by Robin Laine
He carries me to bed afterward, climbing in behind me. “We’re going to get through this, Sugar. Together. We’re a team in this fight, and we’re going to win.”
Epilogue
Evan
Three months later…
“Sugar, are you ready yet? We need to get going,” I call through the bathroom door. I told the woman to dress casual for our date tonight. Been in that damn bathroom for thirty minutes. She thinks this is just another regular date night, but I have a surprise for her. My nerves are on edge, I bang on the door.
“Just a sec! My hair wouldn’t behave,” She replies right before opening the door.
I can’t help but grin at her response. When she first came home from the hospital, it was a fight to get her dressed some days. The depression that took over her mind wouldn’t let her see past her diagnosis. She would spend hours curled up on the couch, staring at the TV, not moving. When I finally got her to talk to me, tell me why she would do that, she told me it was the only thing she could think of to stay away from the kitchen, the food. My girl was starving herself in order to lose weight. I called her main specialist after that to get her in early so we could talk. Once he explained to her that the weight would go down as her dosage was lowered, she breathed a little easier. On the way home, she made me stop at the store so we could stock up on vegetables, fruit, and lean meats. Her reasoning was, “If I’m going to be eating like a pig, I’m going to eat like a healthy pig.”
We also found her a therapist to talk to about her diagnosis. Eventually, her steps got lighter, her smile started to return, and the brightness in her eyes started to shine again. She wasn’t able to go back to work, which also played a role in her depression. The doctor told her she would do more damage to her health with all the stress dancing would put on her body, along with all of the germs she would be exposing herself to on a daily basis. Refocusing her attention on Tyler, she found enjoyment in being a stay at home mom to Tyler while continuing her classes online for business management. Tatum offered her a partnership in her new business venture for a paint and sip studio. Azley can deal with the business end from home while Tatum runs the art classes from the studio.
Grabbing her around the waist, I pull Azley tight against me. Her eyes widen, breath catches, as I lean down to seal my lips against hers. She’s fucking beautiful to me. “Times a wasting, we need to get going.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“I already told you, Sugar, it’s a surprise.” I drive us to the putt-putt where we had our first date. After we rent our clubs and balls, I lead us to the Lost Dutchman course.
While Azley takes her turn, I pull out my phone to tell everyone to get ready. Both of our families are here, along with Tatum and Mrs. Zwayer. They should be making their way over to us now as we take turns hitting our golf balls. As she takes her last swing, sinking her ball into the cup, I pull a box out of my pocket and kneel down. She turns around with a wide grin gracing her gorgeous face and gasps, covering her mouth. Her eyes roam over me kneeling in front of her, then over everyone she loves standing behind me.
“What are you, what’s going on? Are you…” she trails off as I grab her left hand to pull her closer. Opening the box, I reveal the ring. A platinum double band that flares out to look like wings with diamonds on one band and amethyst on the other.
“Azley, before I met you, I never realized how empty my life was. Having you and Tyler with me has filled that void with so much love that I can’t, I won’t, go another day without you in it. We’re meant to be together, to be a family, to love each other for eternity. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Slowly sinking to her knees in front of me, a tear escaping down her cheek, Azley searches my eyes. “You mean it? You want me to be your wife?”
“My wife, my best friend, the mother of my child if you let me adopt Tyler.”
The damn of tears breaks as she throws her arms around my neck, almost knocking me to the ground, “Yes! Oh God, yes yes yes!”
Hands cradling her face, I pull her lips to mine, kissing her with every ounce of love I have for her as everyone surrounding us claps and cheers. I pull away long enough to slide the ring on her finger before diving in for another taste of her lips. This is it. Our family is officially permanent.
Acknowledgements
To you, the reader, thank you for giving my book a chance. I hope you loved following Azley and Evan on their journey as much as I loved writing it.
My #BABS and #VPPC sisters Ashley, Michele, MaryLee, Marjorie, Matt, Paula, Trish, Chrisstine, Annette, Ninfa, PJ, Judy, and Sabine. You girls are my rock! Thank you for supporting me, cheering me on, letting me freak out, then picking me up to tell me I could do this, and always being there for me no matter what. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Your messages made my heart sing with joy. Thank you, Michele and Ashley, for reading my book first and your invaluable words of wisdom to help take this book from okay to amazing. All of you are truly Bad Ass Bitches!
Tiffany Black, I absolutely loved working with you on the cover. It exceeds all of the expectations I had for it. You took my vision and made it beautiful.
Jessica, my beautiful, brilliant, talented, smart witted daughter. Your endless ‘isms were the inspiration for Tatum. She is you, and you are her. I love you, Baby Girl.
About the Author
Robin Laine writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance with a bit of heat, and a lot of real life mixed in. She loves to write about strong, yet flawed, heroines and strong men who can't help to fall in love with them.
A mom of three grown children, she currently lives in Ohio with her husband, three dogs (one of which believes she is a cat), and a cat (a real one). Her childhood love of writing renewed itself when her job of being a stay at home came to a bittersweet end, and she found herself struggling on what the next chapter of her life had to offer.
If you don't find her at her laptop working on her current story, you are sure to find her napping.
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About This Book
Unwell is inspired by my personal journey with being diagnosed with Lupus. While the medical challenges of the book are based on my experiences, the romance between Azley and Evan is all theirs. Although it took six years for me to finally get an answer for all of the maladies I had, Azley’s story begins with the last few months of that part of my experience.
If you would like to learn more information about lupus, you can visit Lupus Foundation of America.
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