Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(98)

Gold lettering stamped Little Women across the front. My fingers traced the design etched into the cover as I opened it. “This is…” My head jerked. “A first edition?”

“Our library deserves something special, don’t you think?”

“This is amazing. It’s so beautiful.”

“There’s a special bookmark in there, too.”

I flipped the pages until my fingers caught on a ribbon, and I tugged it free. My heart hammered against my ribs as a shimmering stone caught the light.

Holt caught the ring. “Never thought I’d get this kind of happiness. This joy.” He slid the ring onto my finger, the massive oval diamond glowing in the fading sunlight. “But, somehow, you keep giving me more. Marry me?”

I tilted my head back to take in the beautiful man behind me. “You’ve given me everything. And still, you give me more.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes,” I breathed, my mouth meeting his.

As the sky faded into twilight, I knew all those dreams we’d conjured up years ago were finally coming true. And having them now, we’d appreciate them all the more for everything we’d been through.





Curious what’s in store for Nash and Maddie? Find out in Echoes of You, book two in The Lost & Found Series, available for purchase by TAPPING HERE or read on for a sneak peek!





Want more of Holt and Wren? Get an exclusive bonus scene by TAPPING HERE.





ENJOY THIS EXTENDED PREVIEW OF ECHOES OF YOU





PROLOGUE





MADDIE





PAST

The numbers and letters on the textbook page swam. I blinked, trying to right the twisting of the slanted scrawl. Algebra was confusing enough; I didn’t need my blurred vision adding to it.

I reached for my Coke as I glanced at the clock. One thirty-three. The neon glow of each number taunted me. I’d told myself I’d get to bed earlier this week. That I’d finally manage at least six hours of sleep each night.

A laugh bubbled up, but it was the hysterical kind. Getting six hours would be a dream. Between my after-school job, volunteering at the humane society, homework, and nightmares, I was lucky if I pieced together four.

I leaned back in my chair, trying to loosen the muscles that had tightened over the course of the past few hours. It didn’t help much.

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway. On instinct, my body braced. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. It’s not him. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.

The door to my bedroom flew open, crashing into the wall. If the door had been made of anything but the cheapest possible material, it likely would’ve put a hole in the drywall.

My mom’s form filled the space as she leaned against the doorframe for balance. Her face was an unhealthy red color, which was nature’s way of warning me of things to come. I saw a spill of some sort down the front of her low-cut halter top—beer or, more likely, something harder.

The scent of stale alcohol wafted into my room, and my fingers itched to light the candle sitting on my desk. To spritz some of the room spray resting on my nightstand. Anything to clear away that smell.

I fought the shudder that ran through me and met my mother’s stare. I didn’t bother saying anything, I just waited. My only hope was biding my time and trying to decipher exactly what kind of drunken mood she was in.

My mom leaned forward, her lip curling in a sneer. “What’re you doing?”

Her words bunched together, sounding like one instead of an entire sentence as she pushed her bleached-blond hair out of her face.

I swallowed, staying completely still as if that would somehow protect me. As if my mom were a grizzly and I needed to play possum. “I’m just finishing up my homework.”

“You think your grades are gonna save you? That you’ll get out of here?” Mom scoffed.

That familiar ache flared to life in my chest. The deep longing for…more. For parents that cared about me. For a true family. For someone who loved me. For escape.

I didn’t give my mom a single word. It wouldn’t matter whether I defended myself or played down my actions. She would still find a reason to hate me.

Her eyes narrowed on me. “You think you’re better than me?”

“No.” Because her blood ran through my veins. Her blood and his.

“Yes, you do. Ever since you started hanging out with that Hartley boy, you think you’re fancy like they are. But you’re not. You’re trash. Nothing. The only reason they pay you any mind is because they pity you.”

Pain lanced my chest. Lies. Lies. Lies. I chanted the word over and over. I wouldn’t let her in. I wouldn’t let her twist my mind.

“You’re nothing!” Spittle flew from my mother’s mouth. “You’re worse than nothing. You ruin everything!”

A broken sob flew from her throat, and she collapsed in on herself. My throat tightened, but I pushed back from my desk and rose. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

I reached out to take her arm, but she ripped it from my grasp. “Don’t touch me! You took him from me,” she wailed.

I hadn’t done anything. I’d hidden every bruise and cracked rib. But he’d gone too far. And the police had stepped in.