by Amelia Star
It’s early on in the night, and the Rosewood gang are all on the dance floor when I notice Sarah’s friend Alicia dancing with a group of kids from the center. Sean introduced her to them recently, since she’s going to start painting the recreation room at the center in a few weeks.
It’s so cute to watch Alicia with the kids. She’s made up a funny dance, and they’re following along with her and having a blast.
Soon, one of the children’s parents joins in to help lead the fun.
“Looks like Mr. Davis has got some moves on him,” I observe.
Ted looks over my shoulder while we dance to see what’s going on. “I don’t think Micah is as interested in teaching that dance to the kids as much as he is just interested in getting closer to Alicia.”
We smile at each other and wonder where that will go.
Then the band starts the song that tells everyone it’s time to play limbo. The pole is brought out, and the kids take turns seeing who can go the lowest to bend backwards under the pole without hitting it.
The lower the pole goes, the more everyone holds their breath–then either sighs and commiserates after a child knocks the pole off the stand, or claps after they make it safely.
So the night goes on–everyone has fun. I throw my bouquet and Ted throws my garter–and no one is surprised by who catches them. Alicia and Micah start dancing together immediately.
There’s so much happening, and Ted and I have so many people to catch up with–friends and family who traveled a long way to be here.
By the time Ted and I make our escape, it’s almost midnight.
We turn to each other in the backseat of our honeymoon limo and smile. We’re on our way to a hotel, but in the morning we’re off to Venice–to wine and dine on the best Italian foods for the next week.
Ted takes me in his arms. “My wife, the woman I love,” he says and kisses me long and deep.
It’s the first time he’s called me his wife, and joy fills me like warm sunshine. I never thought I would be so happy, but Ted has changed my life and nothing will ever be the same.
Thank You
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing to read the third book in my first series of books! Hailey and Ted’s story was fun for me to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading their story. It’s been a remarkable journey to get here, and I’m so happy the day has come when I can share stories of love and passion with you!
I especially want to thank Ella Barnard again for the guidance she continues to give on this fascinating journey. I’m so glad I met you and had the opportunity to work with you – from your insightful critiques of my work to your encouragement along the way – I couldn’t do it without you.
If you enjoyed reading my book, please go ahead and leave a review. Nothing elaborate is necessary – just a quick line about what you liked will go a long way in helping a budding writer.
Let me know what you enjoy in a good sweet and steamy romance – come join my Facebook group. There will be giveaways, contests, and excerpts from upcoming books – I can’t wait to see you there!
Interested in more of my stories? Keep reading for the first chapter of the next book in the Rosewood Romances Series, Harvest Love.
Love and hugs,
Amelia
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Also by Amelia Star
The Rosewood Series
Stormy Love
Blossoming Love
Summertime Love
Harvest Love
Coming soon on Amazon
Don’t miss out on Alicia and Micah’s story in Harvest Love!
Turn the page for the first chapter.
Excerpt from Harvest Love
ONE – ALICIA
“What part of the mural will you work on tonight?” Leslie asks, standing back from the wall in the recreation room of Rosewood Community Center, seriously considering the success of my work so far. She’s the only child left here—all the other parents have already been by to pick up their children. Leslie is a smart little girl, and always has a hundred questions to ask.
“There’s going to be a family of bunnies right here.” With my paintbrush, I indicate the area of the wall near the door to the kitchen. The rest of the wall so far is covered with light sketches—I’ll be filling them in with more images of animals, kids doing yoga and meditating, and things like flowers and trees.
“Good choice,” Leslie nods, her black pigtails bobbing up and down, then turns when she hears Ted call her name.
“Your daddy is going to be here in a minute, Leslie. Go get your sweater, munchkin. It’s getting cold outside.”
Leslie skips off to the coatroom, and Ted approaches me, then stops in front of my work. “This is really going to look great when it’s done.” He holds his dark hands at his hips, pondering what he sees.
“I hope so. It will take a few weeks, since I can only come in during the evenings. But it will be a nice break from painting builder’s beige in living rooms and dining rooms during the days.” I dip my brush in a small can of gray paint, and get started on the first bunny.
Painting murals is not really my life’s dream as an artist, but it’s closer to my dream than painting the interior of houses, which I’ve been doing for the last ten years to support myself. Abstract landscapes are really what I love and dream of focusing on someday. I just have to be patient, I keep telling myself, and eventually I’ll have a studio of my own. But patience isn’t one of my strongest character traits. That’s partly why I started painting years ago—it helps me focus and keep calm when life doesn’t go the way I expected it to go.
While I work on the bunnies, Ted and I talk about how his honeymoon in Venice with Hailey went. “Oh, we had a killer time. The food there is incredible.” Ted describes how he and Hailey are adapting some of the recipes they picked up in Italy to add to the menu at their restaurant, Delicious for You.
“You should come over and try some of them out sometime,” Ted suggests.
“Sounds good,” I say, though I’m thinking the pasta is not exactly what my curves need.
Soon, Leslie skips back over to us. Seeming confused but excited, she asks, “Why is my daddy picking me up today? Did something happen with my mom?”
