Left Together (45 page)
Authors: D.J. Pierson
“Everything
is perfect.” I cross the room and carefully climb into bed with them. I snuggle
next to my husband, resting my head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of my
head as I rest my hand on his arm that’s holding Emma. “What happened to
putting her in the bassinet and unpacking my bags?”
“I
tried, but when I picked her up, I touched her little fingers and she grabbed
onto my thumb. I couldn’t put her down after that.” I look down to see she
still has hold of him.
I
giggle. “You realize you’re in trouble, right? She’s only a few days old and
she already has you doing exactly what she wants.”
“Sweetheart,
I’ve been in trouble since the night you sat down at my bar. This is nothing.”
“You’re
the one who gave the guy the free beer, remember?”
“And
I’ve never regretted it. I never will, either,” he says, grinning. “I was
thinking about getting another tattoo. Would you mind?”
“No,”
I answer too quickly. “Well, it depends on what it is and where.”
“I
want Emma’s handprint over my heart.”
“How
sweet is that?” These damn hormones need to knock this shit off. I’m so tired
of the waterworks pouring from my eyes every time I turn around. “Is that to
remind yourself how much you love her when she’s a teenager running from boys
who chase her into mall dressing rooms?”
“She’s
not
going to the mall unsupervised. Ever. And the reminder isn’t for me.
It’s for her. I’ll never forget how much I love either of you.”
“We’re
the luckiest girls in the world.”
“Damn
right you are!” he says, leaning over to seal my mouth with his. When he pulls
away, we both glance down to see a pair of open eyes.
“I
think we just got caught.”
Evan
smiles. “It won’t be the last time. You know I’ll never stop kissing you.”
“You
better not.”
“I
love the shit out of you.”
I
laugh and think how long it’s been since the first time he said that to me. “I
love you, too.”
“You
and me.”
“You
and me. Always and forever.”
The End
It’s only fair that Jake
Quinn gets a turn to tell his side of the story…
Left Out
Coming soon
When I was twelve-years-old, I fell in love
with the girl next door. Well, she didn't actually live there at the time, but
she was there more than she wasn’t. I say I fell, but what I mean is I tripped
and stumbled head first. Hard. Really fucking hard. It was good, old-fashioned
love at first sight that grew deeper every time I saw her. It was the kind of
love that stays with you for a lifetime.
From the first time I met Kacie Foster, there
was something about her that drew me in. Maybe it was how cute she looked with
her hair in pigtails. Or it could have been the way she smiled. Hell, it was
probably the way her eyes sparkled when we played in our backyards. I knew she
was sad a lot and I hated it. Every damn time she had to leave Gram's to go
back to her parents’ house, I'd find her crying. I can't even begin to explain
how that shit tore me up inside.
As we got older, I noticed other guys began
paying attention to her, as well. At first, I tried to keep them away, but that
only made her more interested in them. So, once high school came around, I
learned to just leave the situation alone. Kacie would quickly get tired of how
they acted, and we'd be hanging out again in no time. My world would be right
again.
Despite moving in with Gram permanently, I knew
Kacie needed to get out of Tampa. A four year break from her parents would do
her good and she'd come home refreshed. More importantly, she'd be at a better
place in her life and we could finally discuss our feelings. I knew she loved
me, but I didn’t know to what extent.
After all those years of waiting for the
perfect time, I was finally going to get my chance. I counted the days until
she came home from college for the summer. She hadn't done that since she
started. The whole last week, I paced in my room at night because I couldn't
sleep. I was too excited to sit still. When the day finally came, I was able to
ring the doorbell of the house next door and she answered. She was back and,
apparently, staying for good. Since she was going to be hanging around, I figured
I could hold off on talking to her. However, that was the biggest mistake of my
life.
I never saw my worst nightmare headed straight
for me. It was about to crush my whole world and I never even fucking saw it
coming. Honestly, I thought her having an interest in Evan Pierce was going to
help me. Evan motherfucking Pierce. Bad boy breaks her heart and she comes
running back to me, right? That's how it worked in the past. Only, this time,
it didn't. She fell in love and, even worse, so did he. I held out hope that
he'd fuck up. The one time he did, I took my shot and failed. I fucking failed
because he owned her heart. I know exactly how that feels because she owns
mine.
I'll never be able to let her go completely.
That would kill me. Whatever she gives me, I'll take. She wants to be my best
friend, I'll be the best fucking best friend she's ever had. But my question is
what the fuck do I do now? What do I do now that I've been left out?
Coming soon
To my husband, Jason:
Thank you for all of your love and support. I know sometimes it seems like I’m
a million miles away. Maybe I am, but knowing you’re always here when I come
back means the world to me. A special thank you for providing the inspiration
for the relationship between my two main characters. If anyone can pull off
sarcasm and name calling as love and affection, it’s us. Thank you for
everything! Love you, Always & Forever!
To my kiddies, Kaitlyn
and Nicholas: There are no words to explain how much I love you both. Every day,
you fill my life with joy and pride. Thank you for loving me back. Remember to
always reach for the stars and always strive for your hopes and dreams. OXOX
To all of my Beta
Readers: A simple thank you will never be enough for everything all of you do
for me. I love each of you dearly and will always cherish your friendship. Beta
reading, especially for me, isn’t as easy as it sounds. The way you’re able to
still tolerate me after all of this is absolutely amazing. Cara, where do I
even begin? It feels like you worked as hard on this as I did. Not only with
your revisions, but also the constant chatting over ideas on how to make this story
better. The most important thing to me is that we were able to finish this
together. It wouldn’t have been complete without you. Briana, I’d apologize for
talking your ear off about this story, but there’s really no point. You demanded
to know where things were going, so I told you. It was only fair to then
torture you for your opinion. You loved it! I know you did. Terri, thank you so
much for reading along and helping me out. I loved getting your responses to
the chapters. Tammy, I’m so glad you offered to join this group of people who
help me almost daily. The knowledge you brought was priceless. Your excitement
was contagious and usually just what I needed to keep going. Getting your
emails always made my day. Kellie, even though you tried to get me to steer the
storyline in the direction of your liking, repeatedly, I’m so happy to have
added you as a beta. You made this journey a blast and memorable for me. Thanks
for all the ideas. Colleen and Michelle, thank you for reading and offering
help when it was needed.
To all of my family
and friends who have offered encouragement: Your kind words are truly
appreciated and will never be forgotten.
To my cover designer, Samantha
Bagood: Thank you for working on this series with me and creating the beautiful
covers.
To my editor, Kim
Young: Thank you for all of the hard work you put into my “baby” and for making
it a million times better than it was!
A special thank you
to
Halos and Horns Book Blog:
Tara and Tracie,
the
incredible amount of support you
give little authors
like me is appreciated more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for everything you
both do on a daily basis.
To the many other book
blogs and other authors I’ve met along the way: I
’m
so glad we’ve crossed p
aths. Thank you for
your continued support!
THANK YOU to everyone
who reads this story. I truly hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I
enjoyed telling it.
Coming
Soon
Subtle
Reminders
Left
Out: Left Behind #3
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
D.J. Pierson graduated
from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2002 with a degree in Radiologic
Technology. While she will claim to be more of an obsessed reader than a writer,
she decided to share a few stories of her own. She currently resides in New
Jersey with her husband, their two children, and two dogs.
For more information
:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-J-Pierson/547669458607713
Email:
[email protected]
Ts
ū
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https://www.tsu.co/DJPierson
Twitter:
@AuthorDJPierson