The Best of Me
a Hope Valley novel
Jessica Prince
Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Prince
www.authorjessicaprince.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
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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
Epilogue
Sneak Peek of Wrong Side of the Tracks
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About the Author
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HOPE VALLEY SERIES:
Out of My League
Come Back Home Again
The Best of Me
CIVIL CORRUPTION SERIES
Corrupt
Defile
Consume
Ravage
THE PICKING UP THE PIECES SERIES:
Picking up the Pieces
Rising from the Ashes
Pushing the Boundaries
Worth the Wait
THE COLORS NOVELS:
Scattered Colors
Shrinking Violet
Love Hate Relationship
Wildflower
THE LOCKLAINE BOYS (a LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP spinoff):
Fire & Ice
Opposites Attract
Almost Perfect
THE PEMBROOKE SERIES (a WILDFLOWER spinoff):
Sweet Sunshine
Coming Full Circle
A Broken Soul
GIRL TALK SERIES:
Seducing Lola
Tempting Sophia
Enticing Daphne
Charming Fiona
STANDALONE TITLES:
One Knight Stand
Chance Encounters
Nightmares from Within
DEADLY LOVE SERIES:
Destructive
Addictive
Prologue
Nona
There were three things in life that I knew as absolute fact.
First, a good blowout and pretty undergarments could work wonders in boosting a woman’s confidence.
Second, the shitty, worthless men outweighed the good by about ten to two.
And finally, Emma Wanderly was a raging idiot.
That last one might have seemed harsh, but it was the stone-cold truth. After all, she didn’t just have a good man. She had one of the very best.
And that idiot went and threw him away.
Seeing as I spent years upon years married to the scummiest, lowest form of man there was, I considered myself somewhat of an expert in the field of men, especially when it came to telling the good from the bad. So I knew to my bones that my take on Patrick “Trick” Wanderly was spot-on.
I’d see him and his family around town and wish I were lucky enough to have a man like that in my life. A man who didn’t shy away from showing affection to his wife in public, letting her and everyone else around know just how much he loved her with nothing but a touch or caress or simply a look. A man who’d watch his kids and smile or shake his head good-naturedly, like he got a kick out of them acting like typical rowdy children. He was a man content with all the blessings in his life and wasn’t afraid to show it.
Don’t get me wrong, my kids were absolutely everything to me, and each morning when they woke up and came stumbling into the kitchen, groggy and cranky with sleep, I knew just how lucky I was.
But in all our years of marriage, Christian had never looked at me or touched me the way Trick looked at and touched Emma. In public or in private. And for that reason, I couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that shot through my heart every time I saw them together.
Then, almost out of the blue, the picture-perfect couple was no more. I was baffled. Hell, all of Hope Valley was in a tizzy, struggling to figure out what had happened.
One second they seemed to have it all, and the next… poof. It was gone.
I didn’t get it. Trick was sweet and incredibly kind. He was thoughtful, always putting others first. He was so funny I spent most of the time in his presence laughing until my stomach ached. And if all of that hadn’t been enough, he was, hands down, the sexiest, most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on.
Sandy brown hair clipped short in an easy-to-manage yet attractive style put his gorgeous features on display. A strong, square jaw that was always covered in a day’s worth of light brown stubble, a straight, masculine nose, and eyes the most stunning gunmetal gray were only the tip of the iceberg that made Trick Wanderly all that he was. Broad shoulders led to a wide chest that eventually dipped into a trim waist. His strong arms were made to wrap around you and protect you from everything bad, and I’d fantasized about being in those arms more than was probably healthy.
It was those fantasies that made me turn around in the middle of a conversation I was having with friends and scan the massive crowd until my eyes finally found him. And the moment they did, my heart clenched so painfully it nearly stole my breath.
He looked miserable, heartbroken. Devastated. Like his whole world had been ripped out from beneath him.
I’d noticed that exact look on his face more times than I cared to count over the past months. A look he got whenever he thought no one would notice, or when he had too much on his mind and accidentally allowed that carefree mask to slip.
And every time I saw it, it broke my heart a little more.
I’d have given anything to be able to take that pain away from him, to heal those wounds. But I knew firsthand that it wasn’t that easy. The best I could do was be there for him, offering a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, or a stiff drink when talking just wasn’t going to cut it.