“No, munchkin, something just came up at work that she had to take care of,” Ted explains.
While Ted fills in Leslie on the situation with her mom, I glance back at the door into the recreation room just long enough to catch a glimpse of someone I recognize. He’s tall and wide-shouldered, with intense brown eyes and skin the color of brown late autumn leaves. Wearing a suit and tie, this man I met at Ted and Hailey’s wedding gazes at me perplexedly until—a split-second later, his face breaks out in a smile.
“Alicia?” Micah asks in a happy tone. “How have you been doing?”
Before I can say anything, Leslie steps forward and lets her father know, “She’s doing great, daddy! She’s painting the rec room. You can see the bears on the other end she finished yesterday. Today, she’s going to finish the bunnies!”
Micah crouches down to look at his daughter in the eye and give her a big hug. I feel a melting sensation in my core, and find myself wishing that I was the one getting a big hug from him also.
“Is she really?” Micah asks his daughter, and glances up at me, his dark eyes intensely looking me over in my paint-spattered smock. “I bet she’s going to do a beautiful job.”
Micah stands. He looks just as sharp and athletic as he
did the night we danced together. “You remember me? From the wedding?” he asks. His daughter holds his hand, dancing around him in half-circles.
“I sure do, Micah,” I say and set my brush on the paint can, then pick up a cloth to try to wipe my hands with. “You were the one who insisted we do the hokey-pokey with the kids.”
“Yeah, guilty as charged.” He laughs. “I got some good pics of you with Leslie that I should show you sometime. Sorry I never got back to you like I said I would. But summer football camp started, then school got underway, and…, well, time just slipped away from me.”
“Daddy, Alicia is the one who caught Hailey’s bouquet, isn’t she?” Leslie puts her sweater on. “And that means she’s supposed to get married next, doesn’t it?”
I can feel my pale skin flushing, so I’m sure I must be bright pink. That Micah also caught the garter thrown by Ted also flashes into my memory. Still, there’s no reason for me to be so embarrassed—the idea of me becoming a bride is about as unlikely as my chances of becoming a full-time artist at this point in time. “Oh, it’s just a superstition,” I tell Micah’s daughter.
Ted smiles mischievously, noticing my embarrassment. “It could mean anything, munchkin. Let’s go get your crafts projects together so that you can take them home tonight.”
Leslie shrugs. “Okay, Ted.”
Ted takes her hand, and she skips alongside him, asking twenty questions all the way to the crafts room, and leaving Micah and me alone in front of my unfinished mural.
“Kids say the funniest things,” I remark.
“They say whatever they are thinking,” Micah observes, looking at me with deep intensity. I can tell where Leslie gets her questioning nature. Her father impresses me as someone who is always thinking—he may not be as impulsive as his daughter, but I can practically see the gears turning in a thought-bubble over his head before he speaks again.
“Go out with me Saturday, Alicia.”
He reaches out and takes my hand. I feel so warm and relaxed, as if we were sitting in front of a glowing fire. But the fire I feel is burning inside me.
Then I remember and pull my hand away. “Oh, Micah. Ummm, you might not want to hold my hand now. I kind of have paint all over me.”
“I don’t care,” he insists, taking both my hands this time. “You look so beautiful now. I remember how you looked that night you caught the bouquet and I caught the garter.”
As soon as he says it, I feel the rush in my heart that I felt when the bouquet landed in my hands. We’d danced the rest of the night away with our little prizes, and I was sure he’d call me after taking my number that night. But since then I’d never heard from Micah. And now here he was asking—or practically demanding—that I go out with him. “Where will we go? Will you need to get someone to watch your daughter?”
“Oh, no, that’s not a problem.” Micah furrows his brow slightly. “She’s usually with her mother here in town. I live across the river and teach chemistry and coach football at Larsden High School. I’ve got four classes full of kids, and a whole team to watch over.” He smiles almost proudly, and I get the feeling this is a man who takes his teaching and coaching responsibilities seriously.
“Okay, so it sounds like you have a pretty full plate. How will you fit me in?”
Micah squeezes my hands. “You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’m a woman with clear-cut tastes. How about if we go to the Art Museum tomorrow, the one in Forest Park.”
Micah grins like a man who just won the game for his team. “I think I can make that happen.”
At that moment, Ted and Leslie enter the rec room. Carefully carrying a paper bag, she calls to her father, “I got my crafts projects, Daddy! Take me home and I will show them to you.”
Micah takes the bag from his daughter. “Okay, sweetie. Let’s get going now.”
I watch them moving toward the door together and see how Leslie even walks with the same agile posture as her father.
Ted, who will be staying at the center with me while I paint tonight, notices me looking at them. “You know, it wasn’t so long ago that my mom caught the bouquet and my dad caught the garter at a wedding. They went out after that, and the rest is history.”
“Is that right?” I ask and turn to face the family of bunnies I’m painting. I know it’s superstitious of me, but I add, “I guess those traditions have a reason for being continued.”
Available soon on Amazon!
About the Author
I enjoy writing about how women find passion and love in their lives. It's especially fun to write about women who are looking for their dreams - whether it's career, family, or love!
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