Crosby looked up at my statement. “We don’t?”
“No. Harriet had a bunch of those cameras that record everything installed outside all the entry points to our houses last year. He should be on the recordings. Probably even the first time he hit me because we were on my front porch.”
Crosby looked away for a brief moment, his jaw working. I squeezed his hand with as much strength as I had. “I’m okay. And he’s not going to hurt me ever again.”
Crosby turned back towards me. “No, he’s not.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. “You’re so fucking strong. For yourself, for our baby. I love you.”
I’d never tire of hearing those words. “With everything I am.”
Epilogue
Kenna
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Zoe, this is beautiful! Thank you so much for making it for me.” I eased back against the couch as I took in the get-well card creation full of glitter and stickers and everything girly.
Zoe nibbled on her bottom lip. “You’re welcome. You’re feeling better, right? You’ll be okay?”
My heart cracked for the little girl who’d already lost so much. It hadn’t been easy for her when she’d heard I’d landed in the hospital. We’d spoken on the phone a few times since my attack, but I was finally getting some quality time with my girl. “I’ll be one hundred percent in a few weeks. I just have to pack around this ugly cast in the meantime.” I held up my plaster-covered arm. “Think you could help me decorate it?”
A small smile appeared on Zoe’s face, and she nodded.
I picked up a few markers from the coffee table. The action made my head spin, but I kept a smile on my face, not wanting Zoe to worry. The concussion still gave me some nasty lingering side effects, but they were lessening each day. I patted the seat next to me. “Come on over.”
Zoe made her way to me as Ingrid and Crosby watched from chairs across the way. She carefully lowered herself to the sofa and picked up a marker. “How about some flowers?”
“That sounds perfect. Flowers will brighten up this cast for sure.”
Zoe was quiet as she worked, and I gave her time, knowing she’d open up when she was ready. She drew blooms of pink and purple and orange, creating a green vine that connected them all. Still focused on her work, she asked, “They got the bad guy, right?”
My chest gave another squeeze. “They got him, Zo. He’s going to jail for a long time.”
The footage from the camera right outside my door had been a slam dunk. Between that and the statements from my doctors, Grant had been charged with attempted murder. It would probably get lowered to aggravated assault when we went to court, but Grant wouldn’t get away this time. He was going to pay for his actions.
Annabelle and Clark had shown up on the island briefly but had fled back to Seattle to lick their wounds and try to figure out a way to get their son off without prison time. It wasn’t going to happen. And the entire island had been happy to see them go.
The most surprising revelation had been that Lacey had helped with the attempted bribery of Judge Moore. They’d found her fingerprints all over the briefcase of cash that had been left at his home. Prints that had been on file from when Bell had gotten Lacey locked up for underage drinking. She probably would avoid actual jail time, but Lacey was going to be on probation at the very least. It seemed like Karma was finally paying a visit to those who deserved it.
Crosby had been by my side through it all, my rock. But when he’d had to sit through the footage of Grant striking me, I thought he might lose it. Luckily, Ford and Bell had been at the station with us. Ford had taken Crosby outside, and whatever he’d said had seemed to help. That and having me in bed next to him every night. I never felt safer than when I was in Crosby’s arms.
While I was in the hospital for a few days, Bell and Caelyn had rushed to get one of the downstairs guest rooms in the main house ready for me to stay in. Avoiding stairs for these first few weeks of my recovery had been key. And I had no desire to remain in the place where I’d almost lost it all. I would reclaim the guest house eventually, make peace with what had happened there, but there was no rush. And I wanted to make the main house my own first. Our own. The place where Crosby and I would raise our family.
I placed my hand over my belly and grinned at Crosby. His light brown eyes seemed to twinkle as he smiled back at me.
“I’m glad they got him.”
Zoe brought me back to our current conversation and out of my daydreams. “Me, too.”
She snapped a cap back on her marker. “All done. Like it?”
I lifted my cast to examine her doodles. “It’s perfect. I think you might have a future as an artist.”
Zoe blushed. “Can I be a professional soccer player, too?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Ingrid pushed to her feet. “Speaking of soccer, we need to get going so you’re not late for practice.”
Zoe glanced back to me. “Do you think you could come to my game next weekend?”
“I’d love to come. You just tell me where and when.” Being around Zoe and seeing her thrive put a lightness in me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe ever. The little girl gave me hope. That no matter our circumstances, we could heal.
“Awesome.”
I pushed slowly to my feet, my ribs still twinging a bit at the movement. Crosby was by my side in a flash. “Careful.”
I threw him a mock scowl. “Stop clucking over me like a mother hen.” Crosby might as well have tried wrapping me in Bubble Wrap for how paranoid he was about me further injuring myself.
Ingrid smiled at the two of us as she wrapped an arm around Zoe’s shoulders. “He clucks because he cares.”
Crosby let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t cluck. I’m just cautious.”
Zoe giggled. “It sounded a little clucky to me.”
Crosby’s eyes narrowed on the girl. “I’m gonna remember that the next time we play soccer. No more going easy on you.”
She shrugged. “You could try, but I’ll still leave you in the dust.”
