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Rebel Heart (Rebel Series, #2)
Copyright 2016, J.C. Hannigan
During the beginning stages of this story, I relied a lot on Christina Harris and Kristen Johnson. I would send them snippets of the story, and their encouragement, suggestions, and excitement kept me writing even when things got rough. Rebel Heart was more of a challenge to write than the first book in the series, Rebel Soul. The two main characters in this book are going through a lot individually, and finding their way back to each other is a journey. The subjects I chose to write about were hard on the heart, but this was a story that needed to be told, and I’m very excited for how it turned out.
My incredible betas deserve high fives for all the helpful notes they provided me with. Molli Moran, Jessica Best, Danielle Renee, Julie Gustafson-Monk, and Kristen—thank you all so much! Seriously, this book wouldn’t be what it is today without your input!
A huge round of applause goes out to my husband Matt, for not only tolerating my long disappearances at the computer (once again) while I chipped away at this story, but for encouraging me to keep going even when I felt like giving up. He had absolute confidence that I would figure it out, and I did. He also gets mad props for helping me with Braden’s knowledge of vehicles and for bringing me home Skittles and wine when writer’s block got me down. (Skittles and wine make everything better, and it’s rather difficult to write about a mechanic when you don’t know how to change the oil in a car).
Thank you so much to Chelsea Barnes from CJPB Designs; the mastermind behind the beautiful cover and teasers for Rebel Heart, and to JM Walker from Just write. Creations for formatting the ebook and the paperback.
I’d also like to thank Vivian Freeman, who works tirelessly to promote authors and books with her book blog Beauté De Livres - Beauty of Books, and to my readers, my FANnigans, for enduring monthly #WineWithJC sessions and cheering me on!
I owe a lot of my success to the book community itself; to the supportive, uplifting authors, book bloggers, and readers that I’ve met that have helped me spread the word, stay motivated, and keep chasing my dreams like the lady boss I am. It’s a team effort, and I’m blessed to have such an amazing team!
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Nine
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Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Elle
If there was one thing I hated, it was lineups, and the one at the grocery store had taken a really long time. I would never understand people who felt the need to coupon. I liked saving money as much as the next person, but come on! The woman in front of me had taken up forty-five minutes of the only cashier’s time.
My arms were loaded with groceries, and I was exhausted. I’d come off a long shift where my partner, Alex, and I were called to the scene of a six car accident on the highway. The cause had been a young teen texting while driving. Because of that person’s actions, two people were dead, and four were seriously injured.
Sometimes, I cursed my profession of choice. I loved helping people, and for every one we lost, we saved five more. But losing them…that was hard. I knew that we did everything we could, but I still felt the agony of having the elderly man slip away in my arms on the way to the hospital.
Days like today definitely sucked, especially when they were capped off with the Coupon Queen of Barrie.
Truthfully, I knew my irritation had very little to do with the couponing and everything to do with the day I’d had.
Muttering darkly to myself, I fished the key out of my purse and then unlocked the apartment door. I pushed it open, before kicking it shut behind me. “I’m home!” I called cheerlessly on the off chance that my roommate was back from her weekend getaway with her boyfriend. Walking into the kitchen to set down my groceries, I heard a commotion coming from the living room and glanced over quickly, only to witness the coffee table topple and a bare ass dive behind the couch.
“Oh God, ew!” I shouted, covering my eyes with my hands and spinning around so that I wouldn’t have to watch my best friend and roommate’s boyfriend, Brock, scramble for his clothing. “In our fucking living room, Tessa? I sit on that couch!” I wailed, horrified. Tessa exploded into a fit of giggles, and I smiled against my will.
“Sorry about that Elle. Don’t worry though, we didn’t get very far.” Brock said sheepishly, the sound of a zipper following his sentence.
“Dude,” I shivered in disgust. “You got far enough, your bare ass was on it! Now I have to steam clean the damn couch before I can go near it. Didn’t you two get enough of each other this weekend?” I grumbled, bending over to pick up the groceries I’d accidentally dropped to the floor in my haste to cover my sensitive eyes. Luckily, the Mr. Noodles packets and microwavable dinners weren’t any worse for wear.
“Oh come on,” Tessa rolled her eyes, tugging her t-shirt back on over her head. “You’ve done far worse on this couch than that.”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Brock said. He leaned forward, his lips brushing tenderly against Tessa’s lips.
The way he looked at her made my heart ache. Brock was so much like…
No, I told myself, forcing my thoughts from going there. I heard Tessa and Brock moving towards the door. I watched them out of the corner of my eye as I put away my pathetic, post-grad grocery store purchases.
“I’ll see you this weekend?” Brock asked, his hand gently cupping her chin.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there on Saturday…I’ll make the arrangements for dinner. See if…everyone can be there?” Tessa trailed off.
I instantly knew who she was referring to. My shoulders stiffened as if she’d actually spoken his name. Tessa was very careful not to utter that particular Miller’s name around me, but I still knew when she was referring to him, almost instinctively.
