Without You: A Friends-to-Lovers Small Town Romance

by Jennifer Van Wyk

  “I’ll go out first and make sure the coast is clear.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kissing her once more, I peek out the door, thankful that there’s not a crowd around us. I’m a little surprised there isn’t, though, because several people saw me get down on one knee and ask her to be my forever. I had this fear that we’d open the door to either a round of cheers or cops waiting to arrest us for having sex in public. Turns out, no one in the coffee shop really cared that we celebrated our engagement in the bathroom.

  I open the door. “It’s all good.”

  She slips through the door and I take her hand, the one with the ring, in mine and usher her outside. There’s a guy by the door looking down at his laptop. He glances up quickly, smiles, murmurs congratulations and ducks his head.

  “Thanks, man.” Whether he’s congratulating us on having sex in the bathroom or getting engaged, I don’t care. “One more stop,” I tell Katie.

  “Okay,” she agrees without asking where. She’s too busy staring at her ring to care anyway. I could be taking her to get a root canal and she’d probably smile, sigh, and hop in the truck excitedly.

  The entire time I’m driving, she’s texting and taking pictures of her ring from different angles. My plan to surprise her is working out perfectly because she’s so distracted by her new bling that she’s not paying attention to what I’m doing anyway.

  I lift the console between us and hand her a long piece of black fabric. “Picture time is done, babe. You need to put that on.”

  “Put it on? What? Why? Like pull my hair back or something?”

  She’s so adorably clueless right now. She’s got engagement ring brain.

  “Over your eyes,” I explain. “I need you to not see where we’re going next.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Uh, because it’s a surprise? Come on, Katie, you’re smarter than that.”

  She rolls her eyes but listens to my instructions, covering her eyes and tying the fabric at the back of her head. “Now what? Ooh, can we use this later tonight? Maybe I can tie you up. Or you can tie me up first, actually. I’m going to be selfish and request that. I want all the attention and to be lazy and just lay there and take it.”

  “If you don’t stop talking, I’m gonna get hard again and then I’ll have to pull over and risk getting caught for having sex in public for the second time in one day.”

  “It’d be worth it,” she mumbles.

  “You’re not wrong. We’ll circle back to your idea later tonight, though. I won’t forget.”

  She shimmies in her seat excitedly and claps. “Good. Now I’m even more excited. Okay, I can’t see a blasted thing. Where in the heck are we going?”

  “Hold on to your horses, babe. It’s only another minute or so.”

  “Should I be nervous?”

  “Nope,” I tell her honestly. But I am. A little, anyway. I took a huge risk here and I have no idea if it’s going to pay off or if she’s going to be pissed that I made this decision without consulting her. It’s something we’ve talked about enough times that I don’t think she’ll be upset with me.

  Once we arrive, I place the truck in park. “Don’t want you falling trying to get out on your own so I’ll be right there. Just hang tight.”

  “You got it.” She gives me a mock salute.

  “Smart ass.”

  I help her out of her seat and hold on to her as we move closer to the door. After unlocking it, I step back so she can see the front, then move behind her so I can remove the blindfold.

  “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  I untie the loops and let it fall from her eyes.

  She gasps.

  Covers her mouth with her hands.

  Spins around and dives into my arms.

  And immediately starts crying.

  Shit.

  I don’t think these are happy tears. They’re too… hiccupy. Is that the way to say it? She’s sobbing, though, and I don’t like it.

  “Katie. What’s going through your mind? Are you mad? What’s happening here?”

  She shakes her head, which tells me absolutely nothing.

  I let her get out more tears before I can’t stand it any longer and I move her so I can see her face. Using my thumbs to wipe away the wetness from her cheeks, I kiss her lips that are soaked with her tears.

  “Sad? Mad? Happy? What is it?” Normally I can read her so well but this time, I have no clue.

  “Happy,” she finally says and I blow out a breath.

  “Thank goodness.”

  “You did this?”

  “I did. It’s yours.”

  “I don’t know…” She trails off, looking at the building in front of her in awe. “Brody Redding, you’re the most amazing man in the world, you know that?”

  “No, I’m not. It’s just easy to be good to you.”

  “Agree to disagree then. Will you show me around?”

  “Of course. Like I said, it’s yours. If there’s anything you want changed, you just have to say. Chad’s ready to make changes if you want.”

  “Chad helped?”

  “Of course. Who else would I hire to build your future?”

  “My future.” She starts crying again and I jump into action, opening the door and walking her inside.

  “Welcome to Benton Wellness Center, Katie.”

  “Brody…”

  “You like it?” I ask her, looking around, trying to see it from her eyes. “It’s a blank canvas. Chad did all the major work so now all we need to do is the design stuff. Figured you’d like a hand in picking out the furniture and all that jazz. Paint colors are neutral, but each room can be changed.”

