Cut Too Deep, page 39
With help, Theresa found the courage to file charges against her old coach and his friend. Both she and Hadley were appalled to learn the statute of limitations had run out and no charges would be filed. Hadley took Theresa to see Sophia Harper about a civil case. Once Sophia took Theresa’s case public, three more victim’s surfaced, all with a similar account to Theresa’s, only within the statute of limitations. A trial was set to begin in a couple of months, and Hadley would be at her new friend’s side through it all. With Sophia’s help, Hadley and Theresa were working to change the law concerning the statute of limitations with regards to sexual crimes committed against minors. They were pushing to eliminate a time limit all together.
Mac remained Hadley’s most trusted friend. He and Adele were still in the dreaded friend-zone, and Hadley knew Mac was growing impatient. Hadley encouraged him to tell her how he felt, but as of yet, he hadn’t been able to.
Don McAllister came to breakfast each and every Sunday. He was a staple in her life, and she adored him. For Don, Hadley was the child he always wanted, but without a wife who hated his career. He had a few lady friends. They were all he needed.
Hadley’s relationship with both of her grandmothers had grown stronger. Hadley accepted them for who they were and forgave the mistakes they’d made. Add her relationship with Ayida St. Armont to the mix, and Hadley felt like she had three grandmothers that loved her.
She and Miller still attended weekly dinners at his parents' house. Each and every day, Hadley fell more in love with the Lorino family. Otto was still her favorite and as obnoxious as ever. He was the closest to her in age, and she thought of him as the brother she never had.
Hadley and Vito shared the tightest bond. Initially, she saw it as a keeping her enemies close kind of relationship, but in truth, Hadley loved him as her uncle. As a man, that despite the questionable things he did as head of the Lorino family, Hadley trusted a great deal. He loved her unconditionally.
On a beautiful June afternoon, Don McAllister watched an angel in white approach, setting his jaw to hold back tears. Hadley looped her arm through his. Don covered her hand and smiled down at the little one who would always be strong. He was honored to give her away to a man he knew cherished her as much as he did.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded. It had been a year since their first meeting in the elevator, and now she couldn’t wait to be Miller’s wife.
As the pair turned to the chapel, the doors opened to an attendance of thousands. Mostly strangers to Hadley, another Italian way. Hadley met eyes with her almost husband and any doubt of belonging to his family washed away. She had belonged since the moment she met them.
Otto, Quinn, and Aggi stood to Miller’s left in tuxes. In front of Hadley were her bridesmaids dressed in sea-foam-green floor length gowns. Laura, her Maid of Honor, closest to her, then Adele, and Katherine. Michael looked adorable in a tux as he began the march, holding the ring pillow proudly. Marina followed him, beautiful, in a white gown, raining red rose petals down the aisle.
Miller stared at his beautiful wife-to-be as she floated down the aisle, the room narrowing to the two of them. When she arrived, Miller took her hand from Don. The gruff detective had tears in his eyes when he told Miller to take good care of her.
Hadley and Miller’s wedding ceremony was fairly traditional until it came time to exchange their vows. They had chosen to recite their own. Miller went first.
“Hadley Walker, I promise that as your husband, I will take care of you and love you until I take my last breath. For so long, I existed without living, and then one day I saw an angel watching me. I think I knew when we were kids that we were meant to be together, because when we were apart my heartbeat was never quite right, as though it was letting me know something was missing. Only it wasn’t something at all. It was you. They say there are moments in life that take your breath away. For me, those moments happen when I’m with you, with a smile from your gorgeous lips, the way you look at me, or when we kiss. I will be here for you always, in whatever way you need me, to dry your tears, although I hope you have none, to hold you, to vent to when you’re upset, and to laugh with. I can’t wait to share my life with you, to have children with you, and to grow old with you.”
Hadley swallowed the lump in her throat, and though it wasn’t time yet, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him before she began. Thinking about what she wanted to say made her heart swell and her eyes water. How would she ever manage to get the words out? Miller touched her cheek and smiled, erasing her stress. She inhaled a calming breath and began.
