Apartment 2B (22 page)

“Shhh, babe. It’s okay. Let him leave. I’m here for you,” I assure her.

Within moments, I know that he is gone. I can sense it. Her sobs are loud and all
consuming. Scooping her up, I take her to the bed and lay her down.

“Stay here. I need to go make sure that dickhead isn’t still lurking and call the
police,” I tell her. She nods and pulls the pillow over her face.

Hurrying out of the apartment, I head towards the stairwell. There’s a flurry of voices
at the bottom. When I come bounding down the stairs, I’m met with EMTs and several
other people from the building. The EMTs are putting the asshole giant on a stretcher
and covering him with a sheet.

“What happened?” I ask them.

“He took a hard fall down the stairs. He broke his neck. Did you know the victim?”
the guy asks me.

“Fuck no! That guy was a predator against women. He attempted to kill my girlfriend
and me! I was just about to call the police,” I growl.

My statement shocks the man, but he seems to believe me.

“Sidney?” he asks in shock.

How in the fuck does this guy know my girlfriend?

“Yes. How do you know her?” I demand. My adrenaline is pumping like crazy.

“That’s my girlfriend’s best friend. I’m glad she’s okay and that this guy clearly
got what he deserved,” he growls.

I instantly like him. He seems fiercely protective over Sidney, which makes him okay
in my book.

After nodding at him, I climb the stairs to go check on my girl. I hear the shower
going, and my heart sinks. That fucker may have made her regress, and I fear for her.
She’s come so far.

Walking into the bathroom, I call out to her. “You okay, Sidney?”

She pulls the curtain aside and smiles at me. “Yeah, I feel much better. Did you call
the police?” she asks.

My gaze skitters over her wet breasts, which are visible now. She’s so fucking beautiful.
Fuck it, I’m going to have to get used to cold fucking showers. Yanking my clothes
of in record speed, I advance toward the ice chamber.

“Babe, he took a tumble down the stairs and broke his neck. We don’t have to worry
about him anymore,” I tell her.

When she frowns at me, I stop in front of her before getting in.

“Do you think Liam did that?” she asks sadly.

I shake my head at her. “No, that dumbass fell on his own. Liam was with us. Plus,
he would never hurt anyone like that.”

She smiles happily and grabs my hand to pull me into the shower. I wince as I prepare
myself for the icy assault but jerk my head towards her once I feel the warm spray.
Not hot, but warm. Shit, I’ll take it.

“You were right,” she grins at me once I join her and wrap my arms around her waist.

“About what?” I ask as I kiss her forehead. Being with her like this is perfect.

“With you, I feel things. Not just in my heart but with my body. You’ve healed me,”
she whispers as her fingers delicately trace my shoulder blades.

“We’ve healed each other. I think fate has a funny way of bringing two people together.
Two people who need each other and are the only ones in the world who can fill the
void in that other person. And I think Liam helped a little too,” I chuckle before
capturing her lips with mine.

“I love you, Lane Braxton.”

“I love you too, Sidney Hunter.”

TWO YEARS LATER…

Flipping to the first page, I scrawl out my signature plus a personalized message
to my fan.
Fan.
That word still seems weird to me.

Heather,

Thanks for being my biggest fan. Your support means the world to me!

XOXO Sidney Braxton

I’m just closing the book and stuffing it in the envelope when Lane walks in. He still
steals my breath. I love him with every ounce of my being. Without him, I wouldn’t
be a normal woman. He healed me in ways no other person ever could. I also wouldn’t
be a successful romance author without a little push from him. He bought me a laptop
nearly two years ago and encouraged me every step of the way.

“Hey, beautiful,” he says in greeting.

My eyes fall to our little joy in his arms. These two are my entire world. Sweet brown
eyes light up when they see me.

“Momma,” he says happily as drool dribbles down his chin. He’s quite possibly the
cutest thing I’ve ever seen. When he reaches for me, my heart melts. Standing from
my desk, I walk over to him and Lane.

“Come here, Liam. Did you have a good nap?” I coo as I pull him into my arms. His
sweet little arms latch on to me, and he kisses me sloppily. I love his sloppy kisses.

