by Jillian Hart
“Lucky guy.”
“No, lucky me.”
His kiss was the sweetest heaven. The way his love filled her was the best of blessings.
The bell on the door chimed, and more customers tumbled in. Aubrey and Katherine, dressed for work at the bookstore. “It’s a little quiet in here,” Aubrey said.
Katherine took a look at the two who’d quickly stepped apart and smiled. “And for a good reason. Ava, after you finish my wedding cake, you’d better start on your own.”
“I know.” They hadn’t set a date yet, with Jonas still recovering in the hospital, but they weren’t in a serious hurry. They had the rest of their lives together. How amazing was that? “Wait, does this mean you’ve decided on a design for your wedding cake?”
“Yes. Finally.” Katherine beamed her own happiness.
Wasn’t this a wonderful world? Okay, so it wasn’t perfect, but look at the blessings the Lord gave every day. Love and families and sisters. Hope, dreams to come true and chocolate cake. Lots of chocolate cake.
“The climbing roses design, right? I knew it.” Ava rolled her eyes. The door chime rang again.
More customers? Then she recognized Brice’s grandmother, Ann, and his mother, Lynn, who was almost actually smiling.
“We thought we’d stop by and support your business,” Ann explained, pausing to press a kiss to Brice’s cheek. “And to pick up some treats for our garden club meeting this afternoon.”
“You came to the right place.” Delighted, Ava went to box up a chocolate dream cake, only to have Aubrey step in to do it.
“Go,” her twin shooed her away. “Mr. Perfect needs you. I can help out until the teenager gets here.”
“Cool. Thanks, Aub.” Did she mention what a great blessings sister were? They were absolutely wonderful.
“Come with me,” Brice said, taking her by the hand and pulling her into the kitchen. He wanted a moment with her all to himself. He waited until the door swung closed and they were alone before he pulled her into his embrace. It was a long day and would probably be a busy one, and he wanted to say this while he had the chance. “I’m proud of you, sunshine. You know how much I love you, right?”
“Sure, but a girl always likes to hear it on a daily basis.”
“I do love you.” He cradled her face with his hands, sheer tenderness.
She kissed him sweetly, so happy she was floating like a big helium balloon, but this time there was no doom in sight. How could there be? They were in this together, a team. Between the two of them and with the Lord’s help, they could solve any problems that came their way.
“I love you, too,” she told him, this man who was her idea of heaven in this imperfect world, and would always be.
Wow, was she turning into an optimist or what?
With joy in her heart, she thanked the good Lord before giving her husband-to-be another sweet kiss.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing Every Kind of Heaven. I hope you enjoyed Ava’s story as much as I did writing it. Ava has learned to expect doom—she’s dated a few too many less-than-stellar men. But when Brice walks into her life, his steadfast goodness and caring make her rise to the challenge of changing her view of herself and embracing the heavenly blessing of true love in her life. I hope Ava’s story reminds you of how gracious God is and the wonderful gifts He sends into our lives with every day.
Wishing you heavenly blessings,
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
At the beginning of the book, Ava believes that the kind of man she needs, one perfect in every way, does not exist. What’s a nice girl to do? Settle for Mr. So-so or Marginally Moral? Have you ever felt this way? What does it say about Ava’s character that she refuses to settle for Mr. So-so?
What is Ava’s first impression of Brice? How does her impression of him change after learning his real identity? How does this change her feelings toward him?
Brice is charmed by Ava’s insults, when other men might be offended. Why isn’t he offended? What does this say about his character?
Why is Brice truly the most eligible bachelor? What traits make him a good man?
What real fears are behind Ava’s no-men, no-dating policy? Why does Ava look at Brice and decide only romantic disaster awaits her if she dates him? How does Brice convince Ava to amend her no-dating policy
As Ava and Brice get to know each other more, what aspects of their character does each come to admire?
What does the work that Brice does for Ava represent?
Why is Ava the perfect woman for Brice? Why is he the perfect man for her?
Ava’s mother abandoned her family when Ava was seven years old. How does that affect her? How does that keep her from trusting others? What pattern is she afraid of repeating by falling in love with Brice?
How important are the values of family to Ava? How does her family help her through the hardships in life? How important are those values to Brice? How does this influence their growing relationship?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8397-2
EVERY KIND OF HEAVEN
Copyright © 2007 by Jill Strickler
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
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*The McKaslin Clan
