Undeniable: A Friends To Lovers Romance (Love Desired Book 4)
Page 21
“...Ryan Warren, phenomenal writer of romance, has compelling prose. However, this story ascends our greatest expectations of what he delivers time after time. This enemies-to-lovers story with a strong heroine and an aloof hero tugs at our heartstrings as the two experience a loss so deep it shakes your very soul.” T. Garrett, Publisher’s Weekly.
“...Entangled Truth is the reason he’s signed a deal to turn his previous series into a movie deal. Ryan Warren’s writing is captivating and thought-provoking. He pulled emotions from within that I didn’t realize I held so firmly to. The explicit sexual content was enough to make me blush, but it was done with style and not crass. This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last.” K. Craig, New York Times
SNEAK PEAK FROM 1ST BOOK IN THE PRIVILEGE & PRESTIGE SERIES
LOOKING AT THE SMILING faces all around me, I smiled at some and waved at others. I tried not to focus on the fact that this event was live and being aired on WSKH – 6 here in Sunset Harbor, North Carolina, and beyond to Summer Cove and the surrounding towns.
I tried not to focus on the fact that the beautiful rays that Dave, our local meteorologist, predicted were a no-show and, in its place, was a torrential storm. An omen of things to come? Maybe.
I tried not to focus on the fact that we’d had to move from the garden inside to the ballroom at the last minute. But we’d made provisions for this just in case.
I tried not to focus on the fact that my father continually cleared his throat, and I could feel his disapproval radiating from him brighter than the missing sun.
I tried not to focus on the fact that Keith looked as if he was going to be ill rather than ecstatic like all the other grooms before him.
With a big cheesy grin, I looked ahead at Keith and gave him an encouraging wink and smile.
Of course, he was nervous and had cold feet. That was typical of most men and even women in some instances. It was me who’d felt the same way last week, and it was him who’d talked me down off the ledge, assuring me that our love was enough to see us through the most turbulent times.
My bridesmaids were all rays of sun beaming on me as I passed them.
And then there was my best friend, Maeve Reynolds. She gave me a reassuring smile and nod as I passed her. She’d flown in from Europe, giving me a boost of her sunshiny presence and love over the last week. After just finishing up a major shoot, Maeve had dedicated her attention to me, ensuring I was solid and in a good frame of mind.
She’d arrived the day of my meltdown. She was subjected to the crazy emotions and the second-guessing of myself as a wife and future mother, and my questions about the chances our marriage would survive. She was the one that held my hand and assured me that everything would be fine.
At the end of it all, Maeve had been the one to call Keith and tell him to get his ass in gear to come to my place and talk to me. Feeling his arms around me and his reassurances had steadied me. But after he left, I’d shared my real concerns with Maeve.
And it was Maeve who’d concocted a plan to get me through this day.
“Keith,” I whispered after my daddy placed my hand in my fiancé’s.
His soft brown eyes lifted to find mine, and he smiled at me. A small smile, but a smile all the same.
We turned to the minister, Dr. Reverend James S. Goodwin.
Most of the words that he spoke were lost on me. In twenty-five years down the road, when Keith and I celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary, I wouldn’t recall a thing the good Dr. Reverend said to us.
I was a bundle of nerves. Somewhat worried about what the guests gathered thought about this wedding, somewhat wondering if the precipitous rainfall was an omen. Part of me worried about the conversation I’d had with Maeve and how Keith and I would proceed from this day.
Yes, we were engaged, but lately, we’d been under a great deal of strain even in our intimate moments. Occasionally I chalked it up to the stress of planning a wedding and balancing our careers. But now I wondered would that stress cease to exist after the vows and the reception was done. Would we find our ease with which we’d enjoyed the balance of our seven-year relationship when we lay together on our honeymoon to consummate our marriage? Or was the current stress just the beginning?
I felt Keith squeeze my hands, and I looked up at him as he bore the smile that had been elusive lately.
I conjured up a smile, pushing the worries away and focused on being happy at the moment. Ready to receive the words that Keith would speak, I vowed that these words I would never forget. I would carry them with me for the remainder of our lives.
“I Keith Trevor Samuels, take thee, Indigo Briana Scott, to be my...to be my...”
Keith inhaled deeply and blew out through his nose.
Come on, Keith. Honey, just repeat after the minister. You’ve got this thing on lock; we practiced it several times, I screamed in my head.
But externally, other than the widening of my eyes, my carefully composed face gave nothing away.
“To be my wedded wife,” Dr. Reverend James S. Goodwin prompted.
Keith looked at the minister and shook his head. “I, Keith Trevor Samuels, take thee, Indigo Briana Scott, to be my wedded wife.”
