by Abby Niles
“I love you, Gayle Matthews,” he whispered. “With everything in me.”
Her heart swelled. He’d said the words. All three of them. Hope. Trust. Love. And she believed him. Believed the changes in him that she could see written so plainly in his earnest eyes.
She drew strength from his certainty, from him, and lifted her head to look up at him. “Even though I always knew you might leave me in the end, when you walked out on me at the hospital I was devastated.”
A pained grimace contorted his face, and he started to say something.
She stepped out of his embrace and held up her hand. “Let me finish. You never made light of your baggage. You’ve always been honest with me. Now it’s time for me to be honest. I’ve come to realize I’ve spent the last three years doing the same thing you’ve done for the last four.”
His throat worked on a swallow. “Gayle, I—”
She shook her head, cutting off his words. “I’m carefree, fun, live-in-the-moment Gayle Matthews. She embraces life, right?” She paused, allowing the truth to seep deep within her before saying it. “But I don’t. Not really. When you truly embrace life, you embrace it all, including the possibility for pain. You gamble your heart because the joy is worth it. But I took my heart off the table years ago, terrified of being hurt.”
Mac reached for her, but she waved him off. As she studied him, awe expanded her chest. “After everything you’ve been through, here you are, gambling on a future of uncertainty with me. Not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Fully knowing what you have to lose, because you’ve lost so much before.” She inhaled a shaky breath. “That’s the real risk of winning love, isn’t it? Loving someone, even knowing one day you could lose them.”
He swallowed and gave a jerky nod. “Yeah. But I know now it’s so worth the risk.”
She smiled. “I do, too. And I’m so ready to win, so ready to give my heart to you.”
A curse burst out of him as he scrubbed his palm over his face. “Thank God. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Mac Hannon, I love you so much. I’m all in. You have me. All of me—my hope, my trust, and my love.”
He pulled her to him and gazed down at her. “Gayle, you brought me back from the dead. You’ve made me live again, enjoy life again. I will never be able to show you how much I love you.” Caressing her jawline, he kissed her gently. “But I will spend every damn day trying.”
Smiling at last, she looped her arms around his neck and tugged his head down. As he made good on his vow, her heart swelled to bursting. Here in Mac’s arms, facing the uncertainty of the future together—that was truly living in the moment. That was what love was about. Whatever they faced, they would do it together.
As they pulled apart, a funnel lowered from the wall of clouds in a distant field. Mac wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into his side as they watched it descend and make touchdown. No tension crept into his body as the twister grew in size, whirling across the horizon. He simply kissed the top of her head and said, “Dorothy was right.”
She tilted her head back. “What do you mean?”
He gently kissed her lips one more time, then whispered, “There’s no place like home.”
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Acknowledgments
Writing Winning Love was the biggest challenge I’ve faced, so far, as a writer. I worked on this book, off and on, for over a year, which included two tornado seasons. The EF-5 tornado in Moore struck when I was just starting the writing process. Then El Reno, where three well-respected research chasers lost their lives when that tornado took them by surprise. Most recently, the tornado outbreak at the end of April that caused extensive damage across multiple states and over thirty-five deaths.
Each instance has given me pause. I found it difficult to write. I worried over every word and I doubted. What kept me going was reminding myself there are people like me who don’t truly understand the devastation these storms cause. We see it. We watch it. We pray for those affected, but there’s not a true understanding. I hope that the feelings of those who have lived through the experience, crawled out of debris, who have lost loved ones to the fury of Mother Nature, or lost everything they own, comes across in this book. My heart goes out to these people, and my ultimate goal was to respect the tragedy they’ve experienced.
With that said, I’ve wanted to write a storm chaser character for a very long time. From the many years I’ve spent watching storm chaser-related documentaries, YouTube videos, and reading blog posts, I became aware of how the media sensationalizes what storm chasers do and how most chasers resent it. Are there thrill-seeker chasers? Of course. But the vast majority of these men and women are not cowboys, yahoos, or any other name that has come to be associated with storm chasers.
