She’s quiet, but she makes Dalton happy, and that makes me happy.
Dalton and I tied the knot about a year ago. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a trip to the courthouse and some promises about forever.
I knew I wanted to marry her that night at the factory. After she jumped into my arms and cried happy tears, I knew she was going to get over it all.
I knew she’d finally found peace. She worked on herself after that.
She’s no longer an FBI agent. She does help out from time to time on special cases, but we’ve moved out to the ranch and we couldn’t be happier. The air is better at the ranch. A person can think without police sirens going off and gunshots being fired every so often. This is where I want to raise our son. Monroe comes out and visits, and they talk about how things are going at the bureau and about Davy’s newest diet his wife has him on.
I’m working full time at the ranch with the vets. I finally feel useful again. There’s nothing like working with your hands and being around nature. I’ve found a good set of men and we’re a close group. I no longer need the drugs to numb the pain. I’m happier than I’ve ever been and when I’m having a rough day, I pack up with some of the boys and we head to the trails on horseback.
“You hungry?” I ask Chloe as she sits at the table, looking over at Emily and Rylee as they start to clean up their crafts.
“Starving,” she says.
Dalton puts her arm around her sister’s neck and kisses her cheek. “Love you,” she says. “Thank you for coming.”
“Love you, Low.”
“Where can a man get a beer at around here?” Uncle Monnie stands on the porch with a belly bigger than his smile. That man’s always grinning.
If we were blood, I’d say that’s where I get it from.
Maybe it still is. Shit, I don’t know. Mills, Harrison’s dad, stands beside him.
“Beer is in the cooler,” I tell them, pointing near my grill.
“I’m going to help bring the food out,” Dalton says.
“How about you sit with Chloe? I’ll do that.”
“Deal,” she says, lifting her leg to sit on the cushioned bench. Harrison walks down with a dish of green beans and Bryce has the rolls.
“Sorry we don’t have any donuts,” Bryce says to Dalton.
I snicker, hearing my wife say, “Ha-ha.”
Mary walks out with her husband, Charles. He was the preacher at Bryce and Harrison’s wedding. Second chances don’t come often, but it seems Mary got hers.
She’s been clean for a long time now. I’m happy for her, and for me to say that, shows how far I’ve come.
“Anything left to grab?” I ask.
“Nope,” Mary says with a smile.
“All right then.” I walk over to the cooler and grab a beer.
“Hey, get me one,” Bryce says
“Me too,” Pops says, walking out from the house. I grab three beers, handing Pops his.
“Thanks.” He puts his arm around my shoulders as we walk down the steps. My family gathers around the table. My wife, Chloe, Harrison, Mills, and my brother. Rylee, Emily, Uncle Monnie, and Aunt Lou. “That’s some sight, isn’t it, my boy?”
They’re all smiling and talking amongst each other as the outdoor lights shine above them from the trees. Food is on the table and family is here.
“It is,” I say to him. “It really is.”
We walk on down and take our seats. Everyone holds hands, and Pops begins the blessing.
I lean over and whisper into Dalton’s ear, “Wanna hear a dirty joke?”
She folds her lips, trying not to laugh as she kicks me under the table.
I smile, and everyone says, “Amen.”
“You really are the worst,” she says, laughing.
“But you love me.”
She smiles over at me, her eyes scanning my face. “I do, Jace Grant. I really do.”
The end.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you so, so much for reading the Give Me series! These books mean so much to me and were truly my pleasure to write. I fell in love with every one of the characters and all of their flaws. There’s a ton of people I need to thank and most of you know who you are.
Paige, my editor, you have been a godsend. Thank you for taking time out of your life to help me get these books out so quickly so my readers wouldn’t have to wait. You make me a better writer. You’re an amazing person and I hope one day we will meet so I can hug you.
Julie T. I can’t thank you enough for proofreading each book so carefully! I love you! We’ve been friends for many years. I love you like you love Pho. But I love Pho too and that’s because of you.
Thank you to my beta readers. Each one of you have your own special place inside my dark soul. I may seem bubbly on the outside, but you know my words. They come from a place deep inside that I only share with my readers.
I get that life isn’t rainbows and sunshine. I love to write about the darkness and hold your hand while you venture through. There’s always an unpleasant side to the prettiness and I love to write every detail of the ugly before showing you the beauty.
Lily, Jessi, Monica, you three have stuck by my side since book one in this series and even before I started Give Me Love the second go around. Your honesty has only made me a better writer. I appreciate it and I adore ya’ll.
Rea. God knew we needed to be friends. You share my work and spread the word and that’s better than gold. Zombie shooters for life!
Tracey Wilson-Vuolo. You know what you did for me. I will never be able to thank you enough. What a beautiful person inside and out.
My street team! You guys are Rockstar’s! You help my work get seen and that means everything to me. There’s a bunch of you, but that doesn’t make each one of you less important to me. I love you. You know who you are. Thank you!
YOU! Yeah, you!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. That little girl who had such a big imagination––who loved to read and write––never in a million years would she have thought that one day people would read what she wrote––that people would love what her imagination created on paper.
I’m a writer, but because of YOU I’m an author.
Thank you.
Give Me Redemption (Give Me Series Book 4) Page 31
