#Book Blitz #A Heartbeat away from you #YA #Contemporary Romance #Sports @Xpresso Book Tours16/8/2022
A Heartbeat Away from You
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: The tears spilled down my heated cheeks as I stumbled down the steps to the lawn. Fabulous. Now I was crying like a little kid. I needed something to kick or throw or-- Thud. I crashed into someone. The top of my head whacked into what felt like a chin. Grunting, I stumbled backward. Two hands gripped my arms, steadying me. “Whoa. Slow down.” A broad chest hovered just inches from mine, clad in a grass-stained T-shirt. Dazed, I lifted my head—and found myself staring into a pair of gorgeous eyes. We’re talking deep chocolate brown with little flecks of gold and framed by sexy dark eyelashes. Those eyes peered down at me, laced with a mixture of surprise and concern. His hair—a shade darker than his eyes—fell in a tousled wave across his forehead. Stubble dusted his strong jawline, and his tanned skin practically glowed in the afternoon sun. He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. His shirt was too small for him, fitting snugly across his chest. Tingles danced along my skin as I scanned his well-defined torso and arms. Who was this hot stranger in my backyard? “You okay?” “Huh?” I tore my eyes from his abs and forced myself to focus on his face. His amazing face. “You hit your head pretty hard. Are you okay?” Oh. My. Freaking. God. I swiped my hands across my tear-stained cheeks and took a step back. I knew that voice. This was no stranger. My eyes widened. “Max?” A faint blush tinged his cheeks. He flashed me a sheepish smile, wide enough to display a row of perfectly straight teeth. “Hi, Ali.” Shock radiated through my body, keeping me rooted to the spot. This couldn’t be Max. Max had poufy hair and a mouth full of metal. He was stick thin with an acne-covered face and thick-rimmed nerd glasses. And his eyes… his eyes had never looked so bold and brilliant. “I got contacts,” he said, as if reading my mind. “Oh.” His gaze tracked the length of my body. “I didn’t expect you to look so… well, so different.” His mouth tipped up on one side. “This is a good look for you.” Nothing sheepish about his smile now. It was mocking. Arrogant. And there was his critical tone, the one that made me want to slap him across the face. The strange tingly feeling completely evaporated, and my body tensed. His looks might have changed, but his personality hadn’t. “What are you doing in our backyard?” I asked in a terse voice. “Your dad pays me to mow the lawn.” My enemy doing my yard work? Not when I was around. Contrary to what Dad thought, I was perfectly capable of physical activity. My heart may have been slow, but the pacemaker brought it up to a rhythm that was just as normal as Max’s. “You can stop,” I said. “I can do it now that I’m here.” “I don’t think so.” “You don’t think so?” I let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, excuse me, I didn’t realize you had a say in my family affairs.” He whistled. “Wow, still the same hotheaded Ali.” He stepped away and grabbed the lawnmower from where it stood in front of the shed. “This is my job. I get paid to do it, and as far as I can tell, Mr. B. wants to keep it that way.” Oh, I bet he does. “Besides,” he continued, “this is newly sodded grass, and there’s a bit of an art to mowing it.” He raised his eyebrows at me. “I doubt you’re familiar with the method.” Anger burned in my veins. “Still the same condescending Max.” I jabbed my forefinger at the observatory next door. Sun glinted off its walls, blinding me. “Look, why don’t you go help your own father? I’m sure he’s got…” I trailed off, but I’d realized my mistake too late. Between my dad and Max, I’d been so riled up that I’d completely forgotten about what had happened to Mr. Delaney. I quickly dropped my hand, my cheeks hot. When I opened my mouth to do damage control, nothing came out. Max turned his own gaze to the observatory and curled his fingers over the lawnmower’s handle. A shadow crossed his face and something that looked like pain flashed in his eyes. But when he refocused on me, it was as if he’d flipped a switch. His expression was void of emotion, his stunning eyes vacant. “Yeah, that might be a little difficult,” he said in a cool, detached voice, “since my father’s dead.”
