by C. R. Ellis
“Let ‘em figure it out. Plus, I’m pretty sure you owe your future husband a dance,” he replied before I could get more than a couple feet away.
I turned back to Emmett and immediately dropped any thoughts of going over to Jas and Dean when he hit me with the sexiest, most endearing, dimpled smile.
I smiled back and took his hand. “Lead the way, future husband.”
He pulled me on to the dance floor and swayed to the soft tunes of the Michael Bublé song coming through the speakers. “I love you, Jade. The light you’ve given me is the greatest gift I never knew I needed. I’ll spend my life giving you the forever I see in your eyes.”
I pulled him down to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you too, Boston. And I’ll spend my life giving you the light and the love I see in your eyes.”
Author’s Note
Thank you SO much for reading Why Stars Chase the Sun! I sincerely hope you enjoyed Jade & Emmett’s story. Please consider leaving a review – it’s the lifeblood of an author’s success, and I’d love to know what you thought!
Pssst…
Keep reading for a sneak peek of book two in the Forget Me Knot series—When Light Leads to You—Jas and Dean’s story, coming August 1, 2018!
When Light Leads to You
Jasmine
Everyone lifted their glasses in a toast, and I flashed a smile and turned to meet Jade and Emmett off to the side of the stage. After a minute of chatting, I gave them quick hugs before hopping off the stage and downing the entire contents of the flute in one big gulp. I usually didn’t have a problem with public speaking, but this was different. It was a big deal to me that my best friend was marrying the love of her life, and I was ecstatic for her. Emmett was an incredible guy, and I meant it when I said they deserved all the happiness in the world.
I wanted their engagement party to go off smoothly, but now I just felt relieved that my speech was over. I kept telling myself that the nerves racing through my stomach were a result of wanting my speech and the party to be perfect. They most certainly were not because I felt Dean’s gaze on me the entire time I was giving my speech.
They couldn’t be.
I’d barely even seen him since he moved back here five months ago. Just because he was Emmett’s best man and I was Jade’s maid of honor did not have to change that situation. The fact that he was currently living across the hall from me didn’t have to change it, either.
I hated that seeing Dean dressed to the nines in a simple navy suit still had any effect on me. I should’ve been used to his devastating good looks by now, immune to them. Then again, I’d always been attracted to him, so why would now be any different? What happened between us may have been a lifetime ago, but I couldn’t deny that he was still as sexy as ever with his stupid dimples and soulful green eyes. Plus, with an ass like his, a woman would have to be blind or a lesbian to not ogle it from time to time.
Physical attraction aside, I was a completely different woman than I’d been six years ago. I was no longer some stupid, naïve girl who allowed herself to be blinded by Dean’s good looks and occasional sweet gesture.
Looking for Paul, I made my way through the crowd of people telling me how lovely my speech was. My latest boyfriend’s dark, shaggy hair, dark skin, and light hazel eyes made him hard to miss and easy to spot in a crowd. We’d been seeing each other for a couple months, which was the longest I’d dated anyone since college—since before New York. We’d made the shift from casually dating to exclusively dating a few weeks ago. Paul was a genuinely sweet guy and prime boyfriend material. Whether or not I was girlfriend material was still to be determined.
“There you are,” I called just before weaving my arm around Paul’s waist. He was standing off to the side of the room, texting. “What’d you think of my speech?”
He pocketed his phone and gave me his attention. “It was great, Jas. I think you brought Mary to tears,” he replied, tilting his head toward Jade’s parents.
I smiled. Victor and Mary had been like second parents to me for as long as I could remember. “Oh, that’s not saying much, she cries at commercials.”
“Well, it was a good speech. I’m going to grab a drink from the bar. Want something?”
“I’ll take a 7 and 7, please.” Unfortunately, finding Paul did nothing to soothe my nerves, which meant I was going to have to resort to hard liquor.
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek before turning toward the bar.
We’d been taking things slow, and he seemed to be okay with that. I wasn’t used to wanting an actual relationship, but I was enjoying our time together. Just as long as he knew we wouldn’t be riding off into the sunset anytime soon.
I was still adjusting to exclusively sleeping with one guy, for fuck’s sake.
I wouldn’t call myself slutty necessarily; I’d just spent my twenties enjoying the perks of being a single girl, living a realistic lifestyle. No attachments, no strings, no heartbreaks. Just fun. But now that Paul and I were exclusive, I was working on wrapping my head around the monogamous thing. Okay, maybe I am just a tad bit slutty.
After that summer in New York six years ago, I gave up the idea of finding a ‘happily-ever-after.’ If having a fairytale love meant going through heartbreak after heartbreak to get there, I never wanted to find it. I still loved weddings and what they stood for, just not for myself.
I pulled myself back from the trip down memory lane and watched Paul walk away until he got to the bar and came to a stop right next to a tall, imposing figure. A figure I’d recognize anywhere, whether I liked it or not.
Oh, hell no. This is not happening.
Click here to pre-order When Light Leads to You now!
Acknowledgments
I can honestly say there were points during this whole process where it felt like I’d never make it to ‘the end,’ so the fact that I’m writing this part is both insane and amazing to me. If you’ve made it this far and you’re still with me, I want to thank YOU for reading J&E’s story! These two will always hold a special place in my heart, and I truly hope you enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Cullen, I feel like I could fill up an entire book with the phrase ‘thank you,’ and it wouldn’t be enough to convey my appreciation for your never-ending support. For every time you patiently listened to me babble through an idea to all the rereads you’ve done, and everything in between, THANK YOU. I might be biased, but you’re probably the world’s best husband.
Katie, I don’t even know where to start. You’ve been a sounding board for me every step of the way, and I hope you know how much it means to me. I feel like I should name a future character after you as thanks, but I won’t because that’d be weird. Ha. I’ll just buy you all the sangria instead. Also, BT4LYFE!
Shannon, I’m so lucky and grateful and happy that you’re my sister, AND that you’ve given me the encouragement to bring the FMK world to life. I definitely owe you all the booze as a symbol of my gratitude, so you’re invited to the sangria party too! ;)
To the rest of my family and friends who have read this book and supported/encouraged me along the way, thank you. SO much. Y’all will never know the depths of my gratitude. I love you all.
To my editor, Jenny, thank you so so so much for helping to make this story what it is. I couldn’t have done this without you!
Again, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU! I’d love to hear from you if you’re on social media— come find me and we can have a virtual sangria party! (I swear I’m not an alcoholic, I just love sangria.)
About the Author
C.R. Ellis is a Texas native who writes contemporary romance novels with plenty of drama and humor, and just enough heat to ignite e-readers and paperbacks everywhere. She can almost always be found attached to her laptop with coffee nearby and her two trusty canine sidekicks by her side. When she’s not writing or plotting, she enjoys going to concerts with her sweet husband, dragging him al
ong to see rom-coms at any theater that serves booze, checking off the next destination on her ever-growing travel bucket list, and trying new recipes.
Her passion for writing stems from her lifelong love of reading, and she often binge-reads entire books in a day. She’s an unapologetic book hoarder, and her paperback collection is rivaled only by her massive shoe collection.
For more information about her and her upcoming releases, visit www.crellisauthor.com.
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