Andi’s body began to shake uncontrollably, tears fell from her eyes in streams, and the air seemed too thin to breathe. She thought she was going to be sick. “I need a break.” Andi stood, then turned to Gwen and held out her hand. She didn’t have to say anything. Gwen simply took her hand and followed her.
Andi heard the door to her room click shut as she climbed onto her bed. A moment later, she felt Gwen climb in bed next to her and wrap her arms around her. She sank into Gwen’s embrace. She turned to face Gwen, thankful for her patience. “I think I know who did this.”
Gwen studied her, confusion clouding her gaze. “What do you mean?”
“The other day when you brought in the mail, there was a note. I recognized a familiar scent on the paper.” Andi pulled the envelope from her pocket and handed it to Gwen.
Gwen frowned as she read the brief message. “So you think someone you know killed him?”
Andi stilled. “Yes,” she whispered. “I think it was J.C. I think she orchestrated the escape, kidnapped James, and then killed him.”
“I don’t understand. Why would she do something like this?”
“I think it was her way of making up for what she did and what she didn’t do in the beginning.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really have any evidence of any of this. It’s really just my theory. But I believe she’s the one. And if I’m right, this whole nightmare really is over.”
Gwen brushed her fingers through Andi’s hair. “I don’t know who did this, or why, but I’m just happy you’re safe.”
Andi felt the weight of the world lift from her heart. Kevin James was gone. There would be no more hiding, no more fear, and most of all she had the most wonderful, beautiful woman in the world in her arms.
“I don’t know how to feel right now. I think part of me still doesn’t believe it’s real. Part of me is relieved. But mostly I feel hopeful.” Andi traced her finger along Gwen’s jaw. “For the first time I believe in the future. It feels amazing.” She smiled. “I don’t think I could have gotten through any of this without you. I never could have dreamed I could be this happy. Now that I know I can have a life, I can’t imagine a single day of it without you. I love you, Gwen.”
Gwen smiled and leaned close until their lips touched. Relief washed over her. She felt like she had been holding her breath for weeks, afraid she could lose Andi at any moment. To hear Andi say she wanted to be with her was like having her prayers answered.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life to hear you say that.” She kissed Andi. After everything they had been through, she had no doubt that Andi loved her. And more than anything, she loved Andi. They had been through so much together in such a short amount of time. She knew there was nothing that could come between them now. And she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life showing Andi just how much she was loved.
“I love you, Andi.”
*
“What do you think they’re up to?” Gwen asked, handing a cup of coffee to Jimmy.
“I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll let us know something soon.” Jimmy leaned back in the deck chair, stretched out her legs, and crossed her feet at the ankles. She laced her fingers together and wrapped her hands behind her head, giving the appearance of complete calm. She took a deep steadying breath and regarded Gwen quizzically.
“You know this isn’t over, even with James gone. I’ve seen what this has done to Melissa, and I know scars like that won’t heal just because that bastard is gone. Andi’s going to go through a lot. Think you can handle that?”
Gwen sat down opposite Jimmy and watched Andi through the glass door. “I can’t imagine what the three of you have been through. Just these last few weeks have been enough to drive me crazy. But I love her. No matter what it takes, I’m going to see to it that she gets through this.”
“Good. She’s tough, and it isn’t easy for her to accept help, but she loves you. Don’t let her run away from this.”
Gwen regarded Jimmy for a few moments before asking, “How do you do it? How have you gotten through all this?”
Jimmy smiled. “I didn’t really have a choice. I fell in love. Melissa is my life. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect her.”
There was something in Jimmy’s voice, or perhaps in her demeanor, that made the hairs stand up on the back of Gwen’s neck. She thought of the wild look of panic and pain she had seen in Andi’s eyes the day Kevin James had escaped. She remembered her own desperate desire to kill Kevin James herself if that was what it took to keep Andi safe. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Jimmy broke eye contact, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
Gwen thought about what she had said and wondered if it was true. It was one thing to believe you were capable of the unthinkable, but it was another thing to go through with it. She hoped they would never have to find out.
Both Jimmy and Gwen looked up at the sound of the door opening. Gwen rubbed her hands nervously against her jeans as her eyes roamed every inch of Andi’s face and she tried to read what was happening through the lines around her eyes, in the curve of her lips, and from the easy gait in her step.
Laughter rang out as Andi and Melissa came through the door. Gwen reached for Andi, gently lacing their fingers together.
Melissa’s eyes were fixed on Jimmy as a faint smile began to lift the corners of her lips. “It’s all settled. New Year’s is at our house this year.”
