Broken Hill Honor: The Broken Hill High Series (Novella 5.5) Read online

  © 2019 Sheridan Anne.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design by: Sheridan Anne

  Photograph: Kaponia Aliaksei

  Editing by: Sheridan Anne & Jessie Lynn

  Formatting By: Sheridan Anne

  Introduction

  Being with Tora Roberts has been nothing but a wild ride, one I never want to get off.

  At twelve, I knew I loved her.

  By seventeen, I’d made her life a living hell. She hated me.

  She stole my heart completely at eighteen.

  And now at twenty-six, she still hasn’t given it back, and what’s more, I don’t want her to.

  It’s about time I make her mine…

  Officially.

  WARNING: This is a 25K word Novella written in Nate’s POV.

  The Broken Hill High Series is a Young Adult / New Adult Romance filled with LOL moments, teenage angst, and of course, all the swoon worthy moments I know you’re all dying for. This series is recommended for mature readers due to cursing and sexual content. If this offends you, then steer clear of this bad boy romance!

  For everyone else, dive in and have fun!

  **DISCLAIMER – Broken Hill High has seen a few minor changes to some of our beloved character names. These changes have been updated throughout the complete series.

  My sincerest apologies for any confusion.

  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via my Facebook page or Instagram –

  www.facebook.com/SheridanAnneAuthor/

  @Sheridan.Anne.Author

  Changes are as follows:

  Cade – Caden

  Bec – Brylee

  Parker - Puck

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Where to Next?

  Acknowledgements

  Author Biography

  Other Books by Sheridan Anne

  Chapter 1

  “Fuck me,” I say as a proud smile spreads across my face. My girl is doing it. The one thing she has worked her ass off for the past seven years and she’s fucking doing it.

  I watch with overwhelming excitement as Tora’s name is announced and she rises from her seat. She walks down the narrow aisle, passing her peers before crossing the front of the stage and heading for the three little stairs that lead up onto it.

  I can’t believe she did it. Well, actually, I can believe it. She worked her ass off for this and deserves to be here. I guess, I just can’t believe it’s actually here. Everything she’s worked for is right here being handed to her.

  It’s been seven years of late night studying, cramming for exams, nervously panicking, and calling me in the middle of the night, needing me to talk her off the edge. And here she finally is, walking up the steps of the Harvard Law stage, about to receive her diploma.

  She fucking did it and I’ve never been so proud.

  The years since high school have been the best years of my life. Having Tora by my side as the woman I’m shamelessly in love with has been incredible. Every day with her continues to get better, yet the last three years have been some of the hardest I’ve ever endured.

  I love that Tora is so driven and goal-orientated that she strived to make her dreams of attending Harvard Law become a reality, the only issue is that Harvard isn’t exactly around the corner from Broken Hill. It’s more like a six hour, boring as fuck, flight.

  At first it was hard.

  Not being with her every day was excruciating and not having her in my arms each night killed me. But what was worse was knowing that if something had happened to her, or if she was in any sort of danger, I couldn’t get to her. Knowing that, tore me apart and let me tell you, Tora Roberts attracts danger like a moth to flame. It took everything I had not to go over there, pack up her shit, and haul her back home, kicking and screaming. She would have killed me and I would have been fine with it because I would know that she was safe.

  As time went by, it got easier to cope. Every few weeks she would fly home or I would go to her. That time we had together was as incredible as it was bittersweet. Our time was limited and knowing that we only had a handful of days together was hard.

  I don’t know how we got through it, but now being at the end, I like to think that we’re stronger for it. Our relationship has suffered through the hardest trials and as usual, we always come out the other end, hands held, ready to kick ass and face down whatever comes at us next.

  The only thing that has the potential to tear us apart is death, and even then, she will still be mine just as I will always be hers.

  Shit. That’s fucking cheesy.

  My business has soared, meaning I now have the option to be able to take a week off here and there and know that my boys in the shop will keep things going. It was helpful during those times where law school was overwhelming Tora and she needed me there. Hell, even during those times where I missed her and needed to hold her in my arms, I could call the boys, tell them I’ll be back in a week, and take off knowing that when I get back, my shop will be thriving; new projects will still be coming in and the current ones will be moving along or complete.

  I have a great team working for me. I still have Ryan who’s been a godsend through all this. He’s been there since the beginning and has helped me grow my business into the success it is today. Hell, it’s so fucking successful that come another year’s time, I’ll be ready to expand. Maybe build a second shop in Haven Falls. I don’t know yet, but I’m so fucking excited. Who knows? Maybe in ten, twenty years, I’ll have taken over the country.

  No matter what my goal is or how unrealistic it sounds, I know I’ll make it happen if I have Tora by my side. She has been my backbone for the past eight years. Never once has her love for me waivered, even through those difficult times in the beginning.

