Chapter Twenty-Two. What the hell was I thinking when I let Alyssa go in the first place?

Rocco

What the hell was I thinking when I let Alyssa go in the first place? The phone call from Vicki and the thought of something happening to Sunshine really screwed with my head. My reaction was completely irrational and it almost cost me the only girl I have ever loved. The only girl I will ever love. If she didn’t take me back after what happened, it would have been my own fault and I would have been spending the rest of my life miserable and alone. Alyssa Adler completes me. I’m not sure who came up with that saying, but damn it is so true. She is the reason I want to get out of bed in the morning, unless of course, we spent the night together. If that’s the case, getting out of bed is definitely not something I want to do. She makes me feel excited for what the future will bring for the two of us. She just makes me feel.

Showing up at the reception last week was a huge risk to take. The only reason I even attempted it was because Carla insisted Alyssa wasn’t over me the way I thought she was. I missed the ceremony at the church because it took all morning for me to even decide if I was going to go through with it or not. When I got to the reception, watching her walk in when they announced the wedding party holding onto her ex-boyfriend’s arm was rough. The sadness had returned in her eyes from before. While I don’t ever want her to be anything other than happy, it gave me hope. Maybe Carla was right. Then there was the dance. It lasted only about a minute before Alyssa was pushing him away and looking very pissed off. I started to go to her, but some other guy stepped in, almost as if he was waiting for something to happen. Relief washed over her, so I was thankful to whomever he was as long as he knew he couldn’t have her. He walked away holding hands with another girl which made me relax.

Her reaction to whatever Jeff said was about as much as I could handle before I lost it. When her friend finally walked away to dance with her father leaving Alyssa standing alone, it was then or never. The closer I got to her, the more erratic my heart became and breathing was quite difficult. As soon as I was right behind her, my hand instinctively reached out to touch her. The feel of her skin underneath my fingers combined with the smell of her hair sent shockwaves through me. She never flinched. It was almost as though she knew it was me touching her. There was no way she could have seen me. Regardless, she needed to know she was mine and letting her go wasn’t an option for me.

Pure terror raced through me when Alyssa told me to leave. She said it without the tiniest bit of hesitation. Her voice was emotionless and unyielding. Did I screw things up so royally that she wouldn’t want to forgive me? Then she turned around. Her eyes will always give her away. Well, to anyone who knows her as well as I do. Somewhere inside of her, she still had feelings for me and that was all I needed to continue to fight for her. It was not easy at all to get her to even look at me. Watching her try to find an excuse to get away from me was excruciating.

Once I figured out she had no idea I still loved her, it was easier to explain everything. I bared my heart and soul as if I was fighting for my own life. Then she started talking and I stood there waiting to hear her tell me this was the end of us. It wasn’t until she asked me to kiss her that I truly believed what she was telling me. Alyssa needed me as much as I needed her. There was no way in hell we would ever be apart again. How she could still love me after what I put her through was beyond me. I am clearly the luckiest son of a bitch ever. Who knew?

We went back into the reception and she guided me through the tables of guests. Alyssa didn’t stop until she came to one table in particular. There were four people about our age and a couple a little older sitting there. The guy looked up as soon as Alyssa started to talk.

“Dad. Jill. There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” she announced looking up at me adoringly with those gorgeous green eyes and still clutching my hand. I didn’t know her dad and stepmother were going to be there, but it made sense considering she was close with the family. “This is Rocco. These are my parents. Greg and Jill Adler.”

They both stood up and came over to me. Her dad shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, Rocco,” he said.

Jill hugged me and said, “Alyssa has told us so much about you.” I supposed she didn’t tell them everything if they were being nice to me.

We chatted for a few minutes before we sat down and Alyssa introduced me to the other people at the table. They were friends of Alyssa’s from high school. Everyone was very welcoming and pretty cool to hang out with. Her friends were telling me about things Alyssa had done in the past and she was close to disowning them all. She was absolutely adorable trying to threaten them to shut up. When dinner was over, she took me to meet Lori and Dan. I was not expecting Lori to be as sweet as she was to me, since I was the guy replacing her brother.

“That’s enough meeting people for now. I want you all to myself. Come dance with me,” she said dragging me to the middle of the room.

“Sunshine, I’ll go anywhere you want me to go,” I told her as if she didn’t already know.

For the next few hours, Alyssa kept us busy between dancing and taking breaks to sit with her dad. The two of them were very close, that much was obvious. They laughed and carried on like they were old friends rather than father and daughter. Jill invited me to stay at their house the following night. I’m sure she knew I would be staying at the hotel with Alyssa. They left before the wedding was actually over. Her dad pulled me aside just before he walked out.

“Rocco, I wanted to ask you to take care of my little girl,” he started to say. “She’s had enough shit happen to her in the last year, not to mention her lifetime with her mom walking out on her. She means the world to me and I cannot stand to see her upset ever again.”

I’m not sure if he is talking about what happened because of Jeff or between the two of us. “She’s my everything, now.” I glanced over at her standing with Jill watching us. “There’s no way I’ll let anything happen to her,” I said with complete certainty. He just nodded at me and shook my hand in agreement.

“What were you and my dad talking about?” Alyssa asked when I drew her in close as we danced. Thankfully, a slow song had come on giving me a reason to be touching her.

“I think he threatened me,” I replied jokingly.

“My dad would never do that,” she said stunned.

I chuckled at the look she was giving me. “He asked me to look after you. Make sure you stay out of trouble. That sort of thing.”

“Now that sounds more like my dad,” she responded with a smile on her face. “So, would I be getting in trouble if I asked you to take me upstairs to my room?”

My body paused at her unexpected question. Was this some kind of trick? “What did you just say?” I asked for conformation.

It was her turn to chuckle at whatever look was on my face. “I asked my boyfriend to take me to the hotel room that is waiting for me.”

“But the wedding isn’t over,” I told her looking around at all of the people still in the room. “Don’t you have some kind of obligation to your friend to stay until the end since you are part of the wedding?”

“I think,” Alyssa said sliding her hands down the front of my chest. When she remembered she was trying to say something, she continued. “I think I have more than fulfilled my obligation to my friend. Let’s not forget how she forced me to walk with, talk to, and get my picture taken with my ex-boyfriend more times today then I ever wanted to again in my lifetime. Now, Mr. Matthews, would you please escort me back to my room?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed earning me a beautiful smile once again.

