Whatever Love Means
Page 23
“Why would you do that?”
“To spend more time with you. Pick up where we left off, and build the life we should’ve had.” His heart was thumping in his chest, every nerve ending on alert as he watched the crease between Maggie’s brows relax and a dimple form in her cheek. She had a stupid grin on her face as she lifted a cocktail off of a passing server’s tray.
She took a sip. “There are no do-overs in life,” she said, smacking her lips together.
“There can be if you give me a chance.”
“Nope. There are no do-overs. But there can be start-overs.” She tossed her cocktail at him. Travis stumbled back, glancing down at his drink-soaked shirt.
“What the hell?”
She dabbed her cocktail napkin against his shirt. “Oh, my, did I do that? I’m so sorry.” Her voice was high pitched, like that of a young girl. “I didn’t mean to splash that on you.”
Just like all those years ago, his eyes found hers, and his heart swelled.
“I’m Maggie Timbrook. What’s your name?”
He cleared his throat, fighting back a laugh. “Travis Kane.”
“Hi, Travis. Nice to meet you. I’m real sorry about your shirt.”
“You owe me.”
“Do I? What do I owe you?”
“I guess you’ll have to go out with me as payback for ruining my shirt.”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
Travis scooped her into his arms, lifting her off her feet. “You witch,” he murmured against her lips.
“Is that any way to talk to the woman you love?”
“Yeah, I love you, God help me. I guess I should be glad you threw that drink on me. I thought you would throw me overboard.”
“No, not a chance.” Maggie kissed him long and hard with her arms wrapped tight around his neck. “I love you, too, Trav. Always have.”
“You don’t have any other men waiting in the wings you plan to marry, do you?”
“Not this time.”
“What about me?”
“I was kind of hoping to take it slow. Date a few years. Get reacquainted.”
“We’ve lost too many years already.”
She laid her warm hand against his cheek, her feet dangled against his shins. He wouldn’t put her down until she gave him an answer. “Well, how about it? Marry me, Maggie.”
Still she didn’t respond. Her soft gaze was locked on his, and her fingers tickled the back of his neck. She finally answered with a long, slow, sensuous kiss that had probably caught the attention of the crowd. He didn’t care. The woman he loved was in his arms, right where she belonged.
The kissed ended, and she gave him the sweetest smile. “Okay.”
“Okay? You’ll marry me?”
She kissed him quick and smiled so big his heart swelled to bursting. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Two days from now in Jamaica. How does that sound?”
“You won’t get an argument from me.”
Acknowledgments
On a summer night at a beach resort pub, over crab cakes and cold beer, a long-time friend of mine—I’ll call her Sid—shocked me with the news that she and her first husband had reunited. They had been divorced for nearly thirty years. Just like Maggie and Travis, they had been teenagers when they married and became parents. Too young and unprepared to face the responsibilities of raising their child together, they soon split. But through the years they remained friendly. I was drawn in by their rekindled love story and asked if I could write something based on their experience.
Readers of the Whatever series have grown to love the small West Virginia town and its compelling characters. No other secondary character has grabbed their hearts (or mine) like Travis—the “good ol’ boy” who first approached Kate in the grocery store produce section in Whatever You Say. Travis needed his own story.
When Maggie appeared on the scene in Stay Hidden, I knew there was a story behind her harried, stressed-out life, and her work with the women’s abuse network. Readers will remember that she had helped Riley, who had been on the run from an abusive boyfriend, get settled in Highland Springs, and had given her a job at Beautiful Blooms.
So, when I decided to write a second-chance romance, I immediately thought of Travis and Maggie. Even though Whatever Love Means was inspired by Sid, the stories are very different.
Thanks to Jessica Snyder, my editor, for her insight and suggestions in developing this story, and for her amazing editing skills.
Thank you Shona Andrew, my cover designer from “across the pond,” for creating the loveliest covers for the Whatever series.
Thanks to Kaci Walther, my hair stylist, for helping me decide how best to cut off Travis’s dreadlocks.
My friend Holli Lindenfelser, BSN, is my go-to expert for medical questions. Thanks again, Holli.
My amazing, dedicated readers deserve a huge thank you! You’ve always been so supportive of me, writing reviews and spreading the word about my books. You’re the best!
Thank you to my husband, Pat, my biggest cheerleader and advertiser, and to my children, Tom and Liza. And thank you to Napoleon, my deaf French bulldog, who gives me a few hours each day to work while he naps.
And, most importantly, thank you, Sid, for sharing your most personal story.
Thank You
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About the Author
Leigh Fleming creates unique characters facing life’s challenges, but who are always rewarded with their happy ending. Her latest release, Whatever Love Means, is part of her contemporary romance Whatever series, which is mostly set in her home state of West Virginia. She also writes romantic suspense with her Hidden series published by Soul Mate Publishing. Stay Hidden won the Lone Star Writing Contest for romantic suspense in 2017.
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Leigh lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia, with her husband, Patrick, and her deaf French bulldog, Napoleon, and is mom to adult children, Tom and Liza. When she’s not writing in her windowless office, she enjoys reading, travelling, scrapbooking, and spending time with friends.
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Contact Leigh at leigh@leighfleming.com