“You’re lucky,” Lane chuckles as he kisses my cheek. “Liam had a fucking nightmare
diaper explosion after his nap. But Daddy took care of that, huh?”

Liam turns to his daddy and grins. How can you not melt when he does that? Lane is
not immune to Liam’s charms.

“Language,” I teasingly scold Lane.

“You can punish me later,” he growls as he moves behind me, pressing his erection
to me as he wraps his arms around us.

I giggle and relish this happy moment.

“How’s my baby girl?” he asks as his hands lovingly make their way to my swollen belly.
As if on cue, she rolls around, making us both laugh. It won’t be long until we welcome
our second child into the world.

“Baby!” Liam babbles. He’s still learning to talk, and we love hearing new words from
him. This is a first.

“Yes, Liam, that’s your baby sister moving around in Mommy’s tummy. She’s excited
to meet you!” I tell him and kiss his dark curls on his head.

My life is complete.

Never could I have imagined several years ago that I would have a happy ending. When
I was caught up in despair, I wish I had known about the future that was in store
for me. A life with an incredibly sexy and loving husband who would do anything to
protect his family. A dream career writing romance novels. Children I would fiercely
protect.

It is more than anything I could have ever imagined.

My life is perfect.

I can’t look away. They’re all I know—all I think about. My heart swells every time
I hear them call my nephew Liam. Sidney is still as beautiful as the day I met her.
She glows with such radiance that it’s hard to look away from her. I’m stuck—just
following them around, basking in their happiness. I don’t want to be anywhere else
though. This is my home.

My brother is so happy. I miss him so much. I’m fulfilled knowing that he was the
one who helped Sidney heal. I always knew it would be him.

“Liam,” a voice calls out to me.

I always ignore the voices that call to me—always trying to get me to go into the
beautiful light. It beckons me continually, but I ignore it. I can’t look away from
my family.

“Liam,” the voice calls again. It sounds familiar. For some reason, I can’t ignore
the pull on my heart, and against my wishes I turn toward the sound.

“Mom?” I ask. I haven’t seen her since that night she passed on. The night of the
accident. My heart clenches painfully and tears fill my eyes.

“It’s time, son,” she whispers and reaches for me. I want so badly to embrace her,
but I just can’t. My life is here. Ignoring her, I turn back to the scene before me.

“Liam,” a different voice calls to me. This one I know as well. Once again, I turn
unwillingly to it.

“Dad?” I ask. I try not to get choked up, but it’s hard. I’ve missed him terribly
and feel so guilty about their deaths. We were torn from each other so suddenly and
on such horrible terms.

“Liam, we miss you,” he says.

For some reason, my heart breaks at his words. How could he miss me? After the horror
I caused the both of them?

“You do?” I ask tearfully, my voice full of disbelief.

“Of course we do, son. We love you,” he says. Mom nods from beside him.

The pull to go to them is strong. But the pull to watch over Sidney and Lane is strong
as well. I start to turn back toward them when Dad’s voice halts me once again.

“Liam, don’t. It’s time. This has gone on long enough. It’s time to come with us.
You’ll like it where we’re going. I promise. Come, son. It’s time.”

My heart knows that it’s time. I’ve missed them with my entire being, and I’m so tired.
Nodding, I step forward and accept the hug they envelop me in. It’s home. I’m home.

Mom grabs my hand and Dad puts his arm over my shoulder as we walk together toward
the warm light that has always called for me. With one last glance over my shoulder,
I feel whole knowing that they are happy. That’s my last thought as I find peace.
At last.

THE END.

My Books

The Breaking the Rules Series:

Broken (Book 1) – Available Now!

Wrong (Book 2) – Available Now!

Scarred (Book 3) – Available Now!

Mistake (Book 4) – Coming Soon!

Crushed (Novella 4.5) – Coming Summer 2014!

Disgrace (Book 5) – Coming Summer 2014!

The Vegas Aces Series:

Rock Country (Book 1) – Available Now!

Rock Heart (2) – Coming Summer 2014

Rock Holiday (Book 3) – Coming Fall 2014!

Apartment 2B (Standalone Novel) – Available Now!

Moth to a Flame (Standalone Novel) – Coming Soon!

Sweet Vengeance – Coming Soon!