“I just have to grab my stuff,” she told me leading the way to the room just outside the reception area. I took the two bags from her and we left. When we started for the exit that led to the hotel, someone called Alyssa’s name.

“Hey Lyss! You aren’t leaving yet, are you? The party isn’t over,” Jeff could barely get the words out, he was so drunk. “Later, a bunch of us are hitting the bar next door. You should come along. I guess you can even bring your friend here.”

She didn’t even respond to him. She just tugged on my hand she was holding onto and said, “Let’s go.”

“Hey. Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you!” Jeff shouted at her. Most of the people at the party noticed what was going on.

No way was he going to pull this shit when I was around. “Back off!” I was trying not to yell in his face as I filled the space between him and Alyssa. He took a step back, but didn’t stop.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway? Aren’t you just her lab partner or some shit like that? You don’t know anything about Alyssa. You have no idea how to make her happy.”

“Walk away, Jeff. I don’t want to hurt you, but it won’t take much to convince me otherwise,” I advised the jerk who was slowly making me lose my patience.

“Rocco, let’s just go,” Alyssa said suddenly beside me instead of behind me where I wanted her. Why was she so damn stubborn?

“No, Lyss. Please, don’t go anywhere with him. Come with me,” he begged her.

She looked him dead in the eye and said, “Goodbye, Jeff.”

“No,” he told her. I have no idea what he had intended on doing, but he went at her and that was it for me. Before I could stop myself, my fist hit him right in the jaw. He stumbled backward right into a guy who was just coming through the crowd of people who walked over to see what was going on. It ended up being the dude who danced with Alyssa earlier in the night. Jeff pushed off of him and came back at me trying to swing his arm. His friend grabbed him from behind.

“I leave you alone for two friggin minutes to take a piss and you run right over to get your ass kicked,” he said to Jeff trying to hold him up. “Amazing.”

“He’s trying to leave with my girlfriend. You think I’m just going to let him?” Jeff mumbled holding his jaw. I was about to correct him when someone else did it for me.

“She’s not your girlfriend anymore, Jackass. You lost that privilege when you screwed a complete stranger. You threw away everything you had for five seconds of meaningless sex and you hurt one of my oldest friends. Now get your ass up and get the hell out of my face,” Lori hollered at her brother. His friend gave Alyssa a small nod before helping Jeff walk away.

Dan came rushing up to her side, “Babe? You okay?” She shot him a look of complete aggravation then she turned to me.

“Lori, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit him here. He came at Alyssa and I had to do something,” I tried to explain.

“You don’t need to explain yourself for protecting her, Rocco. Besides, my brother was being a jerk and he had it coming,” she said.

“Even so, it shouldn’t have happened here. I’m sorry,” I offered again.

“Apology accepted, then,” she told me. “Lyss, I’m sorry he didn’t listen. My parents are going to freak out when they hear this. They just walked a few people out. Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “I’m definitely done for the night, though.” Alyssa walked over to her friend and gave her a hug. “Congratulations, again. I am so happy for you both. Have a good time on your honeymoon and we’ll talk when you get back.”

“Thank you so much, for everything. It really means so much to me that you were here today,” Lori told her. “Take care of her for us,” she directed at me.

“Will do,” I assured her. With that, I took my girl by the hand and got her the hell out of there.

Once we cleared the room, Alyssa stopped and inspected my hand. “Are you alright? Does it hurt?”

“Sunshine, I’ve punched harder heads than that before,” I teased to get her to relax. I slipped my hand out of hers and used it to lift her chin, so she was looking at my face instead of my hand. “Are you okay?” I tried to read the expression on her face rather than listen to what she was saying. She tended to keep shit from me.

She sighed. “I’m fine. Where’s your stuff? In your car? Should we go out and get it?”

“It’s freezing outside and you aren’t exactly dressed for it. Think I can leave you here for a few minutes without you getting in trouble?” I asked doubtfully.

She frowned. “You know I don’t go looking for trouble, right? It just seems to find me wherever I go.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said shaking my head. “Stay here and don’t look at anyone. I’ll be right back.”

“Very funny, Matthews. Hurry up before I go to my room without you,” she threatened.

Within fifteen minutes or so, we were entering her room. I was still shocked over the fact that Alyssa was actually mine again and I was really standing in the room with her. She flipped on the light and immediately noticed the flowers I asked to be brought up to her room. They put them on the nightstand just as requested.

“How did you do that?” she wanted to know.

“I asked the front desk to do it,” I cleared up. “You didn’t get to keep the other roses I bought you.”

“What if we didn’t work things out?” Alyssa asked seriously.

“Sunshine, I wasn’t letting you go,” I told her. “I’m nothing without you.”

Alyssa dropped her purse on the table and came over to me. She removed our bags which were still hanging from my shoulder and put them on the floor. “Rocco, I need one more thing from you tonight,” she said as she clasped her hands around the back of my neck.

“Anything. Just name it,” I assured her holding her tight.

“Make me forget,” she said.

“Forget?” I asked.

“Make me forget that we’ve been apart for over a month. Make me forget how empty and lonely I’ve felt. Make me forget you broke my heart.” Not only did I do what she asked of me, I may have even made her forget her own name.

The next morning, we woke up early and checked out of the hotel. Alyssa did not want to attend the brunch Lori and Dan were hosting for everyone who stayed the night. More importantly, she didn’t want to run into someone in particular. Luckily, Jill had dropped her off wherever she met Lori the day prior, so she rode with me to her house. Having her in the passenger seat of my car again made it feel real somehow. Her house was warm, cozy, and welcoming unlike the museum Max insisted my mom live in. When we got there, her parents were already making breakfast for us. After everything was cleaned up, Alyssa and Jill started pulling out their Christmas decorations. For the first time in a very long time, I helped decorate a tree. Occasionally, they would find something that reminded them of her aunt and uncle. You could see the sadness on all three of their faces. This would be a very hard year for them. I would have to try and think of some way to help make it better.

Later that night, the four of us went out to dinner at one of her dad’s favorite restaurants. I had a really good time getting to know Greg and Jill better. They are cool, down to earth people. I was a little concerned they might not let me sleep in the same room as Sunshine, but they never said anything about it. The both of us passed out in a matter of minutes once we got into bed. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at all if she wasn’t curled up next to me, though.

