And speaking of running, Lane and I still do it often. In fact, after we moved in together and I got used to his haphazard schedule at the hospital, we decided to dedicate at least three mornings a week to the place where we first met and collided head on with our beautiful fate.
“Hey! Someone else carved their names on our tree!” Two days ago, Lane + Leni 4ever inside an oversized heart was the only thing marring the bark of the tree where it all began.
I rush over to the tree and Lane follows. Together, we trace the outline of the newly carved names.
“Huh. Looks like we have to share with Stella and Jack now.”
“I don’t like sharing. You know that.”
“You don’t like sharing your food, but you never said anything about not wanting to share your good fortune.”
“Listen, Mr. Optimistic, I get what you’re trying to say, but this is our special tree. No one else’s. I was hoping you’d ask me to be your wife under it one day. And then we’d bring our kids here once in a while to tell them all about how Mommy and Daddy fell in love over a concussion. And to take the dream even further, they’d continue the Sheffield tradition by bringing their special someone here and carving their names in it when the time was right. But now this Stella and Jack went ahead and—I don’t know—cheapened it all up.”
“Babe, that’s all really sweet and I can make every one of those wishes come true, but there is nothing cheap about what we got.” Lane wraps his arms around me and presses his sweaty torso against my even sweatier back.
I do have to give it to him there. Cheap is no longer a part of our vocabulary. Ever since Siobhan called on me to be the top model for the plus-sized collection that’s taking the fashion world by the balls, let’s just say . . . life is sweet. Like warm chocolate lava cake topped with rocky road ice cream sweet. Who would’ve ever imagined my big ass would be my biggest asset? I guess being skinny isn’t always how the better half live.
I lean into Lane’s embrace and surrender to the calming effect he will forever bewitch me with. Even on days when I feel down on myself for giving up on the weight loss goal that once dictated my every breath, Lane is sure to remind me that we have each other and everything else is an extra helping we weren’t banking on.
Pulling me back onto the track by the arm, Lane starts to jog in place. “You have time for one more lap or does Raven need you again today?” I still moonlight at the studio whenever Raven asks because makeup will always and forever be my true passion. Something about giving women the gift of beauty empowers me and I never plan on letting go of that ego boost.
I join Lane in a steady trot past our tree, and tell him my plans for the day. “Nope. No work today. I arranged it that way. After our run, some breakfast, and a nice long shower, I was hoping we could spend some quality time together—tangled in the sheets.”
“Oh, that sounds like the perfect way to waste the day away.”
“Waste not, want not.” I giggle.
“You sound more and more like Confucius every day, Leni. Do I need to hide your Joel Osteen books from you again?”
“Bullshit! You mean, do you need to hoard them for yourself again?”
“What? Can you blame me? The dude knows his shit.”
“That he does,” I agree. I can’t call myself a believer in faith, but I am most certainly a believer in love. “After all, even though I have you, he taught me to love myself and the rest will follow.”
“Smart guy, that Joel. If we ever get to meet him, remind me to thank him for knocking some sense into my stubborn girlfriend.”
“Babe, you’re the stubborn one. Stop giving him all the credit and own it. If it weren’t for you I’d still be a mopey, overweight makeup artist, dreaming her life away.”
Lane flashes me that look—the glare that silently warns me to shut my trap and accept that to him I’m the perfect size. “Madeline Moore, don’t make me tell you again.”
“Ah, come on. I like hearing you say it.”
“You’re insufferable, you know that?”
“You bring out the best in me. Now, say it.”
“Fine,” he huffs, although I know he loves his corny catch phrase as much as I do.
I bite my lower lip at the sight of his dimples, feeling like the luckiest chick on the planet.
Out of breath from the pace, the bright morning sun glistening off the perspiration on his forehead, Lane clears his throat as if he’s about to take center stage. Kind of fitting since the moment I laid eyes on him, he took center stage of my heart. “God made you this way so I’d have more of you to love. There. You happy?”
Happy is an understatement, but he already knows that. “Happier than a fat kid with a Twinkie.”
