by Anna Scott
Just then, the door to the mudroom opened and mama and our brothers walked inside. Logan was ten and Ty was nine, they'd had junior football practice earlier that morning. "Oh jeesch," mama sighed as she noticed the standoff happening right there in the middle of our kitchen.
Our house was pretty big, a few miles out of town and down a gravel road. Dad found it for us when Mama was pregnant with Adi. We had all lived in Dad's house after they got married when I was three, shortly after they both adopted me and we were a real family. I didn't remember my birth mother, Missy, but Mama shared stories of her when they were young. Most were funny, some were sweet, but she did her best to make sure I never forgot about her. Mama had given me an old picture she'd found of her and put it into a fancy, heavy silver frame that had flowers etched around the edges of the glass. We were the Allen family, and never once did I feel like I didn't belong or like they regretted adopting me. As my sister and then brothers were born, our family just became bigger and amazingly, even closer.
Dad still worked for the ATF, which I thought was cool, but couldn't tell my friends about it. Even when we were young, all of us kids were taught to keep the dads' jobs a secret, not only us, but Uncle Luke, Uncle Jake, Uncle Gavin and Uncle Trent. All of them had dangerous jobs and all of us had to be so careful to not let it slip. All our moms were careful too, to keep us safe, to keep the dads safe from discovery in our little town that wasn't quite so little anymore.
"Everyone will be here in a few hours, honey. Do you think you can just give in and let her grow up a little bit so we can get ready?"
Dad's eyes heated when they looked at mama, not in anger but something else. There was always love, but something even deeper was clear anytime they were near. I prayed that someday I would find a love like that, but I had a feeling it would be over much protesting from dad. Instead of responding, he shrugged his shoulders, turned to me and took me into his arms, kissing the top of my head.
"You can go, but he needs to come to the door so we can meet him and have you home on time. If even one hair is out of place when you get home, he's going to have hell to pay. You understand me, young lady?"
I squeezed him back and just nodded. A tear sprang to my eye and I thanked God for the people he brought into my life when I was so young. I didn't even want to imagine how my life would have ended up if things had been different.
Reed
Standing with one foot propped up on the rail fence, Jake, Luke, Gavin, Trent and I watched as the kids took turns riding around the arena on our horses. We had six, one for each of us and went out frequently as a family.
I thought back to our wedding day, just a month after she and Kelly had been taken by the man we later confirmed was Kelly's birth father. I never fully understood why he'd taken them, what his plan was, but from what Gilli had overheard, I figured he was intending to use them as some sort of leverage to get him and his cronies out of trouble. Unfortunately for him, he died that night in a gun battle just over our heads as we waited downstairs in the basement for the all clear. Fortunately, neither of the girls had any long lasting repercussions, though it made me a panicky mess for several months, okay years if I were honest. I was over protective, something my wife put up with reluctantly and with a fair bit of annoyance at times. Gillian had struggled too for a while and had even gone to see someone that Hope had recommended, with help and the love of good friend she came through it, only slightly more nervous than she'd been before.
Once I heard the whole story of Gilli's childhood without the rose colored glasses she had seemed to wear for years, I couldn't believe that such a strong and amazing woman had come from that mess. Her father came around from time to time, trying to rebuild a relationship with her but her mother stayed back. I wasn't sure if it was Gilli's dad's insistence or her mother's choice, but either way, Gillian never seemed bothered by it. Her brother actually had the audacity to come to the house once when we were packing it up and moving the girls to my place right after we married. Gillian had answered the door and he was ranting and raving at her for making their mother upset, for turning her back on her responsibilities. I was quickly making my way to them on the porch to get rid of the little asshole, but before I could say a word, Gillian put that little shit in his place. I could remember the fire in her eyes as if it were yesterday. She told him off, so strong and fierce I had no doubt that she would do the same for all of our children if she ever needed to.