  Katie walks around the building, soaking it all in.

  “I can’t believe it. It’s real.”

  “It is.”

  “You did all this?”

  “No. You’re the one who dreamed it, Katie. I just got it started. This isn’t me. It’s all you. The fact that you wanted to build a wellness center here in Benton is incredible and necessary.”

  She sits down in the middle of the floor, crossing her legs and biting her lip. “I’m sitting in the main waiting area right now.”

  “That’s what I figured, too. A reception desk here.” I walk to the side of the room, spreading my arms out. “I remember you saying that you wanted it to be open and welcome, not like someone has to check in right when they come inside.”

  She nods and I help her stand up so we can walk around to the rest of the area.

  “Here, I was thinking the therapy room or maybe for the aesthetician to do the facials you mentioned.”

  “Therapy. Definitely. It has that south facing window and won’t let in glaring sunlight but will give us enough.” We walk to the next room and she announces before I can, “Yoga studio.”

  “Yeah. Exactly. Chad said he can do something different with the floor if you need? Obviously we’re a little ignorant when it comes to yoga so that’s your choice.”

  When we get to the smaller room across the hall, I explain, “So this would be the facial place?”

  She grins. “Facial place. That’s definitely the technical term.”

  “Figured.”

  “What about your mom’s room? Where’s that going to be?”

  “The addiction resource room is in the back. There’s a second door to that room so if she wants to operate it separately, I think we can manage that. But this is your place, so it’s your call.”

  When we confronted my mother about working with Hannah, she broke down and said that she had lunch with her again after I told her not to and told her about Katie and me dating. Apparently Hannah didn’t approve and was angry that we hadn’t come to her for her permission. That’s right. She thought we should ask her if we could date. Anyway, Hannah had seen a picture of Chase on social media, recognized Katie, told the press who she was and it all exploded from there.

  Hannah was like a mad woman chasing us aroun
d town, trying to catch images of us that she could exploit. Katie said she reminded her of the cartoon version of 101 Dalmatians where Cruella De Vil chased around the dogs in her old Cadillac with fire in her eyes.

  I’m still not sure how she had time to do anything else because the amount of video and pictures she had of the two of us was enough to add stalking charges onto her sentencing. In the end, though, Hannah was charged with a Class A misdemeanor for recording and distributing the video of Katie and me having sex. She was sentenced to a $2500 fine and thirty days in the county jail. The maximum could have been a year and while we both did feel a little bad for her, in the end we felt like it was a fair sentence. She deliberately tried to ruin not only our relationship, but also our reputations and careers.

  Hannah’s now divorced and living with her parents.

  My mother, though, has turned her life around. She went through extensive counseling to work through her addiction and now she’s helping others. And this will be where she’s working. It was Katie’s idea and if I hadn’t already been in love with her, I would have fallen hard that day. The amount of forgiveness she holds in her heart is astounding.

  “Want to see your room?”

  “Pssh. Nah. I’m good.”

  I grin as we walk down the hall to her new massage room. There are three others here as well. Along with a sauna and a room that will eventually be for a mud bath or possibly a hot tub.

  Katie’s massage therapy room is the only place that’s completed because I knew exactly how she wanted it.

  When I open the door, she gasps again.

  “Oh my gosh, Brody. It’s so beautiful!”

  “We did good?”

  “You did amazing,” she corrects, walking inside and spinning around slowly. It’s nothing fancy or out of the ordinary. A table, cabinet, plush chair, and all her stuff for giving people massages. I know the technical terms, of course, but really, it’s a bunch of stuff that she uses.

  “I’m so glad you like it.”

  “Gosh, Brody. How do I deserve this?”

  “You’re you. That’s it.”

  “It wouldn’t be possible without you.”

  “Now you know what I meant about Redding Garage,” I explain. “Nothing is worth it without you.”

  Acknowledgments

  Book twelve. That may not seem like a lot to some. It may seem like a mountain to others. To me, though, it’s amazing and it would in no way be possible without the help of so many people around me. The greatest of these, is God. My faith is, without a doubt, the most important thing in my life. Yes, I said that. God is amazing. Through 2020, which is without a doubt the strangest and for many of us, the toughest, year of our lives, if I didn’t have my faith, I would have crumbled. So here’s to you, God, for loving me and giving me this life that I love.

  My family is incredible and so supportive. For real here. My kids ask me how I’m doing, they help around the house, they give me space. My husband encourages me daily. I know I’m so fortunate to have them. They’re just… sigh. I love my family. Even after 2020, I still want to be around them! Yay!

