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Jonny's Redemption (Gemini Group Book 7)

Page 25

by Riley Edwards


  A big family celebration for Rory. Her eighteenth birthday party—everyone was home, even Zack, Mandy, and Caleb. Though it was an easy drive for Mandy who only lived a few hours away in Virginia with her husband and son. Caleb was a little farther in Georgia. He was finishing up his engineering degree and would be moving back to Kent County soon, making the commute into DC for work. He wasn’t married; as the guys had explained he wasn’t ready to settle down. Translation: he had a slew of girlfriends, something that drove his mother, Macy, insane. But Caleb was being smart; Alec had shown him the way, and Caleb wouldn’t settle for anything less than his dream girl.

  That thought led me to think about how Alec had reacted to his baby girl Jocelyn’s first date. She was thirteen, which was too young for real dating but the boy she liked had been allowed to come over to watch movies. Joss called it a date. Alec called it two friends watching TV. Macy called it cute. I agreed, Joss growing up and liking boys was cute, and would be until Lyric noticed the opposite sex; then it would be a pain in my ass. To say Chasin was a tad bit overprotective was an understatement.

  Though in this family that was par for the course. Holden acted as if Faith and Paisley were the two most delicate creatures on earth. Nixon felt the same about Holly. Weston about Haley. Jameson about Lola.

  Bobby was lucky she and Jonny only had boys—Daxton and Jett.

  Not that the others didn’t have boys, too, they did. Weston had Dylan, Holden had Ian, Nix had Wyatt, Alec had Oliver, and Caleb of course.

  “We have a lot of damn kids,” I muttered.

  “I’m done,” Bobby announced.

  “Um, me, too,” Charleigh agreed.

  “No more for me,” Micky added.

  “Don’t look at me; Haley’s nine, I am way over the baby stage.” Silver waved her hands in front of her.

  “Why are you looking at me?” Kennedy asked.

  “Well? Are you and Jameson having more?” I asked

  “No. Two is plenty for me. Besides, Lola is like three kids wrapped into one.”

  Kennedy wasn’t lying. Lola and Lyric together was like a hurricane cruising over warm water picking up speed.

  “We’re not done.”

  That came from Penny Cash.

  Well, her name was Penny Holbrook now, but that was a story for a different day.

  Penny’s gaze went across the yard and landed on her husband.

  “I think Vaughn needs a daughter,” Penny explained. “But with how busy we are with Landon and Stone and me still touring, he wants to wait.”

  One could say Penny Cash was a big deal. She had more platinum records and gold statues than I did. She’d far surpassed my stardom but she’d remained true to her roots. She was rock ’n’ roll through and through but these days she was a toned-down version of the rocker I’d met. She and Vaughn lived in Utah during their downtime, which Penny made sure they had a lot of. Vaughn had changed a lot since I’d met him, but he still enjoyed his solitude. That just included his wife and sons now.

  “I think that man needs five daughters,” Bobby piped up.

  “I’d give it all up to give him that,” Penny whispered.

  And now Penny understood why after the benefit concert where she’d made her debut I’d never taken the stage again. Why I no longer made records. Why I wrote music to feed my soul and produced new artists but I had no desire to perform. My family filled me up in a way music couldn’t.

  Nixon Swagger—five minutes later

  Nixon looked around what used to be the barnyard.

  Now it was just a yard.

  A fire was blazing, kids were playing, women were smiling and laughing, men were happily watching.

  So much had changed from when he was a boy working the farm with his father. The old milking parlor was now a music studio, the equipment shed now a swank guest house, the fields rented out and no longer worked by Nixon and Wayne.

  Nix figured his dad would like what had become of the Swagger farm.

  It was now a gathering place filled with endless, boundless love.

  Years had passed since Nixon had crossed over the Bay Bridge. Years since the hole in his heart had been filled.

