Page 10 of Ugly Duckling
I looked at my hands. “I don’t have the heart for the game anymore.”
Parker shook his head. “This is what you’ve always wanted to do.”
I scrubbed at my face with both hands. “It was. When I had Jett. But my priorities have changed. I don’t want to anymore. The people and the places…I just don’t want anything to do with this life anymore. It’s too public. It makes me want to scream.”
“Then quit,” Uncle Parker’s wife, Kayla, suggested. “If you’re not happy, you shouldn’t be doing it. What would you do if you left the game?”
I had that planned out already, actually.
“I’m going to start up a company.” I hesitated, my eyes moving from Parker to Kayla and back. “One that specializes in school security. I’m going to make schools impenetrable. With your help, Uncle Parker.”
Parker’s eyes went soft. “I’d do anything for you, kid. You know that.”
I nodded. “I’ve spent the last five years doing research in my every available second. I’ve done all the legwork. I’ve started the LLC—Angel Security. I have fourteen retired military members already waiting in the wings for me to make the call. But I want you to go over them first, make sure that you like them and that you think it’ll work well. Or, if you have any suggestions on who you think would be better, I’m fine with that, too.”
Kayla pressed her hands to her mouth, and I saw that she had tears in her eyes.
“This is perfect,” she whispered. “Jett would be so proud of you, Gunner.”
I rubbed at the ache that never quite left my chest. “I think this is where I’m meant to be.”
“Then fly, Gun,” Parker said. “We’ll help you.”
One
It is what it is, and it’s not that great.
—Sutton’s secret thoughts
SUTTON
Three years ago
“Today’s your day, bestie.” Rocky smiled.
Today I got married to a man who was not the love of my life, but the one man who treated me somewhat good.
I loved him.
Not in a great love kind of way, but in a steady, this is all I’m going to get kind of way.
I know that sounded bad, but we both knew what this was.
A marriage of convenience.
We got along, and we were mostly good friends.
He wasn’t my best friend—Rocky still held that honor—but he was good to me.
He could be kind of a jerk, at times. But what man wasn’t?
“Let’s do this,” I grumbled.
I had a bad feeling about this day, though.
A premonition that I should’ve probably listened to.
I should love this man with my whole heart.
