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    10 Years (Time for Love, book 5)
    10 Years (Time for Love, book 5)
    10 Years (Time for Love, book 5)
    Ebook191 pages2 hours

    10 Years (Time for Love, book 5)

    By Bethany Lopez

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    About this ebook

    A lot can happen in 10 years, and Gwen and Craig have been there for each other through it all, from meeting on the playground to juggling college finals. But their long-standing friendship hasn't been without its challenges.

    Gwen keeps her emotions locked down tight, and when someone hurts her, she shuts down and shuts them out. Craig has always been her hero, but when one night leaves her broken, she realizes he has the power to hurt her the most.

    Unable to get past Gwen's emotional barriers, Craig focuses on baseball and reaching for his dreams, but he misses his best friend. He wonders if he'll ever have the same relationship he did with the girl he met ten years ago.

    When the barriers finally come down and their true feelings are revealed, will they finally become the couple everyone says they're destined to be, or will the darkness from Gwen's past tear them apart forever?

    *Warning* This book contains some scenes that may be hard to read. This story is meant for readers 18 and older.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBethany Lopez
    Release dateFeb 20, 2015
    ISBN9781506128054
    10 Years (Time for Love, book 5)
    Author

    Bethany Lopez

    Bethany Lopez is a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty books and has been published since 2011. She's a lover of all things romance, which she incorporates into the books she writes, no matter the genre.When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with family and traveling whenever possible.Bethany can usually be found with a cup of coffee or glass of wine at hand, and will never turn down a cupcake!Sign up for her newsletter and get a free eBook! https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r7w3w5

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      Book preview

      10 Years (Time for Love, book 5) - Bethany Lopez

      Bethany

      Prologue ~ Gwen

      (7 years old)

      I’m sorry, Gwennie, my daddy said as he held my writhing body a couple inches away from him. You’ll still see me on weekends and holidays, but I can’t live here anymore.

      "No, Daddy, please, take me with you," I pleaded, tears and snot mingling as they ran down my face.

      Our parents had just told Gaby and me that they were getting a divorce. Gaby said that she already knew they were going to. She explained that they were always fighting, and Daddy had been staying in the room behind the house lately, so she knew this would happen.

      But I hadn’t.

      I believed that my mommy and daddy would be together always. Like they were supposed to be.

      And I was going to live with them forever.

      Now, Daddy was ruining everything by saying he was moving away. I didn’t understand.

      Don’t you love us anymore? I asked as I tried to wiggle free of his hands so I could latch on to his waist.

      Of course I do, honey, my daddy replied, his big eyes filling with tears. You have to calm down, baby.

      I heard him, but I couldn’t calm down. I’d been trying to talk him into staying all morning, and he wouldn’t listen. I tried laying down and crying, stomping my feet and crying, and then just holding on to him as hard as I could, but nothing was working.

      Mommy was waiting inside the house. Every once in a while she would look out the door, and I could tell she’d been crying too.

      Why didn’t she tell him not to go?

      Eventually, Gaby came out and took me away, leading me to her room and shutting the door. She was thirteen and didn’t usually let me in her room, so I felt a little thrill when she sat me on her bed, which helped calm the tears.

      Gwennie, you have to stop, she said. You’re making this harder on everyone by carrying on the way you are. Mom’s about to have a breakdown.

      I felt something sharp and indefinable at my sister’s words, but I still asked her, When do you think Daddy will come home?

      Gaby stood up quickly, then turned to me, her face filled with hurt and anger.

      "He’s not. Gwennie. He’s not coming home. It’s going to be me, you, and Mom from now on, so get used to it. I didn’t like what she was saying to me, so I started to get up, but she pushed me back down and leaned in, bringing her face close to mine. I’m sorry, I know it sucks. I pulled in a sharp breath at that; we weren’t supposed to swear, but Gaby continued talking, But that’s the way it is. We’ll go to Dad’s new house and see him sometimes, but things will never be the way they used to be."

      But… I started to argue, my eyes filling again.

      I’m sorry, Gwennie, but it’s time to grow up, she said, her voice softer now.

