He walks out moments later with a towel, shirtless, a pair of faded jeans riding low on his hips. Will the punch in my gut I feel just looking at him ever go away?
He crouches down in front of me and starts wiping off Loki’s paws. “Go grab your shower. I’ll take care of the dog.”
I lean over to kiss his cheek as I pass. I washed my hair yesterday so using dry shampoo saves me time getting ready. Coco curls up in the sink and waits for me to make the water drip on her. Crazy cat.
We aren’t doing anything fancy, so I pull on a long red tunic and some fitted jeans I can easily tuck into my dark brown riding boots. I’m wearing red just for Luke.
Luke is in the kitchen and I’m still putting on my makeup when the first guest shows. Thankfully, it’s Sasha, who keeps me company while I finish up. I had been scared things would be different between us after the blog post; that she’d be angry with me for not telling her sooner.
She has been nothing but understanding and supportive. I’m grateful we’ve been able to form a friendship offline as well. I love hanging out with her and listening to the dramatic ups and downs of her love life.
She catches me up while Luke gets things ready in the kitchen. As much as Luke loves his little sister, sending her to help him in the kitchen would only result in them bickering over which way to do whatever needed to be done.
Last night, I made a giant fruit salad while Luke chopped up veggies. We have a tabletop indoor grill he is prepping chicken skewers for. Giant perk to Luke moving in is his skills in the kitchen. My man makes healthy eating look sexy as hell.
As guests start showing, Sasha mans the front door. Luke catches on to the fact I am hiding out in the kitchen with him. Knowing I feel less overwhelmed around people if he is with me, he stops what he’s doing and pulls me out to the living room to be social.
Luke’s mom picked up my parents on the way. It’s hard for them to drive. My mom has been dealing with some health issues and the medication she’s on makes her drowsy. My dad was so busy taking care of her that he didn’t think to tell anyone his eyesight was failing. He has had one surgery, which seems to have helped stop any further degeneration but his night vision is bad.
With the days being shorter this time of year, he avoids driving in the late afternoon. Luke must have gotten his selflessness from his mother because when he mentioned going to pick them up for the party, she offered to do it instead.
When they all walk in, my mouth waters when I see what my mom is carrying. A homemade chocolate cake topped with chocolate icing.
I lean against Luke and whisper, “Cheat day?”
His nose tickles my ear as he replies, “Birthday girl gets whatever she wants today.”
Standing here, with Luke’s arms wrapped snug around me, I look around my living room. Seeing it filled with people who care about me, I know I already have everything I want.
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www.careyheywood.com
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with six books out and many more to come. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Ever the mild-mannered citizen, Carey spends her days working in the world of finance, and at night, she retreats into the lives of her fictional characters. Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.
I’d love to hear from you!
info@careyheywood.com
www.careyheywood.com
The Carolina Days Series
The Other Side of Someday
Yesterday’s Half Truths
The Him & Her Series
Him
Her
Them (coming soon)
Sawyer Says (Spin off)
Being Neighborly (Spin off)
Standalones
A Bridge of Her Own
Uninvolved
Stages of Grace
Better
First and foremost, I want to thank my readers. You guys are so amazingly supportive. Thank you so much for coming out to meet me at signings and for the messages and notes you send me online, I treasure them all. A special shout out and tackle hug to all my Keep Calm and Carey On friends.
To Peggy and Becky with Hot Tree editing, thank you so much for polishing my words and giving me the confidence to know my story will shine through despite my love/hate relationship with punctuation.
To Toski Covey for taking the beautiful picture on my cover and Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations for taking an already gorgeous image and making it even more amazing as my cover.
To Tami of Integrity Formatting, thank you for making my ebooks and paperbacks so beautiful.
To Lea from The Hype, thank you for helping me find my audience. Marketing is a struggle and you do it with style.
To Melissa Collins, Jennifer Berg and Heidi McLaughlin. You guys were the first authors to read and embrace this story. It's different from what I've previously written which is scary. Thank you for holding my hand and encouraging me to not fear the different and remain true to the story that was in my heart.
My love and gratitude to my betas; Melissa, Jennifer, Nasha, Nicola, Kristy, Amy, and Judy. Thank you so much for your love and support.
Lastly, to my family, thank you for allowing me to escape into my world of words when the people start talking in my head. Particularly my husband who ensures I’m fed and hydrated during any marathon stretches at my computer.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books by Carey Heywood
Acknowledgements