by Steph Nuss
I thanked God it wasn’t as hot in San Diego in July as it was in Manhattan. I’d probably die wearing this getup in New York.
“Just put it on, Mom,” he insisted. “Max and I got the right size, so I know it will fit.”
“What chick wears this much black besides Catwoman?” I argued, cringing as I slipped my leg into the suit. “Why couldn’t I have been Wonder Woman? Her outfit is more fitting for summer.”
He groaned. “Catwoman is not Marvel. You’re going as Daisy Johnson.”
“My bad.” I slipped my arms into the suit and then zipped up the front just past the swell of my breasts. Impressed that the suit actually fit decently, I walked around the hotel room to test it out. The material had some stretch to it so I could move around easily, and it was thin enough that it wouldn’t be too hot. “How do I look?”
“You look stupid without everything else on with it,” he said before sliding on his Deadpool mask.
Well, someone is just as snarky as Deadpool today.
I slid my feet into the gray boots, slipped the gloves on, and then eyed the two belts. One looked like it could easily fit around my waist, so I snapped it on without issue, and then held up the other one.
“Where the heck does this one go?”
In his red and black costume, he sighed and took it from me. Under his mask, he probably rolled his eyes at my cluelessness. He wrapped the belt around the middle of my right thigh and clipped it in place.
“Why does she need two belts?” I asked.
“For her weapons, now stop asking questions,” he stated in an annoyed tone. “We’ve got to get going! I don’t want to be late or have to wait super long to get in.”
“Wait,” I said, grabbing my phone. “I want to take a picture of us. You made me put on this ridiculous outfit, so I’m making you take a picture with me.”
“Mom!” he whined impatiently, pointing to our hotel door. “Can’t we take a picture later? We have to go.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” I asked, my voice no longer playful as I grabbed his arm and stopped him from opening the door. “Max said we wouldn’t have to wait in any lines, and you were excited about that. Now, you’re worried you’ll have to wait to get in? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I just really want to go!” he insisted, the white eyes of his Deadpool mask avoiding me.
“Look, Zane, I know how excited you are to go to Comic-Con, but we’re here all week. We’re not going to miss anything. You don’t have to worry about fitting everything you want to see into one day. We’ll get to see everything, I promise. So, when we see Max, I want you to thank him again for making this all happen. There are kids around the world right now wishing they were you, getting ready to go to Comic-Con.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“Okay.” I slid my badge’s lanyard around my neck and did the same to him with his child badge. I took a quick picture of us, and then gathered my purse. “I’m ready.”
“About time,” he muttered.
“I hope your attitude is just for the sake of your costume,” I said, following behind him.
He reached for the door handle and said, “Ladies first.”
What the hell? I thought, totally confused.
I’d never taught him to open doors for me.
With excitement, Zane opened the door and presented Max, who was down on one knee with a black velvet box in his hand.
“Oh, God,” I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. Tears sprung in my eyes as I took him in. He had on his costume from the Secret Warriors movie that was similar to mine, all black with gray boots and gloves, holsters and belts. Thankfully, he’d left off the eye patch his character wore.
“Whitley,” he said with that lopsided grin. “I’ve read a lot of comic books in my life. I’ve learned about the strength and courage each superhero possesses and how those powers inspire them to be great. For me, you are my strength. You’re my courage. You’re my inspiration. You are what I need to be the greatest man I can be … if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed as happy tears ran down my face.
He stood up and kissed me hard, walking me back into our hotel room. Zane closed the door to the outside world, giving us the privacy the three of us deserved. Max dried my face with his thumbs and kissed me again before showing me the ring.
“Zane helped me pick it out,” Max said proudly, smiling down at him.
I quickly pulled off my left glove, and he slid the three-carat, emerald-cut solitaire diamond ring onto my ring finger. It glistened in the sunlight as I admired both the view and the weight of it on my hand. “You guys … It’s perfect! The proposal, the ring … All of it’s perfect!”
