“Yup and running through all the puddles barefoot because you used to hate wearing shoes and you used to hide mine so I would get in trouble with you?”

She chuckles. “And all those field parties after the football games.”

I roll Rhea on her back, “Remember that one time we went with Jeremy to his aunt’s house in Knoxville? All the trucks lined up in a huge circle blasting the country music and getting drunk from all the Southern Comfort we drank that night.”

“Oh yeah and waking up with our bodies outlined in red Solo cups?”

I kiss the tip of her nose, “I forgot about that.” I lean back so I can stare into her beautiful blue eyes, “I want that for our kids one day. I want them to have that carefree childhood and to have lifelong friends who stick with them through the amazing times as well as the hard times. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Knox, Jeremy, and Cade…and especially you.” Rhea smiles a smile so bright at all the memories made together over the past fifteen years.

She reaches up and cups the side of my face, “They will, we’ll make sure of it.”

10

~ Age 25 ~

Rhea

Tanner and I had a small beach wedding, shot gun wedding if you may. Seems the night of our engagement we conceived our little boy who is due any day now. It was a beautiful wedding right on the beach behind our house that we purchased just down the road from the Mitchell’s beach house. Jasmine, Summer and Ava were dressed in coral colored dresses. Cade, Rex, Knox and Jeremy were dressed in khaki colored shorts, white button down shirts and coral ties to match the girls’ dresses.

Tanner was dressed the same as the boys only he had a white tie on. My dress was simple but elegant. It was a strapless sweetheart neckline with a ruched, beaded bust. The A-line of the dress flowed softly to the ground. I opted for white rhinestone encrusted flip-flops since we were going to be on the beach.

After we exchanged our vows we danced the night away on our patio which was converted into a dance floor. Jasmine and Summer took care of all the details for Tanner and I so we could just worry about ourselves and enjoy our wedding day.

It was simply perfect.

Tanner and Knox talked morning, noon and night on the phone about the babies. Jasmine had her princess Nevaeh just a few days ago and Knox was the new doting daddy. He was texting all of us pictures of her. She was gorgeous; I saw both of her parents in her angelic features.

I was upstairs lying in bed when Tanner brought my phone up to me, “Jas is on the phone with the baby.”

Squealing, I took the phone and I saw Nevaeh’s precious little face on the screen. This is what I had to deal with because I wasn’t allowed to travel per the doctor’s orders so it would be a little while before Tanner and I made the trip to New York to see them.

“Oh my god,” Tears sprung to my eyes every time I saw her. “She gets cuter every day.”

“Say thank you, baby girl.” Jasmine says softly the love pouring off of her.

“So how are you feeling?” I ask Jasmine.

She yawns, “Just a little tired. Someone decided they wanted to stay awake last night and sleep all day today.”

“Aww, how can you be mad at that little face?”

Jasmine and I talked for a while before the baby started getting fussy. Miss Diva wanted a bottle and she wanted it now.

Tanner crawls into bed beside me and places his hand on my stomach waiting for the baby to kick him. He did this every night at the same time, it became our thing.

His phone started ringing interrupting our time together. Groaning, Tanner lies on his back and answers the phone.

“Hello?”

Tanner pinches the bridge of his nose, “Alright, see you in a few.”

He hangs up and rolls over on his side again and kisses my cheek. “Something happened and Jeremy needs us to watch Ava for a little bit.”

Worry creeps in, “It’s late, babe, shouldn’t she be in bed? Is everything alright?”

He sighs, “Yeah, but he said he wouldn’t ask us to keep an eye on her if it wasn’t important.”

“Alright.”

Something isn’t right. Jeremy loves that little girl more than life itself. He’s two different people. He’s Jeremy the man whore on all the days that he doesn’t have Ava and he’s Daddy when he does. He doesn’t introduce just anyone to Ava and while I’m thinking about it I don’t think he’s introduced her to anyone other than us. The sun sets and rises with that little girl who looks exactly like her daddy.

About a half hour passes when Tanner goes downstairs in our fairly new home and opens the door for Jeremy. I hear a lot of swearing and that is all that I need to hear before I’m jumping up from bed to find out what the hell is going on.

When I walk into the kitchen my heart shatters into a million pieces. Ava is sitting up on the counter with a little old dirty bunny rabbit that has seen better days. Her hair, the color of midnight, is greasy and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her princess nightgown in disgustingly dirty and has holes all over it. The bottoms of her feet are black, her finger nails are caked with dirt and she has a ring of dirt around her mouth. What the hell has happened to Ava?

“What’s goin’ on?” I ask slowly stepping into the kitchen.

As I get closer to Ava and she turns towards me I see a hand print clear as day on her tiny little face. I cover my mouth with my hand, “Oh my god.”

Tanner wraps his arms around me as Ava begins to sob. She buries her little face into her bunny rabbit and her shoulders are shaking.

Jeremy starts throwing out every curse under the sun.

“Let’s go out back, Jeremy.” Tanner says trying to calm the situation down.

Tanner kisses the top of my head before turning to Jeremy and more or less pushes him outside. I walk slowly over to Ava who still has her head buried.

“Ava,” I place my hand on her dirt covered knee. “What happened, sweetie?”

She looks up with red rimmed eyes and a tear streaked face. “Momma’s friend hit me because I wouldn’t go to sleep.”

I shake my head not wanting to believe her but the proof is there on her face. “Is that the only place he hit you?”

She nods and when she does her ponytail loosens a little more. I’ve never seen her in this condition; I wonder if this is what Jeremy deals with every time he gets her on the weekends. This is no way for a child to live. I step over to the freezer and grab a bag of frozen peas. I wrap them in a paper towel before placing it on Ava’s face.