"Fucker," Antonio whispered under his breath.
"That's too good for him," Ricky whispered back, muttering a few Spanish words.
Both attorneys made their statements and then the prosecutor invited Eleanor to the stand.
She stood up, bringing her piece of paper with her. She felt Marietta and Vivian pat her on the back. The boys nodded at her in support. "You got this, Mom," Jameson said.
Eleanor walked up to the stand in front of the judge and placed her piece of paper on it. She looked at Sean, square in the eye, took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you. I will never forget what you have done. The hole you created in my heart and in our family. I will never forget the feeling of holding my husband in my arms as he took his last breath. I will never forget what it felt like to go home to an empty house and sleep in a cold, empty bed. And I will definitely never forget that you robbed my children of their father. But, I forgive you. If I don't, I am the only one who will suffer and I refuse to spend one more ounce of my energy on you or the terrible thing you've done. I hope one day you realize, if you haven't already, the magnitude of your actions. The ripple effect that they have caused in our community. Until that day comes, I offer you my forgiveness so that my family may move on with our lives."
She picked up her paper and walked back to her seat. Vivian and Marietta had tears in their eyes. Jackson and Jameson were smiling and Sean Temple, looked like he'd just lost his best friend too.
Good.
No matter what sentence he received, he no longer mattered in her life. Saying the words out loud had made it so.
Life without Gary would never be the same as it was when he was alive. But she could do it on her own and she would.
With her own personal guardian angel watching her back.
Epilogue
Eleanor
"Mom! Let's go! We're going to be late!" Jackson yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Eleanor could hear him pacing the wood floor. He was more nervous and excited than she was.
Eleanor picked up the photo of her and Gary that sat on her dresser. She'd had the picture of her pinning his badge to his uniform at his academy graduation framed the day the judge sent Sean Temple away for killing her husband in cold blood. It took her a long time to be able to look at it with a smile instead of tears. Today, she smiled and she cried. Tears of sadness mixed with happiness and pride.
"I wish you could be there, Gary. It's a big day for our boy Jameson. He's finally decided what he wants to do with his life and I just know you'd be busting out of your uniform with pride."
"Mom! Come on!" Jackson yelled.
She pressed a kiss to her finger and then pressed the finger to the image of Gary. "I love you still with all my heart and I'll miss you until the end of time."
She set the frame down and grabbed her purse off her bed. Jackson stood in the foyer, holding out her black wool coat. "What took you so long?" he asked as she slipped on the coat.
"Just had to let your father know what's going on." Eleanor smiled at Jackson. "I want him to know the legacy he has left behind in the two of you."
"I know he's out there, watching over us. But, if he were here, he'd be having a fit because we are going to be late!" Jackson yanked open the door.
It was only a week until Christmas, their second without Gary. The thought of another year of holidays without him made her heart ache but life had to keep moving forward. It took her a long time to understand that but she was trying. The boys had hung some lights on the front of the house and on this night, there was actually a light snowfall making everything feel very festive.
"Careful, Mom. The steps are kinda icy." Jackson held out his hand to help her down the steps. He reminded her so much of Gary. Jackson had his father's stoicism. He took everything in stride. Well, almost everything. Gary's death had hit him hard but it had also given him a new sense of direction and determination.
They got in the car and Jackson drove them to the theater where Jameson's police academy graduation was scheduled to take place. Eleanor closed her eyes and thought about the last time she'd been in that building.
Gary graduated the academy right after they'd gotten married. He'd stood so straight and proud on that stage with his classmates, his shoes polished to a high shine and his brass so bright it could blind someone. When his name was called and she was invited to the stage to pin his badge to his uniform, she thought she saw their entire future in the crystal blue pools of his eyes.
"We're here. Mom? You okay?"
She looked over at her son. "Yes, why?"
"Because you are crying."
She felt the dampness on her cheeks with her fingertips. "I guess I am."