“That’s my girl.” I held out a hand, and Zoe high fived me.
Crosby and I watched as Zoe and Ingrid loaded into her car and headed down the gravel lane. I leaned my head against Crosby’s shoulder. “I’m so glad I got to see Zo.”
“Me, too. She was worried about you.”
“I hate that. But I think she’s at ease now, don’t you?”
Crosby twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. “Definitely.” Pressing his lips to my temple, he asked, “Are you up for a stroll to the swing?”
I pulled back slightly. “You’re actually going to let me walk around outside?”
Crosby grimaced. “I’m not that bad.”
“You kind of are.” For the first week, he hadn’t even let me go to the bathroom alone. He walked me there and then sat outside the door, making me call out to him every thirty seconds that I was okay.
Crosby cupped my face in his hands. “I almost lost you. You can’t blame me for being a little extra-cautious.”
I melted at the mix of fear and love in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” I stretched up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. “I love you. And I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m counting on that.” Crosby led us slowly towards the swing that overlooked the water, one of my favorite places on the whole property.
By the time we reached the spot, I was a bit winded, but the fresh air had done me good. “I can’t believe this gets to be our home.”
“We’re pretty damn lucky.”
“We really are.”
Crosby and I sat in silence as we gently swung back and forth. Everything about the moment was perfect. The smell of the salt air, the sunshine wrapping around us, the peace and comfort of being with the one I loved.
Crosby lifted my hand to his lips, kissing the center of my palm. As he set it on his thigh, he began tracing nonsensical designs over my finge
rs. “I love you, Kenna. More than I ever thought possible.”
I looked up at Crosby, drinking in the emotion on his face. “I’m pretty glad about that.”
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Did I tell you that Harriet left me something in her will, too?”
I straightened on the swing. “No. What was it?” I loved that Harriet had thought to include Crosby. Their relationship had been special too, and I knew that whatever it was, he’d hold it dear.
Crosby pulled something out of his pocket that I couldn’t see. “I gotta be honest, when I first saw it, I was confused. And when I read her letter to me, I thought she might be a little crazy. I was damn certain I wasn’t going to fall in love again.”
My brows pulled together. “What did she leave you?”
Crosby opened his hand, and on his palm was a gold band with a massive emerald-cut diamond. “This was the ring her Richard gave to her when he asked Harriet to marry him. Harriet said in her note that she knew I was going to find someone to trust with my heart again, and she wanted me to have this ring that already held so many years of love.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart picking up a riotous rhythm in my chest. Crosby met my gaze, so much love in his eyes. “Will you wear this ring, Kenna? Be my wife, my partner, the mother of my babies, my home.”
“Yes,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes.
Crosby slipped the ring onto my finger, the sunrays making rainbows dance out of the stone and shine around us. He took my mouth in a slow kiss. When he pulled back, I met his gaze, searching, hoping. “If Zoe’s mom relinquishes her parental rights, I want to adopt her.”
Crosby grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Everything inside me warmed at his words. He sobered, seeming to look even deeper into my eyes, my entire being. “I love you, Brown Eyes.”
I felt everything that went into those words, joy and pain, triumph and struggle, hope and fear. He was giving everything to me, and I’d give it all right back to him. I brushed my lips against his for a second time. “With everything I am.”
THE END
Want to know what happens when Caelyn and Griffin’s worlds collide? Find out in Wrecked Palace. Available for purchase by tapping HERE.
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Acknowledgments
To my family and friends. Thank you for supporting me on this crazy journey, even if you don’t read “kissing books.”
Thank you to all the wonderful authors who have helped me along the way. From sharing wisdom and encouragement to laughter when things get tough. You prove that the internet isn’t always a scary place, after all. And an extra special thank you to Emma and Grahame…I’m so grateful to have you in my life!
To my fearless beta readers: Angela, Emily, and Trisha, thank you for reading this book in its roughest form and helping me to make it the best it could possibly be! And to Lucy, for answering a million legal questions so that I could make this story as accurate as possible.
The crew that helps bring my words to life and gets them out into the world is pretty darn epic. Thank you to Susan, Chelle, Janice, Julie, Hang, Stacey, Jenn, Sarah, and the rest of my team at Social Butterfly. Your hard work is so appreciated!
To all the bloggers who have taken a chance on my words…THANK YOU! Your championing of my stories means more than I can say. And to my launch and ARC teams, thank you for your kindness, support, and sharing my books with the world.
Ladies of Catherine Cowles Reader Group, you’re my favorite place to hang out on the internet! Thank you for your support, encouragement, and willingness to always dish about your latest book boyfriends. You’re the freaking best!
Lastly, thank YOU! Yes, YOU. I’m so grateful you’re reading this book and making my author dreams come true. I love you for that. A whole lot!
Also Available From Catherine Cowles
Further To Fall
The Sutter Lake Series
Beautifully Broken Pieces
Beautifully Broken Life
Beautifully Broken Spirit
Beautifully Broken Control
The Wrecked Series
Reckless Memories
Perfect Wreckage
Wrecked Palace
About Catherine Cowles
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing, she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
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