Chapter Sixteen.
Onyx Keeping Sage from Hemy was the hardest thing I"ve ever had to do. I just wish he would understand that I did it for Sage, because I love her like a sister myself and was only thinking of her best interests. I could never hurt her in any way. As much as I love Hemy, I had to think of Sage too. Hemy may hate me forever, but I did what I felt I had to do, even though I knew it would end up with him hating me in the end.
I just hope he"ll give me a chance to explain, because I don"t want to leave here without him. I never want to be without him again. I"ve lived day after day without him, years on end, and I can"t do it anymore.
I"ve been here for the last half hour or so thinking about us; thinking of all the time we have missed out on and it hurts my heart so bad knowing that I left him and let him down. It kills me. I was scared and young back then. I didn"t know what else to do but remove myself from the situation. I should have stuck around and tried to get him help, but I was just a kid trying to deal with something bigger than myself.
I walk closer to Hemy as he stands there in shock and relief, just looking me over as if he can"t believe that I"m here. "I was hoping you would come here. I"m so sorry. I wish I could take back what I did, but I can"t. You hate me and I don"t blame you."
Stepping closer to me, Hemy runs his hands through my wet hair before pressing his forehead to mine, something he always did. "You"re wrong," he whispers. "What if I told you I could never hate you, no matter what you do? What if I told you I have loved you since day one, but was too afraid to say it?"
I look up into his eyes and cup his face in my hands. Looking at him makes it hard for me to breathe. The pain I put him through kills me. "How could you even say that, Hemy?" I can"t hold my emotions back anymore. Being here in his embrace makes me lose all composure. The tears rush out as I wrap one arm around his neck and hold on for dear life. "I hurt you. I walked out on you when you needed me the most. I never stopped loving you. I thought about you every day and not one day went by that I didn"t fear for your life. I was so d.a.m.n scared."
"I know," he breathes. He rubs both his thumbs under my eyes, wiping the smeared mascara, before cupping my face and hovering his lips above mine. "I was a fool for the way I acted and I should have done the right thing by you. I should have been the one to let you go. I hurt you so d.a.m.n bad and I"ll never forgive myself for what I put you through. You did the right thing. You had to for the both of us, because I was too weak. Watching you walk out of my life and waking up alone is what woke me up. I realized that you were more important than the drugs. No high is better than the high I experience when I"m with you. I"m a different person and I have you to thank for it. Don"t ever question what you had to do. Do you hear me?"
His warm breath kisses my lips as he presses his body closer to mine and waits for me to nod. "Hemy," I manage to get out. "I love you so d.a.m.n much. I"ll never-"
Hemy crushes his lips against mine, cutting me off. My body feels weak in his arms as he pulls me as close as possible, kissing me with so much pa.s.sion that the tears start falling for a whole different reason. I love this man with all my heart and after all that we have been though, I know he feels the same way.
Pulling away from the kiss, Hemy searches my eyes before kissing my tears. "I love you more than life itself. I promise to never hurt you again. All I want is to be with you. I"ve never wanted anything else besides having Sage back in my life. I have Sage now," he pauses to give me a deep look, his eyes gla.s.sing over, "Let me have you. That"s all I ask. I need both my girls."
Looking into his eyes makes me weak in the knees. There is so much promise behind them that I know being with him would be different this time. I"m just not sure I can get over me hurting him and Sage. It"s myself that I"m angry with now, not him. I"m mad at myself for leaving.
"Are you sure you want me," I ask, my heart pounding.
He kisses me softly before pulling away and smiling. "More than life itself."
We both stand here in the rain just looking each other in the eyes before Hemy sucks in his lip ring and smirks. "Stay here with me tonight. Do you remember those nights?"
I let out a little laugh and nod my head. "How could I forget, Hemy? I can"t even count how many people"s trucks we had s.e.x in the back of."
"Twenty three," Hemy says with a grin.
I slap his arm. "You kept count?"
