by Bella Emy
“Yeah?” I search his eyes, looking for some reasoning to all this.
“You and Harleigh are meant to be. Do not give up. Do not give up on that girl. You two belong together.” He walks out the door, leaving me to contemplate his words for the remainder of the night.
PART EIGHT
A few months later…
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Harleigh
I can’t believe how long it’s been since Cory was taken from me. Everything that’s happened, everything I’ve been through… and no more Cory.
It’s Cory’s birthday, and I’m bringing fresh flowers for him, Mom, and Dad. I always bring flowers for the three of them whenever I come to the cemetery to visit.
Aubrey was supposed to come with me, but something about Pixie, their lovely goat, being in an exotic pet pageant left her to cancel on me at the last minute. I forgive her though. Like I said before, and like I’ll say again, life goes on. People can’t stop living because your own life is shit and you’re alone.
As I inch closer to Mom’s, Dad’s, and Cory’s graves, I notice two figures standing there, looking down.
Who came here to see them? I know it’s a special day, and anyone who knew our family knew today was Cory’s day. But who could they be?
Suddenly, their figures become clear, and I’m rendered speechless. Almost.
“Joshua? Courtney? Oh my God, how are you guys?” I walk toward them, and they happily fall into my arms.
“Harleigh, how are you, sweetie?” Joshua pulls back from our embrace to take in the sight of me.
“Gosh, it’s been so long!”
I nod. “Yes. Yes, it has.” I face Courtney and say, “It’s so good to see you guys again.”
“You too!” she answers back excitedly.
“We were just here visiting Alyse and Courtney’s dad and then I remembered today was Cory’s birthday, so we stopped by here too.”
I nod.
“So how’s everything going? Work good? We heard you were dating someone now,” Josh says.
He catches me off guard with that one. If he’s referring to Dixon, I haven’t seen or spoken to him since the day he proposed. He moved by himself to Devinsville not long after that day.
I chuckle softly. “Dixon and I broke up a few months ago. He moved to another city to open a restaurant. He was a fantastic cook.”
“Oh, so are you dating anyone else right now?” Josh asks. Courtney nudges him on the arm sneakily, but I catch it.
I giggle once more. “No, no. I’m single.”
Josh tries to hide his smile. What is his problem?
“Well, hey, we’ve got to get going, but it was great seeing you again.”
“You guys too.” I’m surprised at how quickly they’re taking off, but regardless, Josh walks up to me and hugs me good-bye and Courtney does the same.
“Take care, Harleigh. We’ll see you around,” she says as Josh grabs her hand and leads her away.
Once they’re gone, I lean down to divide the flowers among my family members. “Hey, Mom, Dad. Happy Birthday, Cor. I miss you guys so much.”
“And I miss you.” The voice from behind me startles me, causing me to jump. I’m stumbling, ready to fall over when familiar arms catch me.
I look up, and I’m greeted by the same hazel-brown eyes I have been dreaming about ever since I was just on the brink of my teenage years.
“Preston?” I can’t believe he’s here right now. I mean, yeah, it’s not a surprise with all the people we know sleeping peacefully here, but still. It has been so long since we’ve been this close.
“Hi, Harleigh.” He smiles back at me, and for a second, I feel like I’m back in high school with the same teenage crush I’ve always had on him, and I’m ready to crumble into his arms.
Reminders of our past flash before my eyes, and I’m instantly ready to walk the hell out of here.
He must sense my anger because his smile begins to fade, and he’s placing me down to stand on my own two feet.
“How are you?” he asks and steps back a few inches.
Smart man.
I’m not sure what to say to him. How can he expect that we’ll just have a normal conversation after everything we’ve been through? All the attraction, all the back and forth… my heart can’t take it, and I know I better leave now before I stay around long enough to lose myself in him once more. Even after all the times he’s left me lonely, I don’t trust myself to say no if he were to
ask me to give myself to him for the night.
“How am I? I’m standing in front of my family’s graves on the anniversary of my dead brother’s birthday talking to you. How do you think I am?” I cross my arms across my chest, take two seconds, and then… I don’t wait for his response. I quickly say my good-byes to Mom, Dad, and Cory and walk off.
“Hey, wait a minute!” he shouts after me.
