by Devney Perry
“A real life.”
I followed her gaze to the water. “Yes, I did.”
Brooks and Wyatt were on the dock, tinkering with something on the boat. Brooks must have felt my stare because he looked up and waved. The smile tugging at his lips was likely the same one that had gotten me pregnant.
“I want a real life, Lonny.”
I put my hand on her forearm. “You’re sure leaving Boston is the right call?”
“I’m sure.” She tipped her head to the sky. “But I still can’t believe I did it. That I left it all behind.”
Last night, she’d told me that she’d sold her company, her house and her car. She’d kept her investments in other ventures that required little to no work, but as of yesterday, she was unemployed and homeless.
Wealthy, but homeless nonetheless.
“I don’t know where I belong,” she confessed. “I think when you were in Boston and I was working so much, it was easy to pretend I was where I needed to be. But I’m alone. I’ve been alone since we were kids.”
I’d had a miserable childhood, but Gemma’s made mine seem like a fairy tale.
“I figured I’d give West Virginia a try for a few days until I decide where to go next,” she said, turning her attention again to Ellie. “Worked for you.”
“True.” I kept my gaze on my husband.
Brooks and Wyatt had the fishing poles out now. The two of them had been spending more and more time together as of late. Wyatt still went to spend every other week with Moira, but every weekend, he was here with Brooks. They were putting in time together while they still had it. Wyatt was being scouted by four different college teams, and before we blinked, he’d be gone.
Brooks looked to the house again, once more catching my eye. This time, I waved. His handsome face was rough with stubble, his hair windblown and unruly. My heart skipped.
“Ugh,” Gemma groaned. “You’re almost impossible to be around right now. You two are worse than you and Karson as kids.”
“I’m not even sorry.” I giggled. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I’m happy for you.”
I smiled. “Me too. What will you do?”
“I don’t have the faintest damn idea.”
Maybe I did. I held up a hand. “Wait here.”
I hurried through the house for the kitchen, finding Brooks’s keys. I twisted off the two I needed and when I returned to the porch, I found Brooks at the table next to Gemma. He’d stolen Ellie from her.
“Here.” I tossed Gemma the keys to the Cadillac.
She caught them. “What are these?”
“The keys to the Cadillac. Take it. When you find him, tell Karson thanks.”
Gemma studied the keys, then closed them in her grip. “Thanks for what?”
I took in Brooks, who was smiling at our daughter.
“For leading me home.”
The Runaway series continues with Wild Highway.
Wild Highway
Gemma Lane built an empire. Not a small feat, considering her home as a teenager was a makeshift tent in a California junkyard. She’s dedicated her life to turning pennies into millions. She has power, fortune and prestige.
And she’s leaving it all behind.
Gemma is headed across the country in her best friend’s Cadillac when a detour in Montana reunites her with old acquaintances and a man who hasn’t changed. Easton Greer challenges her every word and tests her every limit because he doesn’t believe she’s really abandoned her riches. She ignores his snide remarks and muttered censure—until the day she’s ready to return to the wild highway, and Easton taunts her to stay.
She’ll prove to him she’s not just running back to her wealthy life, that she’s more than her money. She’ll unlock her guarded heart and hope that this time around, he’ll treasure the key.
Order Wild Highway
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading Runaway Road! This series is a passion project of mine, inspired by a daydream I had one day when organizing my bookshelf.
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When I was a kid, I loved reading. My favorite “chapter books” were The Boxcar Children. Over the years, I’ve been collecting them, hoping one day my own kids would love them as much as I did. One day I was in my office, staring at my bookshelf and lost in thought, when I spotted the spines for that series and wondered what happened to those kids as adults. From there, Londyn and her junkyard friends were born. I can’t wait to introduce you to the others as the series continues.
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Special thanks to my editing and proofreading team: Elizabeth Nover, Lauren Clarke, Julie Deaton, Karen Lawson and Judy Zweifel. Thank you to Sarah Hansen for the beautiful cover. And thank you to my publicist, Danielle Sanchez.
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Thank you to all the members of Perry Street for being the best superfans I could ask for. Thank you to the incredible bloggers who read and spread the word about my books. And thank you to my friends and my wonderful family for your unconditional love and support.
About the Author
Devney is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her family. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she’s discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop.
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