Under The Willows (Jackson Bay #1)

by Ciara Shayee

  His smile widens. “I wasn’t looking to fall in love, but at some point, you aimed those gorgeous gray eyes at me and smiled, and holy shit, did I blow it, short stuff. I read this quote…‘and in the middle of my chaos, there was you.’ I know this has all been a whirlwind and it’s fast by some people’s standards, but that quote is us, Piper. It’s you and me and these crazy little boys, and I want it to carry on being us, forever.” Closing his eyes for a moment, he stuns me breathless when he opens them again.

  The sheer intensity of love shining back at me is flawless and fathomless. “Look at Arlo’s sweater, Piper.”

  Momma, will you marry Easy?

  “You’re such a cheater,” I whisper around the lump in my throat. “You’re supposed to ask the question yourself, not get our four-year-old to do it.”

  “Well,” he chuckles, opening the ring box with a quiet click. I can’t drag my eyes away from his face to look at its contents. “I figured you can never say ‘no’ to Arlo, so…”

  Shaking my head as the boys giggle and Arlo does a fist-pump, I set my own smile free. “As if I could ever say ‘no’ to you, either.”

  His eyes widen, the fairy lights twisted between the branches of the willow tree illuminating the hope burning within them. “Does that…are you saying…”

  “Momma!” Arlo finally explodes, too excited as he and his brothers close the gap between us. “Will you marry Easy? Tell us or I’m gonna give you another cross on your chart.”

  There’s only one answer, really. I definitely don’t want another cross on my reward chart, although I don’t know what could be a better treat than this.

  “Ask me,” I whisper.

  Kellan sniffs, then exhales a big breath and fixes his bright gaze on mine. “Short stuff, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” I breathe without hesitation, overcome by the magnitude of that one little word. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  I hear Jude’s whoop and the boys’ cheers, but it’s Kellan’s sigh of relief as he slams his lips against mine and swoops me into his arms like something out of a fairytale that hits me right in the heart.

  Pulling back with a silly giggle and tears pouring freely over our cheeks, I cup his precious face in my hands and realize…that’s exactly what this is. The very thing I never knew I was looking for but managed to find anyway.

  My fairytale happily ever after.

  Acknowledgements

  Although writing this book came easier than any other, it wasn’t without its own unique challenges, but I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful group of people who are always on hand to help me when I need them.

  Pam, I’m so grateful to not only be able to call you my editor, but also my friend. It seems so crazy to me that I’ve only known you for three years. It feels like I’ve known you forever. I can always count on you to be there, whether it’s just for a chat or to help me out of a writing rut. Thank you for being you! Meeting you in person for the first time ever last year was one of the best days of my life—I can’t wait to see you again in just a few short months.

  Stef, thank you for offering your expertise and support. I can honestly say I didn’t get to just meet one friend from across the pond when you and your mum flew over, I got to meet two. I know I’ve found a fellow ‘dog mum’ in you, and you can never have too many dog mum friends.

  Kerstin, I feel blessed to be able to say that I’ve met you in person now, too—although I’m still mortified that I didn’t recognize you at first sight! Thank you for your insights, your endless support, and your friendship.

  Alex, thank you for being funny, sarcastic, beautiful you. Some of the memories that bring me the most joy are of you pulling your ‘you’re being ridiculous face’ as we strolled around London. You and I were the OG Teeny Tiny TFMUers and I’ll never forget that. Keep killin’ it, girl. And keep writing!

  Amelia, thank you so much for giving up your time and sharing your insight with me. It’s been an honor to welcome you to the team. And Edith, you won’t be old enough to read this book for quite a few years yet, but thank you for inspiring a few of Arlo’s cheekier one-liners.

  May, your endless enthusiasm for this book and these characters has been a joy to behold. Thank you for loving them as much as I do, thank you for being such a great cheerleader, and thank you for being my friend.

  Lynda and Noelene—your input as pre-readers early in this writing journey was invaluable and I carried it throughout the story.

  Jada, thank you so much for bringing my vision for this cover to life. I don’t know how you do it, but you’re my hero. I couldn’t ask for a better designer to work with or a better final product, each and every time, no matter what I throw at you.

  My fandom family…where do I start with you? I never know what to expect from you, yet you come through to love me and my characters without fail. Despite their—and my—flaws, you’re always there, lifting us up and giving me the belief I need to push through the self-doubt and pen the next story, and the next, and the next…from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

  Tiani, thank you for being my sounding board when I need to bounce a silly idea off someone. Thank you for loving these characters as much as I do (even though we all know Sully is your fave) and not hanging up on me even though all I’ve wanted to talk about for the last year is this book.

  To the readers, to everyone who purchased this book, was gifted it, or won it, thank you. I couldn’t do this without you.

  Dakota, my boy, my snuggle-buddy, my writing assistant…you’re the bestest doggo.

  Last but not least (and because I’ll never hear the end of it otherwise), Gareth—thank you for only grumbling a little when I abandon you for hours upon hours, night after night, to research, write, and edit. It’s not easy being the husband of a writer, as I’m sure you’re learning, but you wear the hat well.

  About the Author

  Ciara Shayee is a young author based on the south-east coast of England. She lives there with her frequently-neglected husband, Gareth, and their rambunctious but lovable rogue, Dakota the Dalmatian.

  Once called ‘a human thesaurus’ by an English teacher, she discovered her love of reading also extended into writing when she was a teenager and her new hobby spiraled from there.

  An avid reader of fanfiction, Ciara Shayee credits her confidence to her fandom friends and the support she received from them in her early writing days. When she isn’t writing, she likes reading her fellow authors’ works, exploring with her family, and binge-watching Friends re-runs.