I pressed my cheek to his scruffy one and laughed. Glancing up, I caught Mom and Dad at one of the tables. Dad was holding an endless supply of tissues while Mom ruined her makeup.
Closing my eyes, I got lost in the song, the sway, and the sensation of Hart.
One Mississippi.
Two Mississippi.
Three Mississippi.
“Bryson!” The loud shrill whisper of Sophie cut through the air.
Hart and I looked up just in time to see Sophie circling us with Doug hot on her heels.
Rotation one. “Get away from me. I’m not going to tell you again.”
“Good. I’m sick of hearing it. Stop fighting it. Give in to the urge.”
Rotation two. “The only urge I have is to punch you in the neck.”
“How’d you know I liked it a little rough?”
Suddenly, she stopped, turned on her heels, and got right up in Doug’s face. “I swear if you don’t stop it, I’m gonna have to . . . to . . .”
“Have to do what?”
“Fuck you.”
“Man, I hope the rest of you is as filthy as your mouth.”
Sophie’s shoulders slumped as she rolled her eyes. “Oh gawd. Come on. I gotta get drunker than I am now. Like a lot, a lot more.”
On her way to drinking herself into the hooking-up-at-a-wedding cliché, Sophie passed Ronnie and Julia slow dancing and shaking their heads in unison.
Standing off to the side, Colin held a glass of champagne and joked. “She’s gonna have to suck down the entire bar to stomach you.”
“She can suck anything she wants as long as I’m one of the suckees.” Doug said over his shoulder as he weaved his way through the tables in search of Sophie.
Hart and I looked at each other, exchanging brow-lifting expressions. Our cheeks reconnected. His right hand landed on the bare skin at the small of my back while his left hand worked the wheel as we danced to our song at our wedding.
When I was younger I thought I had a clear vision of what the perfect guy would look like. But the perfect man isn’t the one with dark hair or blond hair. He doesn’t have a specific eye color. He’s not tall or short with washboard abs and bulging biceps.
The perfect man is the one who gives you strength, encouragement, and love. He builds you up and holds you up. He protects you while giving you room to grow as a person. He desires you and lets you know just how special and lovely you are. He appreciates your intellect and opinions. He supports your dreams. And he’s the one you can cry in front of and laugh out loud with.
“I love Yodel you, Bryson.” His rasp had every inch of my body, heart, and soul tingling.
I tightened my hold. “I Yodel you, Hart.”
And in the end we lived happily ever after.
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to leave an honest review on Amazon.
One of my top goals in writing is to portray characters and situations in a relatable and realistic manner. I do extensive research on every aspect of the story down to the tiniest of details. While the sequence of Will’s illness is realistic I took creative license in the timeframe the disease took over.
Since the first day I told my family I’d written a book they have encouraged me every step of the way. During the writing of The Dance I went through a couple of health related issues. If it weren’t for the love and support of my family you wouldn’t be reading this book. No words will ever express adequately how grateful and blessed I am to have them in my life.
My incredible beta team, Beth Hyams, Concepcion Capon, Jennifer Mirabelli, Kim Bias, Tabitha Willbanks, and Tammy Zautner. You ladies are the cream of the crop. Thank you for your generosity of time and all the honest feedback you give me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Linda Roberts (editor), hard to believe this is our 4th book together. Thank you for making me and my words look even better than I do.
Murphy Hopkins (cover designer, Indie Solutions), thank you for another gorgeous cover, teasers, and ads. I don’t know how you decipher my babbling but I’m glad you do.
Abigail Marie, (photographer, Nonpareil Photography) your artistry never ceases to amaze me.
Elaine York, (formatting), thank you for your patience, understanding, and for making the inside of The Dance all pretty. It was a great experience working with you for the first time and I look forward to many more projects.
Nina Grinstead, (Gossip Girls PR), what can I say. From the moment we met I knew we’d be friends. Your love and friendship mean the world to me.
Emily Smith, (Gossip Girls PR), thank you for keeping me on track and calm. Knowing you were at the helm made my life so much easier.
Thank you Sandra Sipple and Hayden (her son) for answering all my questions. The information you gave me made Hart’s character come alive.
Tricia Zoeller (friend/sounding board/talker down off ledge). I will never be able to thank you enough for the hours you listened and gave me your honest thoughts. You challenged me with a new perspective and set me on a better track.
