Love Renewed (Love Trilogy)
Read Love Renewed (Love Trilogy) Online
Authors: C.S. Janey
Love
Renewed
By
C.S. Janey
Love Renewed ©2013 by C.S. Janey
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design &Editing by Danielle Taylor
(
http://authordtaylor.wordpress.com
)
First Edition: October 2013
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DEDICATION
~*~
To my friends, family and fans.
Thanks for all your support. It means the world to me.
And to E.
You know who you are.
I’ll always love you.
I’m loyal like that.
And love is still worth the risk.
Always.
Returning to her hometown after fleeing ten years ago, the last person Charlotte Reylin wants to spend time with is the man who had broken her heart and her trust, yet Trevin Green seems determined to show her that their love never died.
Though she'd sworn to never live in Oakford again, Charlotte Reylin is back after the death of her husband, living with her mother and her autistic five year old son. She never imagined she'd run into the man who had broken her heart, or the maelstrom of emotions seeing him anew would induce...
Trevin Green has loved Charlotte for as long as he can remember. After discovering that she has returned to their hometown, he resolves to let nothing get in the way of renewing their love - including Shelby, the woman who screwed things up the first time and seems to want to do so again...
Is it possible for Trevin to convince Charlotte to let go of the past and give love a second chance, or will she turn her back on it - and him - for good?
LOVE RENEWED
Prologue
This couldn’t be happening to her.
Charlotte stood frozen in the doorway immediately after catching sight of Trevin. Feeling as if her heart had jumped into her throat, she didn’t want to believe what she was seeing.
The man she loved was standing in the middle of his father's living room with his shirt unbuttoned and his semi-long black hair ruffled, barefoot.
A woman with blond hair and who was a little taller than Charlotte had her arms wrapped around Trevin's neck. She was standing on her tiptoes with her body pressed up against his, kissing him on the mouth. Charlotte noticed that the woman didn't have a top on and her satin pink bra seemed to wink at her as she stared at the scene before her, eyes wide with disbelief.
At that precise moment, the only thought in her mind was to leave; she couldn't believe Trevin would do something this horrible - tossing aside their love for each other - but she was witnessing the evidence before her very eyes.
She started to back away so she wouldn't be noticed, attempting to make a silent retreat but she must have made a noise. At that very moment, Trevin looked up and stared straight at her.
He automatically lifted his hands to the woman’s shoulder, apparently intent upon pushing her away from him as he ripped his mouth away from hers at the same time.
It was too late. Charlotte could feel her eyes starting to water, her nose tingling; she knew the tears would soon escape and trail down her face. She spun around and rushed out of the house, the door punctuating her exit with a loud bang as it slammed back into the frame.
~*~
He had just started to raise his arms and push Shelby away after she’d unceremoniously thrown herself at him when he’d seen something moving out of the corner of his eye. He had known it would be Charlotte before he even looked; he had been expecting her to show up any moment since they’d planned a date for this evening.
Watching her turn around and flee before he could say anything, he felt his heart drop into his stomach, instantly feeling like he was going to get sick.
"Damn it Charlotte! Wait!" Trevin called out to her, hoping she would come back. He couldn't run after her immediately due to his disheveled state along with Shelby having her arms still wrapped around his neck. "Get off of me now!"
"Why would I do that? Don't you love me Trevin? What is so special about her anyway?" Pouting, she stretched her body up, trying to plant another kiss on his lips.
Trevin quickly turned his head and growled in frustration. He pushed her away from him roughly, causing her arms to dislodge from around his neck and sent her staggering backwards. She caught her footing, frowning with displeasure at his rejection of her advance.
Stalking away, he grabbed his shoes and shoved them on quickly, intending to go follow Charlotte to explain, while addressing Shelby.
"Look Shelby, I don't like you. And I don't like being accosted in my home; I only let you in because you said you needed to make a phone call. I should have known better."
Shelby's lips curled in a cat that got the cream smile. "She's long gone by now, you won't catch up to her," she remarked snidely while picking up her shirt, which she'd taken off while Trevin had gone to get the cordless phone for her. “You may as well give me a chance now!”
Her smile disappeared as Trevin looked up at her, his face contorted with hatred, his voice low and forceful.
"Get out. NOW!
If this drama you caused has
any
permanent effect on my relationship with Charlotte, you will regret it."
"Regret it? Please. You will thank me for doing you a favor. That girl is not for you."
"What makes you think such a thing?
How can you believe that you are better?
