Slowly, so slowly, everyone’s stunned faces turn to me, glancing at me with slack jaws.
Allie is the first to speak. “Your name is Charles-Jay?”
I glare at the nurse as she measures out what dosage to put in my tubes, before turning to answer Allie. “I didn’t get a say in what my name would be. My mum was going through a tough time. She’d just delivered the world’s most perfect baby.”
“Charles?” Willow asks, still open-mouthed.
I close my eyes, groaning. “Yes, now can we move on to how great I am?”
“Charles?” Allie repeats, before bursting into a fit of laughter. The others follow, laughing uproariously.
Cole slaps me on the leg, smiling. “They were gonna find out sooner or later.”
“Yeah, when it was printed on my gravestone,” I mutter.
He chuckles. “At least they aren’t crying now.”
I glance at everyone in the room, then back at Cole. “They’re crying with laughter—it’s the same thing.”
“Suck it up,” Cole says, then chuckles at my murderous expression.
The pain meds start to kick in and I fight to stay awake. I can’t go to sleep without explaining my mum’s reasons for giving me such a crappy name.
Allie turns when she sees I’m fighting it. “Go to sleep, Charles, we’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Don’t call me Charles,” I croak out groggily.
I feel her lean in, her lips pressing against my ear. “I’m going to love you no matter what, Charles-Jay Everhert.”
My head flops to the side, my mouth feeling like sandpaper. “Love you, my… Cupcake,” I tell her, feeling myself sink into the darkness.
EPILOGUE
Allie
Six years later
Today’s the day I open a new chapter in my life. It’s the day I pledge myself to the love of my life. It’s the day I’ve been dreaming about since CJ asked me to marry him six years ago, a few weeks after leaving the hospital.
The day finally is here, and I couldn’t be happier.
I glance in the long-length mirror behind the door, running a hand down my white, silk dress.
“You make a beautiful bride,” Milly says, leaning over my shoulder to kiss my cheek.
I look at her through the mirror, smiling. “Thank you. Is everything ready?”
“Nearly?”
I panic, turning to face her. “What do you mean, nearly?”
She giggles, taking both my hands in hers. “Calm down,” she tells me, before facing the door. “Willow, come in now.”
Willow, my maid of honour, walks in wearing her floor-length, dark green bridesmaid dress. She looks beautiful, and my eyes immediately go to her round bump under her dress. At eight months, she looks radiant. Pregnancy suits my best friend.
I glance from Willow to Milly, nervous about what’s going on. “Has something happened?”
Willow chuckles. “No, we came to give you these,” she tells me, and signals for Milly to go ahead.
I watch her pull a box out of her bag, handing it to me.
“This is something borrowed from me. They belonged to my nan,” she tells me.
My eyes begin to water when I open the box, finding a matching pearl earrings and necklace set. “They’re beautiful. Thank you,” I tell her, feeling choked up.
She helps me put them on before stepping aside, letting Willow through. “This is something blue from me,” she tells me, and hands me a tiny gift bag.
I look inside, laughing when I see the baby-blue garter inside. I pull it out and pass it to her. “Can you put it on? In these shoes I’m afraid I’ll break an ankle.”
She laughs, her eyes glancing to Milly for a second before nodding. “Sure.”
I help lift my elegant but simple dress, cursing at the high-heeled shoes they made me wear. I can’t walk for shit in them, but they don’t seem to care.
I drop the dress when she’s finished, and a thought occurs to me. “Wait, shouldn’t there be something new, something borrowed, and something blue?”
“We thought we’d save the best till last,” Willow answers, glancing at Milly.
I turn her way, grateful she stepped in with Mel to organise the wedding. Without those two, this day would have been impossible.
“This is something new, from CJ.” She hands me a box and I sit down in the chair behind me to open it.
I gasp, no longer able to hold back the tears.
“Oh, no, don’t cry,” Milly panics, rushing to get me a tissue.
I pick up one of the Converse, smiling when I see our initials on the side of each shoe. On the inside is written, ‘Our story isn’t over’.
“CJ got these?” I ask, smiling wide.
Milly hands me a tissue. “It was a surprise. He knew you’d hate high heels, so he got these made for you.”
“I nearly called our wedding off over those bloody high heels,” I whisper.
Willow laughs. “We know. Now swap the shoes and let’s get going. It’s time.”
I look up at Milly, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “I am going to love him for eternity.”
She dabs her eyes with a tissue. “Now you’re going to make me cry. Stop it.”
“Let’s go get me married.”
“Let’s get you married,” Willow says, her smile just as wide as mine.
We change my shoes, and the second I stand in them, I feel relief. We’ve been together for nearly seven years, and he still never fails to amaze me. He’s always thinking of me.
My dad is standing outside the door when we exit. He makes a choked sound in the back of his throat, his eyes filling with tears.
“You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
I blush, running a hand down my dress. “Thank you.”
“Are you ready?”