Offering my friends a distracted “I need a refill, be back,” I found myself moving around the elegantly adorned tables beneath the canvas and twinkle lights of the romantic tent like I had tunnel vision.
I was halfway across the tent where Hayes and my girl Tempie were holding their wedding reception when Trick’s head came up. It was almost as if he sensed me moving in his direction. Those beautiful gray eyes locked with mine and that sadness melted away, replaced with a smile that made my knees weak and my belly quiver.
My lips tipped up of their own accord, offering him a small grin in re
turn, and the sway of my hips grew a little more pronounced as I closed the rest of the distance.
“Officer,” I greeted teasingly.
The low, rich chuckle that rolled from his chest felt like a gift. “Darlin’,” he returned. “You havin’ a good time?”
“I am. Good food, good people, celebration. Makes for a great night.”
That shadow slid over his face once more before he tamped it down. “I hear that.”
“How about you?”
He knocked back the last of the amber liquid in his glass and raised a finger to the bartender for another. As soon as his fresh drink was placed in front of him, he lifted it and slugged back half in one gulp, telling me what frame of mind he was in before he turned back to me with a smile that didn’t even come close to meeting his eyes. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m happy for them.”
“Didn’t ask if you were happy for them, honey,” I murmured, leaning in close. “I asked if you were having a good time.”
“Nona—” Just then, the band shifted from a fast tempo, peppy song to something slower and softer.
Curling my fingers around his big hand, I gave it a tug and commanded, “Come on, Officer. I’ll let you take me for a spin on the floor.”
He allowed me to pull him off his stool and lead him toward the makeshift dance floor, rolling his eyes playfully when I spun around and placed my free hand on his shoulder.
The small flutters I’d been feeling in my belly since his fingers closed around mine erupted the moment his large palm slid along my waist and settled on the small of my back. With Trick leading, we fell into an easy rhythm and moved in silence until I found the courage to say what I’d wanted to say since first approaching him.
“It gets easier,” I murmured quietly. His eyes flashed to me, and I watched in panic as that beautiful gray grew intense and stormy. But the words were already out there, and there was no pulling them back.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Nona, I thought as I pulled in a steady breath.
“I won’t tell you it gets better, but it does get easier. I promise, Trick.”
Those clouds parted. His face went soft and sympathetic as he whispered, “Speaking from experience, darlin’?”
“You know I am,” I replied sadly. There’d been no hiding it. The whole town knew about my failed marriage, and I was sure there were still rumblings going around about how stupid I’d been not to end it much sooner than I had. But I’d been in love, and when you loved someone so strongly that you built a life and a family together, throwing in the towel just wasn’t that simple.
I’d made myself a promise when things started to turn from bad to worse. I was going to do whatever I could. I was going to fight and scratch and claw so I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I’d done everything in my power to make my marriage work. So when it was all said and done, I could hold my head up high, I could look at my kids and know I hadn’t just given up when things got too hard.
Now it was over, and I spent every day with my head held high in the knowledge that I’d given it my all.
“Fuckin’ idiot.”
My chin jerked back and my eyes went wide at the venom in his voice. “Wh-what?”
“Christian Fanning,” he answered, speaking my ex-husband’s name in a rough, craggy growl. “Fuckin’ idiot.”
My head cocked to the side, and I felt my face go gentle as I looked up at him. “She’s gonna hate herself,” I whispered, and at my words, he closed his eyes as pain filtered across his handsome face.
“Nona—”
“She’ll wake up one day and realize exactly what she lost. She’ll realize she had it all and she just let it go, and she’ll hate herself for it.”
“Sweetheart—”
“You’re an incredible man, Trick. Best man I’ve ever met.”
The hand holding mine let go and came up, the pads of his fingers dragging gently along my cheekbone as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “That can’t be true.”
“It is,” I declared forcefully. “Trust me, Trick. It’s true. I know shitty men. I know lazy men. I know all about worthless pieces of shit who don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves. And you aren’t that. You’re amazing. And smart. And funny. And sexy—” My diatribe came to a screeching halt. I hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud. Slamming my eyes closed, I hung my head in mortification as my cheeks caught fire.
