Merry with a Lawman: A Small Town Protector Holiday Romance (Love Beach, Holiday Collection) by Zee Irwin

Author:Zee Irwin [Irwin, Zee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CER Creative Company Publishing
Published: 2024-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

SEARCHING THE GUT

DAVIS

It’s strange being in this courtroom, in a suit and tie, not my uniform, the day of my mother’s sentencing. Been here plenty of times for a case, giving testimony against perpetrators, but never for myself.

Even in the case against the man they call my father, being minors then, neither Addie nor I had to appear in front of him. They took our testimony in an anteroom, recording it for the trial.

Today I face my mother.

The woman ran me over and confessed to it. No trial needed. But she sat in the county jail awaiting sentencing all this time, the legal process taking its sweet time. She may have given me life the day I began growing in her womb, but years later attempted to take my life away by stepping on the gas pedal.

Because of her, I stayed in a coma for weeks. When I awoke, I suffered a severe concussion and memory loss. I had to retrain my brain to walk again and I continue to suffer minor aches and pains, probably forever needing chiropractic care.

I’m lucky it only took six months of recovery, hours of physical therapy and conditioning, and a mental health therapist’s clearance before they let me back into active police duty. I love being an officer; if she’d have taken that away from me, I’d never have forgiven her.

As the guards bring her into the courtroom now, her eyes search, head hopping until she spots me. Then something changes in them. She’s sober, for one, so that’s new. But she’s sad, desperate, pleading with me. Maybe begging my forgiveness.

Shit. I know people can do awful things under the influence, and I know how shitty her parents were to her and her siblings growing up. At least two generations of fucked up people. But I don’t know about forgiving her, yet.

I know it’s important, especially if she’s going to attempt of life of sobriety. And if I’m ever going to get past this. How can either of us move on with this burden of the past hanging around our necks?

Beau and Addie are at my side, and she links her hand with mine and gives it a squeeze. We’ve had long talks about this as their baby grows inside of her. We want to be better than our parents, to erase the stain of abuse. Of course, Addie suffered mainly second hand abuse, as I attempted to always take the brunt of it to protect her.

I know she will be the best mother ever, and she has Beau by her side, a really great guy. I’ll work hard daily to be the best uncle I can be. That’s all I can do. Promise and try. She tells me she’s not worried about me at all, and knows I’d never harm those I love. I hope she’s right. She, of anyone, knows me best, inside and out.

A hand is suddenly on my shoulder from someone behind me. I turn and see that it’s Belle, with Gigi and Jackson taking seats, too.

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