by Lauren Helms
Right now, I’m seated on the couch when beside me, my phone whistles, and I look to see that Dex is on his way with pizza. It is a Friday night, and the team has been practicing like mad to make up for the week Dex took off. We haven't had to deal with any travel yet since we got back together, but we have a plan. While I don't think I'll feel as insecure when he's off winning tournaments as I did before, I'm still a little nervous. He pretty much knows his tournament schedule for the year, so I'll be able to plan time off in order to travel with him. I have an ample amount of vacation days, and for a couple of the big tournaments, I will actually be able to get my trip paid for through work, as long as I cover the entire thing via social media. I consider myself pretty darn lucky for that little bonus.
"Have you noticed that Ruby hasn't been around much when Link is around?" Gia says, with a questioning tone from where she is lounging in the recliner.
"You know, I have noticed that. Did they get in a fight? She hasn't said anything to me, but she does tend to have something come up whenever we plan something with the group."
"Maybe he hit on her one too many times."
"Or maybe she likes him? I've always thought she might have a thing for him," I add, thoughtfully.
"Hmm. Maybe it's time for a girls’ night. Do you think you could detach yourself from Dex for a night?"
I throw a pillow at her right as there's a knock at the front door. Laughing, I hobble over and open it. I should be using my crutches, but well…I'm not.
Like always, when I see Dex for the first time after being apart for even a few hours, my breath hitches. He's the most attractive man I've ever seen with his tall, lean build and perfectly tousled hair. It might also be the smile that he saves just for me that always does me in.
"Hey, babe." He leans in and kisses my cheek sweetly as he walks in.
"Hi," I say with a hiccup and giggle.
He lifts his eyebrow in question, "What did I miss?" he asks, and places the pizza down on the coffee table before he takes a seat on the couch where I had been camped out.
"Nothing, just Gia getting a face full of pillow." I plop down next to him, and it's already second nature for me to snuggle right into him.
"I was asking Morgan if she would be able to handle being unattached from your hip for a girls’ night. In response, I got a pillow thrown at me. I'm just not sure if that was a yes or no," she says in a mocking tone, but playfulness dances in her eyes.
"Ah, well, I am pretty hard to stay away from, but I get the need for a girls’ night."
I turn slightly and give him a chaste kiss. "I think I can handle a night without you Lover Boy, but it won't be easy."
He smiles and steals a more intense kiss, then I hear, "Ugh, get a room already. It's only been like twelve hours since you saw each other." Fortunately, she isn't really put out and looks like she is trying to hold back laughter.
"Fine. This will be continued," I say to Dex, my tone and eyes full of promise. Then I add, "Let's eat this pizza," as my mouth starts to water when I open the pizza box.
As we dig in, Gia asks around a mouth full of pizza, “So, are you excited to meet Anna this weekend?”
I nod, “I am. He’s told me a lot about her and she sounds great. I’m really happy for him. I’m a little nervous. But I’m also nervous for him to meet Dex.”
“Ah, you know I’ve already met your Dad, right? In the hospital.” He shivers as he responds.
I laugh and Gia continues, “Yeah, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with you then,” she teases.
That’s true. When Dex was introduced to my Dad, I’m told he was rather disinterested in him.
I give Gia a glare before adding, “In my Dad’s defense, he didn’t know why we broke up and things were pretty bad there for a while in the hospital.”
We all bristle at the memory of the event.
“But even after you two made up, Mr. Lawson was still pretty prickly towards you, Dex,” Gia says finishing her first piece of pizza.
“Yeah, but now it’s my job to prove to him that I deserve his little girl. And I’ll do everything I can to do that. I’m thinking strategy here, and if Anna likes me, your dad will come around eventually,” he says, sounding sure of himself.
I chuckle as I lean over to kiss his cheek, “I agree. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what my Dad thinks. You are the one I want, and I love you. He’ll deal with it.”
He smiles and turns his head murmurs an “I love you, too” and kisses me on the lips.
