“I appreciate the concern, Frankie…but we’ll have to agree to disagree…I’m gonna get back to work.”
He gave me a nod, accepting my dismissal of the conversation, before picking up his glasses to refocus on his ancient books. I felt his disapproving eyes on my back as I walked out.
I went back to work on the car I had been repairing over the last few hours. I cranked up the music in the shop to drown out everything around me. Music had always been my escape. Whether I was composing, playing, singing or just listening to it.
“Stone!” Danny yelled from behind me. I ignored him, finishing up the last touches around the rim.
“Stone! You got a visitor!”
My heart slammed in my chest. The last time he told me that I found Valerie waiting for me. A hope welled up in me at the thought of seeing her gorgeous face again. A hope I shouldn’t be having, but for some reason I always did. I smothered any chance of her returning the last time she was here. I knew it wouldn’t be her. She was in New York now. But I asked anyways.
“Who is it?” I glanced over my shoulder.
He shrugged. “Beats me. Never seen’em before.”
I wrapped up what I was doing before heading to the customer service area. When I walked through the door, I thought someone had fucking punched me in the gut at my sudden loss of breath. They were the last two people I expected to see.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” I addressed her first. I narrowed my eyes as I crossed my arms.
“Liam, hear us out. Please.” Tessa begged. Her voice clogged with anguish, but her stance full of determination.
“Give me one damn reason I should.”
“I’m leaving him…I’m leaving Scott.” The words quaked on her lips.
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m pregnant,” she said in a rush.
My eyes widened. Her eyes full of remorse and fear.
“Does he know?”
I knew there was no way he would let her leave easily. And if he knew she was pregnant with his kid, he would never stop hunting them. Not because he would want her or the kid. But because he was an arrogant prick. Nobody took from him without paying the price.
“No…” She shook her head. “I need to leave him before he finds out. I can’t raise a baby in that house…with him. I’m scared to even be pregnant around him…I’m scared of what might happen.”
I glanced between the two of them, trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying and control my anger. This was more fucked up than before. Now there was a baby involved.
“Why the hell is he with you?” I nodded towards Rhett, not making eye contact with him. Seeing him, only reminded me of Valerie and of what I couldn’t have. He stepped forward, answering for her.
“I’m here to help.”
“I don’t need your fuckin’ help.” I glared at him. “I can
take care of this on my own,” I gritted through my teeth.
“Liam, give him a chance to explain…We both know when I leave Scott, the first place he’ll look is with you.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Scott would show up to Frankie’s looking for her. The last time she tried to leave him, I helped. He showed up in less than twelve hours to convince her to come back to him. Filled her with every fucking lie in the book. That he would change, that he would never hit her again. And she believed him. Or she at least chose to go with him for some fucking insane reason. Despite what I had to say.
Not only that… I was leaving in a week, which would leave her unprotected for months. I would bring her with me, but life on the road was no place for her while she was pregnant.
“Liam, I need to apologize… I was wrong. I should have talked to you first, instead of taking Scott’s word…I know now you were trying to protect Tessa. She came to me. Explained everything that happened. It’s not you who should have been in jail. It was Scott. I would have done the same thing, if…,” he glanced away from me as if even the thought alone enraged him.
He didn’t need to finish his statement. I knew if it were Valerie, he would have done the same thing. It was one of the reasons I respected him. He would do anything for Valerie. Anything for his family. The same way I would mine. Tessa was my baby sister. Standing by, watching Scott beat the shit out of her, wasn’t an option.
I nodded my understanding and accepted his apology. “So what’s the plan?”
They looked between each other before Tessa spoke.
“Scott’s been trying to negotiate a business deal with Rhett. He wants to go in on a joint venture, purchasing a company in Texas. Rhett is going to suggest a business trip to get him out of town for a few days, so I have time to get my things and leave.”
“My security team is working on getting her an alias. We’ll relocate her, so he can’t find her. They’ll help her get her things and get her moved. As soon as they have confirmed she’s out of the house and safe, I will decline the business deal….I’m setting Tessa up with a bank account in her new name with plenty of money to get her on her feet.”
