The Missing One (Lost Series Book 2) Read online

  Book 2 - The Lost Series

  Liz Lovelock

  The Missing One

  Book 2 - The Lost Series

  Liz Lovelock

  Copyright 2015 Liz Lovelock

  All Rights Reserved

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

  All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the Author. All songs, song titles and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.

  Cover design by Cover to Cover Designs

  Formatting by Swish Design & Editing

  Editing by Swish Design & Editing

  Proofread by KMS Freelance Editing

  Cover Image Copyright 2015

  Dedication

  To my 3 amazing sisters,

  Melanie, Stephanie and Rachel.

  I couldn’t ask for better sisters, you are my best friends.

  A Sisters Bond Lasts Forever

  A Note for the Reader

  This book has been written using UK English and contains euphemisms and slang words that form part of the Australian spoken word, which is the basis of this book’s writing style.

  Please remember that the words are not misspelled, they are slang terms and are part of the everyday, Australian lifestyle. This book has been written using UK English.

  If you would like further explanation, or to discuss the translation or meaning of a particular word, please do not hesitate to contact the author – contact details have been provided, for your convenience, at the end of this book.

  I hope you enjoy a look into the Australian way of life.

  Acknowledgements

  I have so many people to thank, but I will try making it short yet sweet.

  Firstly, I would love to thank my readers who have stuck by me, pushing and encouraging me to keep going with Melodi and Corban’s story. Falling pregnant and having baby number three arrive into the Lovelock homestead, threw me a curveball and writing became hard, but I’m so glad you all didn’t give up on me. It’s here now and I really hope you love it like I do. I love you all!

  Thank you to Kaylene at Swish Design & Editing for the hard work put into helping make The Missing One perfect and my words magical. For the wonderful formatting, and for your reassurance in my work. Thank you to KMS Freelance Editing for proofreading and offering great advice where needed. To Kari at Cover to Cover Designs for another amazing cover and all the effort put into it.

  Thank you to all the blogs that have helped me in my journey, and especially to the ladies at Give Me Books for running my release, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. You’re all amazing!

  A special thanks to Linda and Melissa for assisting me with contacting blogs and helping me manage things while I was MIA with baby Finn. I can’t thank you enough.

  Thank you to my beta girls Kristine from Glass Paper Ink Book Blog, Felicia Tatum, Belinda O’Brien, Cheryl, Karen Harper, TBird, and KE Osborn. I appreciate every single piece of advice offered. You have no idea how much I value your opinions. You’re wonderful friends who help and inspire me to be better and improve myself and believe in my writing.

  To the girls in my Luscious Ladies group, thank you for always being there to support me and when I need to have a vent about something.

  I wanted to keep this short and sweet, but I need to mention the following ladies who were there for me when I wanted to give it all up. (I blame the pregnancy hormones.) Felicia Tatum, TL Smith, KE Osborn, Stephanie Smith, Emma Fitzgerald, Lauren McKellar, Allyson Sinclair, Belinda O’Brien, Lila Rose, and Jemma Brown. All of you supported and cheered me through a hard time while not only writing this book but by being wonderful friends to lend an ear when I needed it. I love you all and appreciate every single bit of support you have shown and advice you have given, it has meant the world to me.

  To my husband Mark and my three beautiful monsters, Amelia, Cale, and Finn. I love you all to the moon and back. I couldn’t have done this without you all. You’re my world.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  Connect with Me Online

  About the Author - Liz Lovelock

  Chapter One

  Melodi

  Was last night a dream?

  Did it actually happen? The broken wrist…yep that happened. Being told I’m gonna be a mum…of twins! Yep, that happened as well.

  A new kind of joy pumps through my veins. A flash of Corban’s face after seeing the little peanuts on the screen enters my mind, his eyes lit up with new purpose and meaning.

  He’s going to be a great dad.

  My heart clenches with the thought of what else happened last night. This can’t be real. I must have passed out before I got home and Corban put me to bed. Please let it be that. Yes, that had to be a dream. It felt like one of those dreams that are so real it caused physical pain, to stab through my heart, with the visual of her standing there.

  What would I do if she was here?

  Laying here with my eyes closed I think through it all piece by piece. I’m not sure where my thoughts are right now and this frustrates me. Suddenly there’s movement near my arm making me bolt upright. My head’s a little dizzy from moving so quickly as my eyes fly open scanning my surroundings. I blink a few times to try and clear my blurry eyes and fuzzy head.

