Spring Into Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Jackie sat up straight, crossing her right leg over her knee, and I sucked in a breath as I remembered the soft feel of her skin rubbing against mine that one night a very long time ago.

  The director stood up and picked up a microphone. He took a few minutes to talk about the production, sharing a few laughs about the funnier moments, and even some of the stressful ones we had endured. He finished up his speech by talking about Troy.

  Jackie and I both tensed. I didn’t have to touch her to know. I felt the tension surround us.

  RJ found us just as the lights were going out. He whispered something to Jackie, and she shushed him. I heard him raise his voice saying, “Jackie, you’re going to want to hear this.”

  “When this is over, I want to watch this.” She turned back as pictures filled the screen. They weren’t part of the film. The first few minutes were just for us. They were moments in time that had been forever stopped by the click of a shutter or captured on film, and they were all of Troy.

  I heard Jackie suck in a sharp breath, and we both stared at the screen. There were ones of him on the phone, looking intent. A few of him flirting with members of the crew, and then there were the ones where he stood beside me.

  In the last few pictures, Jackie was by my side. I stared at the photographs. In every single one, Jackie and I were lost in each other, and Troy was watching from the side, a smile on his lips as though he approved of us being together.

  My eyes filled with moisture, and I heard Jackie sniff beside me. Did she see the same thing? I reached out for her hand, our fingers laced completely, and we held on as we both shared silent tears for the man who had been our friend.

  When the final picture faded from the screen, Jackie leaned her head on my shoulder, and I kissed the top of her soft hair while I tried to regain my composure.

  The movie began a moment later, and we were all pulled into the paranormal world of Garda and the story of love lost and found again amongst the guardian angels in the realm.

  Chapter 32

  Jacquelyn

  It hadn’t been the leaving him that was the hardest. It was the reason why he sent me away that hurt like hell. I told myself that it didn’t matter because I was planning on leaving anyway. Maybe the anger he felt would allow him to get over me faster and move on with his life. I could only hope one of us was doing that.

  On the day of Troy’s funeral, I stood at a far distance and watched. Being in a cemetery was agonizing enough. But watching Ryan mourn from a distance had torn my heart to pieces. When everyone left and the casket was covered with dirt, I stood in front of it.

  The stem of a single white rose rolled between my fingers as I prayed that Troy would forgive me. As if the answer were no, I somehow pricked myself on a thorn from the long green stem. I set the flower of innocence on the mound of dirt and studied my finger. A bead of blood appeared. I knew then that his blood would forever be on my hands.

  I tried to go back to work, but my cases held no interest for me. Before, they were everything in my life; now I simply saw them as work, and I didn’t have the energy to do it.

  It didn’t help that I knew Ryan was still in the area. I avoided the places where they were filming like the plague, and instead, spent my nights stalking entertainment shows and web sites for any news about him. There rarely was, and the only photographs that appeared were of him alone or with Roseanne.

  I ended up taking another leave of absence, but this one was for my own mental health benefit. I traveled for a while and spent some time with friends and family in Florida. I walked the beach at sunrise or sunset and remembered the beauty of seeing them from behind the glass walls of the atrium. There was a longing deep inside that would never be fulfilled.

  Jim and I finally talked when I returned, and he understood that I wasn’t able to be in a relationship with him, now or ever. We remained friends, but it was fragile at best.

  I sat on my couch and stared at an envelope I received in the mail today. Inside, it contained three tickets to the opening of the movie. I was torn, wanting to be there and afraid that it would cause a scene. It had been well over a year, but I feared that Ryan would always look at me as the woman who killed his best friend.

  Roseanne and I stayed in touch, and she filled me in on tidbits of what Ryan was doing, but after a few emails, I told her to stop. I couldn’t take knowing that his life was going so well, while mine was stuck and would never go anywhere. She did her best not to mention Ryan, but since he was such a big part of her life, she always did and the pain would lance through my heart.

  Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for him. I wanted him to have a wonderful life; but secretly, deep inside, I wanted to be a part of that.

  It was Becca who talked me into going to the premiere. She and RJ had been dating for a while, and I knew that if I went, I would invite them to attend with me. Rose even said she would have a limo sent to pick us up, but I told her that wasn’t necessary.

  Even on the afternoon of the event, I struggled with whether I should go or not. Again, Becca talked me into it, saying that maybe Ryan had forgiven me and we could renew a friendship or something. It felt wrong to hope for even a small thread of reconciliation, but eventually, I succumbed to my friend’s begging and said I would go. Besides, I longed to see him in person one more time.

  They picked me up, and I fidgeted the whole way there. Would he ignore me? Would he glare at me or say something horrible in front of everyone? My nerves were frayed by the time we arrived, and I went to the ladies’ room to compose myself.

  As I rejoined RJ and Rebecca, Becca pointed her chin to a direction behind me. I turned around just as Ryan did, and we crashed into each other.

  My knees shook as I focused on his face. It didn’t look angry; it looked surprised and fascinated.