She never went back to work at the cafe, even though her father begged her, offered to sign it over to her. After all they had done, she washed her hands of it, and her parents finally sold it to Clark, one of the guys who worked there with Gillian. We still went in from time to time to see him. He had changed a lot, made it his own and it was perfect for him. Gillian worked with Miranda at the horse ranch for a few years, but as the babies came, it was too much with little ones, activities and my crazy ass schedule, so I finally convinced her to stay home. It helped that I bought her a beautiful mare just before she quit, we had horses here she could ride and spend plenty of time on.
In a similar fashion, Sandy showed up on my porch one afternoon before Kelly and Gillian returned from spending time with Aurora and the baby. I was shocked to see her, of course, but when I looked at her again, my heart didn't clench, didn't flutter in excitement or anticipation. There had never been anything real or lasting between us, we had been kids. I had been looking to replace the family my mother and I had been so viciously robbed of, but it wasn't her, not truly. It was the idea of family that I wanted. Sandy noticed the wide platinum band on my left hand right away, her face fell and I was afraid she was about to cry, but instead she shrugged her shoulders and apologized for what she'd done to me all those years ago. Of course it was then I pulled her into my arms to comfort an old friend that my wife pulled up. I did my best to explain everything through some eye movements, but I shouldn't have worried. I had already told Gillian all about Sandy and what had happened between us. Thankfully, my wife was a wise and understanding woman so she didn't flay me alive for holding my ex on our front porch.
Of course, I wasn't completely stupid, so I released Sandy abruptly and patted her shoulder awkwardly. Gilli, holding a sleeping Kelly made it to the porch. Somehow, regardless of the scene she'd just come home to, she had a wide and understanding smile on her face. I took Kelly into my arms, kissed my wife and watched her inherent grace and beauty as she introduced herself to a blubbering Sandy, demurely and without judgement. Later that night as we lay in bed together, she told me that she understood, and if she had been stupid enough to give up a man like me, she'd be pretty upset too, watching me with my new family. I showed her my great love and appreciation after that.
About a year after we were married, my mother's health seemed to decline, she was exhausted all the time and I was terrified that something more was wrong than what she would admit. Finally, they discovered she had a mass in her colon. Thankfully it was benign and after it was removed and she went through some treatment, she was as good as new. Amidst my fears for my mom, I broke down and talked to Gilli about my little sister, her fight with cancer and about the day we lost her. I had already told her the basics, but it was time to give it all to her. I told her the rest about the afternoon I came home and found him, he was drunk which was something I had never seen before. How he told me that he was a worthless father, that he couldn't even keep his baby girl alive, that he couldn't provide for his wife and son and that I shouldn't be a waste like he was. How he had lifted the pistol that was sitting on the table next to him, positioned it in his mouth and before I could stop him, shot himself. I cried as I told her about watching my mother crumble to the ground when she arrived home shortly after that to find a street full of emergency responders and saw them load my father's lifeless body into the back of the coroner's van. I knew that I'd already given her a lot of the details, but I could barely remember the night shortly after her kidnapping when I finally gave in and shared.
&nbs
p; I hadn't ever told anyone about those things, my mom and I never spoke of the tragic day again, but something lifted from me the day I shared that burden with my wife. The pain didn't go away completely, but it did lessen greatly. Gilli and I grew closer with every secret, with every painful memory shared. Ours was a love born of love and pain, of determination and of strength. It was a love that would go the distance.
The End
A Free Preview
LUKE - A Redemption Romance Book 1
“Fuck!” I screeched, flinging the front door open wide. The alarm system started to beep loudly and would go off in just a few seconds, alerting the world of my imminent demise.
I had rushed to the front door with my trusty dog, Sadie, by my side; wondering who the hell could be here this late. It was almost eleven o’clock; I’d been reading in bed, just about to nod off for the night.
I hoped whoever was at the door was either my brother or one of my girlfriends in the midst of a man-made crisis since I was only wearing pink pajama pants and a tank top - no bra. Nope, no luck; as usual. Luke Jackson, the bane of my existence, stood tall and sexy, still in his Dallas Police Department uniform. Next to him was another sexy officer, but their city PD patches were different.
