Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 51744 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51744 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
In another moment, his cock is inside me and he’s driving into me, beads of sweat forming at his hairline as his gaze pierces mine.
“Mine,” he says, grunting. “Mine, Avery Marsh. Mine.”
“Yours…” I echo.
Because I am his. I’ve always been his, even when I hated him. Even when I nearly died giving birth to our son. Even when I found out I’ll never have another child. Even when I tried having relationships with other men and failed.
My heart, my body, my soul—it all belongs to Chance Bridger.
And I’ll still belong to him when I tell him the truth.
He may leave me, but I’ll still be his.
But I can’t bear the thought of him leaving me.
So I’ll leave.
I’ll go back to Phoenix.
Back to my life.
A life without Chance Bridger.
After Jarvis and I land in Phoenix, we go straight to the office to finish our report so we’re ready for the debriefing tomorrow. Then I head to the home I share with my mother and my son. In those hours, I try not to think of Chance, of him being so far away. Of what could be if I stayed. If I did what he suggested and relocated to Montana, dragging my mother back with me.
When I walk in the door, Grady is sitting at the kitchen table, working on homework.
“Hey, sweetie,” I say to him. “I’m home.”
He looks up and smiles. God, it’s the same smile I saw this morning on his father. The ache for Chance is familiar, and back with a vengeance. “Hey, Mom.”
“No hug?”
He begrudgingly rises and walks toward me and gives me a fourteen-year old-boy hug. I know he loves me, though. When I finally let go, I look into his blue eyes, so like his father’s. He’s so tall and I can see how he will fill out to be big and broad.
I adopt my stern mother voice. “We need to talk about your suspension.”
“Do we, Mom?” He steps back and drops into his chair, all gangly limbs.
“Yeah. But after dinner.” I give him a little bit of a reprieve. I’ve been gone a few days. What’s a few hours more? “Where’s Grandma?”
“On the service porch. Laundry.”
“Okay.” I lean in and kiss his fair cheek. “Get back to work. Then we’re going out to dinner tonight.”
“What for?”
“Because I’m home! And I solved my case. So finish up.”
I head through the back way where my mom is loading the dryer with damp clothes.
“I’m home, Mom.”
She widens her eyes. “Avery, I didn’t expect you until later tonight.”
I watch as she tosses a sock in the dryer.
“Jarvis and I finished up the report quicker than expected, so here I am. I’m taking you and Grady out to dinner.”
She smiles and studies me. “You look good, honey.”
“Thanks. I feel good.” Then I bite my lip. I don’t keep things from this woman. We’ve been through so much together. “Sort of. I solved the case. Chance is innocent. We found the person who killed that poor guy and threw him onto Bridger land.”
“I knew you would.” Mom inhales. Then again as she looks away. “Sweetheart, you and I need to talk.”
“About what?”
“About Chance Bridger.”
I smile. Then I frown. Is she worried he was mean to me? That I saw him and he talked to me like he had in the letter? “I… I’m home, Mom. I’m not going back to Montana.”
Those words are hard to get past my lips. I ache for Chance, but going back? I don’t know how to make that work.
“He didn’t write you that letter.” Mom slams the dryer door shut.
“I know.” I blink, process. “I— Wait. You knew about that?”
She won’t meet my gaze. Mom takes my hand, but I yank it away from her.
“Avery…”
She knew?
She knew?
“What the hell, Mom? All these years, and you knew?” I pace the concrete floor. “You let me think that Chance could write those words? They were so mean, and that’s not Chance. It’s not what he would ever say to me.”
“Avery.” She closes the dryer door, pushes the start button, and gestures to a patio chair. “Sit down. We need to talk. Now.”
20
CHANCE
* * *
Pop!
Austin opens a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and pours five glasses of the sparkling wine.
“Seems like we’re missing a glass,” Miles says. “Where’s Avery?”
“Phoenix.” I run my hand over my face. I hate saying that because it’s really fucking far away. I just got her back and I had to let her go again. “She had to get back to do her report, and she has a debriefing tomorrow.”
“Seems like she should be here to celebrate with us,” Austin says. “After all, she solved the case. Proved your innocence.”
“I was always innocent.”
“We all know that.” Carly takes a glass of champagne from Austin. “None of us ever doubted you.”
Sadie nods. She was on the case but stepped back when her family’s involvement became clear. “Even though we were estranged, I miss my brother, and I’m glad to know he was one of the good guys. And my dad, too. If he didn’t have brain damage from that accident, maybe he wouldn’t have pulled a gun on me.”