We left fairly early to get back to school Sunday morning. The two hour drive sucked since Alyssa wouldn’t leave her car home. I even offered her the spare set of my keys and told her she could take my car whenever she needed it. She had no plans on coming back home until Winter Break and I told her I was coming with her anyway, so she’d have a ride home. Did I ever mention how stubborn she can be?

Leah and Tyler were already at her apartment by the time we got there. When we walked in and Leah saw the two of us together, she literally sighed with relief. “Well, it’s about time the two of you worked this shit out. It was really getting old trying to convince you how stupid you both were being.” Leave it to Leah to be subtle. “Let’s hear about the wedding.” Alyssa and I looked at each other and started laughing. I’m not really sure why. Punching Jeff really wasn’t funny. We sat down at the table and proceeded to give them the details of what happened.

Over the next week, everything between us picked up right where it left off. I walked her to class when I could. We ate together all the time. She let me be her lab partner again. Our whole group of friends hung out. What I had missed the most while we were apart was laying with her every night until she fell asleep. Those few moments before she drifted off were when I felt how much she loved me and it was in those moments I decided what to get her for Christmas.

Somehow I was able to convince Alyssa to go away with me the next weekend. I made reservations at a small bed and breakfast in a small touristy town in Pennsylvania. My mom had taken me there a few times as a kid. The whole town decorates for Christmas and has different things scheduled on the weekends. After seeing the way she enjoyed decorating at her house, I knew she would love it. We planned to leave right after she was finished class on Thursday afternoon. We wouldn’t get there until later Thursday night, but we’d have all day Friday and Saturday.

Since her class wouldn’t be over for almost two hours, I decide to hit the gym. That would give me plenty of time to get in a quick workout, then rush back and shower before she gets out and we hit the road. Once I walk through the door of the locker room, I get a text from Alyssa asking me to meet her in the lobby of the Hamilton Building. Her class is across campus from that building. What the hell is she doing there? I try calling her to see what’s up, but my call goes right to voicemail. When I hang up, my phone starts ringing. Thinking it’s her, I don’t check the caller ID.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I answer my phone.

“Rocco Matthews?” asks a male voice. I quick check my phone and see that it wasn’t her after all.

“Yes?”

“This is Bryce Dolan, the private investigator your mom hired,” he announces. This is the first time I’ve heard from this guy and it’s been a couple of weeks since my mom mentioned him. “I was told to contact you at this number with any information about Victoria Callahan.”

“Right. You have something for me?” I walk back outside the gym and start to walk down the path that leads to the Hamilton Building.

“Well, I’m not sure about the importance of it right now, but I just uncovered the fact that Jack and Maggie Callahan are not her biological parents. The records were buried pretty deep, so it will take some time before I’m able to find out who her real parents are and what happened with all of this.”

“Why would they go to all the trouble of hiding that she was adopted?” I ask because I’m confused.

“I do not have that information at this time,” he responds.

“Have you been able to find any clue as to where she is now?” It’s worth a try to ask, even though I’m sure it would have been the first thing he told me had he known.

“I found out right after the incident at your house, Mr. and Mrs. Callahan checked her into a rehabilitation center in Tucson. I went there personally and was only told her status was unavailable. However, I used other methods to find out that she hasn’t been there in about two months. No one has seen or heard from her, including Mr. and Mrs. Callahan. I haven’t been able to find any phone records or a financial trail from them to her, either. Mr. Matthews, I want you to know that your mom only hired me if I agreed to work on your case and your case alone. I’ve been working around the clock to find you any information I can. I literally just got off the plane this morning from Arizona and happened to come across this about ten minutes ago.”

“I understand. Please let me know the second you find out anything else. Thank you,” I tell him and disconnect the line. Right before I could push my phone back into my pocket, it rings again. This time, it’s Shane.

“Where are you?” he yells into the phone without waiting for me to answer.

“On my way to meet Alyssa. She just texted me,” I tell him.

“I’m outside of the Hamilton Building and you need to get here now,” he says urgently.

“Shane, what’s going on?” I panic and start to jog down the path.

“Vicki’s here. She has Alyssa inside. She won’t let anyone in until you get here.” He pauses. “Rocco, someone said she has a gun.”

“Call Tony. I’m on my way. Make sure you call Tony!” I yell into the phone. I hang up and run as fast as I can. I leave the path and cut across the extensive lawn.

When I reach the front of the building, Public Safety has it all blocked off. No sign of the real police yet. The guy in charge knows who I am and tries to stop me from going in the building.

“Rocco,” Shane calls through the crowd. “Tony said he is about ten minutes away.”

“Rocco, let the professionals handle this. Their ETA is less than five minutes,” he says putting his hand on my chest.

“My girlfriend could be dead in four,” I say pushing passed him. No one else tries to stop me.

I run up the steps and open the door just enough that I can fit through. The lobby to the building is pretty large. The ceiling goes up to the second floor. The grand staircase to my right is one of two ways to get upstairs where the classrooms are. The other is down the hallway to my left hidden in a corner that only the original staff probably used. On this first floor, there are only offices and conference rooms. These rooms were once things like a billiards room, dining room, entertaining rooms or whatever they called them back in the day. The school has preserved most of the building except for the things to keep it up to code. The history of it is still pretty much alive.

Across from the front door is a huge marble fireplace. Right now, Vicki is leaning up against it with Alyssa in front of her. I can see the gun Vicki is holding at her back. The moment I walk in the door, Alyssa’s eyes lock on mine. The fear and anxiety all over her face mimics the feelings that have been worsening inside of me since I got the call from Shane.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up,” Vicki says. Her voice is not how I remember it. It sounds totally unstable. She looks the same as the last time I saw her only a little thinner, but it’s hard to tell from this far away. Her hair isn’t done the way it always was which is saying a lot because she would go get it done religiously every other week. It’s disheveled and hasn’t been cut in a long time. Vicki is a lot taller than Alyssa. When I take a step closer to them, it’s easy for Vicki to put her arm around Alyssa’s neck and yank her back. “Don’t come any closer, Rocco.” I stop right where I am.

“I’m here. Now let her go,” I say to Vicki.

“Not going to happen,” she tells me.

“Why not? Your problem is with me, not her. Let her go,” I demand. I should have walked Alyssa to her class. None of this would be happening if I had.

“Since you decided to ignore my warning about staying away from her, now she is the problem.”

