by Trudy Stiles
“Today was nice,” she muses. “So many people were here. And Luna had a great time.”
“It was pretty cool.” I nod my head. “But, now I’m glad it’s just us. I’ve been waiting for this moment all day.” I kiss her softly on the lips, and she places her head against my chest.
“I wish my parents could have been here,” she muses.
I watch dozens of fireflies circling the gazebo, flying random patterns in the air. The moon is perched just over the tree line.
“They’re here, Noelle. They’re all around us.”
“Thank you for giving all of this back to me.” She pauses. “Thank you for preserving my childhood and passing it on to our daughter.”
“I’ll never stop,” I respond, pulling them closer to me.
Luna’s soft breathing relaxes us. Comforts us.
I softly sing the words I wrote so long ago.
“Take me back to two weeks ago.
My blue oil lamp painting
the fireflies dancing in the ink night sky
of your backyard in amber rose mosaics.
When the moon is asleep I will
find a way to rescue you.
Take me back to two nights ago.
Your eyes afire again with the tales
your father told.
I know his promises taste like a lie
or a line or paper stack of let downs.
When he has forgotten I will
find a way to rescue you.
Take me back to two moments ago.
Setting fairies free to twirl
under the watchful moon, back with her
unwavering glow, moving the tides of
unruly seas and your smile pulled at the
corners of your mouth like a forgotten
treasure.
When all is forgotten you find
new ways to rescue me.”
Noelle nuzzles closer against me. She has given me so much of herself, every single day. My heart was full before, but now with Luna, it’s overflowing.
“Thank you for giving us fireflies and fairies,” she says.
“Thank you for giving me so much more,” I say.
She looks up at me and raises her eyebrows. “More?”
I run my fingers through our daughter’s golden hair.
“You gave me the moon.”
THE END
Heath and Noelle’s cross-country photo album: http://trudystiles.com/photo-album/
Epic Love Playlist: http://trudystiles.com/playlists/
Epic Love Page: http://trudystiles.com/epic-love/
The playlist for Epic Lies can be found here: http://trudystiles.com/playlists/.
Featured Bands/Artists Include:
Calvin Harris – On REPEAT!
Foo Fighters
The Airborne Toxic Event
A Silent Film
Soul Asylum
The Proclaimers
Phantom Planet
Florence and the Machine
Fleetwood Mac
The Dandy Warhols
Collective Soul
Bloc Party
The Postal Service
Bright Eyes
Brand New
Dear Readers,
Abuse is a horrible thing. Words can’t describe the pain and terror an abused person faces every single day of their lives. Physical, verbal, emotional–it doesn’t matter, it all tears down an individual equally. The aggressor doesn’t care what he or she is inflicting on their victim.
I’ve witnessed abuse and it’s horrifying. Some of the things I’ve seen have been subtle and other times have been blatant. But it’s all the same and it’s wrong.
Too many victims don’t say a word and unwillingly allow their mistreatment to continue out of fear. Did I want Noelle to speak up and tell the truth. ABSOLUTELY. But it just didn’t feel right in the context of her situation. Did it make her weak? No way. She was only doing what came natural. She was trying to protect someone she loved at the expense of her own well-being.
Should Heath have spoken up sooner? Of course. But he also loved Noelle and wanted to do everything she begged of him. I think, in a way, he was in denial of her situation. I don’t think he wanted to admit that something so horrific could be occurring under his nose. Unfortunately, he found out too late.
Don’t be like the teenage Heath. If you suspect that someone you love is the victim of abuse, say something. Go to someone you trust– a guidance counselor, family member or even law enforcement. There’s always someone that can help.
Thank you for, once again, taking a chance on one of my stories. Heath and Noelle’s journey is one that will remain with me for a very long time.
xoxo
Trudy
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Wow. I can’t believe I’ve published my sixth full-legnth novel. It still seems so surreal to me that you, the reader, have stuck with me for almost three years. My publishing journey has been amazing and each time I write acknowledgements, I realize there are more and more people to thank.
My husband and family: Every single day is a fairy tale with you. You make me believe that anything is possible and bring magic into my life. I love you Kevin, Cara, and Danny.
Forever Family: I love my reader group! Thank you all for always supporting me and waiting so patiently for my books. I realize that my life sometimes gets in the way and you have to wait, longer than I’d like, for my stories. Thanks for sticking with me and trusting me to take you on some epic journeys. Also, without you screaming from the rooftops about me and my books, I wouldn’t have the expanding readership that I do. Thank you so much.
