Loved Ones Lost (Edgewater Curse Book 1) Read online

  LOVED ONES LOST

  An Edgewater Curse Novel

  Book1

  By J. C. Everlyn

  An Edgewater Curse Series

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Edgewater Family Tree

  Prologue

  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

  A message from the Author

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 J. C. Everlyn

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Cover art by © eugenepartyzan and licensed by author through Abode Stock (https://stock.adobe.com)

  Symbol and internal images designs by © J. C. Everlyn

  Edited by FirstEditing.com

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  I want to give a big thank you to my mother and daughters for fueling my inspiration, for believing in me, and for encouraging me to fulfill my dream of writing my first book.

  To my amazing readers, thank you for supporting me. I hope you enjoy this first book of many to come in the Edgewater Curse series.

  Happy reading!

  Many thanks and love,

  J. C. Everlyn

  Edgewater Family Tree

  Prologue

  2015

  Briauna “Bri” is the spitting image of her mother Ava: five feet four inches tall, sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and one-hundred-forty pounds (give or take, depending on her mood). She comes from a low-income family. Her father, Darius Edgewater, worked for a landscaping company and her mother was a beautician. She lost them both to a car accident because of a drunk driver when she was forty-five. Bri is now forty-seven and has been struggling to balance her career and family life, which has not been easy since she is an OB-GYN. Babies come when they want to, so her work hours are not always stable. When she does get time alone (usually after everyone is in bed) she enjoys reading or writing on the porch, making lotions and soaps, or sometimes just relaxing in a tub. She and her daughter Crystal also like to work in the garden together on the weekends.

  Her husband, Jared Aldridge, is a six-two, brown-haired, brown-eyed, medium-built man who is forty-five years old. He enjoys restoring muscle cars with all three of his sons when he has extra time. However, as a very successful corporate lawyer, he is required to travel quite often. He comes from a wealthy family. His father, William Aldridge, is a multi-billion-dollar tycoon in the manufacturing industry while his mother, Alice, is the chairperson for several non-profit organizations.

  Bri and Jared met at Harvard University back in 1989, while they were attending some general classes together. Their dates consisted of studying in the library on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Friday nights, they would order in pizza and rent a movie. Jared graduated with a law degree and passed the bar exam in 1992. Two years later, Bri graduated with her medical degree and started a four-year residency the following month. The evening of her completion of residency, Jared asked her to go with him to a family reunion held in Atlantic City. When the reunion seemed to be ending, and everyone was leaving, Jared asked Bri if she would like to go out for a nice dinner. He took her to an elegant Italian restaurant, decorated in a Tuscany style with a fireplace in the center of the main room. They sat next to it, and Bri noticed they were the only two customers in the restaurant. Jared told her he had made a special reservation so they could be alone. Candles lit everywhere, and soft music playing in the background, it was their very own private celebration for her accomplishment. Bri was very impressed and surprised. When their food was served, she reached for her napkin, and when she lifted it off the table, a little black box was revealed. She looked at Jared with tears of joy in her eyes as he got down on one knee and proposed. They were married and honeymooned in the Caribbean the following year and as a wedding gift, Jared had a house built for her. Nestled in West Aspen's Castle Creek and bordering national forest land, their views overlook the entire Castle Creek Valley and surrounding Aspen trees, cascading mountains, clear streams, waterfalls, and ponds. The home sits on 17 acres and has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

  Their first child, Matthew, was born two years later, making him eighteen and graduating high school this year. He is six feet tall, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes, and is valedictorian of his high school. He likes to spend what free time he has with his girlfriend, Destiny. They have only been together for three months; however, when they are together, it seems like they have known each other for a lifetime. Matthew has been very helpful to his mother although, while helping with the rest of the children, he sometimes oversteps his bounds. He plans to go to college to become a financial advisor after he graduates.

  Travis is the next oldest. He is a fifteen-year-old who dreams of becoming a racecar driver for NASCAR. He has brown hair, brown eyes and is continually getting into trouble in school, doing anything he can to gain attention with any situation. When he is not getting into trouble, he works on restoring muscle cars with his dad. He spends a lot of time out in the garage (sometimes more than his dad) and Bri has to beg him to take a break or to come in for dinner. He also has a five-year-old German Shepherd named Duke. Even though they adopted Duke as a family pet, Duke has latched on to Travis more so than anyone else in the family. He sleeps at the foot of Travis’s bed and is at Travis’s heels wherever he goes.

  Lucas is twelve. He has brown hair and brown eyes and is a straight “A” student but has been very quiet and withdrawn ever since Bri’s parents died; he and Darius were very close. Due to the drastic change in his mood, his parents thought it would be beneficial for him to attend group therapy classes every Wednesday evening. Aside from his therapy classes and school, he never leaves the house unless his mother requires it. Instead, he stays in his room either on the computer or putting together models of his dad’s favorite classic cars.