“Okay, I’ll call you later tonight, beautiful. I love you,” Brock muttered. He had his arms around her, and he was kissing her tenderly, as if he was about to go off to war—not just home to Parry Sound where he lived.
Those two were so crazy in love, it made me want to both vomit and cry. Especially because Brock reminded me of someone else…someone that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t forget.
And I was trying. It’s not like I’d been celibate since Braden Miller took my heart and smashed it to bits. Far from it, I wasn’t going to wither away and become some sad excuse for a spinster, like my mother (not that she was sad, but still). I’d had other romances since Braden, if I could even call them that. Those flings had fizzled out before they even really had a chance to grow into something more because they couldn’t uphold the magic of that first love.
It was impossible to forget Braden’s electric blue eyes and that arrogant smile. He’d made it extremely ch
allenging to give myself completely to another.
It didn’t help that his older brother dated my best friend, and often came over to see her.
Brock never mentioned Braden when he was around. I think he sensed that a part of me still ached for someone that had long since walked out of my life, someone that I should be over by now.
In the past four years, I’d become a fantastic actress. I even fooled myself at times.
“Okay, see you soon,” Tessa grinned, slapping his ass when he went to open the door. He shook his head at her, a bemused smile on his lips. She closed the door behind him, turning and pressing her back against it with a dreamy sigh.
I swallowed hard, feeling tears prickle behind my eyelids. I stomped off to my bedroom, unbuttoning my uniform as I went.
“Elle, are you okay?” Tessa’s voice followed me down the narrow hallway. I held a hand up to her, signalling her to give me a minute. I striped out of my work clothes, tossing them into my hamper, then disappeared into the bathroom. I turned on the shower, taking deep breaths to try and regain control of my emotions.
I showered quickly, refusing to allow myself the opportunity to cry. I was stronger than this, and I’d promised myself years ago that Braden Miller deserved no more of my tears.
But the elderly man from today…he deserved a few, as did his wife of fifty years, and the young girl who’d been too foolish to wait until she got home to text her friend.
By the time I rejoined Tessa in the kitchen, I’d collected myself. Tears no longer threatened to spill and even though there was the ever present ache in my chest, I was able to toss on a winning smile that would fool anybody.
Anybody, it would seem, except my best friend. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head, a frown marring her lips.
“Nothing,” I assured her, working to keep my smile in place. “What’s happening this weekend?” I asked, deflecting her question with a question of my own. Tessa didn’t buy it, in fact, she outright ignored me.
“Just tell me what’s up, Elle,” she demanded, turning her amber eyes on me with determination. There was no way she’d let me get out of this conversation without a little give.
“I had a rough day at work, okay?” I sighed, my shoulders dropping a little. I padded over to the refrigerator and opened it, searching for a bottle of water. “There was an accident on the highway involving six vehicles.”
“Oh, I heard about that,” she frowned, concern edging her eyes. I knew she understood. Sometimes, Tessa came home in tears because she wasn’t able to save an animal, and sometimes I came home like this because I’d witnessed too much death and tragedy. We’d both chosen jobs that could be hard on our hearts. Tessa leaned against the counter, chewing on her lip as she studied me. She had something to say, only she seemed to be warring with herself on whether or not she should say it.
“Just tell me,” I rolled my eyes. I cracked open the lid on the water bottle and took a sip, watching my friend.
“Brock proposed!”
I gasped, choking on the water I’d been drinking. It went down the wrong pipe, and I coughed, spitting some out on the tiled floor. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, staring at Tessa with astonishment. She flashed her left ring finger at me, as if I needed proof of this new development. “What? When?”
I set the water down, crossing over to her and taking her hand. Brock had really outdone himself. The ring was a beautiful, princess-cut diamond, with four tiny diamonds on either side of it. It wasn’t overstated; it didn’t scream in your face that it was ‘an engagement ring’. It was subtle, but once your eye noticed it—you realized how stunning it was, how perfect. It was Tessa.
“On the weekend!” Tessa squealed, practically bouncing on her heals. “Oh Elle, it was so amazing! We went canoeing at sunset and he did it then. I swear I almost tipped the canoe, I was so excited!”
“So…you’re engaged,” I summarized, still blinking with astonishment at the beautiful ring. It almost hurt my eyes. They itched and prickled, as if I wanted to cry.
“Yes! I’m getting married! Can you believe it?!”
I was torn between joining my best friend in a happy dance and sinking down to the floor and crawling into the fetal position. I took a deep breath, calming myself. There was no need to taint Tessa’s happy news with a sulking face. After all, she was my best friend and I was legitimately happy for her and Brock. He treated her incredibly and he was an amazing person—sexual escapades on my couch aside.
“That’s awesome,” I managed, somehow keeping a genuine smile on my lips. She grabbed my hands, holding them tightly.