The End
I’D LIKE TO START OFF by mentioning that getting this book “right” was by no means a cake walk. I was worried about offending people or coming across as uninformed, but I assure you I understand Leni’s struggles as if they were my own. Growing up, I was a geeky, gawky, scrawny kid. A late bloomer, an easy target to poke fun at, a mess of frizzy hair and braces that made it impossible to feel pretty. I’m not telling you this to garner sympathy or pity—I grew up and everything fell into place according to my wildest dreams—but I did suffer from self-doubt and allowed my insecurities to bring me down. Hell, I still do! And I want to know what woman hasn’t been in that position? If it’s you, then kudos, because I admire you for loving yourself. But in reality, most women can relate to Leni because of some flaw or lack of confidence they carry within them. This book was written for all of those women. The girls who think they’re too fat or too skinny, too blonde or too plain, too flat-chested or too curvy, too nerdy or too flaky, too anything you’ve ever let bother you. Love yourself and the rest will follow. It’s so much easier said than done, but if you take anything from Leni’s story, let it be that. Be proud of who you are and what you want to be. The world is a lot more interesting because we’re not shaped from cookie-cutter standards. Own it, baby! I’m learning to live with that motto in mind myself.
As always, I want to thank my family and friends for being an incredible support system. You have no idea how just being a part of my life has been a blessing, book related and otherwise. To my husband and daughters especially (and let’s not forget Rocco, the pooch), there aren’t sufficient words to tell you how much I love you and what you mean to me. Thank you for putting up with me while I follow a few more of my crazy dreams and for rooting me on along the way.
There’s a posse that comes along with every book, and I’m so freaking proud of the entourage I’ve got in my corner. To my amazing, hardworking betas who helped me create the best balance possible for Leni and Lane—Ella Stewart, Janice Owen, Laura Murphy, Meredith Lynn Patton, Shannon Mummey, Shaye Walker, and Trish Mint—thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me pick your brain and moan and groan when things weren’t working the way I planned. Each of you gave me feedback and encouragement that pushed me to continue even when I wanted to trash the whole darn thing. I don’t know how I would have completed this without you. Thank you to my cover artist, Najla Qamber, for helping me get this cover just right. I love the end result and it ties into the story perfectly! To my editor, Brenda Letendre, for fixing my oopsies and still letting my voice shine through. To my proofreader, Shawna Gavas, for being the fine tooth comb and for making me laugh while I went through her notes. To my formatter, Christine Borgford, for never letting me down and always cranking out perfection. To Linda Russell, who I couldn’t live without for so many different reasons. Throughout the years of books and releases and everything in between, I’ve come to consider you all friends—every day, chat-it -out, pick-me-up-when-I’m-down, help-me-in-ways-I didn’t-even-know-I needed-help friends—thanks for dealing with my ups and downs and for being an extra special part of my team!
To the Gotta Have Faithers, YOU! You guys are nothing short of FANTASTIC! I feel like I’m home when I’m in my group, and that’s all because o
f the loving and friendly environment you’ve created for me just by being there. Daily shenanigans, complaints about kids and hubbies, Logan tolerating our man crushes and eye candy, manbuns, memes, and so much more. Thank you for making me feel loved. I hope I’ve given you a place to be yourself and have fun.
I’d also like to give a special shout out to the Indie Chicks Rock gang, the Indie Chicks Rockin’ Readers Group, my fellow author friends, and all the bloggers who have supported this book and the others that have come before. You make the book world and the indie community a better place! I’ve never understood the reason to compete and compare when the world has such varying degrees of talent to share. Here’s to keeping things drama free and fun for all!
And lastly, to the readers. Without you, our words would go unread and unloved. Thank you for taking the chance on me and letting my characters into your hearts. We all know what it’s like to have an endless TBR pile, so when you choose a Faith Andrews book out of all the others . . . priceless! As an author, it’s one thing to create these stories in your head and be happy with getting them down on paper, but to have someone reach out and tell you that those words, or characters touched you in some way . . . that’s nothing short of magic. I encourage you to leave reviews for the books you read. Every opinion, reaction, comment, or criticism means something to us.
If you liked Moore to Love, please check out my other books. You’ll always find a piece of me in the pages of my stories, so consider each one a way to get to know me better. Happy reading!
FAITH ANDREWS IS LIVING OUT her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she's not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she's sitting behind the laptop, creating her next swoon worthy book boyfriend. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.
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Moore To Love Page 23