This is the explosive sequel to "To Capture a Heart."
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Some truths ruin lives. Others set them free.
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Veronica had it all-until, in the span of a few brutal days, she lost everything.
The fallout is fierce. Tensions are at a breaking point. Lo...
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It was late at night when the crowd had died down and the party had come to a near end.
Neil was already in bed. Avi and Jace were cleaning up, and Ryan and I were trying to get our girls under control.
"Let's put you to bed, Tiger."
"Ooooh, that sounds fun. Will you be putting yourself in the same bed, too?" Veronica grinned, swaying slightly, her arm slung around my shoulders.
I chuckled, trying not to trip over her dragging feet as we descended the stairs. I kept an eye on each step she took, too focused on her footing to register her slurred muttering. She waved lazily at someone at the top of the landing and then let out a quiet sigh before leaning into me like gravity had won.
She wasn't heavy. She was just... all over the place.
When we reached the guest room Neil had set aside for us, I finally noticed the sniffles. Soft. Barely there. But they cut through me like a blade.
"Shit. Are you crying?" I asked, my chest tightening. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
I was practically checking her like she'd fractured something on the way up.
"It's just... it's just that people are so mean," she whimpered, her voice cracking.
"What?"
"I said, people are mean," she muttered, wiping at her eyes clumsily.
"You don't care about that," I said, trying to coax out a smile. "You borderline hate people."
"I don't hate people," she corrected with a soft frown. "I just hate peopling with people."
That got a genuine laugh out of me.
She paused near the bed, staring down at her bare feet with deep confusion, then began stumbling, grabbing at her ankle like it owed her money.
I rushed to catch her. "What are you doing?"
"Taking off my shoes," she muttered.
"You're not wearing any shoes," I pointed out, grinning.
"Oh." She looked up at me blankly, then started to giggle. "I'm so smart."
"You're a genius," I said, helping her onto the bed.
She pushed my hands away half-heartedly. "No, I can do it. I've never really been this drunk before... not since last year."
I paused. That made me pause.
But she didn't say more. Her eyelids fluttered. Her body stilled.
She was out.
I sat beside her for a while. Just... watching. Her breathing slowed. Her lashes fanned across her cheeks. A small frown still lingered, like her dreams were sorting through too much.
