as fast as he could over to the house she shared with her father and check to make sure she was still breathing. Her father would be passed out on the couch, and Sam would creep back to her room, having to encounter whatever new horror would present itself to him that morning in the form of a bruise, cut, or broken bone.
Their childhood together was horrible. And apart from Hunter, they were all the other had.
Sam had stumbled onto this life of hard work, yes, but also comfort and relaxation. When he stepped into the little tack house he occupied, he would breathe deep and sigh, because he was alone and he was safe. It was strange and exhilarating.
Guilt enveloped him. Guilt, for liking life without Ever here to enjoy it with him. But she’d be here eventually. He’d promised her that.
He stepped out of the tack house front door and locked it behind him, whistling as he strode toward the main house.
Today marked a week and four days after the night out at Sunny’s. Despite the drama with Princeton that night, he’d felt at home among the group. He and Blaze had talked football, and he’d taken a shot with him and Tate. He never took shots, so it was a new experience. In Duck Creek, on the brief occasion he’d been at a bar, he’d refused to lose control in case he had to face Ever’s dad when they arrived back home. So the freedom to drink with friends had been nice. Tamara was adorable and so easy to talk to, and he’d admired the easy and carefree love Ashley and Finn shared. He and Ever had the love part down, but easy and carefree? Never.
And then there was Aston. He had known love. True, deep, devotional love. He’d been devoted to Ever since before he knew what devoted meant. So the farce of a relationship she was sharing with that tool, Princeton, was baffling to Sam. And it drove hot, angry fire through his veins, too, because even though he had only known Aston for a little over a week, he felt he already saw her much more clearly than Princeton did. The way she and Princeton had greeted each other when he’d found her crying by the state highway the night of her welcome-home dinner had been a joke. They hadn’t kissed or even hugged. Hell, he’d expect a girl who’d been separated from the man she loved to go running straight into his arms the moment she saw him. And he’d expect a man who’d been apart from the girl he loved to scoop her up in his arms and never let go. That was what a girl like Aston deserved, and she clearly wasn’t getting it from Princeton.
Sure, he knew she was tough. He saw straight through her hard exterior to the little girl underneath who had never found the kind of love she wanted to believe existed in the world. And he bristled, acknowledging that Princeton didn’t see that in her.
She deserved better.
Sam was mulling all of this over in his brain as he approached the main house for his first day working as Mr. Hopewell’s business assistant at home. Mr. Hopewell had asked him to meet him in his home office first thing this morning so he could further explain the tasks Sam would be expected to complete.
Sam stopped short as he cleared the tree line beside the driveway. He noted a sheriff’s cruiser parked directly in front of the steps leading to the front door. His heart banged inside his chest as he stared at the vehicle.
What the hell? Why was the sheriff here? Could they have put it together? Had he been careless going out last week, meeting all of those people? Princeton had indicated he suspected Sam had something to hide. What if he’d done some digging and discovered what the Duck Creek sheriff thought he’d done?
The front door creaked open and Sam ducked back behind the line of trees for cover. He peered out as the sheriff himself came walking out of the house with Mr. Hopewell. Sam couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he watched as they shook hands and the sheriff climbed into his car. He drove slowly around the driveway and down the road
Their childhood together was horrible. And apart from Hunter, they were all the other had.
Sam had stumbled onto this life of hard work, yes, but also comfort and relaxation. When he stepped into the little tack house he occupied, he would breathe deep and sigh, because he was alone and he was safe. It was strange and exhilarating.
Guilt enveloped him. Guilt, for liking life without Ever here to enjoy it with him. But she’d be here eventually. He’d promised her that.
He stepped out of the tack house front door and locked it behind him, whistling as he strode toward the main house.
Today marked a week and four days after the night out at Sunny’s. Despite the drama with Princeton that night, he’d felt at home among the group. He and Blaze had talked football, and he’d taken a shot with him and Tate. He never took shots, so it was a new experience. In Duck Creek, on the brief occasion he’d been at a bar, he’d refused to lose control in case he had to face Ever’s dad when they arrived back home. So the freedom to drink with friends had been nice. Tamara was adorable and so easy to talk to, and he’d admired the easy and carefree love Ashley and Finn shared. He and Ever had the love part down, but easy and carefree? Never.
And then there was Aston. He had known love. True, deep, devotional love. He’d been devoted to Ever since before he knew what devoted meant. So the farce of a relationship she was sharing with that tool, Princeton, was baffling to Sam. And it drove hot, angry fire through his veins, too, because even though he had only known Aston for a little over a week, he felt he already saw her much more clearly than Princeton did. The way she and Princeton had greeted each other when he’d found her crying by the state highway the night of her welcome-home dinner had been a joke. They hadn’t kissed or even hugged. Hell, he’d expect a girl who’d been separated from the man she loved to go running straight into his arms the moment she saw him. And he’d expect a man who’d been apart from the girl he loved to scoop her up in his arms and never let go. That was what a girl like Aston deserved, and she clearly wasn’t getting it from Princeton.
Sure, he knew she was tough. He saw straight through her hard exterior to the little girl underneath who had never found the kind of love she wanted to believe existed in the world. And he bristled, acknowledging that Princeton didn’t see that in her.
She deserved better.
Sam was mulling all of this over in his brain as he approached the main house for his first day working as Mr. Hopewell’s business assistant at home. Mr. Hopewell had asked him to meet him in his home office first thing this morning so he could further explain the tasks Sam would be expected to complete.
Sam stopped short as he cleared the tree line beside the driveway. He noted a sheriff’s cruiser parked directly in front of the steps leading to the front door. His heart banged inside his chest as he stared at the vehicle.
What the hell? Why was the sheriff here? Could they have put it together? Had he been careless going out last week, meeting all of those people? Princeton had indicated he suspected Sam had something to hide. What if he’d done some digging and discovered what the Duck Creek sheriff thought he’d done?
The front door creaked open and Sam ducked back behind the line of trees for cover. He peered out as the sheriff himself came walking out of the house with Mr. Hopewell. Sam couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he watched as they shook hands and the sheriff climbed into his car. He drove slowly around the driveway and down the road
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