  Sucking in a hard breath that quickly fills my lungs, I turn to look beside me, and a peaceful, sleeping little angel is there. A girl.

  Who does she belong to? Am I still dreaming?

  She has wavy black hair that falls just past her shoulders. Her pale skin instantly reminds me of Abby’s. I forcefully tear my eyes away from the sleeping angel to the much larger body beside her.

  Abby…

  The air in my lungs evaporates, as I clutch at my racing heart that threatens to explode from my chest.

  Yep, last night really happened.

  Why is she here? I think the bigger question is how is she here?

  For the past three years, she let me and our parents believe she was dead. Did she even think about how we would feel? I’m sure
she had a good reason for doing so, but three years without a word… She could have contacted me somehow; written me a letter or a quick two-second phone call just to quell our fears. The seed of anger begins to grow within me like a poisonous weed spreading through a garden of roses. It’s only been one night, and I’m not sure I can handle this. I have my own issues at the moment. Did she or Blake even think about the effect this might have on me, or Mum and Dad, or even anyone else around us?

  Taking a moment to have a good hard look at her, I see she’s the same. The only difference is she’s let her hair grow out like mine, and it’s close to the same length now. She never really liked the natural red colour she was born with; she always died it black or some outrageous colour like purple or blue. It could have been her acting out, which was something she liked to do for a little while, but it worried Mum and Dad something chronic.

  Then came along the foul furry spider, Jacob. He crawled his way into her life and sucked the happiness and soul right out of her, leaving an empty shell in its wake.

  I wonder what she’s like now. Will I look at her and see my sister from three years ago, or will she be different?

  I’m sure she has changed, but how?

  She begins to stir, slightly mumbling to herself. She always did mumble in her sleep. The thought brings a small smile to my face, allowing my anger to dissipate a fraction. A part of me just can’t face her at the moment. I feel nervous seeing her again and I’m not sure what I would even say to her right now. I quickly pull myself together, taking a moment to assess the possibility of passing out again, before I begin my silent exit.

  I stand at the door and glance back at my sister and that little girl. I’m met with her beautiful emerald eyes staring into mine. She startles and attempts to wake a restful Abby. I immediately stop her whispering, “Hey beautiful, it’s okay, don’t disturb Mummy.” She looks at me and turns to her mum assessing what she should do. I help her make her mind up.

  “You hungry?” My tone is soft, so as to not disturb Abby, and gentle so I don’t alarm the green-eyed princess who’s looking at me in confusion. She nods her head before a big smile plants itself across her face. “Do you want to come help me make some pancakes?” Her eyes light up like twinkling stars as she quickly nods and scrambles about trying to escape the sheets she’s tucked tightly under. I hold out my hand and she takes it willingly. As our hands link, it’s like I’m home. I’m complete again. This little girl is another piece I was missing even though I never knew she existed.

  Abby is alive! She has this beautiful girl who she’s cared for and nurtured. I have Corban, who makes me feel wonderful. Each time I think about him my heart does a little dance and brings a smile to my face. And now we’re going to be parents! We truly have been blessed in more ways than one.

  I silently close the door behind us. Turning around to face the lounge room, my eyes seek out the two male forms spread across my couch. I don’t want to wake them, so I lead the little princess to the kitchen.

  “Okay, you gonna be my little chef?” I ask excitedly.

  She eagerly nods and responds, “Yes,” as she runs around to the table and quickly drags a chair over to place it beside the island. I race to help her before she makes too much noise and does damage to the floorboards. Once in place, she climbs up ready to be my little helper.

  I gather all the required ingredients, measuring and then placing them into the bowl. She assists, then happily takes care of the mixing.

  “So what’s your name?” I guess I should find out, but regardless she’ll still be a little princess to me.

  In a sweet angelic voice she replies, “Katie. You know, you spell it like, K-A-T-I-E.”

  She’s super proud of her spelling effort. I’m so excited for her that I do a little cheer and she joins in clapping and laughing. It takes a moment such as this to give me a glimmer of my future, a moment like this with my own children. Corban and I together cheering our two little ones on with whatever new thing they do. It makes my heart swell with happiness.

  “That’s a pretty name, Katie. You’re such a great little speller too. Did Mummy teach you that?”

  She keeps mixing, her brow furrowed in full concentration on what’s in the bowl and she replies, “Yes, she’s the bestest Mummy.” She giggles wiping her hair away from her face and smears some batter across her cheek. I grin at her cuteness as I take a cloth and wipe away the batter. She’s such a bright little girl. “Who are you?” she asks, looking up at me with her green eyes shining brightly. I completely forgot that she wouldn’t know me.