He laughs and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder. "f.u.c.k yeah. Those were twenty-three of the best nights of my life." He bites down into my a.s.s, making me squirm as he pulls out a key and unlocks the door. "I counted a lot of our good memories. Now, tonight will be number one that I undress you out of those wet clothes, put you in my shirt and take care of my future wife. Promise me you"ll be mine, forever. Say it. Let me hear you say it."
All the breath leaves my lungs hearing those words leave his lips. I want to cry, but I don"t. All I want to do is be close to Hemy and let him back in. No holding back this time.
"I"m yours. Forever," I whisper."
"I"ve been waiting four years to hear those words," he breathes as he walks us through the dark garage, pulls down the back of a truck bed and carefully sets me down.
He doesn"t hesitate undressing himself from his jacket and shirt before pulling off my wet close and replacing them with his dry shirt.
He holds me close to him, whispering in my ear and rubbing the back of my head. Here, right now. I feel safe. I feel loved. This is the feeling I want for the rest of my life and can"t live without.
It"s him and it always has been. Tonight I"m making a promise to never let him go again.
The rest of my life starts tonight . . .
Chapter Seventeen.
Hemy Three weeks later . . .
We"re all sitting around in Fortune a normal bar, eating dinner and having a few drinks. The whole crew is here: Slade, Aspen, Cale, Stone, Sage, Onyx and myself. It"s the first time we have all gotten together since me and Onyx worked things out. I have to admit it feels good.
It took a bit of convincing, but I finally got Onyx to move in with me. I knew she would eventually cave in. The only downfall to that is that it left Sage needing a new roommate. As you can guess, Stone was quick to jump to fill that spot. I"m still keeping my eyes on that slick f.u.c.ker, but he"s grown on me. Plus, he seems to be crazy about her and she deserves someone to treat her the way she should have been all along.
"Dude!" I feel something hit me upside the back of my head. I pull away from kissing Onyx to look over my shoulder. Slade flicks a chicken wing at me. "Stop that s.h.i.t. You"re making me want to take Aspen home and f.u.c.k her. My c.o.c.k does not appreciate you right now." Aspen elbows him in the side and laughs. "What?" he questions with a laugh.
"You and your dirty mouth." Aspen grins.
Slade throws his hands up. "My bad." He bends down and kisses her neck before biting it. "You can just punish me later."
"Alright, d.i.c.ks," Cale says annoyed. "You all can stop your s.h.i.t now. You"re making me sick. I"m trying to eat."
"Shut up and go get your d.i.c.k sucked, p.u.s.s.y," I say teasingly, causing Cale to toss a fry at my head. What"s with the f.u.c.king flying food?
Onyx grips my thigh from under the table, causing me to instantly go hard. She always does it, letting me know what she wants. She knows exactly what she"s doing to me and as soon as I get her alone, she"s getting . . . f.u.c.ked, and hard.
Aspen smiles over at Cale before taking a sip of her beer. "So . . . Riley gets home next week."
Cale turns white in the face, but quickly tries to shake it off. "Yeah? That"s nice," he says, nonchalantly. "Next week, already?"
Aspen laughs and sets her beer down. "Already? It"s been like six years since she moved away to Mexico."
I can"t even believe how pale and nervous Cale looks. He definitely has it bad for this Riley chick. Maybe he"ll man up and finally give his d.i.c.k up. I knew he was holding back for a reason.
I take a bite of my steak and notice Stone getting a little cozy with my sister at the end of the table. I get ready to say something, but Onyx leans into my ear, distracting me.
"I love you, baby." She places her hand on mine and I smile down at the diamond on her left finger. Knowing that I placed it there makes me the happiest man on earth.
When I proposed to her in the hot tub last week, I about died when she broke down in tears and screamed, yes. I"ll never forget that feeling for the rest of my life. I"m not going to lie I shed a few tears myself. What can I say? I"ve waited for a lifetime to have her back in my arms and I"m never letting go. She"s my everything. I love her and I love this new life with her. I can"t be any happier.
I bite my lip when I realize Onyx distracted me on purpose. I know this now by her little fit of laughter. She saw me eyeing Stone and Sage down. She"s good. Too d.a.m.n good.