GIVEAWAY! Loving Artemis
-- EXCERPT: Art felt the bike purring under her as she gunned along the highway. She looked down and saw the blur of asphalt. She looked straight ahead. It was mid-morning on Friday and the road was empty. The sun cast a long shadow in front of her. The shadow looked like a black cartoon of a larger-than-life person on an even larger motorcycle. It looked like something she might have seen on Saturday morning television when she was a kid. She grinned and accelerated more until the pointer on the odometer reached forty-five. Billboards blurred into trees. The highway passed over a wide stream that she could see on her right as the highway turned into a flat bridge. It was warm for early November. Wind tousled her hair; the sunglasses fit perfectly. Everything was darker and more vibrant. The trees on the side of the highway shed their leaves in a blur of red, orange, yellow. Golden light was everywhere. Art knew the chlorophyll in the leaves captured the sun’s rays in the summer, keeping the leaves green. She had learned that in the autumn when the days are bright, but the sun’s rays are further away, the leaves take their bright colors from another group of pigments called anthocyanins. This was a process of photosynthesis; science. But as the leaves passed her in a bright autumn blur, it felt like magic. She was so close to the road that she felt like she was a part of it. Her bike was more powerful than Tommy’s. The engine roared. It felt like flying. As long as she kept her wits about her and didn’t wipe out, she could go anywhere.
#Book Blitz #The Reckless Union by Monica Murphy #Contemporary Romance @Xpresso Book Tours16/8/2022
The Reckless Union
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- EXCERPT: Perry All I want to do is take care of Charlotte, but I don’t know how. Instead, I wait for her cues, watching her carefully as we walk through the lobby, her gaze zipping everywhere, as if she fully expects that jackass to jump out of a dark corner and snatch her from me. Thanks to the late hour, the lobby is quiet and empty. Only a single security guard is on shift and he nods at the both of us as we walk past the desk he sits behind, completely oblivious to the chaos from earlier. Lucky guy. The ride in the elevator is quiet. Charlotte’s face is tear streaked, her eyes red and her cheeks blotchy and I’m tempted to yank her into my arms. Hold her close and whisper words of comfort to her, but I don’t because what exactly would I say? I’m at a complete loss, which is unlike me. I have something to say for every situation, but apparently, not this one. We exit the elevator in silence and I unlock the apartment door. Doja comes running, a streak of furry black headed straight for her owner and Charlotte bends down to scoop the cat into her arms and hold her close. “I missed you so much, Doja. I did,” Charlotte coos, Doja’s purring so loud she reminds me of the Chevelle’s engine. “Oh, Miss Charlotte. You’re home.” We both glance up to find Jasper standing in the middle of the living room, his hand resting on his chest, over his heart. Looking ready to keel over in utter relief. They lock eyes and Charlotte bursts into tears, scurrying over to him so he can hug both her and Doja close, offering comfort in murmured words and fatherly squeezes. I watch them, still at a loss, envious of the easy relationship they share, which is ridiculous on my part. He’s her butler and familiar to her, but he’s also more than that. He’s the parental figure she never really got from her actual father growing up. Jasper is the one man she could count on. The one who took care of her from a young age. Who watched over her and made sure she was always safe. I bet he hates that she ran off to Paris and had such a disastrous experience with that McFucker. He might even hate that dude as much as I do. Jasper and I, we have a lot in common. We always want the best for Charlotte. “Shall I draw a bath for you?” Jasper asks her at one point, minutes after they’ve finally withdrawn from each other and she’s still cuddling with Doja. I shake my head at him. “I’ll take care of her tonight. You go get some rest,” I tell him. Jasper sends me an appreciative look. “Thank you, sir, for finding her. I was worried. And guilt ridden.” “Oh Jasper.” Charlotte wraps him up in another hug, holding him close with Doja wedged between them before she releases him. “Don’t feel guilty. I was the dumb one who went down to meet Seamus without my phone.” I visibly flinch at her saying his name out loud and it’s as if she realizes it a second too late, her guilty glance flitting to mine before she looks away. “And without me,” Jasper reminds her. That old softy would’ve tipped right over the moment McFartlick grabbed Charlotte but I just smile and humor him. I don’t want him feeling guilty. It’s not his fault Charlotte was abducted, even though he blames himself. I take a lot of that blame too. I should’ve come early. Why did I think Jasper could protect her? He’s done a pretty solid job so far, but she’s never dealt with a serious threat before. And that asshole who used and abused her and fucking abducted her is a serious damn threat.
