Mary stayed close to home, moving in the same neighborhood as her adopted mom. She and her husband have one child together, a cute little boy who’s borderline genius. We get all the invites for his school functions and birthdays, and we always do our best to go and show our support. Mary discovered her love for telling stories wasn’t only a hobby but also her career. She’s published several children’s and adult books. I’m proud to say I have copies of them all. I have personally signed copies at home as well as a set for the office in case anyone wants to read them. I like to think her amazing stories helped spur on my love for reading as I continue to devour any book she throws my way.
My parents are doing great, retired, living their best life, and over the moon with excitement to have a new grandchild. They threw us a huge party to celebrate last week. It was quite entertaining to see several of Hunter’s brothers clad in their leather jackets with their families, mixed in with my parents’ stuffy friends and people from work. I’ve gotten used to everyone, as most are around often and in passing at work, but it’s still interesting to see how everyone stands out so differently from one another.
It reminded me of our wedding several years ago when Hunter insisted on wearing his leather jacket to get married in. His groomsmen, who are also his MC brothers, were all dressed the same way. On my side of the aisle, it looked like we stepped out of a fairy tale in puffy, elaborate gowns. It certainly made for some great wedding photos, which, of course, I’ve hung all around our home.
As for Diana and her murderous plot against me, my father went on a massive tirade after everything happened. He demanded we find anyone associated with his psychopathic sister’s plan and make them pay for the lives they’ve altered. Hunter and his MC brothers were front and center in the investigation, and with the help of the state police, were able to turn over new evidence.
Having my friends and their mother around helped to fill in some missing pieces from their angle. My dad handed over everything Diana had for investigating, and Hunter broke into her laptop and accessed her hard drive. Once he copied it all, they went to the police so they could step in and do their own digging. While I’m sure my husband would’ve preferred making everyone involved disappear forever, it wasn’t the right way to do things. He toes the line of good and bad at times, but somehow, I always manage to get him back where he needs to be with his conscience.
The police were able to implicate a gang cell and put them all behind bars for their involvement. I’m sure Hunter made a few magically disappear, but the rest were allowed to serve time for their crimes. It was wonderful to get a sense of closure with that part of our life, but it also dredged up so many intense feelings I wasn’t expecting. It took some time, but we managed to work through them together.
Hunter and I have been married for ten years now, and while some may think it’s a long time to be together before having children, we took the path best for us. My father did as he said, and eventually, he fully handed over Beautiful Botanicals to me. With Hunter’s help, we struggled at first, but eventually caught the hang of things. I discovered I love working at my family company and threw myself in headfirst. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve waited to have children. I wanted to be successful in my own right and live a little, as my mother likes to say. I can honestly say I never pictured my life as the CEO of a large company, but it’s fulfilled me in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Hunter and I have traveled the world together, exploring everything and building our relationship. He’s been the love of my life and my best friend. Now when I think of things, I couldn’t imagine my life turning out any other way than it has.
It’s scary to look back now, knowing I would’ve died if it weren’t for him accidentally finding me. He truly has been my knight in shining armor, and it’s only fitting he’s in the VII Knights MC.
Thank you for reading Hunter.
I hope you enjoyed the story and will consider leaving a positive review if you did.
– Sapphire
THE END
Beast
by
Hilary Storm
Read Beast now!
Available on Amazon!
Chapter One
Insomnia is a bitch. Looks like it’s another sleepless night for me.
I pull up on the bar again, no longer counting how many I can do. That’s an irrelevant piece of information that no one gives a fuck about anyway. Plus… counting is just a way to keep your mind off of what’s really going on. I need to stay focused on what’s important. Work and the Club.
That should be it. That should be my only focus… but the past seems to creep its way in all the damn time. Tonight, memories flash faster than usual, adding to my personal hell and sending me into a deeper rage than I’ve felt in a long time. I’m not sure what has me this restless, but I’m anxious as fuck.
I grunt even louder as my muscles begin to burn from the strain and I teeter on failure from exhaustion. It’s another twenty or so before my hands slip and I collapse to the floor, my knee giving out when my feet hit the mat. I catch myself just in time to kneel in front of the mirror that Lou insisted we hang. ‘Every gym needs a mirror so you can perfect your form.’ I’ve wanted to shatter it with a punch many times, but never more than tonight.
The scars on my face don’t help me forget the past. I relive so much every time I catch even the smallest glimpse of my own reflection. Regret punches me in the gut every single fucking time.
Guilt is the quickest way to insanity. It’ll eat you alive long after you’ve done what’s warranted the regret. Long after you’ve fucked up and ruined lives around you. Long after you’ve wished like hell you could die yourself because it seems easier than living through the agony you’ve created. Long after the world has moved on as if what you did wasn’t important enough to pause for.
I bow my head before standing, not wanting to look in the mirror any longer than I already have.
“Sir… we have a problem. There’s a female walking around the grounds, trying to get inside the mansion.” Lou is barely through the door before he’s holding a phone in my direction with video proof.
“Who is she?” I rip the phone out of his hand and watch the screen, frozen in confusion. Who is this girl? And what does she want? I don’t have the patience for this shit.
I’m already irritated for being interrupted in the middle of the night, let alone the fact that someone has found my house. Now add to that, some idiot has the nerve to try and break into my fucking house.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen her before.”
I keep watching her, switching to a new camera each time she moves to another door. When I freeze the video to zoom in, this girl has a familiar smile that sends a shock to my core. “Are all the doors locked?”
“Of course, Boss.” Lou is always so proper, everything in its place and always on time. It was a dumb question to ask.
I swipe my fingers on the screen once again to bring the focus on her face. She’s wearing a hoodie, so I can’t make out the color of her hair. Her face isn’t exactly easy to see either with the way she keeps her head tilted down. I move the screen down her body to see if there’s anything else that stands out, scrolling past a few curves along the way. “Hell, I can’t even guess how old this girl might be. Literally the only thing I feel halfway confident about is that this is a female.” And she has a smile that I need to see closer.