Letting Go of Us (Anchored Hearts Vol. 3)

by J. M. Witt

  “Yes! Besides, we’re already married, so it’s kind of a done deal.”

  “You look beautiful.” I looked down at the dress and knew that James must’ve had a hand in that, too.

  “Thank you. I’m very lucky to have so many amazing men in my life. Without you and Cal and now James, I don’t know where I’d be.”

  “Let’s not worry about that.” He took a deep breath as the doors opened and the music changed.

  “Oh, I love this song.”

  James must’ve picked it. It was on my JB3 playlist and I absolutely loved the song. How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding began to serenade me as everyone stood, awaiting my entrance. I spotted him at the altar, smiling back at me and my heart melted. That incredible man, flawed he may have been, but he loved me perfectly. Over and over again he proved to me he was willing to do anything to show me he loved me. All the hurt we’d caused each other had been worth it. Because without it, we wouldn’t have been where we were.

  My dad whispered, “Last chance. Say the word and we can run.”

  I laughed out loud and turned to my dad, “Not a chance.”

  The End

  Epilogue

  ~ JAMES ~

  “Cassidy! Are you ready?” I was downstairs, impatient for her so we could go. I’d told her that I needed to show her some things at the house. Unbeknownst to her, the house was done. She thought we’d be moving in two weeks, after Christmas. This was my gift to her.

  “Hold your horses. I don’t understand why we have to go to the house. Can’t we just look at paint swatches at the store?”

  “I already told you no. You need to see it in person.”

  “I told you keeping me out of there for the past month was a mistake. Or maybe it was the two weeks in Hawaii that put us behind schedule.” She stuck her tongue out at me. She was purposely goading me.

  The morning after our wedding, we’d come home and I told her to pack.

  “Pack for what?”

  “I’m taking you on a honeymoon, somewhere warm. That’s all I’m telling you.”

  “James…”

  “Don’t! Melissa and Lena have it covered. Your ass is mine for the next two weeks.”

  “Two weeks! You’re out of your mind.”

  “Yes, I am. And if you don’t do as you’re told you’ll be naked the whole time.”

  It had been an amazing two weeks away and I wouldn’t take a second of it back.

  “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

  Using my flashlight, we walked up the drive and to the front door. I put the key in the lock and opened it up. When we walked in I flipped the lights on and waited for her reaction.

  “What the…I thought…” The house was done. Most of the furniture had been delivered that day. “You rotten sneak. It looks amazing.”

  We walked through the whole house. The rooms we’d need for immediate use were done. She headed toward the study and saw the painting above the fireplace.

  “Oh, James.” She reached for my hand and chastised me. “How many secrets can one man keep from his wife?” I smirked at her as she added, “You pulled another fast one.”

  She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my lips. Whispering against her mouth, I said, “I like to think I know what you’re holding in that painting.”

  “Hmm, what’s that?” We both knew we would never know what Holly had painted in Cassidy’s hands, but I had my own theory.

  “My heart.” The corners of her mouth turned up into a big grin and I kissed her before she could respond.

  When we pulled our lips apart, breathless and horny, she said, “You’re turning into a romantic Mr. Benedict.”

  Smirking I retorted, “Don’t let anyone know. My reputation will be ruined.”

  Walking upstairs to the bedroom, she noticed the bookshelves first. It was an addition I’d made that also disguised my other surprise. I pushed the button and watched her priceless expression as the bookshelves moved to reveal a door.

  “No you didn’t!”

  Nodding, “I did!”

  She walked through the door to our very own playroom. The room was full of enough toys and contraptions to last a lifetime. Kissing me, we broke in the swing that night.

  ~<>~<>~<>~

  “James, get the door.”

  Cassidy was in the kitchen cursing as I passed her on my way to our double front door. I welcomed our guests and escorted them to the living room. It was New Year’s Eve—also my birthday—and we planned a party for our friends in the new house. Cal and Jane handed us a box and claimed it was a housewarming gift. We’d all come a long way in a year. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so I’d made Cassidy promise that we’d be celebrating the New Year with friends, not my birthday.

  Once everyone was there we sat down to dinner. Cassidy had slaved away all day and actually put out a killer spread. We had just started digging in when the doorbell rang again. He came! I told everyone I’d be right back. I opened the front door to see Paul.

  I shook his hand, “Welcome back, brother. You here to stay?”

  “We’ll see. At least for a couple days.” He peered over my shoulder asking, “Is she here?” I nodded. “And…”

  “Yes, they’re both here.”

  He took a deep breath. “Ok. Let’s get this over with.”

  We walked into the dining room and everyone was ecstatic to see him. Everyone greeted him with a hug or handshake except for Lena and Ryan. Melissa greeted him last and Paul took the chair next to her.

  “A toast.” I stood as everyone directed their attention toward me. “To friends. The whole gang is here and I couldn’t be happier. Here’s to many more years together.” Everyone agreed as glasses clanked. I leaned over and kissed Cassidy as we began passing dishes.

