Found By You (The Found Series) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Found by You

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Found by You

  Jessika Harper

  dpgroup.org

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyrighted© 2014 Jessika Harper

  Published by Jessika Harper

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in printed or electronic form without the authorization of the author, Jessika Harper.

  Cover Design By: Robin Harper/Wicked By Design

  Formatted By:

  E & F Indie Services

  e-and-f.webs.com

  Proofread By:

  Leticia Sidon

  Final Edits By:

  Jessika Harper

  dpgroup.org

  This book is dedicated to my beautiful children.

  This book is dedicated to my beautiful children.

  Ráilei, you have my crazy attitude and apparently eye rolling is hereditary! You will always be my Monkey!

  CJ, you have my spunky sense of humor, but your Dad’s attitude. Lord help me! You will always be my Baby Bud.

  Kaycie, you were taken from me before it was your time to shine, babygirl. I don’t know exactly why, but you will never for a second be forgotten. Continue to watch over all of us and make sure Grams knows to keep her foul mouth to a minimum up there. You will always be my Butterfly!

  I love all 3 of your beautiful faces so much, that no matter how many times I say it, it will never be enough. The sweat that went into this book is for all of you. Never let anyone bring you down. Follow your heart with every single beat. No matter what you choose in life, I will always be there. I love you, R♥CK!

  dpgroup.org

  “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

  --Maya Angelou

  Prologue

  “Only allow someone in your heart who will cherish it.”

  See that right up there? That is a lie.

  When someone loves you, there are no guarantees on what your heart will endure. Loving is giving your heart to the unknown, risking it all, even though it’s hard to do. The thing is, when you love, the number one risk you take, is having your heart broken. It’s exposed to all the raw emotions that loving involves. It’s up to you to make that choice, whether you take a leap of faith into the unknown or not.

  dpgroup.org

  Chapter 1

  [To most, hearing babies cry and kids running around screaming, would make them crazy. To me, it’s the most amazing sound in the world. I’ve been babysitting since I was 16 years old. It all started with our neighbor, Cheryl, from across the street. She had lived there for a few months and was very friendly. She would stop over and say hello to my mom and everyone. I knew she was a single parent and worked a lot because she always looked tired.

  We were all having a conversation outside one day and she looked at her watch and jumped right up. She forgot about the time because she apologized for having to leave so fast, but she said she had to find a babysitter for a few hours. My mom volunteered me and I was beyond ecstatic. At that age, who in their right mind would want to babysit a 6 months old baby? I’ll tell you who, me. I’ve always loved kids of any age. My friends used to think I was crazy. Was I crazy? Maybe, but I really enjoyed it. I worked every weekend since then, babysitting for my neighbor and sometimes during the week. There was no problem as long as it wasn’t too late because I was still in school.

  When graduation came around, everyone was off to different colleges. College just wasn’t for me, but I ended up going to Community College to get my degree in Early Childhood Development. Sure, I was smart, but I hated school work with a passion. I only went to school so I could continue to work at the daycare. I have been here since I graduated. They have a program where being enrolled in college and taking certain courses, counts as credit hours towards my degree. I loved every second of it. It’s my passion and lifelong goal to be around children for the rest of my life. I think of it as a calling.

  “Hey Av, you over there day dreaming while holding Sierra again?” My co-worker and best friend, Britnie asks. She knows how I am when I hold a baby. I look into that precious child’s eyes and get lost in them.

  “I’m just thinking back to when I first started to babysit and then from there, how I only wanted to be around babies.”

  “Yeah, I remember. You never wanted to come out. You were always babysitting Diedra, which reminds me, she starts first grade this year! You’re not gonna cry are you? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you are!” Britnie says.