I need to keep her talking. Tony will be here soon. He’ll get Alyssa out of here and she’ll be safe. “I’m not sure I understand all of this. I didn’t intentionally do anything to hurt you, did I? From what I remember, you and I just didn’t work out. We were both miserable. It happens.” Vicki tightens her grip on her and Alyssa reaches up with both hands grabbing her arm. “Come on, Vick. Let her go and talk to me.” I very slowly take a step forward with my arms stretched outward.

“No. She’s not going anywhere.”

“Okay. How about you put the gun down then? There is no need to have that damn thing.”

“Oh, no?” Vicki starts laughing only it sounds more like a witch’s cackle. She pulls it away from Alyssa’s back and fires it across the room startling us. I don’t pull my eyes away to see where it hit.

“No. You don’t need that. Now put it down,” I say trying to make my voice sound as relaxed as possible.

“I finally got your attention, didn’t I?” She looks like she is starting to grow impatient. How do I calm her down? My phone starts to ring. “Don’t you dare answer that!”

“If I don’t, the cops are going to come swarming in here. You don’t want that, do you?” She thinks about it. “Vicki, you are wasting time. They are going to come right through that door if I don’t answer it.”

“Answer it on speakerphone.” I do what she says.

“You’re on speakerphone,” I announce when I connect the call, so whoever is calling knows.

“Was anyone hurt? We heard the gunshot.” Vicki nods for me to answer.

“No. No one was hurt.”

“Now they know. Hang it up.”

“Okay,” I tell her, but I don’t. The call is still connected. I put it in my jacket pocket hoping whoever is there can still hear what is going on.

“So, tell me what I did to make you so upset. I assumed we just weren’t happy together.”

“You are the most narcissistic bastard I’ve ever met,” she starts with the evil laugh again. “How have you not figured this out yet? I thought you were so brilliant, Rocco Matthews.”

“Obviously, I’m not. Please tell me, Vicki. Please just tell me what I did and how to fix it. I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” I plead with her because I’m starting to worry Tony isn’t going to make it. I’m afraid I’m going to watch my girlfriend die right in front of me just like my dad did. Only this time, it will undoubtedly be my fault.

“Fix it? You think you can fix it?” she yells. Fuck! I’m making it worse. Where the hell is Tony?

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just calm down and tell me whatever it is you need to tell me.” I haven’t so much as peeked at Alyssa since I walked in because I’m afraid to look away from Vicki.

“This has to do with what your dad did to my parents a long time ago,” she says. My dad? I’m guessing she means her biological parents, but I don’t let on that I know about the Callahan’s.

“Vicki, what could my dad have done to Jack and Maggie? I don’t think he even knew them.”

“You have it all wrong. Jack and Maggie are my aunt and uncle. Not my parents, Rocco.” Sadness crosses her face. “Before I turned one, my parents were already way in over their heads with drugs and the lifestyle they needed to maintain their habit. Maggie, being my mom’s sister, adopted me. She and my uncle have been great parents. They never told me my parents’ real names, so they could keep the truth from me and everyone around us. It wasn’t good for my uncle’s political career. There were fake adoption papers from another state and all. When Jack and Maggie heard we were dating, they thought it was time to tell me my parents didn’t actually die in a car accident like they had once told me.” I wish she would get to the point. I want to know what happened and why this girl has been torturing me for so long.

“My dad died the same day as your dad and my mom died of a drug overdose two days later,” she tells me.

“Who is your dad?”

Vicki starts to cry. “Joe Monroe.”

The shock of hearing that come out of her mouth couldn’t have been worse if she turned the gun on me. I know that name. I couldn’t forget it if I tried. That name has haunted me in my worst nightmares as well as most of my waking moments ever since I was seven years old. At one point in my life, I dated the daughter of the guy who killed my dad.

After he pulled the trigger, he took off. Other people who were at the lake that day were able to identify him as the shooter. Within ninety minutes, he was gunned down by police a short distance away. He died about fifteen minutes before my dad did.

“He killed my dad,” I manage to get out. Vicki knew I would recognize the name as soon as she said it, but Alyssa wouldn’t. She needs to know. “How the hell is any of this my dad’s fault? Your dad was a criminal. My dad was just doing his job when he put him away. He murdered my dad in cold blood. He deserved what happened to him. More importantly, how is any of this my fault?” I feel myself losing it. Right now my main priority should be to get Alyssa out alive. I’m so pissed off over how crazy this bitch is.

“I want you to be as miserable as I am,” she says through her tears.

“You want me to be miserable? I have suffered every day of my entire fucking life because of that guy, Vicki. At seven years old, I watched as the life drained out of my dad. Why are you so miserable? You were rescued from a shitty life by people who care about and love you more than anything. What have Jack and Maggie ever done to deserve any of this crap you have put them through?” I have no idea what would make her snap like this. Who would choose the life she would have had with her real parents over the one Callahan’s had given her?

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see someone approaching from the hallway to my left. “Vicki, I need you to put the gun down slowly and let Alyssa go,” Tony says. His gun is also drawn and aimed right at the two of them.

Vicki directs her attention to him, so I take a few more steps toward the two of them. For the first time, I’m able to concentrate on Alyssa. She was probably staring at me the whole time. The terror in her eyes breaks my heart. I attempt to take another step, but Alyssa shakes her head no as a tear falls down her cheek. It was so slight, I almost missed it. She’s afraid of what will happen if Vicki sees me getting closer.

That’s when I hear the gunshot. I couldn’t tell where it came from because of the echo in the lobby. It sounded like it was coming from every direction at the same time. Both girls are slumped against the fireplace and sliding down to the floor. Vicki’s arm is still wrapped around Alyssa. Alyssa’s eyes are wide open and unblinking. Crimson red is everywhere. It’s all over the fireplace, the wall next to it, and the floor. My feet are moving before my mind tells them to. There is yelling all around me, but I’m not comprehending any of it. I’ve stopped breathing. My heart refuses to pump one more time. As I’m running to her, my eyes are searching every part of her body for where she was shot. When I finally reach Alyssa, I fall on my knees to the floor in front of her.

“There’s so much blood.” When I look at her face, she finally blinks and her eyes focus on mine right away.

“It’s not mine,” she tells me. Confusion spreads through me. “Rocco.” Her hand reaches up to me when I don’t move. “It’s not mine. I’m okay.” Realization replaces the confusion. Despite the fact she has Vicki’s blood all over her, I scoop her up and carry her to the other side of the room. There are police and paramedics running in through the door. Tony is directing everything. Two female EMTs come over to where I am holding Alyssa.

