Relentless (Shattered Hearts) (15 page)

He kisses my forehead and leaves me with a handful of legal documents and a heart full of questions. I don’t know if this is the best or the worst news Chris could have delivered to me, but a huge part of me has never felt more grateful for him. Chris has always known exactly what I need and he’s always been willing to do whatever it takes to give it to me.

I take a deep breath and grab my keys off the breakfast bar. I lock the front door and head for the beach.

I find Adam sitting near the edge of the water and he doesn’t look at me as I sit next to him. I dig my hands into the warm sand and scoop up a handful. I let it fall slowly and watch as most of it is carried away on the breeze. I guess that’s the way secrets are. They’re only heavy when you’re holding them. As soon as you let go, the significance of keeping those secrets hidden blows away and everything falls into place.

“My daughter’s name is Abigail,” I say, and he finally looks at me. “That’s what he came to tell me. He thinks he can get his lawyer to arrange an open adoption.”

“Is that what you want?”

I shrug as I wrap my arms around my knees. “I don’t know if I could handle seeing her and leaving her. I’ve already done that before and it nearly destroyed me.”

“But you wouldn’t be leaving her forever this time.”

We sit in silence for a long time until the sun begins to touch the horizon and Adam grabs my hand. “Come on. Let’s see if the water has the answer.”

He kisses my hand before he stands and pulls me up. “I love you, Claire. I’ll support you whatever you choose to do. You know that, right?”

I smile as I breathe in this moment. “I do.”

He pulls me toward the water and we trudge through the knee-high waves, in our clothes, until we’re waist deep. A small wave crashes into me and I get a mouthful of ocean. He laughs as I spit out the salty water. Then he kisses me. The salt in my mouth mixes with the sweetness of his tongue and I can feel his smile curving against my mouth.

He pulls away as he looks into my eyes and doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t have to.

As soon as the sun begins to set, it seems to fall too quickly from the sky, like a heart in love. The relentless pull of love is a thousand times harder to fight than the tides. If you’re lucky, you’ll make it out before you drown. If you’re even luckier, you’re pulled under just long enough to wash away the sorrow. If you’re really lucky, like me, you resurface just in time to find the one you love floating right beside you.

THE END

Relentless Playlist

The
A Team
by Ed Sheeran

First Love
by Adele

It Will Rain by
Bruno Mars

I Need Your Love
by Ellie Goulding feat. Calvin Harris

Omega
by Steve Aoki feat. Dan Sena and Missy Palmer

Waiting in Vain
by Bob Marley

In Your Eyes (Stripped Version)
by Sara Bareilles

Heal Over
by KT Tunstall

Comfortable (Live Version)
by John Mayer

Only Exception
by Paramore

Last of Days
by A Fine Frenzy

Stubborn Love
by The Lumineers

If It Kills Me (Casa Nova Sessions)
by Jason Mraz

Breakeven
by The Script

Wait
by M83

Listen to the playlist on YouTube.

“Relent
less”

We kisse
d under the trees

And talked about missing things

I wish I could’ve held you in

Held in the heat of your breath

Held onto you and I at our best

Memories chain me here

Holding my heart prisoner

Alone in this hotel room now

Can’t stop dreaming of your kiss

Tomorrow I’ll regret this

Your love is relentless

Holding me still

Relentlessly dreaming

Breaking my will

I wish you’d come with me

Leave it behind

Just pack up your things and

Say you’ll be mine

You said you would miss us

Didn’t know you could bluff

Are you moving on already?

Sleeping in someone else’s bed

Fucking with someone else’s head

I’m sinking, sinking

You’ve got my love and my time

I’ve got nothing, nothing

Relentless love and heartache are mine

You’ve got me, got me

But I can’t make
this call just to find

You don’t want me

“Sleepy
head”

Feels so wrong to want this

You look so broken there

A flicker in the mist

As tired as the air

Your head upon the pillow

It’s time to bury bones

Outside a whispering willow

The limbs fall like stones

So frightened of the dark

You’re my sleepyhead

Hiding with the stars

Put your dreams to bed

My sleepyhead.

You’re my sleepyhead.

With eyes full of shadow

And a mouth full of glass

Gasps come so hollow

Your lips taste like ash

Don’t waste your hours

Your time don’t come cheap

Don’t fall apart, baby

Just fall asleep

And I don’t know why I can’t kill this doubt

But I promise I’ll put your pain to rest

If it means I never sleep again.

Acknowl
edgements

I’ve been writing books for longer than I care to admit, but I’ve never had more people to thank than now. This book was my brainchild, but it was birthed through the labor of many selfless souls.

Special thanks go to my old and new beta readers: Kristin Shaw, Jordana Rodriguez, Michael Finn, Sarah Rabe, Carissa Andrews, Kim Box Person, and Sheri Zilinskas. Extra special thanks go to Sarah Rabe who fact-checked me on some important details about the foster care system. Your willingness to share your personal experience added so much depth to Claire’s character and I am just so proud of the woman and friend you have become. Michael and Sheri: What can I say other than you two are what the crazy person who invented beta readers intended. There are no words to adequately describe how grateful I am for your feedback.

So much gratitude and awe go to the magnificent
Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations
. Your professionalism made this experience painless. Your talent made this cover relentlessly breathtaking.

An enormous thank you goes out to all the book bloggers and reviewers who offered their time and expertise to assist with this book release, especially Karen Anderson at
Book Crush Book Reviews
. You are all so friggin’ amazing. Your support of indie authors, not just me, is awe-inspiring. I hope I wasn’t too difficult to work with.

There are no words to express my gratitude to the many friends and family members who offered their support in so many ways during the writing of this book. You are all saints for putting up with my disappearing acts, the lack of home-cooked food, having to repeat your sentences two and three times, and my endless pleas for feedback.

And a huge thank you to all the readers who contacted me during the months I was writing
Relentless
. Your enthusiasm and kindness motivated me to get through one of the most hectic deadlines of my career. Your support has made my childhood dream of being a professional author a reality! I love you all so much and hope you all continue to get in touch with me often.

Other books by Cassia Leo

LUKE Series
(Erotic Romance)

CHASE Series
(Erotic Romance)

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About T
he Author

Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time watching old reruns of
Friends
and
Sex and the City
. When she’s not watching reruns, she’s usually enjoying the California sunshine or reading—sometimes both.