Before I knew what was happening, my tires screeched into a U-turn and I headed toward the marina. It wasn’t until I got to the entrance that I realized I needed a card to unlock the gate. Fate, the universe, or just dumb luck was on my side because within seconds Charlie and his mom drove up and let me in. As I pulled into the parking space, I didn’t see Luken’s truck anywhere. It had been a long day, and I didn’t know when visiting hours at the hospital ended. It didn’t matter. I’d wait forever if needed.
My stomach did somersaults as I made my way down the dock and stood by his boat. Looking out over the water, I breathed in the salty air as the warm breeze blew through my hair. Just as the sun was beginning to dim, I heard his deep voice.
“Cadence?”
Closing my eyes, I let the sound wash over me before turning around.
I had no idea what I was going to say or if Luken would even listen to me. He hadn’t made any attempt to say one word to me at the hospital. My only plan of action was to let my heart guide me.
“Hi. I… um… I’m sorry for just dropping by.”
“How’d you get through the gate?”
“Charlie and his mom.”
“Thank you for taking care of Mom. I should have said it at the hospital but…”
“I was glad I was there.”
We stared at each other for several seconds in silence as nervous energy passed between us.
“You look tired,” I said.
“Did you come here to insult me?” I thought I detected a faint smile but wasn’t positive.
“No! I’m nervous. I have something I need to tell you.”
“Cadence, I… um…”
“It won’t take long.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“This past week without you has been the worst time of my life. Even worse than chemo. The first time we met you overwhelmed me. I tossed it off as excitement that a hot man was flirting with me. Then when you walked into the conference room, it was as if my entire universe had exploded. As crazy as it might sound, I knew then I’d found my soulmate. I’m a grown, well-educated woman and I’m at a loss for words every time I try to describe how I feel about you. I was so blinded by the unknown that I pushed you away, thinking it was for your own good. I fucked up. And because of that, I’ve wasted precious time with you that I’ll never get back. For the past week I’ve been walking around like a zombie, because when you find the love of your life, every minute without them is a minute you’re not truly alive. I’m sorry I hurt you. But if you give me one more chance, I promise not to waste another moment with you.”
Luken stood, expressionless for what felt like an eternity.
“Cadence, I can’t…”
Before he was able to finish his sentence, a feminine voice shouted his name from the end of the dock. A flurry of red hair caught my attention first.
“Hey, Luken!” She was tall, curvy, pretty and walking straight toward us.
With my heart lodged in my throat, I made eye contact with him for a brief second before shifting my gaze toward the woman in the tight black dress. As she got closer, my fight-or-flight response kicked in. Tears were flooding my eyes, begging to fall.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come,” I said, quickly rushing past Luken.
“Cadence, wait!”
My legs picked up speed so by the time I passed the woman, I was full out running until I reached my car. I was amazed that I made it home in one piece. Between the sobs and the constant stream of tears, I could barely see the road. By the time I walked through my door I was exhausted and numb. I don’t know how long I walked aimlessly from room to room. Finally, I drifted over to the corner table filled with framed pictures and picked up the one of Luken and me. He’d taken it with his phone just before sunset on his boat during one of our weekend excursions and surprised me with the framed copy. I thought there weren’t any more tears left in me, but as I stared at the two us, more formed behind my eyes. Suddenly, there was banging at my door. I was going to ignore it, but it was persistent and getting louder.
I placed the picture back in its spot and headed toward the door. When I opened it, I found Luken, his hand balled up in midair ready to go another round with my door.
“God damn, woman. You run fast,” he said, gasping for air.
“What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
I didn’t answer, I just moved aside so he could pass. After closing the door, I racked my hands over my face attempting to wipe away the tears. By the time I turned around, he was breathing steady and his gaze was fixed on me.
“Cadence, I need to explain something…”
“You don’t owe me any explanation. I had no right coming by like that. I didn’t mean to ruin your night with…”
He took a step toward me. “Cadence…”
“Your girl is lovely, Luken.” My voice cracked on each word.
“Cadence…”
“You’re doing exactly what I told you to do, moving on.”
“Cadence…” He took another step closer.
“Although, it does seem pretty quick. I mean, it’s only been a week.” The sobs began trickling out. “Four days really if you start counting from the last time we saw each other.”
