This Sky

by Autumn Doughton

  “Sure, boss,” I say, already stroking through the water, falling to my board.

  My heart starts the count it knows so well.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four.

  Five.

  Wait for it, Landon. Wait for it.

  Beneath me, the wave pushes up. I feel the drag against the board and my hands go faster, propelling me out in front of the water.

  This, I think. This is it. This moment. This wave. This magic. This girl.

  It’s not about keeping safe behind fences and guardrails. It’s about wading out to the edge.

  It’s looking over the drop and feeling that cold, bitter water snap at your ankles. It’s knowing that at any minute, you could topple into the deep blue of the abyss. It’s knowing that you could fall and choosing to be there anyway.

  Gemma was right.

  I am the ocean.

  And she—she is the pull of the moon guiding me toward the shore.

  On the Down Low

  TOO CUTE!

  Fans of Fresh Squeezed, the web series spearheaded by Gemma Sayers that became an overnight sensation last March, were thrilled to see her on Huntington Beach supporting her boyfriend, Landon Young, while he participated in the US Open of Surfing this past weekend.

  All eyes were on the duo, who were said to be holding hands and laughing together all morning. Right before the heat that solidified Young’s impressive victory, the surfer shared a sweet, private moment with his ladylove, grabbing a kiss and whispering in her ear while onlookers clapped.

  Sayers, casually dressed in cutoffs and a tank top, politely refused all official press. But spectators were given a thrill after the event when she signed autographs and answered fan questions about the upcoming season of the hit web show she co-writes and stars in. One fan reportedly asked her about her past ties to Howl actor Ren Parkhurst, and she graciously replied, “I never really look back. These days, I’m always going forward.”

  (This is Weebit—not a fat squirrel)

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  I love writing the acknowledgements page. It’s really the only time in my life I come close to being able to pretend I’m giving an Oscar speech. And I get to do it 1) at home 2) without my makeup on, and 3) I know I’m not going to trip and fall in front of millions of people.

  About a month ago, I was describing this feeling to someone and he came back with, “But, doesn’t it get repetitive? Aren’t you thanking the same people over and over again?” I was dumbstruck and answered with a quick and resounding “NO!” Being grateful is never repetitive. When people treat you well, make you laugh, and eat both sunshine and tears with you, they deserve to be acknowledged as often as you can manage. And like Gemma Sayers and Landon Young, I have a lot of people to thank for making me the best version of myself.

  First off, I’d like to raise a glass and toast the people who read This Sky while it was still a seedling. My heart and this story went through so many twists and turns this year, and you stayed patient and understanding, offering up encouraging words when I needed them most. I’d like to especially thank my mother, Heather Doughton and my good friend, Linda Nolen, for reading about twenty versions of Gemma and Landon’s story and critiquing it with thought and consideration each time. Erica Cope, Susan Simmons, Ana Boza, Renny Meister, Becky Slemons, Meggan Hood, Kristy Shuster, Kara Szaflarski, Heather Diemer, Jackie Hillman, Michelle Rowe, Nelle Minich—thank you. And thank you to Jenny Sims for her edits and patience. You have no idea how helpful it was to borrow all of your brains when mine wasn’t working properly.

  Cheers to Sarah Hansen for the gorgeous cover design. You took my disjointed and rambling ideas and turned them into something unique and beautiful.

  Finally, I owe endless gratitude to my family. I don’t think I could sit down at my computer and write every day without your love and support to lean back on. There is no book without you. Hell, there is no me without you.

  About the Author

  Autumn Doughton writes books. Fun books. Books for you, your best friend, your favorite barista and that girl you knew back in the tenth grade. She likes to write about the things she knows about. Things like being confused. Being afraid. Falling in love.

  When Autumn isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing after her three cats, two daughters, two dogs, two chinchillas and one lovely husband. You can find her in Florida, where it’s salty, sunny and humid. Bad for the hair. Good for the soul.

  She loves reading, eating pizza and meeting people who talk about real things even when it might be considered embarrassing. Autumn is allergic to monogrammed towels, pretentious wine snobs, haters and the widely accepted practice of growing up.

  Autumn would love to hear from you. You can find her through her website www.AutumnDoughton.com or her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/autumnedoughton)

  And don’t forget to check out Autumn’s other books!

  I’ll Be Here

  On an Edge of Glass

  In This Moment

  Excerpt from

  In This Moment

  Available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble

  Aimee

  Regret. When it happens, and I mean really happens to you, it’s like discovering a new sound.

  I tried to explain this to my therapist when I first moved to Portland last year. Aimee, what if, she asked, you decided to let go?

  And I wondered if she’d been listening to me at all.

  Because all I do is let go.

  Cole

  If I’ve ever kissed another girl in my life like this, I can’t think of it. I can’t think of anything at all.

  My mouth still pressed into hers, I lift both of my hands from her body to clasp her face and graze my thumb over that freckle on her cheek. Aimee whispers incoherently against my lips and her delicious fingers grip my back so tightly that I can feel the sting of her nails.

  I dip to her collarbone—to the pulse that beats steadily against the hollow at the base of her neck—and back up to her soft, welcoming lips. She sucks me inside and teases me with her tongue until it seems like there is so much to feel that I might be drowning. Fuck it. Let the tide take me under. I don’t need to breathe oxygen as long as I’ve got this girl’s mouth.

  I know that I’m putting everything I am—everything that I have—out there, but I don’t think I could pull myself back now even if I wanted to. Aimee has me wrapped up inside this one moment. And if she wanted to, she could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her.