She came back. She came back to me.
When she finally pulls away to catch her breath all the questions that her kiss drove from my mind come rushing back, demanding to be answered, overwhelming me. I blurt out the first full sentence I manage to form.
“You’re in your pajamas.”
She grins against my mouth. “I wasn’t planning on going back out.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I read your letters.”
It takes a second for the word to sink in. “Letters?”
She nods, pulling back a little more so she can look fully into my face. “I read all of them.”
I exhale. “I wondered what in the hell was taking you so long.”
She laughs, a soft exhale of breath and tension, before her face grows serious again. “I decided it was time to stop being such a coward.”
“You don’t have a cowardly bone in your body.”
She shakes her head. “That’s not true. I’m terrified of you, Cash.”
I tighten my grip a little, hating those words. “Why?”
“Because you’re the only person in the world who has the power to send me back to that place I used to be in. You’re the only one who can hurt me enough to make me stop caring about how far I’ve come.”
“Sam—”
She presses her lips to mine fiercely, a brief kiss to cut me off. “But you’re also the only person who’s ever been able to show me just how far that is.”
I close my eyes, resting my forehead against hers. “You have come so far. You inspire me, Sam.”
“You were right—what you said at the benefit. I’ve been fighting for a second chance for years. It was wrong of me not to give you one.”
I shake my head. “No way. I’m the one who fucked up. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did,” she whispers. “I walked away from you when you needed me.”
“I’m always going to need you.”
“I’m not walking away now.”
I can’t believe this is happening. She’s back. She forgave me. She’s not walking away.
“Did you really read all of the letters?”
She nods, her eyes shining. “Every word…did you really see a shrink?”
I roll my eyes. “I did. I do. It’s totally lame.” I pause. “But really helpful.”
“And you’re really moving to Seattle?”
“Already moved in. There’s plenty of room, by the way. If, you know, you’re looking for a place to live during your internship.”
She ignores my hint. “And…you really love me?”
I stare down into her brown eyes, the beautiful eyes I see in my dreams. She looks almost nervous, as if she’s still not quite ready to believe that this is real. “I love you. I love you so much it freaked me out and made me do stupid things. But I also love you so much that I’m willing to work harder than I ever have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
She sniffs, blinking rapidly like maybe she’s trying not to cry. “I don’t deserve you.”
I laugh. What a silly idea. “Sam, don’t you know? You told me once that Doug saved you—well, you saved me.”
“And you saved me right back.”
She kisses me again and I finally let myself begin to feel the relief that’s been trying to crash over me since I saw her. This is real. Somehow I’ve been granted a second chance—and I’m never going to waste my chances again.
“You want to get out of here?” I whisper against her lips. “I’ve had enough of clubs for a while. I think I want to try something new. I think I want to go home.”
Her answering grin takes my breath away. She’s so fucking gorgeous.
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Her hand grips mine tightly as I lead her towards the door. I look up and see Lennon standing a few feet away, watching us. He smiles, raising his beer in our direction, and I feel so happy it’s like a punch to the gut. My brothers are good, the band is in a great place, I’m going to be an uncle soon…and Sam is going to be there for all of it. A part of my life. My family.
I stop her before we reach the door, needing to feel her lips again. She kisses me back eagerly, squeezing my hand. And then we step out into the night, together.
The End
Join the mailing list for updates and exclusive content!
Love New Adult Contemporary Romance?
Don’t miss the Escape series, available now!
Escape In You Jet Taylor is the quintessential bad boy. The type of guy most girls do their best to avoid. But Zoe Janes is no saint herself and the more time they spend together, the harder it is for Zoe to stick to her “fun only” mantra. Jet is getting under her skin, making her believe things could actually be different, that freedom might be possible. And that makes him the most dangerous boy of all.
Escape With You Ellie is not a serious relationship kind of girl and Fred has made a career out of worrying. When the two start hooking up they’re both ready for nothing more than some no-pressure, worry-free fun. So long as they stick to the plan, both can get out unscathed. So long as they stick to the plan, both can get what they want. But life has a way of messing with the best of plans…
Check out the first rocker romance book in the brand new Ransom series, available now!
