Righting Our Wrongs (Paths To Love)
Page 7
Juliana
Six Months Later
“I’m going to Paris.”
Mitch didn’t look up as he spoke and tossed a suitcase in the back of his truck and closed the tailgate.
“You are? When?” Was he serious? We hadn’t been married but a few hours. Suddenly, this felt like déjà vu in reverse.
“Right now.” He swept me into his arms. “And you’re coming with me.”
“What are you talking about? I thought you said there was so much work to do on the ranch that your family couldn’t spare you for a honeymoon.”
“I really sold that sob story, didn’t I? Maybe I should become an actor instead of a vet.” He nuzzled my nose. “We better get going if we’re going to make the flight.”
“Wait. We’re really going to Paris?” I confirmed as he opened the passenger door for me.
“Yep. For two weeks.” He slammed the door in my stunned face.
Alfie ran around from the side of the Jacobs house, waving his arms. “Wait. You almost forgot this.”
He handed Mitch something, which he pocketed. They performed some sort of bro handshake and slapped each other on the back.
“I kinda see why you like the guy,” Mitch said as he slid into the truck.
“What did he give you?”
He flashed a wicked grin. “You’ll see.”
“I can’t believe I’m here with you,” I marveled as we walked along the Seine River.
“Better than your first time?”
Once we’d arrived and begun to explore the city, I realized how much it meant to Mitch for us to experience this together. I’d never doubted how much he loved me, but it had never occurred to me that he needed to give me the things that I wanted, that it simply made him happy.
“So much better.”
We stopped on the bridge called Pont des Arts and took in the view of the river. I ran my fingers over a few of the padlocks attached to the railing.
“What do you think these are?” I asked.
Mitch gazed out at the water. “Love locks.”
I furrowed my brow. I’d never heard of such a thing but was surprised that he had.
He pointed at one. “See. It’s painted with initials. Couples secure the lock here and toss the key in the river. It locks their love forever.”
My breath hitched as he pulled something from his pocket. In his palm rested a lock with a key in it. He held it up for me to see.
“It’s got our initials engraved in it. I figured that was more permanent than paint.”
“Mitch.”
He untangled his fingers from mine and popped the lock before securing it on the bridge.
He pressed the key into my palm. “Lock our love forever, Jules.”
“It already is,” I said before throwing the key. It landed in the water with a gentle splash.
Mitch gathered me in his arms and kissed me until I was breathless.
“How’d you know about this?”
A sheepish smile curved his lips. “Turns out that Alfie isn’t so bad to have around.”
“Alfie? How did he know about the locks and I didn’t?”
Mitch shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“No. I’m glad there was something about Paris you could show me for the first time.” I pecked the corner of his mouth. “I love you forever.”
His answering kiss made my toes curl as I fisted his shirt. “One day, we’ll bring our kids here to show them our love lock,” he said against my mouth.
“That could be a long time from now. Do you think it will still be here?”
“It’ll be here.” He pulled me flush against him. “The question is will you be able to find it when we come back?”
I kissed the corner of his mouth again. “Always. I’ll never forget exactly where it is. And Mitch?”
“Yeah Jules?”
“That lock means we don’t give up on each other again. Promise?”
He touched the lock and then my cheek. “You got yourself a promise.”
Can Mulaney find love? Or is she bound and determined to get in her own way?
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Bonus Scene
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Book Stuff
When we met Mitch and Juliana in Three Dates, they started whispering in our ear that they had a story to tell. And when they showed up again in Heartbreaker, we found out that things hadn’t always been as perfect as they appeared. Instead of learning what happened through Mulaney’s eyes as we planned, Mitch and Juliana were adamant we tell their version of events.
So that’s what we did. And boy are we glad we listened.
Not only did we get to spend a little more time in Texas with the Jacobs, which is always a plus, but we fell a little more in love with two characters who we already knew had their happy ever after.
We also learned an important lesson: when the characters try to tell you something, listen. There’s a reason they’re talking, and if we hadn’t, we’d never have truly seen Mitch and Juliana’s beautiful story come together.
The history of love locks dates back over 100 years, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that they became common worldwide. Righting Our Wrongs is set in the 1990s, and we hope you don’t mind that we took some liberties with the dates. The love lock was just too perfect to symbolize the unbreakable bond between Mitch and Juliana.
This isn’t the last you’ll see of the Jacobs. The whole family, including Daniel and Vivian, are back in Heartbreaker. We caught a glimpse of Mulaney’s soft side in this story. Wonder if she’s still got it?
As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing.
XOXO,
Grahame Claire
Acknowledgments
If you’d have asked us if we thought we could publish three books in four months we’d have said “sure” and then proceeded to hide in the closet curled up in a ball. That’s actually where we’re writing this from.
As always, our families are right there with us. They hang out in the closet with us. Listen to our constant ramblings about characters who exist in the Paths To Love world. Smile and nod when we’re off on a tangent that makes perfect sense to us, but they have no idea what in the world we’re talking about. It’s just another reason we love them so much. They let us be us and give unconditional support.
When we told our editor we wanted to publish this novella, she cracked her knuckles and got right down to work. Angela took what we sent her and really made Mitch and Juliana’s story shine. She’s always with us the whole way, and we’re so grateful for everything she does.
We’re incredibly thankful to our author friends who support us, talk shop with us, and make us laugh. Alessandra Torre, Tia Louise, April White, L Duarte, P Dangelico, Catherine Cowles, Emma Renshaw, and Claudia Burgoa—-each and every one of you are stars.
To our betas—-Jessica, Carol, Stacey, Suebee, Christy, Sabrina, Diane—-these books wouldn’t be where they are without you. This family wouldn’t be what it is without you. Thank you for the time and encourag
ement you give.
This journey has been years in the making. One that at times seemed a crazy risk, but dreams are like that. They don’t come easy and sometimes you get way more than you ever expected. We’ve spent so much time together, sharing ideas, listening to the characters, and writing. More than that, friendship bloomed in the most unlikely of places and though we’ve navigated through so much without a map, it’s a path we’d take every single time.
And to you, the reader, we love every message you send. You get us and have embraced this family as your own. We are eternally grateful for you.
Also by Grahame Claire
PATHS TO LOVE SERIES
It’s Not Over
Three Dates
Righting Our Wrongs
Heartbreaker
Dangerous Redemption
Thick As Thieves
About the Author
A writer. A blogger. United by our love of stories and all things romance. There was definitely some insta-love. Hello? Books involved. A little courting. A lot of writing. The result...Grahame Claire.
Soulmates. Unashamed of our multiple book boyfriends. Especially the ones that rooted in our heads and wouldn’t leave us alone. Don’t worry. We’ll share.
Pleased to meet you.
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