GIVEAWAY! Hiding from the Truth
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- EXCERPT: He steps toward me and hesitates. “Call me if you need me…or anything at all. I’m not “Tate—” I start but he cuts me off by closing the space between us and brushes the back of his hand over my cheek. “Don’t overthink it, Lucy. You’re safe here with me. You can trust me.” I swallow against the burning in my throat as I try to stifle the urge to cry. This man is out of his mind if he thinks I can trust him. I trust he won’t physically hurt me, but emotionally is a different matter altogether. Not to mention, he doesn’t need to get in the middle of my mess. He barely knows me. I lower to my knees, and he licks my cheek. “Thanks, Rocky. I can trust you can’t I, buddy?” I scratch him behind the ears again. His tail thumps the hardwood as I hear my phone beep. I check it and almost drop it. My dad, well Steve. Why is he texting me? I quickly check the message. Dad: Hey Lucy. I just talked to your mom. Can I call you? Almost immediately, my phone rings. “Hello?” “Hey, honey. Your mom told me what happened. Are you okay?” He sounds like he did before he left. Why does he care now? I don’t get it. I’m getting whiplash from all the men in my life. “I’ve been better, but I’ll be fine…always am. You taught me I had to be,” I say hoping he’ll feel even the slightest bit of remorse for how he left me. “I’m sorry, Lucy, truly. I’m coming home to see your mom—and you, if you’ll let me.” I reach for the bed to make sure it’s there to catch my weight. When I drop onto it, I can’t stop the angry tear sliding down my cheek. I won’t let him hurt me again, and facing him, especially now, is not something I’m sure I can do. I swallow and compose myself enough to answer. “I don’t know. I’m trying to process literally everything in my life right now. You walked out on me and didn’t look back. What do you want? I don’t understand why you want to see us.” The line goes silent for a few seconds. “Lucy, we need to talk. All of us.” “Whatever. I have to go.” I hang up before he can say anything else, lying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in shock for a few minutes before deciding to shower and call it a night. I get everything in the bathroom ready and take a quick shower. When I get out, I wipe the steam from the mirror and see the fading bruises on my arms and even my inner thighs. I have one on my ribs too. I lean in closer and examine my face. When I look myself in the eye, I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me. She’s weak. She’s haunted, beaten, and battered as much on the inside as the out. She doesn’t know who she can trust. She’s lost her spark. Who am I now? Am I Steve McCree’s daughter, the one who wasn’t enough for her dad? Am I Rhett Davis’s daughter, the one claimed to be cherished but kept secret? Am I Phoebe McCree’s daughter, the woman who stepped out on her husband and got pregnant? The woman who lied to keep her family together, but lost it anyway?
GIVEAWAY! Accidentally Perfect
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play / Indiebound Only 99¢ for a limited time! -- EXCERPT: “Good morning,” Caleb said, taking a step closer to her. Lillian smiled and brushed some hair back off her forehead. “Good morning. This place is really nice. You built it?” It was pretty basic. Nothing fancy, but it was well-built and clean. “I had a lot of help, and the residents of Blink raised the funds, but yes. I did a good part of the work,” he said. She looked him up and down. “And here I thought you were just eye candy.” “Only if you have a sweet tooth.” He hadn’t known what to expect after the kiss on her porch, but he and his rapidly heating body loved her teasing. She put her hands on her hips. “Why, Grumpy Caleb. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a sense of humor.” “I have a lot of things. Wanna see?” Blush flushed from her neck all the way to where her hairline began. He loved this side of her. All-business Lillian liked a good flirt. He was happy to oblige. “Grumpy Caleb?” “That shoe seems to fit,” she said as she strode toward the kitchen with a grin. He followed.