People do not realize the amount of science that goes into chasing. Days of planning, watching, waiting…calculating. I had the most exciting interview with Gerard Jebaily. Gerard works as a meteorologist in South Carolina…and he also chases. It was an amazing interview with some great stories I won’t forget. I thank him immensely for taking the time to speak with me and answering my questions.
Now to take a few moments to thank those who helped and supported me during the writing of this book.
To Liz Pelletier—thank you for being super excited over the proposal. Though I spent most of the time while writing Winning Love repeating, “What the hell have I done?” and doubting my ability to accurately portray tornado destruction and storm chasing, I challenged myself as a writer and, in the end, I am very proud of this book. Winning Love, in my opinion, is one the best books I’ve written to date.
To Nina—thank you for being one of the best editors a girl could ask for. As always, your editing and suggestions helped me take the book that step further. We’re a kickass team.
To the art department–I was only halfway finished with the book when I received the cover. The TRUST tattoo was a surprise for me. But it unleashed a torrent of ideas for Mac that added a level to him that I wouldn’t have achieved if you guys hadn’t put it there. Thank you.
To my fans—I love each and every one of you. Thank you for loving my writing, for anticipating the releases, and just being awesome. Without you my dreams wouldn’t be coming true.
To my CPs, Angie, Christina, Christyne and Tina—I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, and I’ll say it with every future book—I wouldn’t know what to do without you girls.
To my parents, sister and friends—thank you for being supportive. I know I’m an ogre when I’m under deadline, you guys just wave it away, knowing that’s not typically me. I wouldn’t know what do without that understanding and support.
A special thank you to Chad—I always acknowledge those who inspire me to be better. I once sent you a cryptic text saying, “Thank you for making me a better writer.” I wouldn’t elaborate on how. Mostly because I was waiting to write my acknowledgment to do so. I told you before there is always some truth behind a book. An insight into a writer’s mind, their thoughts, insecurities, desires, and their past. Unfortunately, sometimes we haven’t experienced something or it’s been a very long time since we have and we’re disconnected from what we are trying to convey. We have to make it up as we go and keep our fingers crossed that we’re doing a good job of it. I’ve been doing this for years in a couple of areas. You coming into my life gave me the ability to filter more reality into my writing. I’ll never forget that. Thank you.
As always, I will complete my acknowledgments by thanking my kids. They are last not because they are a side thought, but because they are the most important. My final thoughts will always be sharing the love I have for my children and how damn lucky I am to be blessed with two amazi
ng kids. I love you.
About the Author
Abby Niles has always loved to read. After having twins and becoming a stay-at-home mom, she started doodling stories to keep her sanity. She didn’t plan for writing to become an obsession, but it did. Today, she juggles work, home life, and writing. It’s not always easy, but hey, who said life was easy? When Abby’s not writing, you can find her playing ‘Just Dance’ with her kids or trying to catch up on her never-ending to-be-read list.
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Also in the Love to the Extreme series by Abby Niles
Fighting Love
Former Middleweight champion and confirmed bachelor Tommy “Lightning” Sparks has lost it all: his belt, his career, and now his home. After the devastating fire, he moves in with his drama-free best friend, Julie. One encounter changes everything and Julie is no longer the girl he’s spent his life protecting but a desirable woman he wants to take to his bed. Knowing his reputation, he’s determined to protect Julie more than ever—from himself. Can two childhood friends make a relationship work, or will they lose everything because they stopped fighting love?
Extreme Love
Dante “Inferno” Jones is used to winning in the ring. But when the MMA fighter meets pretty Caitlyn Moore, he’s striking out left and right. The more Cait denies his advances, the more intrigued he becomes by the sharp-tongued beauty. She’s a challenge he can’t resist. Dante’s light-hearted pursuit quickly becomes a battle to win her heart—and it may cost him the biggest fight of his career. But when Cait’s plan to keep him focused lands her in the dangerous clutches of Dante’s vicious opponent, they both realize there’s more at stake than just the championship belt.
Also by Abby Niles
The awakening: Aidan
The Awakening: Britton
The Awakening: LiaM
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