  Then there are the girls, Rose and Crystal, who are ten years old and are fraternal twins. Rose has dark brown, almost black, hair and brown eyes. She enjoys singing (and is quite good at it), dancing and anything that glitters. She is very energetic and high-spirited most of the time. Crystal has strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She enjoys reading, helping her mother in the garden, and spending quiet afternoons out on the porch writing about anything that comes to her mind, which is mostly her concerns about her brother Lucas. She has tested as an above-average child with the maturity and intellect of a high school graduate. Despite this, she still has a powerful connection to her sister and never lets Rose feel belittled in any way. There are many times that she steps on her brother Matthew’s toes when it comes to making decisions and helping with the rest of her siblings. Currently, she and Rose are taught by private tutors at home. Next school year Crystal w
ill be going to an elite college for children like her, and by the time she turns twenty-one in 2023, she will have received a Master’s degree in the field of her choice. Rose will start at a private school and for the first time be introduced into a regular classroom.

  They were a happy family, each with goals and plans for their future. Little did they know their lives were going to change forever…

  Chapter One

  One Is Not Enough

  Tuesday, May 8, 2018

  It was a rainy spring morning when Bri found herself waking up to another nightmare. Ever since Jared died three years ago, she had felt scared, overwhelmed and totally without energy. Jared had taken their private jet with some colleagues to a meeting in Seattle, Washington when the engines cut out over Mount Rainier. Unfortunately, the plane crashed, leaving no survivors. Bri wondered how she would ever have the courage and stamina to raise her five children alone. She knew finances would never be a problem though; Jared made sure of that. He had several investments and life insurance policies in place to make sure that Bri and the kids would be set for life. Things were always paid for in full up front, partly because of the money he earned himself and partly from the trust fund he had received from his parents when he graduated from Harvard. Because of this, the house and cars were owned outright since Jared never took out loans. He never asked Bri for money either, telling her to keep what she earned. He felt it was his place to provide for them all; it’s what made him happy, so Bri never argued. It was raising her children alone that frightened her the most.

  In Jared’s will, he left one of the three muscle cars he and the boys had been restoring to each of them. The yellow ‘69 Super Bee went to Matthew, who was now twenty-one; the black ‘69 GTO Judge went to Travis, now seventeen and turning eighteen on September 7; and the blue ‘68 Chevelle was given to Lucas who was now fifteen. The Chevelle would have to stay in storage for another year, until Lucas earned his license to drive. Jared had also made sure that trust funds were set up for each of the kids and separate funds were set aside for the girls for when they became old enough to drive; after all, since the boys got cars, he wanted to make sure the girls each got one someday too. Money was set aside to pay for school for each of the kids, even if accepted to an Ivy League college. Although the children were raised around money, Bri and Jared made sure they learned humility, respect, and responsibility; selfishness would not be tolerated in their family.

  Bri had no intentions of starting a new relationship with anyone new this soon. She often wondered if she would be lucky enough to fall in love again. She knew she would never find anyone like Jared; no one could ever replace him. He would live in her heart forever. She did have hopes of finding someone to love again, though; she didn’t want to grow old alone.

  Convincing herself that she needed to quit feeling sorry for herself, Bri got out of bed, put on her robe and slippers and proceeded downstairs to see if anyone else was awake yet. Realizing when she got down to the kitchen that it was only four-thirty and no one would be up for a couple more hours, she decided to go back up to her room to take a hot bath. On the second floor to the left is her hobby room where she makes her soaps and lotions and just across the hall is the master bedroom. In the bedroom, there is a four post king size bed on the left along with a walk-in closet leading to the master bathroom. Straight ahead are French doors leading out to a private deck that has steps that lead down to the garden and overlook Castle Creek Valley. Across from the bed, on the right side of the room, is a fireplace and above the mantle is a flat panel television mounted to the wall. To the left and right of the fireplace are identical Victorian-style armoires. In the master bath, there is an oversized Jacuzzi tub in one corner and a separate oversized shower in the other. His and hers sinks are on the left, and a linen closet and a vanity table on the right.

  She started to draw herself a bath when she heard a knock on the door. Shutting the water off, she proceeds to the door and opens it to find Lucas is standing in front of her in tears.

  “Lucas honey, what’s wrong?”

  “I had another nightmare, Mom, I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I know I shouldn’t be crying. I’m sorry I disturbed you... forget it, I’ll be okay.” He turns to leave and go back to his room.

  “No, please come in. Don’t leave. You’re not disturbing me. I’m your mother; you can come to talk to me about anything—you know that. Come in and sit with me, please.”

  Lucas bows his head and comes into the room to sit on the bed.

  “Lucas, just because you are a boy doesn’t mean that you can’t cry. You are human too, and humans cry. Your dad always told you that too, so why do you think that it’s not okay to cry? Tell me what’s wrong. What did you dream about?”