  We’ve fought, we’ve loved, we’ve wanted to strangle each other at times, but it was all worth it. Especially now, watching her walk up those steps to the stage she’s always wanted to stand on.

  Tora presses her lips together and from the way the apples of her cheeks are protruding from her face, it’s clear to me she’s doing everything in her power to control herself. She wants nothing more than to lose her shit and start dancing her way across the stage, rubbing it in the face of all her haters because she fucking did it. She wants to scream. She wants to burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. She wants to own this moment like a motherfucking boss. But she won’t. She’ll keep her cool, accept her diploma, and say a huge thank you while remaining gracious.

  Don’t get me wrong though, the second she steps off that stage and has a moment of privacy, it’s on. She’s going to celebrate like she’s never celebrated before, and I can’t fucking wait.

  Jesse stands beside me with his applause getting louder and louder. The closer she gets to the Dean, the more he lets his pride show. As her hand reaches out to accept the diploma, Jesse gets up on his chair as a pregnant Kaylah desperately tries to pull him down.

  “Fuck, yeah,” he hollers over the top of the already applauding audience. Fuck, you’d
think a successful CEO of a multi-million dollar company would have a little more class than that at an event like this.

  I smother a laugh as Tora’s head whips around to the crowd with wide, embarrassed eyes. She sees my little brother standing three feet above the rest of the crowd and silently scolds him, but he isn’t having it. Jesse is only just warming up. “You’re the best, Tora.”

  “Get him down from there,” Mom screeches beside me, completely mortified by her son’s embarrassing behavior.

  Tora tries to tune him out, but it’s simply not possible. Every single person in this grand hall can hear him. She turns back to the Dean, accepts the diploma, and takes his outstretched hand.

  Tora’s mom goes nuts with the camera as her dad stands proudly, watching his little girl earn the biggest achievement of her life. Knowing exactly how Tora would feel seeing that pride from her father breaks me. I physically can’t hold it back any longer.

  I launch myself up next to Jesse and let out an ear shattering wolf whistle, letting my girl and the world know exactly what I’m thinking. She finishes shaking the Dean’s hand and turns back to the crowd.

  Her beautiful eyes lock on mine and the absolute joy within them is almost enough to knock me off my feet.

  She fucking did it.

  All of her hard work has finally paid off and what’s more, she has everyone here to show it off to. This is her moment and nothing makes me happier than to know everyone made the effort to support her and fly out here to watch her receive her diploma.

  A lot of our friends were unable to make the flight over here for the day, but they’ve promised they’ll be there as soon as we get back for a massive party held in Tora’s honor. I can’t wait. It’s going to be huge. Nothing in this world gives me greater pleasure than to celebrate Tora Roberts. It’s as though she was the reason I was put on this earth.

  Tora goes to stand amongst her peers as the rest of the names are called out. No one else in the room receives quite the applause as Tora did, but to be fair, a few manage to get close.

  I can’t help but keep my eyes locked on hers. ‘Congratulations,’ I mouth, knowing there’s no way in hell she’ll hear me over the sound of the applause in the room.

  A beaming smile takes over her beautiful face. ‘Thank you,’ she replies.

  All I can do is watch.

  She’s so damn beautiful. My heart aches with the need to go to her, to kiss those lips and wind my arms around her body, a body that I know will one day carry my children. I just hope to God that day is sooner rather than later.

  I’ve known since I was twelve years old that she was my girl, and I’ve known since I was eighteen that no matter what, I’m going to marry her. She made me promise to wait until after law school to pop the question and I don’t know how she managed to make me agree to it, but reluctantly, I did.

  Now though, law school is over and I don’t plan on waiting long.

  At nineteen, I moved in with her. At twenty-one, I bought us our own home. At twenty-three, she moved across the country to attend Harvard Law. And now, finally at twenty-six, she’s coming home and I don’t intend on letting her out of my sight ever again.

  She’s going to be barefoot and pregnant in no time. You know after she demands to make something of herself in the professional world. She won’t stop until she’s the number one criminal lawyer in the United States and I’m going to be right there, every step of the way, helping her to make that dream a reality.

  The last student finishes shaking the Dean’s hand and I’m just about at the end of my patience. I need to get up there. I need to hold her. I need to give her the fucking world.

  I watch her with a smile on my face as the whole group takes their graduation caps and tosses them in the air with a mix of pride and relief, happy their journey is finally over.

  Tora laughs as graduation caps rain down over the students and the sound of her laughter sails over the crowd and shakes me right to the core. I’ll never get used to that sound. It wraps around me like a blanket. It’s the sound that keeps me warm at night. It’s pure magic and to not have that in my life would be devastating.

  It’s my undoing.

  I break from my chair. I need to hold her.

  I can’t possibly wait a minute longer.

