Chasin's Surrender (Gemini Group Book 5)
Page 29
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Yep. I’m the best secret keeper,” she said without hesitation.
Which was not the truth. The little girl talked, and when she did, she blurted everything out.
But since there wouldn’t be a secret to keep after tonight, he told her, “Soon.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“I won’t tell.” She made a cross over her heart but he lost her interest as Evie started singing the intro to a song she wrote when he’d killed her dream. That night, he hadn’t known how close he’d been to losing everything. He’d tasted heaven, he’d felt it under his palms, it had been wrapped around him, even buried itself into his heart, but he still hadn’t known. It wasn’t until later when he’d experienced hell, that he truly knew what it meant to have everything.
Bent Bromley entered his mind every day. And every day, he allowed it. He would never let himself forget. Chasin Murray had everything—it was precious, it was beautiful—and he’d protect it until his dying breath.
Chasin relaxed with his niece in his lap, family all around, happy, smiling, swaying to the music Evie was creating.
Pure beauty.
Genevieve started “Landslide” and the hair on the back of his neck tingled. This wasn’t new, it happened a lot when she sang. His woman’s voice was magic—always—but some songs hit her someplace deeper than the rest, and when they did, that magic wove a spell over whoever had the pleasure of hearing it.
“Landslide” did it for him, but so did the song “Iris.” Luckily, she rarely played it when they gathered together because when she was done with that song, he always had the urge to take her to bed and show her he saw every part of her. Even if he had to wait, he always made good on that urge and made love to her, slow and sweet, ignoring her pleas for fast and hard.
She gave him “Iris”, he gave her sweet.
But now, she was giving him “Landslide.” She stared right at him, belting out the lyrics in her sultry rasp he’d hear for the rest of his life.
Christ.
Beautiful.
The song started to come to an end and he patted Rory’s leg.
“Hop up, sweet girl.”
“Now?” she whisper-shouted, and he was sure everyone had heard.
Chasin hadn’t planned on doing it now, he’d planned on waiting until later when they were alone in their bed. But he couldn’t wait.
“Now,” he confirmed.
He wasn’t sure if Rory understood that they wouldn’t be getting married right then, but she slid off his lap.
Chasin waited until Evie was done, shoved his hand in his pocket, fished out the ring, and made his way to her, never breaking their gaze. Therefore he watched as her eyes flashed, nothing but love and peace shining back. He gave that to her. He knew he did because she gave it back to him.
He dropped to one knee in front of Evie, pulled her left hand off the neck of her guitar, and slid his diamond on her finger.
“Marry me?”
Evie’s lips twisted and wet hit her eyes. After all the tears he’d witnessed the day Holden was shot, he couldn’t stomach watching her cry. He hated it, despised it, it tore him up inside and he vowed she’d never have a reason to shed one more tear.
“Baby.” His hands went to her beautiful face and he swiped her tears away with his thumbs. “Please don’t cry.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Is that a yes?”
“No, honey, that’s a resounding, absolute, conclusive, one-hundred percent yes. With the caveat, you’ll make me Mrs. Murray soon. Like tomorrow, if we can pull it off.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He smiled.
“Thank you, honey.” Before Chasin could tell her she never had to thank him for loving him, she went on. “Thank you for making my dreams come true. Thank you for giving me a family. But most of all, thank you for seeing me.”
Chasin groaned.
Then he swallowed the emotion welling in his throat, but he savored the burn.
Fucking Christ, he loved her.
Top to toe. Heart and soul. Every part between.
She was his perfect match.
35
Two weeks later
Holden Stanford knew he was acting like a little bitch. Knew his attitude sucked. Knew his friends would be intervening soon because they were good men and cared about him.
He’d been surprised they’d given him the last seven years.
Seven long, excruciating years. Eight, actually. Eight years since he’d given her up, seven since she’d been widowed.
And just because her husband was dead, it did not make her free. She’d never be free. Never be available to him.
He’d had his shot and he gave her up.
His Charleigh.
His.
Until she wasn’t, and she belonged to Paul.
How was it possible to hate someone you respected, loved like a brother, mourned, and missed?
One of the many questions Holden didn’t have the answer to. One of the many reasons—and there were a lot—that Charleigh was lost to him.
That put him in a bad mood, one he’d lived with for eight years. Charleigh and Faith now living close, forcing interaction, didn’t put him in a bad mood—it killed him.
The woman was slowly shredding him, until all the scar tissue he’d formed had been ripped open and he had a fresh, gaping hole in his heart.
Fuck.
Fucking shit.
He needed to move.
When the guys approached, and they would be soon, he’d explain. They’d understand. He’d sell back his shares of Gemini Group and be on his way. Charleigh would have what she should’ve always had—Paul’s teammates taking care of her and his daughter.
But Holden couldn’t do it anymore.
He was done.
That’s where his thoughts were when he drove past Chasin and Viv’s house and continued down the dirt lane that would take him to his Airstream.
Yep, that’s what he was going to do, hook his baby to the back of his truck and bolt.
Like a little bitch.