I glance up at him. “I was born ready.”
He chuckles, then leads me down the hallway to the hall we’re getting married in.
“Once the doors open, it’s time,” the organiser announces quietly next to me. We nod, and I stare at the door, willing it to open.
“Dad, don’t let me fall,” I whisper from the side of my mouth.
He looks down at me, happiness and pride shining in his eyes. “Never. And your husband-to-be would never let that happen, either.”
Nervous jitters begin in the pit of my stomach when the doors open, the wedding march playing in the background.
I look to my dad, feeling an array of emotions. “I’m really getting married.”
He smiles, lifting his arm up for me to take. “You are, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
“Go then,” Willow whispers behind me, and I hear Rosie, Jordan and Becca start giggling.
I roll my eyes and take the first step.
The first step to forever.
The first step to a lifetime of happiness.
The first step of my new chapter.
The moment I lock eyes with CJ, I can’t look away. He looks so handsome standing there with our daughter in his arms, rocking her to sleep.
Lena is nine months old and a real daddy’s girl. I shouldn’t be surprised she’s in CJ’s arms and not Mel’s, who’s she’s supposed to be with.
His mouth drops open as he watches me. I bite my lip, blushing at the way he’s looking at me.
Mel quietly takes Lena from him, but he doesn’t seem to notice, his attention solely on me. I keep walking, feeling my legs pick up the pace, wanting to get to him quicker. My dad laughs and lengthens his stride to keep up with me.
When I reach him, I remember my cue and turn to face him. He looks me up and down, his eyes turning misty as he tries to hold back tears.
“You look devastatingly beautiful,” he whispers hoarsely, taking my hands in his. The way he looks at me, right down into my soul, soothes me. “I’m going to love you in every lifetime.”
I melt, feeling my body sway towards him, unable to say something, I’m that speechless.
&n
bsp; There’s no one out there who could love me more than CJ, and no one could love him more than I do.
We belong together; we’re made for each other.
There’s no one else I would want to spend the rest of my life with. No one but him.
And today we make it official.
Today we begin a new journey, one full of love, hope and happiness.
There’s no greater joy than that.
THE END
If you enjoyed Game Over, please don’t forget to leave a review. I enjoy reading your reviews, and I read ALL of them. They encourage me, motivate me, and help me know where I’m going right or wrong.
Many readers choose to read a book recommended to them by a friend rather than from a Facebook post or ad, so if you liked the story, please do tell your friends on social media.
Also, if you wondering what happened to Mr. Flint, then keep an eye out for my next release. Almost Free will be releasing next.
Author’s note
To my readers,
Game Over went down a different route to what people expected. A lot of you were prepared for an immature, loyal, alpha male that made a fool of himself every chance he got. With CJ, you get that and more.
I hope you enjoyed CJ and Allie’s story, and that it wasn’t too far out of your comfort zone.
I feel blessed every time I release a book. Knowing this is my 13th book truly amazes me. I get to do what I love every single day, and it’s all thanks to you, my readers. You guys keep me going, keep me motivated and inspired. And for that, I’ll be forever thankful.
If you’re reading this note, it’s you I’m thankful to. It’s you who buys my books, who helps me continue writing.
Thank you.
Bloggers,
You guys are a godsend. I want to thank each and every one of you who took part in the cover reveal and release day. You guys are awesome.
Stephanie Farrant,
Without this psycho midget, this book would have taken longer to write. Not only did she edit my novel, but she helped me piece together the darker scenes. For someone so incredibly sweet and kind, she’s kind of scary. But I love her for it.
Stephanie, you rock. Never change who you are or what you do because you are incredible at it. Most people excel at gymnastics, medicine, numbers etc., but you… you excel with words. You go above and beyond for me, and I’ll be forever grateful.
You’re amazing.
(But you’re still a psycho midget, to me. And yes, that nickname is here to stay.)
OTHER TITLES by Lisa Helen Gray
FORGIVEN SERIES
Better Left Forgotten
Obsession
Forgiven
CARTER BROTHERS SERIES
Malik
Mason
Myles
Evan
Max
Maverick
A NEXT GENERATION CARTER NOVEL SERIES
Faith
Aiden – Coming 2018
WHITHALL UNIVERSITY SERIES
Foul Play
Game Over ~ Out Now
Almost Free – Available soon
I WISH SERIES
If I Could I’d Wish It All Away
Wishing For A Happily Ever After
Wishing For A Dream Come True ~ Coming Soon
About the Author
Lisa Helen Gray is Amazon’s best-selling author of the Forgotten Series and the Carter Brothers series.
She loves hanging out, but most of all, curling up with a good book or watching movies. When she’s not being a mum, she’s a writer and a blogger.
She loves writing romance novels with a HEA and has a thing for alpha males.
I mean, who doesn’t!
Just an ordinary girl surrounded by extraordinary books.
Game Over (Whithall University Book 2) Page 29
