Read Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3) Online

Authors: Wendy L. Wilson

Tags: #The Breathe Series, #Book Three

Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3)

BOOK: Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3)
11.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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Breathe with me

Copyright © by Wendy L. Wilson.

 

All Rights Reserved

 

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

 

This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.

 

Warning**This book vaguely brushes over sexual trauma that could trigger emotional distress.

 

Cover Design by
DCP Designs

Cover Photo by
K Keeton Designs

Models,
Dusty James and Gabriela Ma
rie

Author Photo by
Ashleigh Pettis

Editor,
Jeremy Thompson

Formatting by
Champagne Formats

 

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

A Friend

I remember

Grand Slam

Keep me safe

Walk away

Forget

Still Here

Open my heart

The Look

Crushed

Hot in Here

Need Him

Go for it

First Kiss

Christmas came early

You never know

Remember

Mine

Right where I want to be

Nightmare

A Fresh start

Let Go

Here we go again

Let’s do this

Tears

Perfect Day

I can’t wait

How could you?

Damn my mouth

I have to do this

Never Again

A Long time coming

This time

I’m free

Breathe with me

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About The Author

Other Books

Grandma

 

I love and miss you every single day and although I wish you were here to celebrate the completion of another book with me, I know you are in a happier and healthier place now. Thank you for being such a huge part of my life and for always believing in me. I’ve always tried to relay emotion and feelings into words and I do it much better on paper, but I don’t believe there will ever be enough words in the world to tell just what you mean to me. I love you so much Grandma. I hope I always make you proud.

 

SLINGING MY BAG ACROSS MY
back, I make my way across the gravel parking lot, immediately feeling at ease with my surroundings. This place has always seemed more like my home than anywhere else.

Feeling the sharp, shifting pieces of rock beneath my feet, I let my eyes wander about. Ribbons of sunlight bouncing along the surface of the water catch my attention. As a kid, I’d spend hours sketching pretend treasure maps in hopes of discovering some long-lost, forgotten booty at the bottom of that lake. After a couple of years passed by, the maps were history and it was a different type of booty that had me on the prowl.

The tranquil sounds of water splashing at the shore and against the edges of the dock along with choppy waves alerts me to early morning boaters that are braving the cold weather for a little fishing. How many hours have I spent there boating with my brother and Grandpa? I’m sure it would add up to years. Not to mention all the times I went out on the lake with
her
.

Shaking my head to brush off any memories that are likely to sneak up on me, I step onto Grandpa’s new front porch, taking a few strides to the door. A creaking noise draws everyone’s attention to my presence as soon as my feet cross the threshold.

“Evan.” Grandpa nods his head as he reclines in his chair in front of the fireplace.

“Hey, Grandpa.” I smile then throw my bag to the side of the door.

“Evan, why don’t you toss that out in your camper rather than cluttering up the cabin?” My father’s commanding tone fills the air and it takes all the willpower I have to not turn around and leave.

So much for greetings. No, Hello son, good to see you, or Hey, Evan, long time no see. I’ve missed you, Nope, not our family.
It’s only been two months since I’ve seen him.

“No problem,” I say, turning to head back outside.

I reach down to grab my bag and a cold blast of air hits me as my brother walks inside.

“I think some of your buddies just showed up across the way.” I stand back up and nod, holding my bag at my side.

I’m already aware that Judd and Alyssa are headed here for Christmas break, but I still made up a lame excuse that I had to visit Dad while he was in town. I really just want to be where she is; a part of me still feels protective when it comes to Piper. I could not care less about the whole family thing.

Aside from Grandpa, our family is beyond dysfunctional. Lord knows there’s never been a group of guys that needs the stability and good graces of a woman around more than us.

Mitch is a complete ass. He only knows how to treat a woman like shit. He’s steering in the same direction as Dad, putting his career as a recruiter to the top of his priority list, but doing it all for the wrong reasons. I’ve always thought being in the military would be a humbling act, but I’m thinking my dad and brother didn’t get that memo. It only aids in their cockiness and fuels their thoughts of viewing themselves as God’s gift to women and above everyone else.

Dad, much like my brother, has gotten good at using women then tossing them to the curb which is how he acquired two sons and no mom willing to hang around long enough to put up with his shit. Mitch’s mom split when he was only two, unwilling to take on the hardship of moving from military base to military base.

Mine, however, didn’t even give it a chance. My father received a call from the hospital in Vegas stating his name had been listed as the father of a new baby boy. She apparently skipped out on the hospital bill before the doctors even had time to discharge her, leaving only me and a sticky note with Dad’s phone number behind. After a paternity test and a mountain of paperwork, he says he left with a new born baby and not a clue what he was going to do. He claimed he tried to find her repeatedly, but she had disappeared.

After that, Dad hung up his dogging around for a while to raise us boys and lug us around the country for years before we had the mindset to ask to come live with Grandpa. I was ten when Dad finally settled us in with him, before taking off again. It is the one thing in life that I am the most grateful for.

Grandpa is the only decent one among us. He, at least, had my grandma around until 6 years ago. He always tells me that she’s the one that kept his ass in line, and she did. I never got to know her as well as Grandpa, but I remember when she would say jump, Grandpa would smile, give her a little hell then carry out whatever she asked of him. She’s the reason he started the construction company and why it continues to thrive after all these years. She was also the brains behind investing in this land which was a damn good idea, if I do say so myself. What started out as a measly piece of property with all of two cabins on it, now houses thousands of campers through the summer, and is Grandpa’s bread and butter during the warm months.

“Who all is joining them?” Mitch’s cocky tone jolts me out of my train of thought and reminds me that I have to deal with him for a whole week.
Yippee-freaking-yay!

“I don’t know,” I mumble, knowing Mitch’s only concern is what single girls will be arriving.

Turning back as I pass my brother and open the door, I see Dad heading towards me.

“Is the radiator heater out there?” I ask, wanting to just collapse down on the bed for a couple hours of shut eye but only if it’s warm, of course.

I am definitely not a lover of cold weather; I can suck it up if need be, but I prefer coming out here during the peak seasons when the sun is beaming over the trees and the water has just the right amount of chill to it. This time of year, I try to stick to hibernating in my apartment.

“I already cranked it up a little over an hour ago. It was making a strange noise so you might want to check it out and make sure it is putting out heat.”

Heading out of the cabin, I scan the parking lot quickly and notice Piper hasn’t arrived yet, only a dark green vacant pick-up truck that looks unfamiliar. A cool breeze sweeps through the air, slightly rocking my grandmother’s old white wicker rocking chair that still adorns the front porch. The tree branches near the lake shore rattle and crackle like a storm may be brewing, yet the inviting rays of sunshine that soak the beach not far ahead brings a warm glow to the day. For December the temperatures have been pretty mild, thankfully only dipping as low as the 40’s.

BOOK: Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3)
11.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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