  The pictures on the internet didn’t do him justice as I gazed up into his twinkling blue eyes and tried to breathe.

  Rose broke the awkward moment by throwing her arms around me and giggling. Leave it to her to set everything up. She probably planned on us bumping into each other, just like she planned on us sitting next to one another.

  When Ryan wrapped his hand over mine, emotions tingled through my body like the electrical charge of a Taser. I walked with pride beside him and ignored the looks others directed at us as we took our seats.

  I ended up right beside him, and my awareness of him was almost overwhelming. I knew that there was a dedication to Troy at the start of the film, and I shook as I dreaded what Ryan would do as we watched it together.

  I never imagined he would hold my hand. Or that he would kiss my head as I leaned on him for just a moment at the end. Troy looked so wonderful in those pictures, and toward the end, when I was beside Ryan in a few of the photos, I couldn’t help but notice the pleased look upon his lips.

  He had wanted us to be together so badly. If only we could.

  The movie was excellent, and Ryan held my hand the entire time. Our fingers laced tightly, and every once in a while, his thumb skirted over my knuckles and the back of my hand. I felt the tight squeeze when we watched the scene of him drunk up against the wall with the stranger. So much had happened in those twenty-four hours.

  When it was over, we sat and watched all the credits roll. It was something that few people ever did, but I guess at opening night, it was important to pay respect to every single one of those names up on that screen. If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t have the movie you just experienced.

  Ryan let go of my hand when the lights came back on and the chatter started immediately. He shook hands and hugged people as he made his way into the walkway. Roseanne joined us and we talked about the movie as we followed slowly behind him into the reception area.

  “Are you guys going to the party?” Roseanne asked as we got out of the thick row of people leaving the theater.

  “I don’t think so—” I started to say, but RJ interrupted me.

  “Oh, yes you are. We can’t miss the p
arty!” He grinned at Becca, who gave him a funny look. She knew I didn’t want to go to the after party. He pulled her away for a moment, and whispered in her ear.

  When she came back, she grinned at Roseanne and said, “Yeah, we’ll be going to the party.” Rose and I shared a brief confused look but ignored the funny behavior away.

  Rose asked us to ride in the limo with her. My heart constricted in my throat, making it hard to breathe.

  “Sure,” RJ said from behind me. Becca whispered in my ear that I would be just fine. I wanted to smack her.

  Rose led us to a side door where the limos were waiting. We all piled in and waited for Ryan to join us. My hands shook, and my mouth was dry. When the driver opened the door for him, Rose jumped seats, leaving the one next to me the only available seat for him to take without climbing over everyone. I glared at her, and she tried to suppress a grin, but failed.

  Ryan sank into the seat and stared at me with a slack jaw. “I didn’t know you were coming with us,” he said more casually than his tense body language spoke. Instantly, I knew it was the wrong thing to do.

  “I’m sorry, Ryan,” I said. I was about to go on, but his stare stopped me.

  “What are you sorry about?” he whispered.

  This was my moment and probably the only time I would be able to apologize for not telling him about my past. After tonight, I would have no reason to see him ever again.

  “Everything,” I breathed out. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you up front. I should have, then you could have decided for yourself if you still wanted me there.”

  “Why didn’t you?” I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. He had pulled his acting mask over his features. My voice shook as I answered him.

  “I was afraid.”

  He turned in his seat to see me better. “And now?”

  “Now?” I knew my eyes were wide.

  “Yes, now.” He plucked my shaking hand off my lap and slid closer to me.

  I shook my head, unsure of what he was asking.

  “Do you love me, Jackie?” His blue eyes bore into mine, and I saw just the briefest moment of uncertainty cross his features.

  “Yes,” I whispered, “Yes, I do, but I can’t put your life in jeopardy just because I love you.”

  Ryan was about to speak, but RJ interrupted, and I suddenly remembered we had an audience watching us. Heat rose up the column of my neck as I blushed.

  “And I think this is where I come in.” RJ grinned.

  Ryan sounded perturbed that we had been interrupted, but he asked, “How do you come into any of this?” Ryan looked between the two of us, and I raised my eyebrows and shrugged, unsure of where this was going.

  He sat up on the edge of his seat. “Remember the phone call I had to take just before the movie?”

  We both nodded at him. I glanced at Becca, and she was biting her lip to keep from smiling. I could see it in her eyes. I peered over at Rose, but Rose looked mystified.

  “Well, it seems that they finally figured out who made the bombs. They took him into custody about three hours before they called me. When the ATF agents went to the prison to talk to Ciminera about it, he had a heart attack.”

  My jaw dropped. I had to hear the words. “He’s dead?”

  RJ grinned. “Poor bastard didn’t make it.” I closed my eyes fighting the emotion I was feeling.

  “So what does that mean?” Ryan asked RJ.

  RJ laughed. “What that means, Ryan, is that the contract on Jackie is over. It dies with the one who issues it.”

  A tear slipped down my cheek, and Ryan slowly turned back to me. “It’s over? No more death threats?”