  I hurry down to the side of the stage where the students are taking their sweet ass time getting down. I spot her instantly, as though I’m drawn to her. She’s busy chatting to one of the girls who she’s become quite close with over the past few years, but right now, that’s not what’s important. Getting my lips on hers is.

  She starts making her way down the steps, clutching her diploma in her hand like a lifeline.

  I can’t even wait until she’s at the bottom of the stairs. My arm snakes out and curls around her waist before I hoist her down. She squeals out, not having noticed me here as the crowd of people standing around us is ridiculous. She would have assumed that I’d be waiting patiently with our family and friends. Yeah fucking right.

  I pull her up into my arms and once again, her laugh wraps around me.

  I can’t resist her any longer and crush my lips down on hers. I step back behind the stage and barge my way into a supply closet, pleased to find it completely empty.

  Tora’s hand finds my chest and she travels it up around the back of my neck before continuing into my hair as I readjust her and rest her ass against a shelf, putting us eye to eye. “Look,” she smiles proudly once we break the kiss. She shows me her diploma and I can’t help but read her name on the certificate over and over again. “I did it.”

  “You sure fucking did,” I tell her, taking in the joy within her eyes. “I’m so proud of you. You’re incredible.”

  It’s about now when she generally makes some smartass comment, being embarrassed with all the extra attention on her and hating accepting compliments, but it doesn’t come. Not today. She’s owing it. She did something not many people could do and she knows it.

  Tora tilts her chin back up to me, silently asking me to kiss her again. “Thank you,” she murmurs as I draw closer to her once again. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Yes, you could,” I tell her. “It was all you. You did the work. You did the studying. You made those exams your bitch. All I did was love you and remind you to kill it.”

  She rolls her eyes as a slight flush creeps into her cheeks. “I love you,” she says with her lips moving so close to mine, teasing me with the promise of absolute pleasure.

  I smile into her before catching her lips in mine. “I love you too,” I promise her. “I can’t wait to get you home.”

  She laughs out and hits me across the chest. “Is your mind always in the gutter?” she questions, assuming I’m referring to getting her back to the place she has here so I can screw her up against the wall for the last time. Though, it’s not like that isn’t going to happen.

  “Yes,” I scoff. “But that’s not what I meant. I can’t wait to get you home to Broken Hill and really start our lives together.”

  Love shines back through her eyes and I know without a doubt that she’s been dreaming about the same thing. She melts into me. “Can we leave now?”

  The door barges open and we jump at the suddenness, but the second I see my moronic brother’s grin staring back at me, I want nothing more than to kick him in the balls for interrupting my time with my girl.

  “Here you are,” he practically cheers. He barges me out of the way before I have a chance to even fully accept the fact that he’s standing right before us. “Quit hogging her,” Jess tells me as he grabs Tora’s arm and yanks her over his shoulder. “It’s time to party.”

  Tora squeals out, but her laughter quickly takes over and before I know it, Jesse is jogging up the hallway and dropping Tora into the middle of a circle, surrounded by her friends and family, each of them more excited than the last, desperately wanting to offer their congratulations.

  I want to hate on Jesse for taking her away
from me just now, but I simply can’t as seeing her so damn happy warms my heart in a way I’ll never get tired of. Screw hiding out in a supply closet. It’s moments like these that I live for.

  Chapter 2

  Our whole group steps through the door of the restaurant and I can’t help but watch Tora up ahead as she talks to Kaylah. They both suddenly stop, making the rest of our group stop as Tora places her hand on Kaylah’s baby bump. Kaylah readjusts her hand and they both wait patiently as everyone watches on.

  Out of nowhere, Tora gasps as Kaylah giggles, feeling my niece kicking inside her mother’s tummy. I can’t wait for this baby girl to be born in two months. It’s going to be incredible.

  I can’t help but look across at Jesse as he watches his two favorite girls with nothing but love shining through his eyes. He’s going to make such a great father, though, I don’t know how he’s going to manage a little girl. He’s going to be so fiercely overprotective. It’s going to be hilarious watching him work it out.

  Jess and Kaylah got married two years ago and started trying for this baby straight away. I’m not going to lie, watching Kaylah struggle to fall pregnant for two years was hard, but now that it’s finally happened, I’ve never been so happy.

  But if I have to be honest, I’ll be man enough to admit that I’m kind of jealous of my little brother. He’s got the wife and the unborn child before me. Life with Jesse as a little brother has always been a competition, and on these two things, he’s beaten me and Tora by miles, but I swear to anyone who will listen that we’ll make up for lost time.

  Jackson hurries the girls along and they jump back into action, making their way towards the massive table that’s been set up in the very center of the room. I’ve booked out the whole restaurant for tonight. I want everything to be about Tora and if that means paying a shitload for the restaurant, then that’s what I’m going to do. I want her to have the best service with the waiters tending to her every need and desire. Anything she wants tonight, she gets.