“Ugh, gross. Pizza kisses are just as nasty as public make out sessions,” Gia says after making fake gagging sounds.
I smile and Dex laughs as he says, “It’s not public if we are inside an apartment one of us lives in. I swear, you people are always claiming public indecency.”
My heart swells as I realize there’s nothing better than sharing the best darn pizza ever with your best friend and the man you love.
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Music played an integral part in the creation of Dex and Morgan’s story. Now that you’ve read their story, listen to the Level Me Up playlist on Spotify.
Want to check out my inspiration for Dex, Morgan, and the gang? Check out the Level Me Up Pinterest.
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I’d like to thank my husband, Robert. You always told me to write a book about video gamers. I always just laughed and stuck my nose back into the book I was reading. So, thank you for not being annoyed, when I told you I wanted to write about a professional video gamer like it was my great idea!
To my closest friend, Amanda, not only were you my first beta reader, but also my biggest fan and supporter. Your excitement for me when I told you I was going to write a novel, was exactly what I needed to start this journey. To your wonderful husband, Mike, thank you for willingly editing my terribly messy first draft. Not only was it a romance, I’m pretty sure the grammatical errors it contained were worse than the papers you grade from your high school students. And yes, no “real” boyfriend would say half the things Dex said, but that’s the beauty of a book boyfriend. ;-) I’ll always be grateful for the time you spent on my manuscript all while trying to complete your Master's degree.
I would have never even gotten my feet wet in this big world of writing and publishing if it weren’t for my dear colleague and friend, Jennifer. You became my writing buddy during NaNoWriMo. Because of weekly lunches discussing writing, long back-and-forth emails, and way too long chats in the meeting rooms in the office, I really don’t think I would have been able to successfully write this novel.
I want to thank author Cassie Graham. I kind of forced you to be my self-publishing mentor. The stuff you have shared with me has been invaluable. Readers: if you haven’t read one of her romance novels yet, go check her out her books and read one!
I also want to mention the Manuscript Minxes. Being part of this group is as enjoyable as it is informative. For a newbie author, this group has helped me navigate the world of self-publishing. Not to mention all the wonderful new friends I have made.
For those of you who read my novel throughout this whole process, thank you! Katie, thank you for always being my cheerleader. If it weren’t for needing me to spend hours researching professional video game players for potential sponsorship deals, Dex and Morgan’s story might have never been told. To my dearest sister and brother-in-law, Katy and Andy for listening to Level Me Up via Siri, which is totally not how I envision Morgan and Dex sounding. To my beta readers, Christy from Christy’s Love of Books and Angie from Pinkindle.
To my wonderful editor JL Anderson. You answered my need for an editor and ran with it. Not only did you help me make my manuscript better, you also taught me a few things in the process. You came to my rescue a couple of times with your speedy-quick magical editing skills. You’ve got a client for life!
Since I had been working in the video game industry for a few years, my knowledge of video
games was quite comparable to an actual video gamer. But when it came to learning more about professional video gamers, I needed an actual professional video gamer. Enter Trevor Martin, Call of Duty professional and YouTuber, who kindly answered my questions regarding the profession...all for a romance novel.
To my mom and dad who always believed in me and made reading a priority in our house. I bet you never thought I’d ever write a book.
Lastly, I want to thank anyone who read this book. I really hope you enjoyed it. I honestly never imagined writing a book that anyone else would ever read. I hope you want to read more because I’ve got a lot more coming your way!
About the author
Author Lauren Helms has been an avid reader from a young age. After starting a book review site, that launched her fully into the book world, she decided to take the plunge and write her first novel. Since she was working for a video game strategy guide publisher at the time, she decided to mix what she knew best, video games and romance. Jumping all in, she joined NaNoWrimo and a month later had a 50K word first draft. Lauren lives in Indianapolis, IN with her video game playing husband, two little girl book nerds, and a little boy who will hopefully be a gamer boy too some day!
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