Guardian Angel

Guardian Angel Ariana Rose & Emma Nichole Copyright This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. © 2023 Ariana Rose and Emma Nichole No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Cover Design by: Emma Nichole Cover Image by: Deposit Photos Edited by: Karen Hrdlicka - Barren Acres Editing Formatted by: Emma Nichole Published in the United States of America Contents Dedication Prologue 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Chapter Twenty-Six 27. Chapter Twenty-Seven 28. Chapter Twenty-Eight 29. Chapter Twenty-Nine 30. Chapter Thirty 31. Chapter Thirty-One 32. Epilogue Dedication Em - the near decade we've lived and breathed with him has been and continues to be a joy. Thank you for agreeing in the end even when I heard no a thousand times. Jason finally has the story he always deserved and his angel to go with it. This hero is a king among men. He is not without his flaws but is infinitely perfect. A - We've wanted to tell this story for so long, and I'm so happy that J&G are on paper, just like they deserve to be, and immortalized in the romance world forever. Playlist Never Say Never – The Fray Broken – Seether and Amy Lee Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol These Arms of Mine – Otis Redding Stand by Me – Ben E. King Stardust – Nat King Cole (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons – Nat King Cole Castle Walls – Quinn Lewis Kept – Matt Nathanson Kiss Me Slowly – Parachute Something About The Way You Look Tonight – Elton John Kiss Me – Ed Sheeran The Time of My Life – David Cook Halo – Jono McCleery Daylight – Taylor Swift Étude Op. 10, No. 3, in E major – Frédéric Chopin and Jan Lisiecki Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op 22:II. Romance – Henryk Wieniawski You and I – Michael Bublé Fade Into Me – David Cook Prologue Jason Twilight is falling all around Hyde Park. The hustle and bustle on the streets below me almost give me a quiet calm. The water in the glass I’m holding shifts over the ice as I rotate it slowly in circles. I hear the subtle movement of leather behind me. It’s the sound of someone shifting in the seat of one of the chairs. I turn a little sideways to confirm my suspicions. “Why don’t you sit down?” she asks. “I’d prefer to stand for now, if you don’t mind.” “I don’t mind at all. So…do you want to tell me why you’re here?” Such a simple question. It’s so simple it doesn’t have an easy answer. “I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. I guess, if you need an answer, I’m looking for something.” “Well then. You came to the right place. I’m pretty sure I can help you find it.” “Did I? I’m not so sure about that.” “Then let me be sure for both of us. We can talk for a while about anything. Maybe it will help you know for sure. You’re in charge here, for the most part. Why don’t you tell me something you think I should know about you.” I turn back to face the glass. The sun has just disappeared. I pull the knot of my tie two fingers looser from around my neck. My sudden case of claustrophobia should hit the brakes with the release. “I’m sure when you look at me, you’ve already made assumptions. What I want you to know is, take everything you think you know about me and throw it out the window. Things aren’t always what they seem. I’m not as put together as you may think.” “Oh, I think you are,” she replies. “You seem to have full command of everything, your emotions, this room.” I chuckle a little under my breath. “It’s all an illusion, smoke and mirrors.” “There’s nothing wrong with a little smoke and mirrors. Even with that, you know what you want, don’t you?” She’s not wrong there. “You’re right, I do. I would like to go back to a time where everything makes sense. I want to rewind the clock to four years ago. I had it all, a beautiful wife, a beautiful little girl who looked just like her mother. I had a life that shouldn’t exist. It was too magical from the start.” I set the drink down on the table next to me. My hand was starting to hold it so hard I thought it might shatter into hundreds of pieces. It’s a fucking metaphor for my reality. “Then the mirror cracked. It spidered out from the center then shattered into a million pieces…just like my heart.” I hear the leather move again. This time her feet give her away. She’s moving closer to me, instead of keeping her distance. “Maybe you’re here to help put things back together.” She’s so certain, confident in her answer. I hate to burst her bubble, but she couldn’t be more wrong. “No. Nothing will or ever could.” For the first time, I look her in the