  Jameson, Weston, Chasin, and Holden—his four brothers who’d followed him home. Alec who’d needed to find his place. Jonny who’d needed to find his peace. A brotherhood forged from the ashes of pain and regret.

  Seven brothers who’d overcome.

  One family united.

  Yeah, Wayne Swagger would be happy because his son had found bounty.

  THE END

  Thank you for reading the Gemini Group Series.

  I hope you’ll join me in the all new TAKEBACK series.

  Are you ready for Rhode?

  Dangerous Love

  Our story was unconventional at best.

  Unbelievable was more like it.

  Perhaps it was even written in the stars the way fate had brought us together.

  A stranger who’d been my best friend for ten years, yet I’d never seen his face or heard his voice. It all started innocently enough when an angry message to my cheating boyfriend ended up on the wrong phone…or maybe the right one.

  The next thing I knew, days had turned into months, then months into years, and we were still texting. I knew everything about Rhode except his last name.

  The second time destiny put Rhode in my path, I was in Washington, DC, hotel bar. I didn’t know the outrageously hot guy was my Rhode. That’s a lie. I knew it was him the moment he told me his name. Yet, I didn’t tell him who I was when I fake-introduced myself. Then I went back to his room and had wild, crazy sex. I left before he woke up.

  Now I have an even bigger problem. My friend’s sister up and vanished without a trace, and Rhode promised he could help. He said there were things I didn’t know about him.

  He’s on his way to my house.

  I just hope he doesn’t walk away when he sees me.

  For years I kept my distance. For years I told myself I couldn’t have her. For years I’d been in half in love with a woman I’d never seen.

  So when my best friend Brooklyn texted me about her friend’s sister’s disappearance, I took my shot to finally meet her in person. But the joke was on me. I knew Brooklyn—every delicious inch of her. She was the woman who’d slipped away. The woman I met in a bar, the one who made me question everything. A one-night stand I couldn’t get out of my head. Her betrayal burned deep.

  I’d find the girl then walk away.

  That was my plan until everything crashed down around me, and Brooklyn’s taken by a human trafficker. The man I’d been hunting for a year—a man who inflicted pain and incited nightmares.

  Angry words were spoken. Lies were told. Hearts were broken, and souls were obliterated.

  Now I might lose her forever.

  Takeback is an off-the-books, special operations task force composed of military contractors and US Marshals. Their mission is simple—to save those who have been taken.

  Grab your copy now

  Also by Riley Edwards

  Romantic Suspense

  Gemini Group

  Nixon’s Promise

  Jameson’s Salvation

  Weston’s Treasure

  Alec’s Dream

  Chasin’s Surrender

  Holden’s Resurrection

  Jonny’s Redemption

  Red Team

  Nightstalker

  Protecting Olivia

  Redeeming Violet

  Recovering Ivy

  Rescuing Erin

  The Gold Team

  Brooks

  Thaddeus

  Kyle

  Maximus

  Declan

  Blue Team

  Owen

  Gabe

  The 707 Freedom Series

  Free

  Freeing Jasper

  Finally Free

  Freedom

  The Next Generation (707 spinoff)

  Saving Meadow

  Chasi
ng Honor

  Finding Mercy

  Claiming Tuesday

  Adoring Delaney

  Keeping Quinn

  Taking Liberty

  Triple Canopy

  Damaged

  Flawed

  Imperfect

  The Collective

  Unbroken

  Trust

  Standalone

  Romancing Rayne

  Be A Rebel

  Riley Edwards is a USA Today and WSJ bestselling author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.

  Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley's favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.

  Don't forget to sign up for Riley’s newsletter and never miss another release, sale, or exclusive bonus material. https://www.subscribepage.com/RRsignup

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  www.rileyedwardsromance.com

  Acknowledgments

  To all of you – the readers: Thank you for picking up this book and giving me a few hours of your time. Whether this is the first book of mine you’ve read or you’ve been with me from the beginning, thank you for your support. It is because of you I have the coolest job in the world.

 

 

 


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