this—the ocean, stars, sky and full moon—are nothing if you aren’t here with me to witness them all. Nothing will change once we’re in school except maybe how much time we get to spend here. Instead of the whole night, we may have to just make it a quickie every once in a while.”

He winks his beautiful baby blue eyes at me. I shove against him and squeal, “Who says romance is dead? So once we hit college, instead of making love to me I get reduced to quickies?”

Michael rolls me over and lies on top of me, his mouth so close to mine I can taste his breath. “Even if it’s a quickie, it is
still
making love to the woman that I love and adore more than anything in this world. Speaking of quickies… are you ready for round two?” Laughing, he slowly leans in and kisses me, soft and tender, slowly sliding his tongue into my mouth. It’s the sweetest kiss; my tongue meets his in perfect harmony. 

I love being with Michael. He is my first everything—first love, first kiss, first boyfriend, first sexual partner—and hopefully my last of all of those, too. He knows all there is to know about me and loves me anyway. Michael has seen me at my most vulnerable, is sensitive of my fears, and doesn’t care that just about anything happy or sad makes me cry almost instantly. He also knows exactly where and how to touch me to make me melt in his arms.  Just as he begins to glide his hands up my shirt, tenderly caressing my breasts, the blanket starts to vibrate.

“Whoa, cowboy, don’t go getting any freaky ideas now,” I say to him, laughing as he reaches for his phone.

“It’s my mom again. This is the third time she’s called in the past half hour,” he sighs.

“Michael, answer your phone. She never calls; maybe it’s an emergency.”

“If it was an emergency she would call you, too. She doesn’t call you her honorary daughter for no reason.”

It’s true. If Claire had her way, Michael and I would be married already.  “True, but please answer it anyway. It’s making me nervous. Besides, once she has her say we can finish what we were just starting.”

He kisses me quickly, sits up, and answers.

“Hey, Mom. No, I didn’t feel it go off because it’s on vibrate. Mom, slow down. What’s wrong? It’s okay, Mom. Please slow down. I can’t understand you. Where are you?”

Michael looks scared—I mean,
really
panicked—this can’t be good. I hop up and start packing things while he’s talking, searching through my bag, trying to find the keys to my car. “Okay, Mom, I got it. UCLA. We’ll meet you there as soon as we can. Yes, Katherine and I. Okay, calm down. I don’t understand… why are you screaming? I hear you but I just don’t understand. We’ll be there within the hour. I will be safe, I promise.”

I have everything ready, grabbing what I can and handing him the rest.

“Michael, what happened? Is your mom okay? Is everything okay?”

We’re walking rapidly to the car, and I am practically running to keep up with him.

“My dad was in an accident. It’s bad, Katherine. Really, really bad. They don’t know if he’s going to make it. My mom is out of her mind. She kept telling me to leave you home and I don’t understand why. My dad loves you like his own and so does she. I think she’s in shock. We need to hurry—she wasn’t making any sense. They’re in the emergency room at UCLA, waiting for news. I guess my dad must have been doing business in the area to be all the way down there or something. Do you think we can stay at your new condo tonight? It’s right by the hospital, and that way we can have a place to rest if we need one.” 

Michael is talking a mile a minute without taking a breath, and as usual, thinking ahead at the same time. Normally, this is where I laugh at his ‘
tell’ of being obviously stressed out, but this time it isn’t funny. On the contrary, it’s very serious. My head is spinning. Michael keeps talking. He’s concerned for his dad and so am I. I love Grant and don’t understand why Claire wouldn’t want me to be there. I had lunch with Grant today at work and he didn’t mention that anything was wrong. I unlock the car, quickly throwing the stuff in the back. Michael looks terrified and a few tears run down his face. He throws the stuff in, grabs me around the waist, and just hugs me tightly.  I break away, because as much as I know he needs emotional comfort right now, and I want to give it to him, we need to get to the hospital. In case something happens, he needs to be able to say goodbye; I know that more than anyone.

“Michael, let’s go. We can stay at the condo if we need to. All the furniture was delivered last week and the utilities were turned on today. I have the key on my key ring, so it isn’t a problem.”

We hop in the car and head toward the freeway. This has to be the slowest ride in history, although I know we’re making great time. Why does time have to drag when there’s a crisis? Why can’t it speed up like when you spend the day doing something fun and it is over before you know it? Kind of like today—the most amazing day ending on such a horrible note.

My mom used to always say that bad things happen when the full moon rises. Tonight is the fullest of full moons for sure. She used to always say the one thing that counteracts all the bad that happens when there’s a full moon are all the babies that are born. The rate of babies being born on a full moon doubles that of an average night. I can still hear her voice all these years later, “Katie, you are the ray of sunshine that came out of our full moon delivery. Well, you and the other twelve babies in the nursery that night”. She would always smile and give me a hug. I miss her so much. I miss that feeling, and I don’t want Michael to know what that feels like,
ever
.

Losing Grant would devastate him—they’re so close. It would devastate me, too. Grant is a pseudo-dad to me. I have known him since I was in elementary school, and for the most part he’s treated me better than my own dad. Grant and my dad are business partners and good friends.
Crap, I wonder if anyone has told my dad yet
. I guess I’ll find out and call him from the hospital if not. I work for them in their office during summers and breaks and sometimes on the weekends. It’s mostly just filing, answering phones, taking messages, and getting coffee. During the summers, Grant will take me to lunch at least once a week and we’ll catch up on things. I’m so worried about him, and after glancing over at Michael I’m worried about him, too.