  “Grandpa Darius always told me I need to be tough and strong men don’t cry…but I keep dreaming about the call we got from Dad that day...the day he died.”

  He was talking about a call that Bri had received from Jared just before the plane had taken off. She had put Jared on speaker so he could talk to everyone all at once. It was a call he made to the family every time he traveled, mostly just to let them know whether the flight was leaving on time or not. Then he would call again once they landed. This time he had told everyone that since he had been traveling so much lately, when he got back, they could all plan a vacation for some good quality family time together. Only this time Jared never made it back home.

  Bri furrows her brow while shaking her head and then puts her arm around Lucas’s shoulders. “I understand. I still dream about that day too. Honestly, I don’t think that day will ever leave any of us. I bet if you ask any of your brothers or sisters, they will tell you that they still dream about it too. As far as what your Grandpa Darius told you, please don’t go by that, go by what your dad taught you instead. People need to cry when they are upset, male or female, it’s a way to relieve stress instead of bottling up our emotions.”

  Lucas sighs. “I know, Mom. I just miss him so much.”

  Bri embraces Lucas in her arms. “Oh Lucas, I’m sorry you have nightmares. You know we are all here for you, right? We’re not going anywhere. I know your dad’s not here physically, but he is here in spirit. He will always be with you in your heart and mind, watching after you. He’s going to watch you grow into a wonderful young man. I know that he is so proud of you. I know that because I am proud of you as well. You’re doing so well in school, and I know that you will get through this. You’re a very strong person. It’s going to take time for all of us to get used to your dad not being with us anymore. You know, I still have nightmares too.”

  Lucas looks surprised. “Really?”

  “Yep, I have them almost every night.”

  “When will they stop?”

  “I don’t know...I don’t know if they ever will.”

  “Thanks Mom, I feel a little better now.”

  “Good. Tell you what, why don’t you go take a hot shower and I will go downstairs and make your favorite breakfast; does French toast sound good?”

  “That sounds great, Mom.” Lucas gently kisses his mom on the cheek, cleans off his face with his sleeve, and stands up to go to his room. When he gets to the doorway, he stops, turns around, and smiles. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too, Lucas.”

  The next thing she remembers is hearing the shrieks coming from upstairs while she was in the kitchen making his breakfast. She runs upstairs to the third floor where she finds Crystal and Rose standing in the doorway to Lucas and Travis’s room just across the hall from theirs. They are in their pajamas with tears running down their faces. Lucas is lying on the floor. He is not breathing, and two bottles are lying on the floor next to him. Bri runs to his side, slamming down so hard on the floor next to him that she can instantly feel the rug burns on her knees. She puts her finger to his neck to check his vitals. He’s not breathing.

  Matthew is now in the doorway wrapped in a towel; clearly, he has just come out of the shower as there is s
till water dripping down his face. “Mom! What happened?”

  Bri grabs her cell phone out of the pocket in her robe and tosses it to Matthew. “Hurry, call 911!” Matthew steps just outside of the room and taps on the Emergency Call button on the phone. After reporting the incident and informing them that his mother is doing CPR, he hangs up and re-enters the room.

  “Mom, I called, they are on their way. What happened? Why won’t he open his eyes?”

  “He took these!” Bri points to the bottles. “I can’t talk right now; I need to work on your brother. Please take the girls out of here; they don’t need to see this... and Matthew...go to the kitchen and turn off the burners. We don’t need a fire in the house as well.”

  Travis and Duke have now returned from their morning walk, and after hearing the girls’ screams when they walked through the front door, they both run up the stairs and are now standing just inside the room. “I’ll go to the kitchen; Matthew, you take the girls.” Duke slowly approaches Lucas, sniffs, then lies down next to Lucas, putting his head on his arm, and starts whining. Travis tries to get Duke to come with him, but Duke doesn't budge.

  Matthew takes the girls to the living room and tries to calm them down while trying to stay calm himself. When Travis is done in the kitchen, he joins them in the living room and tells Matthew to go back up to their mother; he'll stay with the girls and wait for the ambulance. By the time the ambulance arrives, it's too late. Lucas is gone.

  About an hour passes before the coroner, David, finally shows up to take Lucas’s body away. He was someone Bri had known for years and works with at the hospital.

  “Bri, I’m so sorry for your loss. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you, David.”

  After he and the ambulance leave, the police search the room and find a note on Lucas’s desk. They also look through his computer and find that he has been searching the Internet for different ways to kill himself. It also appears that he had reached out to an unknown contact through social media to purchase the pills he had taken. Bri never thought that it would come to this. To her fifteen-year-old son ending his own life. According to his therapist, he had been making progress. She blames herself for not paying closer attention. She should have monitored his Internet activity closer and seen the signs! Anything to prevent this!