Before the Fall Read online

  ***

  Lash leaned over the bridge, his arms around Naomi’s waist as they looked down at Welita’s new home. Chuy and Megan, acting like the newlyweds that they were, sat on a porch swing stealing kisses in between sips of their iced tea. Emma swung on a nearby tree swing, her red hair flying as she sang loudly off key.

  Naomi had been so pleased when Welita had moved in with the two lovebirds. It seemed like all those she cherished were now under the same roof. Even Lalo lived nearby.

  “She’s adorable,” Naomi said. “Isn’t she the most precious thing?”

  He looked at the baby girl Welita held in her arms. A tiny pale hand wrapped around Welita’s pinky finger.

  “Ah-goo,” Welita said in a high-pitched voice as she tapped the baby’s chin.

  The baby opened her toothless mouth wide and then giggled.

  “Yep, she’s a cutie. Not surprising for someone who was named after you.”

  She leaned over to him and gave him a peck. “Let’s hope for Megan’s sake that my name is the only thing that she takes after. Though I wouldn’t mind it if she wreaked havoc on Chuy.” She smiled devilishly.

  “Uh, Naomi. I don’t know much about grilling, but should the fire be that high? It’s almost touching the tree branches.”

  She groaned and leaned over the railing, yelling down at her family, “Stop using two cans of lighter fluid, Lalo!”

  They both laughed when Chuy sprinted across the yard with a fire extinguisher in hand. Of course, no one had heard Naomi’s warnings, but they both had fun pretending her family could hear her.

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Life doesn’t get any better than this.”

  “I can’t believe I have forever with you.”

  For some reason at that moment, he thought of his brother. “Yeah.”

  “Why do you sound so sad?”

  “I was just thinking about Jeremy. I get my forever with you, but what about him?”

  She reached out and cupped his face tenderly. “This is why I love you. It would have been easier to just focus on what you have and be satisfied. But you, you love your brother so much that you want him to be happy too. And he will be. He’ll find someone. Someone who was meant to be with him.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I have faith.”

  “Your faith never waivers, does it?”

  “I wouldn’t say that. There were many times when I struggled. After my father died, that was tough. Then I had a hard time adjusting when I first got here, remember?”

  “Yeah, true. Then again, so did I and this is all I’ve known, or at least all that I had remembered.”

  “It just goes to show you that we all have struggles. No one is perfect.”

  “So you’re okay being with a broken angel, like me?” He grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

  “We’re all a little broken. If we don’t know what heartache feels like, how would we know joy when it comes to us?”

  “Wow. When did you get so smart?”

  She pushed his chest, playfully. “I’ve always been smart. You’re just now noticing?”

  He laughed, then his face turned somber. “Seriously, Naomi, you think Jeremy will find someone? You’re one of a kind.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and drew him to her. She kissed him deeply. “I love you, Lash. And I was meant for you. There is someone out there that is meant for Jeremy. I just know it.”

  “Faith, huh?”

  “It’s what brought us together, didn’t it?”

  “And so it did.”

  He took her into his arms, his lips caressing hers as he kissed them tenderly. Her body molded perfectly into his. She was right. They were meant for each other.

  There were no more doubts to haunt him, not about who his true father was, nor whether Naomi loved him. In her arms, he knew who he really was. And even though he was a little broken, with love and faith in each other they could overcome whatever came their way.

  THE END

  THANK YOU

  Thank you for reading Before the Fall (Broken Angel #3). Please help others discover the Broken Angel Trilogy by leaving a review.

  I would also like to thank my wonderful support team: Kristy, Jade, Cherise, and Regina, who helped make this book come to life.

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