“You don’t have to do that, Rhett. I can take care of the money.”
“It’s not up for discussion. It’s already done. It’s only enough until she’s settled…from there, I’ll let you two figure it out.”
I nodded. “I’ll repay you every dime.”
He shook his head. “How about you repay me another way?”
“What did you have in mind?”
He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, releasing a heavy sigh, “Fight for her. I won’t stand in your way. I should have never gotten in the way to start with.”
Air clogged my throat as I fought to swallow. He was telling me to be with Val. Something I would have never expected from him. Had all this happened weeks ago, maybe I could have been with her. But it was too late now.
“She’s done with me. And it’s for the best. She doesn’t need to be getting tangled up in this fucking mess.”
Tessa flinched with guilt.
He nodded. “This will all be handled soon enough…once it is, you need to fight for her. I know my sister. She may have told you she’s done, but I can see she loves you. She’s just hurt right now.”
I shook my head, “I don’t know…”
“I do…look…I’m going to give you the same advice Jackson gave me. Stop being a fucking idiot and get your girl back.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth despite the heaviness of our conversation.
I shook my own head with a small chuckle. But it faded quickly with the reality of my situation. “I leave for our tour next week,” I gave my lame excuse.
“You have a stop in New York, don’t you?”
I nodded. It was almost a month away, though. By then she could move on. Forgetting about me. She’d already been gone a month. I could already be too late. The thought of that fucking killed me.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “I had the same thoughts myself when it was Ava…you need to reach out to her before then.”
“And if she won’t take my calls?”
“You keep calling,” he said firmly. “You fight.”
Tessa shifted uncomfortably as she glanced down at her vibrating phone. She forced on a strong face, but I could see the fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
I nodded my understanding. Scott was looking for her and if she wasn’t home soon... I stepped closer to my little sister, pulling her against me as I hugged her protectively. I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to allow her to walk back in that house with him.
But I knew I had to. No matter how bad it fucking hurt to let her walk out, I had to let her go. I kissed her on the top of her head, before releasing her. This would all be over soon.
She gave a nod to Rhett with a weak smile, before turning for the door. Rhett put out his hand, and I shook it.
“I’ll take care of your sister,” he promised. “You take care of mine.”
I nodde
d my agreement before he turned to leave with Tessa. I walked back into Frankie’s office to let him know I was leaving for the day. That I needed to figure out a way to get my girl back. He smiled and wished me luck. I laughed …Damn hypocrite.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, I would greatly appreciate a short review on Amazon, Goodreads or your favorite book website. Reviews are crucial for any author, and even just a line or two can make a huge difference. Thanks again!
VALERIE AND LIAM’S STORY CONTINUES IN
Forever Yours
Maybe that was the problem with David and me. He obviously didn’t know me well. Didn’t know that I looked forward to my thirties. That being married was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I didn’t ever want to be married. I wasn’t the kind of woman that dreamed of her wedding day or wanted a house full of kids. Nope. Not me. Ever.
COMING SOON!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This acknowledgement is long overdue. I have to start out this book by thanking my husband. He has been my rock and the biggest supporter of everything I do. Whether it be to leave my comfortable, cushy job to set out on my own to begin a start-up company or to decide on a whim that I am going to start writing. If you know my husband, you know this is a big deal for him to relinquish that kind of financial security. But he does. He does it for me, and I can’t thank or love him enough for it. Not only does he allow me to follow my crazy dreams, but he looks after our son to allow me the time to write in the evenings at a coffee house while he takes care of putting our son to bed. I hope every one of my readers have a man that will put his fears aside to support the woman they love. Because that is what I have, and I am the luckiest woman in the world to have that.
And of course, a big thank you to my readers. You are the reason I keep writing. Without you, my writing might have stopped at one book, but with you, I have the drive to keep writing just to put a smile on your face and happy tears in your eyes.
And as always, my support team! You know who you are. I love you all and love sharing this journey with you.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
About the Author
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
Epilogue
Thank You
Coming Soon
Acknowledgments
A Reason to Leave Page 23