I chose not to attend the sit-down, mostly because I couldn’t talk Link into taking me with him and I didn’t want to fight with him. Though I don’t know what was ultimately said during their time together, in the end, Anthony agreed.
According to Link, it didn’t take much convincing for Anthony to get on board. Bates ruined his life, too. He nearly killed him, and just as Bates used the love Link and I have for each other against us, he used Anthony’s love for his family against him for years to control him and keep him quiet.
But none of us will be his puppets any longer.
Link and I are snuggled on the couch, watching a movie when there’s a knock on the door. We both look at each other, hoping this is what we’ve been waiting for and not the news we’ve feared instead.
My stomach churns, threatening to expel the popcorn I recently gorged myself on. I take a deep breath, willing my nausea down.
Byers stands on the stoop when Link opens the door and my pulse hums in my throat.
“Sorry to come by so late, but I have some news.”
“No, no problem,” Link says, stepping back to make room for Byers. “Come on in.”
His eyes land on me, where I sit, tensed on the couch. “Hey there, missy. How’s that little one treating you?”
I rub the small bump that’s recently formed in my stomach and force a smile. “Pretty good as long as I feed her properly.”
“Her?”
Link shrugs. “Rocky insists it’s a girl, but we don’t know for sure yet.”
Byers nods. “Listen to that intuition,” he replies. “It never steers you wrong.”
“What’s the news?” Link prompts.
Byers scratches his chin, gaze holding Link’s as he says, “Greg Anthony killed Carter Bates this afternoon. There was an altercation. Both men were injured. Anthony survived. Bates didn’t. I thought you’d want to know.”
I put my hand over my mouth, not from shock, but to keep myself from puking. I can’t believe it worked. I can’t believe… It only took ten days for Link’s plan to come to fruition. I can’t believe he’s dead.
I can’t…
My eyes flick over to Link.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that,” he utters.
Byers nods slowly. “Me neither, son.” He turns for the door, but pauses with his hand on the knob. “I’m officially retired. I’ve closed the case on Woods. There was more than enough circumstantial evidence to charge Bates, and with his record… I think it’s safe to say the right person has been brought to justice.”
I watch, replaying his statement as he opens the door.
“He might not have been the one who committed the crime, but I believe the right person took the blame.”
Link’s head snaps up, staring into the back of Byers’ head.
“And Link?” He glances over his shoulder, eyes intent on Link’s.
“Yes, sir?” he replies roughly.
“Make the most of the second chance you’ve been given.”
It’s evident Byers knows—maybe not everything—but he knows something, and he’s not acting on it. I don’t know if it’s because he’s retiring, or because he agrees the men responsible for Link and Olivia’s attack should pay the ultimate price, or if it’s his fondness for Link. Maybe it’s a mixture of all the above. He knows, but he’s giving Link another chance.
Link nods, “I plan to.”
After
Life Goes On
(Even after all the struggles, life just keeps moving forward.)
Forty
Link
There are only two unequivocal truths to every life.
One: You are born.
Two: You will die.
Whatever happens in-between is entirely left up to you and fate and the big man upstairs.
My past has taught me fate is neither friend nor foe. Fate does what fate wants, no matter the consequences. And God? He and I have a love/hate relationship. I loved Him, but for some reason, He has always forsaken me…
Or so I believed.
I realize now, that everything He has put me through brought me to this exact place. Had anything been different, I wouldn’t be holding my baby girl in my arms.
I kiss my daughter’s forehead, careful not to wake her, and lay her in her crib. Rocky and I are overdue for some much-needed alone time before she starts her art classes next week.
I draw the curtains, switch on the monitor, and close the door to Olivia’s room behind me. Rocky chose her name after I decided I wanted to cover the tattoo on my chest. It felt like it was time to let her go. After all, life is for the living. When I told my girlfriend, her belly fully rounded with our child, she asked me to keep it, explaining she’d like to name our daughter after my late girlfriend. I was whole-heartedly against it until she clarified why.
Our daughter wouldn’t be here had it not been for Olivia. The price for my child’s existence was Livie’s life.
I finally found the redemption I searched for in my baby girl. She has changed a name that caused me anguish into a symbol of love and courage and strength.
The other woman who helped me learn that is waiting for me.
Down the hall, Rocky is submerged in the tub. She grins when I come into the room, already half-stripped.
“I almost started without you,” she breathes.
I pause, cocking an eyebrow. “Please do,” I encourage. “I can jump in anytime.” She flicks her wrist, sending drops of foamy water across the tile.
“Everything’s more fun when you share with a friend.”
I chuckle, unbuttoning my jeans. “I love the way you turn our eight-month-old daughter’s songs dirty.”
“Get in here and have your way with me.”
I don’t need to be told twice. I slip out of my remaining clothes and step into the hot water. It sloshes over the side as I settle in, dragging Rocky onto my lap. She rests her knees on either side of my hips, bringing us flush together.
My fingers slip into her hair, pulling her closer. I nibble on her bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth. She hums happily, and the sound is like music. I love when she’s happy.
Her damp hands cup my cheeks as she deepens the kiss. She’s taking control, and I gladly hand it over to her.
My cock twitches against her, already begging for entrance, and she doesn’t make me wait. Her hand slides between our bodies, guiding me inside of her. Her pace is relaxed—torturous, and perfect. I drag my fingers from her hair, down her back, slipping into the water to grasp her ass.
Her lips move to my neck, trailing her tongue up to my earlobe. “I can even turn a bath dirty,” she says.
A laugh sputters from my lips. “God, I love you,” I breathe.
Her body stills, muscles going taut. Her eyes meet mine and I say it again, answering the question so clear in her gaze. “I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
And it’s true. Frighteningly so. What I felt for Livie pales in comparison to the ever-growing love I feel for this woman. She has given me everything I didn’t know I needed, and so much more than I wanted.
“I love you too, Link.”
“We have the house, the kid... There’s only one thing left to do.”
“What’s that?”
She starts moving again, grinding into me, and it’s difficult to answer her when she feels so fucking good.
I place my hands on her face, our gazes locking. “To get married,” I state, and then I kiss her.
Acknowledgments
I’m going to keep this super quick and simple.
I have one of the best families in the world. Thank you all for not only supporting my writing dream, but for helping make it a reality. I couldn’t do it without you. Dawn, thank you thank you thank you for your quick editing during crunch time. You’re always there for me—thank you! You’re the best! Daryl, thank you for my awesome cover. I know I say it every time, but THIS is my favorite! Love you guys!
Sunniva Dee
, you rock, lady! Seriously. Thank you so much for beta reading and editing pieces at a time as I hurtled toward the finish line. I appreciate you so damn much—for your friendship, for your insight, for your beautiful books that I adore, and for the brain behind it all. Love you! (Btw, did the repeated for just make you cringe a little? LOL!)
To the bloggers who have loved this series, thank you so much for your support. I wasn’t sure how everyone would react to Link’s dark mind, but you guys just GOT him. You understood him, and cared for him. For you, I gave him the happily-ever-after you all requested.
And to my readers—you’re the best. Thank you for picking up my books and giving them a chance. After all this time, it still feels surreal. I love you guys! Please swing by one of my pages and talk to me. I love hearing from you.
About the Author
Cheryl McIntyre is the author of the bestselling Sometimes Never series, as well as the Dirty series, Infinitely, Dark Calling, Villain, and HARD. She resides in Ohio with her high school sweetheart, their two sons, one daughter, one fur son, and a hamster.
You can follow her author page on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter—though she has not yet mastered the art of tweeting—on Amazon, BookBub, tsū, Instagram, Pinterest, or on her website. You can also join her newsletter to receive information about new releases and current sales.
Find Cheryl
Website:
http://cherylmcintyrebooks.com/
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Amazon Author Central page:
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Other books by Cheryl
New Adult Romance:
Sometimes Never
Blackbird (A Sometimes Never Novella)
Before Now
Long After
Always Forever
Let It Be (A Sometimes Never Novella)
Sometimes Never: The Series Box Set
New Adult Crime Romance:
Infinitely
Villain
Adult Suspense:
Getting Dirty (Dirty 1)
Playing Dirty (Dirty 2)
Talking Dirty (Dirty 3)
Fighting Dirty (Dirty 4)
Staying Dirty (Dirty 5)
Dirty (The Five-Part Serial Bundle)
YA Paranormal Romance:
Dark Calling
Grit (Dirty #6) Page 16
