by Chloe Walsh
“I’m pregnant, Cade,” I blurted out and then quickly closed my eyes. “I’m sorry.”
There was silence, absolute silence, and I was sure you could have heard a pin drop in the room.
I didn’t dare open my eyes. Instead, I kept them closed as I rummaged in my jeans pocket for a moment before pulling out the sonogram and blindly passing it to him.
I felt Cade take the sonogram out of my hand and to be perfectly honest that was the only way I knew he was still in the room. I couldn’t even hear his breath. I, on the other hand, was breathing like i had just run a marathon.
“I’m fifteen weeks gone.” I felt my face burn with every silent second that passed. “And it’s yours,” I added, fisting the comforter beneath me. “I didn’t get pregnant on purpose, I promise you that. I wasn’t trying to trap you, or make you stay with me either.” Words spewed from my mouth like vomit. I couldn’t seem to shut up. “I didn’t think of the repercussions when we were together. I… I never had to in the nest. I was on some form of birth control. I know you don’t want kids, Cade, and I am so sorry that I’ve ruined your life…”
My words caught in my throat the second I felt Cade’s hand press against my lower belly.
I held my breath in surprise and wistful anticipation.
I felt the bed shift beside me, and when another hand joined the one already on my stomach, I knew he was kneeling in front of me. “I can feel it,” I heard him say, and the breath I was holding fled from my lungs. “Mackenzie, look at me.”
Opening my eyes, I looked down at Cade, who was, as I had guessed, kneeling in front of me.
“Nothing I ever said about having children included having children with you. You are the exception to every rule. I love you. I want it all with you. Babies, wedding vows, a mortgage and a white picket fence…I just want you. You.”
My heart slammed in my chest as I gazed down at the boy next door. “Cade…”
“You are everything to me,” he repeated with tears in his eyes. “You don’t know how many dreams I’ve had with you pregnant with my baby. Now you’re here. This baby is half of you. I fucking love this,” he vowed. “You won’t alone in this. Never. Not while I have a breath left in my body.”
In the flicker of an eye, Cade was beside me, with his hand on my stomach, and his eyes locked on mine. “We are going to fight,” he told me, pressing his forehead to mine. “There will be times when you’re going to be so pissed with me that you’ll want to bail, but it will be worth it. All of it. The tears. The pain. We can do this, babe. Together.”
“So, we’re going to do this?” I asked, unable to mask my sheer joy, as I rubbed my nose against his. “We’re going to be together?”
“We’ve always been together, Mackenzie Moore,” Cade replied. “We just didn’t know it.”
PRESTON HIGH WON the Beam Bowl.
They hammered the other team off the field, and Cade was amazing. In all the years I had sat in the stands and watched him play, Cade had never been more on fire than tonight. Every throw and every play he made had been pretty damn perfect.
The atmosphere around the field after the game was insane. Crowds of locals swarmed onto the field, celebrating their heroes. Even though the heavens had opened down on us, and I was soaked to the skin, I remained at the side of the field; silently cheering on the team and enjoying watching them revel in their victory.
Excitement coursed through me when I noticed Cade at the far side of the field, prowling towards me like a man on a mission. He crooked his finger, beckoning me over to him and, of course, I went willingly, meeting him halfway in the field.
Whipping off his helmet, Cade tossed it on the ground at my feet before stepping forward and cupping my cheeks.
He touched my skin and everything inside of me came to life. Just one single touch, one hand on my cheek, and I was a waking mess. I stood in his embrace, trapped and protected.
Cade Mathews.
My best friend.
My soul mate.
“What a night,” he declared, grinning widely, not one bit concerned that rain was hammering down on us. His face was flecked with mud. His eyes were dancing in his face. He looked entirely too good to be true.
“You were wonderful,” I shouted, hardly able to hear my own voice because of the screams of the crowd around us. They were chanting Cade’s name. “They really love you.”
Cade shrugged off my compliment like it was an everyday occurrence. “There will come a time when they won’t remember my name,” he shouted back to me. “The fans, the crowds, the girls,” adjusting my face so that we were looking into each other’s eyes, Cade smiled and said, “Not you.” Pressing a soft kiss to my lips, Cade shook his head and rubbed my bottom lip with his thumb. “Never you.”
Cade’s eyes never once left my face. Not even when the cheers got louder or the rain fell harder. He kept his attention on my face – like he was worshiping me.
I couldn’t handle the intensity.
It was too much.
Instead, I closed my eyes and savored the moment. I had lost him before. I had been alone. I’d been left bereft and fucking heartbroken.
My love was back…
“I love you so much,” I choked out, and with a sigh mixed with longing, lust and pure want, I wrapped my arms around Cade’s neck.
“I love you too,” he whispered against my mouth, and then Cade Mathews was kissing me.
The second our lips touched, a growl tore from the back of Cade’s throat and my whole body ignited in fire. An aching desperation thrummed low in my belly and I knew in my heart that he was the one for me. I wanted Cade Mathews.
For now.
For always.
