Keeping Him
Page 39
I want to laugh at how damn cute his scared tone sounds, but to contain my disapproval for Kaitlyn’s messy dress, I turn and give her a scowl. “March into the bathroom and clean your face and hands right now. I’ll find you a new dress.” I point my finger into the house, keeping the stern look on my face.
“Yes, Mama.” She bows her head and slowly pads her feet against the floor as she walks inside.
Once I’m sure she’s out of hearing distance, I turn and face Jackson who’s unsuccessfully holding back a laugh.
“Oh, c’mon, babe. She’s too damn cute to discipline.” He gives puppy dog eyes, and just like always, it works. “And she’s had me wrapped around her little finger since the day she came into this world, kicking and screaming. She’s a daddy’s girl,” he states proudly.
“Trust me, I know. That’s why our almost four-year-old has more horses than years she’s been alive.”
“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted a hundred horses, a big fancy training facility, and a big pasture.” Jackson flashes his I-told-you-so grin and pulls me closer.
“Well you better go find your mini me’s so we can get going. It’s humiliating to always be the last ones to arrive.” I pat his chest before walking around him to make sure our daughter hasn’t somehow managed to make a mess in the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, Knox, Kane, and Kaitlyn are fighting in the backseat as Jackson drives us over to his parents’ house. I turn around to scold them, but quickly stop myself as I look at the three of them. Three Bishop kids. And they’re all ours.
Finding out I was first pregnant the morning of our wedding took me by a happy surprise. We hadn’t been preventing, but Jackson and I wanted to start a family right away. Though it didn’t happen quickly, I now know it happened when it was meant to. It gave Jackson and me months to spend together with just the two of us and really transition our relationship from friendship to forever.
Looking at my children, I feel so blessed and happy how things turned out. At one point, I was certain I’d never get this, but as I listen to them bicker and poke each other, I’ve never been surer that this is the life I’d always wanted and more.
I slide my hand through Jackson’s arm and lean my head against his shoulder. He glances down at me with a smile.
“I love you,” I mouth, squeezing him.
“I love you too, Pippi.” He winks before bringing his eyes back to the road.
Today’s a huge occasion for the Bishop family, much like most of their parties, but especially since Jackson’s sister, Courtney, and her family are visiting. The triplets turned ten a few months ago, and Riley turned ten last month, so we’re having a huge birthday party for the four of them.
Ten years old.
I can hardly believe the oldest grandchildren are ten already.
Jackson parks the truck, and I’m quick to turn around and stop my kids from rushing out.
“Wait…” I hold a hand up, and the three of them freeze with their hands on their buckles. “I expect your best behavior today, ya hear me? There’s gonna be a lot of people here, and Grandma Bishop wants a nice party. Do you understand me?”
The three of them nod their little heads and chuckle as they nearly fly out of the truck. Kaitlyn can’t quite jump down on her own yet, so Kane lets her jump off onto his back and gives her a piggyback ride.
“Is it weird to say that I think your ‘mom’ voice is pretty sexy?” Jackson flashes a mischievous grin. “If I’m naughty, will you spank me?”
“You’re always naughty…”
“Now you know why.”
Laughing, I jump out of the truck and wait for Jackson. He takes my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles. I still get butterflies whenever he does that.
“Life is sure an adventure with you,” I say, pulling him down so I can reach his lips. “Not that I ever doubted it wouldn’t be.”
“And to think I almost let you go.”
He’s smiling, but I see beneath it. It’s hard not to think about what would’ve happened and where we’d be if things hadn’t worked out the way they did.
“Think you’ll keep me?” He arches a brow with his infamous Jackson smirk, and it makes me laugh at how damn adorable he is. His blue eyes sparkle whenever he looks at me. After all these years, it still feels like we’re only fifteen years old and sneaking out to our spot. There’s never a dull moment.
I plant a sweet kiss on his lips, before we join the family. “I’m keeping you forever.”
…And they all lived happily ever after.
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The end.
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WELCOME TO KENNEDY FOX BEDTIME READS!
Steamy love stories you can read in one sitting! After everyone goes to bed for the night, snuggle up with a Kennedy Fox Bedtime Read! These are full-length standalone novels that are filled with humor, insta-lust, blistering heat, and are faster-paced, but still have everything you love about a Kennedy Fox book!
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Want more Colton Langston? (The ranch hand who gets into as much mischief as the old Jackson Bishop)! Then you’re in luck! Coming early 2019, Falling for the Cowboy will be about Colton and the feisty redhead he meets at the Circle B Bed & Breakfast!
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Falling for the Playboy is coming November 2018! If you read Falling for the Bad Boy, then you know book 2 is about Vada’s former assistant, Olivia who is being forced to drive across the country for two weeks with a cover model she has only ever heard bad things about…he’s a sexy as sin playboy and she’s a level 10 perfectionist. What could go wrong?
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Falling for the Bad Boy is available now.
Find it here.
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of You’ve Got Mail and The Holiday. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make your lady bits tingle and your heart melt. If you enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart, quirky, independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you! They’re looking forward to bringing you many more stories to fall in love with!
