"Besides the nude beaches? Because you know I'm already down for that." I wiggle my eyebrows and she slaps me in my chest.
"No. Maybe we should really make a new start and…" She reaches into her purse and pulls out a black titanium ring, "renew our vows?"
“I couldn’t think of anything better.”
EPILOGUE
RIVER
10 months later….
Breathing…
It's something I do now without thinking and without worry. There's no weight on my chest holding me down and the reason I keep going is with Jaxson standing by side continuing to give me my air.
The nightmares that swallowed my life are gone and the biggest one is behind bars for the next thirty-five years.
His little sidekick got fifteen.
We spent seven months in Antigua, and it was freeing. We renewed our vows inviting Jaxson’s family, Liam, Sam, and Luna to join us for the ceremony on Galley Bay. The money, my inheritance that I’d taken back and stored away made for easy living and no worries.
As time went on, I realized I didn't have to run away to a faraway land to escape my past or to make a new start. All I needed to start over was to not let fear control me from living any longer.
Sure, I’d love to rewind the past, erase the demons that pop up occasionally, but I have great life lessons and stories to tell.
My slate is clean and everything and everyone I hold dear is safe, so as time went on I couldn't keep hiding from those people any longer. I wanted, no needed, to be surrounded by those who love me.
Though Jax and I still have a home in Antigua that we plan to visit often, we moved back to Florida, to Tampa, two hundred and fifty miles from Tallahassee. Far enough away from the memories, but close enough to everyone and all the action.
Jaxson is working remotely for Liam doing what he did before, and I started a small marketing firm. It’s what I always wanted to do. The job I had before my dad had it ripped away from me. Now I’m doing it all on my own terms.
Yes, freedom is sweet.
Thanks to some help from the FBI, I found the lawyer that was supposed to handle my divorce. My curiosity was too much for me and I wanted to know why and how the divorce papers I signed never got to Jaxson, and why he lied to me about them being filed.
Roger Clements was looking to retire, and I was his last client before he escaped to a life of golf courses and relaxation.
When I met with him, the old man with smile wrinkles around his eyes leaned back in his chair and told me, “I saw it wasn’t what you truly wanted. I could see you were in a bind with your father breathing down your neck. I did the only thing I thought I could do. Lie.”
It was hard to believe I had this complete stranger in my corner that knew what I needed at the lowest point of my life.
I’ll always be thankful for that because it might have brought me to where I am today.
Jaxson plops down on the bed beside me and runs his hand down my naked arm. He nips at my ear, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “Where did you run off to this afternoon?”
I chew on my bottom lip and brush my hand throw his blond hair. There is no doubt I fall in love with this man a little bit more every day.
"I went and did something a little crazy today."
"Yeah?"
"I went to see my Ob-gyn and had my IUD removed. And I didn’t get on a different form of birth control either."
"Are you serious?" He shoots up, excitement gleaming from his hazel eyes. It was time for it to be removed anyway and though we haven’t fully discussed our next step with kids, I know where he stands.
"Yep. The doctor mentioned it can still take some time for us to get pregnant afterward, but it felt right. If you’re not happy, I can…"
"Are you shittin’ me, Rivs?" He grabs my face in his hands and forces me down to the bed. "This is the best news yet. You sure you’re ready? For babies."
"Honestly? They still scare the shit out of me, but I'm ready. Watching you hold our neighbors’ baby the other day with that smile on your face made my ovaries fucking explode."
I totally saw my future in that moment. Jaxson with his arms around me, his hands spread out over my growing pregnant belly. Then it flashed to Jaxson standing in the living room, with our baby in his arms, tight against his bare chest as he soothed him or her to sleep.
The thought no longer made me break out in hives and that’s when I knew I was ready.
"Explode, huh?"
"Oh yeah. I want to have your babies, Jax." He kisses me and pushes me further into the mattress.
“I want nothing more than to give them to you,”
“We better get working on it then. I’ve heard nothing works better than lots of practice.’
The End…
****
Jaxson’s cell phone rings on the nightstand breaking us from our passionate embrace. Jax grumbles rolling off me to answer the phone. “This better be good. Like you’re building better be burning to the ground.”
“Hi to you too, dipshit, but it is important. I have a problem,” Liam drones through the speaker. “You remember that interior designer you introduced me to?”
“Yeah, Holly? What happened? You didn’t sleep with her, did you?” Jaxson asks, rolling his eyes.
I'll kill him if he did.
“I did.”
I groan and slap my hand on my forehead. Holly Jenkins is the sweetest girl in the world. I met her when we moved back to Florida to help me decorate the house. She didn't come across as a girl that would be for one-night stands, she told me she was looking for something more serious.
“Liam, dude, come on," Jaxson snaps. "I told you if you want to finish your building you had to stop fucking sleeping with your employees.”
“No, Jax, I didn’t sleep with her recently. It was three years ago!"
What?
“Oh, so, what's the problem? I knew your slew of one nights would catch up with you," Jaxson laughs.
“The thing is, there’s a big problem. I need a favor.”
There will be more of Jaxson and River in Liam's story: ALL IN part of the Keep Breathing series coming in mid 2020. You can add to your TBR on Goodreads now
Also by
Coming on April 23rd: Price of Love: Pre- Order today
Part of the Written in the Stars Series:
THE LOVE PLAN
PERFECT STORM
I FOUND YOU
SO WRONG SO RIGHT
WATCHING YOU
STRONGER
PLAYING WITH FIRE
PLAYING WITH FIRE: THE CONCLUSION
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS
YOU CAN STALK ME IN ALL THESE PLACES:
www.ericamarselas.com
Newsletter:
Facebook:
My Author Group on Facebook: Erica Marselas Diamonds in the Rough
Instagram:
Goodreads:
Pinterest Board.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
To my husband: Thank you for being the most supportive person in the world as I take on this publishing journey. AND STILL putting up with me :D I don’t know how you do it. Love you
To Leslie: Girl!!! I don’t know what I would do without you. You read all my stories when they are in rough draft mode to the final draft. You watch my characters grow with me. You listen to me bitch, moan… cry…lol. But seriously, you have been there for me and so many others from the beginning. Thank you. I love you! I would be lost without you.
Wendy: I love you girl. You’re help on this story means so much. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know you this year.
Denise, Carmen, Rochelle: Thank you so much for taking your time and helping me beta this story. I would have been lost without your help.
To the best group of women I know: Denise, Q.B. Carmel. Harlow, Gemini, Melissa, Kelsey, Suzan, Helen, Rose, Colleen S, Kristen, Danielle J, Kelly R, SE, Krista, and Jeanette. I would be lost without you guys! Thank you guys for always having my back, listening to
me, reassuring me, motivating me, and helping my stories grow. I owe you guys more then you’ll ever know!!! Love ya all.
To my readers: You guys are pretty flippin’ awesome too. I love you guys. Thank you for coming along with me on this ride and enjoying the words I write. (then asking for more :) )
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erica is a wife, a mother of four, and a tequila drinking smart mouth. When she’s not wrangling her children and trying to keep them alive, she’s writing. She’ll write anything from steamy erotica, to HEA romance novels because not all love stories are created equal. As long as she can dream it, she'll write it.:)
Erica Marselas
Living The Dream Through Words
“Dreams come to us when we sleep—but when you write them down, they come alive.”
Barely Breathing (Keep Breathing Book 1) Page 19
