by Julie Cannon
“This’ll be quick.” Luca laughed.
“At Last” by Etta James started playing. Incredibly clichéd, but no less romantic. Stephanie held Luca tighter. The DJ let the song play for thirty seconds before he started the elimination. “Any couples together for less than one month, please leave the floor. Marriage cancels out dating, so let’s have the newlyweds step off the dance floor.” He waved as Catherine and Imogene stepped aside, all smiles, and everyone continued to dance. His six-month announcement knocked a few more couples from the floor.
Stephanie stared into Luca’s eyes as she swayed to the music. “You didn’t tell me what you’re thinking.” She played with the fine hairs at the nape of Luca’s neck.
“Every couple that has been together for a year or less, please step aside.”
“That’s our cue.” Luca pulled Stephanie off to the perimeter of the dance floor.
They stood together silently, Stephanie standing with her back resting against Luca’s front. Luca’s arms were loosely around her waist. Stephanie felt safe and loved, two things she never thought she’d grow used to or become dependent on. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto Luca’s shoulder. The five-, ten-, and twenty-year-old relationships joined them as Stephanie lost herself in the moment. Luca’s lips grazed her ear and a chill crept along Stephanie’s skin.
“I was thinking about how I’d like to marry you one day.” Luca’s whisper was raspy and low, just as it always was during their most intimate moments.
Stephanie stiffened briefly at the unexpected confession. They had spoken of their relationship and the future of their coupling, but this was the first time marriage was mentioned. She turned to face Luca as the crowd celebrated the final couple that danced in the middle of the floor. She searched Luca’s face and found nothing but adoration and sincerity. “You would?”
Luca nodded and brushed a piece of Stephanie’s hair behind her ear. “Of course we have a little ways to go before then, but I see a forever with you. A stubborn, hectic forever,” Luca said with a high-pitched laugh. Stephanie knew she was nervous talking about this; her chest was splotchy and voice louder than usual. “But a forever I know I’d be happy in.”
Stephanie wanted to say so much, but the music had died and she knew there were better times than that moment to discuss her daydreams with Luca. She kept her reply simple. “I see the same forever as you.”
“Come on.” Alice rushed up to them and grabbed their wrists. “Time for the bouquet toss, and you’re both unmarried women.” Her grin was alarming, as was the crazy and amused look in her eyes.
Stephanie stood beside Luca as all the eligible women gathered for the bouquet toss. Stephanie always considered the tradition to be silly, but if Luca was lining up, so was she. Everyone counted in time as Imogene stood in front of them, her infectious laughter filling the room. On three, the bouquet of bluebonnets and wildflowers went up into the air. Stephanie’s mind flashed with images of a life lived alongside Luca, and as her hands filled with the soft petals of the bouquet, her heart filled with love and an understanding that Luca was right all along. Working together had truly been the opportunity of a lifetime.
About the Authors
Julie Cannon (JulieCannon.com) divides her time by being a corporate suit, a wife, mom, sister, friend, and writer. Julie and her wife have lived in at least a half a dozen states, traveled around the world, and have an unending supply of dedicated friends. And of course, the most important people in their lives are their three kids, #1, Dude, and the Divine Miss Em.
Julie’s novel I Remember won the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Best Lesbian Romance in 2014.
Aurora Rey grew up in a small town in south Louisiana, daydreaming about New England. She keeps a special place in her heart for the South, especially the food and the ways women are raised to be strong, even if they’re taught not to show it. After a brief dalliance with biochemistry, she completed both a BA and an MA in English.
When she’s not writing or at her day job in higher education, she loves to cook and putter around the house. She’s slightly addicted to Pinterest, has big plans for the garden, and would love to get some goats.
She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her partner, two dogs, and whatever wild animals have taken up residence at the pond.
M. Ullrich has always called New Jersey home and currently resides by the beach with her wife and boisterous feline children. After many years of regarding her writing as just a hobby, the gentle yet persistent words of encouragement from her wife pushed M. Ullrich to take a leap into the world of publishing. Much to her delight and amazement, that world embraced her back.
