Every Moment with You (Redeeming Love #1)

by J.E. Parker

“I’ve loved you since I was eight years old, Maddie. Loved you since the moment I first saw you in that glittery pink dress with little white ribbons braided through your hair.” His lips touched my skin and my insides heated. “One look at those emerald eyes and cotton-candy-stained lips and I knew—I knew—that you were the reason for my entire existence.” He moved, placing his forehead on mine. “You’re all I see, Maddie. You’re all I’ve ever seen.”

“I was only trying to protect you.” Deep down I knew that, but the crushing pain and red-hot anger running through me overshadowed any rational thoughts I may have had. "Well, congratulations, Hendrix. I wasn't kidnapped by the Russian mob and sold into prostitution, so your plan worked." Pulling my legs up, I kneed his thighs to make him release me. He did, and I moved. Once off the bed, I whirled around to face him.

“You did this. You caused this.” Placing my hands on the side of the bed, I leaned towards him. “You may have protected my body, Hendrix, but you destroyed my heart!”

Want to know what real pain is? It’s looking into the wounded eyes of a girl who used to be so full of life and knowing you’re the reason her light is gone. And that's precisely what'd just happened.

“I don’t know how to process any of this. It’s too much. I can’t…” "That's understandable. It's not every day you learn that your ex-boyfriend was being blackmailed by a leader of the mob and that your well-being was being hung over his head like an axe preparing to strike. If it hadn't been for you, I've got a feeling Hendrix would have told those commie bastards where to shove it." She exhaled. "He didn't though, and luckily he's still alive to tell the tale.”

“Maddie, sweetheart, you’re the smartest person I know. Use your head. Do you really think the fight Petrov forced him to take would have been a clean fight? I highly doubt an underground fighting ring run by the mafia would have been safe. Those kinds of places only have one rule: kill or be killed." I opened my mouth to respond, but she kept going. "That boy—hardheaded jackass that he is—was willing to risk his life to keep you safe." She paused and took another sip of tea. "If that isn't love then I don't know what is."

“What was he thinking?” “He was thinking that he was going to do whatever he needed to do to keep you safe. And just to be clear—there aren’t many men that would've done what he did. His head may be hollower than a Halloween pumpkin, ...

“Good lord, Grandmama. I don’t want to hear you say another thing about Hendrix’s … his … his…” I couldn’t even say it. “Go ahead, Madelyn Grace, say it. Hendrix’s balls. Ba...

“Exactly how many shots of moonshine did you add to your tea?” Now it was her turn to scoff. “It’s three in the morning, Maddie.” Silence. Then, “Only one.”

“See, told you the boy has a head hollower than a pumpkin. Why on earth wouldn’t he tell you all of it?” I twirled a strand of hair around my finger. “Probably because I started puking when he got to the part about Petrov selling me into prostitution. And after that, well, I gave him the silent treatment for the rest of the night.’

“Honey, I’ll admit I don’t know a darn thing about the mob, but they were probably watching him. They might’ve gone as far as tapping his phone and reading his emails as well. Much as I hate to admit it, I think he did the right thing.” “I do too.” And I did. Since I’d had time to cool down and think about it, I understood better.

“Peter… Paul… Petro… What was the guy’s name?” “Petrov.” I picked at the hem of my shirt. “Yeah, Petrov. Well, he and a bunch of his posse got arrested the week before the fight. Months before, some informant tipped the authorities off about a trafficking operation they had going on, something about importing fancy pieces of artwork from Europe."

"All of them, except Petrov, are currently serving double-digit sentences courtesy of the Federal Government." I stilled. “What happened to Petrov?” Grandmama coughed again. “The rotten bastard is dead.”