He put pressure beneath my chin, forcing my head back up so he could see me. “Nona, darlin’.”
I gave my head a shake. “Excuse me while I wait for the floor to open up and swallow me.”
His body shook against mine, and I knew he was laughing, but I didn’t find anything about this the slightest bit funny. “Come on, Nona. Open those pretty eyes for me.” After a few more humiliating seconds, I peeled my eyelids open and nearly melted into a puddle at the warmth radiating from his gaze. “Means the world to me, honey, everything you just said. The absolute world.”
“It’s just… what I meant to say is I’m here, you know, if you ever need to talk. I get it… so I’m here. For you.”
“You’re pretty incredible yourself.”
I lowered my eyes again as a fierce blush stole up my neck. “Thanks,” I whispered shyly.
“And beautiful.”
My head shot back up, my lips parting on a surprised inhale. “Th-thank you.”
Something in his expression changed. It was as if he could suddenly read every thought in my head. The longing, the desire I’d felt for him for months. In an instant there was a flare of heat that hadn’t been there just a moment before, so hot it turned the gray to liquid. The intensity of it made my knees buckle, and I would have hit the floor, embarrassing myself even further if it hadn’t been for Trick’s other arm banding around my waist and pulling me tight against him.
The look in his eyes was enough to make my breathing ragged as my heart pounded against my ribs.
“Trick,” I panted as my breasts swelled and my nipples hardened.
“You wanna get outta here, sweetheart?”
I did. I really did. So I gave him a little nod and followed eagerly as he took my hand once more and led me from the dance floor and out of the tent, excitement coursing through my veins as I skipped to keep up.
* * *
A loud thump followed by a quietly hissed “Shit” startled me out of a dead sleep. I blinked my eyes as they slowly adjusted to the darkness surrounding me. My fuzzy brain had trouble recalling what was going on, but when I rolled toward the noise that had woken me, the twinge between my thighs was enough to bring the whole night back to me.
Trick dragging me from the wedding reception, loading me in his truck, and driving like a bat out of hell. The way his jagged voice abraded against my skin when he asked, “Your kids home?” and the soft breathiness of mine as I replied, “They’re with their dad this weekend.”
Everything that came after was completely and utterly out of this world. It was a dream come true. No, actually it was better than anything I could have dreamed up. He was better.
Trick Wanderly was the best lover I’d ever had—not that I had many to compare him to, but still. He’d fucked me hard and rough, he made love to me slow and gentle, he made me feel a million things I’d never felt before, and he spent hours doing it thoroughly until we both passed out from exhaustion.
My body ached in the most delectable ways from the workout he’d given it, and as I finished my roll, a smile spread across my face so wide my cheeks ached. That was, until I caught a glimpse of Trick’s shadowed frame in the dark.
Twisting around quickly, I flicked on the lamp beside my bed and spun back to him. “What are you doing?”
He finished pulling up the tuxedo slacks he’d been wearing before I slowly stripped him out of them hours earlier. His shirt was already on but unbuttoned, revealing tanned skin over ripped muscles from his chest all the way down to where that sexy V dipped into his waistband and the small smattering of hair sprinkle
d over his pecs. I’d never considered myself a fan of chest hair, but Trick’s was minimal and extremely hot.
“I was gonna wake you.”
My fingers clenched in the comforter, lifting it higher to cover my bare breasts as a chill rushed across my skin. “You were gonna wake me… what? Before you bailed out at—” I jerked around to look at my alarm clock. “—four fifteen in the morning?”
That chill turned biting when Trick blew out a deep sigh and dropped his head, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. The Trick who’d looked at me on that dance floor in a way that made me tremble with desire was long gone. This Trick made my stomach churn while my throat threatened to close up.
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he started uncomfortably, making everything so much worse. “So damn sorry.”
I’m sorry. Two words no woman wants to hear after sleeping with a man she’s been crushing on for months and months.
“You’re… sorry,” I repeated, doing a slow blink as I stared up at him, feeling my heart shrivel up in my chest.
His head shot back up, those piercing gray eyes pinning me to the mattress as if he could hear the heartache in my voice. “I wasn’t gonna sneak out, sweetheart. I’d never do that, not to you.”
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