  “One, I always enjoyed babysitting and two, yeah, I’ll more than likely cry. I can’t help it! She’s like family now. She’s getting so big, too. Time flies.” I say as I put a sleeping Sierra back in her assigned crib. “Hey. Do you remember the first time I babysat her and she threw up when I was burping her and you started to gag so bad you left?” I say to her, laughing. She scrunches her nose up and says, “Well it was the first time I was ever around a baby, it was gross. Thank God I’ve become immune to all of that now. I would be on the wrong profession if I wasn’t.” She’s right; she now has a strong tolerance to it all. It’s amazing how things like that can change. “We are gonna have to go shopping for her just because we can. You know she loves our gifts.” She shakes her head to agree. “Speaking of shopping, we should get together soon and have a girls’ day. Between our work schedule and life, I barely see you. I also need your help picking out some hot outfits. My parents want me to join them in the Bahamas, so you know I need to look fly.” She says smiling wildly. “Holy crap, I wanna go.” I say jokingly. “That sounds like a plan though. Maybe we can find you a man while we are at it or maybe you’ll find one on vacation.” B grunts and says, “Don’t even get me started on your man, and I’ve got my eye on someone anyway.” Turning around swiftly I ask, “Really? Who is he? Do I know him?” “Calm the heck down woman. Geez, you ask a million questions without breathing.” She says to me chuckling. It’s shocking news to me. My bubbly best friend loves her eye candy, but at the end of the day, she is still a virgin. I thought she would’ve lost hers before me, but she always said she couldn’t find THE ONE. She’s a bubbly person and a romantic at heart. “Well spill it!” I say to her anxiously. “It’s just... someone. We’ve been friends forever
and I really like him. I know he cares about me, but I’m not too sure if he feels the same exact way.” She says as she puts her head down. B has a lot of friends so a little bit of information doesn’t help narrow it down on who it could be. I won’t pressure her to tell me. I know when she is ready, she will. “B, we have been friends since we were this big,” I say making a gesture with my hands. “And I love you. If, whoever he is, doesn’t feel the same way, then he is stupid. It’s his loss because you are smart, beautiful, and an amazing person. Never settle for less, you deserve the world, babe.” I say and give her hand a tight squeeze. She smiles and answers, “Thanks Lover, you’re the best. Now, get your butt out of here. I’ll talk to you later.” I look up at the clock and see that my shift is just about over. After quickly straightening up my desk, I clock out. When I open the back door to leave, the sun is shining brightly and the trees are blowing lightly. Fall is slowly approaching. Taking in the relaxing weather, I unlock my car. Getting in, I buckle up and head home.

  Chapter 2

  Pulling into the driveway, I not only see my stupid brother, Jared, parked in my spot, yet again, but there are three other cars that I’ve never seen. Usually, only my mom, brother and I park in the driveway, while guests park on the street. They don’t need to since we have a decent size house with enough parking space, but it’s an option.

  My mom inherited this house from my grandmother when she passed away. It’s a cozy four bedroom three and a half bath house. This is the only home Jared and I have ever known. Our dad, or the sperm donor as we call him, isn’t around and hasn’t been since I was one. Ma still doesn’t talk about it. She said it’s a waste of her breath. I don’t question her, she’s all I need.

  Grabbing my phone, I throw it in my purse and grab the bag with my change of clothes. I get out of the car and head into the house. I love walking in everyday to the smell of cinnamon. My mom is a huge candle freak and is always burning them.

  I hear a bunch of guys goofing off in the kitchen. Walking up, I see Jared. He is older by a year and half. I notice his best friend Colin and two other guys I’ve never seen before. After dropping my stuff by the door, I walk right to the fridge, paying no attention to them. I grab a bottle of water and realize the kitchen is now quiet. Internally shaking my head, I drink my water, put the lid back on, and grab some fruit.

  Cut up strawberries and bananas mixed together are my everyday snack. I love all types of fruit, but this is my favorite. The guys are now whispering, but I have yet to fully turn around. I imagine they are saying I look a wreck, because let’s face it, my hair is thrown up and I probably smell bad.

  I eat the few pieces I’ve cut up, put my bowl in the sink, and finally turn around. They are all looking at me so I wipe my face just in case. That’s when Colin comes over, giving me a bear hug and a noogie like usual. Colin and Jared have been friends since kindergarten, so he is like my other brother.

  I look to Jared and he nods and asks, “Hey sis. How was work?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “The same as every day. Nothing new to tell. What are you guys doing in here?” I ask pointing to all the papers sprawled out across the big kitchen table. Jared is in an undergrad program for architecture with Colin. They have been building things together since they were kids.

  Getting up from his seat, he points to one of his friends and says, “This is Derrick Samuels, he is in the program with us. We have a group midterm coming up and we were assigned to work together. Guess it works out that we are all friends.” Inspecting Derrick, I see that he is about as tall as my brother, which is about 6 foot. He has black hair and soft brown eyes. He looks to be of Asian descent. He’s kind of cute.

  “Hey Derrick, nice to meet you.” I say to him and wave.

  “The pleasure is all mine.” he replies and smiles. Hmm, I bet it is. Jared interrupts my thoughts when he says, “And this, is Jackson Daniels.” He points at the other end of the table. I turn to look and when he lifts his head up and flips his hat backwards, whoa, I notice his amazing green eyes. He looks really tired, but his eyes are out of this world. From what I can see, he is just as tall as the others. He’s got dirty blonde hair and a little scruff on his face.

