Sins of the Father (California Dreaming Book 2) Read online

  Sins of the father

  California Dreaming 2

  Stacey Johnston

  Stacey Johnston - Copyright 2016

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  The storyline, characters, and fictitious government agencies are nothing more than a fragment of my weird and wonderful imagination, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  Edited by Toni Michelle

  Cover Designer: Clarisse Tan – CT Cover Creations

  Cover Photo: Bryant Wood

  Photographer: Eric David Battershell

  Author Bio

  What to tell you about myself??

  When I sat down to set about the challenge of what I could say, I found that I didn’t really consider myself to be very interesting at all.

  I’ve lived in Western Australia my whole life, only ever leaving the country once. Right now though I reside in a southern suburb close to the beach.

  Above everything else I’m a wife and a mother. I’ve been married to a man I believe to be my soul mate for the past nine years. When he came into my life I already had two gorgeous kids, a boy and girl, who he took on as his own without any consideration as to how it would affect his life. During our time together, he has also blessed me with two more gorgeous little girls. My real life also has me working fulltime as an Office Manager for an Audio Visual Company.

  I grew up in a home with three aunties, two uncles, my younger brother, my father, and my grandparents!! Wow that was more of mouthful than I expected! As you can imagine life in a large family like that was never boring

  As a child I loved creating stories in my head, it was my escape, a place I could go and hide from the world. As I became older, my stories evolved and every time life challenged me, I slipped back into my imaginary world and hid. This didn’t change as I entered adulthood.

  I have always been the kind of person who never made things easy for herself, and I spent many years drifting from family member to family member looking for direction. It wasn’t until I was twenty-one when I met a man who would become, what I thought - my future. Over the next twelve years he was my life, well him, and the two children he blessed me with.

  We lost that loving husband, and father to a heart attack when our children were very young, and life as you can imagine became a little rough for a while.

  Over the years my stories have given me the sanity to get through many tragic situations. They’ve given me a world to escape into, one where I can be anything I want.

  These stories I’ve created over the years, have always been a coping mechanism that worked for me, and I’ve always wanted to share them.

  With the support of my family I have ventured out there, and finally put them down on paper. I hope you love them as much as I do.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Two

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Three

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Four

  Stephen

  Chapter Five

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Six

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Seven

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Eight

  Stephen

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Nine

  Stephen

  Chapter Ten

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Eleven

  Sean

  Chapter Twelve

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sean

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stephen

  Sean

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sean

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Nineteen

  Stephen

  Sherlyn

  Sean

  Chapter Twenty

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sean

  Sherlyn

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sean

  Chapter Three

  Sherlyn

  Stephen

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sean

  Chapter Four

  Stephen

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hawke

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Stephen

  Chapter One

  What do you do when everything you have taken for granted, turns out to be a lie...?

  Sherlyn

  The day my parents divorced, I did what any other child in my position would do…. I blamed myself and that was when the guilt first set in.

  Then the ‘what ifs’ started...

  What if I wasn't so naughty...?

  If only I listened more, and did as they told me for once...

  And so on...

  Maybe, I should mention, I was only six years old when all this happened. I was just a child, oblivious to everything that didn’t revolve around me. If it’s honesty you are seeking, and I think I need to be honest with myself first - I don’t recall my father being around much at all during that time anyway. My fondest memories only ever included my mother.

  When I think of what my mother was like back then, it’s hard not to remember just how beautiful she really was. My father always told me, she had a face that could stop traffic, that she had men eating out of the palms of her hands. He also admitted that she had a mesmerizing effect on him, although, he was by no means unattractive either.

  A few years ago, during one of those confessional moments, he shared the story of how the two of them met. The story itself was a little on the crude side, but that didn’t stop him from telling it. I had always wondered but was never game enough to ask.

  His version of that charming little story, as recited to me, was… That he met her during a business trip to Vegas. He was tired, hungry and horny, and looking to book into a motel for the night. All he wanted was to grab a bite to eat and call for a little company for the night.

  His recollection had him landing at the airport, before heading toward the car rentals. In front of that counter, he stumbled across a pretty little thing, bent over, with her ass staring him straight in the face. Apparently, she had been picking up the contents of her handbag off the floor.

  Once she had gotten to her feet, and was facing him, he was speechless, not even managing to string together a sentence. He reckons all he can remember from that moment on, was her batting her eyelashes at him. The next thing he knew, he was waking up the next morning, with her tightly wrapped around him, in his bed. He was unsure what the hold was that she had on him, but it lasted for quite a few years.

