Kept (35 page)

I returned his smile. “Thank you for understanding.”

As I settled into the seat and turned my head to look at Thorn more directly, I knew pain still loomed in the future. He still had a blackened wound on his soul that would eventually eat away at him, and even though I now had him back, I knew our time together would be all too brief. All because of me.

Dark thoughts threatened to creep further into me, but I pushed them away. I’d won a major victory tonight. Thorn was all mine, and I planned to have it that way. If I kept my wits about me and quickly found a solution to his problem, I could keep him forever.

And I
would
find a way to save him. One thing I knew for sure was that the Stravinskys never backed down when it came to family.

As Thorn pulled out of the parking lot, he smiled and tapped the steering wheel to Creedence Clearwater Revival belting out “Midnight Special.” “I know you’re tired and all, but I have an important question to ask you,” he said. “How the hell do we live with my stuff and your ornaments?”

I snorted—and it even hurt to do that. “Oh, we’ll make it work. You’ll make room after you see this adorable red and green bra and panties set I’ve been dying to show you.”

He appeared somewhat satisfied with my response and flashed me a wide grin. “I think with those kinds of terms, I’m more than willing to find some space.”

To Ade, Deji, and Ronke,
I love you and thanks for
not burning the house down
while I wrote this book.

Acknowledgments

Coveted
was a wild ride, but
Kept
even more so.

First of all, I have to thank my husband, Segun, and my kids. Your patience and willingness to eat out and take care of yourselves when I’m busy writing is appreciated. Also, I have to thank my mother as well as my extended family, who have offered their support and time. I’ll never forget your kindness. To my critique partner-in-crime, Sarah Bromley, you’re the best support system a gal could have. Huge thanks go to Amanda Bonilla for quickly reading
Kept
and offering critical feedback that helped make my manuscript shine.

To my critique partners Amanda Berry, Dawn Blankenship, Kristi Lea, and Jeannie Lin, you ladies rock! Thanks for supporting my work and keeping me in line.

I have to express my gratitude to my agent, Jim McCarthy. Jim, you make me want to work harder to be the best. I appreciate that. You ride the keep-it-real train and I value your advice.

Kept
is such a great book thanks to my editorial team at Del Rey/Ballantine! First of all, an enthusiastic high five goes to my editor, Tricia Narwani. Tricia, you have a great eye for editing and I’ve learned
so
much from you! Thank you for having faith in me and my work. Thanks also goes to Mike Braff for his hard work.

My fabulous cover is astounding! Huge thanks go to Gene Mollica and the design team at Random House for
such a mesmerizing cover. I’m still staring at it on most days.

Thanks to my Magic & Mayhem Writers blog sisters: Amanda Bonilla, Amanda Carlson, Nadia Lee, and Sandy Williams. You’re a cheering squad that makes the journey a less bumpy one. Also, I’m so appreciative of the ladies of Missouri RWA for reading the opening of
Kept
and giving me wonderful feedback. Several authors have also given their valuable time to read
Coveted
and I want to thank them: Angie Fox, Michelle Rowen, and Ann Aguirre. Maggie Mae Gallagher, I will remember what you told me when we had our “talk.” Thank you for your words. Another round of thanks goes to Tom Czuppon.

And finally, to the two laptops I’ve pretty much destroyed as I wrote my first two books, you were good while you lasted, but I guess not good enough. The 4-key that popped off had it coming and got what it deserved.