Page 136 of Riding the Edge

“I was thirty-one, doing a two-year bed when some fucking white supremacist decided to cut me,” he reveals. Turning to the left, he points to another scar on his shoulder. “Got this one, running from a bunch of drug dealers in East New York and this one,” he spins, producing his back. “…this one is special, this one I got in juvie when a guard tried to rape me.”

The gasp escapes my lips as he turns back to me.

“I’ve been shot and stabbed, beaten to the point of unconsciousness and I got scars all over me that prove I’m no good. They also tell the fucking story of a man who has survived. Look at my scars, Lady, and tell me, do you love me any less?”

“No,” I cry. “I love you more.”

So much more.

More than I ever dreamed possible.

His gaze lowers and I hold my breath as he stares at my breasts, at the angry lines that mark me a breast cancer survivor. He steps closer, and a whimper escapes my lips as he lifts his hands and traces my two scars with his thumbs.

“You’re beautiful, Lady and these scars, these scars are beautiful too. They tell your story and it’s a fuck of a good story,” he rasps. Moving his hand, he takes my chin and forces me to stare into his eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper.

“I love your body,” he adds.

“You love sex too,” I counter.

“I don’t think you’re ready for that yet but, say the word and I’ll toss you on that bed and fuck you into another dimension.”

“Al, you can’t possibly—”

“Don’t tell me what I feel, Maria and don’t ever fucking doubt that I want you. It’s you and me, baby. You and me, scars and all until the end.”

“We get one life,” I whisper.

“Live yours with me,” he pleads.

Instead of words, I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his.

Life is short, and in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.

Al and I aren’t perfect.

We come from two different worlds but what we’ll never be to one another is a regret.

When the book closes on our story, the reader will walk away believing in love.

The one thing that conquers all.

The End

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