Page 91 of Mountain Freedom
I flew toward him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to the ground. Then I jumped on top of him and slammed my fist into his jaw, knocking him unconscious with a single punch.
I stared at him, seeing his face, but also more—I saw the doctor who’d screwed up Allison’s life in Memphis. I saw her lousy ex, who’d thrown her away and then harassed her to take him back. I saw Willa’s ex, who’d abused her in horrific ways. I saw the man who’d tried to kill Daphne and take her away from all of us. I saw the face of every single bad guy I’d ever taken down.
And I saw Russell.
And I knew I was going to kill him.
Every bit of rage I’d shoved down my entire life seemed to well up in a single moment with a single target. Russell had finally gotten what he’d always wanted. The Sharp blood hadawakened in me, and for the first time in my life, I was so angry I felt like I could kill this man with my bare hands and not feel an ounce of remorse for it. I grabbed his collar with one hand and pulled my other back in a fist, ready to end this once and for all.
But then Allison groaned. Her hand fluttered toward me as she fought to open her eyes. “Jackson,” she mumbled. “You came. I knew you’d come.”
I dropped Dr. Johnson and went to her, pulling her weak body into my arms. She forced her heavy lids open and gave me the sweetest smile before her eyes shuttered again. But in that one look, I saw everything that really mattered. Her. Our future. The life we could build together. The children that would never have to be afraid to come home to us. The love and joy that would fill our home and our lives.
And in one astonishing moment, I realized Russell was wrong. That I wasn’t the same as him at all. Because all that love, all that goodness—it was a thousand times stronger than the hate I had just felt. Our future meant a million times more than revenge. And I’d walk away from Dr. Johnson in a heartbeat if it meant having all that with Allison.
“I’m here,” I said, tenderly stroking her face. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay. Whatever he did to you, we’ll fix it. I promise. You’ll be okay. You have to.”
She managed a nod. “Don’t worry,” she murmured, slurring her words slightly. “Just sleepy meds. Not dangerous.”
Thank God.My eyes filled with tears. “I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
“You won’t,” she managed to whisper before squeezing my hand.
“I love you,” I said. “More than anything. More than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. I love you so much, Allison.”
“I love you, too.” She smiled as she said the words. Then she opened her eyes and met my gaze for just a moment before slipping back into her sleepy haze.
Dr. Johnson moaned as he began to regain consciousness. I gently laid Allison back down, then went to deal with him. No revenge this time, just procedure. I flipped him onto his stomach and cuffed him, rattling off his rights as I did. Then I called Greg and let him know what had happened, asking for backup and an ambulance.
With Dr. Johnson secured, I went back to the love of my life and held her as we waited, knowing I was never going to let go.
One week later
It didn’t take long for that night to seem like nothing more than a bad dream. Allison was safe and we were whole in ways I’d never expected to be. And when our chosen family gathered for a Fourth of July picnic, I knew there was only one thing that could make the night better.
“More tea, Jackson?” Janet asked, filling up my glass before I could even answer.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling as I lifted the cold drink to my mouth. It had been a scorcher of a day, but this time of year usually was. We’d brave the stifling heat anyway, hoping it cooled off at least a little when the sun went down and the fireworks began.
“Will Allison be here soon?”
I checked my watch. “Any minute.”
“Actually, I’m already here,” said the sweetest voice in the entire world before she plopped down beside me on the quilt and passed Janet a bottle of champagne to add to the spread.
“Hey,” I said, leaning over to kiss her—and marveling at how every kiss felt both normal and extraordinary at the same time.
Emerson elbowed Cole. “The fireworks haven’t started yet. You owe me ten bucks.”
“I didn’t take that bet,” Cole replied, rolling his eyes.
Daphne spoke up. “I know it’s a party, but since this is the first time we’ve all been together since everything happened…” She trailed off, glancing between me, Greg, and Allison. She obviously hoped one of us would volunteer the scoop.
I had to laugh. Daphne couldn’t help herself. She loved a good story about a bad guy getting what was coming to him.
I glanced at Allison, unsure how much she wanted to share. After all, it was mostly her family history. But she surprised me by launching into the story without a bit of embarrassment at all.
“Basically,” she said, “what everyone in Rosemary Mountain seemed to know—except for me and Jackson, apparently—was that my father made my mother pay off his gambling debt to Dr. Johnson. Although some people thought it was an affair and didn’t realize my mother wasn’t exactly a willing participant.”
