Fearsome
Page 36
Our room is on one of the highest floors with palatial views of the Hudson River.
“Who knew Jersey was so cool?” I stand at the floor-to-ceiling window as Carson puts his arms around me and rests his chin on my head.
“I have something for you and I don’t want you to freak out,” he says.
I turn in his arms and look up at him. “Jesus, when you put it like that, how can I not freak out a little? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He laughs and goes to the closet to retrieve a small, light blue, square box with a white ribbon.
“Oh sweet pancakes! I know that box. You went to Tiffany’s.” I jump back, pointing my finger accusingly.
“You spend too much time with Lois. Settle down.” He places the box in my palm.
“Carson, what are you doing?’
“You know what I’m doing,” he says, tugging on the white ribbon. “Listen, my brother had the right idea, but he was the wrong guy for you. Open it. Now.”
I stare at the box and then at him.
“Jess. Now.” He’s very good with demands because his sexy voice and gorgeous face make it difficult to resist.
I pull off the ribbon and drop the velvet box into my palm. When I flip open the lid and gape at the wide platinum band with diamonds all around it, Carson drops to one knee on the floor.
“This is why Imogene had me pick out a ring when she was looking at jewelry sites. I thought it was for shits and giggles, but she was doing research for you. That’s how you knew to buy a band and not a solitaire.”
“I prepared.” He smiles.
“You’re really going to do this?” I ask, feeling thrilled and scared at the same time.
“Yes, I am.” He takes the ring out of the box and holds it out to me. “You’re not the only one with plans. I came up with my own and I want you to hear me out before you say anything, okay?”
I nod.
“I can’t be shown up by my little brother and I know what you said about being too young for marriage, but I decided I’m going to propose to you anyway. A wise old man once told me that he waited too long to propose to the woman he loved and—”
“Oh God, not the Archie story. Carson, I’ve heard that one.”
“Yeah, who hasn’t? Bag that one. Okay, how about this? I want you to live with me. I want to turn my home office into your studio so you can paint out on that terrace you like so much. We’ll set up your computer equipment in the downstairs bedroom and turn that into your office. You keep Gin’s home, rent it to the girls or have them live there for free, whatever you want. Naturally, Bert will live with us. I want you to accept this ring now and wear it. Then, for the next one thousand and ninety-five days, we can say we’re engaged until you feel ready to get married. I know you generally like bigger numbers, especially seventy million for some reason, but how does one thousand and ninety-five work for you?”
“Yes, I like that number. It’s a good one.”
“Are you saying yes?”
“I love you. How about thirty?”
“I love you, too. But thirty? The number thirty? Are we talking about the same thing?”
“Yes, the number of days until we get married. Dylan will be back home, so he can be your best man and we can have all the important people there. Our family.” The confidence surges through me, dispelling any and all doubts that have ever crossed my mind about Carson.
Now it’s his turn to gape.
“Damn, that’s a really small number and you’re good with that?” His mouth curves into a wide smile.
“Yes. I love you, Carson. I want to marry you now, not later. I’ve put in so many years of school, studying and preparing while also putting off happiness for work and academic accomplishments. My parents and professors said my rewards would come later. I’ve had a lifetime of laters.”
“Me, too.” Carson stands and puts the ring on my finger. “It’s Mrs. Blackard in thirty days, baby.”
“That’s Babycakes to you.”
Carson embraces me and we kiss hungrily as I begin to cry joyfully, tears of contentment pouring out of me. “You’re happy, right?” Carson asks, wiping a tear with his thumb.
“Unbelievably happy.” I laugh. “Never stop kissing me.
“Never.”
Acknowledgements
Much love and gratitude goes to my family. While writing, I ignored them a lot, often forgetting meals and civil conversation. They are truly a forgiving bunch, and despite my ability to be lost in my own world most of the time, my family keeps encouraging me to write.
To my friends, thank you for being so patient while I ramble on about fictional characters as if they are a part of our circle of friends - and for the great input you all provided. I couldn’t ask for a better support system.
To my wonderful editing team at C&D Editing, Kristin Campbell and Alizon Duckwall, thank you for making Fearsome a better book. Your professional skills and virtual hand-holding were an absolute necessity, and Serenity Valle’s keen eye added the perfect polish.
To Aaron Campbell, thank you for my cool website and being patient with all of my inane questions and ideas.
And to all my author buddies online and in the real world, thank you for being so generous with advice and support!
About the Author
S. A. Wolfe lives with her wonderfully loud, opinionated children and husband. She is a voracious reader and passionate about writing, and when those two activities don’t keep her locked away in her room, she loves hiking mountains as much as she adores all the thrills New York City has to offer.
Dear Reader-
If you enjoyed Fearsome, please consider leaving positive feedback on Amazon, Goodreads, or any book blogs you participate in.
Oh, and I love interacting with readers, so if you want to visit, please contact me at:
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Thank you!
S. A. Wolfe
Leave a review at Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18461247-fearsome
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Synopsis
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Dear Readers