by Ward, Tamryn
His bond to Samuel had been broken?
His bond had been broken!
That meant… he was free? Free! To live his life as he pleased. He was free to live wherever he wanted, to love whomever he wanted. To be whatever he wanted. His debt had been paid.
Just like that?
A gift of life.
He had given his life, and in return, he had received it. If he had only known it would be so simple.
“Yes,” he said, accepting it. “That’s mine. Thank you.”
She handed him the mirror. “I’m glad they found it. It looks like it’s real gold. I imagine it’s very valuable.”
“I imagine it is.” He gave her the mirror back without checking it.
“Didn’t you need this?” She motioned to the compact.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. In the doorway. He glanced up, catching Samael standing there, smiling.
He returned the angel’s smile. “No, not anymore. Thanks.”
Samael, the angel of death waved and disappeared. One second there, one second gone. And Aeron knew he wouldn’t see him until it was his time to die, whenever that would be.
“Oh. Okay.” She started to stand. “Well, I guess I’ll go see if I can find a way to bring Logan in to see you.”
“Wait.” He caught her hand again. There was so much to think about now that he knew he was free. There were plans to make.
It was almost too good to be true.
This was a blessing. Pure and simple. He wouldn’t make the mistakes he had in the past. Nothing would ever be taken for granted. Not one minute. He would live his life as if each day were his last. And, if she let him, he would do it with Jennifer. His Jennifer.
“What is it?” She lowered back onto the chair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” He blinked. His eyes were burning, filling with tears. Happy tears. Tears of gratitude. Tears of hope. “I probably sound like a blubbering idiot, but everything’s good! I’m free now, Jennifer. I don’t have to leave. I can live wherever I want.”
“You can? Since when? This morning you said you had to leave--”
“I was fired.”
“Fired?” She grinned. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sorry. And neither are you. I can’t believe it. I can do whatever I want now. I can stay here with you and Logan. I can love you. I can love you both.”
* * * * *
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How did this happen? Why? When? When did Aeron learn about losing his job? This morning at breakfast time he’d told Logan he was leaving. Between then and now the only thing that had happened was the accident. Why would that make a difference?
She was confused. Almost afraid to believe what he was saying.
Was it his head injury?
“Jennifer? You aren’t saying anything,” he said.
“It’s just so…too good to be true. You’re telling me the truth? You don’t have to go?”
“I don’t have to go.”
He sounded very certain. But it made no sense.
“You can stay here forever?” she asked.
“I can stay anywhere I want. Though my lease is up on my house at the end of the month.”
Still unconvinced, she offered, “You can stay with us. I kind of like having a man in the house.”
She hoped and prayed this wasn’t all a delusion, brought on by a bad concussion.
Time would tell.
Epilogue
This was it, the happy ending she never thought she would ever have. Her brother wouldn’t be taken from her. That unbearable fear had finally been lifted. She had received a letter from the judge the day after Aeron’s accident.
Bobby was working things out with Nicole.
And she had Aeron. He was in rough shape but he was alive. And he would heal.
A week after that horrible day, life couldn’t get any better. Reality eclipsed the happiness in her fictional worlds for the first time in over a year. She no longer had to lose herself in make-believe, to find refuge from all the sadness and grief of reality. She didn’t need Zagan or any book boyfriend any longer. At last reality was all she needed.
She had Aeron. His commitment. His selfless, pure, perfect love. It was that love that had mended her shattered life and made it complete. And it had not only saved Logan’s life but helped him heal, too. Since Aeron’s accident, Logan stopped talking about angels and death. He seemed to finally have both feet in the present, in the here and now, the world of the living.
It was a miracle.
* * * * *
This wasn’t the ending Aeron had imagined.
He was free.
Yes, free.
At last, free.
Never again would that fucking song play on his cell phone.
But more importantly, he could love Jennifer. He could hold her, kiss her, touch her anytime he wanted.
And Logan, the sweet boy, was alive.
It was a miracle.
The End
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*****
Please turn the page for a special sneak preview of THIS CRAZY LITTLE THING
This Crazy Little Thing (A New Adult Romance)
by
Tawny Taylor, writing as Tamryn Ward
From the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of MY ALPHA BILLIONAIRE and HOPELESSLY BROKEN, a New Adult romance about the joys--and challenges--of walking in another girl's Manolos...
Meet Jane Brown.
Jane Brown isn't a millionaire.
Jane Brown doesn't wear a size two like her model-perfect coworker Monica Starke.
Jane Brown doesn’t have an uber-hot billionaire boyfriend either.
Until...
One wish leads to waking in Monica's French lingerie...and her size-two body. It's a dream come true--until she learns Monica's life isn't the fairytale Jane had always imagined. Well, with one exception: her ripped-from-the-pages-of-a-romance-novel billionaire ex-boyfriend, Jason Foxx.
But could a guy like Jason fall in love with a regular girl like Jane...who looks like a girl like Monica?
Did she even want him to?
(Previously Published as ABOUT MONDAY)
SAMPLE
If there truly was a heaven on earth, she’d found it. There, in the middle of mayhem, with people hopping up and down and slamming into each other, she’d found peace. Content to stay there forever, she looped her arms around his neck, pressed her ear against his chest and inhaled his scent. Her body tingled wherever it made contact with his. And wave after wave of warmth coursed through her body.
She tipped her head to look up and he glanced down at her. One of his hands pressed against her back, pushing her tighter against him while the other palmed her cheek. His thumb stroked her lower lip and she instinctively slipped her tongue out to taste it.
A spark flashed in his eyes as he tipped his head and lowered it until his mouth hovered painfully close to hers. Breathless, eager for his kiss, she closed her eyes and waited.
He didn’t kiss her. Instead, he tortured her by leaving his mouth a fraction of an inch from hers. Their breaths mingled as their breathing quickened. And her lower regions burned with the need to be touched. She ground her pelvis into his leg, pressing and rubbing, furiously trying to ease the ache between her legs as they swayed. His hands dropped to her bottom and rested there, and hers slid down his chest, her fingertips tracing the lines of his developed muscles through the thin knit material of his T-shirt.
It was a magic moment, the most erotic, intense experience of her life. Their gazes locked and she could
tell he too was overcome by the intensity. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and she mirrored him. They didn’t speak, there was no need for words. Everything that needed to be said was conveyed through their eyes. In his, she saw the confusion and hunger, the fear and hope. It hurt to see him that way.
Then the song ended and with it the magic. Jason stiffened, stepping back when she lifted her hands, and gave her an awkward smile. “Shit, I can’t do this. My God…you…I could have…I mean, I want to…”
About Tamryn Ward
Tamryn Ward is the alter-ego of New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Tawny Taylor. Tamryn is an Amazon bestselling author of New Adult/Mature Young Adult fiction. She turned to writing after deciding being an engineer without an engineering degree wasn't a great way to make a living. Writing, on the other hand, is her passion, especially writing romantic stories with an edge. She has an absolutely useless bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts, and when she isn't writing, she spends her time hiking in the woods with her (not so cooperative) husband and kids, and snapping photographs of anything or anyone willing to sit still long enough for her to get a decent shot. She's still a little slow with the photography thing. Thus, her favorite model is, of course, the slug--though you would be surprised by how fast those little buggers can move.