by J. L. Drake
I stood outside the cemetery, my fingers linked around the iron gate, unable to move. Through the light rain, I spotted the Young family side by side with black umbrellas held over their bowed heads.
An outsider might have taken a moment to share in the sorrow of such a sad scene, but unfortunately, that was not the case. The man who was being lowered into his grave had not only robbed three souls of their lives but ruined countless others around them. Karma had evened the score, and I felt nothing.
Aubrey must have sensed my presence, as she slowly turned to look over her shoulder. I stood straighter and held her gaze until she broke away and turned her attention back to the priest.
I waited until the service was finished and stepped back, feeling stronger than I had when I arrived. I thought part of me just needed to know he was gone, and the nightmare was truly over.
I turned toward Carter, who watched me patiently from the edge of the walkway. He was dressed in slacks and a dress coat, his tie visible at his throat. He was a handsome man, and I couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate his appearance as he approached me with an umbrella in his hand. He stopped a few feet away as if questioning if he was stepping over a line
“I know you said you wanted to do this alone,” he slowly shrugged, “but we’re in this together, right? All the way.”
My chest warmed, and I suddenly realized how much I needed him today. When he saw me break, he opened his arms, and I rushed in, pressing my forehead to his chest.
“It’s okay.” He held me tightly as I sobbed ten years’ worth of weight away. I wasn’t mourning Myles. I was mourning the time I had wasted on someone who never knew what true love really meant.
“It’s all over, Arizona.” He kissed my hair and held me tighter. “It’s just you and me and our happiness.”
I nodded so he knew I heard him.
“Come on.” He pulled me back and dried the tears from my face, although they were quickly replaced with rain drops.
He threaded his fingers through mine, and I took a deep breath and walked with him out to the road and toward our future.
“It’s our time to live.”
***
I could smell the change in the air, spring making a push into the tail end of winter. Small green buds fought to wiggle their way through the cold earth to start another season of growth. Mid-day was my favorite, and I loved to come out here and stroll around by the pond in front of our building. It was when the sun was at its warmest and most welcoming. I held up my hand and admired the princess-cut diamond that sparkled in the bright light. With our wedding plans in full swing, I felt a deep-rooted happiness that all would be right again. I only hoped Walker’s grandfather could hold on long enough to join in on the celebration.
I popped a piece of popcorn in my mouth and savored its salty taste. A duck quacked at me and wagged its cute little tail as if asking to join my moment of peace. I tossed a small piece his way, and he gobbled it up with another happy quack.
Grady: I’m heading into town next month. Double date?
I felt excited when I read the text. I couldn’t wait to have a little Grady time. It was long overdue.
Arizona: Say when and where, and we’ll be there. Can’t wait!
The duck quacked for more, and I returned to my duty.
“You like that?” I called to him, happy that he liked my snack as much as I did.
“Arizona?” And just like that, I was shot back to a time I never wanted to think about.
“Ken.” I sighed and felt my mood drop along with my shoulders. “Why are you here?”
He looked different—vulnerable, almost—but of course that couldn’t be true. Ken Young was a mighty ox who would outlive us all.
“I wanted to see you. I’ve been trying to process all that has happened, and I wanted to give you this.” He handed me an envelope, and I studied it for a moment before I took it from his hand.
“What is it?”
“It’s a check for five hundred thousand dollars.”
I pulled back sharply from him, the envelope fluttering in my fingers.
“What! Why on Earth are you giving me this?” I held it out to him like the paper might bite me.
“Ari,” he used my nickname, which had me look at him strangely, “please, hear me out. I’m not buying you off or offering you hush money. What Myles did was wrong and unforgivable. I’m sorry I didn’t stop him all those years ago, and I’m sorry I gave him enough rope that ultimately got three people killed. You are a good person, Arizona, far better than me. This money is what is left from Myles’s trust fund, and since you were still legally married, this is what’s yours.”
“Ken—”
“Use it for that center where you volunteer or buy a house or something. I know it doesn’t make up for what happened, but it’s a start.”
Before I could say anything else, he gave me a quick hug and headed for his car. I stood there with my jaw hanging open, feeling like my world was spinning.
“Five hundred thousand dollars,” I whispered in disbelief. Suddenly, everything fell into place. Like a newly finished jigsaw puzzle, my life finally became clear, and I knew what I needed to do.
I pulled out my phone and called Carter.
“Hey, babe, are you still outside?” His warm voice mixed with my excitement.
“Carter,” I paused, trying to string my words together, “can you come downstairs?”
“Sure, but are you okay? You sound different.”
“Yes,” I wiped a tear away as I crossed the parking lot and waved to Otis, “I think I’m better than okay.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Arizona
Eighteen Months Later
“Yes, the bunk beds go in room number four, and the two queen beds and dressers go into room six.” I juggled the bags that were swinging from my arms. “That’s right. Thank you, Charlie, and Merry Christmas!”
I hung up and answered the next call that was trying to push through.
“Hey, Jessi, the beds are being set up, and the couch and new TV should be there tonight.”
“That’s great. Oh, my God, Ari, you should see the rugs. They’re shag, and I’m so okay with it. It’s like a treat for the feet.”
I laughed and held my hand up while I crossed the street. The money Ken gave me was more than enough to update the rec center, and we were able to finalize all the paperwork, as Walker’s grandfather had signed guardianship over to me and Carter before he passed away last year.
“Have you heard from Cook today?”
“Yes.” I heard the excitement in her voice.