      I took a deep breath and choked back the tears, then wiped my wet cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt. I looked around the room, then at my sister. Her face looked sad, but she wasn’t crying. I knew she was upset about what was happening too, but maybe she was keeping it inside.

      I decided to be more like my sister. I didn’t want to make my mommy sad, and I didn’t like feeling as horrible as I had all morning. I was going to hide my feelings from everyone. Maybe, if I didn’t think about him leaving, or the way our family used to be, I’d feel better. Maybe, if I pretended like he’d never left us, and like he’d always lived somewhere else, and we’d always visited him, I wouldn’t feel so sad…

      So that’s what I did.

      Craig

      (10 years old)

      All I wanted to do was go play baseball. My brother, Cal, had promised he’d take me to the cages and then go play catch, but first, he wanted to stop at the park.

      The guys and I are meeting some girls there, but it won’t take long, I promise. Then we’ll head out to the cages, okay, bro? Cal ruffled my hair, and I jerked away like I usually did, even though I secretly loved it when he did that.

      Cal was sixteen and the coolest brother a guy could have. He never treated me like I was annoying, like some of my friends’ brothers did, and he usually let me tag along when he was hanging out with Scott and TJ, his best friends.

      So, even though I really wanted to hit some balls, I didn’t mind hanging out with Cal and his friends for a little while.

      We pulled up to the park in Cal’s beat-up old Ford. He’d got it real cheap, because it didn’t run, but my brother and TJ could fix anything. They’d gotten the truck up and running in no time. I always loved it when Cal drove me around in it. A couple of times he’d even dropped me off and picked me up at school. The kids in my class thought I was the shit.

      Cal sauntered over to the merry go round, where three girls were standing with Scott and TJ. There was a pretty blonde, a redhead that made me feel things I only felt when I stole Cal’s Playboy magazines, and a brown-haired girl with a sweet smile aimed right at my brother.

      I watched as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

      Yeah, my brother had all the moves.

      Hey, Craig, come over here, Cal said, waving his hand toward the group.

      I did my best to mimic Cal’s saunter. I’d been practicing in my room, but it never seemed quite right.

      Shelly, this in my brother Craig. Bud, this is my girlfriend, Shelly.

      I watched as Shelly’s eyes went wide when Cal called her his girlfriend, then she turned her smile on me. It was a real one… not like this other girl who had tried to talk to Cal at the last football game we went to. Her smile had been totally fake, and I knew she was trying to act like she liked me to impress Cal. He’d known too, and I’d never seen her again. I could tell Shelly wasn’t pretending, so I gave her a smile, took her hand in mine, and kissed it the way Cal just had.

      She giggled, causing TJ to turn to Scott and say, Whoa, man. Craig’s already got more game than you. Scott punched him in the arm, causing TJ to chuckle.

      Nice to meet you, Craig, Shelly said, and I noticed her eyes were a really pretty green, and her hair looked silky and soft. These are my friends, Sasha and Gaby.

      I nodded to the redhead, who she said was Sasha, and tried not to stare too long. She nodded back. Then I turned to the blonde, Gaby, and returned the smile that she gave me.

      Hi, Craig, Gaby said. How old are you, about ten?

      I was surprised she guessed right. I was tall for my age, and people always thought I was eleven or twelve. I nodded, and her smile grew wider.

      Awesome, she said, and I wondered why. I found out when she said, My sister, Gwen, is ten too. I brought her along and she’s pretty bored. Would you mind talking to her? I’m sure she’d feel more comfortable with you around.

      I looked around Gaby to the swings where she was pointing. There was a girl with long blonde hair, pumping her legs as fast as she could as she swung high up in the air.

      Sure, I said, happy to help. I didn’t have a problem being friends with girls like some of the guys from school did. Sure, I liked them, and thought a few were pretty, but I was more concerned with baseball than girls.

      I walked toward the swings watching Gwen’s hair fly out, then fall back, as she swung back and forth. She really had a lot of hair.

      When I got close enough I yelled, Hey!

      She looked at me, not smiling, but not mean either, then she stopped pumping her legs so she’d slow down.

      Hey, she said softly. I liked the sound of her voice.

