Now or Never
Page 23
I love you. I believe in you.
Dad
When I look up, Holden’s silver-blue eyes are swimming in tears. I try to give him a stern stare. “Don’t you dare! I’ll lose it!”
He sniffs and clears his throat, rising off the bed. “Your dad knew what he was talking about.”
“He did,” I say, struggling not to let the tears fall.
“Win!” Sadie calls again.
I take a deep cleansing breath, put the frame on my bedside table and take Holden’s hand in mine. I look up at him as we open the door to our room. Sometimes, like now, I’m in awe of my life. Of this man, who loves me with his whole heart, in a primal way I never even knew was possible.
He kisses my forehead. “Time to watch Dixie and her crazy goalie get hitched.”
I manage to keep it together as Sadie and I walk down the aisle, one after the other, with our tiny bundles of lilacs and forget me not’s. I don’t blubber when Jude walks Dixie down the aisle, but he does—which I can’t wait to tease him about for the next ninety years. Dixie looks incredible in a formfitting antique lace dress as she glides toward Eli, who seems like he’s having a hard time not welling up as his brother, Levi, grins proudly beside him.
I expect to cry when she and Eli light the candle in memory of our dad, but I don’t. I look up at the bright blue sky above us and listen to the waves crash just a few feet away. I curl my bare feet into the warm sand and smile. He would be prouder than a peacock today.
At the reception, we gather in tents in the backyard and celebrate until the wee hours. I know my dad would be the last person on that dance floor if he were here. At around two in the morning, Holden and I wander back up to the beach and drop down in the sand, exhausted. He holds me as I nestle between his legs and rest my head on his chest.
“Thank you,” I say softly, not even sure he can hear me over the rolling tide, but he does.
“For what?”
“For letting me grieve but not letting me get stuck in it. For loving me, faults and all,” I say quietly.
“Are you kidding me?” Holden says. “Thank you for giving me a second chance. You’re my world, Winona.”
“You’re mine.”
I kiss him until I’m breathless. This man showed me how to find my way…and now, miraculously, we’re on this path together and I know, no matter what life throws at us, we’ll be okay because we’ll face it together.
About the Author
Victoria Denault loves long walks on the beach, cinnamon dolce lattes and writing angst-filled romance. She lives in L.A. but grew up in Montreal, which is why she is fluent in English, French and hockey.
You can learn more at:
VictoriaDenault.com
Facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaDenault
Twitter @BooksbyVictoria
Also by Victoria Denault
The San Francisco Thunder Series
Score
Slammed
When It’s Right
The Hometown Players Series
One More Shot
Making a Play
The Final Move
Winning It All
On the Line
Game On
You Might Also Like…
Looking for more great digital reads? We’ve got you covered!
Now available from Forever Yours
He’s a rock star with a secret, she’s a pop princess with a painful past—can their forbidden romance survive, or will their lies destroy them both?
I’ve earned my bad reputation.
A few years ago, I was New York City’s hottest classical music prodigy. But I wanted something else, something more. So I chased my real dream, and now…I’m rock royalty. Dax Hughes, lead guitarist of Nothing but Trouble. But to my family and former Juilliard classmates, I’m an outcast. A misfit. A rebel.
They’re not entirely wrong. I don’t give a damn what other people think, and I’m all for breaking the rules…except when it comes to our new opening act, Verity Moore.
Rock gods don’t tour with pop princesses.
It’s not personal. Actually, under that fallen diva reputation, Verity’s incredibly talented. And her fiery redheaded personality is…intriguing. But I’m convinced the skeletons in Verity’s closet are as scandalous as my own, and when we’re not sparring, she has a way of drawing out all those secrets I’m determined to keep hidden.
Yeah. Verity Moore is definitely off-limits…
But since when do I give a damn about the rules?
From the author of the Alpha Ops series comes an action-packed, super sexy military romance.
A legend among black ops teams, Colonel Duke Cameron can’t wait to get back in action again—no matter how high the risk. Two of the world’s best military pilots are missing after a midair collision, and he’s made it his job to find out why.
U.S. Air Force veteran Casey Jacobs loves working for a cutting-edge, high-tech company—until she suspects their newest design might have caused a horrible plane crash. But after a few “accidents,” it’s clear no one wants her asking too many questions. The only person she trusts to help her is Duke, the sexy secret crush from her flying days who still turns her on like no one ever has.
But someone is watching their every move, making sure they don’t uncover the truth. And when the danger turns physical, it’s not just their love that’s on the line. It’s their lives.
No celebrity secret stays buried for long in USA Today bestselling author Leslie A. Kelly’s sexy and suspenseful Hollywood Heat series.
A cold case is suddenly too hot to handle
Police officer Rowan Winchester wants nothing to do with his family’s A-list Hollywood legacy. Working with the LAPD is his way of atoning for the Winchesters’ dark and secretive past. And, right now, the last thing Rowan needs is true-crime novelist Evie Fleming nosing around the most notorious deaths in Los Angeles—including the ones that haunt his own family.
To make things worse, he’s torn between wanting the wickedly smart writer out of his city…and just plain wanting her.
While researching her latest book, Evie suspects that a dangerous new killer is prowling the City of Angels. Now she just has to convince the devastatingly handsome cop that she’s right. Soon Evie and Rowan are working together to try to find the killer, even as their attraction ignites.
But when the killer hones in on Evie, she and Rowan realize they’ll have to solve this case fast if they want to stay alive.
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and news about our latest ebooks and apps, sign up for our newsletters.
Sign Up
Or visit us at hachettebookgroup.com/newsletters