Beauty from Surrender
Read Beauty from Surrender Online
Authors: Georgia Cates
Copyright © 2013 Georgia Cates
Smashwords Edition 2013
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Published by Georgia Cates
Copyright © 2013 Georgia Cates
Smashwords Edition 2013
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Editing Services provided by Jennifer Sommersby Young.
Interior Design by Angela McLaurin, Fictional Formats
ISBN- 9781628470352
Cover Art by Georgia Cates
Photograph by Brett Jackman
Polar Impressions Photography
Cover Model-Samantha Dionisiou
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A Note from Georgia about The Beauty Series
BEAUTY FROM SURRENDER PLAYLIST
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To J, F and M.
You are my dream come true.
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Thank God for Valium.
I feel guilty for taking a mind-altering drug so I can deal with the feelings I'm having about leaving Jack Henry—especially after everything I went through with my mom's addiction. But I need an escape from the torment in my head. It's a temporary fix—I knew that when I took it—and I have no idea how I'll cope with my feelings once I'm home without the effects of the medication to help me.
It kills me to admit it, but I think I might understand how my mom's addiction started. I see how the path might be an easy one to follow when all you can see is darkness. This is a huge red flag for me. I'll love Jack Henry until I draw my last breath, but I won't allow myself to walk the same path as my mother—no matter how tempting.
Our grueling flight from Sydney lands at LAX and I immediately notice the distinct smell of Los Angeles—fuel and smog—when our jet bridge attaches. It's the same odor that caught my attention when we connected here with our flight to Australia three months earlier. Wow. That was such a different time in my life.
We fight our way out of the crowded terminal and find Addison's parents waiting for us at baggage claim. She's going home for two weeks to spend time with them before she comes back to Nashville. This means I'll be alone in our apartment for the next fourteen days. I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
The Donavons welcome their daughter with open arms—and me too. They love me like a daughter and I think about how perfect it could've been if I'd fallen in love with their son instead of a man who never wants to see me again. My relationship with Ben could've gone much differently. Who knows what might have happened between us had I not stumbled upon Jack Henry McLachlan in that bathroom hallway? But I did, and it isn't possible for me to be sorry about it. To regret meeting the man I love would be to wish him away, and I can never do that. The excruciating pain I feel in my heart is worth even the briefest time we had together.
Addison looks at me like we'll never see one another again. "I really wish you'd come with me. I hate to see you go home like this."
"I'll be fine, Addie." She has no idea how experienced I am with finding ways to cope when life has treated me a little too cruelly. "My mom would be really disappointed if I didn't come home today."
"Yeah…but promise me you won't spend the next two weeks sitting in the apartment thinking about him."