Sliding into Home - The Bradford Series Book Two

Prologue

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Prologue

Hunter

The day deserved to be escaped. It was dark, dismal, and wet. Storm clouds rolled in from the Pacific Ocean as I rolled out of bed. Waves crashing hard against the sand below the cliffs at Point Conception were muffled only by the wind howling against my window. It reflects how most of us have felt lately. The rough waters my family have faced recently, hasn't made for a smooth sailing year. But this trip marks the end of the storm and the high seas we've weathered. From now on, I hope for smooth sailing and good weather.

The past year we've lost so much and gained too little. We lost Adam, Aiden's father, to his greedy nature. Although none of us can truly say it was a great loss. The selfish bastard was given just enough rope by Grandma and hung himself, so to speak. He's not dead, not yet. But by the time he finishes serving his time in prison, he just might want to be. I know he'll never be accepted into this family again. Even Grandma has had enough. That's saying a lot.

Grandma, Georgia Bradford, is the woman I can only hope to be one day. She's the matriarch of this family. The backbone, the glue, and the heart of all of us. We wouldn't be who we are without her. Because of her we managed to save Riley from her dark hole she'd fallen into. But I worry that the price has been too high for her. Grandma hasn't been herself in the weeks since Riley was brought home. Riley has been different too.

Not that I blame her. Riley hasn't had an easy time, even when she thought it was getting better, things only turned darker for her. Between the drama of my family and the stress she faced Riley's been a shell of who she once was. Losing her one constant, her Dad, Ben, it almost broke her. But Grandma has been here for her, she's helping Riley pick up the pieces and begin the healing process.

We lost Ben because of Adam's conniving ways. Going to Arizona to pay him off, just because Adam didn't want Aiden to be with Riley was the most despicable decision. Adam sealed both their fates when he refused to accept Ben's refusal to be bought. He ended up killing Ben in a car accident and poor Riley was devastated by her loss. We got lucky, she didn't blame the rest of us. But she's still grieving and needs this time away to mourn, to get her life back and decide what the future holds. Aiden has his hands full this summer, trying to bring her back to us.

Aiden lost the most. My cousin, who has been more of a brother to me, has had his world torn apart. His Dad will be going to prison-hopefully, for a long time. Riley, his girlfriend, has been lost to her grief, and Aiden's career has been suspended indefinitely. At least he got the surgery on his shoulder a few weeks ago. He can begin the long road of recovery and hopefully will get to practice at camp in Arizona once football season begins.

I think everyone is grateful he's going on this trip, hoping it will sweeten his sour mood of late. I can't blame him. The guy's in pain -physical and emotional- and almost lost his career. Almost, he's lucky Matt is the best at what he does. Our uncle was his saving grace. With consistent physical therapy and a lot of hard work, Aiden will be back in the game and work his way to the active squad in Arizona before he can blink.

This trip also marks new beginnings for a lot of us. Sawyer and Aiden graduated last week. Finishing college and moving into the world of adulthood. Sawyer will be moving to New York in the fall and begin work in the Bradford Engineering structural engineering development department. He's going to be great and we'll all miss him. But like the rest of the family, he'll be back for every holiday, birthday and emergency phone call.