I speed through of the cemetery, and just as I reach my car, about to unlock it and drive off, he stops me.
He moves in closer and, shockingly, takes my hands in his. I’m about to pull away, but he begins talking before I have a chance to register it.
“Look, Harleigh. I know I messed up, time and time again. I know I don’t even deserve another chance from you after all the hurt I’ve put you through, but you’ve got to understand that I always thought I was doing the right thing by staying away… I didn’t deserve you. I was always around other girls, never serious with any of them, but the truth is you were the only one who ever mattered.
You were the only one I’ve always wanted. I was trying to do the right thing by staying away.”
I can’t believe his words. “The right thing for who?”
My response takes him by surprise. “For you, for Cory.” He looks past me toward the graveyard.
“He was my best friend, and I didn’t want to let him down by possibly hurting you. I promised him I wouldn’t, but I guess I did that anyway.” He looks back at me.
“Yeah, you did.”
He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry, Harleigh. I never meant to break your heart, sweetheart. I only wanted to love you and make you feel good. I thought that crossing the line a couple of times would be enough, but obviously, it only broke us more. I am so sorry.”
I take a deep breath. What in the actual fuck is going on right now? “I’m not sure what to say, Preston. It’s been so long, and so much hurt has happened between us. It’s too late.”
He shakes his head again as he steps forward and takes me into his arms. He spreads his legs so that I’m sandwiched between him and the car. “Harleigh, do you love me?”
My eyes widen. “What?!” I can’t believe he’s asking me such a thing.
“Look, I know you’re with that other guy, but do you have any room in your heart for me?”
He thinks I’m still with Dixon. Of course he does. I can’t believe he’s asking me if I love him right now, after everything. I can never go down that road with him ever again. It would destroy me.
“Dixon and I broke up a couple months ago. Well, actually, I broke up with him when he proposed to me, but that’s a whole other story. We’re no longer together.”
“I see. I’m sorry.”
I wave it off, looking away from him. Moments later, I’m looking back up into his eyes.
“Harleigh? Do you still love me?”
I furrow my brows. “What makes you think I ever did?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m just sort of hoping you did because, baby, I’ve loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you, and I still love you to this day. I can’t lose you again, Harleigh. I can’t do this thing called life without you in it.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Is he for real? I mean, he looks sincere, but how can this be?
Preston Scott is the man who never falls in love. Preston Scott is the egotistical player who never settles down with one woman. Now here he is confessing his love for me, telling me he can’t live without m
e?
“Preston…”
“Harleigh, please, doll. Tell me there’s still a chance. Tell me I’m not too late and I haven’t lost you forever.”
I take a deep breath. Do I still love this man? Yes, of course I do. I never stopped loving Preston. After everything he put me and my heart through, all the angst and all the times he left me alone after screwing me, I never stopped loving him. I wanted to hate him, but I realize I was just mad that he’d always take off. It wasn’t because he was with someone else or because he didn’t want me anymore. He
made a promise to my brother that he would keep his distance because of how he was. It seems he was different with me, and he could never stay away.
“Sweetheart… do you love me?”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. This is so hard. As much as I want to tell him I do love him and end it at that, I know I can’t.
I open my eyes and meet his. Tears fall from their corners. I hold on tight to him as the next words leave my lips. “Preston, I never stopped loving you.” I pause for a second, noticing his lips curl into a smile.
Before he has a chance to say anything, I speak once more. “I have always loved you, yes, but I can never go back down that road with you. It hurt so much. Having you and then not having you and then doing it all over again? It put me through hell. I can’t do this again.”
Preston looks down and then his eyes meet mine once more. “Harleigh, I know I’ve made mistakes. I thought I was always doing right by keeping my promise to your brother that I would never hurt you, but in not being with you, by not loving you when it was all I really ever wanted to do, it made things worse. And I’m so sorry. I’m so damn sorry, baby.”
His expression is genuine. His eyes, ready to flood with tears, pull at my heart.
“Please, baby. Give me one last chance to show you how much I love you. If I have to spend every waking moment showing you exactly how I feel, then it’s something I’m willing to do because I love you. I loved you back when we were kids in high school, I loved you all through college, and I love you now. I know my feelings for you will never change, and I promise you I’m ready to make this thing between us real.”
