by L. Wilder
I got a sick feeling in my gut when I didn’t recognize the car in the driveway. I parked my bike and headed inside. When I walked through the front door, I was not expecting to see Maverick sitting there. I’d just talked to him a few days ago about our visit, and he didn’t mention anything about coming here.
“Maverick, what the hell is going on?” I asked. He looked like shit. His arm was in a sling, and bruises covered his face.
“I need to talk to you. Both of you,” Maverick said. “I really don’t know where to start.”
“Start with what happened to you,” Lily said as she walked over to the sofa and sat beside him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah… it’s nothing. I trusted the wrong guy, and it cost me,” Maverick said looking down towards the floor.
“You gonna tell us why you’re here?” I asked.
He shook his head from side, trying to search for the right words to say. After a few seconds of silence, he said. “I can’t do it to him,” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked truly distraught. He looked over to Lily and said, “I love him, Lily. I really do. I love him enough to know that he needs more than I can give him right now.” He stood up and started pacing back and forth, clenching his fists as he thought about what he was saying. “I let Hailey down. I should’ve done more. Should’ve protected her. I fucked up. I don’t deserve to have JW. I’ll just fuck it up.”
“You’re being hard on yourself. Hailey made those choices. Not you. No one blames you.” Lily told him trying to calm him down.
“I do. I should’ve been there for her. Instead, she sank into the darkness where no one could save her. I can’t let that happen to JW.”
“What exactly are you saying?” I asked him.
“I came here to see… to ask if… I wanted to know if you and Lily would take John Warren, raise him as your own. I want to be everything he needs, but I know I’m not. I can’t give him what you can.”
“But why now?” Lily asked.
“Lots of reasons. More than I care to explain. Let’s just a say a baby doesn’t exactly fit in the life I’m living right now.”
“Are you sure about this Maverick? You have to know that I want him, but I need you to be sure,” Lily said.
“He means the world to me. He’s the one truly good thing I’ve done with my life, and I hate the thought of losing him, but I can’t do that to him. He deserves more.”
“Maverick, we’ll want to adopt him if he stays with us. You gonna be okay with that?” I asked. Lily looked over to me with surprise on her face. A small smile spread across her face when she realized what I was saying. Now, she knew I wanted him just as much as she did.
“I get that. Yeah, I’d be okay with that, but I still want to see him. I want him to know who I am, so he will understand why I did this.” he said with a concerned look.
“You will always be welcome here, Maverick. I want John Warren to know you. It takes a special kind of person to love someone enough to let them go,” Lily said with tears in her eyes.
“I wish I could be more. I wish I could be the father that he needs, but I know you both love him. You’ll give him the kind of life he deserves.”
“We’ll do our best. I can promise you that,” I told him.
“Thank you for trusting us with him. We’ll do everything we can to make him happy,” Lily said. JW reached out his hands for me. I walked over and took him in my arms. He rested his head against my chest like he was meant to be there. I ran my hand over his little head and pulled him closer to me. I couldn’t believe we had him back. I kissed him on the head and said, “Glad you’re back Little Man. We missed you.”
Maverick got a pained expression on his face as he watched me with JW. He cleared his throat and said, “I’m going to head back.”
“You can stay here tonight,” Lily offered.
“Thanks Lily, but I need to get back. We’ve got some shit going down back home, and my president needs me to get back. I’ll be in touch.”
“Okay, but you are more than welcome. The door is always open. Just let us know when you want to come back for a visit.”
“I’ll be back. You can count on that. If you ever need me, I’m just a phone call away. Thank you both. I know in my gut that this is the right thing to do.” He walked over to JW and kissed him on the side of his head. He laid his hand on his back and stared at him for a minute. He leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Don’t hate me for this. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t the right thing to do. I love you, big guy.” Tears filled his eyes as he walked over to the front door.
I gave JW to Lily and followed Maverick out to his car. I knew this had to be hard for him, so I said, “You made my girl very happy tonight. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
He nodded and got in his car to leave. I watched as he pulled out of the driveway before I walked back inside. Lily had JW in her lap talking to him. Her smile couldn’t be any bigger as he tried to talk back to her.
“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Lily asked.
“No idea. Doubt he would’ve brought JW here if there wasn’t a good reason. I’ll talk to your dad. See if he can help him out.”
“I’d like that. I don’t want anything to happen to him.” Lily held JW close against her chest and she ran her hand over his soft brown hair. It was hard to believe that he was truly back.
“Lily?”
She looked up to me with tears pooling in her eyes and asked, “Best Christmas ever?”
“Absolutely,” I pulled her close and I kissed her on her temple and said, “In just a few months, you’ve given me everything I ever wanted, Lily.” I rested my hand on her belly and pressed my lips against hers.
Brushing the tears from her eyes, she said, “You’ve done the same thing for me, Goliath. I love you more than you will ever know.”
I pulled her close not wanting to lose her mouth, but JW had other plans. Lily pulled back when JW started to whine.
“You’re gonna have to get over that shit, Little Man. She’s mine, too. You’re gonna have to learn to share,” I told him.
