Sam was slowly learning to let her all the way in; he still had a long ways to go, but he was trying and that was enough for her. Teaching yourself that it was okay to forgive and move on was a lot easier said than done. Guilt and regret were two of the trickiest emotions, rearing their ugly heads at the most inopportune times. Luckily for them, they had the rest of their lives to figure things out. For now, they were taking things a day at a time.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” she whispered loudly in Sam’s ear. He grunted and buried his head under the pillow, ignoring her attempts to get his ass out of bed. Giving up on him, she swung her legs over the bed and padded down the hall to the bathroom for a quick shower. When she emerged again thirty minutes later with her hair and make-up perfectly styled, Sam was there just on the other side of the door holding out a steaming cup of coffee for her.
She accepted it gratefully and took a long sip of the delicious liquid. “You look beautiful, baby,” he told her as he leaned in to claim her lips in a soft yet demanding kiss. She smiled up at him and couldn’t be happier. Today was the grand opening of her shop, the little bookstore and wine room that she’d always dreamed of owning. The Reading Room would finally officially open its doors to the public and she could hardly stand the excitement she felt.
It had been a fight with her uncle to get the capital she needed to get things rolling, even after her brush with imminent death. Thankfully, Sam had been by her side and together they had convinced him that opening the shop was a smart business investment for Emma.
Now the day was finally here and everything she wanted was in her grasp. “Are you ready to go?” Emma asked. Sam was taking the morning off to be there when she first opened the doors, a fact that showed just how far they’d come.
“Just about. I have something for you first.” He winked at her and then led her into the living room where there was a large white box waiting on the coffee table. Tossing him a confused look, she walked over and pulled the lid off, moving aside the bright pink tissue paper. Nestled inside the box was the most beautiful hand carved plaque with her store’s name etched in a sprawling font. Her name as the operator was spelled out in block letters surrounded by her small logo of a woman with a glass of wine and a book. It was painstakingly done and must have taken him hours. Love for him bloomed in her chest and she longed to give him the words but knew he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. This action proved what she already knew, he loved her just as much.
“Sam. I don’t even know what to say. It’s breath-taking. Thank you so much.” She hugged him and sighed happily.
“You’re welcome, let’s get moving and I’ll hang it for you before the opening.”
The drive to the storefront was a short one—Emma had been lucky to secure a prime location right on the town’s main strip. Parking the car, they walked hand in hand to the door and Sam hung back to snap a quick shot of her opening the door for the very first time.
Once inside, he scooped her into his arms and swung her around. Nearly losing her had shown him how much he really did care about her. Despite the darkness that now lived inside him; the urges that he had to give in to…he now had some of the light back. Love had grown in his heart again and sharing it with Emma was something he wouldn’t give up…not for anything. There were still moments when guilt crept in over letting in another woman that wasn’t Hailey, but something always had him pushing those feelings aside. He liked to think it was Hailey kicking his ass from wherever she was; letting him know that she approved of Emma. She would never be replaced, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find room in his heart for happiness with Emma.
Together, they would build a life free from the constraints of their past. A life built on the foundation of love and trust. Emma deserved a man willing to give her the world, and he wanted to be that for her. He would be that for her.
Kissing her gently, he placed her on her feet. “Everything looks fucking perfect. You’ve really outdone yourself here, Emma.” He took a moment to take in the large, hand-stained bookshelves lined with dozens of paperbacks, the small intimate tables set up for two or four and the comfier seats with throw pillows and neatly folded blankets. Towards the back were two large wine fridges and a glass hutch filled with rows of sparkling glasses. Chalkboard easels announced the week’s new releases in books and a few large wicker baskets were filled with more books, a drop and take system that would allow readers to take any book as long as they left another behind. He was so damn proud of her and couldn’t wait to see her turn her dream into a story of success.
The bell above the door chimed as it opened and someone stepped inside. “Sorry, we’re not open—” Sam cut off his words when he saw who was standing in the doorway. Anger and rage bubbled up as he shoved Emma behind her back ignoring her shocked, “hey!” and stalked forward to grab the man by the collar of his shirt.
