He asked me again where I wanted to go next, and I said I’d think about it. Now I remembered some of my favorite movies and decided I wanted to honeymoon in Hawaii.
I’d never been there, but it sounded traditional, and amazing, and we’d be together on the beach.
Dreams flooded me now. We parked in front of my sister’s place, and he pointed down the main hall of the first floor and said, “I’ll get the mail.”
Right. I nodded. I’d start with her bedroom and scour for important papers. So I said, “Meet me upstairs, then.”
Everything was amazing until I turned down the hall of her apartment and saw Darren staring at me.
Ice flooded my veins, and I froze in place.
Memories of being tied to his bed and unable to move my hands replayed in vivid color.
He walked closer I and studied him more closely. He was skinnier than I remembered.
Cyrus was all muscle, but Darren was tall but thin, like he was on drugs. I stilled, but then decided I’d never be weak again. I swallowed and asked, “Darren, why are you here?”
He moved closer, and for a second, a shiver rushed though me when he said, “You dismissed me, Sarah.”
The last time I’d seen him I’d been unable to speak. Now I lifted my chin and said, “You deserve far worse. Leave, or I will file charges against you.”
He laughed and the voice pierced me with remembered terror, though I refused to move as he said, “He’ll tire of you, and then you’ll be like me, left with nothing.”
I took a deep breath, paused my tumbling thoughts, then shrugged and said, “That’s not how love works, Darren. Now you have ten seconds to get out of here and never come back.”
“You heard her,” Cyrus said from behind me.
His support mattered. Darren glanced over my shoulder and said, “Whatever she told you isn't true.”
“I believe in Sarah,” he said, while he rested his hand on my back in silent support.
While Darren and Cyrus stared at each other, I straightened and took a deep breath. I’d never let anything happen to Cyrus.
Then Darren backed away and almost bolted in the direction of the stairs on the other side of the building.
I whooshed out a breath and then unlocked the door, refusing to give Darren another thought.
We went inside, and he locked the door behind me as he said, “You should file charges.”
I tensed. Rape wasn’t an easy thing to talk about. I went into Leah's bedroom and said, “I don’t ever want to see him again.”
“He might have hurt others besides you and your sister.”
Cyrus’s insight shook me.
If I didn’t do something, who knows who might be hurt next? And unlike the girl I’d been, I was… different now. I could handle it. And honestly, I now had the world. I stopped in front of the bedroom closet where she kept her files and looked over my shoulder at Cyrus.
Cyrus knew me so well.
I nodded and said, “I didn’t think about that. Will Jeff be my lawyer?”
He brightened and joined me. “No pressure from me. I want you to be happy.”
“I want to do it,” I said, before I changed my mind. I was strong enough now to handle anything.
I reached into the closet for her box. It was heavy, so Cyrus took it from me and said, “Jeff will run point to make sure you have the best lawyers money can buy.”
He put the box on the bed while I said, “Then let’s do it. I’m not afraid of him anymore.”
“Good.”
I and sat on the edge of the bed, but when I flipped open the box I said, “My sister’s mysteries don’t really matter to me.”
He scooted up next to me and rubbed my back as he said, “They might matter to Joshua one day, so let’s finish this. Then we’ll go home and plan our wedding. It’s good you’re letting Maddie do the planning so she can finally earn her certificate.”
His sister-in-law was finishing a degree in wedding planning, and I remembered she had great ideas at the party.
I nodded and said, “Christmas is a happy time for so many, so it’s going to be amazing to celebrate my new beginning with you then, and every Christmas for the rest of our lives.”
We discovered my sister's loans had already been paid off.
She’d lied to me about her life over and over again.
We sorted everything, and found paperwork about Joshua’s birth, which I added to his medical records file.
Then Cyrus said, “Any thoughts on what you want to do next?”
“Good question. Your mother mentioned at the party that I might want to take over some charities for the family, and I’d like to start there.”
“We’ll both figure out what we want to do, then.”
I laughed as we opened the next file. Real estate. She’d been looking at places on the west coast. One more thing she hadn't told me. I stroked Cyrus's cheek and said, “I think you should go ahead and file the papers with your brother to start the heart centers you talked about.”
“You’re right. I need to stop waffling and commit.” He flashed a bright smile at me.
We were both better together, it seemed.
47
Sarah
We spoke to Jeff about filing formal charges against Darren as soon as we arrived at the family home.
He’d already taken down the online video, and now broke down how the trial would be very victim heavy. We discussed my dating life, so Cyrus now knew about the one time I was lonely enough to briefly date a drifter for a few weeks.
Looking back, I had to admit I’d known he was bad news.
A trial sounded intense, and both of them reminded me regularly and often that I was under no pressure to testify at all.
However, Cyrus’s comment continued to replay in my mind. What if he’d hurt other young women? What if there was one right now?
Jeff said he’d send investigators.
My mind and body stilled. It was time to tell my truth to the world.
And I’d insisted.
I glanced over and told him about the worst thing I’d read today. “I hate recounting that weekend, but based on what I read, my sister was also his victim. Now that I've read her diary, I believe she’s wrong about life, but I also have a much better understanding of why she was the way she was.”
Jeff had wanted possession of the diary, but I wanted to finish reading it, and promised to hand it over after the weekend.
Cyrus kissed my forehead and said, “And after you testify, we’ll go back to the island, where we can just be ourselves.”
