Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
The shirts I’d steal I would use to sleep in every night to remind me of him. I’d wear them until the smell was gone, then tuck them away in my drawer never to be worn again.
Everything stayed exactly the same, going strong through both of us leaving the military. Him getting a job back at DPD, and me doing everything I could to stay away from Dallas.
Until one night, it didn’t work anymore.
Home is where you can’t stand to be.
—Shayne’s secret thoughts
SHAYNE
2 years later
I stared at the casket where I was sitting between Quinn and Ande and wondered if I’d made the right decision.
I’d wanted to be here for both of them.
I’d left a high-paying contract to be here with Ande, and I’d pretty much screwed myself because I didn’t have the same excuse as Ande had.
Yet, I’d done it anyway.
And not just for Ande.
For Quinn.
It’d been years of barely controlling our anger with each other, yet today, we’d put that particular vendetta aside.
Addison was Quinn’s baby sister. Addison was Ande’s twin.
And I felt truly horrible about how this had all panned out.
She’d committed suicide while on duty in Germany and today they were finally able to hold her funeral.
Hence my being there.
I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.
I loved Quinn.
I’d always love Quinn.
Even if our love wasn’t enough for him.
Ande started to sniffle, and Keene, the man who was slowly starting to burrow his way into her heart, took her hand, pulling her into his embrace.
Just as I was about to take the space that Ande’s body movement allowed me, Quinn caught my shoulder and pulled me right into his body.
I hated, absolutely loathed, the way I wanted to melt into him.
I stayed stiff for as long as I could, but then I felt him starting to shake, and realized he was barely hanging on.
He needed me.
I raised my hand and caught his finger. Just one. Like I’d always done.
His hand was too big for me to hold it comfortably, and like always, he squeezed my fist between his two fingers.
I felt my stomach lurch.
The music started, and then the slide show began, and I lost my battle with my tears.
Quinn didn’t cry.
He probably never had before.
He certainly hadn’t done it in my presence.
So I cried for us both.
I cried all the tears and hated myself just a little bit more.
Addison was Ande’s other half.
She’d be lost without her.
But she and Quinn had shared a special bond. They’d always loved watching Anime together, and now he wouldn’t have that outlet. Who would he get ideas from about what Anime show to watch next? Who would he talk about his favorite episodes with?
I’d tried, and failed, to get into Anime for him.
It just wasn’t something I’d ever been able to fall in love with.
“And all the family, would you please stand up and make your way to the reception area?”
Everyone stood up, including me.
Quinn dropped my shoulder but caught my hand in his as he led the way out of the seats.
I followed behind, checking over my shoulder as I did to make sure that Keene had Ande.
Keene made eye contact with me, and I nodded my thanks.
I liked Keene.
I didn’t know him all that well yet, but I had a feeling we would be good friends as long as he loved my Ande like she deserved.
I could already tell that he was feeling a whole hell of a lot about her, too, based solely on the way he was trying to protect her.
We made it outside, but surprisingly Quinn didn’t stop tugging on my hand until we were away from all the people who were pouring out of the church behind us.
Once we were pretty far away from the doors, he caught me in his arms and whispered desperately against my ear.
“I need tonight,” he whispered, sounding breathless.
Pulling back, I studied his face, his tired eyes, the exhaustion written in every line of his body.
I was seconds away from saying yes to him when I heard the woman’s voice call his name.
Elliette.
The bitch.
She’d been a constant reminder over the last few years that what Quinn and I had was over.
She interrupted us every. Single. Time.
She’d call just to talk. She’d call over and over again if he didn’t answer.
She’d call back.
It was annoying as fuck, and I couldn’t stand her.
As far as I was able to find out, whatever relationship she and Quinn shared wasn’t sexual, even if I knew without a doubt that she wanted it to be.
Ande assured me that Quinn only saw her as a friend.
Then again, so had all of his brothers, even though I hadn’t asked for that information.
He pulled back only far enough that he could turn his head but kept ahold of my waist.
“Elliette, can you give us a few minutes?” he asked.