This can’t be happening. Not today of all days.
“Trish, I need you to take Emma and go to Jarrod.”
She must have sensed he wasn’t messing around because she didn’t even look around. Standing, she walked away as fast as she could.
“If it isn’t the prodigal son.” Shivers traveled down his spine when he heard the voice, but instead of being scared, Sam was determined to end this once and for all. He was done giving the poor excuse of a man standing in front of him control over his life—over his and Ashlee’s life.
He glanced over at Ashlee, and he could see the fear in her eyes as security guards swarmed around her to keep her safe.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” Sam said as calmly as possible.
“There are a lot of things I shouldn’t have done, and having you was one of them. You were a pitiful, scared little boy, and from where I’m standing, the man isn’t any better.”
For the first time in his life, his father’s words washed right over him. He was finally free of the sick hold the man had on him.
Sam took a few steps closer, bridging the distance between them. “There’s enough security here to make sure you don’t leave in anything but handcuffs, so from where I’m standing, you’re the pitiful one. All my life, I let myself sink back to that scared little boy watching his father beat his mother unconscious. But I’m not that boy anymore. You’re right about that. I’m a man who is never going to stop protecting the people I love, a man who knows exactly the kind of man I want to be for the woman I love, and for that, I should say thank you.”
The look of pure shock on his father’s face was something he would remember forever.
“You ungrateful little fuck. I should have killed you that night.” In the blink of an eye, his dad reached around his back, and everything else happened so fast he nearly missed it. The man grabbed a gun tucked in his pants, but he didn’t have a chance to bring his arm back around before one of the security guards came up from behind and tackled him to the ground. The sound of the bones in his dad’s arm breaking resonated in the air.
“Saaam!”
He whipped around at the sound of Ashlee screaming his name, barely taking a breath before she jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He grabbed her ass, and steadied them upright. He smiled when she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her arms around the back of his head. He held her tightly against him. They both needed a moment to recuperate, maybe him more than her.
Ashlee shook in his arms and he turned his head sideways, kissing the side of hers. “I’m okay, baby. It’s over…. It’s all over.”
Epilogue
ASHLEE
Between running the band’s foundation and spending time with Sam over the past two months, Ashlee’s life felt fulfilled. There were still moments that snuck up on her where she missed her mom more than words could say, but he was always there beside her. They were finally at a place where their lives were exactly what they were supposed to be. Sam’s dad had been sentenced to life in prison, and Charlotte was finally free. They were all free.
Glancing at Sam from her seat, it didn’t matter how many times she saw him; he always took her breath away. They had woken early that morning, and he had surprised her by telling her to pack a bag. And that was how she ended up on a private plane with no idea where they were going.
“Just give me a hint,” she asked, batting her eyelashes, even if she knew it was useless. When he was set on something, there was no way to bend Sam Brooks’s will.
“You’ll just have to wait until we get there.” The smirk on his face was both sexy and infuriating.
She crossed and uncrossed her legs, making her sundress rise up her thighs. When she saw him staring at her with fire in his eyes, an idea came to her. Maybe she could convince him after all. She unbuckled her seat belt and walked over to him.
God bless private planes.
“What are you doing, Ashlee?” His voice was incredibly sexy when he was turned on. Everything about the man drove her insane.
“Me? Nothing at all,” she said in her best innocent voice.
“I won’t tell you where we’re going, no matter what, Ashlee, but if you want to join the mile-high club, I’d be more than happy to help you with that.”
She watched his hands work his belt, and she needed those hands on her. Suddenly, she didn’t care about where they were going; all she cared about was getting him naked and wrapping herself around him. “Ashlee, when you look at me like that, I can’t control myself.”
“Then don’t.”
Before she knew it, Sam was up from his seat and sweeping her off the floor. He lowered her onto the sofa, soon making her a proud member of the mile-high club.
