Shattered Hearts
by Erika Reed
from Evernight Publishing
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Four
years after running away from the man she loved, Peyton Montgomery is coming
home.
With
nowhere to live, no money in the bank, and still stinging from being served her
divorce papers, Peyton is returning to help her mother care for her father
after a heart attack. Being back means eventually she’ll run into the man that
broke her heart and ruined her for anyone else. When they do cross paths,
Peyton soon discovers she wasn’t the only one that lost so much after she left.
Because
of one drunken mistake, Jackson Holt lost the woman he loved. Now he has a
second chance at mending the relationship he once had with Peyton, but he has a
confession he needs to get off his chest before they both can move forward and
claim the life and the love they lost the night Peyton left.
Excerpt
“How is your father doing today,
Peyton?”
Jackson Holt felt a slight ache
in his chest as he stared at her. She had finally come back. His Peyton had
returned home. She was still beautiful after all these years.
“Jackson,” she whispered his
name.
He always did love hearing his
name coming from her pink, pouty lips. God, he wanted to pull her into his arms
and kiss those luscious lips that begged to touch his.
He walked closer to her and gave
her a lingering hug that sent a jolt straight to his crotch. He took a deep
breath of her scent and noticed she still used the same shampoo he loved
smelling on her, mixed with her soft fragrant odor that smelled like sweet
fruits and melons. The scent of her skin seemed to drive him mad whenever he
held and kissed her.
Peyton released him sooner than
he wanted. “How are you, Jackson? My father told me you have a coffee place a
few doors down. I’m happy for you.” She gave him a sincere smile.
He didn’t want to talk about his
shop right then and there. All he wanted to do was carry her off and take her
home so he could make love to her like he dreamed for so long.
“How’s living in the big city and
working for that animal hospital of yours working out? Your parents tell me
that you like living there.”
Peyton gave him one of her
dazzling smiles, as she stood tall before answering him. “I loved working at
the veterinary clinic. It’s been my dream job I have always wanted.”
She obviously wasn’t about to
tell him the truth about her job and marriage. He didn’t blame her one bit. She
needed to learn to trust him again. Jackson gazed into her eyes and could see
the pain that still hid behind those gorgeous brown eyes. She was trying to put
up a façade. Even after all these years she still hated him and had trouble
looking him in the eye.
“So I guess you’ll be leaving as
soon as your dad is feeling better and out of the hospital?” he asked her.
Peyton gave him a nod. “Yes. I
just want to make sure Dad is okay and back on his feet before I have to return
home. I’m just here long enough to help Mom out. I shouldn’t be here longer
than a week.”
A
week, huh? Jackson
had a week to spend getting to know Peyton again. There was so much he wanted
to say … so many things that needed to be said between the two of them. He
never got the chance to say good-bye to her like he’d planned after the night
he last saw her by the lake.
The next day when he’d tried to
call her cell phone, he couldn’t reach her, so he had gone to her house, only
to be told by her parents that she had woken up early and had already headed to
school. He could see the pain in her parents’ eyes as they mentioned to him
that Peyton had told them everything he said the night before.
For years, Jackson felt hollow
inside. He knew Peyton had married for the wrong reasons, just to get back at
him. The Peyton he knew would never have married so hastily. She was a planner.
She had always plotted and planned her future to a tee. They had spent
countless hours by the lake discussing their plans for the future. She wanted
to finish school, find a job in town, buy a home, and then wait a year before
they married. She didn’t want to rush into marriage. Peyton wanted to make sure
they were stable in their jobs and lives before they planned on spending the
rest of their lives together. She would never up and marry someone she barely
knew. Jackson had a feeling she married for her own personal reasons when she’d
agreed to marry her ex within the short time they courted.
“Tell your Dad hi for me and I
hope he recovers soon.” He smiled at Peyton and then waved good-bye as he left
the bakery. As he looked inside the window from the sidewalk, he noticed Peyton
staring at him. She gave him a smile and then turned away.
Knowing his time with Peyton was
short, he knew he’d better think fast. Peyton could get spooked very easily,
and they had so many unanswered questions that needed to be resolved before she
up and left. He needed to be alone with her to share all the things in life
that she didn’t know happened. Since she had said she never wanted to see him
again, he’d respected her wishes and stayed away from her. But now that she is
here, there was so much to talk about. She needed to know the truth about the
life between them when she ran off. Jackson needed her to listen, really wanted
Peyton to hear the things he lost along the way when she left without even a
word. He missed her, and now that she was here and life was staring to get back
to normal for him, he wasn’t about to let anything stand in the way of proving
to Peyton that they were meant to be together.
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