As soon as Bobby’s house came into view, but before he could see his trailer parked on the other side, he saw something else.
Charleigh’s car.
But worse, the woman herself stood waiting.
All long legs, tits, ass, hair, and he couldn’t quite see them now but he saw them clearly every night in his dreams, soulful brown eyes. Fuck, but he loved her eyes. That was the first thing he’d noticed when he met her. And when he was moving inside of her, they melted into dark chocolate. Fuck, he missed her eyes. He missed her voice, her touch, her smell. Every damn thing he missed with an ache that would never go away.
Holden parked his truck. He didn’t see Bobby’s car and was thankful she wasn’t home to witness what he knew was going to be a scene.
“We’re not doing this,” Holden said, and slammed the heavy truck door.
“Please, Holden, we have to talk.”
Fuck, her voice.
Kill me now.
“No, Charleigh, we do not.”
“It’s been six months. We have to talk about it.”
Yeah, it had been six months since she packed up her and Paul’s daughter and moved to Maryland to commence killing him slowly.
“No. It’s been eight fucking years.”
He watched her flinch, and all of the normal guilt he felt slammed into his chest.
“Hold—”
“We’re not doing this. We’re never doing this. I cannot look at you without poison leaking into my gut.”
“You hate me that much?”
No, baby, I love you that much.
“Leigh-leigh, go home.”
Charleigh rocked back like he’d physically struck her instead of simply letting his old nickname for her slip.
Another reason for him to leave. She was hurting, too.
“Not until you listen to me.”
Holden’s jaw clenched and he ground his teeth. He did not want to listen. He didn’t want to hear whatever the hell she’d been trying to tell him for the last eighteen months, since she’d called in hysterics to tell him Paul’s stupid-ass sister was giving her trouble. He’d driven down to Virginia to take her back and sort out her issues. And since for the first time in seven years the door was opened, she’d been trying to tell him something.
He should’ve sent Nixon. But it had been Holden who promised Paul he’d take care of his family. A family he’d created but never got to see.
Goddamn, that hurt.
“Go home.”
“Does it matter to you that I still love you?”
Christ.
Shot to his heart.
“No, Charleigh, that ceased to matter when you got pregnant with Paul’s baby. Further, it ceased when I watched you walk down the aisle and marry him. And it died a long, painful death when I watched the woman I loved growing another man’s child. So, fuck no, it doesn’t matter. It’s been eight years—”
“I know how long it’s been since you left me,” she hissed. “I’m acutely aware how many years I haven’t had you. But you did that. You left me. So don’t act like you’re the injured party. I loved you. I wanted a future with you. And you threw me away. You threw us away. So, don’t blame me for that.”
That gaping hole in his heart started to bleed. He hadn’t thrown her away, he’d set her free.
Then everything he’d tried to prevent happened.
She’d lost her husband.
She’d become a widow at twenty-six.
Her daughter lost her father.
“Old ground, Charleigh.”
“You’re a stubborn asshole, you know that?”
“Yep.”
“You really don’t care, do you?”
I care more than I should.
“Nope,” he lied.
Without another word, Charleigh angled into her car. He didn’t watch her drive away.
He made his way into his Airstream, went straight back to his bed, reached under his pillow, and snatched the photo.
Charleigh.
When she was his.
Sitting on his lap, arm slanted across his chest, palm resting on his shoulder. All that thick brown hair hanging loose, wild. Big, beautiful smile on her face, brown eyes dancing with happiness.
His Leigh-leigh.
Then his eyes slid to his face in the photo.
That had been the last day he’d been happy.
Late that night lying in their bed, legs tangled, with Charleigh still naked after they’d made love, she cuddled next to him and whispered about their future. Holden took it all in, soaked up all of it. Wanted it. Believed in it.
Until she told him she wanted three kids.
Then fear knotted in his gut.
The next day, he let her go.
It had been the right thing.
So why did it still feel so wrong?
Grab your copy of Holden’s Resurrection today!
Also by Riley Edwards
Romantic Suspense
Gemini Group
Nixon’s Promise
Jameson’s Salvation
Weston’s Treasure
Alec’s Dream
Chasin’s Surrender
Holden’s Resurrection
Red Team
Nightstalker
Protecting Olivia
Redeeming Violet
Recovering Ivy
Rescuing Erin
The Gold Team
Brooks
Thaddeus
Kyle
Maximus
The 707 Freedom Series
Free
Freeing Jasper
Finally Free
Freedom
The Next Generation (707 spinoff)
Saving Meadow
Chasing Honor
Finding Mercy
Claiming Tuesday
Adoring Delaney
Keeping Quinn
Taking Liberty
Triple Canopy
Damaged
The Collective
Unbroken
Trust
Standalone
Romancing Rayne
About the Author
Riley Edwards is a USA Today bestselling author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley's favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
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Acknowledgments
To all of you – the readers: Thank you for picking up this book and giving me a few hours of your time. Whether this is the first book of mine you’ve read or you’ve been with me from the beginning, thank you for your support. It is because of you I have the coolest job in the world.