GIVEAWAY! Saving Sophie
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: The door to the bakery opens and Sophie and Joe come in on a blast of cold air. I shiver. Cold has penetrated every cell in my body; not from the air, but from what Sophie’s uncle just told me. “Sophie set up a spot in the back where you guys can work,” Jim says, getting up from the table. “I’m going to make the dough for tomorrow. If you need anything just give a holler.” I stand up and take a deep breath. Now’s the time, I think. Now’s the time to tell Sophie and her uncle the truth about me. My brother killed her family. He’s the reason she has seizures and amnesia and has to learn how to read and write again. But they’re looking at me like I’m one of the superheroes from The Avengers. My mouth opens and this is what I say: “I’ll do my best, sir.” You chickenshit. Jim claps me on the back. “I know you will. And call me Jim.” Sophie waves to me. “Come on, Gabe.” I follow her to a table in the corner. She takes off her hoodie and drops it over a chair. She’s wearing a green long-sleeved shirt with Edgewater emblazoned across the front in white. It’s like a slap in the face. “I’m impressed you went to Edgewater,” I say. “I heard it’s harder to get in there than Harvard.” I have the sense that this is all an illusion, that I’m watching us play ourselves in a movie or a Netflix series. “Edison’s a good—school, too,” she says. “Uncle Jim talks about it—all the time.” She speaks with a slight hesitation—not a stutter, exactly, but more like her words can’t keep up with what her brain is trying to say. We sit down at the table. Joe parks himself on the floor next to Sophie. There’s nothing on the table except a folder and some pencils. I don’t see any books anywhere, although a backpack is sitting on one of the chairs. There’s an awkward silence as we stare at the folder. Then Sophie looks at me. There were so many times I wondered if her eyes were blue or gray. But I never imagined they were this shade of blue—like the sky on a June day. And I never would have guessed there were pinpoints of violet inside the blue. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you,” I blurt. As soon as the words are out, I want to take them back. She looks down at her hands in her lap. Her hair falls like a curtain around her face. When she looks up at me, her eyes have tears in them. My heart cracks open. I didn’t know anything could hurt this much. My face burns like I have a fever, while the rest of my body is frozen, like it’s encased in ice. I’d give anything right now to go back in time and talk to Josh about his drinking. Insist he get help. Maybe if Mom and I had paid more attention, I wouldn’t be sitting here with the innocent victim of this nightmare. Of everyone affected by the accident, Sophie’s the one who bears the heaviest burden. Her family is dead. Josh will be out of prison at some point. But Sophie—she’ll have to deal with this for the rest of her life.
GIVEAWAY! Wicked Deception
-- EXCERPT: Trujillo, Puerto Jardin After finishing his sandwich, Kyle quietly sipped his coffee and waited. There was no guarantee she’d be here today. Just because he’d seen her on a Thursday didn’t mean anything. The nuns probably came to the open-air market multiple times a week. Maybe they had a rotation and there was no telling which day would be assigned to her. Maybe she rarely drew market duty. Maybe, but Kyle was here anyway. He shouldn’t be doing this. Not only because his captain would be irate, but because he was attracted to her. Very attracted. Nothing would come of it. He’d been raised in Catholic boarding schools across South America and respected the sisters. He might have stopped going to mass after his father died, but Kyle hadn’t strayed so far that he’d make a play for a nun. No, he was here because he was sure she was in trouble. When she’d looked around the market three weeks ago, there’d been terror in her eyes. Something scared her to death and he wanted to know what. And he wanted to help. Kyle wasn’t like his buddy, Griff. He didn’t rush to every woman’s rescue. But he did have a soft spot for nuns. Sweat ran down his cheek, and he absently wiped it away. He was dressed in camo fatigue pants, combat boots, an olive-drab T-shirt with a long-sleeved camouflage shirt to hide his weapons, and the dark green Toros baseball cap he’d appropriated from Griff’s woman when she’d left for the States. It wouldn’t matter what he wore, though. It was hot. Trujillo was close enough to the equator and the tropical rainforest that drinking coffee wasn’t a pleasure. He sipped anyway because it gave him a reason to be sitting in the market, and because he was addicted to caffeine. The place became busier as it got closer to lunch, but still no sign of the nuns. Kyle was reasonably certain she was part of La Convento de Madres Fieles. It was the nearest abbey to the market, and it sure looked as if the sisters walked here to shop. He bought a second coffee. Another half hour passed. He was about to give up when he saw the flash of black in his peripheral vision. Kyle turned. The nuns were at the market, but they were too far away to know if his sister was part of the trio. They wore short tunics again, ending above their knees—not too surprising given the heat—but they had full coifs and veils, and were carrying string bags. He felt for them. They must be more uncomfortable than he was. Keeping them in the edge of his vision, Kyle turned his attention toward the produce stall across from his position. If today was like the previous weeks, they’d head there to buy their fruit, and he didn’t want to show interest in them. They grew closer. His nun was one of the sisters today. Again, her legs were the first thing he noticed, and he had to force his gaze to her face. He guessed she was in her mid-twenties. In the US, it might be surprising, but not in Puerto Jardin where many young women went into the church. One of her group said something and she smiled briefly. He forgot to breathe. Even without makeup, she was beautiful. High cheekbones, big, dark eyes, and full, kissable lips. Easily one of the most stunning women he’d ever laid eyes on. None of the nuns he’d had in school looked like her.
