Betting On Love

Chapter One - Welcome Home

Betting On Love
Copyright © 2013 Stephanie Reichert

All Rights Reserved

Cover done by Sean Arturo Last

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*Betting on Love got a little remake, and will slowly be uploaded. I have changed all the characters name, and I am changing the style of writing. I started to write Betting on Love (once known as Just a Crush) 10 years ago, and finished it 5 years ago. My writing has matured a lot, so I am refreshing the style a bit. Happy readings!*

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Betting on Love

Chapter One – Welcome Home 

The two Harris brothers and their father paced about the room impatiently. She was coming back today after three years of being away, and the three men were both overjoyed at her return but nervous about seeing her again. Although they had kept in contact with the young woman through social media, occasional phone calls and texts, they had not been in the same room with her since the day she'd left home.

Their younger and only sister Rosalie Harris, was finally returning home.

The young woman had informed the men of her return just a few months before, and they had made all the necessary arrangements for an easy return to the place she had once called home. Her father took responsibility in enrolling Rosalie back into Middleton High school where she would finish out her final year as a senior there. One of the main reason's she wanted to return home was to get out of California and away from her strict mother, but there was more to her story and they had yet to find out.

The sound of the front door opening pulled the men from their conversation as they turned to see who had entered their home. They had expected it to be the young woman, but it was not. In front of them stood Glenn, and Oliver's childhood friend; Ezra Evans.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Rosalie's return. This is the welcoming party, right?", he grinned as he walked towards the men.

At twenty-four years old, Ezra was the same age as Glenn, and three years younger than Oliver. The Harris brothers had grown up with the Evans boy, and they had treated him like a brother. During their childhood and adolescent years, the three boys had been notorious throughout Middleton High School as pranksters, and occasional trouble-makers. This only continued as they matured into adulthood, paving the way for an interesting coming up for young Rosalie as she went through school and met some of the boy's old teachers and faculty.

"Ezra, how lovely to see you." John Harris embraced the man before him in a warm hug. He had practically raised Ezra along with his own two sons when they were younger. Back then, John had been aware of the neglect Ezra suffered at the hands of his father. It had been hard to miss the bruises that covered his arms, and torso. From the moment John saw the first bruise on a young ten-year-old Ezra, he had sworn to care for the boy like he was his own. And he had done just that.

"It's good to see you too, John. What time is Rosalie due back?" Ezra hugged the man in front of him. He held so much respect towards John Harris. He was more than a father than his own. He trusted and loved John deeply, just like a son would with his father.

"She should be here soon. Tell me, how is business going?"

The Evans Family, and The Harris Family were two of the most prominent families in town, and the mention of their names instilled respect from many of the citizens of Middleton. After graduating college, Ezra had taken over the newspaper his great-grandfather had created, and made it even more successful than it had been when he was a child. He expanded the business by adding an online newspaper, and reached a lot more people through social media.