“Can we just check her out and make sure everything is okay?” one of them asks me. I cannot see Sunshine’s face because she buried herself in my chest.

“Outside,” she says barely loud enough to hear. “Please get me outside.” They both nod at me and walk out ahead of me. There are so many people out here. I don’t want them to see her this way, but she will lose it if I keep her inside the lobby. Shane comes out of nowhere before we make it half way down the front steps holding a blanket. He drapes it over her, but is looking to me for answers.

“She’s okay,” is all I can say at the moment and he nods his head. He stays on one side of me holding the blanket, so it doesn’t fall off of her. A few police officers have come over to block the view of the crowd until we get to the back of the ambulance. Once we get there, they all walk away and the one EMT directs me where to put her. I lean over to put her down and she latches on to me even tighter. My eyes squeeze shut and I inhale deeply as I try desperately to hold the tears back. I kiss her on the head and tell her, “Sunshine, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here with you. I promise. Please, just let them check you out and then we’ll go home.” Slowly, she loosens her grip from around my neck and she lifts her head up off of my chest. Gently, I set her down and take her hand in mine, when I sit next to her. I lean over, kiss her on the forehead and whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she whispers back as a single tear escapes from each eye.

They set to work going over her vital signs and asking her some basic questions. Alyssa answers every one of them, but she doesn’t lift her eyes from the spot on the ground she is staring at. Just as they are finishing up, Tony comes around the side of the ambulance with another officer. I look up at him, the unspoken question on my face. He glances from me to Alyssa, then back to me. He motions for me to come with him.

“I’m not leaving her,” I tell him. The look on his face shows he understands why.

This causes Alyssa to look up to see whom I am speaking to. “It’s fine. You can tell him whatever you need to,” she whispers to Tony.

“She’s on her way to the hospital. It doesn’t look good, though,” Tony says. “Alyssa, are you okay? Can I get you anything? Do anything?” She shakes her head.

“Alyssa? Where is she? Where is Alyssa? The police told me she was over here.” We hear Leah’s voice loud and clear. “There you are,” she says when she finally reaches us. Instantly, she throws her arms around her roommate and Alyssa reaches up with the one arm not holding me to hug her back. “What the hell happened? Why is there blood all over you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Leah. It’s not mine,” Alyssa tries to assure her.

“Are you okay?” Leah looks at me.

“Yeah,” I tell her. No need to tell her I’m still freaking out.

“This officer and I are going to ask you a few questions, Alyssa. We are going to keep it as short as possible,” Tony looks to the uniformed man standing next to him. “Then we’ll make sure you guys get back to your apartment. They were able to get most of what happened after you left the call open. We just need to know what happened that led up to it.”

“I’ll be close by if you need anything,” Leah says kissing Alyssa on the cheek.

Over the next twenty minutes, Alyssa recounts what happened. Somehow Vicki knew when Alyssa would be coming up the steps and was waiting for her. She revealed who she was then directed Alyssa to the Hamilton Building, which is the closest one to where they were and had her text me to meet them there. There were people everywhere. Some noticed the two of them, but most didn’t. Shane happened to be coming back from the Student Center when Alyssa was being led up the steps to the building. He called out for Vicki and she instructed him to get me there as soon as possible. When they were in the building, she threatened everyone who came through the lobby to keep them out. Alyssa said Vicki didn’t say much until I got there. I told the rest of the story from there.

As promised, Tony escorts us back to the apartment building as soon as they finished up. We get out of his truck and he meets us on the sidewalk. Tyler drove Leah and Shane back and they are walking up from the parking lot. Paige is standing at the side door, holding it open for us. Tony walks over and hugs Alyssa who is still wrapped in the blanket and attached to me. “I’m so glad you are okay,” he tells her. “If you need anything at all, either one of you, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you so much for coming,” she says to him.

“Always,” he says before kissing her on the head. He pulls away and hands her phone over to her. “It was on the floor.” She takes it from him and thanks him, again. “Take care of her, Rocco. And really, call if you need anything. I’m sure Carla will be calling to check on you later. Are you guys staying here tonight?”

Alyssa looks up at me. “Can we go to your house?” she asks. “I really don’t want to stay here tonight and my house is too far.”

“We can go anywhere you want, Sunshine,” I tell her. “Let’s go get you cleaned up, then I’ll get you out of here, sound good?”

I say goodbye to Tony, then help her inside. Our close friends have gathered in her apartment. She greets them all and answers some of their questions. After asking Shane to run back to our apartment to get me a change of clothes, I take Alyssa right into her bathroom. It’s hard to keep her from looking in the mirror, but I do. She does not need to see the blood in her hair and smeared on her clothes any more than she already has. Leah brings in Alyssa’s clothes, including her favorite sweatshirt, and sets them on the shelf next to the shower stall. She hands me a black trash bag for the clothes Alyssa is wearing, then she gets out towels and washcloths for us.

“As soon as you are done, get her out of here. I will take care of cleaning this up,” Leah tells me. I nod in acknowledgement.

Very carefully, I remove all of her clothes placing the ruined items in the bag before doing the same with mine. Before I let her in the shower, I whisper for her to close her eyes and to keep them closed until I tell her to open them. Thankfully, she does as I ask without questioning me. The instant she is under the water, the bottom of the stall is bright red. Either she can picture it in her head or the events of the last two hours are catching up to her. Maybe it’s the combination of the two. She starts to sob and falls into my chest. My arms instinctively surround around her and I start to cry right along with her. The thought that she was almost taken away from me forever is too much to bear any longer.

Eventually, every speck of blood is gone and we get out of the shower. We dress quietly. I watch her in the mirror as she brushes her hair, then pulls it up. After she brushes her teeth, she turns to face me.

“Thank you,” she says.

“For what?” I ask.

“For coming for me,” she tells me when yet another tear escapes from her eye.

“Sunshine,” I say closing the gap between us. “There isn’t anyone or anything in the entire universe that could have kept me away.”

Our friends try to convince Alyssa to let them come over to my house with us. She declines saying she just wants to relax and get some sleep. The only way Leah is satisfied is when Alyssa suggests they come over the next night. On our way to my house, Alyssa says she needs a Coke and fries, so we stop and get some to bring back with us. My mom is waiting for us when we pull in. Tony called her and filled her in on everything that had happened. She didn’t pressure us to tell her anything or to stay with us. She just holds Alyssa for a few minutes and tells her how happy she is to see her. I promise my mom we’d come find her the next morning.

