Copyright © 2015 M.L. Steinbrunn
Interior Design by Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing
Cover Design by Arijana Karcic, Cover it Designs
Editing by Hot Tree Editing
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.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2015
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
For my sons, Ryan and Logan. May you always find hope in the ashes of ruin and seek peace when there is turmoil. You are both brave young men, and I hope you see your courage in the pages of my stories. I am so proud of the both of you, and look forward to what you will do to make this world a better one.
With all my love,
Mom
Author of the Redemption Series, M.L. Steinbrunn has been in love with the world of fictional characters and plot twists since she was a child. Writing short stories and reading anything she could get her hands on, it could be argued that her hobby borders on an obsession.
She works full-time as a high school educator and coach in rural Colorado where she and her husband are raising their four young children. Through education she has enjoyed guiding others on their paths and helping students build their stories.
In her free time, M.L. enjoys travelling, Amazon one-clicking, watching movies, chauffeuring her children to their one and half million activities, and people watching.
She would like to add a big thank you to everyone that has been overwhelmingly supportive of this incredibly scary and exciting journey.
Where to follow her….
Goodreads
Amazon
There are so many people that have helped to make this book possible, I appreciate you all.
My Family: My husband and children have been extremely understanding, and that has meant so much. Thank you, you guys.
My Hometown: My hometown community fully embraced this series and has been patiently waiting each new release. Even knowing that these books are romance novels, my tiny, conservative community has supported this endeavor and has encouraged me every step of the way. I truly appreciate that support.
Indie Author/Blogger Community: I have found this online literary community to be one of the most inspiring and compassionate groups. There have been so many authors and blogs that stepped up to help me, talk me off the ledge, donate, and share announcements. I appreciate every one of you. Ladies of the Indies Round Table and Indie Erogenous Zone, thank you so much for being there for me. You are the best! My street team is absolutely fantastic; you ladies are have been wonderful. You are more than a street team; you guys are a group of friends that have provided a tremendous amount of support. Thank you, girlies. There are several individuals that had a major hand in this project and deserve a special thank you. The entire team at Hot Tree Editing made this a story worth reading. My beta team: Natalie, Jenna, Con, Missy, Shauna, and Ashlee, thank you so much for taking the time to read this book and offering valuable, honest feedback. Your comments and opinions truly made this book so much better. Ari with Cover it Designs thank you for my gorgeous cover. Jovana at Unforeseen Editing did the formatting for this book and made it something beautiful. All of the blog tours and release blitz events were organized by The Hype PR. You ladies did a wonderful job, and I appreciate all of your hard work. Thank you to all of the blogs and authors that participated in the release of this book; it found its way into the hands of readers because of you.
Readers: Thank you all so much for taking a chance on me and this series. None of my efforts would have mattered if I didn’t have your support. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to follow this dream.
Fall 2015
Carly
“Thank you, I’ll have a peppermint tea,” I tell the waitress, unable to take my eyes off the empty seat next to me at our usual coffeehouse, A Scone’s Throw.
As soon as the waitress leaves, Vivian’s hand covers mine, offering me comfort. “Everything will be okay.”
Vivian has always been the gentle, mothering one of our group. Today is going to be filled with many emotions, good and bad. I always knew it would be; I just didn’t realize how much. Her support is helping to push me forward.
I nod with a small smile. “I know it will. Today should be a happy day. I just can’t help but think about how we all got here.”
Jen looks at Campbell’s empty chair and exhales loudly. “It’s finally time to let go and move forward. We owe it to ourselves to finally find redemption. That includes you, Carly.”
“I know. Sometimes it’s just hard to believe. Every day gets a little easier, a little better though,” I tell them. “Today, is the final step…closure.”
The waitress returns and slides our mugs of coffee and tea across the table along with our check.
“I miss her,” I exhale, looking again at the empty chair. “She should be here for this. She saved my life; she made all of this possible.” I struggle to hold in my tears for a friend that I want more than anything to be sitting next to me. “I owe her more than I could ever repay,” I stammer, looking down at the table.
“What you’re doing today would make her proud, don’t forget that,” Vivian says, rubbing my back.
“Did Brooks get ahold of Lakin? Is he meeting us at the courthouse with the rest of the guys?” Jen asks Vivian, attempting to change the subject. We all miss Campbell; her absence today will be deeply felt by all of us, not just myself.
Vivian moves her hand away from my back and grabs her cup to take a drink of her macchiato. “I haven’t heard, but we left messages. Campbell put all of this into motion; I can’t imagine he would miss it.”
I nod and check the time on my phone. We are due at the courthouse in two hours and I still need to run to the house to get everyone ready. I take a final sip of my tea and throw a twenty dollar bill onto the table to cover everyone’s drinks.
“I’m sorry to cut this short, girls. I need to get home and finish getting everything and everyone ready. I can only imagine the disaster zone I’ll find when I get home.” I stand and swing my purse onto my shoulder, and then take a deep breath preparing myself for the events that lie ahead. When I look up to offer my goodbyes, I’m met with two sets of wide eyes.