Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
The boy who made me believe in forever.
The one who left for the big leagues… while I stayed behind in Whiskey Run.
Now, twenty years later, he’s back hotter than ever.
And he says he’s here for me and every single one of my curves.
When I ended things back in high school, I told myself it was for the best. He had the world ahead of him, and I couldn’t leave my family behind. He never knew the real reason why I broke his heart.
But he’s here now, retired at the top of his game, determined to win me back. He’s all charm and confidence, sliding right back into my world like he belongs.
The problem? I’m not the same girl he left behind.
I’m a divorced nurse with curves, and a heart that’s been shattered. I’ve been lied to before, and I’m not sure I can believe a man like him really wants me.
If I let him in, I could have the happily ever after I’ve dreamed of since I was eighteen.
If I don’t… I’ll lose the only man I’ve ever truly loved.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
RYKER
We won! The crowd is going wild. The security and half the police force is here tonight because they knew this was going to be a good game, and we didn’t disappoint. For the first time in twenty years, the Lonestar Thunder baseball team has won the big game.
I’m all smiles as my teammates celebrate, smacking each other on the back, pumping their fists in the air. The family members of the team are making their way out onto the field. I find my dad in the crowd and jog over to greet him, picking him up in a big hug. He says loudly, “I’m proud of you, son.”
I smile ear to ear. “Thanks, Dad.”
He pulls back and holds his hand out, ticking off my stats on his fingers. “You had five at bats, four hits, two home runs, one triple, one double, and six RBIs. You had a hell of a game, son.”
I hug him again, and I can’t help but think about my mom. She would have loved to have been here. Hell, if it wasn’t for her and my dad, I would never have made it to the big leagues, let alone kept my head on right. Since she passed away five years ago, it’s just me and him. “Thanks, Dad. And I mean it. You’ve always been here for me. I love you.”
He wipes the wetness from his eyes. “I love you too, son.”
My teammates come up, and we’re a bunch of grown men sobbing with happiness and celebrating. We stay on the field for a while. I have a friend from security take my dad to his car, and later as I’m walking through the now empty tunnel toward the locker rooms, I pull my phone out of my bag. I tell myself not to do it, but it’s like I can’t stop punishing myself. It’s been twenty years since the love of my life said she wanted to end things. We were just kids, and I should have gotten over it by now, but in times like today, when emotions are welling up inside me, she’s the first person I think of.
I go to the social app, the book of faces, and search her name. Isabel Curtis. I’m smiling as I look at her picture. She’s still as beautiful as I remember. She’s grown up—hell, she’s married and has a kid, but I still think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I scroll down and stop in my tracks. I bring the phone up and read her status again. Am I seeing what I’m seeing?
Twenty-four hours ago, Isabel changed her status from married to single.
She’s single. The love of my life, my Izzy, is no longer married.
I scroll her feed, as if it’s going to give me the answers I’m looking for. What happened? Is she okay?
Nothing. There’s nothing else. She made that post and nothing else. I open the comments on her status change, looking for clues, and there are numerous comments from her friends pumping her up and telling her she’s going to be okay.
Hell, yeah, she’s going to be okay. I’m going to make sure of it.
I walk into the locker room, and some of the team is already in here. I look around for the general manager, and as soon as I find him, I walk up to him. “Can we talk?”
He must see the look on my face, and he nods his head. “Sure. Is this a locker room talk or a private office talk?”
I take my hat off, rub the sweat off my forehead, and put it back on. “Private.”
His eyebrows lift. “Okay. Let’s go.”
I follow him to his office. He holds the door open and closes it behind me. “Have a seat.”