Seven Shades of You
Page 32
“Are you scared?” Dad asked me, and I squeezed Kai’s hand for strength.
“No… and yes. I know Kai will take care of us.”
“What about…” The knot in my dad’s throat bobbed as he pointed to his temple. “Are you scared the baby will be like us?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “If he’s lucky, he’ll have you to teach him.”
“Him?” My dad’s lips twitched with a smile.
“We found out the gender before we left for break,” Kai said, the pride in his posture unmistakable.
“So you have it all figured out, then?” he asked.
“For now.” Kai let go of my hand and stepped toward my father. “I’ll take care of them.”
My dad rested his hand on Kai’s shoulder, pulling him into a hug he whispered, “I never doubted it.”
The emotion bubbled over, not that I was ever good at holding it at bay anyway, but the pregnancy hormones made it that much harder. Tears streamed down my face as my dad pulled me into the hug.
“When are you going to tell your mom?” he asked, releasing his hold on us.
“After the wedding, tomorrow,” I said. “We don’t want to steal Royal’s thunder.”
“And the rest of the family?” he asked.
“We’re thinking maybe a need-to-know basis for now.”
“Especially, Liam,” Kai said, and my dad laughed.
“We’re telling Kai’s dad when we get back to campus.” Needing his warmth, I wound my arm around Kai’s.
“Pink…” Royal yelled from the living room.
“And Royal?”
“He already knows.”
The creases around my father’s eyes deepened as he grinned. “Of course he does.”
“Pink.” Royal huffed out a breath. “Hurry up, Camden is about to play our reception piece for tomorrow.”
Blue took in our expression and it didn’t take him long to figure out what we were just discussing. His smile fell into a lopsided grin. “Great news, right?” he asked and my dad nodded. “Mom’s waiting for you in the living room.”
Dad walked toward the door, stopping, he asked, “Did you pick out a name yet?”
“We want to name him Sky.”
Another shade of blue. Another extension of you.
“Sky… I like it,” he said, giving me a private smile before he left through the studio door.
“Told you he’d be cool, Pink.”
“Fine, you were right,” I conceded and Royal’s eyes widened.
“I’d like the record noted.”
“It’s been time stamped.” Kai smirked. “Now let’s go listen to Camden’s moody bullshit.”
THE END
Curious about Royal and Camden's story?
Read Let There Be Light
Check out Possession, Indie and Royal's parents' story, free in Kindle Unlimited.
Writing about depression, mental illness, is something I hold as a major responsibility. Suffering with anxiety and depression myself, I always want to bring a reality to the page, but in a way that offers hope. You are not alone. And on your worst days, and on the darkest, there is someone waiting for you to reach out. Sometimes you won’t want to, sometimes you’ll want to quit, but I want you to know I hope you don’t. I hope you know, no matter how big, or how small, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Easier said than done, I know, but I want you to pick up that phone, make that appointment, go to dinner with that friend, even if it’s a millimeter wide, it’s a ray of hope.
If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or affected by anything mentioned in this book, I ask you to reach out.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255
Available 24 hours everyday
NAMI CRISIS
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Living-with-a-Mental-Health-Condition/What-to-Do-In-a-Crisis
It’s crazy to think I’ve typed “The End” on another book, another story, another part of my heart. I hope you enjoyed this book, this story. As always, my biggest thanks goes to you, the reader, for spending your time in a world I created.
Thank you to my beta team, my editing team Elaine and Kathleen. Timelines and commas and typos, oh my. You keep me sane.
Thank you to Becca, and all your gorgeous support, work and art that helps me maintain a brand and a name people can recognize.
Thank you to all my friends! Book world and beyond. Thank you for waiting on me, on my deadlines, and making my introverted ass get out of the house from time to time.
Thank you to John Hughes for teaching me what romance is all about.
Thank you AJ’s Crew, every single one of you rock my world. Thank you for encouraging me no matter how long I take, to stay true to who I am as a writer, and not allowing me to bend to the market. You guys keep me in my lane, and I am grateful for that.
Thank you to all of my author friends for helping me, networking, advice, and late-night therapy sessions.
Thank you to the blogger sphere for always helping me get the word out!
Thank you to my family, to my kids, my hubby, and my work family too. Your continuing support makes all of this possible.
Thank you to the voices, though you keep me up at night, because of you, I am free.
As always, if you are in my life, you know you are loved.
Much love and side hugs, Amanda~
Available on Spotify.
Amanda lives in Utah with her family where she moonlights as a nurse on the weekends. If she’s not busy with her three munchkins, you’ll find her buried in a book or behind the keyboard where she explores the human experience through the written word. She's obsessed with all things Austen, hockey, and Oreos, and loves to connect with readers!
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Forever Still Series:
Still Life
Still Water
Still Surviving
Avenues Ink Series:
Possession
Kingdom
Poet
Twin Hearts Series:
Let There Be Light
The Rulebook Collection
Breakaway
Stand Alone Novels:
Scared Hart
Erotica:
Beneath the Vine