When I go to focus my attention on Sage and Stone again; Sage is gone and Stone is chatting with Aspen. That lucky f.u.c.ker.
I feel a small arm wrap around my neck, distracting me, before Sage rests her head on the top of mine and laughs. "Stop being such a big brother." She squeezes my neck and both girls laugh as Onyx pinches my cheek. "I love you, but seriously . . . don"t make me kick your a.s.s. I know what I"m doing with Stone. Okay?"
I look over at Stone and see the look in his eyes as he focuses his attention on Sage as if she"s the only woman in the room. I have to respect that. That"s the same way I look at Onyx. I need to give Sage the s.p.a.ce she needs. I keep forgetting she"s a grown woman now.
"Okay," I mumble. "I trust you." She kisses my head and rushes over to sit in Stone"s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. I guess they make a nice couple.
Looking around me; I realize this is the happiest I have ever been in my life. This is where I belong. Where we all belong. This is my family. Family isn"t always bound by blood. It"s so much more than that. This is it, and it"s what I"ve been missing all along.
I"m ready to spend the rest of my life making my family and future wife happy. This is my ending . . .
The End of #2.
Missing Hemy and Onyx already? Be sure to check out the rest of the Walk Of Shame series to get updates on where they stand. This is the order of the series. Also, be sure to check out Hemy"s blurb to see what his story is about. Don"t miss out. Thank you!
Slade (Walk Of Shame #1).
Hemy (Walk Of Shame #2).
Cale (Walk Of Shame #3).
AKNOWLEGEMENTS.
First and foremost, I"d like to say a big thank you to all my loyal readers that have given me support over the last couple years and have encouraged me to continue with my writing. Your words have all inspired me to do what I enjoy and love. Each and every one of you mean a lot to me and I wouldn"t be where I am if it weren"t for your support and kind words.
I"d also like to thank my special friend, Author of Accepted Fate and editor, Charisse Spiers. She has put a lot of time into helping me put this story together and through this, we have become very close friends. I"m lucky to have her be a part of this journey with me. Please everyone look out for her debut novel Accepted Fate and her upcoming release for July 3rd, Twisting Fate. She has shown me so much support through this whole process and it would be nice to be able to return the favor. Her story is beautifully written and something that the world shouldn"t miss out on.
Also, all of my beta readers, both family and friends that have taken the time to read my book and give me pointers throughout this process. My friend Charisse Spiers, Hetty Whitmore Rasmussen. You guys have helped encourage me more than you know. Bestsellers and Beststellars of Romance for hosting my cover reveal, blog tour and release day blitz. Hetty has been a big part in making this happen. You all have. Thank you all so much.
I"d like to thank another friend of mine, Clarise Tan from CT Cover Creations for creating my cover. You"ve been wonderful to work with and have helped me in so many ways.
Thank you to my boyfriend, friends and family for understanding my busy schedule and being there to support me through the hardest part. I know it"s hard on everyone, and everyone"s support means the world to me.
Last but not least, I"d like to thank all of the wonderful book bloggers that have taken the time to support my book and help spread the word. You all do so much for us authors and it is greatly appreciated. I have met so many friends on the way and you guys are never forgotten. You guys rock. Thank you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Victoria Ashley grew up in Rockford, IL and has had a pa.s.sion for reading for as long as she can remember. After finding a reading app where it allowed readers to upload their own stories, she gave it a shot and writing became her pa.s.sion.
She lives for a good romance book with tattooed bad boys that are just highly misunderstood and is not afraid to be caught crying during a good read. When she"s not reading or writing about bad boys, you can find her watching her favorite shows such as Sons Of Anarchy, Dexter and True Blood.
She is the author of Wake Up Call and This Regret and is currently working on more works for 2014.
Contact her at:.
Facebook- Victoria Ashley Author and Victoria Ashley-Author.
Goodreads- Victoria Ashley or Slade (Walk Of Shame #1).
Or you can follow Walk Of Shame"s Facebook page for more info on the upcoming releases.
Find her other books on Amazon as well.
Wake Up Call..
This Regret.
Slade (Walk Of Shame #1).
end.