J.R. Rogue: Your words are magic. They are inspiring. They rip your soul out, piece-by-piece, and if you’re lucky, sometimes put you back together. You write from a deep, scarred, place. And that’s exactly what I needed for Epic Love. You were able to harness the depth of emotion and fantasy I needed for the poem, Take Me Back. Thank you for giving Heath the song that haunted Noelle. Your words encompassed everything he was about and showcased his need to protect her. Thank you so much for your dark magic.
Chelle Lagoski Northcutt: Thanks, once again, for reading this book through your amazing beta lens. You continue to give me confidence that I’m actually writing something that people want to read. Thank you for your flexibility and for reading this when I dropped it in your lap. Your own life is a bit hectic, and I can’t thank you for making the time for me. Love you bunches.
Jade Piccolomini-Grandi: Thank you AGAIN for jumping in when I needed you. You always see things that I’m unable to see up close. Your feedback was tremendous and completely on point. You know how much I love you.
Dina Littner: I’m amazed that you still love me, as much as you hate my aggressive timelines. You constantly provide me with an ever important gut check, helping me keep my characters true to their voices. Thank you so much. Big love to you, my friend.
Erin Noelle: You. Are. Awesome. Thank you for squeezing me into your schedule and editing Epic Love. I always find it so unique working with an editor who is also an amazing author. You heard my voice throughout this book and helped me stay true to it. You helped make this story perfect, in every way. Thank you so much. And you have a beautiful name.
Julie Deaton: What more can I say to someone who’s been with me since the very beginning? You’re amazing and I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me. There isn’t anyone else in this industry that I would trust to put final eyes on my work. Thank you.
Sarah Hanson: Thank you again for the incredible designs you created for this entire series.
Elaine York: Just like the outside cover, the inside of a book needs to look perfect. And for the third time, you
’ve done that for me. You’re awesome to work with and so incredibly accommodating. I love these books so much, and what you’re able to do on the inside just makes me love them even more.
Bloggers: With every new book that I release, there are more and more of you that jump in to support me. I can’t thank you enough, for without you, I would have no readers. Thank you so much for sharing and screaming from the rooftops about me.
FTN: Thank you so much for everything that you do to support me. FTN is a safe place for me and it wouldn’t be that without all of you. You all know who you are and you all know how much I love you.
Authors: Thank you to my closest author buddies. The support you have given me over the past few years has been amazing. I love all of you so much!
Readers: As I said in my note to you, thank you for constantly trusting me to take you on a journey that is sometimes bumpy, but will always make your heart smile. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me and diving into each story that I write. Please don’t go anywhere–I have more stories to tell.
Trudy Stiles is a USA Today Bestselling Author, writer of New Adult Romance, mom to two beautiful children, and married to the love of her life. She’s the author of the bestselling Forever Family series including Dear Emily, Dear Tabitha, and Dear Juliet. Epic Sins, Epic Lies and Epic Love are the first three books in the Epic Fail series and will continue with at least one more standalone novel, Epic Holiday. She plans to write many more stories about some of the characters you’ve already met, and maybe a few new ones. Emily will get her own story, Sincerely, Emily, to be released in 2017. Sara will also have her own story, Forever Sara, also to be released sometime in 2017.
She’s also a contributing author to the USA Today Bestselling anthology, F*cking Awkward, a hilarious group of short stories sure to make you cringe, laugh and everything in between. All proceeds from this project benefited The Bookworm Box and its charities.
Trudy is a music junkie and you’ll know that she’s writing when you see her plugged into her laptop with her earbuds in. Her playlist is unique and is a must for her writing sprints.
When she’s not writing, she’s carting her children to their various activities while avoiding any kind of laundry or housework. She also loves to run along the boardwalk of the beautiful New Jersey shore.
She celebrates Wine Wednesday almost every day.
To learn more about Trudy, visit her website here: http://trudystiles.com.
To contact Trudy:
Email:[email protected]
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authortrudystiles
Instagram: https://instagram.com/trudystiles/
Website: www.trudystiles.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/trudy_stiles
Twitter: @trudystiles
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Trudy-Stiles/e/B00H3O0OJ8
The Forever Family Series
Dear Emily
Dear Tabitha
Dear Juliet
Sincerely, Emily (coming soon)
Forever Sara (coming soon)
The Epic Fail Series
Epic Sins
Epic Lies
Epic Love
Epic Holiday (coming soon)
Links to all of her books can be found on her website:
http://trudystiles.com/books/
