Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
I pretend to think about it. “Twice this morning, three times before the game, and including just now,” I grin, “five times since the game.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“An idiot who fucks you so good you see Jesus, right?”
“You’re not going to let me forget I said that, are you?”
I laugh, pushing her hair back off her face. “Now why would I go and do something stupid like that?”
“Well,” she murmurs, reaching down between us and taking hold of my cock, slowly pumping her hand up and down my length before raising up on her knees and lowering herself back down on me, taking me whole. “I guess I have no other choice but to give you something even better and make you forget.”
And not a second later, she rocks her hips, and my whole fucking world is blown.
TANNER
ONE YEAR LATER
Standing with a heavy heart, I watch as the Hardin brothers are dragged out of the courtroom in handcuffs, where they’ll each be spending the next thirty or forty years of their lives behind bars. I should be happy. Justice has finally been served, but there’s been so much pain and loss there’s simply no room to celebrate. All that matters is they’ll be right where they belong, rotting in a cell beside Orlando where they can talk shit about me day in and day out.
The day I knocked on Gina’s door, I didn’t need to tell her who I was. She recognized me, despite being five years older. I expected her to hit me, yell at me, even be fearful, but what I didn’t expect was for her to step into me and wrap me in her warm embrace. She cried on my shoulder before welcoming me into her home. We talked and she cried before sharing with me everything she’s been through, confessing she had prayed that one day I would find the courage to come forward and help her put the Hardin brothers away. And that’s exactly what I set out to do.
It’s been a hard year, and at first, I was terrified. I thought the brothers would come for me and they sure as fuck tried, multiple times, but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t prepared for. I had so much to lose, but if Gina could face them after everything she’d lost, then so could I.
The doors close behind the brothers, and after standing for the judge to leave, I take Bri’s hand and lead her out of the courtroom. “You okay?” she murmurs, looking up into my eyes.
I give her a tight smile, the weight of this still resting on my shoulders. Hell, I don’t think it’ll ever go away, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.
Gina walks out with her lawyer and she comes straight to me, giving me a warm smile before pulling me into her arms. “I couldn’t have done this without you, Tanner,” she tells me. “You really are a wonderful man. Thank you. I’m so glad you managed to put yourself on the right path.”
“I’m just sorry you had to go through any of this,” I tell her. “Nothing can change what you lost that night.”
“No, nothing ever will, nor will it take the memories away, but now I will be able to find peace knowing they won’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again. The streets of Hope Falls will be safe, and whether you believe it or not, there are countless families who can all rest easy now that they’ve been put away.”
I nod, giving her a tight smile, wishing I could feel it the same way she does. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I start, watching as her brows furrow with concern. “I’ve been thinking about doing this for quite a while but wanted to wait until the trial was over.” I pause awkwardly, unsure what she will think of this. “How would you feel if I were to start a foundation in your son’s name for the underprivileged families in lower class areas who are dealing with situations like your own? It could be a safe place for them to go after crime or devastation has torn their lives apart, somewhere to heal, or just somewhere they can go to talk, shower, or eat.”
“A safe haven for survivors,” she finishes for me.
“Exactly,” I tell her. “Like I said, I’d like to open the foundation in your son’s name, if you’re okay with that obviously, and if you were wanting to be a part of it, I’d like to take you on board as one of the directors. I want this to be yours.”
She gapes at me as though I’ve just lost my mind. “Are you sure?” she breathes. “I think this is a wonderful idea and really, Jonah would have gotten a kick out of having his name attached to something so special, but I … I couldn’t. It’s a very lovely offer, but I wouldn’t know the first thing about being a director of something so important.”