Changing Hearts
Page 24
“But there’s just one thing,” he said.
He stuck his envelope in his back pocket and reached in his front one to produce a ring. My heart stopped.
“It’s not an engagement ring.”
I’d told him I wasn’t ready yet.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind and we could get married here.”
“Our parents will kill us and our friends too. And I want them to be there when we do, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “You’re the key ingredient, firecracker. We could get married now and do it again later.”
As tempting as it was, I wanted to wait. “After we graduate law school.” I’d gotten into Vanderbilt and we were going together. We had to survive living together. Though, I didn’t see that as a problem.
“Fine, but this is my promise to you.”
“And not an engagement ring,” I said.
He shook his head. “If we call it that and I somehow fuck this all up, by law you’d have to give it back to me.”
“I would anyway.”
“No, this is a promise to you that you’re mine. We are doing this together. And if I mess up, you’ll be able to hock it and buy you a house or several cars.”
It was just that big. “You’re not going to mess this up.”
“I’m not, because I love you.”
Tears sprang from my eyes. He’d used the word love before in conjunction with me and I’d felt his love for me. But this…
“I’ve fucked up if you’re crying.” He wiped at the corners of my eyes.
“It’s just you’ve never said it.”
“I thought I had. I would have said it sooner so you wouldn’t cry.”
I shook my head. It meant so much more the way it popped out of his mouth.
“I love you too.”
His kiss was long and deep.
“We’re in this together, you and me. I’m never letting you go,” he said.
“I’m holding you to that.” I glanced at my ring and then back into the eyes of the guy who not only changed my heart, but my world too. “You’re mine as well.”
A Thank You
I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to read our novel. Above all I hope you loved it. If you did, I would love it if you could spare just a few more minutes to leave a review on your favorite e-tailer. If you do, could you be so kind and not leave any spoilers about the story? Thanks so much!
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to all my readers for continuing to take a chance on me. There are so many books to read and you chose mine. That means the world to me. Without you, I couldn’t do this. So Thank You again.
To my rockstar, Nina Grinstead at Social Butterfly PR. I’m blessed for having met her and to continue to have her in my life. And thanks to all the people at Social Butterfly PR, Jenn, Shannon, Candi, and Sara.
To my beta readers, who once again came to my rescue on short notice. This book wouldn’t be what it is if not for their input. So Thank You: Kelly, Ashley, Samantha, and Nina. You ladies are the absolute ROCK!
To Michele Catalano Creative who goes out of her way to give me what I want and make my covers shine.
To Edwin and Michael, who picture magic, the guy behind the lens and his muse. Thank you for allowing me to use this picture. It reflects my character’s mood perfectly.
Special thanks to my awesome writer partner, Annie Hargrove, who is an amazing friend and writing partner!
And to Kelly and Nasha, help pimp me out like no other. Thanks for all your support.
Finally, I want to thank Emily from Lawrence Editing and Sydnee Thompson for polishing up my manuscript.
About the Author
Terri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she’s always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age.
Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come.
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Also by Terri E. Laine
Chasing Butterflies
Catching Fireflies
Changing Hearts
Ride or Die
Sex, Alcohol, and My Neighbor (in Beer Googles Anthology)
other books co-authored
by Terri E. Laine
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of A Man
A Beautiful Sin
One Wrong Choice
Sidelined
Fastball
Hooked