Byron whistled next to me and pushed me to move on when my mother called out to follow for the second time. That wasn’t my fault if I felt like I was heading to my execution. Maybe I was a little overdramatic, but it couldn’t be helped. And seeing Macon there with his Ty—a big and bulky handsome guy with very dark hair and kind brown eyes—did nothing to ease me when his eyes travelled from my roommate, now boyfriend, and back to me. When Macon’s smile went from big to gigantic and his laugh caught everybody’s attention, the only thing I thought to do was to cower against Byron and hide my face in his firm chest.
Instinctively, he put his arms around me.
“No way!” Logan said loudly, expressing everybody’s thought, I was sure.
“Kill me now,” I moaned in Byron’s neck.
“We’re together, and before you ask, we were having the talk when Mrs. Reed called.” Byron kissed the top of my head and squeezed me one last time before he released me, and I was forced to face everybody.
Mrs. Davis looked like she would burst with happiness. Her husband nodded at his son like he accomplished something extraordinary, and I couldn’t help but arch my eyebrows. What? Fucking a girl and then falling for her was such an accomplishment?
My mother was not as stern as I was expecting her to be. Instead, she seemed quite serene, and she even smiled at me. My father was another story entirely. If his glare could kill, Byron would already be dead and buried. Papa Bear would strike quite soon. I snickered at Byron, who lost some of his flame when he saw my father. Fathers would always be the most dangerous men when they were defending their daughters.
Sydney was beaming at us, almost bouncing on her chair, her hair flying brightly around her head. Logan was amused, and I was pretty sure that he would rub his big brother with his feelings. Family was a pain, but at the same time we couldn’t be without them.
And then, there was Macon sitting like a king on a throne when he was, in fact, just sitting in the middle of the table with a wrinkled shirt and jeans that knew better days. His hair was oddly quite tamed, and it gave him a strange serious vibe that was in contradiction with the wicked gleam I perceived in his eyes. I couldn’t imagine the questions he had in store for me.
“Next will be the wedding. When would you like to marry?” Macon called out as we sat at the table, and everybody froze while Ty glowered at and elbowed him. Or maybe it was just Byron and me frozen because I couldn’t feel anything at all. Not even my body.
“No wedding!” Byron and I blurted out in a same voice, before looking at each other and chuckling. He took my hand in his and entwined our fingers. My heart was beating, begging for him, begging for more. It was such a simple move, but I never had that with a guy before, not unless they had an ulterior motive. It was heartwarming.
“Why?” Logan asked, teasing us openly with his big smile and the nudge on his brother’s shoulder on his other side.
I leaned over Byron’s shoulder to stare at the youngest Davis. “Boring day-to-day life and being chained to someone? I’ll pass.”
Byron nodded. “And we don’t need it. I don’t even know why we’re talking about this! We know each other just enough to say that we’re not strangers.”
At the same time, almost as if it was choreographed, Macon and Sydney and Logan choked on their water. Macon even spit some onto my face. With a cringe, I dried my cheek with my light blue napkin.
“Don’t worry, Bridge. At least, they don’t know how smoking hot we are in bed,” Byron whispered in my ear, and I relaxed a little, a little laugh spreading inside me.
“That’s what you both said about love, and look how it turned out. You’re awfully cute together, and he even whispers sweet nothings to you,” Macon pointed out loud enough that the parental units ceased speaking to look at us.
“It’s not sweet nothings!” I retorted appalled. “He’s talking dirty naughty!”
My mother squeaked weirdly and almost fell off her chair. “London!”
Mrs. Davis glared at her oldest son. “Byron! Show some respect!”
The fathers were powerless, quite flabbergasted really, while the others laughed their asses off, even Ty that I had never met before. What a first impression.
“You didn’t just say that!” Byron said between laughters as I shrugged, trying to ignore the fire in my cheeks. I momentarily forgot the parents. We were all feisty to the end!
“I thought I’d never see the day you’d be with someone, Byron,’’ Mrs. Davis said in a dreamy sigh, her eyes looking more appeased than the last I had seen her.
I bit my lower lip before I let out the crazed sounding chuckle I felt building in my chest. To be honest, I couldn’t believe that we’re a couple and together.