Although M. Ullrich may work full-time in the optical field, her favorite hours are the ones she spends writing and eating ridiculously large portions of breakfast foods for every meal. When her pen isn’t furiously trying to capture her imagination (a rare occasion), she enjoys being a complete entertainer. Whether she’s telling an elaborate story or a joke, or getting up in front of a crowd to sing and dance her way through her latest karaoke selection, M. Ullrich will do just about anything to make others smile. She also happens to be fluent in three languages: English, sarcasm, and TV/movie quotes.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
A Call Away by KC Richardson. Can a businesswoman from a big city find the answers she’s looking for, and possibly love, on a small-town farm? (978-1-63555-025-2)
Berlin Hungers by Justine Saracen. Can the love between an RAF woman and the wife of a Luftwaffe pilot, former enemies, survive in besieged Berlin during the aftermath of World War II? (978-1-63555-116-7)
Blend by Georgia Beers. Lindsay and Piper are like night and day. Working together won’t be easy, but not falling in love might prove the hardest job of all. (978-1-63555-189-1)
Hunger for You by Jenny Frame. Principe of an ancient vampire clan Byron Debrek must save her one true love from falling into the hands of her enemies and into the middle of a vampire war. (978-1-63555-168-6)
Mercy by Michelle Larkin. FBI Special Agent Mercy Parker and psychic ex-profiler Piper Vasey learn to love again as they race to stop a man with supernatural gifts who’s bent on annihilating humankind. (978-1-63555-202-7)
Pride and Porters by Charlotte Greene. Will pride and prejudice prevent these modern-day lovers from living happily ever after? (978-1-63555-158-7)
Rocks and Stars by Sam Ledel. Kyle’s struggle to own who she is and what she really wants may end up landing her on the bench and without the woman of her dreams. (978-1-63555-156-3)
The Boss of Her: Office Romance Novellas by Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich. Going to work never felt so good. Three office romance novellas from talented writers Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich. (978-1-63555-145-7)
The Deep End by Ellie Hart. When family ties become entangled in murder and deception, it’s time to find a way out… (978-1-63555-288-1)
A Country Girl’s Heart by Dena Blake. When Kat Jackson gets a second chance at love, following her heart will prove the hardest decision of all. (978-1-63555-134-1)
Dangerous Waters by Radclyffe. Life, death, and war on the home front. Two women join forces against a powerful opponent, nature itself. (978-1-63555-233-1)
Fury’s Death by Brey Willows. When all we hold sacred fails, who will be there to save us? (978-1-63555-063-4)
It’s Not a Date by Heather Blackmore. Kade’s desire to keep things with Jen on a professional level is in Jen’s best interest. Yet what’s in Kade’s best interest…is Jen. (978-1-63555-149-5)
Killer Winter by Kay Bigelow. Just when she thought things could get no worse, homicide Lieutenant Leah Samuels learns the woman she loves has betrayed her in devastating ways. (978-1-63555-177-8)
Score by MJ Williamz. Will an addiction to pain pills destroy Ronda’s chance with the woman she loves, or will she come out on top and score a happily ever after? (978-1-62639-807-8)
Spring’s Wake by Aurora Rey. When wanderer Willa
Lange falls for Provincetown B&B owner Nora Calhoun, will past hurts and a fifteen-year age gap keep them from finding love? (978-1-63555-035-1)
The Northwoods by Jane Hoppen. When Evelyn Bauer, disguised as her dead husband, George, travels to a Northwoods logging camp to work, she and the camp cook Sarah Bell forge a friendship fraught with both tenderness and turmoil. (978-1-63555-143-3)
Truth or Dare by C. Spencer. For a group of six lesbian friends, life changes course after one long snow-filled weekend. (978-1-63555-148-8)
A Heart to Call Home by Jeannie Levig. When Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after thirty years, can she and her childhood crush Dakota Scott heal the tragic past that links them? (978-1-63555-059-7)
Children of the Healer by Barbara Ann Wright. Life becomes desperate for ex-soldier Cordelia Ross when the indigenous aliens of her planet are drawn into a civil war and old enemies linger in the shadows. Book Three of the Godfall Series. (978-1-63555-031-3)
Hearts Like Hers by Melissa Brayden. Coffee shop owner Autumn Primm is ready to cut loose and live a little, but is the baggage that comes with out-of-towner Kate Carpenter too heavy for anything long term? (978-1-63555-014-6)
Love at Cooper’s Creek by Missouri Vaun. Shaw Daily flees corporate life to find solace in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, but escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins. (978-1-62639-960-0)
Twice in a Lifetime by PJ Trebelhorn. Detective Callie Burke can’t deny the growing attraction to her late friend’s widow, Taylor Fletcher, who also happens to own the bar where Callie’s sister works. (978-1-63555-033-7)
Undiscovered Affinity by Jane Hardee. Will a no-strings-attached affair be enough to break Olivia’s control and convince Cardic that love does exist? (978-1-63555-061-0)
Between Sand and Stardust by Tina Michele. Are the lifelong bonds of love strong enough to conquer time, distance, and heartache when Haven Thorne and Willa Bennette are given another chance at forever? (978-1-62639-940-2)
Charming the Vicar by Jenny Frame. When magician and atheist Finn Kane seeks refuge in an English village after a spiritual crisis, can local vicar Bridget Claremont restore her faith in life and love? (978-1-63555-029-0)