“Miller Genetti, before I met you, I lived in a world without hope. I wanted to believe that one day someone might love me, but I never hoped to fall in love or for someone to fall in love with me, and then you entered my life. You gave me hope, for love, for friendship, for family, and for a future. You made it easy to fall in love with you. Whenever I need you, you are there for me. I’ll never forget when I broke down in your arms, you wiped my tears and took care of me with the utmost tenderness, and you’ve continued to do so every day since. As your wife, I promise to give you hope, too. I will be here for you always, in whatever way you need me, to dry your tears, although I hope you have none, to hold you, to vent to when you’re upset, and to laugh with. I can’t wait to share my life with you, to have children with you, and to grow old with you.”
Tears burned Miller’s eyes. They had written their vows together, and when she added children to their words, he’d never felt happier.
After exchanging rings, Hadley and Miller shared their first kiss as husband and wife amongst cheering and clapping from their friends and family.
As the newly married couple turned to walk up the aisle, Hadley took in the faces of her family and smiled.
She loved them.
They were her Famiglia.
It was the way!
Writing is a journey of learning and growth. I have made mistakes, but I learned from those mistakes with a lot of encouragement from those who stood by and nudged me to write the story better, and not to settle for fine. I owe them all many thanks.
For starters; my incredible family who puts up with me, especially at crunch time. Tom (my husband), for his love and support. He’s my rock. My kids have sacrificed a lot of mommy time and have eaten a lot of junk food. I promise to make it up to them.
Without my mother, I might still be writing my first book. She babysat the little one for countless hours, so I could concentrate. I love her dearly. Oh, and she does laundry, enough said!
Big time thanks to my friend Vicki, for her willingness to read my books from the first draft to the end, and for always giving me her honest feedback, even when I disagree with her. She’s been with me since book one, and I hope for many more.
Mad, crazy love to Nic, for believing in and supporting me always. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. With Cut Too Deep, she talked me off the ledge many times and refused to let me give up on this story.
Sincere gratitude to Desiree, Deenie, CA, Emily, and Denise (who also talked me off the ledge a few times) for BETA reading, and providing me with valuable advice to enhance this story. It takes a village, and you ladies are amazing.
A thousand thank yous to the readers who have e-mailed me along the way to check in on this release. Your excitement kept my fingers on the keys
Finally, to the bloggers who have stayed in touch, read ARCs, and took the time to review my books. You all rock my socks off. I’m in complete awe of how hard you work. There aren’t enough words to thank you.
If you, or someone you know is a victim of sexual crime, get help.
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1800-656-HOPE (4673)
If you are in immediate danger, call 911
The statistics are staggering:
About Victims
44% of victims are under age 18
80% are under age 30
Sexual Assault Numbers
Every 2 minutes, another American is sexually assaulted
There is an average of 237,868 victims (age 12 or older) of sexual assault each year
Reporting to Police
60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police
97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail
About Rapists
Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim
38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance
Human Sex Trafficking Statistics
Visit fbi.gov for more information
•Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States. (United Nations)
•Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States. (U.S. Department of Justice)
•The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13-14 years old. (U.S. Department of Justice)
•A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
•The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times a day. (Polaris Project)
•Fewer than 100 beds are available in the United States for underage victims. (Health and Human Services)
•One in three teens on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. (National Runaway Hotline)
KJ Bell currently lives in California with her husband and three children. As a mother of three, when she’s not writing, she’s usually carting one of her children to their various activities. She enjoys reading, and music, and is equally addicted to both.
Writing is a passion she simply can’t live without and looks forward to publishing many books in the near future.
She loves hearing from her readers and can be found on various social media sites using the following links:
Website:
http://kjbell.com/
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Books by KJ Bell on Amazon
Cut Too Deep
Irreparably Broken (Irreparable #1)
Irreversible Damage (Irreparable #2)
Irrevocable Trust (Irreparable #3)
Irredeemable Loss (Irreparable #4) TBD
Battle TBD
The Locket
Bell, KJ, Cut Too Deep
