“No, it wouldn’t. And the punishment’s too light, if you ask me,” he smirked. Way too light.
Shannon smiled ruefully. “Maybe.” She shifted her weight against the hospital bed.
“And a part of you hurts to do this, even though it’s doing what’s right. That man Greg paralyzed deserves justice, and peace of mind that the person who did this to him won’t be able to do it to someone else.”
She blinked, and turned away.
He rubbed her shoulders. “See? I told you you’re too good. You should be hungry for vengeance.”
She attempted a giggle, groaned against the effort. “Revenge does have its flavor of sweetness, but this is a bit steep in the get even department.”
Triston leaned down, brushing his lips against hers, pained to see the suffering she’d endured. Mental, emotional, now physical. All in the past now. She’d be safe from now on. “Whatever happens, Shy, whether you keep the hotel, or we live here along the Hudson, or go back to Wisconsin, I’m not letting you go again. I’m going to marry you, I’m going to make babies with you, I’m going to grow old with you.”
Thoughts of lying next to him the night lightened her head and eased some of the pain, better than the morphine drip in her arm. Endless nights next to one another, holding one another, making love, and sharing life’s ups and downs. The dream was intoxicating. “Is that a promise?”
“Honey, that’s a guarantee.” He pressed his lips against hers, tongue brushing past her lips she parted to allow him passage.
Triston lifted inches from her lips, and she whispered, “Shouldn’t be making out in the hospital room.”
He stood with a smile. “Does that mean you’ll have me? I won you back?”
She nodded. “You shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have allowed half of what’s happened between us until after I was divorced. But I’m yours, Triston. Let me just finish what I have to do, and I will show you just how much.”
“I can’t wait.” He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I love you, Shannon. I’ve always loved you. I’m so sorry for how I hurt you all those years ago. I never should have let you go.”
“I shouldn’t have been so mad at you. We were young, making a commitment at that age …” Her voice trailed off. “The past is in the past, and you don’t have to apologize ever again.” She lifted his hand to her lips for a soft fluttering kiss. “Thank you for coming back for me.”
“Baby, I would have chased you to the end of the earth.” He smiled. “Now, let’s call the police.”
Shannon nodded, waited as he handed her the phone.
Chapter Thirty Three
One year later
Shannon and Triston stood in the center of the hotel room. He arrived from handing over managerial rights to his Vice President, Jenn. Most of his belongings had already been relocated to a quiet little home not far from where the Stockards lived, and though he lived alone for the past eight months, Shannon planned on moving in the following weekend. A modest, two-story colonial with three bedrooms and a bath and a half. Simplifying things was working well, and for the first time in more than three years, she could breathe freely. It was a good feeling.
Now she held her divorce papers in the air, the winning raffle tickets to a new life. “It’s over. It’s official, and it’s over.”
The smile and eyes lighting like the sun spoke all she needed to hear, better than any words Triston could have said. All she had been looking for in a life was standing before her with this man she’d known for what felt like a lifetime. Promises not made off the cuff or in passing thought were solidified in space between them as he looked at her.
Triston’s arms wrapped around her neck. “Are you okay? I imagine it was hard to see him in that orange jumpsuit.”
She nodded. She had driven out to the prison earlier, though she knew Triston hadn’t agreed with the decision. But regardless of all Greg had done, she’d needed the closure seeing him provided. The rich-boy-I-own-the-world mentality was gone, and Greg was nothing but a broken man with a face that had aged decades in a mere sixty days. He still had four and half years left on his sentence, although Shannon was confident he’d get out early for good behavior. She hoped Greg’d get his life together, and move on to something better. Somewhere far from her.
They said goodbye, he wished her the best and apologized for the stupidity.
There was nothing Shannon could say to that. It was simply over.
She nodded, but smiled. “It was hard. Seeing him like that, it wasn’t anything I ever expected to happen. But he was fortunate, the judge gave him five years, he’ll be out in two or three for good behavior.”
“And you get to keep the Grande.”
She smiled and nodded again. “The house is for sale, our cars, everything. But I get to keep the hotel, and that means the world to me. I wouldn’t want those other things, anyway. That was my life with him, and that’s over. I don’t need any reminders.” She wrapped her fingers in the tips of his hair. “How’s the new office coming along? Things back in Wisconsin okay?”
“Jenn is handling it like the pro she is. And after the success with the company where Veronica worked, other New York offices are clamoring for contractual information. Keyes Associates should have expanded a long time ago.” He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled. “I remember a promise you made to me not that long ago, about showing me how much mine you really are.”
She laughed and smiled coyly. “You remember that, do you?” She looked around the hotel room. “Well, we are alone.” She held up the ring finger. “And I’m no longer married.”
“Does that mean I finally get to have my way with you?”
“I think it means something like that.”
Triston scooped her up in his arms and their lips met as he walked towards the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
Author's Note to the Reader:
Thank you, so very much, for purchasing and reading Matter of Choice. I hope you enjoyed reading about the lives of Shannon and Triston as much as I enjoyed writing about them. It has been an exciting journey, bringing this to you, but none of it would be possible without you. And while we see that a lot in print and hear it from artists in every arena, please know, it's not cliche. I sincerely appreciate all of your support.
Author's Bio:
RM Alexander is an author of Sweet Contemporary and Paranormal Romance. Like other authors, she's been writing since she was very young. Many times, she stopped writing for months or even years at a time, but always came back to it, until, in 2009, an idea came she couldn't put down. Over the next two years, she wrote and revised Shadows, now titled Veil of Secrets, which will be available the summer of 2014.
Matter of Choice found its way to paper in 2010 during the revision process of Veil of Secrets. And as Veil of Secrets made the rounds to literary agencies, Matter of Choice was completed.
With characters who look for love in wrong places and suffer the worst betrayals while fighting for what they want and believe in, RM's novels promise a good read with unexpected twists and turns.
When she's not writing, RM can be found spending time with her husband and two small children in Michigan. She loves to travel, especially to Walt Disney World, and can often be found on Twitter or Facebook chatting with fans.
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