Realizing that this officer was from McKinney PD, a suburb of Dallas, where I lived, I sensed that something was wrong, but my body and mind were not on the same page. Seeing the two hotties, made my nipples press against the thin fabric of my cami. Despite the heaviness of the air, my tiny pajama shorts were wet at the sight of them.
Luke had been my secret crush for years. I was a tall woman, but Luke still towered over me; he was at least six-foot-four. His shoulders and chest were so wide, I felt tiny next to him. Anytime he stood near enough for me to smell him, a rich masculine scent, sandalwood and powerful man, invaded my nostrils, causing my core to melt. My pussy would surely pull him in, if only she could figure out how.
The other uniformed officer with him was tall, too although not quite as tall as Luke. If the McKinney officer had been alone, I would have paid closer attention to how attractive he was.
After disabling the house’s alarm, I shook my head to clear my wayward thoughts. Noticing the sorrowful look on Luke’s face, my heart raced, finally understanding that something was seriously wrong. Thankfully, I was able to focus my mind now and control my needy body.
There was no reason why Luke would be here in uniform like this, no good reason anyway. I knew he never wore his uniform off duty, not even driving home, it just wasn’t safe. Panic started to set in.
“Luke, what’s going on?” He was looking to the side of the door, but obviously not really seeing anything. I could tell that his features; with high defined cheekbones, and a strong jaw; were now pale, and his usual bright and mischievous, hazel eyes were red-rimmed and weary.
“Aurora,” He stood looking at me for several heartbeats, his voice relieved, desolate and nervous all at once; then he continued. “Can we come in?”
I could see the strain in his posture; tension was written all over him. I stepped back and opened the door wide, so both men could enter the house. Luke let the other officer walk in first before he pulled me into his arms and buried his face in my hair.
Immediately, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on tight. I had no idea what was wrong, but whatever it was, Luke needed my comfort. I imagined that I would need his as well. He pulled away, closed the door and said, “Let’s sit down.”
Nodding, I walked into the living room ahead of him, toward where the other officer stood. He was handsome, had almost midnight black hair and bright cobalt eyes. “Rory, this is Dan Dupree, he works for McKinney." Luke had called me Rory for as long as I could remember; he was the only one who ever called me that. The only one I let get away with it.
“Dan, this is Aurora Williams.”
Dan reached out, clasped my hand to shake. His was strong; giving me a reassuring squeeze. Officer Dupree made eye contact with me throughout the exchange, I saw the compassion in his eyes. If Luke hadn’t been standing next to me, and if these men weren’t about to tell me something awful, I’d have paid attention to him.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Williams.”
“You too, Officer Dupree.” I gave a weak smile to the other man and motioned to the couch. We all sat; Luke chose the spot on the loveseat, right next to me.
“God, I’m so sorry.”
My heart raced, something was wrong here, he was a mess and Luke was never a mess.
“It’s Nolan.” The mention of my brother’s name caused even more panic to well up inside me. His lips tightened and I could see a sheen of wetness cloud his eyes.
“He, um - he’s gone - fuck, Rory, he killed himself.”
The news was ripped from him; I could hear the horrid pain in his rushed words.
I could hear the heartrending sadness in his tone, but it took a minute before the actual words he spoke registered in my brain. Once they did, I shook my head several times; I wanted to deny it, to tell him I didn’t believe him, to run away and say it wasn’t true. Anything! The last thing I could do was accept it.
“No, not Nolan, not my brother.” I cried, looking between the two men.
I’d just spoken to him yesterday. He loved me. He’d never leave me. He couldn’t leave me, not like everyone else had.
I could feel the wetness starting to leak out of my eyes as I sobbed.
“How could he? Why?”