“Great.” I couldn’t help but smile that my best friend had found someone just as wonderful as I had. “I’m just getting home, so I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay…and, Ari?”
“Yeah?” I handed my bags to Otis, who whisked toward the elevator.
“We’re both happy.”
I stopped and let her words sink in. “We are, aren’t we?”
“Yeah.” I heard her sniff. “All right, well, until tomorrow.”
“Until tomorrow. Love you, Jessi. “
“Not as much as I love you.”
I tucked my phone away and rushed into the elevator with Otis. This would be our last Christmas in the city. Our new home was being built and was a quick fifteen minutes away from my parents’ place. As excited as we were, we both felt sad because we would certainly miss this man. He may have once been just our friendly doorman, but he was now part of the family.
“You look happy, Mrs. Carter.” Otis gave me one of his famous smiles, the ones that made you feel like you were family. I was so happy he got to be a part of our wedding.
“I really am, Otis.”
“Well, then, I’m happy, too.”
I smiled an
d took my bags from him and stepped out of the elevator to the sound of Garfield’s Christmas from the early nineties. With a little juggling, I opened the door to the apartment and put the bags on the table. I walked into the living room to find everything decorated except the tree.
“Well, hello.” I smiled at how warm the place looked. “What have you two been up to?”
“Me and Dad got a tree!” Walker ran over with Jasper dangling from his arms. He side-hugged me, giving my hand three squeezes. I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek and patted his new best friend on the head.
“I see that.” I kissed Carter when he came over to help me with the presents and whispered, “How in the world is Jasper not losing his shit right now?”
“He’s psychotic, but he’s smart. Think of all the treats he’s getting now.” We both laughed at that, but when Walker looked over, we changed the subject.
“So,” Carter beamed, “what did the doctor say?”
“About?” I teased as he kissed my seventeen-week belly that cocooned our little girl.
“About our little miracle?”
“That the surgery worked, you have strong swimmers, and we are very compatible.”
“Now, I could have told you that.” He laughed, and I beamed up at the man I loved with every fiber of my heart. Besides being deliriously happy that our little family was growing, it was kind of a silent FU to Myles.
I glanced over my shoulder at Walker then turned back to my husband. “So, Latch will be delivered this weekend wearing a bright red bow.” I showed Carter the photo Cook had sent me this afternoon of the little dalmatian currently being looked after by the guys at the station. I only hoped they wouldn’t get too attached before they had to bring him to us.
“He’s going to be so excited!” Carter’s eyes danced with delight. As much as adding another member to our family right before a new baby arrived sounded exhausting, I knew the puppy wasn’t just for Walker. It was for Carter, too.
“No peeking, Dad,” I warned with a wink toward the gifts he held in his hands, as I worried Walker would get wind of our second surprise we had for him.
“I would never!” He played along. “We have been very busy men today, haven’t we, buddy?” Carter reached out for Walker, who was now standing on the couch, and smothered him with affection. “We decorated, we made cookies, and we even got a tree.”
“Can we decorate it now, Arizona? I mean Mommy,” he corrected himself, and I wanted to cry. I still couldn’t believe Walker was ours. His grandfather had been beyond happy that his little grandson would have two people in his life who loved him more than their next breath.
“Of course we can. Mommy is home!” Carter swung Walker onto his back and acted like an airplane over to the box of lights. “Hey, Walker, have I ever told you the way your mother and I met?”
“No.” His little nose wrinkled as he thought.
“Well, it all started with a Christmas tree…”
The End
If you or anyone you know needs help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
or
Text LOVEIS to 22522
You are never alone.
Everyday Heroes World
Want to keep up with all of the other books in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World? You can visit us anytime at http://www.kbworlds.com/ and the best way to stay up to date on all of our latest releases and sales, is to sign up for our official KB Worlds newsletter HERE.
Are you interested in reading the bestselling books that inspired the Everyday Heroes World? You can find them HERE.
Books by J.L. Drake
World One
(All books connect in World One)
Broken
Shattered
Mended
Honor
Escape
Trigger
Demons
Unleashed
Freedom
Omertà
Courage
Darkness Lurks
Darkness Follows
Darkness Falls
World Two
(Not connected to World One)
Behind My Words
Christmas at the Cabin
All In
Quiet Wealth
Acknowledgements
My mother, for the endless phone calls and FaceTimes trying to tame my inner darkness to allow me to write from a lighter side.
My agent Kimberly, who helped light a fire under me to keep me going during a hard time.
My friends-my teams-my go-tos, thank you for giving me an ear when I needed it and for beta reading Arizona and Carter’s story in its early stages.
To Christina DeTorio and Jennifer MacKinnon, for all your invaluable help to ensure that the firefighters were properly represented and their story accurately told.
And of course, to my readers, who always wait patiently while I crawl inside my cave and lose myself in another world.
Thank you.
About the Author
Author J.L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she lives with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing she loves to spend time with her family, traveling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love for the four seasons. Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing.
Her books can be found in different languages around the world.
You can connect with J.L. Drake on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, BookBub, and Goodreads!
You can also check out her website at:
www.authorjldrake.com.
Also Written by K. Bromberg
Driven
Fueled
Crashed
Raced
Aced
Slow Burn
Sweet Ache
Hard Beat
Down Shift
UnRaveled
Sweet Cheeks
Sweet Rivalry
The Player
The Catch
Cuffed
Combust
Cockpit
Control
Faking It
Resist
Reveal
Then You Happened
Hard to Handle
Flirting with 40
Hard to Hold
Hard to Score
Hard to Lose