L.A. Fiore - Incomplete

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

Text copyright 2019, L.A. Fiore and Anthony Dwayne

All rights reserved

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the authors/publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1692254506

Cover design by Dana Lamothe, Designs by Dana,

Proofreading by Rebecca Barney, Fairest Reviews Editing Services

Typeset graphics and paperback and eBook formatting by Melissa Stevens, The Illustrated Author, www.theillustratedauthor.net

For the ones who enter your life unexpectedly, the gems that shine a light and make your world brighter, and you better because of them.

Playlist

Before He Cheats...Carrie Underwood

I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)...George Micheal and Aretha Franklin

This Kiss...Faith Hill

Skinny Love...Birdy

All This Time...One Republic

Friends And Lovers...Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring

Lost On You...Lewis Capaldi

The King of Wishful Thinking...Go West

The Flame...Cheap Trick

Dreams...Van Halen

Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad...Def Leppard

No One...Alicia Keys

Slipped...The National

Start of Something Good...Daughtry

I Fall Apart...Post Malone

Someone Like You...Adele

Make You Feel My Love...Adele

Happier...Marshmello

One Last Night...Vaults

Your Arms Feel Like Home...3 Doors Down

The Best You Had...Nina Nesbitt

Want You Back...HAIM

Hard Habit to Break...Chicago

Treat You Better...Shawn Mendes

Look Away...Chicago

I Just Want To Be Your Everything...Andy Gibb

Shelter Of Your Love...Jimmy Cliff

Wicked Games...The Weekend

You Are The Reason...Calum Scott

Stay...Rihanna

I Wanna Take Forever Tonight...Peter Cetera

Feels Like Heaven...Peter Cetera and Chaka Khan

One Clear Voice...Peter Cetera

Ill Be Alright Without You...Journey

I dont Have the Heart...James Ingram

Faithfully...Peter Cetera

This Womans Work...Kate Bush

What Kinda Gone...Chris Cagle

What About Love?...Heart

(I Cant Help) Falling In Love With You...UB40

I Need You...Tim McGraw

Wide Awake...Katy Perry

Stronger...Kelly Clarkson

Anything Is Possible...Mozella

It Dont Hurt Like It Used To...Billy Currington

Ill Be Over You...Toto

Separate Lives...Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin

Foolish Heart...Steve Perry

Just Once...James Ingram

No Easy Way Out...Robert Tepper

It Must Have Been Love...Roxette

Priceless...For King & Country

Rush Rush...Paula Abdul

Would You Go With Me...Josh Turner

Send My Love...Adele

Blank Space...Sweet Babe May

Goodbye to You...Michelle Branch

Complicated...Avril Lavigne

When a Man Loves a Woman...Percy Sledge

Hello...Lionel Richie

Best Thing I Never Had...Beyonce

Do I...Luke Bryan

Leave a Light On...Tom Walker

Better Now...Post Malone

Fallin All In You...Shawn Mendes

Voices Carry...Til Tuesday

Love The Way You Lie...Eminem and Rihanna

F**kin Perfect...P!nk

Bad Blood...Taylor Swift

Stay...Sugarland

The Truth...Jason Aldean

Watching Airplanes...Gary Allan

There Goes My Life...Kenny Chesney

Drunk On You...Luke Bryan

Take Me There...Rascal Flatts

No Ordinary Love...Sade

Aint No Rest for the Wicked...Cage The Elephant

Holding On And Letting Go...Ross Copperman

When I See You Smile...Bad English

Awake and Alive...Skillet

Take It On The Run...REO Speedwagon

Human Nature...Michael Jackson

Taking You Home...Don Henley

If You Needed Somebody...Bad Company

The Rose...Bette Midler

Just When I Needed You Most...Randy VanWarmer

CHAPTER ONE

Tilly shouted for the third time. The bus will be here in fifteen minutes. Move it!

She finished packing her kids lunches, being sure to give Justin an extra juice and to hold the jam on Ashleys sandwich because, all of a sudden, she didnt like jam. Tilly grinned to herself. The trials and tribulations of a fifteen and fourteen-year-old. The phone pulled her attention; grabbing it and putting it under her ear, she yanked open the pantry door to put the peanut butter away, breathlessly greeting, Hello.

Mrs. Forester?

Yes.

Just confirming your appointment at eleven.

It took Tilly a second: right, the exterminator. She wasnt big on killing insects, but ants in her kitchen was where she drew the line. Yes, eleven.

See you then.

She almost dropped the phone, but got it back in the cradle before she shouted again. Lets move Her shout was cut short when her son walked into the kitchen. His brown hair was too long, but he was going through a phase. Battling with him to get his hair out of his eyes was too exhausting. Hed move past the fad soon enough. He looked so much like her husband. She couldnt stop the smile but refrained from commenting because shed only get, Come on, Mom. Jeez .

She handed him his lunch. Did you see your sister?

Im here. Ashley announced, running into the kitchen. Her hair was lighter than her brothers: her eyes not hazel, like the rest of the family, but green. Couldnt get my hair right, she offered, turning Tillys focus on the messy knot her daughter had pulled her hair up into.

I like your hair like that, Tilly said.

Ashley grabbed her lunch, flashing her mom a smile. Thanks, Mom. Oh, dont forget. Im staying after school today for choir. Ill need you to get me at five.

Ill be there.

I got soccer, Justin said, ripping the wrapper off his granola bar and eating half in one bite.

I remember. Drop off at four fifteen pm.

School pics are next week. Ashley reminded her. Tilly looked again at her sons hair and wondered what the chances were of getting it cut before the pictures. Though, if this was his look for the tenth grade, having it documented for all posterity wasnt a bad idea. It was what school pictures were all about after all.

They all heard the bus at the same time. Ashley ran over, kissed Tilly on the cheek, and then darted for the door. Justin, who had stopped giving her kisses in the eighth grade, gave her a Later, as he walked out of the kitchen.

Later, she called after him, reaching the door in time to see her kids climbing onto the bus. She waved to the bus driver, even got a wave from Ashley, before she closed the door, walked back into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Before she took her first sip, the phone rang again. Glancing over, it was Luke. Answering, she said, Hi, honey.

Im going to be late. One of the grids is down. Tilly leaned up against the counter and took that first sip. Luke supervised the local power company. It was gradual, so gradual that Tilly couldnt say when it switched from Luke working to have a life, to work becoming his life. In the beginning, he put in long hours to get them in a position where they were financially comfortable. Then Justin was born and Luke worked even longer hours because now they were a family. Somewhere along the way, he stopped working toward something and just found fulfillment in working. Their weekend home improvement projects, family outings, even dinners together just fell by the wayside. She made excuses, first to herself, then to her kids...attempting to make up for the absence of their father by being both for her kids.