SALT: A HEIGHTS NOVEL
Page 25
“Hey.”
She glanced up from her phone to see her husband standing in the doorway, leaning one shoulder against the frame nonchalantly like he’d been enjoying watching her. She wasn’t sure how he still made her heart accelerate, how he stayed so incredibly dashing as the years flew by.
“That was it? Already?”
He shook his head and smiled at her surprise.
“I want to bring you on. They said I could come get you on the commercial. We’ve got about eighty seconds to get back up there.” His grin was sly as he looked at his watch.
“Tiago, I’m too pregnant.”
“You’re not pregnant enough. I want you out there with me. Come on.” He walked over and helped her up off the couch. “Dr. Livingston, have I told you yet how sexy you look when you’re carrying my baby?”
“Yes. A lot. Do I have to talk?”
“You’re the one who always dazzles the crowd,” he told her. He’d watched her speak at countless hospitals and universities, the UN, and even in her own TED Talk. Tiago put an arm behind her back and guided her along the stairs leading to the stage. She was wearing a red dress to match him, and heels, despite her proximity to their due date.
“Says the guy who scored a talk show after his first two television appearances.”
“Behind every great man, there’s an even greater woman. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
“Okay, but we’re just talking about the book, nothing else,” Salana said. She stepped onto the stage and the bright lights were blinding. The newscasters were in professional make-up and she’d only put on moisturizer and chapstick, but at least her hair was blown out. They smiled eagerly at her and gave her that slightly condescendingly sweet look that gets thrown at pregnant women close to their due date. She clung to Santiago like the rock he was, the steady support he’d always been to her.
“I might have told them about the freezer. You’re a natural, Salt. Don’t sweat it.”
Together they stepped into the bright lights and presented their story to the world.
Four days later, Salana’s water broke. Tiago was in the delivery room during labor and became the very first arms to hold his precious baby girl. They named her Ciara and had her baptized in the church where Tiago’s grandmother had taken her last breath. He swore to his daughter on that day he’d move mountains to protect her and keep her happy and safe.
The next project on their agenda, with the help of the Livingston Foundation’s funding and money from the book, was a rehab program for inner-city youth that involved horses, sunshine, and lots of running.
For Tiago having a child was a joy beyond measure and the work he did wasn’t about
forgiveness or redemption, but rather a tribute to the gifts he’d been given. To his wife,
to his family.
“Be kind, Tiago. Do the work. The salt of the earth will be the light of the world.”
The End
About the Author
Mara White is a contemporary romance and erotica writer who laces forbidden love stories with hard issues, such as race, gender, and inequality. She holds an Ivy League degree but has also worked in more strip clubs than even she can remember. She is not a former Mexican telenovela star, contrary to what the tabloids might say, but she is a former ballerina and will always remain one in her heart. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children and yes, when she’s not writing you can find her on the playground.
Twitter: @authormarawhite
Facebook: //heightsbound
Instagram: @authormarawhite
Author’s note:
As with all my Heights books, I feel the need to write these disclaimers. I write books to entertain and hope not offend or cause distress to any readers. I write bad boys from the Heights and cull my inspiration from the neighborhood, but these characters are in no way meant to represent any population or culture.
On Afghanistan: I don’t purport to know anything about Kabul, Afghanistan or the Middle East. The chapters that take place there were adapted from an interview I did with an American doctor who served there voluntarily in 2006. She told me her story and I fictionalized it for Salt, but once again, is not meant to represent any population or culture.
Playlist
“Sensualidad” by Bad Bunny, Prince Royce, and J Balvin
“Corazón” by Maluma, ft Negro do Borel
“Hola” by No Panty, ft Bodega Bamz, Nitty Scott, and Joel Ortiz
“Tu No Vive Así” by Arcangel ft Bad Bunny
“Solita” by Ozuna, Bad Bunny, and Wisin
“Scooby Doo PaPa” by DJ KASS
“Bien de To’” by Messiah
“Mastica y Traga” by La Insuperable
“Diablo” by Farruko
“Our Streets” by A$AP Ferg and DJ Premier
“Te Bote” by Casper, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, and Maluma
“Riverside” by Vicky Green
“Red Barz” by Cardi B
“Me Niego” by Reik ft Ozuna and Wisin
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my family. To my super-cheerleaders, Katie, Rebecca, Katy, Yaya, and Sunny. To all of my early readers and beta readers for giving me great feedback and putting up with my mistakes. Auden, Marley, Laura, Caro, Michelle, Emily, Eleanor, and Helene. I’m probably forgetting someone. Thanks to my incredible circle of friends and neighbors who help me with dialect and questions about culture and playlists. Diana, Natali, Yaya, Leslie, Zak, Vicky, and Jenn. Thanks to Bex Harper Design for the amazing cover.
Thanks to all the bloggers who help with release and getting the word out and being passionate about books. To Neda at Ardent Prose who always has my back, puts up with my neurosis, and helps me out in a pinch. To my readers who pick up my books and give them a chance, you guys are the best and I can’t thank you enough!