  My Jill. I just got tears in my eyes when I wrote those two words and I know you won’t judge me for that. I honestly cannot tell you how honored and grateful I am to have your friendship. I love you so much. Thanks for being mine.

  Kate, Amie, and Maria. Without you, this book wouldn’t have happened. We cried together. We complained together. We cheered each other on. We understand each other and support one another. Thanks for being not just fellow authors, but true friends.

  Julie Deaton is an angel sent straight to me and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Thank you, Julie, for having such a sharp eye and for checking in with me. I love working with you.

  Kaitie. Thanks for sending me texts that put a smile on my face and giving my words a final look. You’re so sweet and a wonderful friend.

  Mignon. This cover is everything I could have wanted for Brody and Katie. I love it so much.

  Big thanks to More Than Words Graphic Design and Love Affair With Fiction who helped me with the promo graphics and the blog tour.

  Bloggers and Bookstagrammers. I am always trying to catch your shout outs and I miss WAY too many and that makes me sad. I appreciate everything you do so much. Thanks for being willing to help.

  Fellow authors and my friends in The Walk, thank you for supporting me. We’re all in different stages of our career and it’s a pretty cool thing that we can be there for one another. Thanks for being my people.

  Jennifer’s Java Girls. You’re a fun group. I love you. I’m pretty humbled by you.

  School teachers, admin, all the staff… wowza. You have a tough job normally but 2020 just happened to us. It did and you were here for it coming out like rockstars and throwing around 2o20 and totally being like “You think you can mess with me?” so big thanks to you for kicking butt. My kids are thriving and we might be exhausted and getting mask acne but you’re doing a stellar job. PCSD4LIFE

  And most of all. You, my readers. If you’re reading me for the first time, HELLO! I’m glad to meet you! Hope you loved my brand of small town romance. If you’ve been with me for the past eleven or so books, thanks for sticking around and hanging in there. Oh! Want to know more about Cami and Owen? I’ve got their story already published. Keep scrolling for the link to Staying For You.

  I think that’s about it. Thank you, everyone. This book was so much fun to write and I hope it gave you a little bit of escape and joy. (Or, a lot, you know, ‘cause that’d be super cool.)

  Help me out?

  Help me out?

  Did you enjoy your time spent with Brody, Katie and the rest of the gang in Without You? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Reviews are so vital for authors. They not only help other readers decide whether or not to pick up a book, they also help us improve our craft. If you are able, I’d love for you to leave a quick review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or BookBub. It doesn’t need to be long or detailed – short and sweet works just as great!

  Thank you so much!

  Goodreads: https://smarturl.it/WithoutYouGR

  Amazon US: https://amzn.to/31bwePi

  Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/WithoutYouJVW

  BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/without-you-a-friends-to-lovers-small-town-romance-by-jennifer-van-wyk

  Blogger Info

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  JVW Blogger List

  About the Author

  From the Ground Up was Jennifer’s first published novel and now that she was bitten by the writing bug, has no intention of ever stopping. Jennifer makes her home in small town Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful, hilarious and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. You'll be her best friend if you can make her laugh and follow up with asking her what to read next. When she’s not writing, you can find her cheering the loudest at her kids’ sporting events (read as: embarrassing them), sipping coffee or iced tea out of a mason jar with her Kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.

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  Other Books By Jennifer Van Wyk

  From the Ground Up (Barrett & Tess Ryan):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/from-the-ground-up/

  A Better Place (James & Carly):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/a-better-place/

  Feels Like Home (Andy & Christine):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/feels-like-home/

  Waiting For Her (Grady & Bri):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/waiting-for-her/

  All I Need (Walker & Ellie):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/all-i-need/

  Gone For You (Ethan & Olivia):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/gone-for-you/

  Falling For You (Rex & Chloe):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/falling-for-you/

  Staying For You (Owen & Cami):

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/staying-for-you/

  I’m Yours (Reed & Sadie)

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/im-yours

  The Other Guy: A Textdoor Neighbor Romance

  https://jennifervanwykauthor.com/the-other-guy

  The Path To Us: A Friends-to-Lovers Single Parent Romance

  Amazon US: https://amzn.to/31bwePi

  Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/WithoutYouJVW

  The Path to Us Preview

  Prologue - Beau

  The locker room is loud and insane, all my teammates shouting and reliving the last few hours of our final high school baseball game. The state finals. State Champions. That’s what we are now. Riding the high of all that means to our small town. Especially those of us seniors who have left blood, sweat, and a few tears on the turf as we played together the last eight years. At least for those of us who started when we were just fourth graders. For a few lucky ones, their baseball careers won’t end on the field tonight. They’ll go on to play at smaller colleges and even a Big Ten school.