by M. A. Foster
No official announcement has been made yet, but Cam has decided this season will be his last with the Tampa Bay Thunder. He’s retiring from the game altogether. Being away from Trace and me was hard on him last year so he decided this season would be his last. I support his decision and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
I look over at Cam and smile. “You didn’t ask me today.”
“Uh, guys,” Jay squeaks. “I think my water broke.”
Six months later…
Standing before the mirror, I brush my hands over the light blue maxi dress I chose for my special day with Cam. My gaze flicks to the reflection of the first man I ever loved, and I smile. “Hi, Daddy.”
They say you should live your life with no regrets. I’ll never regret a single moment of my life with Marcus, but I do carry some when it comes to my family. One of my biggest regrets is that I never gave this wonderful man the chance to walk me down the aisle.
Today he’ll get his chance. Today I’m marrying my happily ever after on our beach, at sunset, with our families at our side, including my six-month-old twin grandbabies, Annabella and Alexander.
“You look so beautiful, Emi bear.” His eyes glisten with unshed tears. “You sure you want to do this? I got the car running out front if you want to make a run for it.” He smirks.
I snort. “Nah. I kinda like him, Daddy. He’s really cute.”
He rolls his eyes playfully. “If you say so.”
Turning to face him, I say, “Daddy, I don’t know how I got so lucky. I thought after Marcus died, I wouldn’t have the will to love anyone like that again.”
“I’m scared, Marcus.” I nuzzled into his chest and tightened my hold around his waist.
He exhaled a heavy sigh. “Me, too, Em,” he admitted. “But I’m not afraid to die.”
I lifted my head. “What are you afraid of, then?”
He closed his eyes as if it pained him to speak the next words. “I’m afraid of leaving you behind.” My eyes filled with tears. “I’m afraid that no one will take care of you the way I have. That no one will love you the way I do, the way you deserve to be loved.”
I reached up to cup his face. “Marcus, you are the love of my life,” I cried. “I don’t want or need anyone else to love me.”
“You don’t get to make that decision. Not now. Not ever. Your heart will decide when you’re ready to love again.”
“My heart will never recover from this.”
“It will. I promise.”
I extend my hand to my father. “I’m ready.”
The End
This book is dedicated to my readers. Especially to the ladies in my readers group, who have supported me along the way. Without you, this wouldn’t be possible.
“Moving on doesn’t mean letting go.”
~ unknown
Author’s Note
Cougar can be read as a standalone but contains spoilers from the first two books in the series. This book is written within the same timeline as Jaybird and Mackenzie. Although this is Emerson and Cam’s story, there were certain events from the previous books that have been included to help the flow of the story.
This story contains flashbacks between chapters. They’re not in any particular order or dated but are relevant.
Acknowledgments
I’m writing this in the middle of the night so bear with me.
When I wrote Jaybird, I had no idea what kind of reception I would get from readers. I knew nothing at all about the book world. Truthfully, I still don’t know much. It changes every day and sometimes I find myself struggling to keep up. But I’m grateful to everyone who helped me along this journey and encouraged me to stay true to myself and my writing.
Emerson and Cam’s story was one I never expected to write for so many reasons. One of those reasons being that I was afraid to let go of Marcus. To me, he is truly the perfect book boyfriend.
There are so many people to thank for accompanying me along this journey. First, thank you to all the readers out there who have taken a chance on me. I write these stories for you.
Thank you to my family for all your support. To my husband, for keeping me fed, caffeinated and hydrated while I’m writing, I love you. Thank you to my boys, Matt and Ryan. And to Taylor, my future daughter.
Thank you to my brother, Ruben Carbonell, for another amazing book cover. And to Robin Harper at Wicked By Design (http://www.facebook.com/WickedByDesignRobinHarper/) for the additional artwork.
Thank you to the ladies at Hot Tree Editing, Becky, Donna, Kristin, and Mandy. I love you ladies.
A huge thank you to my team, Angie Hallock, Kasey Sullivan, Amy McCoy Crull, Missy Kretschmer, Louise Rogers-Thomas, Polly Heard Smith, Katrina Smith, Dee Shelvey, and Andrea Luna Galante for your support, feedback and laughs along the way.
Thank you to the ladies who are part of my Mayhem reader group for your daily encouragement.
Thank you to my best girls for being patient with me and not writing me off as your friend, when I’ve been too busy trying to meet deadlines. We’ll always have our movie dates.
Louise Rogers-Thomas, my PA and beautiful swag maker. Thank you for putting up with my squirrel moments and taking care of me, even at the last minute. And to Sharon Renee PA, who is still trying to figure me out.
Louise Evans, you are selfless and sweet. You never forget about me and I can’t wait to hug you one day.
Thank you, Kim Deister, Kasey Sullivan, Emma Lloyd, Nikki Mays and S.E. Roberts, for checking on me and for your words of encouragement. Hugs.
Darlene Avery-Ward thank you for just being you. You are the kindest woman with the biggest heart. Thank you for listening to my mini-meltdowns over the last year.
Thank you to Ena at Enticing Journey Book Promotions, Natasha at RRR Promotions and to all the bloggers who read, reviewed and shared Cougar. Without you none of this is possible. I’m forever grateful.
And lastly, thank you Abigail Davies with Pink Elephant Designs for being my saving grace with formatting this book.
About the Author
M.A Foster is a wife, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, and best friend. She loves chocolate, lattes and all things sparkly. She was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and currently resides in Lutz, Florida with her husband and her fur child, Rocky.
When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either catching up with friends and family or chatting with her readers and fellow author friends on Facebook.
You can connect with her at one of the following:
Facebook
Facebook Group
Website
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Email: [email protected]
Also by M.A. Foster
Heritage Bay Series
Jaybird
Mackenzie
Voyages of the Heart Anthology: With Love From London
One Night Resolution