Ransom It’s been a year since Daisy has seen Daltrey. A year since he and his brothers left town to pursue their dreams of rock and roll superstardom. A year since he left Daisy behind—left her to watch as everything she knew crumbled around her. She’s been running from Daltrey ever since, desperate to keep her secret. But she can’t run anymore. And now that Daltrey has found her—the girl he’s loved his entire life, the girl he’d give up everything for—he’s determined never to let her go again.
Interested in reading more from Rachel Schurig?
Her best-selling romantic comedy series are available for ebook and in paperback.
Three Girls Series
Come along for the crazy ride as Ginny McKensie and her best friends deal with an unexpected pregnancy in Three Girls and a Baby.
Follow Jen Campbell as she struggles to plan the perfect wedding—and find her very own happily ever after in Three Girls and a Wedding.
Join Annie Duncan as she continues her search for the perfect leading role—and the perfect man to go along with it in the third and final book of the series, Three Girls and a Leading Man.
Reunite with Ginny, Jen, and Annie and catch up with Kiki Barker-Thompson as she attempts to create the perfect fairy tale life in The Truth About Ever After (a Three Girls book).
Ginny, Jen, and Annie are back for the next chapter in Three Girls and a New Beginning.
Love Story Series
In Search of a Love Story is the first in the three-book series, in which you meet Emily Donovan, a self-described romance novice, as she searches for her very own love story.
An Unexpected Love Story, is the second in the Love Story series, where we follow along with Brooke Murray as she attempts to save her parents' inn, find true love, and run a business-all while wearing the perfect pair of heels!
In the final book in the Love Story Series, An (Almost) Perfect Love Story, we learn more about Ashley Phillips. She has always believed in love, but does she have what it takes to fight for love when her perfect love story turns out to be not so perfect after all?
Lovestruck Series
Lovestruck in London
When Lizzie Medina settles in London for a year of post-graduate studies, she’s sure she’ll be able to start a whole new life. But falling unexpectedly in love with up-and-coming actor Thomas Harper causes Lizzie to re-think… everything. When Thomas’s career suddenly explodes to superstar levels, Lizzie finds herself forced to navigate the fame game of red carpets, catty co-stars, gossip magazines, and paparazzi in Lovestruck in London. When she wished for a new life, she had no idea it would be anything like this!
Lovestruck in Los Angeles
Li
zzie Medina is living a fairy tale life. Ever since she left home for an adventure in London—and fell in love with movie star Thomas Harper in the process—her world has become brighter. More exciting. The kind of life she’s always dreamt of. When Thomas is required to temporarily move to Los Angeles for his new movie, Lizzie joins him without hesitation. But it doesn’t take her long to realize than in Hollywood, not everything is quite what it seems. Will she and Thomas succumb to the pressures inherent in their new life? Or will they find a way to create a perfect Hollywood ending of their own?
Lovestruck Forever
Lizzie Medina’s dreams are about to come true. She’s finally about to marry her true love, the internationally famous movie star Thomas Harper. Her career appears posed for a break out of its own. And, maybe best of all, her family actually seems to have accepted her relationship with Thomas. Just when it seems that it might be possible to actually get everything she ever wanted, Lizzie’s perfectly constructed world starts getting complicated. Now she must decide, once and for all, what really matters to her—and what she’s willing to fight for.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Schurig is the best-selling author of the Three Girls series, available now in paperback and ebook. Rachel lives in the metro Detroit area with her dog, Lucy. She loves to watch reality TV, and she reads as many books as she can get her hands on. In her spare time, Rachel decorates cakes.
To find out more about her books, visit Rachel at rachelschurig.com
Join the mailing list for updates and exclusive content!
Visit her author page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RachelSchurigAuthor)
Follow her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/rems330)
Redeem Page 28
