Read Online Broken but Breathing (Jinx Tattoos Book 2) by Shyla Colt - Free Book Online Page B

drive by a place which once held so much joy ? No. She made giant strides. The thought of backsliding filled her with terror. That’s how it always happened previously. She took a step back here, another there, and before she knew it, she was on her ass and ready to retreat from the world again. This year I said I did, instead of I tried. Determined, she continued to the car with her head held high. She understood the concept of fake it until you make it. It’d had been the only thing that had gotten her to walk into the Bartending School that first night under her own power and again when Snake invited her into the clubhouse.
    Her hands shook slightly, and her brain screamed at her to abort her mission. She ignored both as she drove the familiar route. An intense sense of discomfort settled in. Her throat went dry. She swallowed and continued to push herself. I can do this. Twenty minutes later, the trail loomed in front of her. She stood in front of the area where the sidewalk ended and the trail began. The colors were muted. Spring had yet to truly begin and the muddy brownish-green color of the grass and leaves made the place seem cold and unwelcoming. She stepped over the crack and sucked in a deep breath. I’m fine. The world isn’t going to end.
    Like a drunk driver trying to prove sobriety, she placed one foot in front of the other and shakily navigated the yellow lined strip of concrete. With every inch she gained, the vise on her heart lessened. The world hadn’t ended, and the grief didn’t bring her to her knees. Her mission turned into an actual walk. Her muscles relaxed, and her arms swung at her sides. Look at me, passing for normal . Delighted by the positive turn of events, she picked up the pace, enjoying the exercise. Rounding the corner, she took in the family of three and froze. The father was tall with dark curls falling around his handsome face. A five o’clock shadow covered a strong jaw, and dark brown eyes sparkled with mirth. His wife, a petite blonde, chased their squealing daughter. The girl couldn’t be more than three or four years old at the most. A mass of dirty blonde curls tumbled around her tiny shoulders as she ran in circles.
    “I’m going to get you, Emma!” the mother said.
    Her stomach soured. She turned on her heel and took off the way she came, pumping her arms and legs as she put distance between herself and what might’ve been. Water distorted her vision, and she stepped off the path and into the wooded area. Hidden behind a tree, she allowed her sobs to break free. Why? Why did this happen? Every time I pull myself up you take my legs out from under me. What did I do to deserve this? She silently raged to the God she’d spent so many months ignoring.
    Because you have to deal with all of this before you can rebuild yourself. The words and lucidity struck lighting fast. She leaned back against the tree, stunned into stillness. There was an indiscernible feeling connected to that wayward thought which brought calm, and the beginnings of what might one day become peace.
    She closed her eyes and took the chains off the box inside where she’d shoved her faith. Like a loyal friend, it was there waiting, and ready to assist her. “God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference,” she whispered.
    It wasn’t a quick fix, but her burden felt lighter. The memory of her last Valentine’s Day with her husband returned, and she allowed herself to enjoy it. He’d flown in from a business trip out of town early, and surprised her with a carriage ride downtown, and dinner at their favorite steak house. I was a very lucky woman once. The happy times might never override the tragedy, but she cherished the newly discovered ability to remember the period before her world crashed down without falling to pieces. Lifting up her T-shirt she wiped away her tears, knowing she was stronger than she’d