Only Love (The Atonement Series) by Elle Chardou Read Free Book Online Page A

of course is salmon stuffed with mushrooms and feta cheese, a spinach salad and risotto. I don’t know how she’ll react to you being here but we all know she’s not going to freak out.”
    Colin looked up at Aubrey and smiled though he still felt the hurt in his heart and knew seeing Deirdre with this Drake guy was going to be tough. However, no one ever said love was easy and he was more than willing to do what it took to get her back. She’d been his first and only true love.
    “Thanks, I’d really like that.”
    And for a moment, he almost believed himself. He knew the day would be a nightmare in the making but he had to see her and if it involved suffering then he knew all about doing it quite well.

Chapter Seven

     
    I couldn’t believe how comfortable I found myself in Drake’s company. He had a great sense of humor and too many times to count, he reminded me of Drew, my first love.
    If I had anyone to blame for being miserable at this point, it would certainly be myself because I’d had a great guy who loved me unconditionally and would have done anything for me. The thought of spending the rest of my life with my first love didn’t sound appealing. In fact, it sounded downright boring!
    I realized my adolescent brain couldn’t comprehend how easily it would be to fall for another but true love took time and patience. It was mutual trust and respect; a feeling that your partner, no matter how flawed they were, would never intentionally hurt you and even though the rough times could be so awful, it was often hard to remember the good, you had that person’s back and they had yours.
    Wasn’t that the love which had grown and blossomed between Colin and me? Not only had we lived in the same apartment before our European vacation—though I’d slept in the guest room and we never consummated our relationship before we left—but I thought we had gotten to know one another. Our vacation was a great dose of unrealistic expectations in a reality that would never be our own simply because we were on vacation.
    The most soul shattering events had occurred after we’d gotten back. Yes, I’d given up my slacker image and managed to get a real job but then my boyfriend and I found out we were expecting a baby. That was not part of our plans; neither was getting engaged so quickly. Unfortunately, the night Colin had revealed to me that he and his brother, Liam, were directly responsible for the death of my father, a part of me died and that person could never be resurrected.
    How in God’s name could I forgive the unforgivable? The night he told me, shock had taken over and I had forgiven him. I said it was an awful situation but we would get through it. I had no idea if it was the equivalent of pregnancy hormones which acted similar to illegal stimulants but we both knew in our heart of hearts that could never happen.
    Colin had broken my heart and it wasn’t my place to say anything at all but the silence was a heavier burden than those few lies I’d spoken so easily. Just seeing him again after these last few weeks was a dagger to my heart I refused to heal from so easily. It was worse than losing the baby and that made me feel like the world’s most awful human being for admitting something like that even if it was the truth.
    “Uh oh, you’ve gotten quiet. That is never a good sign. Are you thinking about your ex?” Drake inquired, shattering my contemplation.
    “Yes and no.” I looked over at him as he drove. He owned an onyx-colored 2013 Hummer H3 and I hated to say it but it suited his personality and to be honest, I couldn’t see him driving any other vehicle.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” he questioned out loud.
    I stared at him, the white shirt he wore which showed the peek of tribal tattoo on his right shoulder. Were there any cool guys under forty that didn’t have tattoos? As far as I knew, it was the only one he had but then again, I’d never seen him shirtless—or without