Unexpected Changes

by A. M. Willard

  As I stand here with Carter kneeled down in front of me, I question everything. This has never happened to me, and I didn’t foresee a happy ending for us. Can I give my whole self to this man? Will he love me forever and accept all the changes in life together? When I am old and gray, will it be the same as it is in this very moment?

  “You going to say something?” Carter asks as I try to contain my emotions. Tears are still streaming down my face and I’m afraid to speak, petrified that the wrong answer will come out of my mouth. I can’t even move my head to respond. Frozen in time, I whimper out the word that my heart is yelling. “Yes.”

  “Yes, you’ll marry me?” Carter asks to verify he heard me correctly. I don’t respond as I pull him up towards me and seal the deal with a kiss. Clapping erupts around us as I hear people congratulating us.

  Carter slides the ring onto my finger, bending down to place a gentle kiss upon it. I stare at this creation and know that I could never have picked out something so perfect. It is not only me, but us as our love began, in a twisted fate. The circles of two hearts, becoming one. I feel the pink represents me, and the diamond is the light shining Carter home.

  We are interrupted in the moment when Cory hands us each a glass and proceeds to raise his glass in a toast. “Here’s to lovers everywhere, the have-beens, the are-nows, and the may-bes,” he says, but I notice his eyes set on another. This perks my attention as I take in his line of sight.

  Leaning into Carter, I whisper, “When can I see it?”

  “See what, Tabby Cat?”

  I give him a look, letting him know not to mess with me and he understands the need I have to see what he’s done.

  “Come into the house with me,” I say as I pull him behind.

  We step into the living room, knowing this will allow us some privacy. His shirt’s still undone and it won’t take long to show me.

  “Tabitha, let me explain the whole thing to you,” he says as I stare at his bare chest.

  It’s absolutely stunning, and causes me to lose my breath.

  “As you can see, the infinity is still here, over my heart. This is my work to you, a way to explain what you have done to me. The brown shaded area underneath the symbol is the mud where a lotus flower grows. I chose green to represent your eyes that captured me the first day. Each vine represents the struggles and destruction that we had to endure over the last few months, the pain and sorrow that were cast upon us in the past. The words scripted, ‘You are my light,’ are true. Without you, I’d be stuck in the darkness, as before.”

  “Carter, it’s beautiful and I can’t believe you did this for me,” I say through my crying. Never have I had someone show this much compassion for me. Yes, Cory loved me, but our love is different from the love I share with Carter.

  The man before me has changed, and I guess when I stop to think about it, I am that flower. He’s brought out the light within me and caused me to blossom like never before.

  I know right now, as I stand here, I made the right decision to love this man. For better or worse, we can dig through it and come out on the other side, facing the light that shines for only us.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later

  TOMORROW IS OUR one year anniversary. Not a day goes by where I regret giving my heart to him. Business for us both has been moving along with growth and new trials, but together we have made it work.

  Our honeymoon was spent at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, California, and that’s where we are celebrating now. Traveling has slowed down some for me, and right now, I couldn’t be happier with that.

  Sitting out on the deck watching the bay before us, I turn towards Carter and announce, “Babe, I have news.”

  “What’s that, Tabby Cat?”

  “The shot didn’t work, and we’re having twins,” I say as I pick up my glass of water and stare at him over the rim of my drink.

  “What?”

  “You heard me, lover boy, twins. Thanks for knocking those kids out all at once.”

  “When and how?”

  “Do I really need to explain the how? You made me vow to never close the bases on you again. This is what happens,” I explain as I point to my stomach and let out a smile to express how happy I am.

  “I … I don’t know what to say,” he stutters.

  “Don’t call me baby momma or anything like that, stick to Tabby Cat and you will live.”

  Carter leans over and grabs my face within his hands, and before he gives me the kiss of a lifetime, he says, “I love you more than anything in this world, Tabby Cat. A year ago, you made me the happiest I thought possible, but today, this is something I wasn’t expecting and a shock. I thought you weren’t ready and we were going to wait. Now I have to figure out how to make it through the next few months. Anyone else know?”

  “Together, we will overcome it all, and only Angela knows. She’s found it quite entertaining and is praying for both to be girls or boys. I think she wants to have me tortured for all the things I do to Graham.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Carter says as he stands and grabs me up and into his embrace.

  “Now, it’s time for me to show you just how much I love you, Mrs. Northwood.”

  “Lead the way, lover boy,” I respond as I follow him into our suite.