  “Hey.” is all I hear from him. It’s not a regular “Hey”, it’s got a southern twang to it and man is it sexy. I need to get out of here. Quickly. He’s hot.

  “Hi.” is my simple reply.

  “It was nice meeting you both, but I’ve got some things to do. See ya around.” I say quickly and exit the kitchen, up to my room.

  Jackson

  When Jared says my name to introduce me to his sister, I pick up my head, turn my hat and look up. I can’t look away. I feel like a captive to her beautiful eyes. Realizing I’m staring a little too long, I look away. What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t form words. I’m pissed at myself for feeling this pull to her, not only because of Jared, but because my past has me all fucked up. I say a simple hey and get back to work as if she isn’t even there. I chastise myself once again for letting her get to me with just a look, nothing more. I let out a deep sigh thinking, “This is not good, not good at all.”

  Chapter 3

  Once I’m alone and in the confinement of my own space, I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding. What the heck was that? Why did I feel as though there was a connection of some sort? That was weird, yet hot at the same time.

  The entire time my brother’s been in school, I’ve never seen Jackson. I’ve heard his name a few times in the last couple of months, but have never actually seen him. It’s like he appeared out of the sky. I’ll have to ask Jared about him later on.

  I realize I need a shower because not only is my hair a mess, I smell like vomit. I guess I need to start using that extra change of clothes I always take with me. Walking into my bathroom, which I am glad I have my own, I turn on the water. Making sure the temperature is just right, I quickly strip myself of my clothes and get in. The warm water is so relaxing. I wanted to take a bubble bath, but that isn’t happening today. Instead, I take a fast shower.

  As I’m drying off, I hear a baby cry, or at least I think I do. I stop and listen. Not a sound. I start to wrap the towel around my body and hear it again. I open my bathroom door and walk into my room. I look around and there it is again. I grab my robe, put it on, and stick my head out my bedroom door and look down the hall each way. It seems to be coming from the guest bedroom. We mainly use that room for when I babysit overnight or for my cousins.

  Opening the door slowly, I walk over to the crib. There’s a baby in there crying. I have no clue whose baby it is, but it has to belong to someone in this house. I smile at the crying baby and pick him up. He looks really familiar. His eyes remind me of someone. I just can’t think of who. As I cradle him, he stops crying. I talk baby talk to him and he starts cooing.

  Before I can even attempt to find out who this beautiful baby belongs to, Jackson comes in and takes him from me. “Hey there lil man, I thought I heard you crying.” Jackson says in a cute voice.

  Stunned that this is obviously his baby and that’s where I’ve seen those green eyes, I stupidly ask, “Is he yours?”

  Jackson looks at me from head to toe and then back up again; he smiles a small smile and says, “Yeah, he’s mine. His name is Rhys.” Still stunned, I look down and realize why he looked me up and down; I excuse myself. Getting dressed, I quickly throw on yoga pants and a tank top.

  Returning to the guest room, I see Jackson in the rocking chair feeding Rhys. He is one really cute baby and Jackson looks so good holding him. His baby.

  “How old is he?” I ask softly.

  “He just turned 4 months old last week.” Jackson replies.

  “Do you want me to finish feeding him while you get your school work done?”

  He looks at me for a moment and says, “I don’t know. I’m used to doing everything myself. Not to be rude, but I don’t really know you, either.”

  He does this by himself? Where’s
the baby’s mother? Where are his parents? Before I can even say anything back to him, he puts the baby back in the bed, pats his back softly a few times, covers him up, and leaves the room.

  Jackson

  Hearing Rhys crying, I stop doing my homework and start making him a bottle. “Sorry y’all, little man is hungry.” I say to the guys. “Don’t worry about it man, go feed your son. We will take a break.” Colin says as he stops writing. I nod my head and start to walk away when Jared stops me. “Look dude, I know you feel bad for having to stop and all, but Rhys comes first. I know it’s hard for you, but we got your back. Go take care of your business.” And with that, he walks away. They really are a cool group of guys. I’m glad they are okay about everything. I open the door all the way to the room where Rhys is and stop, I didn’t expect to see Avery holding my son. I take him from her and look her up and down. Seeing her in a robe, with her sexy legs exposed, makes my cock start to twitch. Now is not a good time for this to be happening. She must realize what I see because she quickly excuses herself and a few minutes later, comes back dressed. She makes small talk and asks if I want her to take over feeding my son so I can finish working, I’m stunned by her question. I’m used to doing it myself. I reply to her, lay Rhys down, and leave the room as fast as I can. I don’t understand these feelings that keep surfacing when I’m around her. It’s confusing the shit out of me.