Collateral Damage (44 page)

Parker isn't perfect. He's made mistakes. Callie becomes one of those mistakes. And, by the time they break up, she probably sees him as the worst mistake she's ever made. Jaden isn't perfect, either. And we don't get to hear his side of things, but after Jaden runs off with Parker, I'm pretty sure Blake considers her a mistake, too.

There is that person out there who is perfect for us, but, until we meet him or her, we'll have "mistakes." We will most likely be someone else's mistake. That doesn't make us terrible people—we're just human, trying to figure it all out. That's how I see both Parker and Jaden.

Yeah, but Callie and Parker were
engaged
!

When I went off to college, I was engaged to my high school sweetheart, too (though I use the term "engaged" rather loosely). Truth is, the long distance thing became too hard for us, and...I actually met someone else. With all the drama that surrounded that time period of my life, I consider that high school guy a mistake. I'm sure I'm his mistake, too. At the same time, that "someone else" I met? We got engaged for real a few years later. And my mistake? He's married now, too.

Am I saying high school sweethearts can't make it work? Absolutely not! I know several couples doing it right now. At the same time, sometimes life happens—and that's okay, too. It's part of the whole story—the bigger picture. For Parker and Callie and Blake and Jaden, life happened.

And you know...Ethan and Zeena were
married
.

I guess that makes sense. Is Callie okay, though?

Absolutely. After she gets over the initial shock of Parker's confession, and after some quality girlfriend/ice cream/chocolate time, she's going to bounce back. I actually see her re-assessing her life's goals, in that maybe she was too comfortable with Parker—that she settled into a life she was okay with, when she could've done more. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's going to go after that law degree she spent years running from.

I noticed that, between the two books, Daniel and Parker share many of the same feelings about weddings.

Yeah, they do. In fact, at one point in both
Cross My Heart
and
Collateral Damage
, they both say: "Just tell me where I need to be and when I need to be there." For Parker, though, I think the lack of interest lies in the fact that he knows, deep down, that he's not ready to get married, or even that he and Callie aren't "meant to be." When he proposes to Jaden, it's obvious his whole attitude has changed. For one, he actually proposes. Also, he can't even wait for Fiji, so he proposes earlier than he planned. I think he's going to be a lot more "on board" with a wedding with Jaden than he ever was with Callie.

So we know from the
Cross My Heart
Q and A that this whole story was inspired by the song "November Rain" by Guns 'N Roses. What other songs made it to your playlist for this story?

Since I essentially told the same story, quite a few of the songs overlap playlists, but here's a list of the songs I frequently turned to for inspiration:

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (George Michael feat. Elton John)

"Fix You" (Coldplay)

"Bed of Roses" (Bon Jovi)

"I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bon Iver)

"A Thousand Years" (Christina Perri)

"Won't Go Home Without You" (Maroon 5)

"Never Let Me Go" (Florence and The Machine)

"One More Night" (Maroon 5)

"Exogenesis-Parts 1-3" (Muse)

"Be Still" (The Fray)

"Goodbye in Her Eyes" (Zac Brown Band)

"All I've Ever Needed" Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald

What does VE RI TAS mean?

It means "truth." Ironic, no?

Highly. So Parker is forever talking about how great Jaden smells—like flowers. What was he really smelling?

Her perfume: "Stella Nude" by Stella McCartney. It's soft and feminine and smells like roses. I love it. So does Parker, apparently.

Apparently. Anyway, you give us a glimpse of what life is like for Parker and Jaden at the end of
Collateral Damage
—but he's studying! Is he still a cop? And is Jaden in med school?

Yes, on both counts. At the end of
Cross My Heart
, Parker is undercover at a new school, and Jaden is just getting started with her freshman year of college. At the end of
CD
, about four years have passed. Jaden is wrapping up her undergrad degree (pre-med), and then heading straight into med school. Parker is studying because he's trying to earn his degree, too. He thinks he'd make a great detective (and so does Jaden!). He's close to twenty-six by then, and he can't work undercover forever, so he's taking some night and online classes to get that college degree that makes him eligible for promotion.

Jaden said yes to his proposal. Does that mean she and Parker are really getting married?

Absolutely.

And they live happily ever after?

That, too!

So . . . what are you working on now?

You always ask that question! You know I never talk about what I'm currently working on. There are too many variables. I don't need that kind of pressure. Whenever I have a new project to announce, I immediately hit the blog. You can find updates there—just like everyone else.

Yeah. Yeah. It was worth a shot. So, can we expect any future books about Parker and Jaden?

Nope. I'm pretty sure this is it. They've been through enough—they deserve their happily ever after.

Great. So what am I supposed to read next?

Well, I have an urban fantasy series out (
The Guardian, Vendetta, Revelation
). It's a bit edgier than
Cross My Heart
and
Collateral Damage
(more danger, and language, and violence). There's a lot at stake, actually. It was super fun to write, and people seem to enjoy it. Also, you can check out "The Indelibles" website—there are a lot of great authors over there, and lots of books to choose from. I try to post "Hot New Releases" on the blog at least once a month, and I'm always tweeting out good reads/buys, so make sure you're following me on twitter (@katiekleinbooks).

That'll work. So you're
really
not going to tell me what you're working on now?

*sigh*

A Message for the Fans

Dear Reader,

Thank you
so much
for picking up a copy of
Collateral Damage
! I wrote this specifically for fans of
Cross My Heart
, because I felt Parker deserved to have his side of the story told, and that readers would appreciate the insight. I really hope I did this story justice, and that you enjoyed the alternate point of view.

Cross My Heart
was more successful than I ever dreamed it would be, and I know I have you to thank for that. It was largely a word-of-mouth book—I barely had to lift a finger. You rated, and commented, and reviewed, and blogged and told your friends all about Parker and Jaden. That's actually the best way you could have possibly helped—by spreading the word.

Again: Thank you!

I hope you'll continue to tell others about the writers and stories you love.

I've always said that when my readers stop reading, I'll stop writing. So far, you've made coming to the computer each day so very easy.

Love and hugs and kisses to you ALL!

~Katie~

About The Author

Katie Klein is a diehard romantic with a penchant for protagonists who kick butt. She currently resides on the East Coast and is hard at work on her next YA novel. In addition to CROSS MY HEART, she is also the author of THE GUARDIAN, VENDETTA, and REVELATION, a YA urban fantasy trilogy. She maintains a web presence at: http://katiekleinwrites.blogspot.com.