Mine Whether She Likes It Or Not (Excerpt)

Chapter 1

Jilliana

My heart is beating so fast. I'm almost afraid it's going to shoot out of my chest. I'm doing the absolute best I can, to seem calm on the outside. No one here knows about my past. They don't know about him.

It doesn't help that everyone keeps asking me if I'm okay. Getting the phone call this morning from my grandmother changed things immensely. Usually, I'm the first here for my waitress shift. Today I showed up late.

"All right enough of this, what is up with you?" Monique says from beside me, the sound of her voice making me jump.

"See that's what I'm talking about. You're not normally this jumpy. So, what's going on?" Monique crosses her arms over her chest glaring at me.

"Nothing is going on. I'm just having an off day." I give her my best fake smile. Doing my best to brush off her worries.

Judging by the look on her face I'm failing miserably. "I'm not buying it. Nah uh girl. You're not fooling me. Spill." She practically demands.

I worry my bottom lip with my teeth. I'm not so sure I should tell her. If I do there is a good chance, I'll be putting her life in the line of fire. "Okay, truth is I had a really bad morning. My grandmother called with news about my mom once again, and I just laid back down. All I wanted was to sleep the drama away." I roll my eyes, making a show of how I truly feel about my mother.

Not that this is news to her. She may not know all about my past, but she knows about my mother. How we moved nonstop for years. How that woman constantly chose men over her only daughter. Sometimes she would leave for months at a time, leaving me with her mother. Not that I minded, I would have much rather spent time with my Gram than my mother.

My Grandmother, Rose, has always been an amazing person. She loved me from the start. The day I was born she made a spectacle at the hospital. Heck, two days after I was born my mother flaked, so I went home with my Grams.

She took care of me the first few months of my life. Well come to think of it, Grams took care of me most of my childhood. Actually into adulthood really. But the woman never complained. Not once.

She never made me feel like a burden. No, if anything she always would say "Jillybean you're the daughter I never had." I would laugh and remind her about my mother. Her response was rolling her eyes and saying she didn't know where she went wrong with that one.

"Oh no, what's going on with the flake now?" The sound of Monique's voice cuts through my thoughts.

"What isn't going on with her?" I roll my eyes once more. "The woman is nothing but a hot mess disaster." I don't get into too much detail. The truth is with who my mother is I don't have to.

"Can you do me a favor and take care of my section for about ten minutes? I need to make a phone call." I ask her and so she nods her head and waves me off.

I give her a smile in thanks and walk to the back of the diner. Once outback near the dumpsters, knowing I'll have more privacy back here, I take out my phone and call my best friend.

"I'm guessing you heard that he got out." Carlee says when answering the call. She must have been waiting for me to call her. She answered after one ring.

"Yea I did. How are you? Are you doing, okay?"

She laughs at my question. "I'm not worried about me. He's; my cousin. I mean, I know he isn't going to be so happy that I moved away. You know like his older brother and my two brothers, but he will have to get over it." I hear what sounds like coffee being made. She must have just woken up.

"No, what he won't get over is you being away from home."

"That place wasn't my home. It's just where I went to high school and where my Grams lives. You know that." If anything, it was her home. She had grown up there her entire life. I was the new girl freshman year that became her best friend the first day of school.

"Okay keep telling yourself that." She must know I'm about to argue with her because she cuts my train of thought off. "You can say that all you like. For four years; and all our high school career you lived there and went to school with us all. You are his girl; he's been obsessed with you since the first moment he saw you."

I roll my eyes but can't help the smile that grows on my lips. She's only being honest. I just don't like to think of it as my home because of what happened that horrible night. The night our lives changed for the worst.

"Come on Jilly, it'll be fun. These guys seem like they know how to show a girl a fun time." Carlee dances her eyebrows at me.

I shake my head in disagreement. "I don't know about this Car. Like; we don't know much about them. Plus, your older twin brothers, and cousins will not be pleased." I say giving her a pointed look.

She rolls her eyes at me as she waves her hand in the air. "They won't find out. They won't even know we are gone. They are at the family meeting. My father and uncle called an emergency meeting. We never have this opportunity to go by ourselves to a party." She walks up to me and grabs both my arms with her hands.

Carlee began going so far as to batt her eyelashes at me before she tilts her head and pouts her lips at me. Although my gut is screaming at me not to get into that car, but alas, I am legitimately unable to say no to her. "Okay."

Yes!" Carlee squeals and does a little dance of celebration.

"Only for a little while." I began to answer her and make demands. "We cannot stay too long at this college party. We don't know when they will get out of this meeting of theirs and come looking for us." I have a feeling my words are falling on deaf ears as she pulls me to the vehicle.

"We won't stay too long. Just go to the party to have a beer and dance a little." She promises as she climbs into the back of the car.

"Jilly? You still there?" Carlee asks in my ear. I shake my head from thoughts of the past.

"Yea I'm here sorry just a little tired." She makes a noise in the back of her throat. Letting me know she doesn't believe me but to my delight she lets it slide.

"I'll stop over as soon as I leave our apartment. We will figure it out then, Okay?"

"Okay sounds good. I need you here. I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack." I rub my chest feeling like it's about to collapse.

"I know what you mean." She says so low I could barely hear her. "How do you think I feel? It's my fault he was in there. Who knows what he's going to want to do to me now that he's free."

"Your cousin wouldn't do anything bad to you and you know it? Besides, your brothers wouldn't allow him to." She gives off a sarcastic filled laugh.

"Please, you and I both know how much power in the family he has. He may be the youngest out of them all, but both my father and his have always looked to him to lead everyone. He was born a natural leader in their words." She scoffs.

"I know my brothers love me and would do anything for me clearly, but if he wanted me punished, I guarantee there is nothing they could do about it."

There's silence between the two of us. As we are stuck in our own minds. " Well, I won't allow him to do anything to you." My voice comes out firm.

Truth be told I am afraid of what he has planned for the both of us. But I'll be damned if I allow him to harm my best friend. Don't care if they are family or not.

I can hear her sigh through the phone. "I know you will look out for me. I appreciate it. I'm heading out now, so I'll be there soon, Okay?" Her voice sounds smaller somehow.

"Okay, I'll put in your breakfast order." I start walking back toward the diner.

"Sounds good. See you soon Jilly. Kisses." She says as she hangs up. Bringing a smile to my face.

Opening the door I walk in. Getting ready to plan for what's to come. Lord knows I'm going to need it once he comes for me. I know he is already on the way. Can feel it in my gut, if I learned anything from the past it's always trust my gut.