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Smith lifts my hand, putting my knuckles to his lips. “I’ll get the house ready. But it won’t be home until you’re there. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
I slide my hand into my pocket, pulling out the key and pressing it into his palm. “Here. The key to the house.”
He takes the key from me, holding it up against his heart.
“I’ll keep it safe. Promise.”
Standing on tiptoe, I kiss him one more time. “I know you will.”
A car honks and a rowdy spring breaker screams at us, “Get a room!”
We both crack up laughing, and Smith pats me playfully on the rear. “I’m going to finish fixing that tire now.”
In that moment, I know I’ve found my forever and I’m finally home.
* * *
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Kara Kendrick
Kara Kendrick writes fun and flirty steamy small-town romance destined to give you all the feels. A reformed English major, she also has a master’s in counseling and was an elementary school counselor in her pre-mom life.
She loves the beach, wine, and rock hard abs, not necessarily in that order. When she’s not dreaming up Happily Ever After’s, you can find her chasing after her boy-girl twins, working out semi-hardish, or walking her adorable Shiba pups with her husband, who’s not too bad himself.
It Was You
MARIE JOHNSTON
It Was You
I needed a date for a wedding to keep from getting bombarded with offers from my aunts to set me up with their neighbors’ grandsons or their arthritis doctor who doesn’t wear a wedding ring.
So when a good guy friend offers to help me out, I accept. I’ve known Kiernan Dahl since he started working at a friend’s ranch, and he’s moving soon. A perfect excuse for a fake breakup after our fake date.
It’s just a night together with a little dancing. It’s not like I’ll fall for him in a few hours when I’ve known him for years.
ChapterOne
EMMA
The aroma of gourmet coffee surrounded me, and I took a deep inhale. So much better than the stale sludge left in the break room coffeepot at work. I took a sip of my venti mocha and let out a contented sigh.
My friend Taya, the coffee shop owner, glanced over and smiled as she finished wiping off a nearby table. The before-work rush had cleared out, which was why I came at this time of day when I could. The place was quiet, and I had a few extra moments to talk to my friend. I tried to be thoughtful of her time. It was my day off, not hers.
“Got any big plans today?” she asked and folded up the rag.
I reclined in the chair, holding the warm cup between my hands. The temperature outside was already in the eighties and it was just after ten a.m., but the AC vent was blowing on me like a brisk fall day.
“Only to clean house.” I screwed up my face as I tried to think of something more…fun.
Mostly, I was trying not to think about my sister’s wedding. I should be thrilled. The event would be low-key, and my sister was the opposite of a bridezilla. I didn’t even have to stand up for her. She’d said she wanted her family to sit back and enjoy the day.
That was the problem. I wasn’t sure I could.
I was in my early thirties. I’d been through plenty of weddings, funerals, family get-togethers. And they all had one thing in common besides family. Each time I showed up by myself, I’d get the questions.Are you dating? Do you have anyone special? Are you lonely? Maybe you should get a cat?
I was gone too much to have a pet. I worked as a nurse in the local clinic, often pulling shifts in the ER. I picked up several overtime shifts in the last couple of years and tried to forget the dreams I’d had for myself at this time in my life.