When we finally make it to my apartment, Alyssa puts the food on the coffee table, kicks off her shoes, curls up on the couch, and wraps the blanket around her. An unexpected feeling of contentment falls over me at how comfortable she feels here even after what happened today. I throw our bags down on the chair and grab a bottle of rum from the kitchen before joining her. I hit the button on the remote starting the gas fireplace across the room.

“Want some?” I ask her holding up the bottle.

“Definitely,” she says reaching over to take the lid off of both of our sodas. She holds them out for me to dump the liquor in. We sit in silence for a while holding each other. Neither of us know what to say. “Are you alright?” she finally asks me.

“My psycho ex held you hostage at gunpoint today and you’re asking if I’m alright?”

“I watched you the entire time, Rocco. You were almost as crazy as she was trying to figure out how to get out of there. You had me so worried you were going to do something stupid.”

“I’ll be okay the second that you are okay,” I promise.

“Well, I am now,” she says squeezing me tighter. “I was so scared. I was scared of not being able to be with you.” I kiss her on top of her head. “Maybe this is when I should tell you that today wasn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened to me. I certainly hope it’s the last, though.”

“What?” I ask as my entire body tenses up.

“The guy I dated before Jeff,” she pauses. I remember hearing something about him. No one really knew what happened. “He sort of lost it one night he stopped at my house and Jeff was there. We had already broken up. I’m not sure why he was so upset because it wasn’t abnormal for Jeff to be at my house back then. He pulled a knife on me. He’s still in jail for a whole list of stuff.”

“Jesus Christ, Alyssa. You are seriously a magnet for disaster.” I feel her chuckle next to me.

“High maintenance. You were previously warned of this very thing,” she says.

“Damn. You weren’t kidding,” I sigh.

“Want to bail while you still can?” she whispers.

“Nope.”

“I’m so happy I have you,” she tells me.

“Alyssa,” I say. The guilt of today is starting to settle in.

“Hmm,” she answers taking a sip of her drink.

“I’m so sorry for…”

“No. Absolutely not,” she snaps pulling away so she can face me. “None of what happened today was your fault. Do you understand me?” I can’t answer her. “Rocco, tell me that you aren’t going to do this. Tell me you aren’t going to add this to the list of bullshit that you cannot control but are going to take responsibility for.” She grabs my cheeks, so she can look me straight in the eye. “If you truly love me the way you say you do, do this for me. Tell me what I need to hear and mean it.”

“I cannot believe you just played that card,” I say stunned.

“Oh, it will get a whole lot dirtier in about five seconds if you don’t do what I’m asking,” she warns.

“You would not,” I respond. She raises her eyebrows giving me her most serious expression. “Okay, two can play that game,” I tell her. “I will tell you exactly what you want to hear and I will mean every word of it, if…”

“If, what?” she wants to know.

“If you’ll marry me,” I blurt out. The serious look fell from her face immediately and was replaced with a look of complete and total shock. I stand up, walk over to the end table, and pull the box out of the drawer I hid in there. Proposing wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I was going to wait until Christmas morning, but I cannot go one more day without putting this ring on her finger. I could have lost her today and I would have never had the chance. Life is too short to waste on waiting for the perfect time. I drop to one knee in front of her and take her hand in mine. “Alyssa Adler, you somehow managed to find your way into my heart and brought it back to life. Now, you’re the only one who will ever belong there. I realized a long time ago that I cannot live without you. You are everything to me. You are my reason to do anything and everything in this world. You are my Sunshine. Will you, please, do me the honor of being my wife?”

The tears are once again flowing down her face, only this time, they are happy tears. At first, she doesn’t say a word, but then she starts nodding her head. Alyssa leaps off the couch and into my arms. “Yes,” she finally says. “Yes, I will be your wife.”

Epilogue – Thirteen months later

Alyssa

For the first time in over a month, I’m waking up in my own bed. Being on vacation for so long is definitely amazing, but there’s no place like home. Well, our temporary home while I am finishing my senior year of college. Rocco insisted on renting a house close to campus. He didn’t want me to have to commute very far. Of course this makes his commute ridiculously long since he’s going for his master’s degree at another school. I’ve learned not to argue points like this. He tends to be a little on the stubborn side. And besides, it keeps me close to Leah. She is doing just fine with Paige being her new roommate, but she is and always will be my best friend.

While I’d love to roll over and sleep for the rest of the day, there’s something I need to take care of before Rocco wakes up. Since the incident with Vicki last year, it’s almost impossible to do anything without him watching over me. Most of the time, it doesn’t bother me so much. Even when he starts being a little overprotective, I just try to remember I wasn’t the only one who was affected that day. Sometimes, I think he still carries a little guilt over her death. That’s just the way he is.

Thankfully, jet lag along with a sense of safety since we are in our own home with a high tech security system has Rocco sleeping soundly. It’s easy to slip his arm from around my waist and climb out of bed. Being careful not to make a sound, I sneak out of our bedroom and pull the door closed behind me. Something tells me, he’s going to realize he’s alone sooner rather than later, so I hurry downstairs to get his birthday present ready for him.

Once it’s wrapped in light green paper and has a white bow on top of it, I decide to make him breakfast in bed. Good thing Rocco insisted on hiring one his mom’s housekeepers to clean a few times a week and to do our food shopping or we’d have nothing to eat this morning. Cooking is definitely not one of my specialties, but I somehow pull off a decent looking breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. That’s decent, right? I have his breakfast and his morning glass of chocolate milk all set neatly on a tray.

When I walk back into my bedroom, the beautiful sight sprawled out on my bed has me gazing, breathless, and standing in the middle of the doorway barely able to hold the tray straight. Rocco is laying on his back with his head turned away from me. The blankets are pushed down to the bottom of the bed. The light beige colored sheet is draped just over his hips providing the perfect contrast to his suntanned skin. My eyes roam from his bare chest, where just a few short hours ago I was raking my fingernails all the way from there down to…

“Are you objectifying my body from the hallway?” Rocco groggily asks startling me. His breakfast almost falls from my hands. He starts chuckling because he knows I’m embarrassed I was caught ogling over him.

“That wasn’t very nice,” I say walking over to place the tray on the nightstand. He reaches up to grab my arm and pulls me into bed with him.

“What wasn’t very nice was waking up without my beautiful wife next to me on the first morning we are home from our amazing honeymoon,” he whispers climbing on top of me with that all too familiar look gleaming in his eyes again.

While I’m more than ready after the view I walked in on a few minutes ago, his breakfast is going to get cold. More importantly, I have to give him his birthday gift before I lose the nerve. “Oh no you don’t,” I say grudgingly pushing his naked body off of me. He falls onto the bed next to me on his side, so he can face me. “I made you breakfast.”

He looks over at the tray, then back to me raising his eyebrows. “I could remake breakfast as soon as I help you with this little, um, problem you have here,” Rocco teases at my ear as he’s running his hand up the inside of my leg. “Mrs. Matthews, I love when you wear only my t-shirts to bed.”

“Mr. Matthews,” I squeeze my eyes closed and try desperately to focus on the plan I’ve been so excited about for the last few days. “If you don’t eat the breakfast your wife lovingly made for you, she might never let you touch her again.”

“I’m suddenly very hungry,” he announces sitting back against the headboard. I giggle when I lay the tray across his lap and snuggle up against his side. “I’m not sharing one bite with you,” he mumbles picking up a piece of bacon.

“Maybe I should have given you your present first. Then you wouldn’t be so grouchy,” I say pulling away from him.

Rocco stops chewing and turns to me. “You already gave me my present on my birthday last Sunday.”

“Well, since tonight is your birthday party with our friends, I have another one for you,” I justify biting my bottom lip.

“Why are you nervous?” he asks.

“I’m not nervous,” I tell him.

“Yes you are. You’re biting your lip. You only do that when you’re nervous.” Well isn’t he just so damn observant this early in the morning?

“Finish your breakfast, Rocco,” I advise consciously trying to keep my lips closed, so I’m not tempted to do it again.

“That’s it. I’m done,” he says putting his unfinished breakfast on the floor next to his side of the bed.

“Was it that bad?” I ask suddenly regretting cooking anything at all.

Rocco slides one arm around my lower back and the other under my legs. He pulls me onto his lap. “Not at all,” he speaks softly running his fingertips along my cheek. “I don’t like that something is bothering you. I want it fixed. Now.” He’s obviously worried and that is not what this morning was supposed to be about. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” I say shaking my head. I unravel myself from his grasp and run out to the hallway where I left his gift. When I return to our bed, my husband is holding his arms out to me with a small smile. I fall into them and lay my head on his chest. This is my favorite spot to be. “Maybe I am a little nervous. I’m afraid you aren’t going to want, I mean like your present.”

“Alyssa, you don’t really think that, do you?” His grip gets tighter around me as he rests the side of his face on the top of my head. Relaxation falls over my entire body every time he holds me this way.

I feel myself take a deep breath and slowly release it as my hand holds out the small rectangular box. It’s the same box he gave me before the first charity dinner I went to with him a little over a year ago. “I hope you love it. I cannot return it or exchange it.” I can barely get the words out.

He leans over to kiss me as he takes the gift out of my hand easing my anxiety over the exchange. Once it is out of my hand, I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around them as he prepares to open the box. “I already love it,” he says.

“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

Rocco takes the bow off the package and puts it on my head. “That’s so I can unwrap you as soon as I’m finished here,” he says. I roll my eyes at him taking the damn thing off my head. He laughs at me.

“Just open it already,” I tell him.

Rocco takes his time pulling the paper off. When he sees the box, he turns to me. “You’re giving me the necklace back for my birthday?”

My hand instinctively goes to my neck revealing that I’m still wearing it. “No, Jackass. I just used the box.” He smirks at me. He’s driving me insane on purpose. Slowly, he opens the box and sees what’s inside. The smirk has disappeared. I’m not sure how to read his reaction as he just stares at what’s there. “Rocco, say something,” I start to panic when he takes too long to respond.

Finally, he looks up at me and I see his eyes are filled with tears causing mine to do the same. When he blinks, they spill over and roll down both of his cheeks. “This is for real?” he asks. My emotions are all over the place right now hindering any words from leaving my mouth, so I just nod my head confirming what he’s asking. “I thought when you said ‘I do’ that nothing would ever make me any happier than I was in that moment, but this,” he shakes his head. “Nothing compares to this.” Rocco reaches over and pulls me to him. He gives me the sweetest kiss I have ever gotten. Sweeter than I have seen in any movie. My entire body melts as he lays me back onto the pillows behind me. Then he lays his hand over my belly and whispers, “Sunshine, I promise to be the greatest dad ever to our baby. I will never let either one of you down. I love you with all my heart.”

I reach up to him wiping away the rest of his tears. “Our baby is so lucky to have you for a dad. I love you, so much,” I tell him. Then I show him how lucky he is to have me for a wife.

Later that day, we are just about ready for our friends when the doorbell rings. The two of us look at the clock then at each other and start to laugh. “Leah,” we blurt out together. Of course, she’s right on time.

Rocco goes to open the door, but I stop him. “Remember, we aren’t telling them yet,” I remind him.

“Sunshine, I’ll try my best, but you know how I am when I get excited,” he says smiling. Something tells me, the whole world is going to know before the day is over.

He opens the door and our friends come flowing into our house. Leah pushes through them to get to me, “Lyss,” she says throwing her arms around me. I hug my best friend back. It’s taking everything I have not to spill our secret. Rocco knows it, too, because he’s smirking at me. I shake my head and he smiles even bigger. “I missed you! Don’t stay away that long ever again.”

“Missed you, too!” I chuckle at her. “It hasn’t been that long, Leah. It feels like you just left us.”

Paige pushes her out of the way to hug me, too. “Thank goodness you’re back. She’s been driving us crazy,” she tries to whisper. Julia and Erin nod in agreement.

“Shut it. All of you,” she tells them. “It’s been three weeks since we came back, Alyssa. Being on a tropical island for a month made you lose all track of time, I see,” she says winking at me. I could have been anywhere with Rocco and lost all track of time. “We have something for you,” she squeals. Tyler and Troy walk through the door at that exact moment. They carry over a large picture frame with a bow on the top of it. “Are you ready?” she asks me. I smile at her excitement. “Okay, guys, turn it around.”

