She grinned at him, thankful that he was as playful as she was. She knew that it had taken her a while to get comfortable with things, and she wasn’t completely sure she would ever be over some of the things that had happened to her, but she loved him, and she loved that he was in her life. She didn’t say it enough, but she hoped that he knew just how much he meant to her. She hadn’t ever loved anyone besides her brother, and she was learning to give that feeling to someone else. It was difficult, but she was trying. “You’re right, the quicker we get through this, the quicker we can put it behind us.”
Jagger held out his hand, clasping hers tightly. They had lived in this home together and he needed her support to walk over this threshold and back into a life they had both left. They didn’t make it much further than the front room.
He felt like he was stuck in a time warp. Save for the dust, nothing had changed since he had left at eighteen. He could still feel the emotions he had when he stepped into the house from a long day at school—the fear and anxiousness.
“It hasn’t changed at all,” he breathed.
“No, they didn’t change anything when you left; they even kept your room the same. They wouldn’t let anyone in there. We sometimes had guests—you know, members of the church—they were never allowed to sleep in your room,” Christine told him.
They made their way into the kitchen and dining room area. “This is the one part of the house I absolutely hated,” she told the rest of them. “This is where we would get our sermons from him, as we ate dinner, because he knew that he would have our attention. There wasn’t a way to escape.”
“Then, if you didn’t agree with the wisdom that he imparted on you at dinner, he would take you out back to the woodshed afterwards. It all began and ended here,” Jagger added.
“That didn’t change after you left either. Those two were so set in their ways. It’s weird because the two of them were meant for each other. They obviously shared a very deep connection to let him do what he did for so long, and I never got the feeling that Mom was scared of him.”
“Me neither,” Jagger agreed. “She always defaulted to what he wanted her to do. I hated that. I wanted her to stand on her own two feet.”
“Well, you never have to worry about that with me, babe,” Bianca rubbed her hand up and down his back.
The rest of them laughed. Bianca made it a point usually to never listen to what Jagger told her, even though what he wanted was for her own good.
They went through the house, attempting to go into every room. Christine hated the feeling the house gave her, it was like it was suffocating her. She felt the same kind of brick on her chest that she had felt when she lived there. “I hate this house,” she said when they made it through the downstairs. “I hate everything this house represents.”
“Me too,” Jagger agreed. “But I feel like we need to see this through. We’re never going to move on, if we don’t.”
She nodded, knowing that he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier. They made it through the rest of the house, both stopping at their bedrooms one last time. Jagger walked into his room and took a look around. “Y’all wanna see a secret?”
They were all intrigued, so they all agreed.
He strode over to where a picture of the Ten Commandments rested against the wallpaper and pulled it back from the wall. Underneath it sat a poster of a Harley. “It was my own little rebellion,” he explained, laughing.
“Oh my God,” Christine giggled. “I can’t believe I never knew it was there.”
“I was very careful. You know what he would have done to me if he knew I defiled his Godly home with that, but I had to do something. This place was so stuffy and stodgy. I had to have something that was mine and only mine. It was the only thing I could think of at the time.”
Travis leaned with his back against the wall. “What finally made you decide to leave?”
Jagger had a seat on the bed. “It was the day of my eighteenth birthday and I had gone to a tattoo parlor. I got this.” He pointed to his forearm, where he had a saying of some sort. It was now buried beneath the other tats he had, and it wasn’t so easy to read anymore. “My dad took one look at it and told me the devil had gotten to me. I wouldn’t be able to stay in his house until I let him beat it out of me. He wanted to take me back to the woodshed again.”
Christine shivered. She hated that damn woodshed. She hadn’t been taken there near as often as Jagger, but the few times she had were ingrained in her memory.
“We got there, and I reminded him that me being eighteen, I could now fight back, and if he dared use his belt on me, he better be prepared for me to use it on him. I wasn’t as big as I am now, but I had been lifting a little back then. I was still bigger than him, but he thought I was lying or joking, I’m not sure which. He came after me with it, and I grabbed it in my hand and turned it on him. I beat the shit out of him. He threatened to call the police on me, and I told him to go ahead, that I wasn’t scared of him anymore. I wore scars, I still wear scars, and I knew Christine had them too. I told him we’d put his ass in jail and he would never get out. I guess it scared him enough that he actually believed me. He told me to get out and never look back. I asked if I could go get my stuff, and he told me no…if I was an adult, I’d figure it out.”
“Damn, dude,” Travis said from where he stood. Christine had come to stand in front of him, and he slipped his arms around her waist, resting his chin against her shoulder. He’d had times in his childhood and early adulthood that had been rough. His mom had never been able to understand that his brain worked fast and he didn’t have the aptitude to do the things she wanted him to, but she hadn’t ever told him to get out of her house. That had been his decision.