Later that night, we took Cade’s bike down to the creek and it felt sort of fitting; going back to where our lives had started, ended, and restarted again.
Cade kept me close at all times. He touched me constantly, as if he couldn’t believe I was really there. “You set me on fire,” he said softly, when we were cuddled up under the old oak tree.
“Do you know that, Kenz?” Resting his chin against my hair, Cade let out a sigh of pure contentment and pulled me closer. “Do you have any idea of what you do to me?” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I burn for you.”
“So, you’re saying I’m important to you?” I teased, twisting around to look at him.
“I’m saying you’re everything to me,” he replied without an ounce of uncertainty in his voice. Lifting me in his arms, Cade turned me around to face him and said, “Mackenzie Moore, I have been loving you constantly and consistently since I was ten years old. And if you let me, I will keep on protecting you, fighting for you, and loving you for the rest of my life. You will remain my entire world until I die.”
“We are everything we need,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, feeling more loved than I ever had.
“This is our love story, Mackenzie Moore,” Cade whispered in my ear. “We are going to carve our own life – our own happiness.”
OUR BEDROOM DOOR FLEW inwards and I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading across my face.
“Mr. Mathews,” I purred from where I was perched on our king-sized bed.
“Mrs. Mathews.” Cade stood in the doorway of our bedroom, with a shit-eating grin on his beautiful face. “No television blaring… No screaming children?” he teased, feigning shock as he looked around our room. “Could it be that we actually have the house to ourselves for a change?”
“We have a empty nest for the night.” I informed him with a smirk. “An anniversary gift from our parents.”
Cade grinned and immediately started stripping his clothes from his body. “What are you reading?” he asked as he tugged off his shirt. “A karma-sutra guide?” He wiggled his eyebrows devilishly.
“No Bra Required,” I replied with a grin, setting my book down on my nightstand. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”
“Again?” Cade chuckled, kicking off his shoe
s. “Babe, you’ve read it like a dozen times.”
“Nikki Ashton is my comedy queen,” I informed him as I padded over to him and wrapped my arms around his bare waist. “She is gifted.”
“Happy anniversary, baby girl,” Cade husked, pulling me into his embrace.
“You too.” I closed my eyes, savoring the moment of being in Cade’s arms, and let my mind wander.
I had always been a firm believer that the very essence of life could change in a heartbeat.
One moment in time, one minuscule second, could fundamentally rock a person’s life, right down to the epicenter of their being.
Of course I believed this.
It had happened to me.
I had been uprooted, torn from all I had ever known.
I had been a teenage girl who suffered the worst form of abuse imaginably possible, at the hands of despicable men.
I was raped, starved, beaten, and degraded for a large portion of my life.
And there had been a time when I thought I would never pull through the darkness and pain – a time when I felt like I was drowning in it.
But one person shone bright in that dark period of my life, leading me through my own personal hell, and loving me back to life…
I fell in love with Cade Mathews when I was ten years old.
He was wild, unattainable, and unlike anyone I had ever known. One look from him and I felt invincible – like I could take on the whole damn world and it would be okay because he had my back.
He was the best thing and the worst thing for me all rolled into one, and with him by my side; I learned how to navigate this crazy world, these rough waters.
Cade Mathews loved me when I believed there was nothing left inside of me worth loving –nothing left in this world worth living for.
He became the rock that I built the foundations of my new life upon.
Our life together…
Today was our tenth wedding anniversary, and I was celebrating the fourth best day of my life.
The other three were tied in first place in my heart – the days of our three children were born.
“My Helen of Troy,” Cade murmured, cupping my face with his large hands. “You were worth the war, Mackenzie Moore,” he added softly before placing a kiss to my lips. “You were worth it all.”
Taylor Swift – This Love
Tom Odell – Another love
Coldplay – Yellow
The Fureys – Steal Away
Ron Pope – A Drop in the Ocean
Years & Years – Eyes shut
Wet – Don’t wanna be your girl
X Ambassadors – Unsteady
The Cab – Angel with a shotgun
Maroon 5 – She will be loved
Kelly Llorenna – True love never dies
Gavin DeGraw – We Belong Together
David Gray – Be Mine
James Blunt – Fall at your feet
Sia – Breathe me
Maroon 5 – She will be loved
Sia – My Love
Jess Glynne – Take me home
Westlife – The Queen of my Heart
Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
Pink – Don’t let me get me
Switchfoot – On Fire
Guns n Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
FNT – Semisonic
Gabrielle Aplin – My Salvation
Ed Sheeran – Give me Love
Ben Cocks – So Cold
Ed Sheeran – A Team
Damien Rice – 9 Crimes
Nikola Sarcevic – Lock-Sport-Krock
Duke Special – Freewheel
Hunter Hayes – Invisible
Florence and the Machine – Never let me go
McFly – The heart never lies
Kodaline – The One
Bon Jovi – Always
Band of Horses – Life on Earth
+44 – When your heart stops beating
IT’S KIND OF CRAZY that I’m writing the acknowledgments for my tenth book. That’s so strange. It feels like yesterday that I wrote Kyle and Lee’s first book. I’ve learned so much. I’ve grown so much. I’ve met the best of people. The kind of people you would have to travel to the ends of the earth to find. Seriously, I thank my lucky stars every morning that I’ve been blessed with this chance to share my stories with you guys. And I still pinch myself every time I get a message or an email about my books. This is a crazy, beautiful world where dreams can come true. Seriously, I’m the poor girl from the broken home who made it. I made it. It’s amazing and if I can make it anyone can.
