Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t.” She walks over and gives my forehead a kiss. “Andrew and I are here if you need anything.”
The first night he’s gone, I have trouble falling asleep. I toss and turn, coming up with worst-case scenarios. My heart hurts in his absence, and eventually I cry myself to sleep.
The second night, I do something I haven’t done since Stephen died: I pray—for Ethan to be safe and come home to me.
The third night, I let my insecurities get the best of me and assume the worst. I call Blaire in tears, worried Ethan has left me for someone else. She, of course, tells me I’m being ridiculous and that Ethan loves me. When I mention we’ve never said the words, she tells me she doesn’t need him to say them to know he’s in love with me.
The fourth night, I get mad. “What is he doing that he can’t even pick up the phone and call me one single time?” I ask Raquel over dinner. “Does he not care that I’m worried and freaking out?”
Andrew and Raquel make eye contact and something tells me they know more than they’re telling me. No longer hungry, I excuse myself and go to bed early.
I’m sleeping fitfully when strong arms wrap around me from behind. I scream, startled, and turn around, to find the strong arms belong to Ethan. Seeing his perfect face, I lose it. I go from crying, to yelling, to sobbing, and the entire time he doesn’t say a word, just holds me patiently, until I finally stop, giving him a chance to speak.
“Logan and Felix have been taken care of,” he says. “You’re safe.”
It takes me a second for the words to sink in, but once they do, I gasp. “You killed them?”
I should be upset, disgusted at what he’s done, but the only emotion I feel is relief. I was raised to believe that the killing of a person is one of the most grievous sins, but as I look into Ethan’s eyes, all I feel is warmth toward him. And I realize in this moment, the love I feel for him overpowers anything else. My feelings for him are strong and unwavering, and he could tell me anything and it wouldn’t change how I feel because I love him wholly and completely, without judgement.
“Never mind, it doesn’t matter,” I tell him truthfully. “I don’t want to know.” I pull him over me and thread my fingers through his hair. He hovers above me, his hands resting on either side of my head. “I love you, Ethan. Thank you for saving me.” I pull his mouth down to mine and kiss him hard, trying to convey every emotion I’m feeling.
He kisses me back, but when things start to progress, heating up, he pushes off me and sits up. “You assume I killed two men and in response, you tell me you love me?” he questions, his face marred in confusion.
“I do love you. I don’t agree with killing them, but I know you did it to protect me.” He told me he would make sure to protect me, to put me first, and I knew after what happened to Kelsi and their baby, he would stop at nothing to make sure I’m safe. “I love you so much.”
Ethan shakes his head. “I didn’t kill them, Nevaeh.”
When I give him a perplexed look, he says, “I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I want to be a better man for you. I want to be worthy of your love.” He kisses my lips softly.
“Then what did you do?”
“I did something I swore I would never do… I went to the police.”
Ethan
Five Days ago
“You’re doing the right thing, Son,” my dad says to me. “I’m proud of you.”
We’re sitting in the office of the U.S. Attorney, waiting to be told what the next step is. When I told my dad about Logan and Felix, expecting him to tell me to kill them both, he shocked the hell out of me when he said he thought I should go to the police. I realized he really was changing for my mom, to be a better man for her, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing for Nevaeh.
And so I did what he suggested and went to the police. Turns out the U.S. Attorney’s office was already building a case against Felix and while they were close to putting him away, they weren’t close enough—which was why he was still out there, sliding under the radar by having assholes like Logan doing his dirty work for him. After meeting with the U.S. Attorney, a plan was formed, which would take down not only Felix, but Logan as well—ensuring Nevaeh would be safe.
Over the next month, I focused on Nevaeh during the day, and at night, when I wasn’t working with the U.S. Attorney to take Logan and Felix down, I was working on legalizing my business, including nixing the illegal gambling and underground fighting. It would mean taking a huge cut in profit, but with all the investments I’ve made over the years, I would be okay, and Nevaeh and I would still be able to live a more than comfortable life.