“Yeah, so I left. It was the best and worst decision of my life. Best for me, probably worst for Christine. I’m sorry about that.” He looked up at her. “But I couldn’t stay here anymore.”
“I know,” she told him. “And regardless of what you think, I’ve never blamed you for it. You’re my brother and I love you. I love the man you’ve become and the people that you’ve brought into my life. This place,” she gestured at the house, “it doesn’t define us anymore. Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
That was one thing they could all agree on, and without one backwards glance, they walked out and away from it. This time, for good.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Christine lay that night in Travis’ arms, her head resting against his chest, listening to his heart beat strongly. This had quickly become her favorite place in the world. She loved that he would take off his shirt, open his arms, and expect her to snuggle up next to him. That heartbeat was what got her through the hard days, and the smile that he gave her was what made the other ones so easy. He had been there through everything, and she knew that she gotten lucky. She hadn’t ever known another man who had loved her as unconditionally as he did. He might not have said the words, but he proved it to her every day in everything thing he did.
“Are you okay?” he asked, running his hands up and down her back. “I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.”
When they had gotten back to the clubhouse, Liam had called a meeting and set run schedules for the next few weeks, and he hadn’t had a chance to talk to her. Things were getting back to normal now, and he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t being looked over in the busyness of everything else.
“It wasn’t easy, but honestly, it was easier than I thought it would be. It gave me anxiety, just like I knew that it would, but it didn’t define me. It didn’t break me. There was a point in my life that it would have. I’m in a good place now though, because of you and the people that you’ve brought into my life, but mostly because of you.”
He turned them so that he could look into her eyes. “I wish I had known you back then.”
“No you don’t,” she laughed. “I was a much different person, and I was still scared of everything. I wouldn’t have been receptive to yo
ur advances. Believe it or not, when you met me, I was at the absolutely worst point in my life. My car had broken down, I had no money, I was living in the CRISIS center, I had never been that far down. Even when I lived in Clinton’s house, I wasn’t that far down because I didn’t know what reality was. It was a harsh slap in the face, but then here you came.”
“You make me sound like I made a huge sacrifice. I didn’t. And let’s not forget, your hair was an awful color,” he laughed, running his hands through the strands that were now rich and healthy.
She smacked him on the chest, choosing to ignore the hair comment. “You did,” she insisted. “You didn’t know me from anyone, but there you were, protecting me, helping me find a house to live in, a reliable car, a job, and you never ever asked for anything in return. I always expected you to, but you never did. Do you know how many nights I had lingerie laid out because I figured you would be trying to cash in on what you had done for me?”
Travis grinned. “You really thought I would do something like that?”
“I didn’t know you, but I knew you would be different than Clinton, and I wanted to be prepared, as weird as that sounds. I always wanted to be the type of woman for you that other women could be for other men.” That had always been her goal, and she realized now that would always be her goal. She wanted them to have a normal relationship, she wanted them to argue, fight, make up, and enjoy life.
“Trust me, babe, you’ve never disappointed me.”
That felt good. She was glad that she hadn’t disappointed him, because she knew there were times when she could have. “I find that hard to believe, but thank you.”
“What do you want to do, now that you have all this freedom and money?” he asked, referencing the fact that she was no longer married and Clinton had more money than either of them knew what to do with.
She sighed. “I’m going to use that money for something good. Meredith and I have something up our sleeves, but we don’t want to share it with anybody just yet.” She winked at him, situating herself closer.
If it gave her something to do and a reason to stay here, stay with his family, then he was all for it. Anything that would keep her around. He was still so scared she would leave, that now she didn’t need him. She could stand on her own two feet; he didn’t have to be behind her anymore, holding her up.
“Where do you see us going?” he asked, scared to ask her the question but needing to know.
“I don’t know,” she told him truthfully. “I know that I don’t want anyone but you, and I know that there’s never been anyone more perfect for me other than you. I see myself growing up with you, changing and evolving, being the person that I want to be. Does that mean we stay together forever? I don’t have that answer, and neither do you.”
That was a start. As much as he wanted the formal answer right now, he knew that he couldn’t ask her to give him that. They had both been through something together that not many people had gone through. He was still learning how to deal with her and what she needed; she was still learning how to live a normal life. “We still have work to do?”
She shook her head. “I still have work to do. All that I ask is that you don’t get irritated with me, you let me know that I’m trying your patience, but please don’t give up on me.”
He scooted closer to her, putting his hands on her face and bringing her close to him. “I’ve never once thought of giving up on you. You’ve gotta know that by now. I either love the fuck outta you or I’m a glutton for punishment.”
