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I look into his eyes, “I love you.”
He kisses me quickly, “I love you, too.”
I feel another contraction come back and I buckle down, ready to push. I scream out loud as I push with everything that I have. Melanie and Duke encourage me and the doctor gets his hands ready for the new arrival.
The nurse exclaims, “The baby’s almost here. Just one more push!”
I give it all I’ve got and fight through the pain as I push for my baby and then everything is silent. My pain has vanished and everyone looks down toward my feet, holding their breath. The most beautiful cry echoes throughout the delivery room and Melanie cheers.
The doctor looks at me and Duke and says, “Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, you have a girl.”
Tears fill my eyes as the nurse wraps my daughter and places her on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and I begin to cry as I look at my gorgeous baby girl. Duke leans in and kisses my cheek and I feel the tears rushing down his face.
He smiles, “She’s absolutely gorgeous.” He kisses the top of her head. “She’s so tiny. Look at her little hands. So, what are we going to name her?”
I smile at my bundle of joy, “Layla…her name is Layla.”
Wow, where to begin? There are so many people I wish to thank, it’ll probably take up a whole novel. So, let’s start from the beginning:
To my husband Carlos, I would not have written this story if it wasn’t for you. You, not only inspired me to write this story, but you also pushed me to keep going. You believe in me when I don’t even believe in myself. Having you by my side for all those late nights while I wrote and wrote meant so much to me. I’m so lucky to have you in my life and would not change any of it. And thank you for taking the time to read it, even though I know you hated some parts of the story. I love you and will always love, one hundred times over again.
To Bethany, you are the best PA ever!! I know we’ve only known each other for a short period of time, but I feel we are kindred spirits. All of your support and help has been so wonderful! All of your creative teasers and ideas really hit the mark. I’m so happy you are with me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us!!
To Tiffany, thank you for taking a chance on a newbie author. I seriously had no idea what I was doing and literally just spit words on paper. But with your keen eye and excellent editing skills, you made my story even better! I appreciate all of your advice, comments, and words of encouragement. Thank you so much!!
To Lindee, you are so freaking talented!! I absolutely love this cover and it is literally everything that I dreamed it could be and much more. This whole experience is so new to me and you have made it that much easier. You will go far in this world. I will always keep coming back to you for my book covers and will also recommend your work to other authors. Your passion and drive is what sold me and it is displayed in your work. It truly is a piece of art.
To my models, Megan and Garrett. You have brought Raya and Duke to life. Your talent is phenomenal! Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
To my beta girls, Jen, Lorena, April, Alexis, Alisa, and Maria. I would not have written this story without your undying support. I was so lucky to have found you all. I loved our conversations about Duke and Raya. And even though I was threatened for more chapters, it seriously brought a smile to my face, every time. Your patience with a new and unknown author speaks volumes. All of your input and suggestions helped this book come to life. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and I hope you all join this crazy ride with me.
To my partner in crime, Melissa. Where would I be without you? Probably pulling my hair out. I know that all my time spent away from the blog was hectic and out of control but you kept it in place. Thank you so much for taking on more work and supporting me while I wrote my story. Your consistent messages of motivation always pumped me up and pushed me to finish this book. I know I’m a crazy person and yet, you’re still here, cheering me on. You freaking rock!! I’m so happy to have found such a caring friend and hopefully, one day we can finally meet in person.
To my Street Walkers, you ladies are the best bunch of fans! I love all of our chats about Duke and Taylor. I’m so happy that you all want to experience this journey with me. You make the best street team out there! You’re love and support means the world to me.
To my sprinting partner, Lisa.Without you busting my butt into gear during our late night sprints, I probably would have never finished on time. I always enjoyed our sprint sessions and our constant words of encouragement toward one another. All of those late nights went by so fast especially those last minute sprint sessions. It was so much fun being able to share our writing goals and literally have a blast! We need to do it again!!?
And now onto my author friends, L.L. Collins, T.K. Leigh, A.M. Madden, Ashley Suzanne, Pamela Ann, Micalea Smeltzer, and Amanda Dick. Because of you, my life has changed into a dream come true. Witnessing your own stories come to life, gav
e me the bravery and motivation to write my own story. I’m so grateful to have you all in my life. You mean the world to me.
To all of the blogs who shared my cover reveal and release day blitz. Thank you!!! I know that blogging is a busy life, and I really do appreciate all of the time spent in promoting my work. Without your support, this would not be possible. I’d like to give a special shout out to those who are always willing to share and have been with me since the beginning; Sinful Thoughts Book Blog, Reading Past My Bedtime, Book Reviews by Lexi, Author Groupies, Love Between the Sheets, Magic Within The Pages, Amazeballs Book Addicts, Itching for Books, Rosie’s Book Heaven, Books You Can’t Put Down, and Fallen for Books.
Madison Street was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx, where she resided until she was 17 years old. After September 11, 2001, Madison joined the United States Navy to serve her country.
During the deployments, Madison constantly wrote short stories and she discovered her passion for writing. You will find Madison always on the computer, whether she’s on Facebook, designing websites, messing with Photoshop, or writing for her blog.
Besides writing, her second passion is music and dance. Even though she’s a terrible singer, she’ll still belt it out in the shower, especially if the song is her jam! She currently resides in Virginia with her husband of 8 years, 2 children, a dog, and a cat. She is so excited to start this amazing journey and is honored to be part of such a compassionate and loving community.
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Listen to the playlist on Spotify Here
Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding
Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne
Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw
