Sparks Fly

by Lauren Runow

  Bloodlines may have brought us together

  Who would have thought you’d be my forever

  There’s one more thing for us to do

  I thought it was about time you knew

  Our first adventure didn’t end so right

  But I’m glad I didn’t give up the fight

  My life is exactly what I wanted

  It was something I never could have plotted

  I think it’s time, let me give you a hint

  Someone who will leave a tiny footprint

  Someone who will create their own life

  And choose who they want as their wife.

  All you need to do is find me

  I’ll be waiting where only you’ll know I’ll be

  No song to guide you this time

  Just know it’s where the stars shine.

  I’m smiling so hard my cheeks are starting to hurt. He’s so crazy but he knows how crazy I am about him. Now I just need to solve his little puzzle.

  I read it again and butterflies swarm at the mention of tiny footprints. People have asked us when we were going to have kids, but we were so busy with this project we hadn’t really talked about it.

  Of course we’ve said we both want kids, but thinking of him holding his child melts my heart more than I’ve ever imagined. He’s given me so much and I love the thought that this is the only gift that no one can give him but me.

  It’s not until I reread the last part, where the stars shine, that memories of making love to him under the stars flood my head and send chills down my spine.

  I don’t even bother to grab my stuff. Instead I rush out the side door, hoping to find the royal limo waiting for me. To my surprise, Sage’s BMW is parked with Sam, one of the limo drivers, with the door wide open and holding out the keys to me.

  “He’s really thought of everything, hasn’t he?” I tease as I approach him.

  “Of course he has.” He smiles as he hands me the keys. “I take it you know where you’re going, Mrs. Everly?”

  I give him a cheesy grin. “I have a pretty good clue.”

  “Very well. Have a safe drive.”

  I thank him before I crank the engine and head out to my husband. The man who keeps me on my toes and is constantly showing me more love than I ever thought imagined.

  As I turn onto the mountain road where he took me almost a year ago, I can’t help but reflect on the last year of my life. How much has changed yet how much I am still me. I may be a princess, but I am still working on my documentary and have even teamed up with one of the local news stations who plans to air it once I’ve finished.

  My mom was right. Being a princess has allowed me to help people more than I ever thought it would. I get to live my life, the way I wanted with someone I love more than anything.

  The sound of a waterfall cascading down a cliff takes me from my memories. One more corner and I’m blessed with the man himself, standing with a single rose waiting for me.

  I open the door and close it behind me, not walking to him yet. We stare at each other, drinking the other one in until I let out a small laugh and run toward him, jumping in to his arms.

  “I have one stipulation…” I say looking up into his eyes.

  “What’s that?” He gives me a shit-eating grin.

  “Maybe our ancestors weren’t so off on this whole bloodline thing.” I kiss his lips softly. “He can marry who he wants, but we should at least introduce him to his options.”

  His laugh solidifies my love and I’m instantly lost in my husband, my prince, my king.

  Afterword

  The story of the women who don’t have feminine hygiene products or even panties is very true. A local dentist in my community helps makes these reusable pads and delivers them to the women in need. If you would like more information on how you can help, please email me at lauren@laurenrunow.com or reach out to me on Facebook. Much Love!

  Thank you for reading Sparks Fly! I hope you enjoyed Sage and Everly’s journey for change! As an added bonus, I have included the full version of my novella The High Road for you to enjoy! Just scroll the next few pages to begin. I hope you fall for Alex, my own personal bad boy, as this story is mostly true ;-)

  About the Author

  Lauren Runow is the author of multiple Adult Contemporary Romance novels, some more dirty than others. When Lauren isn't writing, you'll find her listening to music, at her local CrossFit, reading, or at the baseball field with her boys. Her only vice is coffee, and she swears it makes her a better mom!

  Lauren is a graduate from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and is the founder and co-owner of the community magazine she and her husband publish. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons.

  She’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Please take the time to leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, iBooks or wherever you purchased Sparks Fly.

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  Acknowledgments

  The book world has introduced me to more things than just good books. It’s also introduced me to good music. I had never head of Thousand Foot Krutch until Penelope Douglas mentioned them in one of her books. I loved all the other songs she wrote about so I looked them up. Instantly I was in love and downloaded a few of their albums.

  If you’ve read Last Chance, you know their song So Far Gone plays a huge role in that book, but I actually wrote Sparks Fly before I even started Last Chance. Originally this was a novella, just something fun for people to read. After I mulled the idea around in my head some more, I decided to take this novella into a full length story. I truly hope you enjoyed reading about Sage and Everly’s journey for Change.

  After I wrote the novella, I listened to a song of theirs called Fly on the Wall and seriously had to pause and reflect on the huge neon sign flashing in my head. I’m a true believe of everything happens for a reason and if you pay attention there are signs everywhere. Well, this song says:

  I wanna live, I wanna be the change We can all be kings and queens If we can just learn to believe If we can just learn to believe

  -Fly on the Wall by Thousand Foot Krutch

  Just the mention of kings and queens along with change in a Thousand Foot Krutch song made me giddy. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is. ;-)

  A huge thank you to Stefanie Pace, Kelli Mummert, Jeannine Colette (hence the name and also Everly who is her daughter), April Wells, Cole Robitaille, Stacey Spence, Autumn Gantz, Lyndsay Carlock, Grey Ditto, Stephie Walls and Kim Nadelson for helping get Sparks Fly to what it is today.

  A book is only as good as the cover and the teasers to help promote it, and I was giddy when I saw both for this book. A huge thank you to Designed with Grace for always being so easy to work with and creating amazing covers. And the amazing teasers came from the very talented Maria at Steamy Reads Designs.

  With every book I release I love this indie world more and more. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of the blogs, readers and everyone who posts, leaves a review or tells a friend about my books. Thank you for making my hobby, with every late night, sore wrist and headache, worth it. Much love!

  The High Road

  1

  “Excuse me, are you Jenelle?”

  A girl stands before me with a look of death written all over her face, making me wish Jenelle wasn't my name. I get the feeling whatever she wants with me, I’m not going to like. I smile—the same, sweet, fake smile I have plastered on my face all day long. The one that hides my true
feelings of how unhappy I am with the direction my life is going.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “No, you don’t know me. I wanted to let you know I’m pregnant with your boyfriend’s baby,” she states matter-of-factly, like I’m at a coffee shop and my drink was being called instead of dropping life-altering news.

  My smile fades like the jeans this chick is wearing. I turn more toward her, shaking my head in disbelief. “Excuse me? I think you have the wrong person.”

  “Oh, no. You’re the right person. Believe me, I’ve seen your picture all over his apartment every time we fucked.”

  Bile fills my throat, and the sting of swallowing it down almost hurts more than the pain that’s filling my chest. I sit silently, not sure what to say. I’ve never seen this girl, and I still have no clue what’s actually going on.

  My friend, Layla, witnesses my sudden paleness and grabs my arm. “Jenelle, are you okay?”

  She’s missed the interaction I’ve had in the last few seconds. Her attention was on the hot bartender who was making our drinks instead.

  The girl in front of me offers her hand to Layla in greeting. “Hi, I’m sorry, you missed all the fun. I’m Sarah, and I’m pregnant with Travis’s baby.”

  A freezing cold feeling of liquid splashing up from the ground brings me out of my shock. I look at Layla who’s leaning down to pick up the drink that fell from her hands.

  I’m glad to see I'm not the only one losing my shit by what this girl is saying.

  “Wait, I’m sorry, let me get this straight. You know my Travis?” I ask, leaning in and placing my hand on my chest.

  Her head falls back, and a deep laugh escapes her lips. “Well, I guess you could say he’s our Travis. I’ve been fucking him for four months now. He said he was bored with your lazy lays and needed a little excitement. He wouldn’t break it off with you because it looks good for his advancement coming up.”

  Travis and I are both Officers in the Air Force. I’m already a Captain, and he’s testing any day to be one, too. The higher in rank you go, the more they pay attention to the examples you lead in your life. I guess it looks good we’re together but what she’s saying doesn’t make much sense.

  “What does us being together have to do with his upcoming test?”

  “Oh, I guess I left out that part. I’m Airman First Class Anderson,” she states with a sarcastic nod of her head. “I guess he could hide our relationship better because everyone knew he was with you.”

  My eyes go big. Is she serious right now?

  She’s not only telling me she’s in the Air Force, but she’s newly enlisted, which is an extreme no-no for fraternizing within the military.

  I’ve heard of mean girls and even trashy sluts who get their kicks out of making other women’s lives hell, but I’m not getting that kind of vibe from this girl. She obviously didn’t care they were having an affair behind my back. Things aren’t adding up.

  “So, if you’ve been having sex with him for so long, why are you telling me now?”

  “I just wanted you to know what a scum bag he really is. When I told him I was pregnant he denied everything, saying it wasn’t his kid, and he’d have nothing to do with me. So, I’m taking him down.” She leans in, making sure I hear her clearly over the rising noise around us. “Everyone will find out he’s been seeing me, and I'm going to make it my personal mission to fuck up his life.”

  My life, as I know it, just changed in the drop of a dime, or in my case, a girl named Sarah.

  Butterflies swarm in my stomach and the burn of potential vomit presses its way up to my mouth where saliva fills to the brim. I swallow it down, trying to let air into my closed chest, when Layla grabs my arm, noticing my oncoming panic attack. Thankfully, she pulls me out of the bar before I make a scene.

  I hate men.

  2

  Rolling out of bed, my head hurts almost as much as my heart. After Layla dropped me off last night, I cried into my pillow until I passed out. Now my eyes are swollen and my body aches from my head all the way to my toes.

  When I glance in the mirror, my reflection does nothing to soothe my wounded heart.

  I joined the military to see the world—little did I know I’d be meeting the world’s biggest assholes along the way. Now I’m twenty-eight years old and the only one out of my high school friends who isn’t married and having kids.

  I’ve had a few serious relationships, all ending horribly, and one actually stealing money from me. It’s like I have “walk all over me” tattooed across my forehead that only the real douchebags can see.

  Travis just left on deployment, and even though I could call him to get his side of the story, I know I don’t need to. I’ve had multiple people tell me they thought he was cheating on me, but I didn’t want to believe them. I liked living with blinders on; as long as he gave me the illusion our relationship was a good one. That was all I needed to keep my dream alive that he was the one.

  The one. Ha! What does that even mean?

  In my life, it correlates to the one who cheated, the one who drank too much, the one who was a slob, the one who had terrible breath, and now, the one who got the other girl pregnant when he told me over and over again he never wanted kids.

  I want kids, and I was willing to give up my dream for that piece of shit.

  No more.

  I’m done being a doormat to any guy who pays me attention.

  Frustration rises to the top with a new Jenelle peeking her head through, ready to be a new person.

  Laced with my new fuck-it attitude, I pick up my phone to call Layla, determined to change my life and for once, live for me, not the person I think everyone wants me to be.

  Layla’s been my friend since I transferred to Travis Air Force Base four years ago. Yes, I dated Travis who is stationed at Travis Air Force Base. He thought that was pretty cool. I should have known he’d be a total douche then.

  She’s not in the military but was born and raised in the area so I need her to take me somewhere different, somewhere away from this military town. I’m done dating anyone in the military and just want to have fun in the civilian world for once.

  After making plans for later tonight, I rid my apartment of anything Travis related, throwing it in the trash before heading to work, ready for a new day and a new me, without men.

  “Damn girl, look at that hair,” Layla says after I open the door to my apartment.

  At work, dress code says my hair must be tucked back in a low, tight bun and more often than not I leave it that way. Not tonight though.

  When I got home, I pulled it loose and could style it since it was still wet from my morning shower. Now my long, light-brown hair is flowing down my back in soft curls.

  “Thank you, it still feels weird having it down like this,” I state, running it through my fingers.

  In an atmosphere full of men at work, it feels good to get away and be who I want to be, not who I’m supposed to be.

  Layla and I head to Sacramento to a downtown dance club. All I want is to let loose tonight and dance with my girl.

  Music bounces through my chest as we walk into the club, filling my veins with sounds of freedom. We came to Sacramento so I wouldn’t know anyone, and I could have a good time without a care in the world.

  As an Officer, I have to hold a certain level of professionalism, and sometimes, it’s all too much. I just want to be a normal female, and my getaway is dancing.

  There’s nothing better than being on that dance floor, letting the music guide me. That’s where I’m the woman I want to be. I can close my eyes, letting the rhythm dictate how I move, how I feel, even how I breathe. It’s a freedom I only feel here and crave more than men, coffee, or even chocolate.

  After a few songs, we head to the bar to gather our drinks and catch our breath.

  A guy from the corner of the room catches my eye, but I quickly look away, reiterating in my head I’m not here to meet anyone. Unfortunately, I didn’t l
ook away fast enough, and he’s heading this way.

  Ugh! Why can’t a girl just hang out without feeling like she’s being hunted all the time?

  “Hey there,” I hear over my shoulder.

  I don’t look his way; instead, I throw my hand over my shoulder in response telling him to go away. “Not interested. Keep moving along.”

  “I’m sorry, who are you talking to?” he says in response.

  I turn to him, and I’ll admit, he’s a good-looking guy, but I’m not interested. “You. I’m here with my girl, not looking to hook up with anyone tonight.”

  “Well, good to know, but I was talking to the bartender standing behind you who’s a good friend of mine.”

  Embarrassment spreads throughout my entire body. I know my face is flushed so I turn back around, only to see a female bartender waiting to talk to her friend behind me.

  Well, shit.

  “I’m going to the restroom,” I tell Layla before I make even more of an ass out of myself.

  After checking my hair and washing my hands, I head back to the bar only to notice Layla talking with the guy I tried to get away from. I question even going over there but when he looks my direction, we catch eyes and a slight smirk crosses his face.

  Great, my night of embarrassing moments continues.

  I take a deep breath, trying to pretend nothing happened, and walk up to Layla, hoping the guy leaves upon my arrival.

  No such luck.

  “Jenelle, meet Alex,” Layla says, handing me my drink from the bar.

  “Hi, Alex,” I say with my signature fake smile.

  He backs up, holding his hands up like he’s waving surrender. “I know, I know, I won’t try to hit on you.”