A slow smile spread across her face, and she threw herself at him, burying her head in his shoulder. This right here was where she felt safest, and she knew that she never wanted to let this go. “I love you too,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what that meant before I met you, but you show me every day what that means. Your faith in me is what’s gotten me through.”
“No.” He pushed her hair back from her face, licking his dry lips. It had done something crazy to his heart when she said she loved him back. “Your faith in me has gotten me through. You’ve always trusted me and I’ve never deserved it. Together, we’re going to make a life for ourselves; we’re going to carve out our own niche and make our own family. I promise you that.”
A family of her own, one that she could love, one that she could be free with. Those words were the most beautiful that she had ever heard.
Epilogue
Travis Steele sat in front of his bank of monitors, doing what he did best. After the past few months, he had to admit that besides with Christine, this was where he felt the absolute most comfortable. Grabbing a sucker, he opened it and stuck the piece of candy in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue. Rolling his neck on his shoulders, he readjusted his glasses and took note of the time. It was getting to be late evening, and Christine should be getting home.
“Hey, babe.” She appeared in the doorframe.
“I was just thinking that you should be getting home anytime now,” he told her, moving back from the desk so that she could come sit in his lap.
“B and I got our hair highlighted at the shop,” she explained, having a seat where he patted his thigh. She reached over, taking his glasses off and sitting them on the desk.
He took the invitation and buried his face in her hair. He loved the smell of it after she got it done. There was something about the products they used at the salon. He loved it.
“You like?” she asked, a sly smirk on her face.
“I love,” he answered, leaning against the cushioned back of the chair.
She looked at him, her eyebrows coming together.
“What?” he asked, laughing when she ran her hands over the hair that had begun to grow back on top of his head. He’d been worried that it might not grow back; it was taking a long time.
“I’ve always had this question about you, but I’ve never asked it.”
He cupped her thigh with his hand, slightly stroking it. “The answer is no, I’ve never had sex in here, but I would love to break in this chair.”
She threw her head back, laughing loudly. “You perv, that’s not at all what I wanted to ask you!”
The smile on her face was easier coming now, and he liked to think that was partially because of him. He would do anything to bring that smile to her face. “Oh, okay, what is it you wanted to know?”
“These.” She picked up his glasses. “Did you lie to me when you told me you didn’t really need them? You’re wearing them a lot more lately, and I’m wondering if you’re trying to be hipster, like Tyler says, or do you really need them?”
He grabbed them from her hands. “Okay, okay, I do need them, but only when I have eye strain, which I do have right now. Can you move to the left just a minute,” he asked her, distracted suddenly.
She worried that something was happening, so she didn’t even question it. Christine turned so that she could see what he saw. “Isn’t that Rooster?” she asked.
“Yeah, and that’s Roni’s apartment.”
They watched as he parked and walked up to the door. He didn’t even knock, he had the code. Travis sat there with raised eyebrows. Only Liam had the code to her apartment. She was very careful with who she gave it to. Both he and Christine glanced at each other, the surprise evident on their faces, and then they laughed at what they had just seen.
“Wow,” he breathed. He, like all of them, had known they’d had a relationship as teenagers, but he didn’t know they were still hanging out with each other now. Travis looked at Christine, a grin on his face. “Guess we’re not the only two that have had a dirty little secret.”
The End
Acknowledgments
Allison, for always being there with me through all of this. I don’t think it would be the same experience if you weren’t here with me. One day, we’ll see our names in bright lights! :)
My friends and family, thank you for being as understanding as possible when it comes to my writing. I know sometimes you all wonder why I’m spendin
g so much time doing it, but it is something that I truly love, and it’s brought a lot to all of our lives. I appreciate you all not giving me too much shit about it!
Slick, Didi, Halos & Horns, Swept Away by Romance, Mariann’s Book Blog, and the other blogs and Facebook Pages that have taken a chance on me and the series. I can’t thank you enough!
There are a whole bunch of people that make Heaven Hill happen and keep me on task. Thank you so much for everything that you do and all the support that you give! This isn’t always easy, but you all make it worthwhile!
Book Six
Second Chance Love
Heaven Hill Book #6
By Laramie Briscoe
Blurb
Mistakes
Secrets
Second Chances
Sharon “Roni” Walker and Brandon “Rooster” Hancock have a past. As teenagers and young adults they were lovers, sneaking around, hoping not to get caught. When Rooster took the fall for her, in a crime he didn’t commit, a string of events were set forth that changed lives and ruined friendships.
Seventeen years later they are at a turning point. Secrets have been revealed, mistakes have been forgiven, and now it’s up to them to choose the type of relationship they want.
There’s a passion that burns bright, but at the same time there is a fear that it will all be taken away in the blink of an eye like it was before.
They have a decision to make—do they let go of what could be the happiest time in their life, or do they take a shot on a second chance love?
Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series Page 96
