Goodbye Secrets (The Lost & Found Series book #2) (57 page)

“Ray is looking at you like you have five heads. You just prayed out loud, in French, at the hospital.”

“Well, that outta be a good ego boost for you!” I laugh.

“Yeah, a bit.”

I feel a strange feeling coming over me.

“Grayson.” I can hear the fear and panic in my own voice.

“We only have a few moments, Becca. Maybe five.” He grasps my face.

“Come ... I want a last dance with you.” I jump out of bed, pulling him with me. Grayson and I would dance all the time, with or without music. One of my most favorite memories. He pulls me into his arms and slowly we begin to move to “I Wish You Love” by Nat King Cole. We stare into each other’s eyes, absorbing the words into our hearts. I feel as if I’m fading in and out.

“Becca, I love you, sweetheart. Have a good life, and remember—I
will
wait for you.” He kisses me.

“I love you, Grayson. I will always love you. Thank you for loving me, for our daughter, for helping me to find my way.” I cry and kiss him over and over.

“I will see you soon, sweetheart. Thank you for loving an arrogant bastard like me.”

“My beautiful British bastard.” I smile against his lips.

“Ugh, I was so close!” He laughs. I fade out and back. “Goodbye, Becca. I love you. I love you, sweetheart.” He tries to hold onto me.

“I love you. I will see you later. I love you ... I love you, Gray.” One last kiss—it’s intense, and softens slowly.

I open my eyes to Ray’s stormy ones.

GOODBYE UNCERTAINTY

Coming April 2014

BECCA Campbell was lost for seven years, until an unexpected person from her past came back into her life and unveiled the truth.

This truth has set her free.

If only it were that easy.

Knowing what she now knows, Becca must come to grips with reality. She has to fight for the man she loves. The man she is meant to be with.

Becca, very sure of her path, needs to get him to say goodbye to uncertainty.

What happens, though, when uncertainty with her is all he’s ever known?

I’d like to thank my family, especially my three beautifully amazing children. You are the best chapters in my story.

Thank you to the ladies at Bare Naked Words Author Services, who have been my rock through my journey thus far. Extra hugs and crazy dances to Wendy Shatwell, Claire Allmendinger, and Nicola Spears. You have become such very dear friends to me.

Jennifer Bedet, the count is in! I would like to thank you 37 times for all of your love and support. My life has been richer and a hell of a lot more fun with you in it.

Becky Carnahan, thank you for cheering me on and grabbing the next ridiculously large binder with the next book and always wanting more! I am blessed to call you my friend.

A special thank-you to Olivia Luck, K. Webster, Ella Fox, Elle Jefferson, Kelly Collins, and Courtney Cross for always giving me their support, friendship, and wipe-the-tears-away laughter!

To all of my friends that have supported me—thank you!

I am very blessed to belong to a wonderful group of authors called the
Indie Romance Author Chicks
. Since I teamed up with these girls (way before there were so many of us and we actually had a name), my life has been fuller than ever with laughter, love, support, friendship, and many, many distractions (
squirrel!
). I’m so grateful to know you, write alongside you (figuratively), and consider some of you my dearest friends. I’m looking forward to our future as a team and individuals!

So much love to my newly formed Street Team, The G-Team! I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you and working with you! Thank you for loving my characters so much and wanting to get the word out!

All of the bloggers who have championed
Goodbye Caution
, words can’t describe how grateful I am to all of you! Thank you!

And finally, the people who helped me put together this rather large book for you!

My editor—Jess Huckins, you are stuck with me, lady! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I may write the words, but you make them shine! I adore you and the laughter you bring me with your editorial comments!

My cover designer—Robin Harper, also stuck with me! I’m so looking forward to future beautiful creations by you!

My formatter—Stacey Blake, you’re in the same boat as the last two! I adore you even though you laugh at me when I’m getting hit with snowstorms while you’re enjoying your lovely Florida weather! :)

Want to see what I’m up to? You can stalk me here at these spots!

Twitter: @JacquelynAyres

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Goodbye Secrets

SOUTHERN SEDUCTION BOX SET

Coming April 14, 2014

FROM THESE LADIES OF I.R.A.C.

N.A. Alcorn

Jacquelyn Ayres

Kelly Collins

Laurel Ulen Curtis

Ella Fox

Elle Jefferson

Mo Mabie

Aly Martinez

Stacey Mosteller

Rochelle Paige

Tessa Teevan

K. Webster

A SNEAK PEEK

SWEET SOUTHERN SORROW

By Tessa Teevan

Prologue

August 2008

As I walk across campus at UC-Berkeley, I feel like I need to pinch myself. I’m so out of place here in San Francisco, but I also blend right in with the other eager college freshman, ready to start this new chapter of our lives. I’ve only been here for three days, and I’m still finding it hard to believe that I, Cheyenne Hamilton, small-town transplant from Shiloh Grove, Georgia, am approximately 2,463 miles away from home—not that I’d call it that. Ever since my Daddy died, God rest his soul, I’ve been counting down the days and measuring the miles until I could get away from my mama and start over in Daddy’s hometown.

Walking back to my dorm, a small flock of black birds fly over my head and I’m reminded that I wasn’t always so anxious to get here. I was only eight years old when Daddy died, and I’ll never forget the day I gave him a goodbye kiss as he was about to board the Navy ship in Charleston. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead, wiping away the tears that were falling from my eyes.