Flavia Viotti and Meire Dias, (agents at Bookcase Literary Agency), it’s been an exciting year ladies and a lot of it is because of your hard work. Thank you for your continued belief in me and my writing.
Bloggers, you work tirelessly for the love of reading. I feel very blessed that so many of you have chosen my books to review and then spread the word to your readers. I appreciate you more than you know.
Readers, I could not do what I do without you. The love and support you’ve given me over the years has been mind-blowing. Whenever I feel like giving up on this writing thing it’s you guys who remind me why I do it. I will never take you for granted and will always strive to give you the quality of stories you deserve.
Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation, thank you for all the information you sent me regarding spinal cord injury.
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school Alison began writing one-act plays, which she later produced.
Her debut novel, Present Perfect, is an Amazon and International bestseller. The novel won Best Book at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention Awards. Both follow-up novels in the Perfect Series landed on many Best Of Lists for 2014-2015. Stop!, Alison’s first YA novel was named one of the top YA novels of 2015.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads
Playlist
Swiss Chicken
Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup crushed seasoned croutons
Directions:
1. Place chicken in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the soup and wine or broth; pour over chicken. Top with cheese and sprinkle with croutons.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Makes 6 servings.
Zucchini Pie
Ingredients:
4 cups sliced thin zucchini
8 oz canned crescent rolls
10 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup butter
2 Tbsp parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet.
2. Add zucchini and onion. Cook 10 minutes or until zucchini is somewhat limp.
3. Add seasoning to zucchini and onion.
4. In medium bowl mix the eggs and cheese.
5. Remove zucchini and onions from heat.
6. Add egg and cheese mixture to skill
et, mix well.
7. Separate crescent rolls, place in a 9-inch pie pan, form into crust.
8. Pour zucchini and cheese mixture into crust.
9. Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
Serves between 5-6
Serving suggestions: Great with cooked apples.
Best Ever Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup celery chopped fine
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Durkee’s sandwich and salad sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp pepper
Salt to taste.
Directions:
1. Boil chicken, cube and measure.
2. Mix all ingredients together and let stand for several hours before serving.
Serving suggestions: Add in 1 cup red grapes cut in half and 1 cup of pecans.
Crockpot Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground beef or Italian sausage or ½ a lb each
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 1/2 lbs ripe plum tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil, minced (about 10 leaves)
1 bay leaf
Barbeque sauce
Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. To prepare the tomatoes, cut steams. Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until you see the skins begin to slip off.
3. Transfer the tomatoes to a colander in the sink and run cold water over them until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Peel off the skins and cut tomatoes in half.
5. Cut out the core and scoop out the seeds.
6. Coarse dice tomatoes.
7. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until sizzling, then cook the onion, stirring often, until it is soft and translucent.
8. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two just until fragrant.
9. Add meat to skillet and cook until done, no longer pink. Drain.
10. Transfer all meat, tomatoes, salt and pepper, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and as much barbeque sauce as you like to a 3-quart crockpot.
11. Set on low for 7-8 hours.
12. Stir in fresh basil just before serving.
Serving suggestions: Your choice pasta. Can substitute jar sauce for tomatos.
Lowcountry Red Rice
Ingredients:
1 can tomato paste
1 ½ to 2 cans (tomato paste can) of water
2 onions, chopped fine
3 tsp salt
2-3 tsp sugar
4 strips of bacon, cubed.
8 Tbsp bacon grease (Yes, you read that right)
2 cups white rice
A good dash of pepper
Directions:
1. Fry bacon, remove from pan, sauté onions in grease.
2. Add tomato paste, water, sugar, salt, and pepper to pan of onions. Cook slowly (about 10 minutes) until mixture measures 2 cups.
3. Add mixture to rice in the top section of rice steamer.
4. Add ½ cup additional grease. (You read that right as well)
5. Steam for half hour.
6. Add crumbled bacon and stir with a fork.
7. Cook an additional 30-45 minutes.
Serves 6-8
Present Perfect (Book #1)
Amazon
Audible
Past Imperfect (Book #2)
Amazon
Presently Perfect (Book #3)
Amazon
The Perfect Box Set
Amazon
Stop!
Amazon
Read all of Alison’s books FREE with Kindle Unlimited
For additional information on spinal cord injuries and HIV/AIDS visit
Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation
https://www.christopherreeve.org/
amFar
http://www.amfar.org/
the Dance Page 47
