Standing, I walked down the hallway until I came to the closed door of Ryker’s room. Gripping the handle, I knew everything would look the same as it had when he left the house shortly after writing that letter. Turning the knob anyway, I opened the door and flipped on the light as I stepped inside. My eyes skimmed the mess he’d left on the floor—all the dirty clothes and empty Gatorade bottles strewn about.
Placing a hand over my mouth, I walked through the room and sat on the edge of his bed. For a while, my mind was filled with never-ending memories of the two of us together, until one in particular ceased all the others, pushing them away so it could stay front and center. I couldn’t have been more than seven, which put Ryker around ten. We’d been sitting on the back porch at our parents’ house, eating watermelon. It was the middle of summer and Ryker had come in second during a race earlier that day. I couldn’t remember exactly what had happened or what it had been about, but Ryker and I had been arguing. Mom had given us the watermelon and told us to take it to the porch and talk out our differences like men. This had resorted in us eating our watermelon while tossing dirty looks back and forth. Eventually, an inevitable watermelon seed-spitting contest had broken the ice between us, and all had been forgiven.
For whatever reason, my mind chose to latch onto that specific memory and replay Ryker’s words to a seven-year-old me.
“I’m gonna make you mad sometimes, Sawyer. It’s what my old teacher Mrs. Kever would call a given. Just always remember to forgive me, okay? Because we’re brothers and that’s what brothers do. They forgive each other,” he’d said.
“I know. I’ll always forgive you, Ryker.” I’d nodded. “Always.”
“You okay?” Eva asked, her voice breaking my memory into a thousand little pieces. She was standing in the doorway, but she hadn’t stepped inside the room.
Releasing a deep breath, I eyed her.
“Yeah, I think so.” And I did. For the first time, I felt as though the loss of my brother wasn’t going to kill me. My eyes locked with Eva’s, and I smiled. “Come here, pretty eyes. I think I could use a hug.”
Eva crossed the room—my future memories colliding with my past—and sat beside me on Ryker’s bed. I tucked her into my side, and pulled her close. Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and thought of nothing else besides my brother.
I forgive you, Ryker. You know I always would have. I love you, bro.
*dpgroup.org*
Thank you for reading Forget You as well as Forgive You, I hope you enjoyed them! Please consider leaving an honest review at your point of purchase. Reviews are an Indie’s best friend!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A huge thank you goes out to my husband for all the witty one-liners you’ve filled my life with. I have to say your philosophy on wrapping Christmas presents is priceless. Also, I have to give him credit for coining the saying for the rest of ever as well. During one of our many deep and thoughtful conversations, he mentioned that he didn’t want to love me for just forever…that he wanted to love me for the rest of ever.
Thank you to my mom and sister for reading everything I write.
Thank you to my kids for coming into my life and showing me a different type of love that will last for the rest of ever.
Thank you to my beta readers Alyssa Rose Ivy, T. A. Foster, and Bethany Lopez. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to pull this one off, but you ladies made that critical side of me take a backseat while you told me the things you enjoyed most about Eva and Sawyer’s story. I thank you for that a hundred times over!
Thanks to H. Danielle Crabtree, my lovely editor, for working with me on this novel, Nicole Stephenson for proofreading, Lindee Robinson from Lindee Robinson Photography for the wonderful model image and cover design, and to Lee with IronHorse Formatting for a clean look.
Thank you to the ladies of story 4 story for all of their blurb help and support.
Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who help spread the word about each of my novels! You all mean the world to me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing New Adult and Young Adult Fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.
Find out more about her latest novel by visiting her blog:
JenniferSnyderBooks.com
Other ways to connect with Jennifer:
JenniferSnyder04(at)gmail(dot)com
www.facebook.com/authorjennifersnyder
Twitter @jennsnyder04
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Other Books Also by Jennifer Snyder
Contemporary Romance Reads:
Standalones:
Shattered Soul
The Unloved
Exhale
Coldcreek Novel Series (New Adult):
Break You
Control You
Wreck You
Forget You
Paranormal Romance Reads:
The Marked Duology:
Marked (Marked Duology, Book 1)
Changed (Marked Duology, Book 2)
The Reaper Novellas:
Touch (Reaper Novella One)
Choice (A Bonus Short-Story Added Into Touch)
Hereafter (Reaper Novella Two)
Also available in a combined edition titled The Reaper Novellas!
The Tethered Series (New Adult):
Catalyst (A Tethered Novel, Book 1)
Conjure (A Tethered Novel, Book 2)
Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3)
Also available in a combined edition tilted The Tethered Trilogy!
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