Fighting For You (25 page)

I couldn’t resist my princess a second longer.  McKinley’s voice let out soft little squeaks as she readjusted herself, curling herself against my chest.  Slowly my arms rocked her while my weight swayed from one foot to the other.

“You know, little Bean.  When you were still living in your mama’s belly I talked to you every day before I had to stay away from you and your beautiful mother.” I stopped to press a kiss against her forehead.

“You just need to know baby girl, that I was fighting for you.”

Tracy McKa
y
— I seriously don’t even know where to start! You put pressure on me, cracked the whip and made me lose sleep! But you know what—I love you so much for it! You have been an Angel in disguise to me.  I’ll never be more thankful for having someone in my life than I am for you.  There is nothing you haven’t seen me through. You’ve laughed with me (and at me), cried with me when the stress was too much and loved with me. You have supported every single thing I wanted and knew how to tell me ‘no’ if something didn’t work.  I only hope I can support you in everything the way you do for me! You are my very best friend, and my adopted big sister and the reason this book is here.  Thank you for absolutely everything that you do and everything that you are.

Cara Arthu
r
— Sometimes I look back on how we became friends and it makes me giggle.  If it wasn’t for you always posting pictures of hot men and me obsessively commenting—we would still be strangers.  To this day I *thank* my obsessive tendencies because a life without Cara isn’t a life I want to live in!!  You have been an amazing friend, supportive, dedicated and always encouraging me in so many ways!  You are an amazing editor and I am so happy I could trust you with something so precious to me!  I’m going to apologize though because now, my dear, you’re stuck with me!  Get ready to read a whole lot of my books! Loveee you Darling!

Jase Dea
n
— I have been trying to think of just the words to say to you to thank you for everything, but there just aren’t any.  I’m going to try though!  Since I first emailed you and expected to get a price for a stock image—you have blown my mind.  You took everything to the next level and made this one of the very best things in my life.  Your passion and drive is what sets you apart from others and your dedication to me and to this project is what made this so amazing.  You have been a joy to work with and I can’t wait to have you on other covers of mine!! I truly will be sad to see this series end for many reasons; one of which is that I would no longer have covers for you to be on!  You were my inspiration and muse for Corey but you are far more than that. Thank you for bringing Corey to life and thank you for going the extra step and taking a chance on me with your incredibly busy schedule.

Kari Marc
h
— You, my Dear, are an artist!  Your teasers are beautiful but the way you worked this cover … Unbelievable!  You took a picture I thought couldn’t get better and put your magic into it and made a cover that I am SO PROUD to call my own!! I’m so damn happy you are a part of this and I can’t wait to put you to work for all my other books! Hehe! Not to mention a specific one in the near future ;) but honestly … Thank you for everything Kari, love you darling!!

Claudio Harri
s
— You have an incredible eye for what you do and you were able to capture everything I had in my head. You are incredibly talented and I cannot wait to work with you again! Thank you for being a part of this journey! 

Sarah Elizabet
h
—Thank you for going through this crazy journey with me!!  You pulled through for me so incredibly much!! You are a goddamn Rock star, Sarah!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Jude Ouvrar
d
— Thank you for just… everything! Being there as support when I needed a boost of confidence!  Thank you for reading Fighting for You along the way and giving me the ‘thumbs up.’  I love our talks and I am so thankful to have you with me as I write and I am excited to help you too!

Julie Schneide
r
— Oh Julie!  You have been on this journey with me since Corey was just a scene in my head.  I never imagined it would become the way it is now.  But none of this would have come about if you didn’t give me that push and courage from day one to turn this into more!  You have unfailing kindness and I hope we always remain friends!  Love you my online Mama!  Someday we will celebrate the birth and rise of Corey together in person!

Others Who Helped Along the Way—

Ryan Mark
s
—Thank you for understanding the importance of my writing and supporting me with it every single day. And thank you for helping me with Peyton when I was lost in another world
.
Mama Bea
r
—Thank you for being my mama and always being there for me
!
Lee Lard
y
—Thank you for keeping me grounding in the real world and still being by my side!
 
Lauren Blakel
y
—Thank you for the book cover advice and for helping me ogle some serious eye candy
!
Karen Mulle
r
—Thank you for your constant support
!
Sarah Elizabet
h
—Thank you for going through this crazy journey with me!
!
Shelli Machado Godinh
o
—Thank you so much for sharing and promoting me every chance you had and for giving me the motivation to continue you!

**Special Mention**

Congratulations to the winner of “Name Baby Preston,” is …

Maria Wright Phelp
s
for providing the first name, McKinley! 

Lauren Savage-Hartma
n
for providing the middle name, Grey! 

Tracy McKa
y
for providing Karly’s daughter’s name, Melody!

And
a
BI
G
shout out to all of my incredibl
e
Street Tea
m
for supporting to until the last minute!  I love you guys!

Blogs that Helped Along the Way!

Books, Coffee & Wine, A Book Whore’s Obsession, Sharing A Bit of Romance,
Bender Dreamer Girl, Reality Bites! Let’s Get Lost, Book Nerds Anonymous, Crazies R Us Book Blog, Book Reader Chronicles,
Love N Books,
Mommy’s a Book Whore, Mean Girls Luv Books, Books Babes and Cheap Cabernet, Scandalous Book Blog, My Fictional Boyfriend and Book Whore Page, Panty Dropping Book Blog, Rumpled Sheets Book Blog,
Reviews by Tammy and Kim,
Through the Eyes of a Book Goddess, Booky Ramblings, Island Lovelies Book Club, Hook Me Up Book Blog, Eskimo Princess Book Reviews, Bookworm Beauties, Life Becomes Me, The Whispering Pages Book Blog.