“Preston…”
“Harleigh, please… You mean the world to me. I can’t lose you again.”
I look into his eyes and watch as a tear falls from the corner of one. If this were the past, I would think he was putting up an act to prove his point. But something about the right here and right now, something about his words and the way he’s looking at me… it all makes it feel like it’s real.
I take a deep breath and know my next words will change everything forever. “If you break my heart again, I’m gonna break your balls.” My lips curl into a smile.
A small smile graces his face, and before I know it, he lifts me up, spinning me away from my car, and his lips crash against mine.
The familiarity of the taste of his lips and tongue force me to grab onto him tighter. Hungry kisses and years of longing unleash, causing me to melt in his arms.
I pull away in time to see a smile on his face, making me smile back.
“There she is. My love. My Harleigh.”
I bite down on my bottom lip and smile even wider. This is what I wanted. This is what I’ve been waiting my whole life for, and now the reason I said no to Dixon finally makes sense. When he proposed, Aubrey asked me if I had really been in love with him, and now I know. The reason I couldn’t give him the answer he was looking for was because Preston has always been the one for me. He has always been the one my heart wanted and belonged to.
Since day one.
I giggle. “Hi, Preston.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” He picks me up again, and automatically, my arms wrap around his neck.
“Harleigh?”
“Yes, Preston?”
“We have a lot of making up to do. Can I take you back to my place now?”
I bite on my bottom lip again. Fuck, that would be amazing after so long. “I’d rather you take me to your shop first and we pick up where we left off the first time.”
He smiles. “That sounds damn good to me. And then we can stop by your place and pick up where we left off the second time.”
“Uh- huh,” I say, nodding my head.
“Okay, let’s go.” He places me on the ground and grabs my hand.
I tug on it gently. “Hey, Preston?”
He spins me around. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“So I wanna know… are you going to fuck me a third time and leave me all over again?”
I’m only teasing. This time, I can feel it deep in my heart that he won’t be going anywhere ever again.
“Ha! Not a chance! Not this time, love. This time, I’m going to take my time with you, make love to you, and when you wake up, I’ll still have my arms wrapped around you for the rest of eternity.”
AFTERWORD
Thank you so much for reading Egotistical Player!
Want to keep up with all of the new releases in Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's Cocky Hero Club world? Make sure you sign up for the official Cocky Hero Club newsletter for all the latest on our upcoming books: https://www.subscribepage.com/CockyHeroClub
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THANK YOU
Thank you for taking the time to read
Egotistical Player.
If you enjoyed this story, I would love to see what you thought.
Please consider leaving a review.
Reviews help an author so much!
* * *
Thank you!
~Bella ❤
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are a few people I’d like to thank for helping me get this book together.
First and foremost, thank you to all the readers who took the time to read this! I do this FOR YOU!
My editor, Angie Wade, and my proofreader, Janna Bethel. Thank you both so much for the edits and polishing this story. You ladies made it shine!
To Ana Quinn, my beta reader. You claimed Preston from the beginning, and now, here he is! He’s all yours!
To Carrie Sponaugle, my PA. Where do I begin? Where would I be without you? You’re always pushing my books and always helping me share my words. I’m so glad you loved Preston and Harleigh as much as I did.
To all my close author friends, you know who you are! Thank you for taking this journey with me! Sam, Gab, Alyssa, S.J., Erin… just to name a few of you. I love you all!
And last, but certainly not least, to all my fans & Heartbreakers! I love you all so much, and I’m thankful to be able to share my imagination with you!
Want to be part of my Heartbreakers? Join the Member’s Only Access now! facebook.com/groups/BellasHeartbreakers
All my love,
~Bella ❤
ABOUT BELLA
Bella Emy is a USA Today Bestselling Author.
She loves all books, but her favorite genre to read, as well as write, is romance. Bella loves creating heartbreaking stories that will deeply touch her readers, but in the end, a good HEA is usually the turnout.
Whenever Bella is not typing away on her computer with a nice hot cup of coffee, she loves spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite places to go are the movies, the beach, or just on a good plain old road trip. Some of her must haves are coffee, chocolate, pizza, music, & movies.
Breaking Hearts One Story at a Time
❤ Bella Emy ❤
www.BellaEmy.com
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