Havoc: Mayhem Series #4
Page 35
The fireworks start going off just as our feet hit the dock, and I don’t know how Shawn timed it so perfectly. They explode in the sky north of the clearing: whites and blues, purples and greens, reds and oranges, and Hailey is so awe-struck that she doesn’t even notice when I slip my hand from hers. She walks all the way to the end, staring up at the spark-filled sky.
Hailey
One after another, fireworks light the night sky. A boom, a rain shower of colored light, and then the sound of sparks trickling down from the full moon. Vibrant purples and greens and blues and reds. It’s stunning, and when I turn around to find Mike, the sight of him down on one knee takes what’s left of my breath away.
He stares up at me with those beautiful brown eyes, a sparkling diamond ring held between his fingertips.
“Hailey,” he says as tears spring to my eyes and the last of the fireworks rain down behind me. My heart is pounding wildly, and my knees begin to tremble. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, and now that I’ve found you, I never want to spend a day without you. I want to go to bed with you at night. I want to wake up with you in the morning. I want to wrap you in my arms every time I find myself smiling for no reason.” Happy tears spill over my lashes, and Mike smiles warmly up at me. “I want to give you a lifetime of laughter and love. I want to give you sparks and my last name and a house we can grow old in.” I beg my knees to continue holding me up, to support me long enough to hear every perfect word coming from Mike’s perfect mouth, and I watch as he takes a small, nervous breath. “Hailey Harper, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitating, and Mike’s whole face lights up with joy I feel in my own heart.
“Yes?” he asks, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief.
“Yes,” I repeat, memorizing the way he looks in this moment. In fifty years, when he and I are old and gray with children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I want to remember every detail. I want to remember the way the moonlight is hitting his hair, the way the winter chill is staining his cheeks, the way his fingers are trembling as he holds out his ring—my ring. And I want to remember the way my heart is hammering excitedly against the walls of my chest—because no Prince Charming, no fairy tale knight, could ever beat the sight of Mike Madden down on one knee.
With my body quivering just as much as his, I drop to my knees and wrap him tightly in my arms. This is the biggest decision of my life—and it is also, by far, the easiest. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I kiss Mike with tears trickling down my cheeks, and when I pull away, his eyes are shining too. He slips the ring onto my finger, sneaking kisses as I admire it.
“Do you like it?” he asks, and I nod, at a complete loss for words. The ring is beautiful, a sparkling round diamond cradled inside an ornate, vintage setting. The off-silver band is petite on my finger, and the diamond shimmers like a reflection of the full moon I loved so much as a little girl, the same one hanging above us now.
“It was my grandmother’s,” Mike says, and I lift my gaze to his heart-melting smile. “But I think it was always meant for you.”
With the ring on my finger, I take his face in my hands. My fingertips slide into his hair, and he pulls me closer as I kiss him. I kiss him under the night sky, with our entire lives ahead of us, and later, as we lie on the dock staring up at the stars, Mike plays with my left hand.
“When Adam started dating Rowan a year and a half ago,” he says, “I was a little jealous.”
I glance over at him, watching him stare up at the sky.
“Not because I wanted her.” He looks over at me and smiles reassuringly. “She’s like my kid sister. But just because I wanted what he had with her, you know?”
I wait for him to continue, and he stares back up at the glinting stars.
“And when Joel got with Dee, I wanted what he had. And when Shawn got with Kit, I wanted what he had. But you know what I’ve realized?”
I continue staring at him, and he turns his head to meet my eyes.
“I don’t want what they have.”
“What do you want?” I ask, and the corners of Mike’s mouth tip up softly as he twirls the ring on my finger. He shifts onto his side, propping himself on his elbow and lifting my hand to his mouth.
“I want you,” he says, pressing a kiss against my finger, just above my engagement ring. “I would’ve waited my whole life for you, Hailey. It’s always been you.”
He brushes the hair away from my face, and I stare up into his breathtaking eyes, thinking of the war I fought to win him. I would’ve fought it a thousand times over for the way he’s looking at me now, for the way his ring feels on my finger.
“I love you,” I tell him, and he gives me that smile I’ve fallen so completely, hopelessly in love with.