“Please tell me you’ll be my maid of honor?” Tessa pleaded, her eyes wide and fearful, as if she thought I’d say no.
“Of course,” I told her, my smile faltering at the thought of seeing him again. “I guess you haven’t picked a date yet?” I asked, holding out hope that I had at least a year to adjust to the idea of having to see him again.
Tessa shuffled uncomfortably. “Well…” she trailed off, her amber eyes looking at me apologetically. “To be honest, I'd be happy eloping right now but I figured my dad would flip,” she laughed awkwardly, her eyes vulnerable. “So we were thinking July.”
“As in...this upcoming July?” I repeated. Tessa nodded, biting her lip nervously. “You’re getting married this July?”
Already, my mind was reeling with all the things that came with planning a wedding. It was already the middle of September. We had Stag and Does, bridal showers, bachelorette and bachelor parties to figure out, not to mention the actual wedding itself. I would be seeing an awful lot of Braden Miller, and it made me feel…sick.
“I know,” she bit her lip. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? Maybe we should wait until after I’m done vet school…” she added doubtfully, her face falling.
Next September, Tessa was planning on moving to Guelph to attend veterinary college. She had graduated top of her veterinary technician program at Georgian College two years ago and had secured a job working at a clinic near our apartment. She loved being a technician, but her dream was to own her own clinic, and for that she’d need to take the four year veterinary program Guelph offered. She’d been saving for this day for a long time now, and we all knew how important it was to her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Tessa.” I took a shaky breath, forcing a smile in place. My panic wasn’t over my best friend tying the knot, because she belonged with Brock. I would have had to get used to the idea of seeing Braden again regardless, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. “Vet school is like four years long. It makes sense to get married before it starts, you’ll be busy enough. Besides, who wants to be engaged for four years?”
“I know,” Tessa sighed, worrying her lip. “I just…I get it, you know? How you’re feeling about the whole Braden thing.”
“Whoa.” My eyes narrowed in anger that she’d called me out on it. “This isn’t about Braden. I couldn’t care less about him. This is me freaking out because my best friend is getting married in less than ten months and we have an entire wedding to plan.”
“Sure,” Tessa said, doubtfully looking at me. She didn’t buy it—not that I really believed she would, but I felt better denying it. “It’s just going to be a small wedding.”
“Have you met your family?” I arched an eyebrow, my arms folding protectively across my chest as I smirked at her. “There’s nothing small about them.”
“Fair enough,” Tessa smiled softly.
“Who else is in the wedding party?” I asked, trying to keep my face impassive as I leaned against our counter. I needed the support.
“Well, Braden is going to be Brock’s best man,” Tessa answered almost apologetically. “He also chose Travis, Grady, and Gordon. I’m going to ask Katie, Becky, and Krista.”
Becky and Katie made sense—Becky was Brock’s sister, and Katie was Tessa’s sister-in-law. She was married to Tessa’s old
est brother, Ben. “Krista? Really?” I wrinkled my nose.
Tessa bristled, annoyed at me. “Yes, really. Krista’s been my friend since Kindergarten. Just because you don’t talk to her any more, doesn’t mean I have to cut her out of my life. She’s a good friend to me, and she didn’t betray you.”
I didn’t need the reminder—I knew perfectly well that it was Joanna Poole that had broken the girl code and made out with my boyfriend while we were still together. Still, Krista hadn’t told me about it out of loyalty to Joanna, and that had stung almost as bad as Joanna disregarding our friendship.
“Okay, fine. You’re right,” I amended, sighing. The corner of my lips tugged up in a reluctant smile. Tessa never hesitated to put me in my place when I needed it, and I loved her for it.
She inhaled deeply and brushed her hair out of her eyes as she looked at me. “I know you’re off this weekend…” She bit her lip again.
“You want me to come to Parry Sound with you?” I summarized, avoiding her penetrating, hopeful gaze. I saw her nodding out of the corner of my eye.
“Pretty please? Saturday night we’ll be telling my family and…Brock’s family at dinner, and I need my best friend there,” Tessa pleaded, sounding unsure of herself. “Plus…you’ve always been my right hand man—er, woman, and what if Dad tries to talk me out of this?”
“He won’t,” I assured her. Bill Armstrong hadn’t been a fan of Brock Miller when he first came back to town, but he’d warmed up in the last several years when he realized how deeply Tessa loved him.
“I’m his only daughter,” she pointed out, arching a brow. “I think I could tell him I’m marrying the Prince of England and he’d still pitch a fit.” She was right—Bill had high expectations for his only daughter.
“Fine, I’ll go,” I frowned. “Enough with the guilt-tripping.” Tessa squealed with excitement and threw her arms around me again.
* * *
I tossed and turned all night, unable to get a good night’s sleep. Each time I finally drifted off, I was pulled into unwanted dreams of Braden’s remembered touches. I woke craving his hands on my skin.
Rebel Heart: (Rebel Series Book 2) ((Rebel Series)) Page 1