  In my mother’s eyes, I was her little princess, a petite doll that she could dress up, and parade around. She fussed over me all the time, and when you are that young, you absorb everything, mainly because you want to be loved. You want your mommy to be proud of you. Combine both of those things, and the door is left open for them to do whatever they want.

  That, right there, is the reason I spent a lot of my childhood in beauty pageants, and talent shows. I have always been a shy child, preferring to blend into the background, watchi
ng - observing those around me. My mother wouldn't have any of that, always pushing me to do the things I never wanted to, to be someone I couldn't. I finally found my voice a few years later and put a stop to that. I told her I wouldn’t participate anymore.

  Around the age of eight, she entered me into a local beauty pageant where the organizers had decided to introduce a small talent section. I had never had to do anything like that before, so I panicked, and started singing. OMG… You will never guess what I sang, and unfortunately, for me, it was the first song that came to my head. What came out of my mouth was Britney Spears - Oops, I did it again...

  Okay, so I will not deny, the moment was not one of my finest, but it paid off. I won that pageant, and my mom discovered that I could sing. I never did find out just which side of the family my talent came from, I also never cared either. After that, she entered me into any competition she could find, much to my father's disapproval.

  Those were the only times I can recall hearing my parents argue. It became clear, he was telling her to stop living her life through me - that her days as a part of that world were over for good. He used to yell at her, telling her she should be allowing me to live like every other normal little girl. At the time, I had no idea what he meant, mostly because the life I was living, was all I had ever known.

  It was during those early years, where I learned how to conceal the real me. I had the ability to give you an illusion of the person I wanted to portray, which was someone I was not whilst I performed. The mask I constructed, allowed me to be anyone I wanted for a short period. The only problem was I was expected to be that bubbly, outgoing person all the time and that was something I didn’t want to do.

  By the time I was ten, I had pulled away from anything to do with performing. Over further time, I managed to slip under the radar completely, withdrawing into the background. It is easier to sit back and watch when you are invisible.

  The day my father walked away from us, my mom became a different person. Somewhat harder - I would have to say. She became obsessed with making me a success, until I turned ten, and pulled the plug on those dreams for good. When she lost that as well, she also lost a part of herself. It was as if she had lost all sense of herself, and her place in the world. Therefore, at the tender age of ten, I suddenly learned how harsh life actually could be - being forced to grow up quicker than I should have ever had to.

  In the four years leading up to that moment, I only spent limited time with my dad. In all fairness, it was no different from when he lived with us. Whatever was going on between him and my mother was not good. Most nights you heard her crying herself to sleep. When I was younger, I didn't understand what was going on. As I got older, it became apparent I was now going to be gifted with the added responsibility of caring for my mother. So, there I was, a ten-year-old girl struggling to take care of herself with the added worry, of the care and wellbeing of my mother as well.

  For those first ten years of my life, I wanted for nothing, I had no chores, nothing. My mother did everything and then one day, without warning, it all came crashing down around me like a dam breaking.

  I was no longer her little princess; I was now her servant.

  I wished for nothing more during those years after dad left, than to compare my life to that of Cinderella's. A child's story, none the less, but one I related to. One with any similarities to my own. Granted there was no evil stepmother or sisters, but my own mother had turned cold and heartless during that time. Our roles were now reversed, and I had to cater to her every need instead.

  I used to wonder if she was using this as a punishment for me killing the dreams she once held for me. I prayed to God, for the day, a prince would sweep in, and rescue me from the nightmare my life had become. Silly pipe dreams, I’m afraid, because life simply does not work that way. No one can prepare you for the crap fate throws in your path either. Regardless of how stupid it seems, I have always kept my dream alive. The dream of one day finding my very own prince charming, whom I believe, can save me from my life of chaos.

  Part of the custody arrangement set by the courts where I am concerned is every Wednesday is my dad's visitation night. Date night - is what my father jokingly called it. An obligation I was bound to keep until my eighteenth birthday. Up until recent events, I had been thankful my eighteenth birthday was almost upon us. Then, I could put a stop to those as well.

  I never paid much attention when I was younger, most probably because I idolized him, but there was something odd about my father. During my younger years, I was happy to spend as much time with him as they would let me and I guess it was easier for him to amuse me back then. The older I got, he gave the impression that there was some sort of internal struggle going on within him. As if he was fighting within himself, battling a part of him that was threatening to break free.

  I realize this probably doesn’t make any sense, but at times, I could have sworn he had a split personality. One moment he was my sweet loving father, the next something much worse. Bizarre I know, but here’s where the story twists and my guilt really set in...

