Defining Love: Volume 3 (Defining Love #3) (15 page)

“Do we have ice cream?” Jake asked, opening the door to the
freezer.

Justin put his arm around Lauren then let out an obnoxious belch.
“Gross!” she said, wriggling out of his forced hug.

“Jake, Justin,” Aaron said as he handed Jake a handful of stuff
to put back in the fridge. “Your sisters are going to a dance in two weeks. I
want you two to be there when it lets out.”

“Yes!” Justin said, attempting to hug his sister again.

“
Mom!
” The girls said simultaneously and very loudly as if
Aaron had just asked the boys to chaperone or something.

Not surprisingly, Evan and Ethan shuffled into the kitchen,
rubbing their eyes. Ethan pouted, clearly still cranky after such a short nap.

“You
see
,” I said, this time feeling like doing some
whining myself. “You woke your brothers.”

Jake picked up Ethan, but he held out his arms wanting me. Aaron
took him instead. “We got ’em, babe,” he said, trying to coax Ethan with a
Cheeto, but he started whimpering, still reaching out for me.

I let my shoulders fall but held my arms out for him. “Give him
to me.”

“Forget the salmon,” Aaron said, handing me Ethan, and my baby
quickly wrapped his little arms around my neck, laying his chubby face on my
shoulder. The boys instantly let out their disappointment. “Unless you two are
gonna make it.” Aaron said to them, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“We don’t know how!”

The girls continued to whine. Jake spun Evan around, making him
screech loudly. Aaron announced we’d order pizza for dinner, getting another
round of yeses from the boys. I kissed Ethan’s chubby little cheek as the girls
continued to whine and argue with Aaron about the dance and their brothers. The
inevitable teasing from the boys started up. They cracked their knuckles,
talking about what they’d do if they saw Lauren and Cammy talking to any boys,
which only made the whining get louder.

A silly thought crossed my mind, and I had to laugh to myself.
Maybe all those years I’d been afraid of creating monsters I hadn’t been too
far off. I glanced around at my loud bunch of monsters and then at my sexy
husband, who was staring at me with that same loving smile that hadn’t waned a
bit even after all these years. Even as the kids whined, teased, and whimpered,
I saw the smolder in his eyes. He mouthed the words “I love you.” And as usual,
my insides turned to mush.

Ethan’s little hand touched my mouth, and I kissed it, staring at
his handsome daddy, then mouthed the words back with a smile. Standing in that
kitchen that very moment amidst all the chaotic noise, I accepted another thing
I hadn’t been able to for years: the belief that I could be this lucky. Finally,
I could accept it as fact. I
was,
hands down, the luckiest woman in the
world.

Acknowledgments

Writing the story is mostly all about me, but bringing it all
together takes a small army. I couldn’t possibly do this alone. I’d like to
thank everyone who contributes in some way to every single book I put out.

To my husband and “assistant,” Mark, thank you for believing in
me always and encouraging me to do this. I appreciate your patience, especially
when I go on and on about the corner I’ve written myself into
this time or
while I tell you about my latest crazy idea for a plot. I think you’re getting
better at knowing how to respond to all my rants with every story I’ve worked
on, and I love you so for that!

To my babies, Marky and Megan, thank you for understanding when
I disappear into “the zone” for days at a time. I think we’re all used to this
way of life now, and you’ve been troopers all the way. You’ve both made me so
proud, and I love you to the moon and back!

To my beta readers, Dawn Winter, Emily Lamphear, and Amanda
“Hootie” Clark, thank you all SO much! You have no idea (Well, you do. I whined
about it enough o.O) how worried I was about this one. Thank you for your
always completely honest opinions and feedback. I always need and appreciate it
but this time a little more because there were
so
many things I was
worried about. This year should be interesting yet exciting. I look forward to
having you in my corner the whole way. <3

I’d also like to thank the many bloggers out there who have
supported me and have pimped, reviewed, and participated in my cover reveals
and announcements. You guys have been a HUGE part of my success, and I thank
every single one of you from the bottom of my heart! A special shout out to Ing
Cruz of
“As the Pages
Turn”
for all your help with the cover reveals, release blitzes, and blog
tours! You are VERY appreciated!

Thank you to
Theresa (Eagle Eyes)
Wegand
, my one-stop superhero, beta reader/editor/formatter,
listener to all my whiny rants/vents and obsessive worrying, and friend—even
when you’re
brutally
honest. LOL ;) I promise I’ll never hold it against
you and truly appreciate it! As always, your work is impeccable, and I can’t
say enough about it. I hope to be working with you for years to come! Thank you
so much!

I want to give a special shout out to “my FP girls,” my
incredibly talented group of superstar authors. I feel absolutely blessed to
have found you. I owe you all so much. Thank you for the love, empathy, and
your friendships. Each and every one of you!

Thank you, Amanda Simpson of
Pixel Mischief Design
for my cover
art. You’re an amazing talent and awesome to work with. So far you’ve made some
gems for me, and I’m excited about what’s yet to come and working with you on
many more!

Thanks to my good friend New York Times Best Seller JB Salsbury
for turning me on to my new cover artist! And also for being such a great fan
of my work! I’m so glad I finally got to meet you last year and so proud of you
and all your success!

A special shout out to my street team “
Team Reyes
!” To
my admins, Leslie Cary, Jenn DaSilva, Delashawne Hodgeson, Christina Garner
Staggs, and Astin Brooks for running it with so much love and enthusiasm. Thank
you for all the hard work you put into the team! But to all who are part of
Team Reyes and are part of the madness and FUN, I thank you all for your
continued support! Love you guys! I’m SO looking forward to the team’s meet and
greet this year!! <3

And, of course, my incredibly awesome readers! Thank you all
for taking the chance on this one and holding your fire when I announced it
would be released in volumes. I really hope you enjoyed it and can hardly wait
to hear your thoughts! I really do LOVE hearing from you! I hope to have a few
surprises for you guys in 2015 just to show you that I really am listening and
reading ALL your messages and comments!.

About the
Author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes, was born
and raised in southern California and still lives there with her husband of
almost twenty-one years, her two teens, her Great Dane named Dexter, and one
big fat cat named Tyson.

She spends eighty percent of time in front of her
computer, writing and keeping up with all the social media, and loves it. She
says that there is nothing better than doing what you absolutely love for a
living, and she eats, sleeps, and breathes these stories, which are constantly
begging to be written.

Representation:
Jane Dystel of Dystel &
Goderich now handles all questions regarding subsidiary rights for any of Ms.
Reyes’ work. Please direct inquiries regarding foreign translation and film
rights availability to her.

For more information on her upcoming projects and to
connect with her--she loves hearing from you all—here are a few places you can
find her:

Blog:
www.ElizabethReyes.com

Facebook fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Reyes/278724885527554

Twitter: @AuthorElizabeth

Email
[email protected]

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She enjoys hearing your feedback and looks forward to
reading your reviews and comments on her website and fan page!