  A few hours later, just before midnight, I found Melissa alone, by the fireplace in the study. “You ok?”

  “Me?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll survive. I assume Cassidy told you.”

  I looked to her confused. “Told me what?”

  Her face paled as she retracted her statement. “Never mind.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Really, James. It’s nothing important.”

  Before I could say more, Jane found us and dragged us both to the living room. “The ball’s getting ready to drop. Come on!”

  When I walked into the living room, a cake was waiting and the whole gang sang Happy Birthday before the ball dropped. Everyone was kissing at midnight, but I felt bad for those who weren’t. Frank, Melissa, Paul, and Anthony were all there, alone. Melissa and Anthony were dancing and laughing as Frank and Paul drank in the corner.

  “Cassidy, what’s going on with Melissa?”

  “Wh, what do you mean?”

  “Cassidy. She thought that you had confided in me. Is something going on?” She sighed, rolled her eyes and pulled me to the kitchen.

  “You can’t say anything to her. She’s not even sure what she’s going to do.”

  “Do? About what?”

  “She’s pregnant.” No, Melissa couldn’t have kids, not after what Dan had done to her. “She just found out.”

  “But…”

  “Yes, I know. That’s why she doesn’t know what she’s going to do.”

  “Who’s the father? Paul?”

  Cassidy belly laughed. “No! You still think the two of them are…”

  “Then whose is it?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, “Actually, I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.”

  “Fucking hell. How many trips to Atlanta did she make?” Cassidy just looked at me as she put the pieces together. “Cassidy. Paul lives in Atlanta…”

  “Shit.”

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  She grabbed my arm. “You’ll fucking stay out of it. Don’t you dare do anything!”

  “Cassidy.”

  “James, I’m telling you right now. Stay out of it. Let me see what I can find before you start meddling.
”

  I took a deep breath, knowing Cassidy was right. We didn’t know who the father was, but I had a pretty good idea. Though, Paul came wanting to make sure Lena would be there. Fuck me. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted nothing to do with that mess.

  “I got it. I’m staying out of it. Don’t tell me even if you find out. I don’t want to know.”

  More from J.M. Witt

  The Anchored Hearts Series

  Letting Go (Vol. 1) *

  Hiding Away (Vol. 1.5) *

  Letting Go of You (Vol. 2) *

  Fading Away (Vol. 2.5) *

  Letting Go of Us (Vol. 3) *

  Concrete Soul (Vol. 4) * * * (Paul’s story)

  Untitled (Vol. 5) * * * (Smith’s story)

  Drifting Away (Vol. 6) * * * (Cal & Jane: whole series epilogue)

  Out Now = * Coming Soon = * * *

  Other books by J. M. Witt

  Convicted Heart

  Summer 2015

  Preview at the end of this book

  Cursed Love

  By: t. h. snyder

  Playlist for Letting Go of Us

  What Do I Have to Do? by Stabbing Westward

  Letters From The Sky by Civil Twilight

  I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry

  There’s a Rumor by The August Empire

  Coconut by Harry Nilsson

  Look at You by Big & Rich

  Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event

  End of Me by A Day To Remember

  Wherever You Will Go by The Calling

  Stay by Thirty Seconds To Mars

  Break by Rebecca Roubion

  Summer by Calvin Harris

  Take Me Home by Cash Cash

  Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation

  Sleeping With A Friend by Neon Trees

  Boom Clab by Charli XCX

  Best Night Ever by Gloriana

  Miracle by Foo Fighters

  I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

  Come Get It Bea by Pharrell Williams

  Water’s Edge by Seven Mary Three

  Just Give Me a Reason by P!nk, Nate Ruess

  Over You by Ingrid Michaelson, A Great Big World

  Desire by Meg Myers

  Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

  Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran

  It Was Always You by Maroon 5

  Whore by In This Moment

  Marry You by Bruno Mars

  Marry Me by Jason Derulo

  How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding

  About the Author

  J.M., aka Michelle, resides in Metro Detroit, MI with her husband and four small children.

  She always enjoyed writing and finally took hold of her dreams and made them a reality. She loves music and it plays a pivotal role in all of her books.

  She hopes you’ll enjoy more than a good book, but have an experience.

  You can find her at

  www.jmwittbooks.com

  Twitter #wittymomauthor

  www.facebook.com/jmwittbooks

  Official playlists for all her books are on

  Spotify

  &

  YouTube

  Cursed Love

  The Cursed Series, #1

  By t. h. snyder

  © 2014 t. h. snyder (Tiffany Snyder)

  Published by t. h. snyder

  First published in 2014. All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from the fair purpose of private study, research or review as permitted by the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without written permission.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Images Copyright

  Book Cover By Design: Kellie Dennis

  Cover photo by Stacy Michael Photography

  Prologue

  Sitting Indian style on my twin-sized bed, I fight through the final battle as Zelda on my Nintendo.

