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Everleigh tensed, and I regretted asking. Gunner found her brother six months ago but wouldn’t tell us any details. Locked Security’s resources combined with my contacts eventually dug up a trail. And somehow Archer ended up working for him. Everleigh had only seen him twice since he came back. I knew the distance he put between them weighed on her, but she was also trying to give him space.
“He seemed okay when I talked to him last week. Said Gunner is sending him on his first mission.”
I rolled over, bracketing Everleigh between my arms. Time to erase that forlorn look on her face. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Breakfast burrito,” she murmured and nipped my ear, her body going soft again.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and with a groan, I slid off her, adjusting myself. Everleigh pulled down her top, shooting me a grin. Two seconds later, the door sprang open, and the other love of my life appeared, hair standing up in a wild rat’s nest, her pajama pants twisted.
I opened my arms, and she climbed over me, settling between Everleigh and me. Everleigh turned on her side and put her arm over my daughter. I didn’t think I’d ever have so many perfect mornings. But every day was a gift, and I intended to appreciate each moment.
Which was why I’d take my girls out on the boat today and finally ask Everleigh to become my wife.
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The next book in the series is called Charge, and Archer and Thea’s story. Read on for an excerpt or preorder HERE.
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CHARGE - PROLOGUE
Then
Thea
“There’s nowhere for you to hide,” my mom’s screech sounded through the thin walls of the trailer we shared.
Something shattered, and I winced, hoping it wasn’t another plate. We were down to three.
“I knew I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance.”
Her words slammed against the iron-clad wall I’d built around myself. She could no longer penetrate it. Her barbs no longer hurt. My flimsy door, on the other hand, wouldn’t hold up to the assault she’d wage against it soon.
Pushing my small window open, I slipped outside, landing hands first in the overgrown grass. The trailer park I’d lived in my whole life backed onto parkland, the perfect place to disappear.
Evading my mom had become a skill I’d excelled at from an early age. It was a necessity for survival.
I’d been using the window as soon as I’d realized nothing I did or said could stop her raging anger.
And like every time things at home became too much to bear, I made my way to my best friend’s house. Everleigh’s parents were barely ever home, and her housekeeper didn’t mind the extra mouth to feed.
At least the days I stayed with her I didn’t have to go to bed hungry. I worked at a small diner in town, but the money didn’t stretch far. Not after paying for rent and utilities.
The smart thing would be to leave my family far behind. But instead, I scrambled to hold on to the pathetic life I had. But what else was there? I had no money of my own and no way to get out of Falina. The small town was the only place I knew.
Not looking behind me—because that would take time I didn’t have—I sprinted for the line of trees.
“Get back here, you ungrateful little shit. You owe me.” I could hear her yelling across the trailer park, but nobody would care. They’d gotten blind and deaf to what was going on over the years.
I made my way through the thick underbrush, scraping my arms and legs.
When the first property with perfectly cut green grass came into view, I sighed in relief. The new housing development was beautiful, and I’d always dreamed of living in such a nice place. There were no potholes in the road, and none of the houses had broken windows. I could walk down the road without getting hassled.
Maybe in another life this is where I’d end up instead of the moldy trailer I call home.
When I saw Everleigh’s house, I sped up. It had become my sanctuary. I didn’t know what I would have done without her all these years.
I walked around the house to the gate leading into the backyard. Everleigh had claimed the basement, and I had a key to the door that would get me straight there.
