Read Learning to Let Go Online
Authors: Cynthia P. O'Neill
Learning to Let Go (32 page)
I placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side, resting my other hand on her stomach as we began to walk toward the outer doors and to the car waited for us. “I wish you’d talked to me first,” I said softly. “I had a surprise all set up for you with your parents flying down in a few days for Thanksgiving. I already purchased their tickets and set up their accommodations in the hotel down the street from the penthouse.”
She stopped in her tracks. “You did all that…” her voice paused and she looked around and started waving her hand as she continued, “and all this…for me?”
“Yes. And I’d do it again because I love you, Laurel.”
A smile crossed over her lips as she went up on her tiptoes and pressed a small kiss to my lips that quickly ignited into something more. I pulled away, knowing that if she continued, I’d have to find the nearest dark corner and have my way with her.
“We should really get you back to the plane so you can rest while we head back to Orlando. You have your brother, Grace, and everyone else worried to death.”
I got Laurel comfortable on the loveseat we’d occupied when she flew home with me to Orlando after her graduation, promising to move her to the bedroom to have a nap once we were in the air. A rush of memories of how we used that loveseat during takeoff came to the forefront of my mind, making me burn even more for her.
Dillon had called our families already and relayed the message that she was fine, Chase had been caught, and we were en route back to Orlando. The cabin doors closed and the pressurization process began as we started to taxi out to the runway. I was just starting to let my guard down and relax when Thompson approached with a remorseful look on his face, along with several faxed papers.
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m sorry to bother you sir, but we have some findings on your family’s death.” He handed over the paperwork and returned to his seat when the captain announced our take off was next.
I scanned through the files to confirm what I was beginning to piece together on my own. The bank records showed a significant amount of money being withdrawn on two occasions from Walt Peterson’s accounts. Once was the day my parents died, the other a couple days later when their death was declared accidental.
Laurel mumbled a bit, having already fallen asleep reclined beside me. I didn’t have the heart to wake her and put her in bed. She needed the rest more than she needed to be moved.
I felt antsy, needing to ask questions. Once the seat belt sign went off, I hightailed it to the front of the plane and plopped down next to Thompson. “Give me everything you know,” I demanded. “Is it true this is now a homicide investigation? That I wasn’t responsible? And what about the names of the detectives writing up the investigations for both accidents? They weren’t mentioned in the paperwork you just handed me.”
“You might want to steady yourself, sir,” Thompson warned, before dropping a bomb on me. “Detective Avery Jenkins was the detective in both circumstances. He finalized the reports.”
My heart stopped as a realization hit. “The same Detective Jenkins who’s heading up the investigation into Chase and his father?”
“It’s a real mind-fuck, sir,” Dillon butted in. “Pardon my expression, but we started getting wise to him when he kept coming up empty handed or with information we had already found via Google. We’ve been tailing Detective Jenkins for the last two months and he’s been getting some pretty impressive deposits from an off-shore account in the Cayman Islands.”
I slammed my hand down on the arm rest beside me. “Un-fucking-believable!”
Thompson leaned forward. “It gets worse, sir. It appears that Jenkins was the one escorting Chase into custody.”
I shook my head, fearing the next words to come out of Thompson’s mouth. “Just give it to me straight.”
“Jenkins was found dead from a bullet wound and Chase is nowhere to be found. Tire marks showed he was picked up by another vehicle, but we have no clue where he is. The only good news is that he’s been injured. A small amount of blood was found in the back seat of the vehicle taking him to lock up.”
A sharp inhale of breath caught my attention as I looked back to see Laurel standing in the aisle, shaking like a leaf. “When will this nightmare end?” she whispered.
I ran to her, pulling her into the warmth of my arms. “There are stronger powers than we realized at play, but we’re more cunning. Now that we know they have some moles on the inside, we can switch our game plan and refocus our efforts. Both he and his father are running scared; they’re bound to mess up at some point and when they do, we’ll get both of them.”
Her eyes switched up to mine. “I see now why you’re so insistent on speeding up our marriage,” she observed, her voice detached. “We don’t know if tomorrow even exists for us, so why not cherish today?”
I smiled. “You know me too well, my love. You made me realize that even if I only got to love you but for a moment, it would be greater than never getting to love you at all.”
Her trembling stopped and her resolve seemed solidified. “Let’s do it, then. Let’s get married as soon as you want.”
I didn’t care that we had an audience watching us; I pressed my lips to hers and dragged her tightly against my chest. “God, I love you, Laurel.”
“I love you too, Garrett. Now let’s get married!”
Continue the final journey of Laurel and Garrett,
see the twists, turns, and risks their lives take as their adventure continues in
Learning to Love Again
, coming June 2014.
To my wonderful husband, son and mother: You have encouraged me every step of the way, telling me to never give up on my dream to write. I couldn’t have done this without you.
To the memory of my father, who taught me to go after anything I put my mind too. I miss you dearly!
To Erin, the best editor on the planet! You rock!
To Stacy, (It Started with A Book Blog), my beta reader, book blogger, and good friend. Your belief in my writing and words of encouragement mean more than you will ever know!
To Mia, my beta reader, friend and fellow book lover. Your words of encouragement mean a great deal. I love our talks they help keep me moving forward. Thank you!
To Julie, my formatter, friend, fellow author and book lover, I cherish our talks and appreciate the amazing and talented person you are!
To Jessi, fellow author and friend, love those writing challenges, words of wisdom and helpful hints.
To all my Facebook and Twitter followers, who have wished me well during the whole process of writing. You make this journey worth it!
To all the magnificent bloggers who work so hard at spreading the word about my books. I cherish each and every one of you! I wish I could thank each of you personally, but the list is just too great. All of you are superstars!!
And above all, Special thanks to God for guiding me in life and giving me the opportunity to put my thoughts and words onto paper.
Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.
In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge.
Cynthia currently writes on all levels of Romance. The Remembrance Series encompasses Young Adult, with a touch of Paranormal activity and a hint of Historical romance. The Learning Series is for those who like a little more steam with their books, falling into the categories of New Adult, Contemporary and verging on Erotica, with a hint of suspense.
She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist.
To learn more about the author, please visit Cynthia’s website at:
CURRENT WORKS BY CYNTHIA:
Learning Series:
Learning to Trust
Learning to Let Go
Learning to Love Again (June 2014)
Remembrance Series:
I Remember
Loving You
Always (Summer 2014)
And Forever (Fall/Winter 2014)
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