by T. L. Martin
My brows slant. “You, what?”
“I know we wanted to elope, and I’m guessing you didn’t invite them because of me . . . but your parents love you. In their own way, they love you so much. I didn’t want you to regret it if they missed out on today.” She nods in their direction. “I mean, just look at them.”
Right then, my mom trips, falling face-first onto the sand.
Click.
She shrieks, laying the blame at my father’s feet, and I roll my eyes toward Eva. She snorts but then smacks my chest until I return my attention to Mom. I watch my dad complain despite helping her up. I’ve come to learn that’s something my dad rarely does—complain. If he’s disgruntled, he tends to keep to himself. When I told him about my plans to finally meet my biological dad after the wedding, it took him weeks to come to terms with the idea. But eventually, he did. Eventually, he always does. My dad proceeds to slide his fingers through my mom’s hair, trying to get all the sand out. When she’s satisfied, she takes his hand, beams at me, and they resume their walk toward us.
“We’re okay!” she announces. “The sand is soft as a pillow, and now I smell like the beach. So niche.”
Swiveling my attention back to Eva, I catch her little laugh. Amusement rises, but my gaze is heavy on hers. Her smile wavers as she takes in my expression, eyes roaming over my face. She swallows. She’s right: our wedding day wouldn’t be the same without my parents here. And they’re only here because Eva cares more about what I need than what she needs.
A crack of lightning strikes. I step closer to my wife. Another crack, and a visible shiver runs through her. Wrapping both arms around her waist, I run one palm up her spine, and she sways slightly.
Her eyes lock on my mouth, and she wets her lips. “Want to know a secret?” she breathes.
My fingers find her hair, and I angle my head to skim my nose along her jaw. “Always.”
When the first drop of rain touches her cheek, I lick it off. Her voice shakes when she whispers, “I never knew I could love someone this much, or that they could love me back.”
Thunder roars, matching the beat in my chest. “Want to know a secret?” I echo roughly.
“What?”
I run my thumb up and down the curve of her neck, bring my mouth close to her ear, and I say so just the two of us can hear, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
Her breath catches, and the sound wraps around my chest and squeezes.
“Easton? Darling? Didn’t you check the weather before—”
My grip tightens on the nape of her neck, and I pull her mouth to mine. Ignoring the erupting whistles, I kiss my wife the same way I love her—deeply, deliberately, and devotedly.
I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to explore Eva and Easton and share their story with you. They both taught me so much. They wouldn’t exist without each and every one of you, so I hope you enjoyed getting to know them and following along on their journey. And if you didn’t, that’s okay too.
As anyone who knows me can attest, I am my harshest critic. Maybe one day I will feel like I’m “good enough,” but in the meantime, fear is also what drives me to continue challenging myself, learning, and growing, which I’m grateful for. And so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking a chance on Eva and Easton, and for taking a chance on me. It would mean everything to me if you could take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads, or any other platforms you use.
As always, huge thanks to my girls Danielle Lori and Samantha Armstrong for their endless love and support. BFFs 4evah. If you haven’t read their books yet, do it! You will fall in love.
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Sarah Collingwood, who has stood by my side and been my cheerleader since I was a wee baby in the writing world. I love you!
Thank you to my amazing proofreaders, Bryony Leah and Juli Burgett! I highly recommend them, a thousand times over.
Thanks so much to my incredible beta readers who I truly could not have done this without: August, Leoneh, Katerina, Kenny, Luca, Toni, Kaylee, Shauna, Amelia, Carly, Fanna, Arizona, Lym, Bri, and anyone I may have missed. Huge thanks to my cover designer, Amy Queau, and my formatter, Stacey Blake! To Nora: You were so gracious to proofread my Spanish lines on your own time! I will remember what you have done for me. To The Book’s Savant: As I tell you with every chance I get, I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful (and always enthusiastic) help with the beautiful Spanish language as well. I would have been a mess without you!
Thank you endlessly to the bloggers, ARC reviewers, and readers who have helped spread the word about my books. It truly means the world to me. I have to make a special mention to April: I love and appreciate you so much, and I can’t wait until you are a big and famous author who I can fangirl over one day.
And, finally, I’m signing off by coming back to those who I thanked first: you, my sweet, loyal, sexy beast of a reader. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I would be lost without you.
Love,
Tawni xx
Coming
September 1, 2020
Blue Skies
A High School Romance
All Blue Everest wants is the wide open sky above her head and the soft earth beneath her feet. And maybe to spread a little love where she can. When she gets the opportunity to live with a father she’s never met and to enroll in public school for the first time, she brings her optimistic and free-spirited nature with her.
But it’s not long before she meets her polar opposite, Joshua Hunt, whose hard edges resist every smile she sends his way . . .
Hunt’s never met a girl who smiles so easily. It can’t be normal. Combine that with the flowers in her hair, constant daydreaming, and a knack for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong—and he wants nothing to do with Blue Everest. He’s got enough going on without her distractions, and everything, everyone, he cares about is depending on him to stay focused.
Blue’s ready to go wherever the wind takes her, and Hunt’s determined to steer his own ship. But sometimes the wind changes course, pulling two people into a rough and devastating storm that can crush the strongest of hearts. And sometimes, it takes more than you ever thought you were capable of to get back to blue skies.
CONTENT WARNING: contains sex, profanity, and sensitive subject matter, including addiction and suicide.
For more of my books:
Visit my Amazon Author Page
Newsletter
Instagram
Facebook Page
Facebook Profile
Twitter
Website