Our phones beeped and we saw the screen at the same moment. I grabbed his hand and said, “Joshua’s crying. Let’s go get him together.”
We sped up as he said, “Sounds perfect.”
I tugged on his arm. “No, not perfect, just awesome, because we’re a family.”
We raced up to get our son, and knew we’d go as a team to get his bottle if that was what he needed. Cyrus picked up his son and he settled right away.
The two of them together sent a spark through me. He rocked his son.
Then he said, “Speaking of, after the wedding it would be nice to give Joshua a new brother or sister.”
I rocked on my feet. The twinkle in his gaze sent a spear of heat through me. I walked beside him, covered Joshua’s ears like I didn’t want him to hear and then whispered, “Why are we waiting?”
He laughed and kissed my cheek. “I thought you’d want to wait until after the wedding photographs.”
I gazed up at him and said, “I say we let fate decide and just have fun.”
He nodded with a grin.
We’d have the rest of our lives together, as a family. I was happy and in love.
48
Warren
I stood about a foot taller th
an a few of my brothers while we milled around at the buffet laid out on the beach patio.
Cyrus’s soon-to-be bride was talking to Arman and Joel’s fiancées, and it seemed my birthday was turning into a bridal party.
I was so happy my brothers were so happy.
And I wanted to be whole and complete like them.
So it was time to leave my adopted family and find out where I came from.
Then maybe one day I’d be as happy as the three of them seemed to be.
Cyrus tapped me on the shoulder, and I about jumped out of my skin. A second ago it seemed he was far away. I tipped my champagne flute at him and said, “Congrats. You both seem happy.”
He laughed and said, “We are. We’re planning a Christmas wedding on the island, so be back by then.”
Good. My birthday was full of smiles today. It was all I wanted, though I nodded and said, “Of course I’ll make an exception in my year-long plans so I can be at your wedding, man.”
We watched while the servants laid out the food on the buffet while I absorbed how our family all spoke as a cohesive unit.
“You really think you can live without cash for a whole year?” Cyrus asked.
Good question. The truth was, I wasn’t sure, but I wanted his luck. So I said, “Many people do. And it’s certainly what would have been true for me. Look, go back to your fiancée. Even I can see from here that she wants you.”
Then I saw our parents. They always considered me one of theirs, even though I’d been adopted. Now I needed to prove I was worthy.
Thank you so much for reading Cyrus and Sarah’s story. I hoped you loved it as much as I loved writing it. Please order Warren’s story now in Sugar Pie.
Also by Victoria Pinder
Returning for Valentine’s (FREE if you go to my website)
The House of Morgan
Secret Crush
Secret Baby
Secret Bet
Secret Wish
Secret Dad
Secret Heir
Secret Tryst
Secret Date
Secret Romeo
Secret Caress
Secret Match
Secret Bridesmaid
Secret Admirer
Secret Cowboy
Secret Mistress
Secret Cinderella
Secret Lover (NEW)
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 1-3
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 4-6
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 7-9
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 10-12
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 13-15
Virgin Cove
Honey Bun
Handsome
Sugar Pie
Steel Series
Rocking Player
Ruthless Financier
Wicked Cowboy
Powerful Prince
Cocky M.D.
Scottish Seducer
Legendary Rock Star
Charming Boyfriend
Fierce Fighter
Treasured
Sexy Scots
Scottish Wedding Date
A Scot for Christmas
Scottish Second Chance
Scottish New Year Bride
Decadent Dawes
Steamy Risk
Steamy Dare
Steamy Gamble
Steamy Daddy
Princes of Avce (scandals)
Forbidden Crown
Forbidden Prince
Forbidden Royal
Forbidden King
Forbidden Bastard
Titled in Avce (No politics, no surprise, just men who must marry before they turn 30)
Falling for the Duke
Falling for the Earl
Falling for the Monsieur
Falling for the Marquis
Falling for the Count
Falling for the Noble
Falling for the Lord
Avce Order
Princes of Avce 1-3
Princes of Avce 4-6
Princes of Avce 7-9
The Hawke Fortune
Tempting Gabe
Tempting James
Tempting Conner
Tempting Harry
Tempting Navid
Hawke Series
Married to the Billionaire Prince
Irresistibly Lost
Irresistibly Found
Irresistibly Charming
Irresistibly Tough
Irresistibly Played
Irresistibly Rugged
Irresistibly Strong
Irresistibly Dashing
Irresistibly Boxed Set 3-5
Irresistibly Boxed Set 6-8
Hidden Alphas
Hidden Gabriel
Hidden Raphael
Hidden Rocco
Hidden Alphas Boxed Set
Adventure romance
Michael
Dane
The Marshall Family Saga
Favorite Crush
Favorite Mistake
Favorite Sin
Favorite Scandal
The Collins Brothers
Chaperoning Paris
Borrowing the Doctor
Gerard
Liam
Eric
Then if you also like
Science Fiction/Fantasy Romance
Hidden Dragon Series
Call of the Dragon
Dawn of the Dragon
Escape of the Dragon (Coming Soon)
The Queen Gene
Whispers of a Throne
Storm of the Throne (coming soon)
Earthseekers Mission
Makeup May Change Your Life
The Zoastra Affair
Ancient Greek Heroes
Romancing Theseus
Mything the Throne
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion. She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
Visit my website and download a free novel
www.victoriapinder.com
victoria@victoriapinder.com