Wheeling Harlow down the hall toward the elevator, she waits till the doors close before the first tear falls. She always gets like this when we see Mack.
“Hey, it’s all right, babe. He’s got this,” I say as I lean down and kiss her cheek. A part of her blames herself for what happened to him, but no one else does. None of this was her fault. It was that bastard, Titus. May he not rest in peace, but burn in hell.
“I know. It’s just hard seeing him like that—bed ridden. I’m so used to seeing him up and about, lively and joyful.”
“Give him some time. He’ll be back to being a pain in my ass before you know it.”
***
We’ve been in the truck for about fifteen minutes now and she hasn’t even noticed that we aren’t heading home yet.
I’ve been planning this since before she was taken, but it was supposed to be bigger and happier. But I think this is exactly what she needs right now. Something to mark her next step forward.
Pulling into the cemetery, she finally snaps outta whatever thoughts were keeping her prisoner inside her head and notices where we are.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, confused and a little leery.
“I wanted to show you something,” is all I tell her, wanting it to be a total surprise.
Pulling in next to Toby and Blaze’s bikes, she sees Dani and Sara standing by a plot.
Instead of asking more questions, she just waits for me to get the wheelchair out of the back and come around to her side.
She’s still quiet as we make our way toward the others and I start to think that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe it’s too soon. With everything she’s dealing with and her PTSD, this probably isn’t smart. But it’s too late to turn back now.
When we stop in front of the two headstones, she gasps and starts to cry when she sees the headstones.
Hendrix Matthew McPherson–
Loving brother and protector
Rayanne Marie Gregerson–
Loving sister and friend
We all stay quiet for a while as she soaks this all in. She only mentioned doing something like this in passing, probably never thought I’d take what she told me and make it real this fast. If she only knew it was ready weeks ago.
Finally, she speaks. “When did you do this?” She hasn’t lifted her eyes from the stones but I don’t mind.
“While you were in the hospital,” I say, and it’s not a complete lie, I did set most of it up then.
“But why?” she asks, though I don’t see how she doesn’t already know.
Stepping around her and kneeling so I’m in front of her, I make sure she looks at me before I reply. “Because, babe. You deserve this. They deserve this. After you mentioned it to me, I wanted to do this for you. I thought it would be the perfect place for you to come to be close to them, to talk to them when you want to. And because I love you, Harlow.”
Now she’s crying even harder, but I think they are tears of joy, not tears of sadness. She’ll always miss her brother, just like I miss my father, but she can finally heal. And I’ll be there every step of the way.
“Thank you,” she cries, then leans forward so she’s in my arms.
“You’re welcome, Harlow,” I say, then pull back so she can look in my eyes as I say the next part. “I’ll do anything to make you happy, to keep you safe, and to give you everything you ever want and deserve. I love you.” Then I lean forward and kiss her on the lips.
Nobody says much, well, we don’t really say anything at all. We bow our head and each stay silent but supportive. This is for Harlow. It’s for her brother and their adoptive sister. They deserve so much more than a small gathering, but it’s the best we could do with what we were given. I just hope it’ll be enough for Harlow. I want this to be a place she can come to when she wants to be close to her brother.
When I feel her shoulder start to shake under my hand, I decide to say a few words for her. I don’t know what they hell I should say, but I need to do this for my girl.
Clearing my throat, I start, “I didn’t know either of you, but I know by what my woman has said that you were pretty amazing people. You had a shit hand dealt to you and for that I’m sorry. But I also want to thank you for protecting Harlow. What you both did saved her, and for that, I owe you my life.”
Harlow silently continues to cry, but she’s looking up at me like I’m her salvation. And fuck me, I want to be that for her. I want to be her every-fucking-thing. I don’t know what I would do without her or what I would have done if something tragic had happened to her like what happened to her brother and foster sister. I meant what I spoke, I owe them my life for what they did for her. For protecting her when I wasn’t able to.
Knowing what I need to do, I lift my eyes from Harlow’s and stare at the headstones before me. “I owe you my life, but my life is connected to your sisters now. So I’ll pay my respects a different way.” Looking back to Harlow, I make sure she understands what I’m saying, why I’m doing it, and I pray she understands. “I swear to you, I will make that bastard pay for what he did to Hendrix and Rayanne. I will make him suffer. And I will make sure that he is unable to do to another child what happened to your brother and sister. I promise you, baby.” I end my promise directed at Harlow.
At first, she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t blink or give me any idea what she’s thinking. But just when I start to panic, thinking I really fucked up this time, she grabs my hand and pulls me closer to her. “We’ll make him pay together.” Then she seals her promise with a kiss.
Pulling away, I look deep in her eyes and see that this is the closure she needs. It’s not the funeral or service. It’s not forgiving her brother. It’s avenging him.
Nodding, I kiss her once more before standing silently behind her while she thanks everyone for coming. I would do anything for this woman. I would go to the end of the earth to make sure she has what she needs. I’d do anything to make her happy, even help her seek out revenge. I’d risk it all defying destiny, cause she’s worth it.
I’d die for this woman, but I also live for this woman too. It’s like my father always said, “You don’t know what you live for until you know what you’ll die for.”
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Acknowledgments
I mostly want to thank my family. They dealt with me when I was tired and cranky from staying up all night writing. They talked me through some of these scenes and helped me make sense of what I was trying to put across. And they stood behind me and never lost their faith in me. Thank you all so much. I love you.
I also want to thank my fans. I know it’s been a long road and you’ve all waited so patiently for this book. Thank you all for being so understanding when the release got pushed back because I signed with Limitless Publishing. It means the world to me that you all supported me and helped me achieve my dream of being a published author.
I also want to thank my cousin for helping me with some of the emotions that were in the book. I wanted it to feel as real as possible and having firsthand experience, you agreed to help me. Even though it was probably hard for you, thank you all your help. I hope I did you proud.
About the Author
I grew up in a small town in Iowa. I have 2 older sisters and amazing parents. Growing up, I was always a daddy’s girl, hanging out with him in the garage, fishing, and building stuff. I loved to play softball and swimming, but readin
g, telling stories, and writing were my passion, even at a young age. I took a break from writing for a while, but you could always find me with a book in my hand.
I have three children–two boys and a girl. They are my whole world. Even when I’m having the worst day ever, they brighten up my day and make me smile.
A few years ago, there was this story that would always play out in my head and no matter how many times I went through it, from beginning to end, it would never fade. So I decided to put it on paper. I didn’t plan on publishing it, but when it was almost done, a friend asked to read it. She said it was a story that needed to be shared. And that’s what started my writing career.
I love all genres of books, and even though I started with writing MC Romance, I have a whole book of ideas, so you can expect more from me than just MC, though romance is in my blood.
Even though I currently work two jobs, my ultimate dream is to become a full time author. I want to be able to spend my days filling pages with stories. I want to be the reason people find a reason to smile or laugh from lines on a page. Reading a book allows me to live in someone else’s shoes, even if only for a few minutes. It’s a way to leave my life and troubles behind and I want to be help others do that as well.
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Don’t forget…
If you haven’t already, check out the first two books in the Forsaken Sinners MC Series.
PLUS, don’t miss the Forsaken Sinners MC Novella!
Rewriting Destiny–Dani and Zane’s story and prequel to the series.
Fighting Destiny–Toby and Sara’s story.
Born into Destiny–Dani and Zane’s story continued.
Coming soon…
Owning Destiny–Mack’s story.
Defying Destiny (Forsaken Sinners MC #3) Page 20
