Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Dedication
Description
A Note to the Reader
Trigger Warning
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Stay Connected
Reviews Make a Difference
Also by Lyra
Forever Flynn © 2020 by Lyra Winters. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Edited and Proofread by: Jessica at Diamond Editing and Proofreading Services
Alpha Reader: Kelly
Beta Readers: Hayley, Jodi, and Katelynn
Visit my website at lyrawinters.com
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: August 1, 2020
Forever Flynn
Book 3 of the Violet Ridge Series
Lyra Winters
For my husband, Jacob.
I appreciate the love and encouragement from you. You inspired me to write Flynn, a character with such depth and complexity.
Thank you for serving your country, your community, and your family.
I love you.
Description
Two shattered souls. One small town. A second chance.
Flynn Rockwell.
My first love. Rugged, passionate, and everything I’ve ever wanted.
We were voted most likely to get married in high school, but that was a joke. I loved him, and he left town without any word.
I’ve never fully pushed him out of my heart, Lord knows I tried to.
When he moved back to Violet Ridge a decade later missing half his leg, I was blindsided to find him a shell of the man I once knew.
Could we salvage what we once had now that we were two different, broken people?
Forever Flynn can be read as a complete standalone and contains a happily ever after. It is a small-town military romance complete with a second chance at love.
A NOTE TO THE READER
Forever Flynn is written as a standalone, but Evelyn was introduced in Always Asher and Loving Luca. Flynn was also mentioned in these books. If you have not read books 1 or 2 of the Violet Ridge Series, do not fear!
Forever Flynn is a standalone!
That said, if you’d like to go back and read the other two books of the series, enjoy! All three books have a special place in my heart.
Trigger Warning:
While this book is a small town second chance romance that unfolds a beautiful story about love and discovery, there is mention of domestic abuse, stalking, PTSD, anxiety, violence, attempted rape, and suicide. One of the main characters, Flynn, was active duty military. The other main character, Evelyn, has a past history of an abusive relationship. These topics are heavy issues everyday people face. This story shines some light on a soldier adjusting to civilian life as well as the aftermath of an abusive relationship. There is nothing too explicit written in detail, but it is important for my readers to be aware of the topics within the story and not feel blindsided.
Before my brain registered the sound of breaking glass, the flesh of my upper lip split. A warm viscous liquid spilled down my chin in thick beads once the bourbon bottle broke. I froze as the searing pain sliced into me. My eyelids shot open to find the ground stained red, the color seeping outward among the shards.
The sound of breaking glass was the anthem of my childhood. A day never went by without glittering fragments of a liquor bottle reverberating through the house, but this was the first time he’d broken it across my face.
His leathered face was a mottled crimson, and his bloodshot eyes were strained. His words spat out with the ferocity of machine gunfire. “Don’t talk nonsense, boy. Military ain’t for you. You’ll stay here and work on the farm like I had to.”
There was stillness from both of us. If hatred was visible, the air between us would’ve been scarlet. When my father had a few too many drinks, he lost all ability to reason. He'd lash out first, think later.
My mother’s trembling, plump form took a small step in between us. “F-Frank, dear. He was just suggesting it. He wasn’t going to just up and leave.”
“Maybel, stay the hell out of it.” In one stride he was in her face, daring her to say something more.
She stumbled backward and nodded, shooting me a sorrowful gaze. My mother was a coward. She never tried to stand her ground against the pathetic piece of trash.
“I’m not staying on this damn farm another night.” I pushed passed them and stormed up the stairs to my room. The pain throbbed in my lip, but I was too pissed off to care. I kicked my door open and started throwing random shit into a duffle bag. Blood dripped onto everything I grabbed. The one thing I made sure to pack was a pocket watch that held a photograph of me and Evelyn inside. She gave it to me on my birthday a couple of weeks ago.
I was ready to leave Violet Ridge, for good. I wouldn’t miss this God-forsaken farm or the people in it. But I’d miss the hell out of the curly-redheaded girl filled with compassion.
I heaved the bag over my shoulder and barreled down the stairs.
“Flynn, honey, please don’t listen to your father.” My mother’s hand caught mine before I walked out of the door. “You graduate from high school tomorrow morning.”
A muscle in my jaw ticked as I shook my head.
“Please, at least let me take you to a hospital tonight.” Her gray sunken eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“It’s a little too late for that, Ma.” I pushed open the torn screen door about to come off its hinge, and it made a violent screech as it slammed