“Michael, it’s going to be okay. I know it will. Your dad is strong and he loves you too much to leave you.”

I grab his hand, lacing my fingers through his; he’s squeezing my hand hard. My heart is breaking for him. I know how he feels—I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone.

“Katherine I’m just really scared and I know I have to be there for my mom. I’m just hoping I can keep it together.”

“Baby, you be there for your mom and I’ll be there for you. I promise we’ll all get through this.”

Finally, we pull into the hospital parking lot, and I pull right up to the emergency room door.

“Get out and go find your mom. I’ll park and come find you. I love you with all my heart. Whatever happens, I’m here.”

Leaning over he kisses me quickly. “I love you, too, babe.
More than anything. I’m so glad you’re with me—I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He jumps out of the car and runs inside. I find a place to park and steady myself a bit. I
hate
hospitals, especially emergency rooms. That’s where we found out my mom had died, even though we knew she left us before we even got there.

I take a deep breath, grab my purse, and lock the car. Once inside, I look around but don’t see them anywhere in the waiting room. Seeking out the triage nurse, I ask about Grant, “Can you tell me where I can find a patient by the name of Grant Matthews?”

The nurse looks up at me with gentle eyes and tells me they have moved him up to the surgical floor. She gives me directions and I thank her. I feel sick to my stomach. Surgery. That means it’s serious. I know Michael said it was, but I was hoping that Claire was exaggerating. She does that sometimes, not in a bad way, just in her own way. Stepping off the elevator, I see them in the surgical waiting room.

I walk in and try to give Claire a hug, but she turns away from me. Michael looks so upset, worse than he did when I dropped him off in front. I kneel down in front of him and take his hands in mine.

“Michael, did something else happen to your dad?”

Claire answers for him, her voice dripping with rage and contempt.
“Something else as in
what,
Katherine? It’s bad enough with the business issues, but now the accident? Is
that
what you’re referring to? He has massive brain injuries, a skull fracture, a collapsed lung, his liver is lacerated, he’s bleeding internally, and has a bunch of other broken bones. The doctors don’t think he will pull through and it’s all
your
fault! You and your crook of a father and that stupid company of his! Don’t
even
try to play innocent and look like a deer caught in the headlights. You
knew
and you didn’t warn him! Grant treated you like a daughter and now we may lose him.”

Claire can barely get the words out—she’s sobbing hysterically, Michael’s crying, and so am I.  I don’t have a clue what’s going on. I’m so scared and so sad that she’s blaming me for this accident.
What could I possibly have done?

I look up at Michael, my eyes pleading with his for a clue—anything to help me figure this out.

Michael pulls me outside, clearly as confused as I am. “Katherine, I need you here, but obviously something else has happened to upset her and I need to get to the bottom of it. I’m so sorry my mom said all those nasty things to you; she’s definitely worked up over something and really doesn’t want you here. I’m going to straighten this out, I promise, but right now I need to focus on my dad. Please, baby, go to the condo and wait there. I don’t know when I will be there, but I’ll meet you once things calm down here. If something changes, I’ll call you. I love you more than anything, but please, for me, just go.”

Michael is wiping away my tears. I reach up and wipe his away, too—such a loving gesture in the middle of total devastation. My heart feels broken.

“Okay, I’ll go, but I will wait up for you. I’m going to stop in the chapel on my way out to say some prayers and light a candle for your dad. I love you.”

After giving him a quick kiss on the lips, I leave with a heavy heart. It kills me not to be here for him. Above all else, he’s been my best friend since second grade, and I feel like I’m abandoning him.

After leaving the hospital chapel, I walk out to my car and just sit for a minute. My hands are shaking and I can’t stop crying. Taking a few deep breaths, I wipe away my tears and tell myself to focus. There’s a grocery store and deli right down the street. There is absolutely nothing in the condo to eat or drink—not that anyone is going to be hungry—but it would be nice to have something in the house. I stop and grab a sandwich platter from the all-night deli and a few pastries, and then run into the store for a few things.
Think, Katherine. What do you need here?
My mind moves into overdrive as I grab the essentials—some water, juice, soda, coffee, toiletries, and paper goods. If I can’t be at the hospital to help, at least I can have some of the necessities for them once they get to my place.

I head home. It feels so strange to call it home, especially since I have never even spent the night there yet. Michael and I were planning on “breaking in” the new place tomorrow night before Jess moves in next week. My condo and my new car are both graduation presents from my dad. I know he means well, and I love not having to drive back and forth or live on campus, but his answer to
everything is to throw money at it. Joseph Moore doesn’t think there’s a thing in this world that doesn’t have a price tag. It’s just too bad that in all of my nineteen years he hasn’t yet figured out that my love isn’t for sale. I used to tell myself that if my mom wouldn’t have died it would be different—our lives would be different—but on my eighteenth birthday, when I received my inheritance documents from my mom’s estate, I knew then that he has
always
been a selfish man. I read that letter over and over again until it was committed to memory.