by T. Thomas
“I will,” I assured him.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he snatched up his car keys and left. Max got on the couch and curled against my side. I slid my fingers through his soft fur before focusing my attention back on the television screen in front of me.
“Meredith?” I heard Grayson call. I jerked my attention away from the TV, looking towards the locked screen door. Grayson waved at me.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. I got up, padding over to the door. “Sorry,” I sheepishly apologized. “I got engrossed in the movie. Everything okay?”
He nodded. “How are you feeling?” he asked me as he took a seat on the other couch. I sat back down beside Max, sliding my fingers into his soft fur.
I shrugged. “Still a little sore, but the pain medicine is helping,” I told him.
He frowned. “I’m really sorry about Gerald, Meredith. He’s a sick individual who seems to get a kick out of hurting people smaller than him,” he grumbled.
“Grayson,” I softly called, drawing his eyes to me again, “what happened to you and your mom?” It had been bugging me, and I hadn’t wanted to ask. But maybe hearing how they survived would help me get through this, too.
Because at night, I still jerked awake from flashbacks, and Chase had to soothe me back to sleep each time.
He sighed, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling before looking back over at me. “Mom and Gerald dated when they were in high school,” he explained. I noticed how he didn’t call Gerald his father. It was probably a coping mechanism for him. “From what I understand, everything was great for them until Mom got pregnant. Gerald had a full ride to the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship, but apparently, he gave it all up to be there for Mom.”
He was silent for a moment. I let him get his thoughts together, not speaking.
“He began to drink, stayed out a lot, partying.” His forehead creased. “Someone called Mom – told her that Gerald was screwing some girl that bullied Mom a lot in the back of his truck. When he came to see her the next day, she tried breaking up with him.” He swallowed thickly. “I was born prematurely. He beat the hell out of her.”
“Oh, no,” I whispered.
“He wouldn’t ever let her leave – said if she was going to ruin his life, he was going to ruin hers. And he did in more ways than one. Along the way, he ruined mine, too.”
“Until he was sent to jail,” I said softly.
Grayson nodded. “Until he went to jail,” he confirmed. “I thought that would be it. Mom finally got her divorce. She doesn’t come out much. I mostly do all of her shopping for her. She can’t stand public places, can’t stand being unexpectedly touched.”
“Oh, Grayson, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, meaning it because I kind of knew how his mom felt.
Grayson offered me a weak smile. “I’m just sorry he tainted your life, too, girly,” he told me. He stood up. “But I didn’t come over here to hash out my past. I wanted to take you out to my farm, let you explore it since you didn’t really get to the first time. You up for that?”
“Um, just let me text Chase,” I told him.
He nodded. “Sure. And make sure you put jeans and boots on,” he told me. “I’m going to teach you how to ride a horse.” His watch went off, and he sighed, looking down at it. “Aaand, I guess Farrah will be joining us.”
I laughed. “She’s a work of art,” I told him, getting up from the couch. Max got up as well, sticking to my side.
Grayson rolled his eyes. “She’s a pain in my butt, is what she is.”
CHASE
It hadn’t been my plan to stop by work while I was in town, but it happened.
Turns out, I guess I couldn’t turn off that part of my brain, especially when it concerned Meredith.
“Investigation is done,” Brady informed me, handing me the folder. I set my coffee on his desk and flipped open the folder, looking at the pictures. My stomach turned at the sight of Meredith in her hospital bed, oxygen tubes up her nose, blood on her hairline, bruises littering her skin.
“Bookstore and apartment are ready for work, then?” I asked him.
He nodded. “All set and ready to go,” he informed me.
I handed him back the folder. “And she won’t have to testify against him in court?”
Brady shook his head. “We might have to interview her to get all of our facts together before the case, but no. I’ll stand in for her.”
I shook his hand before I picked up my coffee again. “Thanks, Brady.”
He dipped his chin. “Anytime, Sheriff.”
I strode out of the small office, waving to the dispatcher before I strode outside, pulling my phone from my pocket. I called in a couple of favors to a construction crew in town as well as a window installer for Meredith’s store. I was assured the job would be done within the next few days.
“You’re head over heels for this woman, aren’t you, Chase?” Heeler asked me, amusement in his tone.
“Fell face first,” I admitted, not even ashamed about it.
He laughed. “Figured you’d be the first one out of all of us to settle down, though I’ve been wondering if Grayson would beat you to the punch with Farrah.”
I grunted. Heeler laughed harder. “Alright; I’ll shut up. Let your pretty lady know we’ll have it done by the end of the week,” he told me.
“Thanks, Heeler.”
I hung up and finally went to the grocery store. When I got there, my phone pinged with a message from Meredith.
Grayson stopped by and asked to take me out to his ranch. Hope that’s okay. If you need me, that’s where I’ll be. -Meredith
I smiled down at my phone, sending a mental thank you to my best friend for getting her out of the house and to somewhere that she didn’t have to worry about people bothering her and staring at her.
