Ten… nine… eight…
My heart was beating so wildly, I could hear every erratic thump of it in my ears as I fired another ball. It missed again, and with the crowd screaming two, I wound up and fired my last one.
And I made it.
“YES!” I screamed, shoving my fists in the air as I looked up at the crowd. They were all cheering, the announcer going on about how I’d won a $500 Visa gift card. But I didn’t care about the prize. I’d thrown that ball like a champ, and that was what I was excited about.
I turned, ready to jump into Zach’s arms, but when I spun around, he wasn’t standing behind me.
He was kneeling.
And suddenly, everything faded away. The roar of the crowd was dull and muted, the breeze nonexistent, the adrenaline rushing through me stopping altogether like my entire body had forgotten how to function at the sight of the man I loved bent on one knee.
He looked up at me with reverent eyes, and all the nerves he’d had before were gone. I wondered then if they were even real, or if he’d been putting on a show to get the scenario to play out just how he wanted. Because there, bent below me, he looked taller than I’d ever seen him in my life.
“Gemma Mancini,” he said, and someone in a Bears t-shirt bent a microphone down so everyone could hear what he said next. “I know you’ve done this before. There was a time when another man promised you forever, promised you he would be faithful to you, and that love story didn’t end up the way you thought it would.”
My heart pinched, and I swallowed, chest aching.
“I can’t go back in time and meet you first. I can’t take away the pain he or anyone else has caused you. But, I don’t want to. Because everything that’s happened to you, everything you’ve endured and survived has made you the incredible woman I know and love today.”
Though the crowd was still distant to me, I heard the universal awww at his words, and my eyes blurred as I stared down at him.
“Gemma, I don’t want your past, though I’m thankful for it. But, I want your future.”
He opened a box, one he’d been holding in his hands, and the crowd fired up again, but I couldn’t even look at the ring inside it. I couldn’t look anywhere but right into Zach’s eyes.
“If you’ll let me, I promise to cherish you for every single day that I get to take a breath in this life. I promise to hold your hand as we face fears together, and hold your heart with the same respect and care that I would hold my own mother’s.” He swallowed, his own eyes glossing over. “No one has ever meant more to me in my entire life than you do, Gemma. And I don’t just want this game, or the next game, or the game after that. I want all the games. And all the seasons. From now until forever, whether we win or we lose.” He paused. “But, we better win this one. Because it’s the Packers and that’s just a sin if we don’t.”
The crowd roared at that, the band doing a little diddy that made us both laugh. And before Zach could say another word, I fell to my knees in front of him, hands sliding to frame his face.
“So, what do you say?” he asked. “Spend the rest of your life with the internet-famous Hot Dog guy?”
The crowd laughed and cheered, encouraging me to say yes — as if there were any other answer. But words were stuck in my throat, because all I could do was nod and cry and kiss him to the roar of more than sixty-thousand fans. Zach stood, pulling me with him and wrapping me in his arms as he spun me around. They ushered us off the field with our lips still locked together, and I knew we’d held up the game longer than we were supposed to, but I didn’t care.
“Oh, my God, Zach,” I finally spoke when we were on the sidelines, shaking my head as tears filled my eyes. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you asked.”
“And I can’t believe you said yes,” he said, kissing me again before he pulled back and offered me the ring that had been inside the box.
I held out my left hand, and he slid the gorgeous, tear-drop-shaped diamond set on a rose-gold band onto my ring finger. The sight of it made me cry harder, and Zach wrapped me up again, kissing away the tears.
“You and me,” he whispered for just me to hear. “We’re going to make it.”
“I never had a doubt.”
“Liar,” he teased.
I laughed, pulling back and shaking my head. “No, I mean it. I think somehow, I always knew. Even when I fought it. Maybe I knew it then the most.”
“Well, I don’t care how long it took,” he said. “I would have waited forever.”
“Now who’s the liar.”
He grinned. “Okay, so maybe I’m not the most patient man. But, I would have waited, if you needed more time.”
“I don’t need another second,” I said, lifting up on my toes to thread my arms around his neck. “I’d marry you now.”
Zach smiled, kissing my nose. “Well, we’re not exactly dressed for the occasion, so I say we wait a while longer. But hey, if you want to get hitched on a football field?” He put his hands up as if he had no other choice. “I’m not going to say I’m not into that.”
I kissed him again, and this time, I held that kiss like it was the final seal on my promise to give him my forever.
Through all the games, through all the heartache, I think I knew I always would.
And like Zach had said, it didn’t matter if the Bears won or lost this game, or the next game, or the game after that. As long as Zach was there beside me watching each one, for this year and next year and all the years to come, the score didn’t matter at all.
Because if I was in his arms, I was always winning.
And it was the sweetest victory of them all.
Keep reading after the acknowledgements for the first two chapters of What He Doesn’t Know, book one in the angsty, emotional duet from Kandi Steiner — available in Kindle Unlimited.