Gwen brushed the hair back from Andi’s forehead and peered into her eyes. “You guys were in there for a long time. What kind of surprises did you two cook up?”
Andi looked at her with a playful smile on her lips. “We may have one or two things in the works.” Andi sat down across Gwen’s lap, sliding her arm around Gwen’s shoulders. She was still amazed by how right Gwen always felt when they touched. Her skin tingled as the flood of happiness cascaded through her body and nuzzled into her soul.
Gwen reached up and placed her hand to Andi’s cheek. “You okay?”
Andi felt her entire body respond to Gwen’s touch. She slipped her hand over Gwen’s and pressed it to her cheek, relishing the warmth against her skin. Her wait was over. She hugged Gwen close. With each breath, she felt the weight of her past lift. From now on she was only looking forward into tomorrow. “I will be.” She sighed into Gwen’s chest. “I have you.”
Epilogue
Four months later, Andi sat in a secluded corner of the bookstore, sipping her coffee as she looked through a magazine someone had left on the table. She hadn’t been there long when another woman came up to her and asked to sit in the plush reading chair next to her. She looked up and studied the woman curiously. She had long blond hair, honey-brown eyes, and long lean arms and legs that showed defined muscles beneath her snug-fitting faded jeans and black T-shirt. J.C. was thinner than Andi remembered and her hair was longer, but she looked good, just a little too thin.
“Please,” Andi said gesturing to the empty chair.
“Thanks.”
Andi waited for her to get settled, watching how J.C.’s frame draped into the soft leather chair. “How have you been, J.C.?”
“Things are okay. I heard about the mess with James a few months back. I’m glad that all worked out.”
Andi murmured in agreement. “I never thought I would be free of all that again. I sometimes have to remind myself that it’s over when I find myself looking over my shoulder or jumping at the slightest noise in the dark.”
J.C. gazed at Andi as if appraising her. Her look was neither seductive nor malicious, but it made Andi self-conscious.
“Tell me what’s been going on with you, the past four years, J.C.”
The corner of J.C.’s mouth twitched and drew down into a slight frown. “Nothing much, work mostly.” She paused for a moment, still studying Andi. This was the first time they had seen each other in the years since they’d parted.
“Why did y
ou ask me here, Andi? It isn’t like we’ve kept in touch over the years.”
It was Andi’s turn to assess J.C. and determine just how far she wanted this conversation to go. She pursed her lips into a thin line of determination, took a deep breath, and decided to go for it. “I know you sent the note.”
J.C. didn’t give away any sign of understanding what Andi was talking about, but Andi knew this woman, and she saw the faint flicker in her eyes that confirmed everything.
“What are you talking about, Andi?”
“I know it was you. It smelled like you. You can’t convince me you don’t know what I’m talking about. But I need to know what you meant. What did you want to be forgiven for?”
J.C. shifted in her chair. She cleared her throat as if the words were stuck. “I know you must hate me for what I did. I didn’t want to leave you back then, Andi. But there were things happening that I couldn’t tell you about. The short of it was I decided you were safer without me in the picture. I didn’t know Kevin James was part of the whole mess until it was too late. He made waves for me at work, and I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to all the guys and my dad. I wasn’t there when you needed me, and that’s something I’ve regretted every day since.”
Andi was surprised. She had always believed it had been easy for J.C. to leave. She had believed she wasn’t worth saving.
“In the note, you said you made it right. What did that mean?”
There was a long silence, and when J.C. didn’t answer, Andi began to grow more certain that her suspicions were right.
“Did you kill him?” Andi whispered.
J.C.’s eyes flashed up at her, the embers of hatred still glowing in her gaze.
“What I meant was that I had gathered evidence that James was involved in the child porn stuff with Curtis Boyd. I had enough to send him away for the rest of his miserable life. I thought if he was sent away for good, you could finally go on with your life. I wanted to give you that.”
Andi was shocked by the news that J.C. had been working all this time to help her. “Why didn’t you say something to me? It’s been years, J.C.”
“Come on, Andi. We both know I’m the last person you wanted to see. I screwed things up, and I could never take that back.”
Andi thought about it for a while as she stared at a scar that ran across the back of J.C.’s hand. It was new and she wondered what had happened to cause such an angry wound. She noted that although J.C. had an answer for the message she had sent, she hadn’t denied killing James. J.C. had hurt her, but maybe there were things that she just couldn’t understand. After all, hadn’t she done the same thing to Melissa? She had left when Melissa needed her after the attacks, and she had left without explanation too.