Lily shook her head and laughed. “I’m going to get him ready for bed. When he’s asleep, I’ll meet you in the bedroom. I have something you might like to unwrap,” she said as she got up and took him into the kitchen.
She was everything I ever wanted in a woman, and I wasn’t going to wait around to make her mine. I wanted it all. I would claim her as my Old Lady as soon as possible, but that wasn’t gonna be enough. I wanted to put a ring on her finger before we adopted JW. I wanted her to have my last name before she had my child. Hell, I wanted them all to have my name, so there was no question that they were all mine.
Revenge is the act of passion;
Vengeance is an act of justice.
Samuel Johnson
Bobby
I can’t even comprehend the words that are coming out of Renegade’s mouth. The words are just a blur, and I don’t want to hear it. I’m tired of listening to his bullshit. He’s trying to get me to calm the fuck down. I don’t want to calm the fuck down. I want to go down to that warehouse and rip their fucking throats out for what they did to Courtney. Deep down I know he’s right. I have to think about the club and find the right way to handle this, but my gut tells me I don’t need to wait too long. These guys aren’t your run of the mill motorcycle gang, and they’re out to take over our territory by any means necessary.
After finally hearing Bishop out, I finally feel like we have a good plan set in place. It’s going to take some time, but we’ll get these guys. One way or another, they’re gonna pay for what they did, and I’m looking forward to watching them all go down in flames.
I went straight to the hospital after church. I’d been gone working on research most of the day, and I was ready to get back. I didn’t like leaving Courtney, but her parents promised that they’d spend the day with her. Thankfully, they were already gone by the time I got there.
I
hate seeing her like this. She’s normally so full of life with her wild stories and funny off-the-wall comments. I miss her. I want her back. I walk over to her bed and pull a chair close to the side of the bed so I can be next to her. I take her hand and rub my thumb across her fingers. I’m exhausted so I rest my forehead on her leg as I talk to her. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but I can’t stand the silence.
“We had church today to talk about what we are going to do to the guys that did this to you. I won’t let them get away with this Court. I love you so much, and I just don’t know if I can stand this much longer. I need you to come back to me. I need you to keep me from falling over the edge. Please baby, come back to me.”
I breathe deep and try to tune out the silence of the room. The room is quiet except for the constant beeps of the monitors. They are driving me insane. I hate all these machines they have her hooked up to. They came in last week to do some brain scan on her, but the doctors still can’t tell me why she won’t wake up. She had a mild concussion, but nothing severe enough to cause her coma to last this long. Sometimes, I think she’s just being stubborn.
“Court, please wake up. You’ve kept me waiting long enough. I need you, baby,” I plead with her. I’ve said it all before, but she never moves. She just lays there with her eyes closed like she’s sleeping. Her face is pale, and she’s lost so much weight. I hate it. I can’t stand watching her fade away right in front of my eyes. It just fuels my need for revenge every time I look at her. My head is still pressed against her leg when I feel her fingertips brush through my hair. I convince myself it’s nothing, just the stress of the day getting to me. When I feel it again, I slowly lift my head to see Courtney trying to open her eyes.
“Court?” I whisper. “Can you say something? Let me know I’m not dreaming here, baby. Say something.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to thank you all for encouraging me to write my third book. It still blows me away when I hear from someone that enjoyed one of my books. I wanted to get Goliath’s book out to you as soon as possible, and I hope he didn’t disappoint. His book was the hardest to write, but I think it’s the best one yet. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know.
There are so many people that have helped me with this book, but I truly believe this book wouldn’t be the same without Marci Ponce. She’s helped me more than she will ever know, and I owe her a huge thanks! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! She is my MC Guru! You amaze me, girl!
I also want to give a big thank you to Jordan Marie. She never stops pushing me, and it wouldn’t have been such a great book without her. She is amazing. If you haven’t checked out Not Another Damn Blog, Blog, you are missing out. It is amazing. They have great book reviews and tons of giveaways. https://www.facebook.com/NotADamnBlog
My editor, Brooke Asher is amazing. She is patient and understanding, and I couldn’t make it without her. She knows that I am neurotic, and she just ignores my insanity. Thank you, girl. I couldn’t survive it without you. If you are interested in having her edit your book, you can reach her at [email protected]. She is easy to work with and very thorough. Contact her about pricing and any other information.
My Beta Readers are incredible. My Wilder’s Women group rock. They provide me with great inspiration, and it means so much to have their support. Jenny, Shelley, and Julie… you all mean the world to me. Thank you so much for reading my book. I know you are all busy, but you always find time to support me. I am blessed to have you in my life.
I went a different route with my cover this time. I actually used a model, and he was awesome. Lee Gibber is very easy to work with, and he is such a nice guy. If you ever need a model, he’s your guy. Check him out on his FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/gibber96
Also, Renegade, thank you again for putting up with my constant questions. I know I bug you, but you are always so helpful. I hope my book does you justice. You rock! Thanks for everything.
