Beautifully Broken Life (Sutter Lake #2)

by Catherine Cowles

I sucked in a breath. “I, um, I’ve never done this before.” Liam’s gaze shot to mine. “I mean, I’ve had sex, but, uh…not this.” Liam’s eyes blazed with anger for a brief moment before softening. “I love that I’m the first man who gets to give you this.” A wicked grin tipped his beautiful mouth. “You’re

Liam pressed his lips to my forehead. “Sometimes, it takes life breaking apart for it to get you where you’re truly meant to be.” His eyes bored into mine, emotion filling them. “I wouldn’t change any of it. It was hell on Earth while it was happening, but it made me who I am today. And I like that person. She’s not perfect, but she’s strong and kind and she’s the woman you fell in love with. I wouldn’t want to be anyone else.” Liam tugged me to him. “You’re everything to me.” I tipped up my head so that my chin rested on his sternum. “Let’s go reclaim my life.”

Liam kissed my temple, the spot that always sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. “That was everything.” He held me even closer to him. “I love you, Tessa. You are everything to me.” My heart fisted and relaxed. “I never thought I’d have this. I’d resigned myself to being alone.” Liam gave me a squeeze. I shook my head. “I was okay with it because better alone than always hurting, right?”

Liam froze behind me, his body going rigid. I pushed on. “But then I met you. When I’m with you…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like the colors of the world seem brighter. I see things I would’ve missed before.” I turned my head so that I could meet his gaze. “You make this life so much more beautiful.”

Rage, hot and thick, swam through my veins. There was a dark time in my life where I would’ve believed Garrett’s words. Thought that I had done something to deserve his slap of my face or the whip of his belt across my back. There was a time I would have believed that there was something broken in me that called out for that kind of attention. But now I knew the truth. Garrett was the sick one, the twisted mind.

Susan was kind, incredibly gentle, and had an air about her that resonated with me. She had offered to come and spend time with the mustangs and me whenever I wanted. I took her up on the offer immediately. I wasn’t in denial. I knew I had a hell of a lot of things I needed to process. Trauma that had begun long before I took Garrett’s life. I’d met with Susan every day for that first week, and then every other the next. Now, we were settling into a twice a week schedule that we’d keep for the foreseeable future. She’d also connected me with a support group I’d attended for the first time the night before. My bruises were almost faded, but my mind, my soul, they’d take a little longer to heal. There had been what felt like unending questions from police officers, and while Walker had tried to shield me as much as possible, there was only so much he could do. The police in DC had been able to put more of the puzzle pieces together, including finding evidence that led them to the place where Bethany had been buried. I hoped finding her had given her parents a measure of peace.