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But like all good things, it had to come to an end.
We both had an early morning, so I took Raelyn home and walked her up to the front door. Her eyes locked on mine as she smiled and asked, “Do you want to come in for a bit?”
“I should really get going.”
“Oh.” Disappointment marked her face. “Well, I had a really good time tonight.”
“I did, too.” I couldn’t begin to describe how badly I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to take her inside and spend the entire night showing her exactly how much I didn’t want to go, but instead, I said, “We’ll do it again sometime soon.”
“I’d like that.”
A heaviness filled the air as we stood there staring at one another.
I knew what she was thinking. It was written all over her beautiful face. Raelyn was wondering if I’d kiss her.
I didn’t.
I took a step back and said, “I gotta get going.”
“Oh, okay.”
The urge to reach for her was almost too much to bear. I had to get the hell out of there before my resistance broke. Disappointment flashed through her eyes as I whispered, “Night, Rae.”
“Good night, Conor.”
I turned and forced myself to walk off that porch. I got on my bike, started the engine and, with Davies following close behind, pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the clubhouse. As I rode, I couldn’t stop thinking about Raelyn and our night together.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman would turn my entire world upside down in ways I couldn’t imagine. That thought should’ve been enough to send me running.
It wasn’t.
I wasn’t going anywhere—not until I made her mine.
RAELYN
“I’ve spoken in length with the prosecuting attorney, and he’s agreed to a plea deal.” Jack Bivens, our family lawyer, looked over at me with a grimace. “It’s pretty tough, but there’s no jail time.”
“Really? That’s great!” Mr. Bivens had been my dad’s lawyer for as long as I could remember. He was older than my father, distinguished and well-spoken, and he’d handled everything when my mother died and anything since then. I knew he was excellent at his job, but apparently, he was even better than I thought. “What are the conditions of the deal?”
“He agreed to two years probation, sixty hours of community service, and a twelve-hundred-dollar fine.”
“Two years probation?”
“I know that sounds like a lot, but it’s less than I expected. I thought for sure he’d go for five, especially considering the offense.” He raised his eyebrow and gave Haleigh and me a condescending look as he added, “It’s no secret that people who are into things like parachuting off rooftops tend to find themselves in trouble again, and it’s often more serious.”
“I understand, but I assure you I have no intention of getting into any more trouble.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” my father interjected. “And that goes for both of you.”
“Yes, sir,” Haleigh answered. “I really appreciate you helping us, Mr. Thomas. I promise we won’t screw up.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
I was slammed at work and worried about how I’d manage to get in all the hours, so I asked, “What kind of community service will we have to do, and when does it start?”
“Well, you have a few options.” Mr. Bivens flipped through the file on his desk, and when he found what he was looking for, he started to read off the list. “There’s the Metro Nashville Beautification and Environment Commission, which would involve litter pickup and various landscaping projects. There are also several animal shelters that you can choose from or a couple of food pantries.”
Mr. Bivens leaned across his desk and offered Haleigh and me the court-issued list of possible locations to fulfill our community service hours. After we looked it over, Haleigh glanced at me and asked, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “At this point, I’m up for anything.”
“Okay, how about one of the animal shelters?”
“Sounds good to me.” I turned my attention to my father, pleased that he appeared a little less stressed. “What do you think?”
“I think an animal shelter would be just fine.”
“Great. Then, that’s what we’ll do.” I turned to Mr. Bivens and asked, “So, how does all of this work?”
“We’ll call the shelter and let them know the two of you are interested in completing your community service with them and ask their available times.”
“Okay, and when will we do that?”
“No time like the present.”
Once he’d confirmed our schedules and available service times, Mr. Bivens picked up his office phone and dialed the animal shelter. He spoke with the director and explained the reason for his call. After a little back and forth, Mr. Bivens thanked them for their help and hung up the phone. He smiled and said, “Okay, you’re all set. They’ll be expecting you in an hour.”
