He hugged Amber closer. “I was never going to walk away.”
“Aww.” Amber’s mom smiled at him. “You gave my little star her shine back.”
Amber looked up into his eyes. “I told you. And you’re my star.”
He chuckled. “If you say so.”
Bill brought his phone out and looked down at it. Then he smiled.
“Put that away, Bill. Whatever it is can wait,” said her mom.
Bill smiled at Austin. “No. This is important.”
“What?”
“I fired Milo.”
Amber stared at him. “What about the—”
Bill held a hand up. “I don’t want anything to do with him anymore.” He met Austin’s gaze and mouthed, thank you.
~ ~ ~
It was late by the time everyone had gone. Austin held his arms out to her, and Amber went to lean against him.
“Thank you. For telling them. For sorting everything out. For getting everyone here. For …” She looked up into his eyes. “For loving me.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I do love you, Amber. I always will.” He took hold of her hand and tapped the ring on her finger. “You’re going to be my wife.”
She smiled. “And you’re going to be my husband.”
He nodded happily. “Forever.”
Roscoe came to join them and stuck his nose up Amber’s skirt. She laughed and pushed him away. “Will you ever stop doing that?”
Austin shook his head. “I don’t think he will. He loves you almost as much as I do, and I love him for bringing you to me that night.”
She tightened her arms around his waist. “I suppose I can let him stick his head up there occasionally—just to show my gratitude.”
Austin laughed and took her hand. “In that case. Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To bed.”
“You wanted to thank me, too, right?”
She laughed. “I do.”
He stopped when they reached the bedroom door. “And we can say those words whenever you want to. I don’t want to rush or push you, but just so you know, I’m ready whenever you are.”
She looped her arms up around his neck and kissed him. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be the girl he wanted to marry;
;
~ ~ ~
I hope you enjoyed Austin and Amber’s story. I just loved these two. I started out believing that their story was going be a ‘fake fiancé’ story – and it is in a way. But as is the case with almost all my characters, they had ideas of their own and shaped the story to suit themselves. Neither of them was comfortable with lying – they’re just sweet, decent people.
If you want to know who’s up next – I almost want to keep you guessing, but I won’t. We’re in for another Silver book – and it’s Manny’s story. :0) I have loved him since he first appeared as not much more than a mention in If I Fall. All I knew then was that he was a gruff FBI agent with kind eyes. We saw him again in Too Much Love to Hide. And now I know him much better, and I can’t wait to share his story with you. I’m not going to tell you yet who his lady is – I want to see if you can guess!
I haven’t set up the preorders yet, but if you click this link it’ll take you to my website where you can either sign up for an alert if you’re early, or you’ll find the links once I have them.
A Note from SJ
I hope you enjoyed Austin and Amber’s story. Please let your friends know about the books if you feel they would enjoy them as well. It would be wonderful if you would leave me a review, I'd very much appreciate it.
Check out the “Also By” page to see if any of my other series appeal to you – I have a couple of freebie series starters, so you can take them for a test drive. You can also find a list of all my books – complete with reading order and Freebies here.
If you’d like to keep in touch, there are a few options to keep up with me and my imaginary friends:
The best way is to Sign up for my Newsletter. Don't worry, I won't bombard you! I'll let you know about upcoming releases, share a sneak peek or two and keep you in the loop for a couple of fun giveaways I have coming up :0)
You can join my readers group to chat about the books on Facebook or just browse and like my Facebook Page.
I occasionally attempt to say something in 140 characters or less(!) on Twitter.
And I’m always in the process of updating my website at www.SJMcCoy.com with new book updates and even some videos. Plus, you’ll find the latest news on new releases and giveaways on my blog.
I love to hear from readers, so feel free to email me at AuthorSJMcCoy@gmail.com. I’m better at that! :0)
I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!
Love,
SJ
PS – Project Semicolon
You may have noticed that the final sentence of the story closed with a semicolon. It isn’t a typo. Project Semicolon is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, and self-injury. Project Semicolon exists to encourage, love, and inspire. It’s a movement I support with all my heart.
"A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose not to. The sentence is your life and the author is you." - Project Semicolon
This author started writing after her son was killed in a car crash. At the time, I wanted my own story to be over. Instead, I chose to honour a promise to my son to write my ‘silly stories’ someday. I chose to escape into my fictional world. I know for many who struggle with depression, suicide can appear to be the only escape. The semicolon has become a symbol of support, and hopefully a reminder – Your story isn’t over yet
;
Also by SJ McCoy
Summer Lake Seasons
Zack and Maria in Too Much Love to Hide
Logan and Roxy in Sunshine Over Snow
Ivan and Abbie in Chase the Blues Away
Colt and Cassie in Forever Takes a While
Austin and Amber in Tell the Stars to Shine
Summer Lake Silver
Marianne and Clay in Like Some Old Country Song
Seymour and Chris in A Dream Too Far
Ted and Audrey in A Little Rain Must Fall
Diego and Izzy in Where the Rainbow Ends
Summer Lake Series
Emma and Jack in Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt (FREE)
Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Missy and Dan in Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Smoke and Laura in Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded
Michael and Megan in Laugh Like You’ve Never Cried
Kenzie and Chase in Sing Like Nobody’s Listening
Gabe and Renée in Smile Like You Mean It
Missy and Dan’s wedding in The Wedding Dance
Ben's backstory in Chasing Tomorrow
April and Eddie in Dream Like Nothing’s Impossible
Nate and Lily in Ride Like You’ve Never Fallen
Ben’s Story in Live Like There’s No Tomorrow
Smoke and Laura’s wedding in The Wedding Flight
Remington Ranch Series
Mason (FREE)
Shane
Carter
Beau
Four Weddings and a Vendetta
A Chance and a Hope Series
Chance Encounter
Finding Hope
Give Hope a Chance
The Davenports
Oscar
TJ
Reid
The Hamiltons
Cameron and Piper in Red Wine and Roses
Chelsea and Grant in Champagne and Daisies
Mary Ellen and Antonio in Marsala and Magnolias
Marcos and Molly in Prosecco and Peonies
Love in Nashville
Autumn and Matt in Bring
on the Night