Another tear slips down my cheek and I almost laugh at the absurdity of this moment. I’ve spent my entire life feeling unwanted, forging a path of my own out of necessity. And this man, this perfect man, wants to share his life with me.
“I won’t try to shut you out again. I promise. The walls will stay up. I’ll work on that. And I can’t promise anything, but you can come inside.”
“I know you want to do things on your own, and you can. But you won’t have to.”
I give him a small nod, relief flooding through me. “I never want to do this again.” I gesture around us but I know he knows what I mean. This last month. The fear, the insecurity, the danger. I never want to feel those things again. “I want to rebuild the store, rebuild my life, and leave all of this in the past. I don’t want to feel the way she made me feel tonight ever again.” I look off, down the road, remembering the harsh words Elizabeth spoke right before she tried to kill me. In a much smaller voice I admit, “I don’t want to feel unwanted, ever again.”
“You never will. We all have demons, Raven. And without them we wouldn’t be who we are. But I promise, as long as I’m living, you’ll never have to wonder if someone wants you.”
“Nevermore,” I say to him, with a grin. Please get it. Please get it.
“Nevermore,” he replies, smirking back at me.
He’s the one.
“Emmett.” I nudge him, and he rolls over onto his stomach, thoroughly ignoring me and burying his head under the pillow.
I roll my eyes and take a second to appreciate the view, the one that never gets old.
Those back muscles flexing as his arms are under his head beneath the pillow. The tattoo scrawled across the underside of his right arm, matching the one written across my forearm. The same word that’s engraved in our wedding bands: Nevermore.
“Wake up.” I nudge him again, this time getting a groan in response. “The store opens in an hour. We need to go.”
He finally rolls over, eyes squinting open and immediately landing on me. “Morning, gorgeous.”
“Get your ass out of this bed, Emmett Fisher.”
“Yes, wife.”
But he doesn’t get up. He grabs for me and I squeal, jumping off the bed and out of his reach. A grumble erupts from his chest and I feel my body heating at the sound.
“No, we do not have time for that. Get up!” I tell him.
I run into our attached master bath before he can jump up and grab me. I brush my hair and apply my makeup as quickly as possible because we really do have to leave in the next ten minutes.
We don’t have the convenience of living above the shop anymore, but I’m in love with our home. A two-story farm house outside of town that we bought about six months ago and are slowly fixing up. We’ll have more time to focus it on it now.
I open the bathroom door, half-expecting him to still be in bed, but he’s not there. I rush down the steps, opening my mouth to yell for him, and stop short.
He’s standing at the kitchen counter, iced coffee already in one hand for me, and a bouquet of daisies in the other. “Congratulations, gorgeous. You did it.”
“We did it.” I smirk, taking them both from him and getting on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s go.”
We pull up in front of the shop. The outside looks almost exactly the same. The bricks that meet the sidewalk are blackened. I wanted to use them in the foundation of the new store. Something old and something new. The Poe’s sign hangs proudly above the door, the same as before. But when we step inside, the similarities end.
“It takes my breath away,” I say.
“You take my breath away.”
I roll my eyes, swatting at him. “We really did it.”
“We did.”
In the last eight months, we’ve completely rebuilt and reimagined Poe’s.
The inside still has the signature touches of Edgar Allen Poe, but everything is sleek and modern. White and black contrasts span every corner, the only color in the main room being the covers of the books that crowd the shelves. A fresh start.
I hear the thundering sound of expensive boots running down the stairs behind the new front desk and register.
“Rave?”
“It’s us,” I yell back.
Reggie pushes the hidden panel open and I grin. I couldn’t leave it out.
“Todd!” he shouts over his shoulder. “It’s go time!” He rushes over to me and gives me his classic bear hug. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to not have to commute to work. No wonder you stayed as long as you did.”
I laugh and let out a sigh, thankful that he and Todd agreed to move in upstairs so I could feel comfortable buying the house with Emmett. They were able to move in two weeks ago, and it’s really helped having them here the majority of the time to get everything ready for the grand opening.
“You’ve already got a crowd out there,” a voice says.
The bell above the door dings and I turn to see Elli waltzing in, looking like a million bucks—as always.
“How nice of you to show,” I tease.
“Hey, I’m here, aren’t I?”
I go to her and hug her. “Thank you for coming.”
She squeezes me tighter and says, “I wouldn’t miss it.”
We’ve grown closer than ever over the last eight months, slipping back into our normal routine. With Elizabeth gone and Brent Smallwood behind bars, she’s finally been able to get past her panic attacks and get mostly back to her former life. A decent percentage of the eligible men in town have helped her do so—but to each her own.
“Ready to open the doors? It’s time.” Reggie looks at me, excitement oozing from every inch of him. He’s almost bouncing where he stands.
“Let’s do it,” I tell him.
He walks over to the double oak doors, opening them both wide and letting the fresh air in.
The first group to walk through the doors makes my heart swell with love. My dad, my two half-brothers, and my new stepmom walk over to me as they take in the store, pride beaming off all four of them.
I’ve always prided myself on getting through life without a family and doing it all on my own. But as I glance around at my new biological family, Reggie and Todd, Phil and Mark who are coming through the door now, Elli who’s flirting with one of the authors who’s setting up to do a signing today, one handsome Marine that has a familiar grin (the other still deployed, but had sent his love to us last night via Facetime), and last but not least Emmett, who’s smiling back at me, I realize they’ve been here all along. Pieces of my soul scattered about for me to find.
And although it was a wild ride, I’m thankful for every second of it—because it brought me these people.
The walls are down.
Nevermore.
Did you know Elliot's getting her own story? She and her mystery man will battle for her heart in 2020. Stay in the loop by joining my reading group here!
The fact that I'm writing acknowledgments for an actual novel that I actually wrote...I officially can't even.
To my husband, thank you for always being the eight to my nine. I love you. Thank you for supporting me and my dreams. Always.
For my girls, being your mama is my favorite thing in the world. I can't wait to watch you all grow up and be your own heroines.
To my dad, thank you. For the Barnes and Noble trips, Coke Icees, and everything in between.
For my family, I love you. Jordan, Cam, Kenzie, Patti and Rick, Nana and Papa, Angela, all of my in-laws. All of you. Thank you.
Especially Mollie. Thank you for being the perfect bonus mom, and for all the things you do for us. Also for giving birth to my soulmate. I owe you one.
My squad. My girls. I am so thankful for all of you. Haley, Alicia, Stacey (both of you), Jilly, Cam, Jessica, Lisa, Lorena, Trina, Carrie and the LitChicks. So many more. I'm forever grateful for you.
My BOMB editor (how many times have I said that now?), Christina Hart. You're a saint and
the best professional hype woman.
Kat Savage for this amazing cover. It's perfect. You're a genius.
Every English teacher I've ever had, thank you for keeping the love of literature and writing alive. Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Barrier, Mrs. Rutledge, I'm looking at you.
Wrenn's Warriors, and everyone who's supported me in this wild and random journey, thank you.
Edgar Allen Poe, you genius, you. Thank you for sharing your madness with us.
And anyone I've left out, you know I'm a nine. I'm forgetful, and I'll lose sleep over wondering who I didn't list, so accept this as your acknowledgment. Please?
I love you all.
Here's to the first of many, many more.
Wrenn Montgomery resides in North Carolina with her husband and three daughters. She spends her time psychoanalyzing strangers and writing about them in steamy romances.
Low-key stalking approved
Instagram: @wrennmontgomery
Facebook: @authorwrennmontgomery
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/WrennsWarriors
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Email: [email protected]
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