As usual I have an army load of people I need to thank. My husband and our children. My parents. My siblings. My friends. Thank you guys for loving me, supporting me, and understanding when I need to go underground with my characters and disappear. Thank you for all being there when I come back up again.
Alycia, I owe you so much. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had and the kindest soul. Thank you so much for talking me down when I am tempted to throw in the towel. I love the bones of you girlie.
I need to thank all of my loyal readers, and in particular Cassie Schlenk, whose epic taste in music helped me so much during the writing process.
Also, I need to say a huge thank you to my editorial team – Aleesha – and formatter – Elaine – who worked with me on such short notice. Thank you so much, ladies. I appreciate you so much.
CHLOE WALSH is a twenty-six-year-old wife and mother of two from County Cork in the south of Ireland. The youngest of five children, reading and writing was her escape as a child.
In January 2014, she started to write about a cocky, self-assured man named Kyle Carter, and five weeks later, on Valentine’s Day 2014, she self-published her debut novel, Break my Fall, for a handful of friends who had called over for tea, read bits and pieces of Kyle, and wanted to read the story on their e-readers rather than printed sheets. Shockingly – and no one was more surprised than her – the book was a huge success, reaching No. 1 in the UK Bestsellers Lists. Chloe followed it up in April 2014 with the sequel, Fall to Pieces, vowing that this second book would be the final chapter for Kyle.
The demand for a third instalment was overwhelming and a series was born! The final book became two: Fall on Me, the third book in the accidental Broken series, was released in August 2014, and Forever we Fall was released in October 2014.
Treacherous, the first book from her Carter Kids series was released in March 2015.
DiMarco’s Secret Love Child (Parts 1 & 2) were released later in March 2015.
Blurring Lines was released in May 2015 followed by Always in June 2015.
Never let me go, the concluding book for Cade and Mackenzie was released in December 2015, became her tenth book release.
An avid reader, Chloe enjoys lurking in a corner with a book, and playing sports.
THE BROKEN SERIES
Break my Fall
Fall to Pieces
Fall on Me
Forever we Fall
CARTER KIDS SERIES
*Formerly known as the twisted youth series*
Treacherous
Always
THE DIMARCO DYNASTY
DiMarco’s Secret Love Child: Part One
DiMarco’s Secret Love Child: Part Two
BLURRED LINES
Blurring Lines
Never Let Me Go
Upcoming titles
From Chloe Walsh
Thorn (Carter Kids #2)
By Chloe Walsh
Inevitable (Carter Kids #3)
By Chloe Walsh
THE BANGING ON OUR FLAT DOOR startled me and I leapt off the couch. The manuscript I had been holding in my hand scattered to the floor and I groaned.
I hadn’t numbered the pages…
The loud rapping noise continued.
“Hang on,” I shouted as I made my way over to the flat door. Hope was always doing this – going out for the night and forgetting her keys. Usually I didn’t mind because I was o
ut with her, but tonight I hadn’t felt up to going out clubbing. “Hope, I swear to god I am going to tie your key around your bloody…” My voice trailed off the moment I opened the door inwards and caught a glance of my roommate’s wide-eyed, horrified expression.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, seconds before she barreled into my arms.
“He’s here, Teagan,” she choked out, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe. “In Cork…I saw him – at the club,” she slurred. “He’s here.”
“Who?” I demanded, hugging her tightly. “Who’s here, Hope?”
“Noah,” she hissed and the ground fell out from underneath my feet.
All the sensations I had felt when I was seventeen came back full force, smothering my heart and sabotaging my ability to breathe easily.
Noah had broken me and betrayed me, and he had done it in the worst possible way – bedding his ex – my enemy, Reese Tanner. He had taken my virginity, my heart, my trust and my faith in mankind with him.
Pain like I had never known existed had consumed me, tormented me and the image of that redheaded bitch riding my boyfriend crippled me. It broke me and I was mad as hell that a man had broken me. I had allowed him the power to do that. I was an idiot.
Pain engulfed me and I lost my rhythm. Stopping on the pavement, I bent over, clutching my side, as I inhaled a few calming breaths.
“Oh my god,” I managed to choke out.
“You’re my thorn, if you leave me I’ll bleed out…”
“And for what it’s worth, my in belongs to you…”
“I’m either fighting with you or I’m fucking with you. There’s no middle line, Teagan – not between us…”
My throat closed up.
Every emotion and memory of him that I had spent years forcing into the darkest parts of my mind was resurfacing – fucking flooding me. Noah Messina, the man who stole my heart, the man who shredded it right in front of my eyes…