By the end of my sentence, I was full on sobbing. Luken rushed over to me, grabbed the sides of my face, and devoured my mouth. I let the feel of his body and lips wash over me for a few seconds before breaking the kiss and pushing him away.
“What are you doing?”
He was breathing hard and fast again. “I’m trying to shut you up for five seconds. That girl you saw wasn’t my date. She’s a ring designer.”
“A what designer?”
“Ring. After I left here Friday night, I spent most of the weekend licking my wounds. Yesterday I took my parents for a sail. Dad and I did some fishing and a lot of talking. By the time we were back at the marina, I’d made up my mind. I wasn’t going to give up on us. Cadence, I’ve known since that first weekend we spent together that I wanted to spend every weekend, weekday, month, and year with you for the rest of my life. Last night I called a buddy of mine whose wife designs jewelry.”
“Luken…”
He raised his hand, letting his fingertips run down the side of my face.
Taking my chin between his index finger and thumb, he leaned in and whispered, “I can’t give you a second chance, Cadence. Because I never gave up on our first one.”
“I’m so sorry I put you through this.”
“I’m just glad you came to your senses. I was giving it one more day before kidnapping your sweet little ass and hauling it out to the middle of the ocean where you couldn’t leave me. I love you, Cadence. Plain and simple. And as far as having a family or anything else that comes up… we’ll figure things out.”
“But promise me that at any time, if you want to leave…”
“I said, we’ll figure things out.”
When our lips connected, every part of me came back to life. I was done living in the past and worrying about the future. All I wanted was to be in the moment with the man I loved.
“You’re really having a ring specially designed for me?”
“I figure I got one shot, it better be impressive.” He winked. “By the way, I’m not proposing today, even though it would have been romantic as hell for me to be on one knee with a ring in hand when you opened that door.”
“No matter when you decide to ask, the timing will be right.”
Suddenly, he dipped down and tossed me over his shoulder.
Laughing, I yelled, “Luken, what are you doing?!”
“Can’t waste another minute. We gotta whole lotta lovin’ to catch up on.”
Playfully he spanked my ass before carrying me to the bedroom, where we made up for lost time over and over and over again.
Writing a book is solitary, but publishing one takes a village.
First and foremost, I want to thank my family. Without th
eir love and support, I’d be lost.
Even though Google is an amazing tool to use for all the research I do for my books, there’s nothing like connecting with a real person. Someone who can give you the personal, not always pretty, account of the thoughts and feelings they experienced through a difficult time. Trish Kruper was this person for In The Moment. I’ll never be able to thank her enough for allowing me to interview her and for her brutal honesty. Because of Trish, Cadence is a much richer and deeper character.
Thank you to my wonderful beta reader, Tammy Zautner. The time she gives and her dedication to the project knows no bounds.
I get a lot of compliments about the details I add to my stories. Part of the praise needs to go to Beth Hyams (aka Hawkeye proofreader). I can’t tell you how many times I text Beth, day and night, with random questions. From, explain the rules of little league, to, what type of fabric is this dress made of (text photo), Beth has the answer. Her answers give the book subtle nuances that bring the story to life.
Thank you to my dream team who work hard to make the final product look pretty and sparkly.
Murphy Rae Hopkins, cover designer. Angela McLaurin, interior designer. Christine Estevez, editor.
You ladies are an absolutely joy to work with.
My undying gratitude to all of the bloggers and readers who have read, shared, and harassed their friends to read my books. Your kindness and generosity have impacted my life more than you will ever know. Each book you buy and note you send, reminds me why I tackle the topics I do and write these stories.
Alison G. Bailey is an award winning, Amazon and International bestselling author living in Charleston, South Carolina. At an early age she fell in love with writing, reworking scenes from her favorite TV shows and movies with new dialogue. Alison wrote and produced several stage plays before turning her sights on the book world.
Under the influence of a copious amount of Diet Pepsi and nonstop listening to her Spotify playlists, Alison writes unique emotional stories full of love, laughter, and romance.
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GOODREADS
Present Perfect (Book #1, The Perfect Series)
Past Imperfect (Book #2, The Perfect Series)
Presently Perfect (Book #3, The Perfect Series)
Stop! (Standalone)
The Dance (Standalone)
In The Moment Page 10