by Denise Wells
People love to hear the story of how we fell in love in a matter of days. Maybe not at first sight but pretty fucking close. Sure, there have been issues, mostly involving money and because we have it. But once Nick got his head around that, it’s been smooth sailing.
It was my niece, Kelsie, who convinced us to adopt, because she wanted a cousin. I can’t refuse Kelsie anything. We welcomed Karina into our family about six months ago. It was a private adoption with a teen mom who we paid handsomely in addition to funding her college and graduate school years. Yes, I know we could have gone the international route and adopted a child from another country, but this opportunity fell into our laps.
The teen is the daughter of one of my employees, and we plan to let her have as much of a role as she wants in our baby’s life. For now, that’s not one at all. But if she ever wants that to change, she’s welcome.
“Having a good time?” Kelly asks as she sidles up to me.
“I am.” I turn to her and smile. “You?”
“Oh yes, Damian and I just had a quickie in your private restroom. I’d forgotten just how satisfying that can be.”
“Where is the lucky man now?”
“At the bar getting us drinks. Where’s Nick and Karina?”
I motion with my drink across the room where both are pointing out the window to the building across the way, with lighted windows that spell out N-O-E-L.
“I’m proud of you, baby brother. You did good with that one.”
“Thank you.” I give her a one-armed hug and kiss her cheek. Damian arrives and hands her a cocktail with a cinnamon stick and gives me a head bob. I do the same.
My father comes to where Kelly and I are standing and puts his arms around both of us, announcing its time for the holiday bonus disbursements. It’s been a good year, and I’m excited for our employees to join in our success. As I meet Nick’s gaze from across the room, I wink and blow him a kiss. Amazed that something so simple as letting go of anger—Me—or of preconceived notions over money—Nick—can absolutely change your world. And knowing you are capable of such, having the ability to do that, is a fantastic fucking feeling.
Acknowledgments
So, here’s the problem with the acknowledgments for this book. I wrote it for an anthology and we didn’t include acknowledgements, so I’ve got my normal people who always help and who I can’t live without:
Rachel Radner
Linda Russell
Missy Borucki
My Dirty Darlings
Timothy Flowers - my inspiration for Kris
Susan, Gabriella, Jaime, and Rochelle - my amazeballs BETA’s.
My ARC readers
My Remikins
BW
But past that, I’m at a loss. I know: lame. Sorry.
About the Author
Denise Wells has been reading since before she could talk. And to this day, escaping into a book is her go-to activity before anything else.
She likes to write about sassy women and semi-flawed alpha-esque men. Denise’s female characters always have strong friendships, potty mouths, and like to drink—a lot.
Denise is loyal to a fault, a bit too sarcastic, blindingly optimistic, and pretty freakin’ happy with life overall. As a diehard fan of the band The Replacements, Denise would be a rock star in the band if she couldn’t be a writer. She’s even kissed the lead singer, Paul Westerberg, ask her about it sometime.
Home is in the Pacific Northwest where she lives with five special needs dogs, one cat (who’s busy plotting the demise of the dogs), and a husband (BW) who has the patience and tolerance of a saint. And, lest she forget, Denise also lives with too many to count characters inside her head, who will eventually have their stories told.
For more about Denise visit her website at: www.DeniseWells.com
Or follow her on any of the social media sites below.
Also by Denise:
LOVE IN SAN SOLOMAN
Love Undecided, Love in San Soloman, One
Love Undiscovered, Love in San Soloman, Two
Love Unforgettable, Love in San Soloman, Three
Love Unavoidable, Love in San Soloman Four
Love Resurrected, Love in San Soloman Five (the final book in the series)
DIRTY DARLINGS
Dirty Ex-Mas, a romantic suspense novella, Daria, Book One, Dirty Darlings
Dirty Daria, a romantic suspense, Daria Book Two, Dirty Darlings
STANDALONES
How to Ruin Your Ex’s Wedding, a romantic comedy
I Heart Mason Cartwright, a romantic comedy
Breezy Like Sunday Morning, a romantic comedy novella (Storybook Pub Anthology)
Rebel without a Claus, a M/M romance novella
Breaking Dylan, a dark high school “romance”