Have fun, sweetheart. I’ll see you in a bit. -Chase
I walked out towards the barn where I could hear Meredith laughing. Farrah was standing next to her, and Grayson was mucking a horse stall.
Meredith was beaming down at the tiny kitten in her arms, her eyes lit up with joy.
It was one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen in my life.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I greeted.
She looked up, aiming that perfect smile at me. “Chase, look at this cute little baby!” she exclaimed.
I reached out and rubbed the little guy’s head, my smile widening when he purred. He was gray with white paws and extremely fluffy.
He fit perfectly with Meredith.
“You wanting a kitten?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “Don’t they require a lot of work, though? I mean, I’m normally always busy—”
“Cats are pretty self-sufficient animals,” Grayson told her, leaning his shovel against the wall before walking over to us. I saw my sister’s eyes linger on him before she blushed and looked back at the kitten. “If you want him, you can have him.”
Meredith beamed at him. “Really? How much do you want for him?”
Grayson chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t want anything except to have him out of my hair,” he assured her. “One barn cat is enough for me.”
She frowned. “I don’t like taking things for free.”
He playfully rolled his eyes at her. “Then spread the word to your customers when you reopen that I’ve got free kittens.”
She nodded. “Okay,” she smiled.
“Speaking of reopening,” I said, drawing her attention back to me, “the investigation has been closed. Your shop is all set to reopen Monday. I called in a couple of favors to some people, and they’ll have your shop and apartment ready to go by the end of the week.”
Her eyes washed with tears. Holding the kitten to her chest with one hand, she threw her other arm around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her to me. “Oh, Chase, thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.
I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “An
ything for you, sweetheart.”
And I meant that.
MEREDITH
I nervously ran my hands over my dress, drawing in a shaky breath as I did so.
Today, I was marrying the man of my dreams.
Chase had proposed in that same grassy field that made me fall in love with this town – the same field that I made the decision to settle down here.
Today was also the day that I would officially move out of my apartment into our new home that Chase and I had built. We wanted to start off fresh in a home that was completely ours.
Chase and I would both be putting our old places up for rent soon. It still felt so surreal that this was happening – that I’d fallen in love with a man as amazing as Chase.
Chase’s mom knocked lightly on the door, smiling at me through the mirror I was facing. “It’s time, hun. You ready?”
“I’m nervous,” I told her. “Extremely nervous.”
She gave me an understanding smile. “If it makes you feel any better, Chase is practically sweating bullets. He’s nervous as well. He wants this day to be absolutely perfect for you, but he’s also terrified you’re going to run out of the church on him.”
I laughed softly, turning to face her. “He should know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn’t,” I told her.
She smiled at me. “My boy loves hard when he loves someone, Meredith, and he does love you.” My cheeks warmed, my heart softening. “Now, come on before you make my boy cry thinking you’re not marrying him after all.”
I laughed and followed her out of the room. Grayson was waiting for me, a warm smile on his face. “You look great,” he told me, holding his arm out for me to take.
I laughed, my nerves easing some. “Just great?” I teased.
He flashed me a boyish grin. “Chase will have me by my—”
“Grayson!” Chase’s mother lightly scolded, cutting him off. We both laughed.
Grayson gently squeezed my hand that was resting on his arm. “Don’t be nervous. Chase is madly in love with you, and he’s excited as hell to spend the rest of his life with you. Just breathe. This will be just as easy as everything else with him is.”
“Thanks, Grayson,” I whispered as the doors opened.
And there stood my groom at the end of the alter, his eyes on me.
And when he saw me, a tear rolled down his cheek.
I laughed as Chase spun me around before taking me back into his arms, his blue eyes twinkling with love as he gazed down at me.
“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world today,” he told me. “Thank you.”
I blushed. “No need to thank me,” I assured him. “Just love me until the end of time.”
He grinned. “Always, sweetheart. Even after time ends, I’ll still continue to love you.”
Oh, my heart.
“Are you two ever going to come cut this cake?” Farrah called out.
Chase rolled his eyes. “I thought she would become less annoying as she got older, but it seems to only get worse.”
I laughed and led him over to the cake table. Together, we cut the cake, and before I knew it, Chase was smashing the piece we had just cut into my face.
I shrieked in shock, but before I could retaliate, Chase dragged my body against his and took my cake-covered lips in a sweet kiss before licking my lips clean.
“You’re so gross,” I laughed as he set to work swiping icing off my face.
He flashed me a classic Chase grin that was full of amusement and mischievousness. “Just wait until I finally get you home, Mrs. Warren.”
My cheeks flamed red.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T. Thomas is a young adult romance author. Her first book, Destructive Savior, is set to release on June 1, 2021.
She has been writing since she was thirteen years old. She enjoys spending all of her spare time writing, but she absolutely detests editing and proofreading.
T. Thomas can normally be found in her little room of her own that she calls her "woman cave" writing her next book and putting off editing and proofreading for as long as possible.