  The End

  Playlist

  Unexpected Changes

  I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

  I’m A Mess by Ed Sheeran

  This Year’s Love by David Gray

  Stay With Me by Sam Smith

  Someone Like You by Adele

  The Cave by Mumford & Sons

  Come Away With Me by Norah Jones

  Jolene by Ray LaMontagne

  Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne

  Cool Kids by Echosmith

  Trouble by Ray LaMontagne

  Something to Believe In by Poison

  Photograph by Ed Sheeran

  Strange Enough by Verite

  Glory and Gore by Lorde

  Sail Away by David Gray

  Burn It to the Ground by Nickelback

  Make You Feel My Love by Adele

  Bottoms Up by Brantley Gilbert

  Goodbye in Her Eyes by Zac Brown Band

  I Did With You by Lady Antebellum

  When a Heart Breaks by Ben Rector

  A Change Is Gonna Come by Leela James

  Closer by Nine Inch Nails

  Hurt by Johnny Cash

  Perfect Storm by Brad Paisley

  You Make Me by Avicii

  Crazy Love by Van Morrison

  Into the Mystic by Van Morrison

  Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

  Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac

  Little Bird by Annie Lennox

  In The End by Linkin Park

  Fake It by Seether

  Stolen Dance by Milky Chance

  Sweet Ophelia by Zella Day

  All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You by Halestorm

  Footloose by Kenny Loggins

  Under Pressure by Queen

  Dark Horse by Katy Perry

  Firework by Katy Perry

  A Woman Like You by Lee Brice

  S.E.X. by Nickelback

  Almost Lover by Jasmine Thompson

  Picture by Kid Rock

  As I’m Leaving by David Gray

  All the Wild Horses by Ray LaMontagne

  Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot

  Sorry for the extremely long playlist, but as you know, music is a huge part of me.

  Acknowledgments

  This time around, the acknowledgments feel harder to write than the story you just read. I have no words for the support that I have received through the last year. If it wasn’t for the people that stood behind me, I never would have set out to follow my dream. One piece of advice for anyone that thinks it’s not possible, don’t listen. Just do it. In the end, it’s the best present you can give yourself.

  To all the bloggers that continually support my tours, sales or tea
sers; thank you! Some of you have become my closest friends and I would never change that.

  PIC! You still believe in me and look how far we have come. Now, get me through the next one.

  Amanda! What can I say about the other person that is just as loud and crazy as I am? Yeah, I have nothing. A day doesn’t go by that we haven’t talked, chatted or texted. I can’t wait to finally meet you this year. Thank you for all the support and bringing me back down off the cliff when I needed it.

  Katie Slater, thank you for being a sound board and always supporting me.

  My amazing street team, A.M.’s Sparkling Diva’s, what would I do without you? Some have been with me from book one, and as we grow, I sit back with a wow factor on my face. Never did I think, this would all happen. Each and every one of you brings something special to this team. Each day brings us something new and fun that we all experience together. You not only share my work, but my success as well. Thank you all for believing in me.

  Sandie Curney, you have followed me from the start and continue to encourage me to continue. Not only do you beta read and love Carter; you kick my butt in gear. Thank you!

  My betas: Katie Slater, Sandie Curney, S Donahue, Kelly Morin and A.M. Guilliams, I love you for loving this story! Thanks for all the hard work…

  This is releasing on my hubs’ birthday and what better way to thank him, than this? Happy Birthday to the love of my life. He has listened to me talk to my characters, and even held a few conversations with them. The last few months have shown that I can work through the stress of family, work, and holidays. Without his love and support, I wouldn’t have finished. Thank you for always believing in me and loving me.

  My son! Not only am I the person I am today because of you, but you show me daily how to grow. What a trooper you are. You have dealt with me in the cave more than normal this time around and never said anything. Thank you for supporting me in this journey. Always remember that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Never ever allow someone to lead you to stray down a different path. Believe in yourself as I do. Love you to the moon and back.

  Last I’d like to thank my Booktrope Publishing family. I never thought this would happen and I can’t wait to see where it all goes from here.

  Oh, and to the readers and fans, thank you for buying my books and reviewing them.

  About the Author

  A.M. Willard is a true believer of soul mates, and happy ever after’s. She enjoys reading, sailing, and of course writing contemporary romance with some saucy scenes. Releasing her first novella of the One Night Series on April 12, 2014 has sent her on a new journey in life. A.M.’s passion for writing started at a young age, but the love and support from her husband of eighteen years pushed her to follow her dreams. Once she hit that first publish button, she hasn’t looked back.

  Publications available from A.M. Willard include the Chances Series, Love on the Screen, and everyone’s favorite the One Night Series. She’s also had an article published in the Writer’s Monthly Review Magazine.

  A.M. Willard was born and raised in the Panhandle of Florida, but resides in Savannah Ga with her husband, son, two cats, one rotten dog, and her six chickens. Yes, we said chickens…

  You can connect with A.M. Willard on her website www.amwillard.com or subscribe to her newsletter for the latest releases, teasers and sale alerts; http://eepurl.com/bb-Cd1

  End Note

  Author A.M. Willard

  Visit me at my website:

  www.amwillard.com

  If you enjoyed reading this book, I’d love for you to share it. You can either recommend it to friends, family, online forums, or by leaving a review.

  Contact me via email at amwillard9@gmail.com or find me at the below links. I love hearing from all my fans and readers.

  Facebook Author Page http://tinyurl.com/nnx2s8m

  Twitter @AMWillard1 or https://twitter.com/AMWillard1

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  Coming Soon:

  2015

  Will I Ever Love Again

  Unexpected Choices #3 Seth and Jessica’s Story

  Unexpected Crushes #4 Cory’s Story

  Plus a few others that are in the works.

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  Unexpected Chances (Contemporary Romance) Never wanting to love again Tabitha throws herself into work and friends. She needs no one until an unexpected chance meeting has her doubting every decision she had made.

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  Discover more books and learn about our new approach to publishing at www.booktrope.com.