"Are you sure you want to do this? I can—"
Eleanor held up a hand to stop him. "I'm fine, Jackson. Just took a little trip down memory lane, is all."
She opened the car door and Jackson followed suit. Together, they walked in to the building and found a small crowd waiting to be seated.
"Eleanor!" Vivian appeared at her side, scooping her up in a tight hug. She looked at Jackson over Eleanor's shoulder. "You look so handsome tonight."
"Thank you, Ms. Vivian."
"Is Mari here yet?" Eleanor asked.
Vivian waved toward the auditorium. "She's inside, holding front row seats for all of us."
Eleanor followed Vivian's motion and spotted their friend sitting in a seat, a gorgeous curly haired baby in her arms. "Did she tell you her news?"
Vivian laughed. "Yes. Imagine finding out she is pregnant the same month she and Ricky adopted Olivia."
Eleanor smiled. "Sometimes God is really good."
"Is Tony here?" Jackson asked, scanning the small foyer.
"He's not home from school yet. They had a basketball game out of state. You know he got a full athletic scholarship, right?" Vivian looked so proud it made Eleanor smile.
"Yeah, he told me when it happened. That's awesome," Jackson replied.
The lights dimmed briefly.
"I think that's our cue," Vivian said, leading them in to the seating area.
As promised, Marietta had all the front row seats saved. Many of the other seats were already filled with officers and officials from the city.
"Did I just see the mayor?" Eleanor whispered to Vivian as they walked.
She nodded. "You did. Practically every city official and police officer in Virginia Beach is here tonight to watch Jameson Hart get sworn in. I heard there's even some from other Hampton Roads cities."
"Are you serious?" Eleanor asked, looking around again. Several familiar faces smiled back at her. Some gave a nod, others waved. "Because of Gary?"
"He was well-liked and respected on the job." Eleanor turned to see Antonio behind her, dressed in full uniform.
"Antonio!" She gave him a huge hug. "It's been so long since I've seen you."
He smiled, the relaxed easy smile he'd always had before the shooting. "Been busy. You know how it is. The job never stops."
"You look wonderful."
His expression turned serious. "It's been a long road, and to be honest, I'm still walking it, but I'm better than I have been in a long time." He nodded toward the stage of empty chairs where the new officers would soon be seated. "Gary'd be real proud of his boy."
Eleanor nodded. "Yeah, he would. I think it was always meant to be."
"It's in a person's blood, Ellie." He kissed her on the cheek, then gave his wife a kiss on the lips. "You two beautiful women better have a seat. Things are getting started."
Several officers walked on to the stage.
"Come sit!" Marietta waved to her and Vivian. Jackson was already in a seat.
Vivian sat next to Marietta and Eleanor sat between Vivian and Jackson. She leaned over Vivian to give Marietta a quick hug and a slight rub to her belly. "Congratulations. Thanks for getting the best seats in the house, Mari."
Marietta smiled, her entire face lighting up. "It's nothing short of a miracle but I'll take it." S
he pointed to the stage where Ricky now sat with the Chief of Police and a few other higher-ranking officers. "It doesn't hurt to have your husband teaching at the academy. He got me in early."
"He looks good up there. I think the change had been good for him. Jameson said he's a great instructor."
Marietta nodded. "I think he just needed a change. Things were never the same working the streets after Gary died."
"Antonio says the same thing," Vivian said. "They had a good thing going and once Gary was gone and Connor got fired, nothing felt right. He is loving being a detective now."
The class of graduates filed on to the stage and sat in the two rows of seats to one side of the stage. When they were all seated, the chief stood up and walked to the podium.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the sixty-second graduation of the Virginia Beach Police Academy. This is a powerful night for many you, witnessing history coming around full circle. A little over a year ago, we lost one of our finest officers to ever patrol the streets of our fair city. Officer Gary Hart died a hero, aiding a fellow officer and saving many lives that night. Tonight, we will witness the graduation of his son, Jameson, a new generation of the Hart family joining our fine force. I ask that each and every one of you take Officer Hart and his fellow rookie officers under your wing and show them how to be a part of the best group of officers I have ever had the privilege of working with."