      I’m Craig. Your sister told me to come over and meet you. My brother, Cal, is going out with that girl, Shelly.

      I’ve seen you at school, she admitted shyly.

      Her swing came to a stop, so I walked over and sat on the swing next to her.

      You have? I asked, not recognizing her from school. Do we have any classes together?

      Gwen shook her head, her hair flying around her face. Now that I was closer, I could see she had little freckles running across her nose. We have the same lunch. I’ve seen you playing baseball during recess.

      Yeah? I asked. I played baseball every day at recess, unless it was raining.

      She nodded again.

      Do you play baseball? I asked hopefully.

      No, she replied, and I tried to hide my disappointment so she wouldn’t feel bad. I like to take pictures though. The way she said it, almost in a whisper, made me think it was a secret.

      Cool, I said. Even though I’d never taken pictures before, so I had no idea if it was actually cool or not. I bet we’ll be seeing each other a lot more now. I like to hang out with the guys. I nodded over to the teenagers. I wanted her to know that I was one of them.

      I come out with Gaby and her friends sometimes, but I’ve never met those boys before today, Gwen said, looking at the group that were now standing in a circle and laughing about something. She looked kind of nervous.

      You don’t have to worry about those guys, they’re cool. And I don’t mean they act cool when parents are around and stuff, they’re cool all the time. They take me to the go-karts and stuff sometimes. Do you like go-karts? You should come.

      Okay, she replied with a smile, and I could tell she was probably pretty shy.

      Maybe we can hang out at school sometime. Have lunch, I said, then I warned, Not at recess, unless it’s raining. I gotta play baseball during recess.

      Why? she asked curiously.

      Because I want to be the best, I admitted with a grin. I’m going to play in school, get a scholarship to USC, then go pro.

      Wow.

      Yeah, I replied. So I gotta practice whenever I can… But we can still have lunch and stuff.

      Are you sure? she asked. I’m sure you have friends that you sit with.

      I looked at my brother, smiling, his arm around his new girlfriends shoulder, and I could tell he liked her. A lot. That meant our group of friends had just gotten bigger, to include the girls. And if my brother thought it was cool to hang with girls, then I did too.

      You’re my friend too, okay? I asked. She looked up at me, eyes wide, so I continued. You don’t have to be afraid to come up to me at school, or sit with me at lunch. Anything you need, I got you.

      Gwen smiled sweetly at me, so I took her hand in mine and started pumping my legs. She did the same, and soon we were swinging high, laughing as our stomachs dipped with each descent. We kept our hands locked, and I knew deep down that I’d just made a friend for life.

      I had no idea how much she was going to mean to me, and how close I’d come to losing her forever.

      Gwen

      (10 years old)

      I sat, watching my favorite bench under a large tree on the outskirts of the playground. My long blonde hair hung over my face. I liked to think it was like a shield, hiding me from the other kids on the playground. It wasn’t that the other kids paid much attention to me in the first place, but I did whatever I could to make sure it stayed that way.

      It always made me nervous, the way girls acted, all loud and giggly, and the way the boys ran around, joking and yelling with each other. I didn’t understand the need to be the center of attention, and I worked very hard not to be.

      Craig wasn’t like the other boys in our grade, I thought as I watched him throwing a baseball toward another kid holding a bat. Craig wasn’t loud or obnoxious. He wasn’t always running around yelling, or hitting other kids; he was quiet. Focused.

      In Nike shorts and a shirt that said Throwin’ Smoke, he was the most handsome boy I’d ever seen. His brown hair was in need of a cut, and he was a head taller than the kids he was talking to, but his smile… Wow! It made my tummy flutter and I finally realized why the girls in my class went gaga over those boy bands they loved so much.

      I’d seen him around school a few times since the day we officially met at the park, but I hadn’t worked up the nerve to talk to him yet. I spent my time during recess at my bench, either reading or taking pictures.

      My sister, Gabby, had given me a camera for my birthday this year. It wasn’t fancy or anything, but it was digital, and I could download the pictures on our computer at home, right after I took them.

      It was the best present I’d ever gotten in my life.

      I picked

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