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kennedyfoxbooks.com
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AN ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS DUET
TRAVIS & VIOLA
Checkmate: This is War
Checkmate: This is Love
A FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS DUET
DREW & COURTNEY
Checkmate: This is Reckless
Checkmate: This is Effortless
A SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE DUET
LOGAN & KAYLA
Checkmate: This is Dangerous
Checkmate: This is Beautiful
BISHOP BROTHERS SERIES
Taming Him
Needing Him
Chasing Him
Keeping Him
BEDTIME READS SERIES
Falling for the Bad Boy
Falling for the Playboy
Falling for the Cowboy
FIND THE ENTIRE KENNEDY FOX READING ORDER HERE
Since we waited until the final book to write our acknowledgments, this is going to be a lengthy one!
There are so many people who have been by our sides since the beginning and so many who have come into our lives recently that have had such
an impact on our journey. We feel so blessed and fortunate to be in this incredible, tight-knit community of book lovers and readers! This series was born from the Checkmate Duet Series readers who begged and craved for more of Courtney’s wild Texas brothers. Once we got the idea in our heads, we couldn’t wait to dive into their stories. It’s so hard to believe it’s all over now!
First, we want to thank our readers who engage with us, share our excitement with each book update, tell their friends about our books, and more. Thanks for embracing our cowboys even if cowboys weren’t your “thing” at first. We LOVE interacting with you and keeping you updated and sharing what we’re currently working on! We love the engagement, even if it’s to tell you all about our love for Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
It takes a village to get a book out into the world, and we couldn’t do it without our amazing publicist, Danielle Sanchez. Huge thanks to all your hard work and the entire InkSlinger PR team! Cheers to that glass of wine at the end of the day!
Thank you to Brower Literary Agency for getting our boys on audio and working so hard to get our books distributed to other outlets and languages!
Thank you to our editor, Mitzi Carroll, and proofreader, Jenny Sims for polishing our words and working so hard under our deadlines. Your expertise and comments are what helps us get the best book out there for our readers, and we appreciate you both so much!
Thank you to our cover designer, Letitia from RBA Designs for working so closely with us to give us exactly what we envisioned for the Bishop Brothers covers, and photographer, Wander Aguiar for his beautiful photographs. We’re so blessed to work with such incredible talent!
Thank you to our beta readers—Jenny Rose, Erin Fehres, April Dovin, & Melissa Teo. You endure a million follow-up questions from us and point out errors we miss after spending hours staring at the screen, so thank you all for your hard work in helping us get the best possible book out there! You’re some of the best supporters we’ve ever had, and we appreciate y’all so so much!!
Thank you to our Kennedy Fox Books Reader Group who get excited with us on book news, share funny memes and cowboy videos, and have become another home to us!! The book world is a wonderful place!
Thank you to our InstaFam Team and the Bookstagram community. Instagram is our second family, and we can’t express how much we love the close-knit community there. Thank you for following us and sharing in our enthusiasm when we post new photos and updates. Thank you for sharing your pictures of our covers and posting reviews and being so excited for our books. We LOVE y’all so, so much!!
Thank you to all our author peers who continue to support us and inspire us daily. There are genuine people out there, and we’ve been fortunate to find some great ones in the author community!
Thank you to our husbands and family for being able to live with a writer who goes through insane working and sleeping schedules, takeout dinners, messy houses, mood swings, and not judging our 4-day old leggings. We work around the clock, glued to our laptops and cell phones, ready to jot down notes when an idea hits, and understanding how intense our brains work during these deadlines. The dedication of a writer needs the support of their loved ones, and having it from our family and loved ones mean so much to us!
Thank you to my friend, Allison Pierce for always being excited about the next book, even if there a billion babies in them.
That goes for April Dovin too, who curses me every time we knock a character up. What can I say? Our heroes love their women with round, swollen bellies… LOL! P.S. Thanks for being our April Devin in book 2 ;)
Melissa Teo, you’ve been stalking—er—fangirling since book 1 and we’re SO lucky to have you in our life. You’re also so ENERGETIC, and it gives us life when you love our books. Thank you for finding us way back in 2016 with Checkmate: This is War. You have a heart of gold, and we’re so fortunate to know you!
Erin Fehres, you’ve enter my life recently, and I’m so happy we’ve formed the kind of friendship that involves daily texts and discussions about books and…more. Thank you for bringing new readers into our world and loving our characters enough to share them with your bookstagram followers! You’re a sweet, funny, down to earth person I’m lucky to call a friend!
Jenny Rose, long-distance friendships can be hard, but with you, it never feels you’re too far out of my reach. I know I can text or FaceTime you at 3 AM and you’ll be up just like me. You’re truly a one-of-a-kind friend who’s always willing to listen and ready to give advice when I need it. You’re the third Kennedy Fox member, always so invested in our stories and eager to beta read and provide feedback. You might not always agree or love something, but you’re honest and willing to help work out a scene if needed. You’re a kind, caring, and sweet soul and we’re both truly blessed to have you in our lives.
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Love always,
—Brooke & Lyra
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P.S. How many Harry Potter references did you find in the Bishop Brothers series?
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