  Recently, I was once again, thrust back into the spotlight - and not by choice either. I shouldn't say thrust, as I am part of the Glee Club at school where we perform on a regular basis. The thing is, I always stand toward the back, and I never solo. I prefer the limelight to be on someone else. Although I have grown to love singing, finding solace in it over the years, I only perform in the backdrop. It is my way of being a part of it, without being out front.

  Anyway, that is more Tatum's thing. That boy is a show off if I have ever seen one. He is a member of our glee club, and one of my best friends. He is also so god. damned. cute. There has always been a flock of girls vying for his attention. Picture this………… a drop dead gorgeous boy, with shaggy, shoulder-length, light brown colored hair. He is about five foot ten in height and has a thing for swiping his fringe across one side of his face, under his fedora hat. Well, that's what my grandfather called those types of hats. They are kind of like a soft, felt hat with a brim all the way around.

  He has the most delicious brown eyes, the kind that when he looks in your direction, you melt into them. His dress sense has always been a touch out there - he rather reminds me of the Fonz, from Happy Days. On any good day, you will find him wearing his old faded denim jeans, white shirt, and black leather jacket. And, let's not forget his Doc Martens. He lives in those old bloody things. Did I also mention he has the cutest baby face? I have it on good authority, from the hordes usually hovering around him, that he is drool worthy.

  I, on the other hand, even at the best of times, am what you would call a loner. I like how no one pays any attention to me.

  Well, until I met Sophie Valentine a couple of months ago.

  Sophie and her brother Sean arrived midway through the semester at our illustrious place of higher learning. They instantly aligned themselves with four of the hottest boys, our poor excuse for a school has ever seen. Reaching out, I befriended Sophie when the leader of the bitch squad started taunting her. It seems Rochelle was not so happy to hear about Sophie becoming Ben's girlfriend. She had been chasing that boy for years. I think Ben and Kyle are the only two she never got her hooks into.

  Much to my surprise, Sophie, and I became close friends. My friendship circle has always been minimal at the best of times, my only other close friends being Sumner and Tatum from our Glee club.

  Back to me becoming the center of attention...

  Within weeks of Sophie and Sean arriving, we discovered that these four guys - Ben, Kyle, Stephen and Luke were part of the witness protection program. The Federal Agency of Criminal Activity (FACA) had relocated them to Brooklyn, to hide them from a professional hitman.

  Weird huh! Yep, my thoughts exactly, but wait, it gets weirder.

  It seems Sophie's dad, and his colleague Hawke, are Central Bureau of Investigation Agents (CBI) agents. Their assignment was to watch over Ben and his friends. Their bosses were after a high
-profile hitman, believing these boys were the key to locating him. To be able to protect them, though, Sophie's dad moved his whole family here to Brooklyn. He wanted to use this location to his advantage, to help him better track the killer stalking the boys. He also got wind that his family may be at risk, another reason to keep them close.

  Here is where the story twists...

  Sophie's dad never anticipated his daughter would fall in love with one of the boys he was protecting. He even tried to keep them apart. As you can imagine, that did not work out too well for him. With everything else going on, nobody saw what was coming. Long story short, it resulted in the kidnapping of Sophie, and her brother Sean. It would seem, the man they were chasing, turned the tables on them and attacked first. Like all good stories, this one had a happy ending. Both Sean and Sophie were rescued, the bad guy eventually defeated. He did not go down without a fight, almost taking Sophie's mom with him. Thankfully, that also had a happy ending.

  Well, it ended on a good note for everyone else, but me...

  Over the past month, my life has become a rollercoaster ride from hell. After coming home from Sophie's one night, I found a letter on our kitchen bench. Thanks to the creep my mother has been dating and spending more and more time at our apartment, I have been spending mine over at Sophie’s. We have become, almost inseparable.

  Okay, back to the letter...

  What was in it you ask?

  As it turns out, it was an insurance policy wrapped in a note from my father. I will not deny I was hesitant about being nosy, but curiosity got the better of me in the end. Reading the letter, addressed to my mother, I was stunned. My gut feeling about my father was proving to be right. In his letter to my mother, he apologized for all the grief he had caused her over the years. That intrigued me, so I continued reading. He apologizes to my mother, telling her that he never meant to drag her into his world. When he met her, he was only looking for a hookup.

  Nice! I know right...

  When he discovered he was going to become a father it scared him - which he stated, is an emotion he was unfamiliar with. He stayed with her during those early years, to make sure his child was not a monster like himself. He continued to say, in the end, he realized I was nothing like him, and he needed to stop living a lie. He wanted us to have a normal life, and normal was not something he could provide us.