GIVEAWAY! Synopsis: A frantic chase to catch a grave robber reveals a startling discovery in this tenth installment of the Widow’s Island novella series by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh. Deputy Tessa Black spots a man disturbing a grave in the local cemetery and gives chase. But when Tessa catches him, she learns that the ghoulish trespasser wasn’t robbing graves; he was burying a box of bones. With the help of her fiancé, park ranger Logan Wilde, Tessa discovers that the remains belong to a missing teenager from a nearby island. After the girl disappeared nine months ago, police labeled her a runaway. Now, though, it’s clear the teenager was murdered. When the only witness is an uncooperative teenager, Tessa and Logan must find the killer before the boy becomes the next target. Publisher: Montlake Expected Publication Date: October 25th, 2022 Widow Island Series: 1 Close to the Bone 2 A Bone to Pick 3 Whisper of Bones 4 Bred in the Bone 5 Below the Bones 6 A Broken Bone 7 Buried Bones 8 The Lost Bones 9 Bone Deep 10 The Wrong Bones My thoughts:
The Wrong Bones is the tenth novella in Widow Island series written by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you have been following the series, you are surely going to enjoy this instalment and the happy event at the end of it. It was great to see how the stories from the two authors (Melinda Leigh wrote books 2,3, 6,7, and 10, Kendra Elliot -1,4,5,8, and 9) merge seemlessly. Melinda Leigh's novella are written from the point of view of Deputy Tessa Black, while Kendra Elliot's ones focus on Tessa's best friend Cate, a former FBI agent, who also happens to be Tessa's fiance's sister. Tessa Black has a complicated family life. Her mother has been diagnosed with an early onset dementia and Tessa is taking care of both her and Tessa's much younger half-sister Patience. While Tessa knows nothing is going to change the course of her mother's dementia, she tries to help Patience have as normal and stable life as possible in the circumstances. Luckily, Logan Wilde, Tessa's fiance and the only park ranger on the island, is her rock of strength, and the whole island community pulls together to take care of Tessa's mother. Tessa responds to frantic calls of three kids who have spotted a stranger digging a grave at the island's cemetary. Although the chase Tessa gives the stranger isn't successful, the man drops a box he was trying to bury in the grave and the box is full of human bones. The remains belong to a teenage girl who was clearly murdered, but who is she and who is the monster behind the crime? Suspects abound and Tessa and Logan have to move fast to make sure the killer doesn't get away with the crime. The pace was excellent and there was a lot of action packed into the story which culminated in a nail-biting finish that would have made Hollywood action movie writers proud. Fans of Melinda Leigh know she has a very engaging writing style that compels her readers to keep turning pages until the small hours. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion. #Book Review #Bone Deep (Widow's Island 9) by Kendra Elliot #Romantic Suspense #Thriller @Montlake13/8/2022
Synopsis: When two men kidnap former FBI agent Cate Wilde’s fiancé, the boldness of the crime rattles the community. Desperate to find the man she loves, Cate joins forces with the FBI and the local sheriff’s department to launch an investigation and bring Dr. Henry Powers home. Cate soon learns that a brotherhood of bank robbers abducted Henry in the hopes that he might be able to save their youngest brother, who had been shot during a robbery. But this man is beyond saving, which spells life-threatening danger for Henry. While Henry plots his escape, Cate uses her investigative skills and experience to track down her fiancé. Can she get to him in time, or will Widow’s Island live up to its name? Widow Island Series: 1 Close to the Bone 2 A Bone to Pick 3 Whisper of Bones 4 Bred in the Bone 5 Below the Bones 6 A Broken Bone 7 Buried Bones 8 The Lost Bones 9 Bone Deep 10 The Wrong Bones Publisher: Montlake Expected Publication Date: October 18th, 2022 My thoughts:
Bone Deep is the ninth novella in Widow Island series written by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you have been following the series, you know how the stories from the two authors (Melinda Leigh wrote books 2,3, 6,7, and 10, Kendra Elliot -1,4,5,8, and 9) intertwine and merge. Kendra Elliot's novellas are told from the point of view of Cate Wilde, a former FBI agent who left her extremely dangerous and highly stressful job to come back to her tiny home island in the North Pacific and become a baker and bookstore owner. Her feelings towards her decision to leave FBI are still mixed, but she seems to have found real happiness in her close-knit community of Widow's Island. Cate and her brother Logan were raised by their grandmother Jane who plays an important