  I’m a little taken aback because I’m not sure if I should ask her to call me Aunty Mel or just Mel. I open my mouth to reply when I hear that familiar voice. One I thought I never would hear again, not in this lifetime anyway. One voice I’d know anywhere even though it’s been missing from my life for the last three years.

  “This is your Aunty Mel, sweetie. She is Mummy’s sister.” Abby smiles reassuring her in a way only a mother can do. My eyes meet Abby’s for the second time. The worry in them crushes me, her voice is familiar yet she sounds like a stranger because I haven’t heard it in such a long time. I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m at a loss for words. As I go to speak, so does she, but a sharp knock at the door stops us both. Her confused look mirrors mine.

  She immediately runs over grabbing Katie from her chair. Blake comes racing in from the lounge room, quickly followed by Corban, who’s at my side in an instant. His arm wraps around me pulling me into his side. A wave of security spreads through me. I know he’d do anything for me, and by the looks of things Blake would throw himself in front of a bus for Abby. I see admiration in his eyes as he ushers them both back into the bedroom and then comes back to answer the door. I stay grounded to my spot as my adrenaline spikes and fear washes over me like a cold shower.

  Blake thanks whoever is at the door and steps back in with not one, but two arrangements of flowers. My stomach ties itself into a million knots. There’s my usual arrangement of roses that comes daily, only now there are eight brightly coloured roses and the remaining twenty-two are dead and withered. Jacob must be trying to get to me. Sending me these bouquets daily as if counting down to something, but what? Now there are two different bunches and I’m at a loss as to what he’s getting at with them.

  Why is he doing this to me? What did I ever do to him?

  I hardly knew the guy, and I never gave him the time of day. He didn’t sit well with me because he made me feel uneasy. It’s as though something gnaws away within me when someone isn’t what or who they seem.

  Then there’s a new one, it looks like a nice bunch. Taking a closer look I see a sea of coloured carnations and I immediately know who they’re for. Abby was never a lover of carnations. He’s taunting her now that he knows she’s here.

  Did he know all along that she wasn’t dead?

  I look up meeting the gaze of Blake. He has a hard look on his face that’s unreadable.

  I step out of Corban’s grip and head toward the bunch of carnations. I notice a card and grab it. Opening it, I read the card and my stomach drops while my heart clicks into overdrive. I drop it and glance up, seeing the fear in Abby’s eyes as she watches me closely, waiting for my reaction.

  Chapter Two

  Abby

  I already know who those wretched flowers are from before Melodi opens the card. By the pale look on her face, it tells me everything I need to know. He knows I hate carnations. I remember the first time he brought me flowers; that’s when everything turned upside down.

  I heard the door close as he arrived home. I’d come here after work to surprise him with a nice dinner as it was our three month anniversary. Jacob was the sweetest man I’d met. He treated me like a princess; always spoiling me and making me feel loved in every way. We hadn’t been together in an intimate way, but he was very patient with me and I couldn’t have been happier. I believed he was something special.

  As I continued cutting
up the vegetables for our roast his strong arms wrapped around my waist. He kissed along my neck, causing goosebumps to rise all over my heated skin. It brought a smile to my lips and a giggle escaped my mouth. He spun me around to face him. His lips sought out mine as he attacked them, devouring me, savouring my taste. His kiss was hard and it left me lightheaded.

  “What was that for?” I asked as I ran my fingers through his short messy black hair. He looked bothered about something.

  “I need you, Abby. When can you be all mine?”

  Whoa! That was a deep question.

  “I got you something today.” He turned around and grabbed a bunch of flowers off the table. It was a rainbow of carnations mixed with baby’s breath. I couldn’t say that they were my favourite flower, but his gesture was sweet. A sweet smile swept across my face.

  “Thank you, babe, they’re beautiful.” I reached out to take them from him, but he pulled them toward himself fast, as though he was snatching them back so I couldn’t touch them.

  “You don’t like them?” He spat the words at me in disgust. A small bit of spittle hit my face and I fought the urge to swipe it away, so I went for subtle.

  “What…I…no, I like them,” I stammered. I was thrown by his aggression. It was like he had flicked a switch.

  Did I give off some sort of vibe he wasn’t happy about?

  His hand reached my upper arm and he gripped it tight, enough to make me yelp in pain. It didn’t deter him; his grip only got tighter. His short nails dug deep into my skin causing my eyes to water and shed a few tears.