Byron shrugged and glanced at me with a seriousness that took me by surprise. That guy was so intense sometimes. Under the table, he squeezed my knee.
“If it wasn’t for her, I’d be re-enlisting.’’ His voice is gruff, not very loud, and yet everybody heard him. They all stopped their chatter as his mother froze, her eyes widening.
“What? But why?’’ She grabbed her husband’s hand for support. The poor woman went pale in a matter of seconds.
Byron shook his head and waved the air before him while under the table his thumb was tracing idle circles that were going to drive me nuts enough to drag him to the closest bathroom in order to relieve the ache in my core, but he kept it going. Parents or no parents.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not going back in the army. Bridge wouldn’t let me anyway.’’
“Damn straight! If I’m doing this with you, it’s not to see you leave me for who knows where. I’m not army girlfriend material, and I get bored easily.’’ I bumped my shoulder against his and smiled at him. “Don’t forget.’’
He chuckled and smiled at me, making me forget about his scar, about his troubled past in the army, and how fucked up his family situation was with his brother’s plans. But we’re here right now, happy, and as sappy as it sounded. I could have never dreamed of something as crazily perfect when I went on an apartment hunt a month and a half ago.
“Thank you, London. You have no idea what it means to me to keep my son here and safe.’’ Mrs Davis sniffled, and she excused herself. Her husband promptly followed her. Logan tensed, but remained quiet.
“I’ve already made your mother cry,’’ I whispered to Byron as my mother kept her eyes on me, making sure that I’m not embarrassing her further, I was sure.
“You’re talented, Bridge.”
Byron kissed my cheek, and I felt his smile against my skin. Underneath all this spectacle and my crazy behavior, knowing that I was the one who brought a smile to his face was the best thing that I could do. I didn’t know how things would turn out or if we could last being so feisty and everything, but at this moment when my heart was beating strong in my chest and as I felt alive to each and every inch of my skin, it meant that it was worth it. Putting my heart on display and trusting Byron with it was the best choice I could make, even if falling for him was not a choice. I thought that you had to put yourself out there to fall in love, but sometimes it just dropped on you, even when your guard was up. The difference was that I decided to act on my feelings.
Let’s see if he would keep me after our two-month trial. Two more weeks to go!
I crossed my fingers under the table and squeezed his hand with the other one.
*
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Also by Stephanie Witter
Patch Up, a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel.
Skye followed her long time boyfriend to
Seattle for their first year of college, but he dumped her after only a week. The relationship brought only pain and destruction in Skye’s life, and yet, she can’t bring herself to open up and live her life.
“What if I am already broken into pieces?”
She hates to be touched, hiding under her oversized shirts and behind her wild frizzy hair. Even her bubbly roommate can’t reach her. And yet …
“I’m the guy who knows how you can hurt so much that your insides feel like they’re cut and bleeding.”
The tall, handsome, and tattooed TA in her psychology class changes everything when he literally collides with her and confronts her. For the first time in a long time, she wants to try and open up to this guy whose dark, intense eyes can’t hide his own pain despite his dazzling smile getting to her.
However, just when she’s starting to live again, her ex-boyfriend comes back, breaking her time and time again, making it all the more complicated.
She wants to fight for herself and for this building thing with the TA, even when he pushes her away, but can two broken people patch each other up?
“I never thought colliding with someone could change lives, but it is possible.”
* Due to some shocking scenes, this novel is for readers of 18 and up.
Add it to Goodreads
You can purchase either the ebook or the paperback.
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Buy on Amazon UK
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Buy on Amazon AU
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Also available on iTunes, Smashwords …
What readers are saying about Patch Up:
“It is very intense. If you like books such as Hopeless by Colleen Hoover and Wait For You by J. Lynn then you will LOVE this. If you don’t, you should still try Patch Up anyway as it is pretty unique.” Laura, Bookish Treasures.
“Patch Up is a perfect mix of everything I love in New Adult. Stephanie Witter made a phenomenal job at creating another gut wrenching story about fighting with depression and twist and turns of life that hooked me and made me breathless. Like Jessica Sorensen, Colleen Hoover and Tammara Webber, Witter made her way to my top threesome changing it to foursome.” Smokin’ Hot Book Blog.
