I took a deep breath to calm myself. “So, thank you.” I nodded, then stepped away from the mic.
I could see tears in the eyes of those closest to me, and I knew my story had touched them.
“Thank you, Morgan,” Marsh said. “We appreciate you.”
The crowd cheered again, even louder, if that was possible. While Amy and I had been hiding and on the run, it had seemed that almost no one had truly cared about us and what happened to us. In fact, it had seemed that most people were against us. The warmth and support of the people in the room was like a balm to those feelings, and as I looked at their faces, peace settled over me like a soft blanket, and I knew there was hope for us. For all of us.
Chapter Fifty-Two
After the press conference, I managed to find some time to talk to Falcon in private.
“You were awesome up there,” he said.
“Thank you.” I was glad it was over with and that I could finally go home. “What’s going to happen to you now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is your brother going to let you live with him?”
He laughed. “Oh yeah. That’s no problem.”
“But I thought he was on your father’s side.”
Falcon shrugged. “He told our father that, but I don’t think he really cares one way or the other. He’s cool with me living with him.”
I wondered how he really felt about what was happening with his father. “Do you think your father will go to prison?”
“He has to pay for what he did.” Falcon’s face darkened with anger. “I mean, I was there, Raven.” His voice intensified. “He let her do that to you. He didn’t even care.” He shook his head. “When I saw you . . .” His jaw tightened. “I wanted to kill him.”
I knew how he felt because I’d felt something like that when Hart had threatened Amy. “It probably looked a lot worse than it really was.” I didn’t know if that was true, but there was no reason now to stoke the fire of his hatred.
Falcon’s face softened. “I’m just glad you’re out now. And free.”
“Me too. So glad.”
He smiled. “I’m starting back at my job tomorrow.”
“They didn’t fire you for missing work?”
“Not after they found out why.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah. It’s a good job and I like it.”
“Hey,” Nick said as he approached us. “I wanted to talk to the two of you for a minute.”
“What’s up?” Falcon asked.
“I just wanted to make it clear,” he said as he looked at me, “that even though I told you I would wait to release the proof until you were all safe, once I found out you’d been captured I decided it would probably be beneficial to you if that information got out right away.”
“You were right,” I said, understanding that he was trying to say that he hadn’t lied to me or tricked me. “I’m glad you did it.”
He smiled. “Good.” He patted both Falcon and me on the shoulder, then walked away.
We chatted for a while longer, and then I looked at my parents and saw they were ready to leave. “Looks like it’s time to go home.” The word felt almost foreign in my mouth, but it tasted wonderful.
“I should get going too.” He smiled at me.
I didn’t know when I’d see him next, but I knew we had a special bond and that we would always be friends. “Thank you, Falcon. For everything.”
“Anytime, Raven.” He drew me into a hug, then he turned and strode towards the door.
As I watched the boy with the cool name and crystal blue eyes walk away, I wondered what would have happened to Amy and me if we hadn’t met him.
“Ready to go home?” Dad asked as he put his arm around me.
I lay my head against his shoulder. “Yes.”
I spent the rest of the evening with my family, enjoying their company more than I’d ever enjoyed it before.
That night, as Amy and I lay in our beds in the room we shared, we rehashed all that had happened. It was hard to believe what we’d been through—what I’d been through.
“You’re so brave, Morgan,” Amy said. “When I told Holly that I want to be just like you, I meant it.”
Flattered, I wanted her to understand that she didn’t need to be like me. She was perfect just as she was. “Do you even realize how brave you are?”
“I guess,” she said in the dark. “But you were the one they were after. You were the one they wanted to hurt. Even so, you did everything you could to do what was right. I think that’s awesome.”
I thought about all that had happened and realized that, yeah, I’d actually had my moments. I’d faced the most frightening challenges I’d ever faced in my life and I’d survived. I’d even made a difference. I smiled, finally believing that I was more like Duplicate Morgan than I’d given myself credit for. Then I snuggled into my covers, safe and secure in my own bed, finally home. Home with my family. Happy with myself and who I’d become.
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Books by Christine Kersey
Park City Firefighter Romance
Rescue My Heart
Hearts On Fire
Emerald Falls Romance Series
Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)
Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)
Searching for Love
Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)
Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)
Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)
Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)
Lily’s Story
He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)
Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)
Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)
Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)
Parallel Trilogy
Gone (Parallel Series, Book 1)
Imprisoned (Parallel Series, Book 2)
Hunted (Parallel Series, Book 3)
After (Parallel Series, Book 4)
The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5)
Over You Series
Over You
Second Chances (sequel to Over You)
Witness Series
Witness (Witness, Book 1)
Retribution (Witness, Book 2)
Standalone Books
Suspicions
No Way Out
Box Sets
Parallel Trilogy
Lily’s Story
Searching for Love bundle
About the Author
Christine has always loved to read, but enjoys writing suspenseful novels as well. She has her own eReader and is not embarrassed to admit that she is a book hoarder. One of Christine's favorite activities is to go camping with her family and read, read, read while enjoying the beauty of nature.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me in any of the following ways:
@CKerseyWriter
ChristineKerseyAuthor
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The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5) Page 25