Fighting Silence (41 page)

“Close your eyes, Doodle!”

“I’m carrying a baby, Till!”

“Well, then, give me my baby.” He pulled Blakely from my arms.

She went more than willingly and squealed as he tickled her stomach.

The entire house was empty since we hadn’t moved in yet, but when we entered the large master suite, there were pale-pink curtains drawn over one of the windows.

“I didn’t take you for a pink kind of guy.”

“You know, when we bought this land, I wasn’t completely sold on it. But one look at the view outside of that window and I decided that I never wanted to live anywhere else. Seriously, check it out.” He tilted his head.

I narrowed my eyes at him as I moved toward the window. He held my stare, but a massive smile threatened to split his face.

After one last look over my shoulder, I pushed the curtains back.

I gasped as my hand flew to my mouth and tears made my vision swim.

The other side of that window wasn’t outside at all. It led into a small room laid out exactly like our old abandoned apartment. There were cushions against the wall for a couch, our filing cabinet pantry, and the easel he had built for me years earlier. Till had made a few additions of his own too. There was a table covered by sketchpads, and various art supplies and paints lined a shelf. A picture from our wedding hung on one wall while black-and-white photos of Blakely, Flint, and Quarry covered the other.

“Till,” I whispered, unable to drag my eyes away.

With Blakely in one arm, he wrapped the other around my waist. I swayed back to lean against his chest.

“I know how you feel about doors, so I had them add one in the closet.”

I turned to look up into those hazel eyes and said, “I think I’d rather use the window.”

He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

“This is amazing. I . . . I can’t even tell you how much I love it.”

Using his thumb, he wiped the tears from my cheeks then shrugged. “What can I say? I’m good at fantasy.”

I sucked in a shaky breath as I watched Till Page, my
husband,
hold
our
daughter inside our
home
with pictures of my
family
covering the walls. I couldn’t have asked for more.

“You’re pretty good at reality too.”

The End

The fight’s not over.

Coming Summer 2015

Flint Page is

Fighting Shadows

I hate writing acknowledgements. Seriously, the second I type
The End,
I curl my lip and shake my fists, knowing I have to do this part. It’s not because I don’t have a million people to thank for each and every book, but rather because there are a million people to thank for
each and every book.
I would be absolutely nowhere without the endless support of the indie book community. This includes the readers, bloggers, and authors.

I’m probably going to forget someone. I always do. But that is
not
because I don’t appreciate the endless amount of support that I receive. It’s because I’m writing this with a glass of wine in my hand. Cheers . . . and please forgive me.

These ladies keep my on track and harass me on Facebook when they know I should be writing: Bianca J and Bianca S. I usually just say Bianca and Bianca, but every single person who has ever read my books say, “Is that a typo or do you have two betas named Bianca?” Nope. I have two! And they are invaluable to me.

Then I have my picky betas. These chicks keep me in check on my details: Tracey and Alexis. I know the word ‘picky’ doesn’t sound like a positive thing, but trust me it is the most precious of all traits in a good beta. I love these ladies.

Let’s not forget my sweet beta: Lakrysa. This woman always points out such amazing positives about my books that it fuels my words.

Then . . . oh, lawd . . . my dirty betas: Amie and Miranda. These ladies just joined the team for Fighting Silence and I have never had more fun. They pretend to be innocent, but honestly they are just amazing. I couldn’t love them harder. Don’t worry they will be sticking around. I’ve promised some spankings.

Oh, we can’t forget the crazy beta: Natasha. This chick. . . . THIS. CHICK. She bulldozed her way onto my beta team a few books ago. I’ve never turned back. I love her so much. She makes me laugh and gives me shit for drinking boxed wine. *sip*. We even snuggled at WBW. Be jealous.

Last but not least on the team, we have the real life betas: Ashley and Autumn. I don’t even have words to describe to you how much these ladies ground me on a daily basis. We may fight and roll our eyes, but every day ends with a text and the mornings start bright and early the same way. I love them hardcore.

Let’s talk formatting for a moment. I’ve said it a million times before and I’ll say it again, Stacey Blake is amazing. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this part of the process. You know why? Because working with Stacey is a DREAM! She is prompt, on time, and always available when I start to go crazy because I found a typo the night before release. HAHA!

Oh, and my editors. Lord do these ladies know how to polish a potato. (I hate the word turd. SHIT! I said it anyway.) Mickey and Claire. You ladies are top shelf.

The final proofreaders: Gina and Danielle. These are the ladies who make sure I don’t screw up the edits. (Which I usually do!) I can’t even begin to tell you how much they improved this book. Isn’t that right, Danielle? It was almost the Flinter fiasco of 2015.

I need you all to strap on your imagination cap for a minute. Now, in reality, I’m holding my glass in the air. Pretend you are here with me because I need to tell you about some amazing ladies.

M. “Mo” Mabie is one of the most incredibly talented ladies I have ever met. I don’t mean only because she writes amazing books though. Mo excels at being an amazing friend too. Her heart is always in the right place, and her mouth can move at exceptional speeds at one a.m. while plotting books via Facebook messenger. I can honestly say that Till Page wouldn’t be who he is today without her. Better yet . . . I wouldn’t be the author I am today without her. Okay okay, I’m getting sappy. Yes, we MIGHT have a lady love affair going, but I’ll always be the top! *Flirty wink* DS for life! <3

Erin Noelle is another on of those magical people who make this author thing the best job ever. This time last year I would have fangirled her . . . Oh wait, I totally did that. Now, I can honestly call her a friend. She still thinks I’m weird, and I still stare at her boobs like a creeper, but I’m okay with that. Hopefully she is too!

Chelle Bliss. This freaking woman. I know there is a (hopefully) humorous exchange in this book that goes like this . . .

“If you have a problem, I solve it—”

“That’s actually Vanilla Ice.”

Well, guess what? Chelle Bliss is officially Vanilla Ice. No matter how big or how small my question, Chelle is always there with an answer. And if she doesn’t have the answer, she will call you a dirty name and tell you to Google it. HAHA! I love her so much!

Alissa S: What in the world would I do without her? She is a fantastic PA who keeps my butt in line and holds down the fort when I spend weeks locked away in the cave. I’m insanely lucky to have her and also be able to call her a friend.

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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