Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
She’s known since she was young that life wouldn’t be easy, and that she would have to work hard for everything she got. Life was tough when you had a face that only a mother could love.
For years, Sutton Sway goes through life knowing that she’s never going to have a happily ever after that she’s always dreamed of. So she settles. She marries not for love, but for companionship, choosing a man that she never should’ve looked twice at, all so she could have a family of her own.
That family never happens, and within a year, she’s divorced and right back where she started.
Just when she’s at her all-time low, thinking life couldn’t get much worse, in walks Gunner Penn.
Gunner Penn, her protector. The man that saved her from all her high school bullies and proved to her that there were good men in this world.
He was the man that she’d compared all other men to, and probably always would.
But he’s not the Gunner she remembers. He’s harder, less forgiving, and a whole lot less happy.
He hates everyone and everything and doesn’t care who he offends.
That hate and anger for the world and its occupants doesn’t seem to include her, though.
No, Gunner Penn doesn’t hate her at all.
In fact, he’s loved her since high school. She was just too traumatized by life to see it.
But she sees it now. She feels it. She lives and breathes it.
Gunner Penn lost her once. But he won’t lose her a second time.
Not if there’s breath left in his body
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue I
Life is what happens when your cell phone is charging.
—Sutton’s dad to Sutton
SUTTON
Age fifteen
“You’re beautiful, baby.”
I looked at my mother and knew that she was lying.
I wasn’t beautiful.
I was hideous.
She didn’t have to lie.
I had a great body—that was really all I had going for me.
Tits and ass, abs and long legs that could win me any race that I wanted.
I was the most sought-after athlete in the school, yet still the most bullied person, as well.
The last comment I’d heard before leaving school today had come from a girl in track who’d gotten smoked by me during practice.
Too bad she’s so damn ugly. Her and Gunner could be the power couple of the century. But Gunner’s way too good looking for her.
Ugh.
Gunner Lewiston.
He was the yin to my yang in the sports world at our school.
Gunner was the king of our high school.
Our freshman year, like me, he made every senior sports team that he tried out for.
Unlike me, he was God’s gift.
He was so damn pretty.
He had curly hair that fell in decorative ringlets all around his face. Blond curls that blew around his face and always bounced back into place. He was tall, well over six feet two inches at age sixteen.
He played varsity soccer, football, and basketball. But where he really shone was on the baseball field.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he would be making it to pro for baseball.
If he wanted it, he’d have it.
“I’m not,” I disagreed with my mom. “I’m hideous. My nose is too big for my face. My eyes look like anime eyes, and they’re fucking boring brown at that. And my face is disproportionate.”
“Honey,” she whispered.
“I know I’m not attractive,” I continued. “I’ve overheard plenty of boys at school say that as long as they paper bagged me, they’d do me. And all of the girls aren’t very quiet about how ugly I am. I know you’re trying to be nice because I’m your kid, but let’s be completely honest here.”
My mom cupped my face in her hands. “Sweetie, just know that it won’t always be like this. You’ll grow into yourself, and someone will want you for who you are as a person.”
Meaning, I’ll probably always be ugly, but some guy might see past the ugly face and eventually marry me for my personality.
I huffed a laugh. “I have to get to school. I love you.”
She kissed me on the cheek and held out my lunch to me.
I took it with barely a grimace and started walking toward the door.
Of course, the first person I ran into on my way into the school was Gunner Lewiston.
He smiled when he saw me. “Hey, Suttie.”
I grimaced. “Don’t call me that.”
He grinned. “How are your legs after that run this morning?”
“Sore,” I admitted. “It was a full effort run.”
“That’s why you smoked Rocky.” He laughed.
Rocky was my best friend. She was also second best at everything because of me.
I loved her dearly, and she loved me right back.
But there was no competition.
She was the beauty queen, and I was the ugly best friend.
“She’ll get there,” I lied.
He winked. “Not to where you’re at.”
No, not to where I’m at.
“Have a good day, Gunner,” I called out.
He knew better than wishing the same for me.
We both knew I’d have a shitty one.
SUTTON
Age sixteen
“Ewwww,” I heard said. “Why’d he ask her? God, can you imagine staring into that face all night?”
I stiffened.
Aleah.
But it was the way that Marx, my date for the prom, laughed that had my back going ramrod straight.
I pulled away, my frown ferocious, ready to run.
“I can’t believe you actually got her to go with you,” another boy said from my left side. “I guess you win the bet after all.”
My stomach all but sank to my knees.
“Now that she’s here, pay up, boys!”
I watched as everyone slapped five dollars in his hands, including all the girls now surrounding us.
My belly was roiling by the time that I ran outside.
“Stay in the gym!” I heard yelled behind me.
I wasn’t sure if they were talking to me or not, but I ran out of the gym anyway.
I went directly to the parking lot and stopped because I realized that I’d been stupid and let Marx pick me up.
He’d been so nice all night.
He’d taken me to dinner at Outback.
He’d gotten me a corsage.
He’d smiled for pictures.
And all of it was a damn lie.
I wasn’t crying, though.
What would be the point?
“Suttie?”
I looked over my shoulder to see Gunner walking out to his Jeep.
He was wearing dirty baseball pants, no shirt, and slides over his dirty-socked feet.
“Hey.” I cleared my throat.
“You look beautiful.” He smiled. “Dance tonight?”
“Yeah, it’s the junior prom.”
He frowned. “Who’d you go with?”
I cleared my throat and said, “Marx. But I just found out the only reason he took me was because of a bet with what feels like the entire junior class.”