I swear, it gets harder and harder with every book to write this part. As difficult as it is to brainstorm, plot, dream up, write, and edit the story you just read, thanking everyone I want to is infinitely more trying. But, I guess I will start with you — the reader. If you’re still reading this now, even into the acknowledgements, then I just want to be sure to thank you first before you move on to your next read. There are millions of books out there, and I am so honored you chose to pick up mine to read. I truly hope you enjoyed Gemma and Zach’s story, and that you’ll sift through my backlist to see if anything else tickles your fancy. Thank you for reading indie, and thank you for reading romance, and thank you for reading. Period. I couldn’t do this without you!
Staci Hart — you might as well have a permanent spot in the back of all of my books, because you’ve become such an important part of my writing process, I’m not sure I could do this without you. Thank you for always pushing me on the hard days, for holding my hand and petting my hair when I needed it, and more than anything, for your critical feedback in the end that helped take this from a B book to an A. You are such an inspiration to me, always, and I love how you push me to be a better writer every single day. I love you more than tacos, babe. Always.
Brittainy C. Cherry — thank you for your morning texts and late night voice notes that always came with a positive vibe I needed. You are a constant light in my life, and with everything that happened in my personal life while writing this book, I needed you more than ever. Thank you for helping me balance my own heart and soul with those of my characters, and for always reminding me that I am enough. I love you.
Momma — You always get a shout out in my books, because you’re the one who helped raise me with a writer’s heart and a dreamer’s soul. Thank you for always pushing me to chase my dreams, even when they seemed impossible, and for always being there to remind me to take life one step at a time. When I’m hurting and struggling the most, it’s always your voice I hear. I love you.
Sasha Whittington — thank you for letting me yak at you all day long while we romped around Austin and I was plotting out the premise of this book. Thank you for als
o listening anytime I hit a snag or got excited about a scene. You helped me work out a lot of kinks in this one, and also inspired the fierce, amazing best friend that is Belle. Without your actual advice and role in my life, I couldn’t have ever dreamed her up. I love you.
Karla Sorensen and Kathryn Andrews — both of you ladies were instrumental in the feedback on this one, and you helped me right a lot of wrongs. You also always checked in with me when I was struggling in my heart and you knew I had to write, anyway, and I can’t tell you how much your friendships mean to me. I love you both so much I don’t even have the right words. Please don’t ever leave me. Ever.
Tina Lynne — I don’t even have words for you, baby girl. I really don’t. To say that you have become an extension of me is an understatement. I honestly feel like my entire life and career has changed since you agreed to join my team, and without you assisting me and organizing my life, I would be utterly and completely lost. Thank you for reading this one, too, and making me cry with your glowing feedback. You mean more to me than I could ever say. I love you.
Okay this should literally be in bold, so I’m going to write it that way: I could not have done this without my incredible team of beta readers. I’ve already mentioned three of them — Staci, Karla, Kathryn, and Tina — who were absolutely instrumental in making The Wrong Game what it became in the end. But, I also have to give a huge shout out to the other amazing beta readers who gave their time, effort, and thought to these characters and this story so we could make it better. Thank you so much Kellee Fabre, Monique Boone, Sarah Green, Danielle Lagasse, Ashlei Davison, Trish QUEEN MINTNESS, and Kristen Novo. I can never thank you all enough for continually being there for me, on tight deadlines, and always giving your critical feedback with a few ass slaps and hair pets, too. I love you all.
Elaine York, you should get a freaking MEDAL for this one. I mean, seriously. Not only did I miss my deadline once… twice… three times… and then AGAIN, but I also gave you a ridiculously short amount of time to put your final polishes on this bad boy before release. But, God bless you, you were there for me. You worked with me when I needed you most to make this magic happen, and I can never thank you enough. My team wouldn’t be complete without you.
I would also like to thank Flavia Viotti, my incredible agent, for having the same hustle and drive that I do. I appreciate our relationship more than I can say, and I know we’re just getting started. The future is bright. ;)
To the magical Lauren Perry of Periwinkle Photography, thank you for taking my vision for these characters and the Chicago setting and bringing it to life so perfectly. This is my favorite cover to date, and it wouldn’t have happened without you! I also have to thank your beautiful models, Jori and Thomas, for capturing the essence of Gemma and Zach so well and being so darn cute. You guys are the best!
Angie McKeon — your friendship and support is something I cherish so much, and I can’t thank you enough for always jumping on board for my releases to help spread the word. More than that, you were there for me this year as I navigated dating, and heartbreak, in a way I never have before. Your love is something I am so lucky and thankful to have, and I hope you feel the same.
To my amazing team at Social Butterfly PR: Nina Grinstead, Chanpreet Singh, Hilary Suppes, and the rest of the team behind the scenes — THANK YOU. Your hard work on promo never goes unnoticed, and I know for a fact I couldn’t do any of this without your help.
To Sam, my Chicago Bears season pass holder friend who was kind enough to answer all of my questions — thank you! You were so sweet, and didn’t owe me a thing since you didn’t even know me at all. Your insight was absolutely crucial and helped make this book what it is. I appreciate you so much. Go Bears!
