I hopped on the small stage for the second time that night and got the microphone from the singer of the band Araylia hired. Before the reception started I had gone to him and told him what I wanted to do. I had asked if he knew the song and get his band to play it for me. He had readily agreed and I was elated.
“Araylia, babe, I need you to stop mingling and come stand on the dance floor,” I spoke in the mic.
She was standing over by the bar talking to Ryan and Sloane. Sloane was our new receptionist. Shortly after I proposed to Araylia our old receptionist’s husband had grown ill with cancer and she needed to resign. Sloane was an awesome woman and did her job well. She had dark-brown hair almost like dark chocolate and dark green eyes. There was an odd sense of familiarity with her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. All of us guys loved having her around, especially Ryan. He was trying his damndest to get in the poor girl’s pants, but she was having nothing to do with it.
Araylia kissed Ryan on the cheek and squeezed Sloane’s arm then moved to the dance floor. She stopped about ten feet away from the stage, where I was standing, and folded her arms across her chest.
“This won’t live up to your wedding gift, but I think you’ll like it,” I said then signaled for the band to start playing.
What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright
I sang into the microphone as I moved off the stage to stand in front of Araylia. I wrapped my arm around her waist and began moving around, dancing slowly. One of her hands was on my shoulder and the other was covering her mouth to hide the sob that was threating to bubble out.
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
By now everyone had joined us on the dance floor and were moving around us. Araylia had tears streaming down her face and she was looking at me as if I were the best man in the world. And in her eyes that’s what I wanted to be.
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
I bent my head so I could sing the chorus in her ear. I wanted this to be for her even though I was singing to the whole room. She planted her head in my shoulder and her whole body shook from the sobs.
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
Give me all of you
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, though it's hard
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you
I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
When I was done singing the crowd erupted into applauses and low whistles but I only had eyes for my wife. She still had tears running down her cheeks, but she had the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face. She lifted her hand to my cheek and stroked. She looked into my eyes adoringly and shook her head.
“Best. Gift. Ever,” she whispered.
“No. You are the best gift of all Araylia. I don’t know what I would do without you. Your mind. Your body. Your heart. You soul. I would be lost without it all. So no, you are the best gift ever,” I said as I placed my mouth over hers.
The End
Acknowledgements
God- This wouldn’t have been possible without you, and my belief in you. Thank you.
Nanny- Although you are not here in the flesh, you are here in spirit and in my heart. If I didn’t have your words of encouragements in my head I couldn’t have done this. Knowing that you believed in me and my ability made this process so much easier. When things got hard and I just wanted to give up and throw in the towel I could hear you, “Now Hopie, you’ve come this far, why give up now?” That kept me going, always. I could feel your hand on my shoulder every time my hands went to the keyboard or pencil and paper. You have always been my rock and even though you aren’t with us, you still are my rock. The love you gave freely and passionately is what my characters have. I love you Nanny, always. Thank you.
Josh - My wonderful supporting husband. You never gave up on me, through the late nights and early mornings. You pushed me to do my best every day. You have been a vital part of writing this book. Had it not been for the gift you have given me, my very own Mace, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I love you ten times more than you’ll every say with all my heart and soul, to the moon and back. Thank you.
My girls- Kinley and Carmaleto, although y’all are only three and one, you have given me so much. You guys don’t know that I’m writing a story, but I know you support me. You have been patient when mama was on the computer writing. You have given me your beautiful smiles and giggles. You have given me inspiration. You have given me unconditional love, and a reason to try every day. I love you my beautiful babies, forever and always. Thank you.
Kim Black- You are going to hate me when I’m done and deny your ass off, but that’s okay. Where to start with you? We met through a comment on Facebook and have not gone a day since without talking. It started with some advice, which turned into you being my editor, then to you being my very best friend. I have never met someone as loyal and kind as you are. You didn’t even know me, barely knew anything about The Lucky Bullet, and you took a chance on me. Your friendship and advice have gotten me through some very late and tough nights. I don’t know what I could ever do to repay you, but one day I will. Now I know you are probably crying right now and shaking your head, but it’s the truth, how much you have done for me. So believe it! I love you Kim! Thank you.
Stefanie Lewis/This Mom Loves Alphas- You freaking rock girl! You are the best PA a girl could ask for. Your love for Mace (okay, okay, Cade) has kept me on track. When I started writing The Lucky Bullet it wasn’t for people to like it, it was for me, because I needed to write Araylia and Mace’s story. You have helped me believe that Mace and Araylia’s story is amazing. You have helped me become more confident in myself and my writing. I would have kept believing that the story was shit had it not been for you. Every night you would message me rioting because you needed more Mace, I lived for that some nights. I could come to you if I was insecure about my story and you would reassure me every time. I could come to you if I just wanted to ramble (or send you freaky pictures) and you were there every time. I love you girl and you ar
e amazing! I also freaking love This Mom Loves Alphas (your blog). Thank you.
My beautiful betas- Dawn, Rachel, and Jeanine. Where would I be without y’all? Probably in a sea of errors! You guys have been amazing, catching errors, boosting my confidence, and your constructive criticism. Like I said I would be in a sea of errors without y’all. Y’all have been awesome to me, being a new author, and giving me a chance. I would be lost without y’all, so thank you. Oh! And thank you for agreeing to do this with me again for Ryan’s story! Love you guys hard!
Readers, bloggers, and fans- I would not be able to do any of this without y’all. Thank you for the reviews (even the bad ones). If you have shared anything for me, helped me in ANY way, I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. When I had gotten my first one hundred likes on Facebook I was astonished. I couldn’t believe that so many people were willing to support somebody that was new to the author/blogger world, as I like to call it. It humbles me how many people have liked any of my pictures or commented on a status. Thank you for giving that to me, I love y’all!
About The Author
H.S. Strickland is from a small town in South GA called Brunswick. She moved to SC when she was in her early teens and just recently made the move to Florida. She dragged her daughters, husband, and kitty along with her. H.S. has always had a passion for reading, but recently starting writing, although it has always been a dream. Her Nanny always told her to follow her dreams, which is how she got into writing. That and her characters were nagging to have their stories told. If you can't find H.S. behind the keyboard making magic, you will find her chasing her daughters around the house. If not that then curled in her big red comfy chair reading. She loves alpha-males who are almost ass holes, but still have a sweet spot for their woman. She has loved the entire journey to where she is now and couldn't thank y'all enough!
Connect With Author H.S. Strickland
Website: www.authorhs.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorhope
Twitter: www.twitter.com/HSStrickland12
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/hopiesierra
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About The Author
Connect With H.S. Strickland
The Lucky Bullet Page 23