“Enough to spend your whole life with me?” he asks, and I lace my fingers with his, making a silent promise to never, ever let him go.
“Enough to spend eternity with you.”
I close my eyes when he kisses me—and everywhere, there are sparks.
Acknowledgments
For the love of my life and the real man Mike Madden was named after: my pizza-loving, beer-drinking, video game–playing husband, Mike Shaw. Thank you for working long days and then coming home and letting me throw a baby into your arms so I could write this book. I will forever appreciate all of the sacrifices you’ve made and support you’ve given me as I wrote this entire series. Thank you for a life full of love, laughter, and sparks.
For my mom, Claudia, who grew up wearing bread bags as snow boots and always made sure that her children had better. Thank you for making sure that I always had all the options in the world. And thank you for supporting me in all of them. You gave me the courage to follow my dreams, and you instilled in me the confidence to achieve them.
For my critique partners, Kim Mong and Rocky Allinger, who I am lucky enough to call my best friends. Thank you for forever being my biggest supporters and fangirls. Your encouragement is what keeps me going during the times in my writing process when I want to print out my manuscript just to set it on fire. I’d be a hot mess without you.
For Marla Wilson, whose excitement for my books makes me hurry to write them. Thank you for “getting” Hailey, for your encouraging feedback, and for believing in this story.
For my editor, Nicole Fischer, who always supports my grand visions and graciously allows me to go 34,000 words over word count. Thank you for standing by every single book in this series and helping me make sure they were the very best they could be.
For my agent, Stacey Donaghy, who loved “Teddy Bear” Mike Madden from the beginning. Thank you for being my friend and advocate. None of this would have been possible without you.
A special thanks to DJay Brawner, filmmaker to the stars and my music video consultant. Thank you for being so kind, humble, and incredibly informative. You gave me the knowledge and confidence to make the band’s music video truly epic. I’m so grateful that you emailed me back, and I feel very honored to have had you as a consultant on this book.
Thank you to the entire team at HarperCollins, who have been extremely flexible and supportive throughout this entire series. You took this big dream I had, and you brought it to life in extraordinary fashion.
And finally, thank you to my amazing readers, who waited so patiently for Mike and Hailey’s story. There really are no words for how much your support has meant to me throughout this entire series, over the course of the past two years. Your encouragement and loyalty has been unwavering, and I am so beyond thankful to have every single one of you as a reader.
Tons of love, especially, to all of the rock stars in my Facebook group, Jamie’s Rock Stars. Interacting with you is truly one of my favorite parts of this job. I write each book with you in mind, and I adore you for being a part of this journey with me.
And to my Roadies, who helped me put this story out into the world with a bang: Ashley Amsbaugh, Gina Behrends, Jodi Bel
shaw, Krista Davis, Erin Duffy, Felicia Eddy, Valerie Fink, Melisa Gette, Sarah Green, Kathy Lemke, Erica Limon, Casey Knittig, Denisha McPherson, Denise Prause, Nicole Reiss, Lauren Resch, Anne-Marie Simard, Hope Smith, Gabby Sotelo, Ashley Speakman, Summer Webb, and Mary Beth Witkop. Thank you for being so hardcore. You girls are amazing.
For every reader who loved Adam, Joel, Shawn, and Mike. For every reader who loved Rowan, Dee, Kit, and Hailey. For every reader who loved Leti and Kale. For every reader who loved Ryan, Mason, and Bryce. For every reader who loved Van . . .
Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my rock star–loving heart.
About the Author
A resident of South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW’s two biggest dreams in life were to be a published author and to be a mom. Now, she’s living both of those dreams and loving every minute of it. When she’s not spending time with her husband and their young son, she’s writing novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. With her M.S. in Professional Writing and a passion for all things romance, her goal is always to make readers laugh, cry, squirm, curse, and swoon their pants off, all within the span of a single, unforgettable story. She loves interacting with her readers, and she always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.
http://authorjamieshaw.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/jamiesrockstars/
https://www.facebook.com/jamieshawauthor
https://twitter.com/authorjamieshaw
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By Jamie Shaw
Mayhem
Riot
Chaos
Havoc
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
havoc. Copyright © 2017 by Jamie Shaw. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-256939-4
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-256941-7
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