Vegas Revenge Wedding (Nevada Bad Boys 2)

There were shots of her with them, the loving embrace of her parents, the cheers of her friends—everyone seemed so incredibly happy. When the image of Heather flashed on the screen, I saw something in her eyes. They reflected the same sense of loss that was present in mine.

I miss you too.

Chapter 11: Heather

My parents were so happy to see me. My friends acted like it was a miracle I survived the storm. There were tears and questions, but I tried to dance around them. I really didn’t want to talk about any of it. I just wanted to hide in my room until everything was forgotten.

The news made a big deal of the story, and I was in shock when I heard them spin our story to be one that continued to push headlines. My situation was never as dire as they painted it, but it would have been if Shane hadn’t saved me. They seemed to be willing to overlook his past because of his heroism, but the words I heard bothered me.

He wasn’t just a hermit in the mountains. He was hiding from the things he had done. It made me sick to my stomach to see him in handcuffs, but his crime didn’t sit right with me. There were a lot of conflicting stories—some even suggested the man might have been with his wife prior to the divorce, but there was no evidence to support it without Shane himself saying it was true. The injuries claimed by the man he hit sounded a little exaggerated to say the least.

I had to admit that I didn’t understand the situation and I couldn’t exactly ask Shane about it. I waited until my parents were asleep and I walked out to the back porch with a glass of wine. I just needed to feel something besides the melancholy of my own thoughts and the buzz would remind me of my time with Shane. As soon as I got the glass to my lips, I heard the door open behind me.

“Daddy.” I groaned. “I thought you were asleep.”

“It’s okay Heather. I’m not here to judge you for a glass of wine.” He waved off my transgression. “You’re an adult now and after what you went through, I’m just happy you’re alive.”

“Thank you...” I muttered. “The news is making it so much more than it was.”

“They get paid to do that.” He sat down beside me and put an arm around me. “It’ll be over soon. There will a Kardashian mishap or a rapper will slap his girlfriend and then you’ll be old news.”

“It just sucks.” I shook my head and sat down my glass of wine. “Shane doesn’t deserve to be arrested for helping me.”

“He was arrested for what he did long before he met you. The news story made a big deal out of it, but it’s hard to know how you would react if you aren’t in that situation. I can’t even imagine what I would do to any man that was stupid enough to climb into your mother’s bed while I wasn’t home—there would be hell to pay, that’s for sure. Shane will be fine.” He patted my arm and smiled.

“How do you know?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

“There’s no fucking way Shane is going to jail after he saved my baby girl. I sent Amos to deal with those assholes.” His brow furrowed with a hint of anger.

“Wait...” I pulled away. “Are you serious?”

“You’re damn right.” He nodded. “The man is a hero and he saved your life. Amos will have him out of jail tomorrow. I promise.”

“You’re amazing...” I shook my head. “Thank you so much.”

“From what Amos has heard, Shane’s ex-wife wants this to be over. They don’t want to drag any of the past up.” He shrugged. “I can’t say I blame them. It has been six years.”

“Yeah...” I nodded.

“Don’t stay up too late.” He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

There was a time when my father would have lost every bit of his cool if he walked outside and saw me with a glass of wine. It was clear that he saw me in a different light after the ordeal. I was no longer his little girl, the one he had to look after. I had grown up and I made mistakes, but I had gotten lucky because Shane was there to save me. Shane had shattered the veil of innocence that made me a child.

I was a woman in his arms. Once my father was back inside, I picked up my wine glass and kept drinking. I liked the peace and quiet of the evening, but it was nothing like the peace I felt in the mountain cabin with Shane. It was easy to admit I missed him, but hard to do anything about it.

I hoped my father was telling the truth when he said that Shane wouldn’t have to do time because of his crimes. The man that had existed six years ago was clearly not the man who came down the mountain just to keep me from freezing to death.

I would never be able to thank him enough and I would never forget him, even if our lives never came together again. It hurt to think about that, but I knew life had to go on.

I miss you.

MY CELEBRITY STATUS faded when classes started. I got the window replaced in my car, but it never really ran the same again. It made me late for class a couple of times and I had no choice but to trade it in. My father was willing to get me a new car, but I didn’t really care about having anything fancy.

I settled for an old Toyota that promised good gas mileage instead of the BMW he tried to push on me. I faded into the scenery of school, not really caring much about the parties on the weekend or getting wasted with my friends. I just wanted to finish school and leave it behind.

I often thought of Shane. Sometimes it was over a glass of wine at the end of the day and sometimes it was long nights alone in my bed, imagining the things we did when we were together. I had no idea if he even thought about me, but I knew I could never forget him—I didn’t want to forget him.

God, I miss having you inside of me.