“Patch Up is intense, riveting, heartbreakingly sad at times, angsty, heartwarming, and inspirational. I was hooked from the start. Had I not passed out in the wee hours of the morning, I would have read Patch Up straight through; it is THAT good.” Dawn for Rock Stars of Romance.
“I thought that the plot was beautifully written, and I found myself completely immersed in it! I also loved that the author didn’t downplay what the main characters had been through! The characters were amazing!” Kendall, Book Crazy.
“You know how sometimes you come across a book that just takes you completely by surprise? The way you connect to the characters … the feelings the story itself brings out … It lingers in your brain long after you’ve finished reading. It just stays with you. Well, that is exactly what happened with me after reading this book!
Patch Up is a beautifully written, intense story that will introduce you to a very brave young woman whose spirit has been utterly broken, no … shredded.” Joann, Romance Book Junkie.
Acknowledgements
First, I want to say thank you for buying and reading my new book. It means a lot that people are giving my stories a shot, and I can’t tell you how much it pushes me to write more stories instead of keeping them as an idea in the back of my mind. I hope this new book entertained you and that you had fun reading it. I wrote it after Patch Up, and I needed something more silly, lighter to work on after such an intense story. I hope I did my job right and that you had a good time with London and Byron. Let me tell you, writing something fun isn’t as easy for me as writing something with drama and angst!
If you want to help even more, tell your friends about this book and write a review. Never underestimate the power of your words.
Thank you Wendy, blogger extraordinaire at Bare Naked Words, for always being in my corner. Every time I send you a message on Facebook, every time I tweet you or send you an e-mail, you take the time to answer me. Your unwavering support is priceless. I can’t wait to polish the sequel of Patch Up and to work with you on Kate and Derek’s story. Hopefully, they won’t be the last ones! You’re my go to girl whenever my stories are nagging me.
Thank you Christie for your support, for reading the first version of this book and for giving me some great ideas. I hope this final version doesn’t disappoint you. I loved trading ideas when it came to 2B Or Not 2B?, and I hope that other people will feel the same about Byron. I look forward to sending you more stories in the future.
Thank you Sue for reading the first version of this book. Your comments, encouragement, eagerness convinced me that maybe other people would enjoy this story too. I’m happy that writing out of my comfort zone isn’t as a great disaster as I first feared. I hope you like the final product.
Thank you Stacie Drake for reading the first chapter. I wasn’t sure if the opening was working at all, and your comments helped me tremendously. You’re always answering when I need a new set of eyes and an honest opinion.
Thank you Maria for reading the first chapter and for pushing me to actually take it seriously and not just as a side project for my entertainment only. Your kind words, honest critique and keen eyes are invaluable. I really love working with you, and I can’t wait to tackle the second half of that YA “secret’’ story with you.
Thank you Stacey for your eagerness at reading a new story written by little ol’ me. It means a lot.
Dawn, I can’t tell you how much it means when I see how you’re closely following my work. I’m delighted whenever I exchange a few words with you over Facebook, and I hope this story won’t disappoint you.
To all the bloggers who helped me this last year, saying thank you can’t be enough. Your amazing work, your eagerness at helping authors like me, your kindness and enthusiasm make a difference. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to get the word out about my books. I hope you’ll be there for my next novel!
I’m probably forgetting other people, so I apologize. I hit my head too many times for it to not suffer from after-effects. But believe me, I thank all of you for your help, your support and your kind words. I’m one to often doubt, to never think enough of my work, and yet you all make the difference.
Now, I have to wait and see if my first attempt at writing something light isn’t such a bad idea!
About the Author
Stephanie Witter is a French dreamer. She started learning English at three, and fell in love with the language. Always with a book, or two close by, she started reading in English when she couldn’t wait any longer for Harry Potter to be translated in French. After a while, reading wasn’t enough. She started writing Young and New Adult Contemporary novels and PATCH UP is her first New Adult Contemporary novel.
Where to find Stephanie:
Website: http://stephanie-witter.weebly.com/
Blog: http://stephanie-witter.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Stephanie.witter.author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/StephanieR76
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Stephaniewitter/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6982524.Stephanie_Witter
She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to send her an email. She’ll answer you as soon as possible:
[email protected]
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