Luke pulled me into him, rested my head on his chest, as I completely lost it. I cried so many tears; his uniform shirt was wet. Instead of the warm heat of his hard chest, I could feel the unforgiving Kevlar vest he wore underneath. His wool shirt was rough against my damp face, but that was the only place in the world I wanted to be right then.
Luke’s body was trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was due to my wracking sobs, or the expression of his own grief. His arms were tight around me and his cheek pressed down on the top of my head as we clung to each other in despair.
Nolan had been my older brother, and Luke’s best friend. I’d known that Nolan had been struggling, but thought he was getting better pulling his life together. He’d seemed to be stronger, and more focused in the past few weeks.
Five years ago, the team of Marines my brother and Luke were a part of was deployed to Afghanistan. From what I understood, there was some sort of ambush. They were engaged in a firefight, and my brother was shot; seven times. The bullets hit him mostly in the upper right thigh and twice in the shoulder. Dylan Wright, a fellow teammate, and longtime friend, was pulling Nolan to safety, when he was shot and killed. Dylan died instantly. Nolan never forgave himself.
Nolan’s injuries were severe enough, that after a long stay at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany, he was medically discharged. Since coming home, Nolan had been struggling with PTSD, as well as the lingering effects of his injuries.
My brother and I had always been close, but since his return home, just over four years ago, he’d been a different man. He was still the protective older brother. Installing a top notch security system on my house, interrogating any guys I wanted to date; he acted like the father we no longer had.
Nolan and I still spent time together; but I felt that there was something underlying, a level of anger within him that hadn’t been there before his service. I’d asked, but he wouldn’t delve deeper into his hurt with me. He wouldn’t open up, but I did know he had a lot of nightmares and still had pain in his leg.
I pulled my head back, to look up into Luke’s sorrow filled eyes, and asked, “What happened? What did he do?”
“Rory, you don’t – “
“Tell me! I need to know!” I demanded, louder than I’d intended.
“He shot himself.”
Luke’s words were spoken in an emotionless voice; I knew it was because of the pain of losing his best friend. It was just too much to bear. He was trying to distance himself from the pain long enough to give me the informati
on I needed. This was his cop voice.
I shook my head violently for a few seconds and did a face plant back into the hardness of his chest. Feeling Luke, as he stroked my hair comfortingly; was about the only thing I had to hold onto at that moment.
My parents were both gone. My dad died when I was fifteen, and my mom, just over a year ago. I was completely alone in this life now, everyone was gone.
I felt Sadie’s soft fur pushing closer into me. Knowing she could sense my pain and she was attempting to protect, and comfort me, I reached my hand out, and placed it on her head, which I then realized she was lying on Luke’s knee.
I muttered into Luke’s chest: “How did you find out?”
Luke’s quick intake of air had me pulling back to look at him once more. He closed his eyes and finally replied.
“He called," He paused for a minute, I could tell that he didn’t want to tell me the rest. “He called me, to tell me goodbye, and to make sure you weren’t the one to find him.”
My gasp had Luke opening his eyes to study me. He stroked a hand over my cheek and went on.
“He wanted me to tell you that he loves you that he’s sorry. God, Rory; I tried to stop him. I called McKinney PD on the radio; but when units arrived on the scene, it was already too late.” The remorse and guilt Luke showed were awful. His eyes seemed to be pleading; for what, I wasn’t sure.
“God, I’m so sorry! If I’d only said the right thing; gotten to him sooner, then maybe - I could have helped him. I should have made him talk to me before tonight. I thought he was starting to get better; you know? It’s my fault, Rory, I’m so sorry, so fucking sorry.” Luke hung his head, clasped me tighter and let out a mournful sounding groan.
“NO! Luke, it isn’t your fault!” I shouted, I had to make him see that I didn’t blame him. I didn’t want him to take the responsibility on himself either. “You can’t say that. It isn’t! I thought that he was getting better too, thought he was getting his life back on track. We had these long talks, about mom, about all kinds of stuff. He’s been so much more open with me, telling me he loves me every time we talked.”