role in everything that is happening on the island. Cate's best friends Samantha and Deputy Tessa Black also support Cate's decision. Melinda Leigh's novellas are written from the point of view of Tessa. If you're a newcomer to the series, don't worry- you won't be lost. It's amazing how the authors provide crucial recap details without overloading the narrative structure. Still, it is definitely better to read the series from the beginning and in order to keep up with the developments in the recurring characters' lives. Plus, we get to know the island itself, how it got its name, and little snippets on its history. This time we learn about Jane/Cate and Logan's ancestors and learn about one of the most long-standing feuds on the island. The plot is based around the kidnapping of Cate's fiance Dr Henry Powers and we are thrown into action from the first page. Two masked men threaten Henry's assistant's life and lead him away at a gunpoint. all he knows he will have to take care of someone who's been shot, but for some reason can't (or won't) go to hospital. Needless to say, Henry's feelings are complex- he is terrified, he is trying to figure out who his kidnappers are and whether they will let him live, but he's also going to do his best to save 'his patient'. In the meantime Cate is going to do everything possible and possible to find him. We see how easy it is for her to slip back into the old role. We also see how much she has changed and how unlikely it is that she will ever go back to her old job. As in all novellas in this series the pace is excellent. There's a great balance of action and slower, more private, intimate moments of reflection (and Cate is dealing with a huge change in her life which she still hasn't processed). Cate isn't just a tourist on the island- her roots are here as well as the most important people in her life- her childhood friends, including indomitable Tessa, her family and her community all come through in this moment of need. Given the fact that these novellas are really short, it isn't surprising that action takes precedence over character development and this is a good reason why I urge anyone interested in picking up the series to start from the beginning. You will see that the characters are well-differentiated- Cate may be missing the intellectual stimulation of being an FBI agent, but she also has few regrets and few doubts she is better suited to this calmer stage in her life. Henry may have got a bit more than he bargained for when he took up his job on Widow's Island, but he's not a person who run away from a challenge. Tough Tessa has a lot to deal with at home, but she also appreciates her mother, her sister and Logan- she has a soft side and we see it clearly when she is helping Cate. Once again I was amazed at how well Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh merged their stories. I am a bit sad that the series is coming to an end, but it was a great journey, and I am looking forward to finding out more about the authors' new projects! Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion. The Devil’s Den
-- EXCERPT: “What are you thinking about?” he asks, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand, my head lying over his shoulder. “That I have ugly hair.” “What?” He jerks his head back in an instant. “Who gave you that idea?” The way he stares, it’s not with anger at me, but for what I just said. I shrug, avoiding his gaze by staring at my bare feet. After a few seconds, he snakes a hand under his pillow and retrieves something. In his palm is the notepad I once gave him. But as I look at it, as he turns to open a page, I let out a small gasp, my stomach flipping all over again. I can’t stop staring. My breathing goes ragged. I’m there on the page, in a long wispy dress, my hair caught in the wind, skipping among flowers, butterflies floating around me, like he knew that’s how he makes me feel. But that’s silly, of course, there’d be butterflies in a meadow. That’s what this is. He continues to turn, page after page, and I find more of me on every single one. He’s been drawing me this whole time? Why? He gazes straight at me, the crooked smile reaching the far corner of his mouth. “Your hair reminds me of the sun, and the sun is beautiful.” My heart flutters in my chest, tears growing within my eyes. And his face, the one that barely ever smiles anymore, grins so wide for me now. “Did you just call me beautiful?” I whisper with a thread of shock, because there’s no way he said that. He raises a shoulder with a smirk. “I may have.” My mouth spreads into a smile of my own, those butterflies in my stomach flying higher. And my head, it falls right over his shoulder, his arm draping around my back. “I think you’re kinda beautiful too.” With a deep sigh, his head slants over mine and we stay that way until it’s time for me to go, wishing I didn’t have to.
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