“Hey, Birdie, don’t cry,” he said, calling me his favorite nickname, and I giggled, always loving it. “I won’t be gone too long. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Sniffing, I didn’t believe his words, but I wanted to be a big girl for him, so I forced myself to stop crying. “I know, Daddy. I’m just going to miss you while you’re on the big ship.”

He kissed the top of my head as he looked behind me. “Look, Birdie, over there. Do you see it?”

Turning to follow where his hand pointed, I saw the tiny bird with blue tinted feathers resting on a post near the ship’s entrance. I immediately identified it as a swallow, our favorite.

“It’s a swallow, Daddy! It’s good luck!” I exclaimed, remembering all the tales he’d told me.

Nodding, he swooped me up into his arms and twirled me around before setting me back on the ground. “You’re right, baby, it’s a swallow. And what does a swallow represent?”

Reciting the words I’ve heard many times, “One swallow takes you from me, and two will bring you back. As long as you have the swallow, forever we won’t lack. And in the spring, when the swallows appear, I’ll always know that you are near.”

The smile that he gave me is etched forever in my memory, the last smile I ever saw from him. “Bravo, Birdie! The swallows are about to fly south for the winter, but soon they’ll be back. And I’ll be right behind them, okay?”

Sighing, I knew that it was it. He was about to leave and I had to say goodbye. I remember trying my hardest not to let my tears fall, to make my daddy proud, showing him that I was a big girl. It wasn’t until the ship went out of view and I could no longer see his waving figure that I finally broke down.

And that was the last time I saw my daddy.

Shaking the memory out of my head, I jog up the steps to my dorm, hoping that Corinna, my roommate, is gone for the night. Don’t get me wrong, so far she seems pretty great, but she’s the polar opposite of me. Bubbly, cheerful, ready to make friends and meet college boys. Me? I’m depressed, heartbroken, and even though this should be the happiest time of my life, I’m miserable as hell. All because of Sawyer.

I’m happy when I go into my dorm and see that it’s empty. Turning on my I-Feel-Like-Crying playlist, I curl up on my bed when Carrie Underwood’s “The Night Before Life Goes On” comes on. As much as I want to resist, I lean down and grab the photo album from under my bed. Fingers trembling, heart racing, somehow, I gather up the courage to open it up, my heart stopping when my eyes fall on the first picture. It’s Sawyer, wearing worn jeans and cowboy boots, nothing else. The strong muscles in his back are rippling, and his tan is sexy as hell. He’s grooming a dark chocolate mare, but his eyes are on me, his smile wide. Closing my eyes, I can remember that day, and the tears fall immediately, even though I try to hold them in. It isn’t until I hear the door open and close that I open my eyes, but it’s too late.

She walks over to me, but I shut the album and put it under my pillow before she can grab it.

Sitting down on my bed, she looks at me with soft eyes. “I’d ask if you’re okay, Cheyenne, but I can tell that you aren’t. Get your ass out of this bed. We’re going out.”

I start to protest, but she glares daggers at me. “I am not taking no for an answer. This is supposed to be the best time of our lives, yet you’ve been doing nothing but moping since we got here. Get up. Get dressed. You have fifteen minutes,” she tells me, walking out the door without another word.

A few hours and many, many beers later, we’re walking down the street when Cori’s eyes light up. She turns to me and grins. “This is a new chapter in our lives, Cheyenne. Let’s commemorate it with a little ink.”

I don’t know if it’s the beer or the freedom, but something about Cori’s idea sounds tempting, even if I had a minor freak out last time I was in a tattoo shop. We wander towards the shop, the door chiming as we walk in. She sets about looking through the hundreds of pages of tattoo ideas when the tattoo artist asks me if I know what I want. I think of Sawyer with amazing clarity and immediately know how I want to mark my body. Telling him my idea, he smiles and leads me back to a sterile room, prompting me to hold my foot out.

A few minutes later, Cori joins us and her eyes widen as she watches him work. “That’s beautiful, Cheyenne. Does that have something to do with why you’ve been so mopey since I’ve met you?”

I shrug, not really wanting to get into it, but she doesn’t let it go. As I admire the black ink on my foot, my eyes well up at the symbolism. “What happened to you, Cheyenne? Why are you so sad?”

Looking up at her, I blame the alcohol for what I’m about to admit. “I fell head over heels in love this summer.”

She wrinkles her eyebrows and gives me a strange look. “And that’s a problem?”

Sighing, I have no idea why I answer, but for once, I finally let it out. “The problem is… he’s my stepbrother.”

A SNEAK PEEK

ROCK COUNTRY

By K. Webster

Prologue

“Bobby!” she screeched, running from me. The poor girl was terrified of bugs, which only made me want to terrorize her more. Her blonde pigtails bounced as she tore off down the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her. I would catch her because I always did. Being two years older and a boy, I could always beat her at everything. She hated every second of it.

“I told ya not to run, June Bug! You know you ain’t faster than me,” I hollered as I got closer. When she took a sharp turn off the dirt road and pumped her way into the field, I momentarily lost the gain I had on her.

“Leave me alone, ya big meanie!” She was slowing, spent from the chase, so I picked up my speed. Now, I know it ain’t right to hurt a girl but June isn’t a regular girl. June’s my best friend. We’ve been close ever since her and her momma moved into the trailer on the edge of our land when she was just six and me eight. My Momma and Daddy rented it out to make extra money. Four years later and she still hadn’t learned she couldn’t outrun me. I was Bobby Acer, fastest boy in school.