The Last Promise You Made (The Hatley Family Book 2) by LJ Evans

Author:LJ Evans [Evans, LJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LJ Evans Books
Published: 2024-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-four

Gia

SHALLOW

Performed by Danielle Bradbery and Parker McCollum

I considered myself a fit human being. Unlike other NSA analysts who never left headquarters, I spent the majority of my time in the field as part of the Special Collection Service and had to be prepared to defend myself and any team members with me. I’d been trained at FLETC, the government’s training center in Virginia, right along with other analysts and agents from multiple federal agencies. After, I’d maintained my strength by spending hours at a CrossFit gym, in a kickboxing ring, and pounding the pavement. All that to say, I wasn’t out of shape, but come lunchtime, my body was sore from running the nail gun and helping Ryder hold up plank after plank. Addy had stayed at our side, helping as she could with a quiet determination. Every time Ryder praised her, she glowed like someone had shone a flashlight on her.

By the time snow started to come down in a steady thrum, I was ready for a break. My nose, toes, and fingers were practically numb from the frigid air even as a bead of sweat dripped down my back. Addy looked just as frozen as I felt, but Ryder… He looked as if withstanding the snow gods was something he did all the damn time. He looked like he belonged in a calendar for the good ol’ boys of winter.

His cheeks had the barest tinge of red, his cowboy hat was tilted back slightly, and his dark hair curled out from underneath it. His corduroy work jacket lined with flannel was worn but not shabby, and his jeans clung to his narrow hips and muscled thighs like they were made especially for him. The well-used tool belt accentuated the fact that he wasn’t some random model but a man comfortable with hard work. Hands callused and strong. The same hands that had run along my skin and touched my breasts last night, bringing me closer to the edge in mere minutes than any man before him had when I’d been fully naked.

“Lunchtime,” Ryder said. He hollered into the cabin at the other two workers, and all five of us headed for the farmhouse.

When we got to the parking lot, Enrique was gone. I pulled my phone from my pocket with fingers that could barely move. I’d missed a text from him, reading that he was following up on a lead, but he’d be back later.

We’d just helped ourselves to huge helpings of the soup Eva had left in the crockpot and the same sourdough bread from the day before when Eva, Brandon, and Sadie walked in. The women’s faces looked sad and tear-stained, and even Brandon’s eyes looked red.

Ryder’s dad gave him a hug that was much more than a masculine back pat. This one clung on and spoke of love. It made me miss my dad and my brother for some reason, made me long to go home and hug my family and make sure they

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