SAM
With the sun setting behind him, he had to admit that Fiji was like heaven on earth. He and Ashlee had been spending the past week on the beach, getting lost in one another. Ashlee was swirling around, barefoot in the sand, wearing one of those sundresses that drove him insane, and he couldn’t remember smiling more in his whole life. She swayed over to him, laughing and looking so goddamn beautiful it hurt. He knew he was doing the right thing.
He often read about being nervous before making a big life change, but as Sam knelt in front of Ashlee, all he felt was hope—hope for their future, hope for the life they both deserved. Ashlee was it for him. She was the love of his life, and he knew without hesitation that he wanted to love her every day for the rest of both their lives. He looked up at her, and where he expected to see shock, all he saw was happiness.
“Ever since the first moment I laid eyes on you, you have been under my skin and in my heart. I never thought I would be blessed with the kind of love you have given me. Every minute I get to spend with you makes me the luckiest man on this earth. You are kind and compassionate, and God, you make me a better man by loving me. I want to spend every day of my life with you. I want to grow old with you, and watch our kids become amazing people, and I want to sit on our front porch and watch every sunrise and every sunset with you by my side. Ashlee Daniels, will you marry me?”
The whole world came to a stop as he waited to hear her answer. The next thing he knew, she dropped to her knees in front of him and kissed him, hard and fast. He could feel everything in that kiss. When she pulled away, they were both breathless, but she was smiling. He would remember that smile forever. “Yes. I will marry you today, and tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives. I love you, Sam Brooks.”
He crushed his lips to hers, teasing her lips with his tongue. Fuck, he couldn’t get enough of her. “I love you too, baby. Let’s not wait until we get back. Let’s get married now.”
The look of pure shock on her face made him laugh. He didn’t care about the fluff. He didn’t want to get married for the wedding; he wanted to get married for the marriage.
She looked around the beach, and he knew she was trying to absorb the whole situation. “Sam, that’s crazy. We can’t get married now. I don’t have a dress. Our friends aren’t here….”
He grabbed her hands and lifted them to press a kiss where their fingers met. “You don’t need a dress, Ashlee. I love you just like this. I don’t need you in a dress to marry you. Do you?”
She smiled at him, and he knew he had her. “Let’s do it. Let’s get married.”
That moment, kneeling on the beach, was the beginning of their forever.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to thank every single person who has bought this book, and who continues to support my dream of telling stories. It means the world to me, thank you.
To my grandma up in heaven, thank you for watching over me, and for steering me in the right direction during the storm.
To my mom, thank you for always supporting me, and for believing in me as an author.
To my friends, whom I love with all my heart, my life would not be the same without you in it. I can only hope to inspire you all as you continue to
inspire me. Thank you for showing me that creativity is a gift to be cherished.
To the whole Hot Tree Publishing and Promotions team, I say THANK YOU. This book and this whole series, takes so much out of me, and I know that without your support, I would not be publishing this sixth book… 6…! Can you believe we’ve done this six times now? It’s still crazy to me. Thank you for believing in me.
To Claire, thank you for working your magic once again on this cover. Your talent is a gift I cherish.
To my beta readers who never shy away from giving me their time and opinion, please know that your support goes beyond anything I would have imagined. Thank you.
About the Publisher
Hot Tree Publishing opened its doors in 2015 with an aspiration to bring quality fiction to the world of readers. With the initial focus on romance and a wide spread of romance sub-genres, we envision opening up to alternative genres in the near future.
Firmly seated in the industry as a leading editing provider to independent authors and small publishing houses, Hot Tree Publishing is the sister company to Hot Tree Editing, founded in 2012. Having established in-house editing and promotions, plus having a well-respected market presence, Hot Tree Publishing endeavors to be a leader in bringing quality stories to the world of readers.
Interested in discovering more amazing reads brought to you by Hot Tree Publishing or perhaps you're interesting in submitting a manuscript and joining the HTPubs family? Either way, head over to the website for information:
http://www.hottreepublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Publisher
Saved by the Music (Saints & Sinners Book 2) Page 17