Wanting Reed (Break Me) BOOK 2 (66 page)
“Doll.” Reed stops, sensing the tension in my body. He turns to face me, tilting my chin up with his hand. His eyes are sincere and kind. “This has to be hard for you, but you know that we can always come back here, whenever you want. I know how much your family and Tyler mean to you. We’re not leaving them; we’re just making our own way together.”
“Yesterday was the best day of my life with you,” I whisper, glancing up at him tenderly as my heart hammers in my chest. “You make me so happy.”
“Baby,” he says affectionately, pulling me into his strong arms. “You are number one to me. You will always come first.” He pulls back and steadies his gaze on me. “I will never deny you anything.”
My body relaxes at the sound of his words. “Last night at the beach was just the beginning.” I stare into his steely blue eyes as I fist his shirt and pull him closer to me.
“There is no end to us, doll.” He curls his lip and winks. “Now, it’s just convincing your family and Tyler that I’m the man for the job.”
“Oh, you’re more than good enough,” I say in a reassuring voice as I open the door. “I have the final say, anyways,” I whisper, clutching his hand.
As we step inside, we can overhear Jace complaining about the Red Sox pitching staff with Tyler and my dad. I swear if playing professional sports doesn’t pan out for him, he should totally get a job with ESPN. The New York Yankees signed Tyler to a minor league contract in the June draft. Go figure. I am one happy Yankee fan and very happy for Tyler
knowing that he has been working toward this since he was a boy. Travis and Karlie are getting married next weekend, right before we move to Texas, which could have not worked out more perfectly. Attending her wedding is more exciting for me now since I will be planning my own wedding soon.
“Damn, I hope they go easy on me.” He takes a deep, shaky breath and runs his hand through his hair, peeking down the hallway and back down at me. “I’ve got this,” he mumbles under his breath.
“You do,” I whisper as I lace my hand in his. My heart beats wildly in my chest. “Are you ready?” I glance up at my future husband, the love of my life, the one I almost let go, but who fought his way back to me.
“Like I said, baby, I’ll do anything for you.” He rests his forehead against mine and gazes into my eyes. “
Anything
,” he emphasizes, gently placing a kiss onto my lips.
“I love you, Mr. Austin.”
“I love you, the future Mrs. Reed Austin.”
It has been a crazy few months writing
Wanting Reed
under a very tight deadline, that of course, I placed upon myself. I never, ever, ever, ever imagined I’d write one book, let alone a second, but I did, so now it is time to thank all the wonderful people who helped me along the way, who kept me on track, who kicked my ass, and who called me to cheer me up when I was ready to give up. I love you all for your encouraging words and your friendship. Here we go! If I missed you, it’s only on paper and not in my heart! Thank you! Thank you!
I have to give a special thank you to all the girls and author groups I belong to, especially the Indie Authors, Indie Gals, and ANGTFT. Thank you for listening and sharing your experiences and your knowledge. Without these groups, I wouldn’t know half of the stuff I know about the Indie World. You amazing ladies have changed my life for the better with your support, excitement, humor, and friendship. I sincerely cannot thank you enough! I love you all for being there for me and making my journey enjoyable and fun!
Jennifer Benson – You are a beta extraordinaire, friend, writer and just a super, super sweet chick with the most contagious laugh. Thanks for your genius, talent and love and sticking with me through my second book! I love you tons!
Chelle C. Craze (AKA my Pickle) - With the sweetest little voice and the weirdest sleep schedule, we always seemed to find each other online at the perfect time when I needed someone to talk to. I love you so much!
Mia Michelle - What can I say? I cannot say how thankful I am to have crossed paths with you recently! We clicked immediately! It is hard to find a fellow writer that you can trust and who shares the same ideals and dreams. You’re a gift and came at just the right time, and you’re an amazingly talented and inspiring writer! I love you for telling me how it is and believing in my writing!! I love you, woman!
Thank you, ladies, for reminding me why I love my fellow Indie Authors. I feel lucky to be experiencing this brave new world with you! I would be lost without each one of you. You all brought something special to the table that has helped me through this process. I appreciate your support! Words are not enough to express my gratitude to all of you.
To all my betas, my clean reader Malinda Boyd Burchett, and all the ladies in my street team!! You all know who you are. Thank you for your time and feedback. You helped mold my story and were not afraid to tear it apart, which only made it better! I don’t know what I would have done without you for all these months! I am forever indebted to you! You ladies rock!
To Angela Page - You are a freaking ass-kicker extraordinaire and a rock star! Thank you for all your little catches and pointing out some obvious things I’d forgotten! And for all the nights you stayed up late and made yourself available when I was stuck and needed words of encouragement, and of course, the photos that you sent to help inspire me! I could always count on you since you were always up reading a book until 2am! You helped me make the book better, and I appreciate it so much! <3 I cannot thank you enough, damnit!
Jennifer Diaz - You are a super duper beta. Thank you for your help, opinions and suggestions, your passion for reading, your friendship and sticking with me. I appreciate your support!
Thank you to my editor, Paige Maroney Smith, who took my awesome story and cleaned it up and made it sparkle! And for all the times you talked me off the ledge during the home stretch and believing in my story and feeling the characters when I was completely losing my mind!
Thank you to the uber-talented Robin Harper from Wicked By Design for the AWESOME cover! Thank you for listening and seeing my vision and putting up with me and my craziness! You do the most amazing work!
Thank you to my family and friends for your continued support and belief in me. You all know who you are.
A few bloggers deserve an extra special thanks for their support! Hooked on Books, Endless Books, Kitty Kat’s Crazy About Books, TalkBooks, The Whispering Pages Book Blog, Love Between the Sheets, Ms. ME28 Blogspot and Stories and Swag! I love you ladies so much for spreading the word about my books! I am so grateful to all of you!
Antoinette Candela is a little shy with a larger than life personality. Suffering from Peter Pan syndrome, she refuses to grow up. She finds inspiration for her writings from everyday life, through her fun and quirky interactions with friends and family and the drama that never ceases to disappoint. One thing is for certain, Antoinette lives by her own rules. As a Bostonian she loves the Yankees and is proud to wear her “I Love Derek Jeter “T-shirt. You can catch Antoinette on the beach soaking in the rays, but when the rumble of the thunderstorm rolls in, she’s curled up with a book or tapping away on her keyboard.
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