My lips found Max’s again and then I whispered against them. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he said, grasping my waist. “It wasn’t entirely my idea though. I had some more help there, too.”
“Oh, really?” I mused, tilting Zane’s chin up at me. I tugged his red mask off his head, and he laughed. “You knew this entire time, and you didn’t say anything?”
“A superhero never reveals his secrets!” he exclaimed, snatching his mask back from me.
Before he put his mask back on, I gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.” He pulled away from me and grabbed my glove from the floor. “Now, put this back on and fix your face so we can get going. Superheroes don’t cry.”
Maybe they didn’t, but I did. After all these years, I finally found the happily ever after I never knew I wanted, until a well-known, sexy man inspired me to be more than a mom. As a mother, I was naturally gifted with a nurturing ability to love and protect my son, but as a woman, I needed a reminder to nurture myself with the same love and happiness I so freely gave to others. Max was my reminder, and my God, he was a good one.
I want to start off by thanking all the readers who patiently waited for this book. It took me longer than expected, and I really appreciate the continuous support you’ve all given me. I hope you enjoyed Max and Whitley’s story. Your words, your encouragement, and your need for more, inspires me to keep on writing! Please don’t forget to leave a review of Inspired By You after you’re finished reading!
A huge thanks to Beth and April at Same Page Editing! I couldn’t do this without you, ladies. You work so well together; it’s an honor to have you both on my team. Your work ethic and friendship means so much to me.
Michelle Preast at IndieBookCovers, thank you for removing the ugly earring from the male model on the cover! You nailed the brand for the Love in the City series with another epic cover! Thank you for always following through with my design requests.
Brenda Wright at Formatting Done Wright, thank you for another wonderful formatting job! I can always count on you to do great work. Your consistency is much appreciated. Thank you for always making my books pretty and organized!
Nuss’ Navy members, thank you for giving me a place to share my love of reading! I love our group, and your friendship and support means the world to me! Thank you for all you do for my books and my writing career.
To all the book bloggers who read an ARC and/or helped promote Inspired By You in any way, thank you so much for taking the time to spread the word about my story. Your love for reading is such a huge part of our writing industry; it definitely wouldn’t be the same without you. Please know YOU MATTER so much to our book world. Your posts, your graphics, your feedback, and your endless support make a difference in my life. So, thank you for everything you do.
My fellow authors, thank you for all the free therapy! To have friends and colleagues who understand the trials and tribulations as well as the triumphs of writing a book is a true blessing. It would definitely be a very lonely and frustrating job if I weren’t part of the Fab FB Babes, Author Support 101, Indie Author Support, and Alessandra Torre Inkers. Thank you for providing feedback, friendship and support, and allowing me to
do the same for other writers. Writers often talk about their tribes, but what’s so great is that there are so many tribes that all ready exist, waiting with open arms to those willing to join. So, if you’re an aspiring writer, I highly recommend joining Facebook groups and participating in them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to ask for help, because someone will always be around to answer you.
To my family and friends, thank you for your never-ending support. Your understanding and encouragement of my creativity keeps me going.
Gunner, thank you for reminding me to take a break from the story, even if said reminder comes off as impatience. Some of my best scenes have flourished in my mind while walking you. You might hate when I’m writing and you might dislike the songs I listen to while writing, but you love being the cure for my writer’s block. I will take you on a walk after I’m finished writing these acknowledgements. Just chill, dog.
Steph Nuss was born and raised in rural Kansas, where she currently resides with her black Labrador son named Gunner. She grew up with a passion for reading and writing. When she’s not immersed into the land of fiction, she enjoys listening to music that came before her time, watching movies and reruns of her favorite shows, and hanging out with her family and friends. She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology that she’ll never use … unless she’s profiling her characters of course.
For more information on all of Steph’s work, please subscribe to www.stephnuss.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Acknowledgements
About the Author