“Excellent. And tonight, will you sleep in my shirt?”
“You know it.”
“How about tomorrow? Can I call you?”
“I’m counting on it, sweet knees.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He looked at my lips. “And right now—may I steal another kiss?”
I grinned at him. “Is it still stealing if I agree?”
I eagerly leaned across the center console.
And he moved forward as well, meeting me in the middle.
Fin
Acknowledgments
Over the past four years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share my writing online with thousands of people who were more than just readers to me: they were coaches, cheerleaders, mentors and in many cases, they became friends. I want to take this opportunity to recognize those who read, and in many cases, reviewed, blogged and Tweeted their enthusiastic responses to my first draft of The Weight of Words. Your kindness and support motivated me to continue writing, and ultimately gave me the courage to publish this novel. Thank you.
Special thanks to Nora, LS, Christina G and Christina D, whose feedback and assistance at various points in the initial writing process was invaluable. To Dee, I cannot thank you enough for your years of pre-reading and support (you have the loveliest green pom-poms in town). More importantly, though, I’m grateful for your kind spirit and your friendship. To Jen, your enthusiasm and ingenuity have inspired me and fed both my spirit and my mojo. Thank you for always having my back.
To everyone who created beautiful artwork inspired by my words, thank you for sharing the fruits of your creativity with me. I must thank Michelle, in particular, for making me feel as if my every word counted for something. Michelle, your art is beautiful, and so are you.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to SR who has graciously mentored and encouraged me over the past few years, always offering words of advice and reassurance. I feel lucky to know you, sir. And to Neens, thank you for believing in me and for teaching me all about acronyms (UST FOREVER!) and word-grunt hybrids (UNF). Knowing you’re just a flaily email away is more comforting than you could possibly know.
To the team at Omnific—thank you for your taking a chance on me. This has been such a wonderful learning experience.
Of course, this story would not exist without the Bard’s words which have enthralled me since, as a starry-eyed adolescent, I opened the pages of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Gertrude tells us that “all that lives must die.” Happily, this has not been true of the Bard’s words, and I have to give credit to Master Shakespeare for the immense inspiration his stories have provided.
Finally, the deepest gratitude goes out to my husband and my family. You allowed me the time to pursue my dreams, and you understood when I “left the room,” even if I was still sitting beside you on the couch. I will be forever grateful for your unconditional love.
About the Author
Georgina Guthrie has been a self-professed book hugger for as long as she can remember. An avid reader and compulsive diarist, she is thrilled to be taking the leap into the world of publishing. GG resides in Toronto, Canada, but she still considers herself a Brit through and through and can often be found roaming the aisles of her favorite British import shop.
A graduate of the University of Toronto where she studied English literature, GG is happy to fill her hours reading and writing, but she’s just as likely to be found enjoying a good film with her husband, dancing around the kitchen with her daughter, or hanging out with friends and family, almost certainly with a glass of red wine in one hand a bag of cheese and onion crisps in the other.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Information
Venus and Adonis
Aubrey
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
Daniel
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Aubrey
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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