  I’ve been trying to beat this game for the past week and now I’m so close. I only have this one life left, I need to do this…I need to win.

  With my sword drawn out, my tongue darts over to the side of my mouth and I can feel my heart beating faster through my chest. As my sweaty hands hold on tightly to the controller, my thumbs work their magic to defeat the unsightly creature on my TV screen.

  One more spear to the torso should do the trick and I’ll be the Zelda legend. A smile forms across my face, and I know very well that I’m about to become ‘The Champion’.

  My eyes are glued to the colors flying across the screen as I hear my bedroom door creak open.

  For just a second, I turn my head to see my mom walking in with my tuxedo in her hands. I roll my eyes and quickly look back to the fight, but it’s a moment too late.

  “Mom!” I scream.

  I toss the controller toward the end of my bed and cross my arms over my chest.

  “Lincoln, this is no time to throw a temper tantrum,” she says with a serious look on her face. “You’re nine years old and you’re expected to act like a mature young man.”

  I look up at her with a pout, “Yes, ma’am.”

  She nods her head and smiles.

  “That’s better. Now get yourself off of your bed and get dressed. I’ll be back in here in less than thirty minutes and I want you dressed and ready to meet our guests for dinner.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I watch as she hangs my tuxedo on the back of my bedroom door and exits the room.

  Tonight is one of the biggest nights for our family, not just for my dad. I know I need to act a certain way and be on my best behavior. It’s nights like this that I wish I was just a normal kid.

  Ever since I can remember I’ve been told to act like a gentleman, use appropriate manners, not to slouch, and speak up only when spoken to. For a kid my age, it really kinda sucks.

  I just wish I was more like my best friend Daulton. He’s the luckiest kid I know. His parents let him do whatever he wants, leave the house whenever he wants, and just be a kid.

  Not me, I’m a Minzotto. I’ll have to do as Mom and Dad say and follow in the political footsteps of my parents. My older brother and sister are already talking about their future careers, but seriously, I’m only nine years old. How the heck am I supposed to know what I want to do when I grow up? As of right now, all I know is that I’d rather play Nintendo than celebrate Dad’s election night for another term as congressman of our stupid state.

  I slump my shoulders and slide off of my bed. Walking toward my bedroom door, I take off my white polo and reach for the tuxedo shirt. Pulling it off the hanger, I make quick work of getting myself dressed before my mom comes back into my room.

  As I’m tying my shoes, I see my bedroom door open out of the corner of my eyes. Mom doesn’t say a word while she looks in on me with my brother and sister standing on either side of her.

  Mom stands tall next to my siblings and she looks very pretty in her long black dress. Her hair is pulled up off her shoulders and she’s wearing a fancy necklace that hangs down to the neckline of her dress.

  Shelton, my older brother, is dressed in a similar tuxedo as mine and Mimi, my older sister, is wearing a long shimmery blue dress.

  I look down at myself and hope that I appear to be as presentable as them. Standing from my bed, I walk toward my mom. Not a word is spoken nor a glance of my siblings in the wrong direction. I follow them as the four of us walk down the grand staircase leading into the foyer of our home.
As I reach the last few steps, I see my dad walking toward us.

  My eyes follow him as he leans forward to place a kiss on Mom’s cheek. A smile creeps across her face and his hand goes to the bottom of her back.

  Our parents turn to face me, Shelton, and Mimi.

  “The guests will be arriving momentarily and dinner will be served promptly at seven. I don’t think I need to remind the three of you that this is election night. It’s a night to celebrate and enjoy one another as a family; however, I still expect courtesy and manners amongst our guests.”

  “Yes, sir,” Shelton replies.

  I tilt my head to the floor and roll my eyes. Suck up. My sister nudges my side and I look up to see our father nodding his head as he leads us toward the formal living room.

  For what feels like an eternity, I stand around and watch as my parents discuss the evening with guests as they start to arrive.

  Collin, Dad’s campaign manager, calls for everyone to move to the dining room for dinner. I take my seat next to Mimi and enjoy the meal our chef has prepared for us.

  I find myself gazing off into space, not that it’s unusual during these kinds of events. I don’t know why it’s so important for me to even be here. My parents haven’t looked at or spoken to me since I came down the stairs. To be honest, I don’t know that they’d even miss me if I slipped out of the room and upstairs to play Nintendo.

  The idea of leaving piques my interest more and more as the conversations begin to turn toward the polls. I’m so bored I can’t help but yawn as I look around the table at all the men and women here to support the election tonight.

  I plot my plan in my head for the next few minutes. Daulton only lives about two miles over the bridge. If I leave after dinner, I should be able to make it to his house in less than fifteen minutes.

  My mind is made up—as soon as dinner is over, I’m ditching out of here.

  I may only be a nine-year-old boy, but I sure as heck know that I’m not needed here tonight.