Thunderous applause filled the auditorium as the chief took his seat. Eleanor wiped away tears and saw several others doing the same. A few more people made speeches and then Ricky stepped up to the podium to read the list of graduates' names while their loved one pinned their first badge to their uniform.
Jameson was fifth on the list. Eleanor waited, literally on the edge of her seat until Ricky motioned for her to come on stage.
As she walked up the side staircase, Ricky said, "Officer Jameson Hart. Badge number 1352."
Eleanor froze and looked at Ricky. He nodded and smiled, as he continued. "Officer Hart will be wearing the badge number that belonged to his father, in memory of Officer Gary Hart."
Once again, thunderous applause filled the room. All across the auditorium officers and civilians rose to their feet. Some called out, others wiped at their eyes but they all stood in memory of her Gary and support of their son.
Eleanor somehow managed to cross the stage to where Jameson stood, his expression serious but his eyes moist. She took the badge, one she had seen a hundred times before and ran her finger over the number engraved in it before pinning it to Jameson's freshly starched uniform shirt.
"I'm so proud you, baby. And I know your father is."
Jameson grinned down at her. "Thanks, Mom."
From somewhere over her shoulder, Eleanor caught the flash of a camera as someone snapped a picture of her at the very moment she closed the pin on Jameson's shirt. It transported her back in time to the last time she stood in that spot and for just a moment she saw Gary smiling down at her instead of Jameson.
Ricky read the next name and Eleanor left the stage. When she returned to her seat, Jackson gave her a hug. "I swear I saw Dad standing up there with you," he whispered in her ear.
"I know. I felt him too."
For the first time since Gary's death, Eleanor felt real peace. "I think we're going to be all right."
"You know Dad's got our backs."
Eleanor wiped at a stray tear. "Always."
Acknowledgments
This was one of those books that I really wanted to write but I needed a lot of support to get through it. My emotions rode a wild roller coaster as the words poured onto the page. Without my favorite editor Allie Kincheloe who lets me bounce ideas off of her at any hour of the day or night, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off. And Samatha Harris is the best sprint partner in the world. Even when I didn’t feel like writing, she was there ready to go. If not for that month of sprints, I might still be writing this book. Thank you also to Maria Vickers and Lip Services Promo for helping me get this book out there for the world to read. Finally, a huge thank you to my husband, my hero and love, for always supporting my dreams.
About the Author
Science teacher by day, writer and mom by night, Carolyn LaRoche lives near the ocean with her husband, two boys, rescue puppy and two cats. She loves baseball, books, food videos and trying new recipes. The beach is her happy place and snow has become her arch enemy after years of living in New England.
Visit her online at:
Also by Carolyn LaRoche
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Evie Ward had everything she’d ever dreamed of. An action-packed job where no two shifts were ever the same, the best friend a girl could ever want, and a fairy tale wedding just days away. Her life was absolutely perfect. Until one bullet—one horrible choice—left her with a broken heart and shattered dreams. Fleeing the city she loved and a lifetime of memories, Evie took a job in the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the hopes that the ocean air and fresh beaches could somehow restore her soul. Falling in love again wasn’t part of the plan.
Landon Reed was on top of the world. The money, the women, the status—he had it all until one bad decision nearly cost him his life. His father gave him three months to get his act together or be cut off from the family fortune and business. No house, no job and no money. His will and his patience are tested further when his father hires a nurse to whip him into shape. She may be little but she's mean and it looks like Landon has finally met his match.
With her shattered heart and his broken spirit, the road to recovery will be long. Can they help each other heal or will their fractured pasts be too much to overcome?
Available here.
The Line That Binds Page 23