“I guess we all did the best we could back then. I’m not very proud of some of my choices either.”
J.C. looked down at her hands. “I’m really sorry, Andi. You always deserved more than I could give you. I wish things had been different.”
“Yeah.” Andi smiled faintly and dropped her gaze to study the pattern on the carpet at her feet.
J.C. rubbed her hands along the arms of the chair nervously. “Despite everything, you seem happy.”
Andi smiled a real smile this time. “I am happy. I’ve met someone. She makes all the difference.”
J.C. nodded. “I’m glad.”
“What about you, J.C.? Is there anyone special in your life?”
“No. Not since you.”
Andi flinched.
“I know I didn’t do a very good job of letting you know, but you were important to me. I guess I just didn’t have anything to offer you in return.”
Andi softened at the pain she heard in J.C.’s voice. It was time to let go of the anger and resentments. “I think you have plenty to offer, J.C. I hope you’ll believe that when the right person comes along.”
“Yeah, well…” J.C. drew in a deep breath. “I better get going. It was good to see you, Andi. Good luck with your new life.”
Andi stood when J.C. gathered her long body out of the chair and turned to say good-bye. Andi hesitated for a moment and then wrapped her arms around J.C’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, J.C.”
J.C.’s hands slid tentatively around Andi’s back and returned the embrace. Andi felt her release a long mournful breath as if she was letting go of a heavy weight. When J.C. withdrew, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Take care of yourself, Andi.”
Andi nodded and backed away from J.C. She watched the woman who had once been the center of her world walk out of her life for the second time. But this time their parting seemed to seal a door to the past, closing old wounds and leaving a feeling of peace.
Andi might never know the truth about what happened to Kevin James, but she knew she would be forever grateful that he was gone from her life.
A cool hand brushed her arm, pulling Andi from her thoughts. She turned to see Gwen standing next to her, eyes sparkling, her smile warm. “How’d it go?”
“Good. It was good.” Andi slid her hand into Gwen’s. “I’m glad she came.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes. I think I did.” Andi leaned her head against Gwen’s shoulder and breathed in the crisp clean scent of her. Everything seemed to fall into place and she felt her heart warm. “I found you.”
Gwen brushed her fingers along the line of Andi’s jaw, lifted her head with two fingers, and leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “What do you say I take you home now? I want to be close to you. I want to make love to you. I don’t want you to have any doubts about where you belong.”
Andi smiled and leaned into Gwen. “I’d like that. And just so you know, I have no doubts where I belong. You have me. All of me. Always. With no boundaries.”
About the Author
Donna K. Ford is a licensed professional counselor who spends her professional time assisting people in their recovery from substance addictions. She holds an associate degree in criminal justice, a BS in psychology and an MS in community agency counseling. When not trying to save the world, she spends her time in the mountains of East Tennessee enjoying the lakes, rivers, and hiking trails near her home. Reading, writing, and enjoying conversation with good friends are the gifts that keep her grounded. She is grateful to share her life with her loving partner, two adoring cats, and one crazy beagle that keep life interesting.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Switchblade by Carsen Taite. Lines were meant to be crossed. Third in the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter Series. (978-1-62639-058-4)
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No Boundaries by Donna K. Ford. A chance meeting and a nightmare from the past threaten more than Andi Massey’s solitude as she and Gwen Palmer struggle to understand the complexity of love without boundaries. (978-1-62639-060-7)
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Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Gender by Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall. How We Survived Four Weddings, One Gender Transition, and Twenty-Two Years of Marriage. (978-1-62639-062-1)
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The Heat of Angels by Lisa Girolami. Fires burn in more than one place in Los Angeles. (978-1-62639-042-3)
Season of the Wolf by Robin Summers. Two women running from their pasts are thrust together by an unimaginable evil. Can they overcome the horrors that haunt them in time to save each other? (978-1-62639-043-0)
Desperate Measures by P. J. Trebelhorn. Homicide detective Kay Griffith and contractor Brenda Jansen meet amidst turmoil neither of them is aware of until murder suspect Tommy Rayne makes his move to exact revenge on Kay. (978-1-62639-044-7)
The Magic Hunt by L.L. Raand. With her Pack being hunted by human extremists and beset by enemies masquerading as friends, can Sylvan protect them and her mate, or will she succumb to the feral rage that threatens to turn her rogue, destroying them all? A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-045-4)
Waiting for the Violins by Justine Saracen. After surviving Dunkirk, a scarred and embittered British nurse returns to Nazi-occupied Brussels to join the Resistance, and finds that nothing is fair in love and war. (978-1-62639-046-1)
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