Scavenge (Smoldering #1.5)

by Tiffany Aleman

  Ron reaches out and puts his hand on my shoulder, and I turn my attention to him. “Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to make a decision right now, or tomorrow, or anytime soon. Just… think about it,” he says.

  I know that I’ve thought about my parents more now than I have in the past almost three years, but actually going to see them scares the shit out of me. I’m not sure if anything will change between us. Hell, I’m not sure if I rang their doorbell, if they would even acknowledge that they have a daughter, but Lana and Ron are right. I’ll never know what their reaction will be to me if I never try. And like they said, if all else fails, then I can finally let them go and be free of their haunting memories.

  “I’ll think about it,” I say. “Thank you, for this,” I offer as I give each of them hugs.

  ♥

  “Okay, this one is for Kelsey,” Jen says, clapping her hands excitedly. She passes me an envelope, and like a child receiving her first Christmas present, I tear into the paper. Inside are two concert tickets to the Florida Country Superfest.

  Just like me, Lana and Ron accepted my friends, my family, with open arms. It meant the world to me to watch Lana wrap Jen, Candace, and Dante in her arms and hug them like the siblings I see them as. Ron, not the hugging type, nodded to them in acknowledgement and said his hellos. We ate and chatted happily until it was time for presents.

  “Oh my God. You didn’t?” I shout enthusiastically and a little shocked as I jump up off the couch.

  “Of course I did.” She smiles. “You’ve only been talking about that damn concert for a few months now. Now the question is, who are you going to take with you?” She quirks an eyebrow up at me.

  “You, of course,” I answer as I wrap her in a one-armed hug. “Thank you.”

  “Merry Christmas, bitch.”

  Her response makes me laugh. “Merry Christmas.”

  As I step back out of her hold, I collect all of my envelopes. I hand each of everyone their prospective gifts. “These are from Riley and me.” Everyone’s eyes are still on me, and I chuckle at them. “Open them.”

  I watch in fascination as they all open their gifts. Lana and Ron look at me first, awe clearly written on their faces. “You bought us a cruise?” Lana asks, completely flabbergasted.

  “Yes. Both of you are always so busy, and we thought this would be a good gift to get you to, you know, take some time off and just enjoy each other’s company,” I offer. “Do you like it?”

  Lana steps in front of me and gives me a hug before pulling back. “Very much. This is a very thoughtful gift to give.”

  “You got them a cruise, and you get me two tickets to Mexico?” Jen says. Her question has me looking at her like she’s an ungrateful ass until she slaps me on the arm with a smile. “Just kidding.” She winks at me.

  “You’re an ass.”

  “Eh… but you love me anyway.”

  “I do.”

  “No. Seriously, this is an awesome gift. Plus, you know how much I loved Puerto Vallarta.” She giggles, and I know exactly how much she loved her little vacation spot, and how much she loved the concierge at the hotel, too.

  Jen leans into me, whispering, “How did you afford all of this?”

  “I used some of my savings and inheritance.” I shrug, and she nods in understanding.

  “Finally,” she says, and I roll my eyes at her response. “Does Riley know about all of this?”

  “No,” I answer with a shake of my head. “I’ll tell him later. I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

  “I’m sure he will.” Jen’s sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed.

  I look between Candace and Dante ignoring Jen’s comment. Candace has tears in her eyes as she looks from me to her gift. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispers.

  “You could say, ‘will you take me to the airport tomorrow?’”

  “I just can’t believe you bought me a ticket to my brother’s so I can go see his baby be born.”

  “That’s an experience you shouldn’t miss.” I shrug.

  “You really are the best, you know that,” she states with shock marring her features.

  I turn my gaze to Dante. All of this attention is weird for me, and at first, I was handling it well, but now it’s starting to make me a little uncomfortable.

  Dante just shakes his head as he stares at me from across the room. His gift was a bit harder for me to pick out. But when I thought about a fishing trip out in Fort Lauderdale, I knew it was perfect. His envelope holds his itinerary for a couple of weekends from now. “You got me a deep sea fishing trip?” he asks, completely stunned.

  “Yep. Well, you and four other people.”

  A slow smile spreads across his face as he places his hands on his hips and shakes his head. “I knew I was friends with you for a reason,” he jokes, and we all laugh out loud.

  “I am so glad that’s the only reason.”

  Dante walks forward and envelops me in his arms. “Thank you. I love it,” he whispers into my hair before kissing my forehead.

  Just as I’m dropping my arms, a collective gasp sounds out from around me. Slowly, I pull back, and all I see are Jen and Candace’s frozen faces, and Lana and Ron smiling.

  The ring.

  “When? What? How in the…” Jen trails off before snatching my hand to inspect the ring.

  “You got engaged?” Candace asks as she comes up to stand beside Jen snatching my hand away and into hers.

  “You’re engaged?” Dante asks confused. He looks around the room, and his gaze stops on Riley’s parents, and he points at them. “And you already knew?”

  Lana’s grin tilts up half of her face, and she nods.

  Jen’s eyes snap up to meet mine. “You got engaged and didn’t tell me?”