You know she's my
fiancée
and yet you come inside
my
house and thrust yourself upon me just a few moments before she showed up. You did it deliberately! Why the hell would I choose you over her?" Trevin asked incredulously, his voice rising until it was very close to a roar.
"Like I said, get out."
"I did do this deliberately. I've loved you for years and you just reject me without even giving me a chance!"
"I rejected you because Charlotte and I have dated for six years now. I love
her
and
only
her, why can't you get that through your thick skull? Now leave!"
When she let out a laugh, he stalked up to her and stood really close to her face. "Since I've had to repeat myself, if you don't get out immediately I am going to call the cops and tell them you are trespassing."
Shivering, Shelby recoiled from the angry look on his face, automatically taking a step backward. She opened her mouth to tell Trevin that she wasn’t afraid of his empty threat but he cut her off with a nasty smirk.
With menace in his voice, he informed her, "This is a small town and I know everybody in it. You may know them too but you've been nothing but a trouble maker since you were a little girl. If you don't leave right this instant, I will make sure everyone knows everything bad about you that never got around, including the fact that you slept with the entire damn football team in your senior year. Now, for the last time, get out!"
Jumping at his raised voice and realizing he was entirely serious with his threat, Shelby gathered her things and ran out of the house like her feet were on fire. Trevin followed soon after, climbing into his truck with the explicit intention of going to Charlotte’s house and begging her to listen to him. He couldn't lose her; she was the most important thing in the world to him.
Just as he was about to pull out of his driveway, his cell phone vibrated.
He answered it without looking at the screen, hoping it might be Charlotte.
"Hello, this is Trevin speaking."
"Hi Trevin, this is Jeremy.
We've got a bit of a situation here in the dorms and I need your help right away.
How fast can you get here?"
Trevin cursed, chastising himself for not checking his caller ID before answering. “Is it not something you can handle yourself?
You are the resident assistant in training, after all.”
“No, I can’t handle it myself, sorry. You told me to only call you during emergencies and well,” he coughed before continuing. “We busted some minors without alcohol and the cops need you here to sign some papers…they said I couldn’t because I am not in charge.”
Sighing in frustration, he said, "I'm at my father’s house so I will be there in roughly forty-five minutes."
"Okay, see you then. I’ll let them know you are on your way." Jeremy informed him, and then hung up.
Trevin headed towards the college, hoping that when he came back Charlotte would have calmed down enough that they could talk without fighting.
~*~
Charlotte was in her room, packing up her things as quickly as she could.
She was frantic to escape - the pain in her heart, the sickness in her stomach and this small ass town she'd always wanted to leave.
She was nearly done when her friend Jack showed up.
She'd forgotten about inviting him over to spend time together before he left town.
"Oh Jack! I am so glad you are here!" Her voice came out rather high-pitched like she was fighting tears.
"What's going on, Charlotte?
Is something wrong?"
He walked close and seeing that she was close to tears, he wrapped her in his arms.
Charlotte clung to Jack, loving him in that moment for his perfect timing as the tears coursed down her cheeks, her sobbing uninhibited in her sorrow.
Jack maneuvered them to the bed, sitting down so he could cradle her better in his arms.
"Tell me what happened darling. Was it Trevin?"
As Charlotte nodded, she heard Jack let out a sigh that indicated he knew what was coming next. "What did he do?"
She sniffled, her tears subsiding.
Swiping the tears off her face, she stared at her lap.
After a few moments, she spoke softly and Jack had to lean in to hear her, her words coming out haltingly.
"I went...to his father's house.
We were...supposed to meet there and...when I walked in...he was...," Charlotte lower lip quivered and she took in a quick breath to steady herself, and then frowned.
"He was partly undressed...and this...blond woman was all over him.
She wasn't even wearing...a shirt and she was kissing him on the mouth!"
She put her face into her hands, the tears flowing again like a dam had finally caved under the weight of the water.
Jack gathered her up in his arms again.
"Oh hon, I am so sorry.
Some men can act like such dicks.
I guess this means the engagement is off?
Are you sure it was what you thought it was?"
Charlotte nodded.
"I can't trust him, Jack.
I know what I saw, she had her arms around his neck and they were definitely kissing. I just...can't believe it but I do know I'm leaving.
I want to go with you."
Jack was staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth opening slightly in apparent shock at her declaration.
He used to live next door and was four years older than Charlotte.
He had graduated when she was just a freshman in high school, going off to college that fall, only visiting during school breaks and holidays. They had stayed in touch by phone and email.