I half-listened and waited for my turn. Glancing around at my attendants, I issued a smile of love and appreciation to each of them before I turned back to Keith. It was my turn to speak.
“I Indigo Briana Scott, do not take thee, Keith Trevor Samuels, to be my wedded husband.”
There was a collective dramatic gasp, and I so wanted to shout out to the guests, “Ya’ll save that shit for the movies!”
But I didn’t.
I pressed my lips together, strengthened my heart, ignored the cameras and whispers, and looked Keith in the eyes.
“A good husband protects his wife, nourishes her, and has her back in all times. A good husband will be there to be her strength when she’s weak and loves her when she’s at her worst. A good husband is a man of integrity, someone that I can trust, and who respects and honors me. If you’re not doing that during the relationship, then I know that I can’t expect you to do it during the marriage.”
“But baby, I don’t understand,” Keith said.
“You’re about to. I never expected this relationship to end this way. I never wanted us to walk away from this hating each other, but I won’t settle for anything less than the best. And being with you is just that...settling. It would mean settling for the lies that you tell, the excuses you give, the late nights, and turning my head the other way and acting as if I didn’t know that you crept into Lana’s room last night or that you’ve been creeping with her for the last seven weeks. See, you forgot that I’m not just a reporter, Keith. But I’m an investigative reporter.”
“Baby, I don’t know—” Keith began before I held my hand up to stop him.
I saw Lana out of the corner of my eye, trying to make excuses to my other bridesmaids who were giving her the eye and ready to fuck her up if necessary.
“Keith, you’re the one who wanted this fairytale and a commitment. I was cool with the way it was. You pushed this on me, not the other way around, so don’t get this shit twisted for a minute. But the last year since you got your new job, you’ve been walking around as if I need you. You know what I have to say to that?”
Continuing to do what my mother has always taught me, I squared my shoulders, held my head high, pressed my lips into a tight smile.
“Fuck you.”
I heard Maeve snap her fingers behind me, and music cued to Rihanna’s Needed Me.
Gathering my skirts into my hands, I turned around and graciously walked down the aisle with my attendants following behind me.
I smirked as I realized that my departure music as I strolled down the aisle was very different than the classical Mendelssohn’s Wedding March that announced my arrival.
As my entourage and I walked away amid the whispers and the cameramen going crazy, I couldn’t help but feel as if
Rihanna wrote those lyrics personally for me.
Other Books by Cassie Verano
SIMPLY SEDUCTIVE SERIES:
Elevated Seduction
Privileged Seduction
Enchanted Seduction
SAVANNAH PASSION SERIES:
Greyson: A BWWM Romance
Anton: A BWWM Romance
Rhys: A BWWM Romance
THE SONS OF VICTOR BLACK SERIES:
Explicit: The Sons of Victor Black: A BWWM Romance
Allure: The Sons of Victor Black: An Interracial Romance
Smooth: The Sons of Victor Black: A BWWM Romance
LOVE DESIRED SERIES:
Desire: An Enemies to Lovers Steamy Romance Novel
Hidden: AWBM Office Romance
Harmony: An Opposites Attract Interracial Romance
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ABOUT CASSIE
Cassie Verano pens romance for readers of all cultures and backgrounds. Her love of romance is borne from the beauty and joy she sees in the relationships around her. She enjoys creating works of fiction about women discovering true love and women who aren’t afraid to explore their sexuality.
As a professional administrator, she dreamt of the day she could toss her paperwork aside and craft stories that inspired love and romance in the hearts of women around the world. As a wife and mother, she enjoys playing quirky games and singing with her family.
This southern belle is a native Georgia Peach, who enjoys reading, writing, and trying different cuisines from around the world. On rainy days she can be found cuddling under a blanket with a good mystery book in her hands or watching a romance movie on Hallmark or LMN.
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Acknowledgments
To my readers,
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading Bryce and Peyton’s story. Undeniable is the fourth and final book in the Love Desired series and is based in the small town of Summer Cove, North Carolina.
Bryce and Peyton are old friends who come from similar worlds, but beliefs and indoctrinated behaviors of people long gone continue to impact their relationship and friendship in the current society.
In their story I briefly touched on the prejudices that we breathe life into when we refuse to see that love has one color...beauty. Their relationship stems from the beauty of two friends who have a shared history and a connection that goes deeper than race, culture, or ethnicity. It stems from a mutual respect of one another as individuals.
It is my sincere hope that you, too, find a love so undeniable that nothing can stop it.
Please continue to share your encouraging emails, honest reviews, and thoughtful feedback with me. They help me formulate what I will give you next. Follow along in my newsletter to see what I’ve got in store for you next..
To my heartbeat and star, you’re my everything! I’m thankful for all that you’ve done and who you remain. I love you, Prof!