I am all over social, but there’s one place that really feels like my “safe place” in the online world, and that’s my Facebook reader group — Kandiland. To all the babes in that group, THANK YOU. Thank you for being there for the late night live video chats, for the exclusive teasers, for the random weirdness. Thank you for getting excited, for telling me you guys can’t wait for what’s next, and for always supporting me — even when I’m not smiling, and I’m actually facing a dark time in my life. You always make me feel safe and welcome, and I couldn’t keep moving forward on the hard days without knowing I have this amazing team behind me. I love you all.
To Pocket, who would probably kill me in my sleep if I didn’t give her a shout out. Thank you for sitting on my laptop to force me to stop writing when it was super late at night and you knew my eyes needed a break. Thank you for meowing aggressively at four o’clock in the morning when you knew I had to wake up in a couple of hours to edit. And thanks for always being there for me when I needed a cat nap between scenes. You’re the best fur baby a girl could ever have.
And, lastly, to #MysteryMan. You probably won’t even read this, but thank you for an incredible year of love. Though our story was just for a season and not for a lifetime, you showed me a love I thought I only wrote about in my books, a love that I never thought I’d find in my days on this Earth. I’m so thankful for the time we got to walk together, the laughter we shared, the love we made, and the memories I will keep with me forever. I am a better woman from having been loved by you, and I will truly never forget you. Take care of yourself, Cucumber. And if the nights ever get dark, just know there’s someone in this world who will always love you.
The What He Doesn’t Know Duet
#1 What He Doesn’t Know
#2 What He Always Knew
Charlie’s marriage is dying. She’s perfectly content to go down in the flames, until her first love shows back up and reminds her the other way love can burn.
On the Way to You
It was only supposed to be a road trip, but when Cooper discovers the journal of the boy driving the getaway car, everything changes. An emotional, angsty road trip romance.
A Love Letter to Whiskey
An angsty, emotional romance between two lovers fighting the curse of bad timing.
Weightless
Young Natalie finds self-love and romance with her personal trainer, along with a slew of secrets that tie them together in ways she never thought possible.
Revelry
Recently divorced, Wren searches for clarity in a summer cabin outside of Seattle, where she makes an unforgettable connection with the broody, small town recluse next door.
Black Number Four
A college, Greek-life romance of a hot young poker star and the boy sent to take her down.
The Palm South University Serial
Written like your favorite drama television show, PSU has been called “a mix of Greek meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Friends.” Follow seven college students as they maneuver the heartbreaks and triumphs of love, life, and friendship.
Rush (book 1) ➔ FREE if you sign up for my newsletter.
Anchor (book 2)
Pledge (book 3)
Legacy (book 4)
Tag Chaser
She made a bet that she could stop chasing military men, which seemed easy — until her knight in shining armor and latest client at work showed up in Army ACUs.
Song Chaser
Tanner and Kellee are perfect for each other. They frequent the same bars, love the same music, and have the same desire to rip each other’s clothes off. Only problem? Tanner is still in love with his best friend.
And now, the first two chapters from What He Doesn’t Know — available in Kindle Unlimited. Grab your copy here.
Charlie
On the northeast side of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, there was a house.
It was a beautiful house, stoic and grand, with a little over half an acre of land, five bedrooms, and three luxurious bathrooms. The front view stunned those who passed by, the grand steepled entrance made completely of glass, the regal chandelier visible through that pristine window after the sun set.
The house was once magical, once filled with love and joy and plans for th
e future. It was entirely too big for the young newlyweds who purchased it, both eager to fill the spare bedrooms with babies, to fill the expansive kitchen with little footprints and messy high chairs, to fill the walls with memories captured in sepia-tone photographs.
Inside its walls were many things that belonged to me.
There were my books, of which I had many, lining the shelves in one of the spare bedrooms where I would often sit and read. There were the china dishes my mother had gifted me on my wedding day, the gardening tools I used every weekend to primp the garden I’d always dreamed of having, the breathtaking, gold-plated bird cage I’d taken such pride in, once home to two Budgies, now empty — just like me.
And a man.
A man who also belonged to me.
A man I no longer wished to keep.
A man who, no doubt, had not slept, though the sun was rising now. Because that house where he waited — that large, desolate, haunting house — was where I’d laid my head to rest every night for the last eight years. Until last night.
The old snow crunched under my boots as I crossed the yard that was not mine, my head hung, sun shining too brightly for my taste. It seemed to be judging me, the first eyes to see me as the woman I had become overnight. The house I was leaving was much unlike the one across town. It was smaller, cozier, filled with music and laughter and late-night confessions whispered quietly into beige cotton sheets.
I slipped silently into the driver seat of my luxury SUV, the door shutting with a simple, soft latch behind me. The car was empty, too. A family car. Too many seats for just one woman.
My fingers gripped the steering wheel, knuckles pink from the cold until I reached forward to start the car with a push of a button. I closed my eyes, shoulders rising and falling with a new breath, flashes of the night before assaulting me in little bursts behind my lids.
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