“It’s a joke, Weston,” Charlie says. “Or did McKenzie suck your sense of humor out of”, her eyes flick to my groin, “you?”
McKenzie had the strength to ignore us all, to not let us get her down, at least where we could see it. But me, I’m not that strong.
“You owe her an apology, Charlie. All of us do, for making her life hell.” I look each member of our old crew in the eye. “Who did we think we were? Did any of you ever stop to think how it made her feel? How she came to school each day with her head held high, while running a gauntlet of insults, I’ll never know. But this I’m sure of—McKenzie Walsh is the smartest, most beautiful, and most giving person I’ve ever known. She gave me a chance, even though I didn’t deserve it. And if the rest of y’all had any ounce of remorse, you’d go apologize to her.”
Charlie groans, rolling her eyes. “You’re really harshing this party.”
“No, I’ve changed. For the better.”
“Isn’t that sweet?” Charlie coos. “Amazing what being whipped will do to a man.”
There’s no hope for Charlie. I know this, but everyone else—with the exception of Joe—they’re considering my words, at least for tonight.
“I’m not whipped,” I say loudly. “I’m in love with McKenzie, and I’m damned proud that she allowed me to be with her, if only for a little while.”
A few people start to whisper, the females around my ex-girlfriend surreptitiously pointing behind me.
I turn, only to see my girl walking toward me. Her head is held high, hair like fall leaves in an elegant do, leaving her gorgeous neck exposed. If I look close enough, there’s a small love bite behind her right ear.
She’s wearing the earrings I gave her, and a silver colored dress… with her red cowgirl boots. My heart swell so big that I can’t help but stride to her.
“Did you, um, hear what I just said?”
“Every bit.”
“I had no idea you were here.” She has to understand that I wasn’t saying this to get back on her good side.
“I know.” McKenzie smiles at me. “I’m sorry for not giving you a chance to make me believe.”
“Believe in what?”
“In you, in us, in love conquering all.” Her smile turns shy. “I’m here for all of that… all for you, that is, if you still want me.”
I can’t help but stare at her, to admire her for coming to me, here of all places. “I know it’s been only two weeks, but I’ve love you, McKenzie Walsh, and I’d be honored if you’d be mine tonight and always.”
My mother gasps, and my dad laughs into his drink. Yeah, I wasn’t exactly proposing marriage, but it sure did sound like it.
McKenzie bites the side of her lip, a giggle escaping anyway. “I love you, West Diaz, and I want you to be my man tonight and always.”
Julia catches me eye and points up. I follow her directions and find a sprig of mistletoe above us. It’s tradition that whoever finds the mistletoe gets the first kiss of the night. Some even claim that those couples go on to get married and stay that way, happily, I might add, for years to come.
There’s no one I’d rather be under this tradition with than the beautiful girl standing in front of me. “Some things around here should never change,” I say, right before I kiss her.
Epilogue
Three Years Later
McKenzie
“Are you nervous?” I whisper to my dad as we walk in measured steps down an aisle laden with rose petals.
“A little. Never done this before,” he whispers back.
“Me neither.”
He makes a sound between a snort and a grunt, and I can’t help but giggle. West turns, bucking tradition, and I wave at him. He grins big before Parker turns him back around.
“You can always change your mind.”
“Might be hard to do, with your grandkid on the way.”
“Nice, Mac, real nice.”
“Just kidding.”
We stop right behind West, and he finally turns around, his chocolate eyes lighting up. My dad joins our hands together, wiping tears from his eyes.
“Ready?” West says.
“I told my dad I was pregnant.”
West’s face grows pale, before his gaze drops to my stomach.
“I told him I was kidding.”
“Oh.” Was that a little disappointment in his voice?
“West?”
Though the priest is waiting, my soon-to-be husband turns all his attention on me. “Yes?”
I lean forward, my veil brushing his ear. “I lied.”
“Are you serious?”
“Two months serious. I’m thinking North Clover Patch Diaz would be a great name.”
His grip tightens, and then he begins to laugh, not at me, but with me. I join him, then the congregation, though they don’t know why. We laugh so hard that tears are running down our cheeks, and he kisses me before we are supposed to.
But neither of us care.
And that’s how we began the rest of our future together.
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS JUST GOT HOTTER!
This novella is proud to be a part of
The 12 NA's of Christmas.
12 Different New Adult Romances. 12 Bestselling Authors.
Participating Authors:
A. Meredith Walters
Addison Moore
Breena Wilde
Chelsea M. Cameron
Sawyer Bennett
Sarra Cannon
Shelly Crane
Magan Vernon
Tiffany King
Zoe Dawson
Keeping Reading for a sneak peek at True For You (Boys of the South #3), coming the end of November 2013.
Bliss
The only thing worse than waking up nude with a guy who can’t remember the night before, is waking up married to him and finding out he’s more of an asshole than you previously thought.
I glance down at the wedding ring on my finger. It’s beautiful, white gold or platinum, with diamonds all over it. And it’s the first piece of jewelry I’ve ever owned.
Although, how long it will stay mine remains to be seen.
“No, I did not plan this,” Jackson growls into his cell phone as I slip on my glasses. He comes into focus and I blink. I’m not sure who exactly had my glasses fixed, but a big part of me wants to believe that the man standing by the bed had something to do with it.
“It just happened, Everett. That’s how,” he snaps.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I’d end up here, in Charleston, South Carolina with country music’s golden bad boy, Jaxon Hunter.
In private, though, I think of him as just Jackson.
My heart skips a couple of beats when his dark blue gaze rakes over me. Strawberry blond hair sticking up all over the place, a morning beard makes his face all adorably scruffy.
Dark blue jeans hang on his narrow hips as he paces. Tight abs, with an, oh holy crap, eight pack in the making leaves my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth. Then there are the tattoos. Don’t even get me started on the tattoos, but I want to get started on them.
He tilts his head and smirks, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking, sending my heart into overdrive.
As if he could ever be just Jackson.
I’m not stupid though, despite agreeing to marrying him while I was perfectly sober and he was perfectly drunk off his ass, to think that what will happen next will be all hearts and flowers.
But I was desperate. I’m still desperate.
More Books by Marquita Valentine
Holland Springs Series
Seduction of the Billionaire
Drive Me Crazy
Driving To You
Twice Tempted
Third Time’s A Charm
His Christmas Wish
Just Desserts
Not Over You (coming Dec. 9th)
Be Mine (Coming February 10th, 2014)
Boys of the South (New Adul
t Series)
Live For You
Only For You
All For You
True For You
Wish For You (coming January 20th, 2014)
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Andrea Thompson, Amanda Clark, Sawyer Bennett, Andris Bear, and Carly Phillips for their comments, critiques, and encouragement. <3 you guys!
New York Times Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes and sassy heroines that make you swoon and laugh. She’s the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South.
Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.
www.marquitavalentine.com
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