Page 145 of Give Me Redemption

“He sought Bryce’s attention constantly and thought by making Bryce laugh that he’d stay around more, but Bryce was fighting battles that Jace didn’t understand.

“When Bryce moved to the city and left here for good, Jace shut down. He stopped the laughing and the smiles, and the day he turned eighteen, he left us with a simple note.

“He had joined the Army and I was beside myself. I cried for two days, because you see, when those boys came here, I knew I’d love them forever. And they both were gone.

“Lee and I were older when we fell in love. He’d lost his wife to cancer, and I was the veterinarian here. The man sank into a deep depression, and I fought for him. We’d just accepted the fact we wanted to be together when he found Bryce and Jace. They completed us as a family.

“And I’m all about my family.” She lifts her chin. “You hurt my family. You lied to my boy, and you were almost successful in putting my other in prison.”

I don’t say anything, but chills run down my spine at her tone.

“Do you love Jace?” she asks.

“Yes.”

She nods. “He loves you.”

“I know.”

She unclasps her hands. “I see a lot of myself in you. You’re strong and you look as though you’ve lived already, when in reality your life has just begun.

“You were already in love with Jace before you busted Bryce, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“Wow, how did you do that?” she asks with a slight shade of wonder.

I shake my head and dart my eyes to the swirls in the counter. “It wasn’t easy, but I knew what my job was. I knew what I had to do. Regardless, I was at war with myself the entire time. I was physically and mentally sick about it. I never wanted to cause Jace pain, but the moment I found out who he was, it was too late.

“I’m sorry I hurt your son. I’m sorry for it all.”

She scans her eyes over me, and I wonder what she’s thinking. She said I reminded her of herself. To me that was a compliment. It’s clear this woman is strong. She took in two boys who were not hers. She loved a man who was broken from losing his wife.

I’m in awe of her.

She nods, seeming to come to terms with her thoughts. “I think everything worked out for the good, don’t you?”

I got Jace. That’s really all I cared about, so yeah, I guess it did.

“Jace is happy. He went through a tough time in the Army. When he got out, we all saw how broken he was, but you helped him find his way. His head seems to be in a good place now, and I have you to thank for that.

“Bryce was doing something illegal and I hated it. Because of you, he no longer is. I have you to thank for that also.”

I didn’t see this coming at all. She’s thanking me for what I did?

“So now I hope you know me a little better, and I want to get to know you. After all, you’ve stolen my boy’s heart, and that’s a special thing. Jace and Bryce don’t give love to just anyone.”

“Ask me anything,” I say.

“How about we save that for after we eat? I’m sure the boys are hungry.”

“Okay.” I run a hand over my throat. “What can I help with?”

“Grab the potato salad from the fridge. I’ll get the chicken,” she says.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Harlow

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