“Marcus fucking Drake. What the fuck? You must be out of your mind to show up here,” he seethed. The sick, sadistic son-of-a-bitch that had been the leader of a twisted Black Market baby selling ring was now standing in front of him in Emma’s store. Seemed that he’d returned to his own looks as well since he was no longer a dead ringer for Gabe Thornton.
“Quite the opposite actually, Deputy Ridley.” Sam blanched at hearing his former title. “But I would like to know why the fuck you’ve got your hands all over my long-lost little sister.” Shock filled the air at his revelation and Sam turned to face Emma, who was as astonished as he was by Marcus’s words if the look on her face was any indication.
“Mother did a good job of hiding you, dear sister. But she sorely misjudged my resources and now here we are. I’d say we have a lot of catching up to do, wouldn’t you?” He flashed a cold grin. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
THE END
Acknowledgements
Jerzie, Charlee, Jessica – Here we are at book number four!! Who would have thought we’d have come this far together…it’s been amazing sharing this journey with you and each of you so much. I couldn’t ask for better friends than you xoxo
Toni Thompson –Thank you for putting up with all of my crazy requests! You’re an amazing friend and I’m so lucky to be equally lucky to have you as not only that but my PA! 2016 is going to be your year, lady!
River Savage, Gilly Jones, Alissa Evanson Smith – My girls. My whores. My very best friends. I love you guys so much and I’m so lucky that this book world brought us all together. I can’t wait for our reunion in Cleveland!! Thank you for being who you are and for always being there for me, having my back.
Lance Jones – You’ve become one of my bestest friends! I’m so lucky to have you not only on my covers, but as my partner as well. Thank you for once again being my muse…Sam is a complex character and having your help was priceless. Looking forward to working together more in the future! xoxo
L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations – You are an insane talent, lady! Thank you for working with me so closely on all of my covers…I couldn’t be happier with what you’ve created for me. Thank you so much for helping me bring the story the best covers to portray my work. Love you!
Judi Perkins – I’m so happy that we met!! You mean so much to me and I value our friendship more than you know. Thank you for always being there for me and helping me through some tough situations. Oh and for Facebooking my epic chat fails lol. Flippity flippersons…that is all. xoxo
To My Betas – You ladies took this story and made it what it is!! I don’t know that I could have done it without you. Thank you for listening to my rambles and forcing me to work harder because you knew I had it in me. You are an amazing bunch and I’m lucky to have you. xoxo
Sirens – This is my favorite place in the world. My safe place, my comfort zone. I love how each of us supports each other and that we have a place to escape and be ourselves and share our love of books. You’re my biggest cheerleaders and I couldn’t be more grateful for each and every one of you.
To My Family – I’
m a lucky girl to have such an amazing family. You support me through all of this, through my goals and ambitions and offer me guidance when I need it to see the end result come to light. Thank you for all the love and encouragement through one of our toughest years. I love you all so much.
To The Book Community – Being an indie author isn’t an easy thing. It takes true hard work and dedication. The friends that I’ve made, the readers and fellow authors that I’ve met on this journey—I cherish you all and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received. Just one PM message can make someone’s day and every one that I receive warms my heart more than you know. Thank you for taking a chance on my work even when it’s more twisted than expected lol ;)
ABOUT CASSIA BRIGHTMORE
Cassia Brightmore is a dark romance author. She loves writing dark stories with twisted characters that she hopes will thrill the reader as well as make them fall in love.
She loves hockey, video games and online shopping. If she's not writing or editing, you can usually find her doing one of these things. Writing is her passion and publishing her first book as an indie author is truly a dream come true.
Cassia lives in Ontario, Canada with her two furbabies; Molly and Harley.
Her titles include:
The Darkness Series Trilogy
Book One: Malevolent
Book Two: Evanesce
Book Three: Denouement
Book Four: Repentance
To look for in 2016:
New Dark Romance Medical Series: The Trauma Series.
Book One: Lincoln Hospital, expected release: March 27
New Dark Romance Standalone: Unworthy, expected release: June 29
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Table of Contents
ABOUT CASSIA BRIGHTMORE
Repentance (The Darkness Series Book 4) Page 6