by Sam Mariano
“Eh, we’ll see.”
I grin, shaking my head. I let go of his hand to reach up and pull his face close to mine, leaning forehead to forehead. His hands go where they belong, right around my waist. “We won’t. I only need to marry you once. There’s no expiration date; I’m yours forever now.”
“Damn right you’re mine now. I tried to tell you that you would be; you should’ve believed me.”
“I’ll never question you again,” I promise.
Sal snorts. “That’s not true.”
Playfully running my hand down his lapel, I shoot him a playful smile. “Well, Morellis aren’t renowned for their honesty.”
Sal shakes his head, reaching out and running a thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re a Castellanos now, remember? We aren’t renowned for giving up.”
“I know one thing I’ll never give up,” I tell him, smiling in preparation for the cornball line I’m prepared to deliver.
Grimacing in false sympathy, Sal says, “You’re gonna say—”
I pull his move and put a hand over his mouth to stop him. I raise my eyebrows sternly to let him know I’ll take no lip, then I move my hand to tenderly cup his jaw. “You.”
Sal shakes his head. “Dork.”
“You love it.”
“I sure do.”
Sal pulls me snugly against his body and I rest my head on his shoulder. As another slow song starts, we take Meg’s advice for once: we dance the night away like the newlyweds we are.
The End
Author’s Note
And that’s it for the first four books! Now, book five picks up right where this one leaves off, so you might be wondering, “SAM, why are you splitting this series up into a four-book saga AND a sequel trilogy when that seems pointless?”
Because I like to chase impossible things! I like to try to make everyone happy. I know it can’t be done; I will keep trying anyway. If you’re happy right now, and you’re like, “Yay! All the relationships make me happy and I’m completely satisfied with them. I need no more!” Then you’re done! You met the Morellis! You had a good time (hopefully)! You don’t have to read books five, six, and seven. (There will be a spin-off book for Alec later. It’s a complete standalone, but it does take place after the trilogy.)
If book four is your perfect ending, this is the end! Thanks so much for reading! Thank you for your support. It has been a blast seeing how everyone responded to the Morelli family. Hands down the most fun I’ve had as an author so far, so thank you!
I have a much tamer, safer (but still a little kooky) book called Don’t Make Me Love You coming up that might interest you. It’s part of a duet (both standalones with separate couples), and it should be releasing this winter. (Depending on how long After You takes. I have a contemporary romance I have to release first, ‘cause I’ve promised people and they want it, and I gotta try to give the people what they want!) But Owen and Chloe are a lot of fun, and if you can handle the dysfunctional craziness of this family, you’ll definitely be able to handle Owen’s tiny issue with letting go, and Chloe’s mad love for candy bars. ;) Make sure you follow on Amazon or sign up for my newsletter if you wanna stay up-to-date on my releases!
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If you’re one of those many other people who still want more from Meg/Mateo/Mia/Vince, read the sequel trilogy. If you want them to end up a little bit happier (after they work for it, because you better believe I’m going to torture them a bit first) then you should keep reading. You don’t have to. You can stop here. I’ve written this ending so you could jump off or continue on. But I have to be true to the characters and where they actually lead me, so I’m just going to do it in an optional sequel trilogy. I think a lot of you will really like it. It’ll be fun and scary, hot and hard (ha). But I think it will all be worth it. There is a method to all my madness. I will not drag you through seven books with this family and not pay it off in the most satisfying and traditional way I possibly can, given the characters I’m working with. :) If you trust me at this point, and you believe I want the best for all the characters (I understand this sometimes feels like a lie, but it isn’t!) and/or you’re brave, keep reading! I think a lot of people have really wanted book five since book one, but book five couldn’t happen until all the pieces were in place. But hey, they are now! And I’m releasing Resisting Mateo in less than three weeks!
OH LOOK, A PRE-ORDER LINK
About the Author
Sam Mariano loves to write edgy, twisty reads with complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to play by your own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable preschooler… actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.
Feel free to find Sam on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers! She’s also available on Instagram now @sammarianobooks, and you can sign up for her totally-not-spammy newsletter HERE
If you have the time and inclination to leave a review, however short or long, she would greatly appreciate it! :)