  I nodded as more tears cascaded down my cheeks. It was over. I was free to love again and have a life. But would Ryan have me?

  He cupped my cheek and wiped away a few of my tears with his thumb. He lifted my chin, so that he could look straight into my eyes. Everyone in the limo stayed silent as we all waited to see what Ryan would say.

  “I have a job proposition for you.” His lips twitched.

  A job proposition? Um, that was the last thing I had expected to come out of his mouth. “What?”

  He smirked down at me. “Actually, it’s a two part proposition.” He stroked my cheek again. “I want you to be the head of my security team.”

  I almost laughed because I had not expected that. “You what?”

  “And not only that, but I want you to marry me.” As I gazed into his eyes and saw the love flood out of them and toward me, all the broken pieces of my heart and soul started to stitch themselves back together.

  “If you don’t say yes and hurry the hell up and kiss him, I’m going to!” Becca stated from her seat.

  Everyone burst into laughter, and Ryan moved his lips closer to mine. “You have about one second to answer those questions.”

  Instead of tears of pain, ones of joy filled my eyes and spilled over as I leaned in the last fraction of an inch and said, “Yes!” just before I kissed him.

  He kissed me briefly and pulled back. “Yes to which question?” he asked. He searched my face with concern.

  “Yes, to both.” I watched his concern float away, and I pulled him close to me and kissed him like he was my life, my breath, and my future.

  And he was.

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  The first praise of thanks goes out to my husband and daughter. Thank you for understanding my need to live in another world in order to de-stress from the real one we live in.

  I have an incredible Beta Group and I could not possible have had the comfort level that I have now if it wasn’t for them. So thank you to my team; Tatiana Lammers, Dodie Auglis, Jen Wolf, Pat Fordyce, Fran Nichols, Jan Galloway, Melissa Rutter, Dawn Doyle and Scott Johnson.

  As with my other projects, I have others that I wish to thank profusely for their assistance. Colleen Albert, aka The Grammar Babe, for your wonderful editing. It was great working with you on this project and I cannot wait to work with you again soon! Natasha Brown, once again, you nailed my awesome cover! Clare Ayala, thank you for all that you do during the format process.

  The last thank you goes out to my readers. It is you that I write for, and you that I have to thank for giving me praise and encouraging me to continue to write more. Thank you.

  About the Author

  Stacy Eaton is a police officer by profession. Currently, she is working as the department investigator and enjoys digging into cases and putting the pieces of the puzzles together.

  Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania and is the wife to a police officer and the mother of two. She is very proud of her son who is currently serving in the United States Navy and equally proud of her eleven year old daughter who is working towards her second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

  When Stacy is not working her demanding job, or spending time with her family, she works on her business and volunteers with the her local domestic violence center. When there is time, she writes.

  Be sure to visit www.stacyeaton.com for updates and more information on her books.

  Books by Stacy Eaton

  My Blood Runs Blue Series

  My Blood Runs Blue

  Blue Blood for Life

  Mixing the Blue Blood (coming late 2015)

  Blue Bloods Final Destiny (coming 2016)

  Garda – Welcome to the Realm

  Whether I’ll Live or Die

  Distorted Loyalty

  Six Days of Memories

  Barbara’s Plea

  You’re Not Alone (coming summer 2015)

  Second Shield

  Second Shield 2 (coming late 2015)

  Finding the Strength (Novella – Box Set coming July 2015)

  Tangled in Tinsel (Novella – Box Set coming in December 2015)

  Everybody's After Love

  Lyssa Layne

  Copyright © 2014 by:

  Lyssa Layne

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  This book was built at IndieWrites.com. Visit us on Facebook.

  Chapter 1

  Large, soapy bubbles cover my retro green and white checkered kitchen floor while my dishwasher grumbles and regurgitates more detergent from deep inside. The foam is creeping up my legs as I stand in the middle of the room, panicking, as I have no clue how to make this debacle end.

  “No, no, no!” I yell as I slip and slide across the laminate. Grasping the kitchen table, I steady myself and frantically dig through my purse, searching for my phone. I try to slide the bar to unlock it, but of course, my fingers are covered in soap so it won’t move.

  Scooting my feet, inch by inch, I make my way to the stove where my dish towels hang. Quickly drying off my hand, I get the phone unlocked and find my ICE, In Case of Emergency, contact, and hit send. Come on, Paulie, pick up…pick up.

  It takes three rings, but he finally answers. “J.P. Rossi, how can I help you?”

  At the exact moment he speaks, the dishwasher lets out an angry belch and suddenly, the bubbles that were slowly crawling out from the sides are now being shot high into the air. A burst of bubbles spews right in my face, taking me by surprise. Trying to get away from this possessed machine, I jump backwards, only to slip on the watery mess and fall right on my bottom with a loud thud.

  Pain sears through my backside as I land on the floor, and bubbles begin to engulf my entire body. I throw my head back in exasperation and feel my eyes burning. Unable to hold back the tears, I begin sobbing.