Check for updates on my Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/L.Wilderbooks
I am a huge fan of RB Hilliard. I read her books this summer and I wanted to share an excerpt of her second book, Not Letting Go. His End Game is the first book in the series. If you haven’t read her books, please be sure to check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
Here is Chapter 1 from her second book
Not Letting Go
by RB Hilliard:
Chapter One
~
This is not happening….This cannot be happening. I know I am owed some karmic payback, but why here? Why now? I extended my arms in front of me and felt around, hoping to find a place to sit down or, more likely, fall over. My panic attacks had stages and this one was about to go nuclear. Already feeling light headed, I prepared for what came next. Don’t pass out, don’t pass out. Shallowly panting, I weakly attempted to blink away the stars floating like tiny fireflies across my retinas. I hiked up my dress and was braced for the fall when the door rattled.
No!
To stop the panic from taking me under, I let my breath out in small increments. Think about something positive, Piper. Slowly, I sucked air back into my aching lungs and, holding it in, quietly slipped through the coats to the very back of the closet. I was not going down without a fight. Why is there never a weapon handy when you need one? My hands skimmed across a wall before landing on something that felt strangely like…hair. My lungs seized in my chest, trapping the air inside, and I fought back a scream. It’s not really hair, not really hair, because if it is really hair…I’m going to completely lose my mind and I don’t have time for that right now.
I barely made it past the hairy thing when the door opened and light spilled from the hallway across the coats in front of me and onto my feet. Mass Seduction’s rendition of Trouble swept through the open door and, even though they were slightly off key (something Ray Lamontagne would never do), I fought back the tears. I should be out there dancing with my friends. Morbid curiosity caused me to glance back over my shoulder to see what the hairy thing was. Relief washed over me when my brain caught up with my eyes and I saw a wig on a Styrofoam head. Figures.
The flickering light from the hallway cast shadows across the floor that reflected off of my heels and suddenly it hit me. My heels. In a split second I had one heel off and in take down position. Thank you Ellie for picking obnoxiously high heels for your bridesmaids to wear! A large shadowy figure slipped through the door and I bit my tongue to keep from gasping out loud. With a reverberating click the door closed and sealed us into total darkness. How do I get myself into these situations? Do I not ever learn from my mistakes? Apparently not, because I am in a coat closet at my best friend’s wedding ready to maim someone with the heel of my shoe. Piper, you have sunk really low this time.
A shadowy figure whispered something, but I was too far away to hear what it said or who it was speaking to. The thought that there might be two shadows in here instead of one made my head swim with fear. Passing out might not be such a bad thing after all. I heard something move closer and spots danced across my vision. Oh so quietly, I sucked in another large breath. Holding it in, I raised my shoe above my head with the heel out and focused all of my energy on getting the right strike angle to incapacitate and run. The sound of the other person breathing forced my panic level to climb another notch. The only buffer standing between me and them was the coat rack. Please don’t let it be Gage or, even worse, Lester. Hangers swished and slid across the rack, which caused coats to rustle. Could it possibly be any darker in here? I mean, really? How am I supposed to know when to strike if I can’t even see my own hand right in front of my face? Slipping off my other heel, I also flipped it to take down position. I could just see the headlines in tomorrow’s paper. “Woman takes down evil villain with obscenely high heels.”
Movement to my left shot my pulse through the roof. Not only were my lips tingling, but I could now feel my he
artbeat in the tips of my fingers.
This is it, Piper. Do or die time.
A loud thump echoed through the closet and then a voice whisper-shouted, “Ouch, dammit! Piper, I know you’re in here. Where the hell are you?”
My breath released with a loud whoosh. “Dillon?”
“You do realize that you are hiding in a coat closet at your best friend’s wedding, don’t you? What the hell?” His growl came from directly in front of me.
Quickly placing my shoes back on my feet, I lunged toward the sound of his voice and almost clocked him on the chin as I threw myself into his arms. Relief swept through me as my panic diminished.
Squeezing him tightly, I exclaimed, “You have no idea how glad I am to see you. I could just kiss you!”
Dillon Whitaker was the manager of Dragonfly, the bar I work at, as well as one of my two bosses. We had spent the past three and a half months working together and had become close friends. Dillon was also one of the best looking men I had ever set eyes on. He had the three T’s going for him which, in my book, was a definite plus: tall, tan, and tatted. All three of these added to his blonde hair and silver grey eyes…Beyond hot.
“I’ll take you up on that, but first, care to explain why you are hiding in a closet and not out there dancing and celebrating with everyone like you should be?” The stern tone of his voice reminded me of my dad and a wave of homesickness washed over me.
I wanted to explain. I wanted to spill the past eight months of my life out on the closet floor and shut the door on it, but I couldn’t. Instead, as usual, I played it off. “M…my stomach was hurting and I thought this was the bathroom,” I stuttered.
“Bullshit,” he harshly replied and I flinched. Pulling me in tighter, he lowered his voice to a half whisper. “What is it about Gage Blackwell that has you so tied up in knots, baby doll?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Have you been smoking doobies again with Harry?”