  “It just happened this morning.”

  “And you didn’t call us,” Jen ghosts her hand back and forth between her and Candace, “as soon as it happened?”

  I pull my hand out of their grasp and look away sheepishly. “I’m sorry.” I look back at them. “But like I said, it just happened this morning. Don’t be mad at me.”

  “Well, can I be mad at you later then?” she asks, and I chuckle at her question.

  “Sure. Just as long as you get over it pretty quick,” I answer. From the corner of the living room, I hear my computer ringing and rush over to accept the phone call.

  Sitting there in all his glory is Riley. It’s early for him, and I feel bad that he woke up earlier than usual just to tell everyone Merry Christmas.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey. Having fun?” he asks around a yawn.

  “Yeah, we just got done exchanging gifts,” I answer, and before I can say anything else, I’m shoved out of the way by Jen.

  “You asked her to marry you and didn’t even tell me?” she scolds, and I laugh.

  “Did you want me to have you ask her for me?” Riley retorts, and everyone laughs.

  I step back from them as Jen and Riley continue to bicker back and forth. Everyone crowds around the computer, trying to talk to him all at once. Leaning up against the wall, I sit back and watch them and I smile. This is what family is. A group of people getting along, laughing, making precious memories, and yes, even arguing. No one’s perfect, but this is my family, as dysfunctional as we all may seem. But what counts is we love each other. And though Riley’s not here in person, he’s still here, even if it is from the opposite side of a computer screen. I look over at my family and listen to them laughing and trying to talk over each other, and it fills me with happiness. With that realization, I now understand the meaning of Christmas. It’s not about gifts or dinners. It’s about togetherness. It’s about family and friends enjoying each other’s company. It’s about love.

  This book is for all of you readers. I took a chance when I published Smoldering.

  Never in a million years did I think it would have been received the way it was. So thank you for taking a chance on me. Thank you for falling in love w
ith my characters and their story. I feel so humbled that you all took Smoldering in stride, even the parts you may not have liked. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for every message that you sent, for every review that you left, and for just believing in me and my work.

  There are so many people I need to thank for helping me with this novella. Every single one of my beta readers, you ladies know who you are, you are my backbone. Without your support and critique I’m not sure I know where I’d be without you all. Thank you for taking the time away from your personal lives to assist me. Your undying support doesn’t go unnoticed and I appreciate every single one of you.

  To my PA Jammie, girl you have become a lifesaver for me. When I need you, you’re there and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Not only do you help me out, but you’re also a great friend.

  My editor, when I call you with crazy ideas and ask about deadlines that seem impossible to meet, you are the first one to tell me to shut up and write. I love you. You have been there since day one of my career. Not once have you ever doubted me. Thank you for believing in me and my stories.

  To my cover designer, you never seem to disappoint. Your work is amazing and I fall more in love with each cover you produce for me. Thanks for always being there.

  My crazy formatter, where would this book be without you? Thank you for making it look pretty and taking the time out of your day to do so. I owe ya one.

  The bloggers, I don’t know where I’d be without you. Thank you. A lot of you have taken a chance on me, read my work, and loved it. I hope I continue to write great stories and give you amazing new characters to fall in love with.

  Finally, to every single soldier, marine, sailor, and airman, I could tell you thank you for your service, but thank you just do not seem like the right words. You are the heroes of our country. Day in and day out you fight and support a cause that takes a special someone to stand up for. This book is for all of your lost holidays spent missing your loved ones. I salute you.

  A lot of you have wanted a second book to Smoldering. A lot of you did not want to see Riley and Kelsey’s story end. I have read every single message and email that you have sent. I have heard your pleas left in your reviews, asking for another book.

  It is with great pleasure to announce that I have listened to you and that Riley and Kelsey’s story will continue in Searing, publishing spring 2015.

  Horrific images are seared into my brain that no shrink will ever be able to get rid of.

  I have nightmares I can’t hide from and no amount of alcohol will eradicate them.

  The love of my life sits by and watches me self-destruct. I know it’s hurting her, hurting us, because I don’t know how to help myself.

  Returning from Afghanistan was supposed to be a new beginning for Kelsey and me, but I was wrong.

  I’m drowning in a sea of horrors, spiraling into a hole of nothingness, and as much I hate to admit it, I’m lost.

  I need help, I know that, but the question remains…

  How can anyone help me if I can’t seem to help myself?

  Tiffany is a mother of two and married to a wonderful man who’s in the military. She is a lover of anything that has to do with the outdoors. When she's not writing, she's spending time at the beach, on a four-wheeler, or simply enjoying just being with her family and friends. Tiffany published her first novel in May of 2013 and hasn't seemed to stop writing ever since. She loves to read and lose herself in the imaginary world of the written word.

  If you liked Scavenge, please feel free to leave a review.

  Other works published by Tiffany:

  Smoldering Series:

  Smoldering

  Scavenge

  Searing (Coming 2015)

  Salvage (Coming 2015)

  Ways to reach Tiffany:

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortiffanyaleman

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/tiffany_aleman

  Email: authortiffanyaleman@gmail.com