by Evie Snow
“I’d rather you liked me more,” he growled. “How about we slip away for a few minutes so I can give you your Christmas present?”
Jo looked around furtively. “You think we could?”
Stephen didn’t need any more encouragement than that. Pushing his chair back, he hauled her to her feet before propelling her into the house and through his bedroom door, shutting it and checking to make sure it was locked.
“It’s that kind of present, is it?” Jo asked, eyes twinkling as she began to pull her shirt over her head.
Stephen took in her lacy mint-green bra with an appreciative smile. “Well, it wasn’t until now.”
Stepping towards her, he pulled the small box he’d been carrying around with him for days out of his back pocket. He hoped the ring would fit. More than that, he hoped Jo would say yes. He’d just begun to get down on bended knee, enjoying the way Jo’s eyes widened in surprise, when someone banged on his bedroom door.
“WHAT?” Stephen bellowed with such frustration that Jo started laughing like a loon.
“Scott’s here, so is Clayton. You’re both wanted for a photo,” Rachael called through the door. “Make sure you’re both buttoned and zipped, children.”
“I’m going to murder her in her sleep tonight,” Stephen groaned as Jo pulled her shirt back on. She was still chuckling as he surreptitiously slipped the box back into his pocket.
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she said with a huge smile before she unlocked the bedroom door and swung it open.
Sure enough, Scott, Amy, and Clayton were standing in the kitchen watching in amazement as Jeff Rousse made a valiant effort of offending Rachael, who looked like she wanted to murder him.
“You better not be going anywhere,” Stephen rumbled in Jo’s ear as he pulled her back against him, enjoying the brief moment before his family descended upon them with their brand of chaos.
Jo leaned against the man behind her, enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around her waist, and took in the noisy scene in front of her. These were all people she loved and cared for—well, with the exception of Jeff, who she tolerated. She’d be spending a lot of time around them over the next few years while she and Stephen designed and oversaw the building of a microbrewery on the site of her parents’ old house. They’d no doubt exasperate her and drive her crazy, Stephen more than anyone else. She couldn’t wait.
“Yes,” she leaned back and whispered into his ear. “But I’m not wearing a dress.”
Stephen’s shout of joy drew everyone’s attention, and they all laughed as he grabbed Jo’s hand, pulled her back into his bedroom, and slammed the door.
Copyright © 2019 by Georgina Penney & Anthony Johnson
Cover Art Copyright © 2019 Qamber Designs
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Head Over Heels Offer
The Music That Inspired Fly In Fly Out
We make a Spotify playlist for every book we write that includes all the songs that inspired us along the way. We thought it’d be fun to share. To listen, just click here. (Or on the graphic above!)
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank for the publication of this book, which was the first we ever wrote. Theresa, Anja, Jo, Rhyll you’re all phenomenal people. A huge thanks to the guys at Penguin who first gave this book life in 2014. To all the wonderful Aussie readers who bought it when it first came out and to all the readers around the world who’ve read it since… You’re all amazing and we’re hugely grateful.
About the Author
Evie Snow is the pen name for a globe-trotting writing team comprising of Georgina (George) Penney and Tony (The Kraken) Johnson.
George does the actual writing and reads far too many books. In the past, she was well on the way to a contemporary history PhD when moving to Saudi Arabia re-introduced her to a love of writing fiction.
Tony manages plot wrangling and is in charge of caffeine distribution. He once spent twenty years working globally as a petroleum engineer and found the oil industry to be far stranger than fiction.
Together, George and Tony have lived in a bunch of countries including Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam and Scotland. They’re currently on a world-traveling adventure, writing books, seeing all the sights, eating all the food and patting as many critters as possible.
For more info about us,
www.eviesnow.net
Also by Evie Snow
Head Over Heels
Mind Games
Stuck On You
Sweet On You
Save Me From Heroes
Ian Buchanan’s Very Big Secret
Love Imperfection
The Barbershop Girl
