“Probably not.”
I laugh and kiss his cheek. “You’re no fun.” My closeness is getting to him, and my body heats in response. Taking advantage of our small window of privacy, I press myself a little tighter.
“You’re a tease.” He kisses me under my ear.
“The best kind.” The people in the next room could disappear for a while, and I wouldn’t mind one bit.
“Oi,” Nikki yells from the dining room. “Is Wyatt in there cooking something else?”
“Just warming up my dessert,” Wyatt calls back.
“Dad.” Haven’s voice drips with preteen annoyance. “That’s disgusting.”
Wyatt’s eyes widen.
“Yeah,” I say. “She got your joke.”
“We’re there already?”
“It goes quickly.” I gather the plates off the counter. “We just have to remember to be grateful for what we have.”
From behind me, as we exit the kitchen, Wyatt says, “Believe me, there is no man alive more grateful than me.”
Acknowledgments
This book has been through a few different drafts, but I truly believe this one is the best. Deanna McFadden, I appreciated your guidance and patience as I molded Wyatt and Ellie’s narrative into something I’m really proud to say I wrote. Thank you for all your help.
Thank you to the rest of the editing, typesetting, and cover creation team of Rebecca Sands, Rebecca Mills, Sarah Howden, Misha Dyer, and Ashley Santoro. It’s been a pleasure to be part of the Wattpad Books team.
To all my Wattpad followers who have read and loved this story—thank you for taking a chance on me. It’s been a joy to read your comments, see your votes, and receive your messages over the last few years. I hope, if you’ve read the story before, this version speaks to your heart in the same way. #Wyllieforever
Thanks to my dad and my husband, who are used to me dropping everything to read over edits. You’re very patient when my body is here on Earth but my mind is off in another world with other people. I love you both so much.
Thanks to Brenda and Brian Lenzin, Gwen Doak, Al and Wanda Smith, Lynn and Larry Million, and my brother and his wife, Lucie, who purchase my books with enthusiasm. It’s a joy to be so supported.
A special thanks to my girls for their understanding when I’m sitting at the computer when they’d rather I was hanging out with them. I hope you’re learning what it looks like to be passionate about something and to pursue your goals with your whole heart.
Thanks to my agent, Amy Brewer, for always looking out for my best interests. You’re a gem.
Thank you to two other Wattpad writers who have navigated this writing experience with me and who I know I can always message for support. Avery Keelan and Cole Lepley—my writing world would be a lot less fun without you both.
I started this book on Wattpad back in 2017, after having been on the platform for less than a year. It’s the book that helped me get my agent, the one my husband loves best, the one that earned me the coveted Watty Award, the one that spurred so many people to follow me, and the one that’s landed me here, at Wattpad Books. I’ll be forever grateful to this novel because it feels like the one that really made me believe I could write.
About the Author
Wendy Million is a Watty Award winner whose contemporary romances about strong women and troubled men have captivated her loyal Wattpad readers. She is also the author of the romantic suspense series The Donaghey Brothers and the NA sports romance Saving Us, which all began on Wattpad. When not writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one handsome husband, who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those.
Copyright © 2021 Wendy Million. All rights reserved.
Published in Canada by Wattpad Books, a division of Wattpad Corp.
36 Wellington Street E., Toronto, ON M5E 1C7
www.wattpad.com
No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the copyright holders.
First Wattpad Books edition: September 2021
ISBN 978-1-99025-909-8 (eBook original)
Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric intent, is coincidental.
Wattpad, Wattpad Books, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Wattpad Corp.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication information is available upon request.
Cover Design: Ashley Santoro
Cover image: © Cecilie_Arcurs via iStock
Typesetting by Misha Dyer
Table of Contents
Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Landmarks
Title Page
Half Title Page
Title Page
Table of Contents
Dedication
Body Matter
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Copyright Page