When they do, I’m completely floored. “Leah, how did you get that?” I ask walking over to it. The day before we got married on the island, Rocco took me for a walk through the town. He bought me a balloon from a local vender along our route. I get balloons almost as much as I get flowers these days. We came to this brick underpass, which lead to an outdoor patio of a local restaurant. Once we were almost through it, Rocco stopped me and pulled me in for a kiss. Before letting me go, he told me he had a surprise for me then motioned for me to walk all the way through to where there were a few tables set up. When I did, my dad, Jill, his mom, Max, and our friends were all there. He flew them all in to see us get married. The picture is of the two of us in that moment right before we walked into see them. It’s absolutely beautiful!

“Please, you know damn well I never reveal my secrets,” she teases.

“I love it! Thank you so much!” I kiss her on the cheek earning myself a remark from Logan. Some things will never change.

“Enough of this mushy shit! Champagne for everyone,” Shane says popping the top of the bottle.

Rocco starts pulling glasses out. “Since when do you drink champagne?”

“Since I have a reason to celebrate,” he tells Rocco while he starts filling the glasses.

“What exactly do you have to celebrate?” Rocco asks.

“My new job.”

“Shane, what happened to the job you just got after graduation?”

Shane looks over at Jessica with the biggest grin on his face. She goes over to him and wraps her arms around him. He hugs her back. Shane met her last summer when he came down to visit us one weekend at my dad’s house. She is one of Jill’s nieces and she just happened to stop by when he was there. They’ve been dating ever since.

“I quit,” he explains passing out the filled glasses. “Following your ass to South Jersey seems a lot more fun than staying up here all by myself.” Rocco and I are having a house built not too far from my dad. It’s supposed to be done when I graduate in May in about four months. “Besides, there’s this girl who asked me to move in with her. I figured, why not? She’s hot,” he teases. Jessica punches him in the arm.

“You’re really moving down there with us?” Rocco asks. The poor guy has had enough shocking news for one day.

“Guess we’ll make a Philly fan out of you after all,” I joke.

“Oh hell no! I’m having satellite installed before I even move in. I’ll be damned if I’m watching those losers all the time.” He hands me my glass last and kisses me on the head.

Rocco comes to stand behind me and takes the glass from me. “I’ll drink that for you,” he whispers, but his action doesn’t go unnoticed.

“What the fuck, man? She becomes your wife and she’s not allowed to drink?” Shane never misses anything. My guess is Rocco was counting on that. I can literally feel his excitement radiating off of him.

“No,” he gloats. He slides his free hand around the front of me and rests it on my lower abdomen. “She’s not allowed to drink since she became my pregnant wife.” Everyone is almost as thrilled as we are over the news.

“You work fast, Matthews,” Logan tells him shaking his hand.

“The best things in my life just find a way of springing themselves on me,” Rocco tells him as he leans over to kiss me. “I don’t plan any of it.”

“Well, damn, that totally trumps my news,” Shane sulks. Jessica consoles him while we all laugh at his expense.

For the rest of the evening, we have a great time like we always do. We tell them about the things we did after they left. They fill us in on what’s been going on around here. I notice how from just a year ago, we are all very different. Everyone is growing up and moving on to the next chapter in their lives. Things won’t be exactly the same. We won’t all be living together. We won’t be able to hang out all the time like we are used to. We will always be friends who are more like family, no matter the distance between us. We will always be there for each other.

After everyone leaves, Rocco and I curl up on the couch to relax before heading upstairs. “I’m sorry I told everyone about the baby, even though you asked me not to.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at him. “Rocco, you’ve been glowing since you opened your gift this morning. Someone would have pried it out of you eventually.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out the dog tag I had engraved for him.

“To the best husband, who will soon be the best dad,” he read it again. “I still cannot believe it,” he says shaking his head.

“Believe it or not, Matthews. Come September it won’t be just the two of us anymore,” I tell him. As the words come out of my mouth, a thought crosses my mind that throws me for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Rocco is instantly concerned.

“It just occurred to me that I’m going to get fat,” I sigh.

He starts chuckling. “I can’t wait until you have a belly. It’ll be adorable.”

“Liar. I’ll be huge and you’ll want someone else. You’ll stop loving me,” I pout.

Rocco puts his hand on the side of my face turning me to look into his eyes. “Sunshine, when are you going to get it? No matter what, you will always be my girl.”

THE END

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I need to thank my husband, Jason, for all of your support while I took time out of our crazy life to write this book. Yes, you drove me crazy every chance you could. Yes, you have always teased me over my love for reading (or anything for that matter!). However, your love and encouragement mean more to me than I could ever express. Let’s face it, if we learned anything during this experience, it’s definitely that you are a much better housekeeper than I ever will be! Thank you for everything! OXOX

To my two precious kiddies. Thank you so much for being the reason I get out of bed every morning! You may not realize it, but you both mean the world to me! A huge thank you for still thinking I’m the greatest Mommy in the whole wide world, even though I was completely nutty in the few months it took to complete this book. I hope you remember to always work hard for the things you want in life and to never give up on your hopes and dreams. Don’t let ANYONE hold you back or tell you these things are not possible. I love you!

To one of the greatest friends a girl could ask for, Terri. I could take pages and pages to tell you how lucky I am to have you as a friend, but you already know. I tell you all the time! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking this journey with me and for all of your help! I’m not sure I would have ever done this if it wasn’t for you. Also, thank you for not letting me give up when I thought I wanted to and enjoying this story as much as I have! **Smooches**

To another one of the greatest friends a girl could ask for and the BEST college roommate ever, Cara. Thank you so much for helping me along the way during this process! Your ideas and recommendations were genius and essential to the story. ‘Leah’ is an awesome roommate, but she’s got nothing on you!!

To the best sister-in-law, Michelle. I am so glad you offered to read this for me. Thank you for taking the time to help me out. Most importantly, thank you for being so damn good at finding my mistakes and for making the suggestions you did! They made the story so much better! (P.S. If you find any mistakes on this page, I’m sorry!)

Thank you Briana and Colleen, two more friends I couldn’t live without! Thank you for your input when I asked for it, for loving my story, and asking for more!

To the best cover designer, Samantha. One of the greatest things that happened to me in all of this was finding you! Thank you so much! Forever Altered would have never been complete without its beautiful cover!

To everyone and anyone who reads this book, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D. J. Pierson graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2002 with a degree in Radiologic Technology. While she is more of an obsessed reader than writer, she decided to share a story of her own. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband, their two children, and two crazy dogs.

To find out what’s new, you can check out her Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-J-Pierson/547669458607713

Or you can email her at:

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-30