Page 29 of The Sin of True Love

Michelle bursts into tears and throws herself into my arms. I grip her tightly and inhale deeply. This moment between us has become so sacred and so special that I feel as though I am holding the very incarnation of my love itself. And at that moment, I realize I am a changed man.

“I’m sorry, Michelle. I never meant to hurt you. I only want you to be free and happy.”

“I know, Casey.” I feel her tears wetting the fabric of my shirt and warming my chest. “I forgive you. And I’m sorry for the things I said too.”

I raise her face to mine and stare down into her beautiful eyes, the little crystal-like amber shards glistening out from her pupil.

“I love you, Michelle.”

She smiles, tears flooding her cheeks. “I love you too, Casey.”

We kiss, and although I know we still have a long road ahead of us, I’m confident we will make it work.

Because with Michelle by my side, I can do anything.

And I will do anything for her.

EPILOGUE

CASEY

Five years later…

Doyle Construction. Even now, as I watch the last of the trucks pull off the site, I realize I may never get used to seeing my company name and logo out there.

“That’s it. It’s finally finished.” I turn and smile at my wife, who’s looking absolutely stunning in a loose white dress and a pair of white sandals. “Our dream house is completely done.”

Michelle looks like a blossomed flower in the midday sun as she comes over to me and casts herself into my arms.

“Hasn’t it been done for a while now? I mean, we have been living in it for nearly a year.”

“True.” I smile, rocking back and forth as I slip my hand down the front of her dress and take a full handful of her breast. “But the driveway slab needed repairing, and the back retaining wall wasn’t finished, and the patio hadn’t been poured…”

“But the house wasn’t finished.” She smiles, turning around and removing my hand from her dress. “And would you stop that? You’re going to get me all excited when we’re about to have company.”

“Well would you stop looking like that all the time, then? Because all you do is get me excited whenever I look at you.”

Michelle smiles like I’m teasing, but we both know it’s the truth. Five years together now and I’m just as hot-blooded for her as I was the day we met. But so much time has passed since then. So much has happened.

Most importantly, our daughter was born. Charlotte, named after Michelle’s mom. She is my little angel and has her mother’s eyes and is already tall for her age, which my mom says she gets from me. She’s the light in both our lives.

Michelle’s father was convicted of fraud and embezzlement and was sentenced to eight years in prison along with some pretty hefty fines. He’ll be eligible for parole in three years, and although I despise the prick, I’m kind of hoping he gets out.

After all, he lost his status as a reverend, and he will have to basically start a new life. Maybe time in jail and losing everything he had, or thought he had, will be a wakeup call for him. Maybe he can turn his life around and become a better man. At least I hope he can. For Michelle.

After everything went down and the Reverend was arrested and Michelle and Jerry’s wedding was called off, I kind of took Rodney’s advice. I started my own company, but it sure wasn’t oiled-up lawn care. It was my own construction company. I asked him and Chris to join me on small jobs first, and being the good friends they are, they took a leap of faith and came in as partners.

Dave took a bit more convincing. He thought I’d lost my mind and was out of control or on drugs or something. But once he saw how serious I was and that Michelle and I were the real deal and not some passing obsession, he came in too.

With our resume of jobs under our belts, we were able to get work quickly. I took out a loan from the bank to get us started, which we paid back in no time, and then we were off to the races. Work just started flooding in.

We expanded, hired more workers, and before I knew it, I was acting more as a foreman than an actual guy getting my hands dirty every day. Now I’m known as the boss to everybody. They joke that I’m losing the calluses on my hands from spending more time on my phone and my laptop than using my tools.

But I can take the jabs. It brought in enough money to build Michelle and me a brand-new house up in the hills, overlooking the woods. With her interest in architecture, Michelle had a hand in coming up with the design. She’s even thinking about whether or not she wants to go back to school here in a year or two and become a licensed architect. I told her it would be rough with a young daughter, but I’d support whatever choice she wants to make. I know she’d be fantastic.

The doorbell rings, and Michelle gives me a gentle “be good” smack between the legs as she goes to the door. “That will be the boys.”

“Daddy!?” I look up and see Charlotte standing at the top of the stairs in her jammies.

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