Harlequin Heartwarming July 2021 Box Set by Melinda Curtis

Author:Melinda Curtis [Curtis, Melinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

MY NAME IS RYKER, and I’m an alcoholic.

It wasn’t the first time he’d said the words. Sure wouldn’t be the last. But they hadn’t felt this heavy since the first few times he’d forced the words out of his mouth.

Because this time he was back in his hometown. The place he’d escaped fourteen years ago. The place where he was the local screwup, the kid most likely to fail. That was what he’d been escaping from fourteen years ago.

But here he was, back in Carter’s Crossing. They’d been right, all those years ago.

The second A in AA was Anonymous, but in a town this size, there was no anonymity. He recognized most of the people sitting in the church basement with him. If they hadn’t placed him before, as soon as they heard his name, he’d seen the recognition on their faces.

Son of the town drunk, back and hitting up an AA meeting first thing. Last thing he’d done before leaving fourteen years ago was wrap a car around a tree while drunk.

Not much changed.

Ryker sat back and let the meeting do its work, focusing on what he had to do to get through the next day without drinking. One day at a time.

One of the familiar faces came to shake his hand after the meeting was over.

“Ryker. It’s nice to see you again.”

Ryker returned the handshake with a firm grip. “Mr. G.”

The name slipped back easily. Mr. G, or Mr. Gifford, had taught computer sciences at the local high school. It was one of the few classes Ryker didn’t skip.

Well, not as often as the others.

“Want to grab a coffee and catch up?” Mr. G was smiling at him, as if he was happy to see Ryker back.

If Ryker was honest, he’d have to say no, he didn’t want to catch up. But he hadn’t wanted to come back here to Carter’s Crossing in the first place. He couldn’t cut himself off, not if he was going to get through this without losing his sobriety. There was a lot he’d do to hang on to that two-years-sober pin.

He was going to accept help.

He nodded and followed his former teacher out of the church basement. He kept his head down, eyes on the ground in front of him. It was hard to be invisible when you were over six feet tall, wearing motorcycle leathers, but he’d do his best.

The diner was around the corner from the church. Same as it had been fourteen years ago. Walking in the door was like revisiting seventeen again.

Ryker didn’t want to be seventeen again. He didn’t want to revisit a youth he’d wasted. He was pretty sure his sponsor would tell him that meant he should.

Somehow, life had come down to doing all the things he didn’t want to. It had been easier in the air force. At least, at first.

He followed Mr. G into the diner, sliding into the seat opposite him in a booth at the back. He glanced around. It hadn’t changed from what he remembered.

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