by Goda, Julia
“Give me thirty seconds.”
He sighed. “All right. Thirty seconds. Not one second more.”
“Stay right here,” I gave him a quick peck then hurried out of the tent and up the small, short walkway to the cabin I had been getting dressed in, retrieved the surprise, and hurried back down to the tent. People were laughing and smiling and oohing and aahing when they saw what I was carrying in my arms. My eyes stayed glued to Cole’s when I re-entered the tent and his mouth dropped open.
“Cole, meet Cash. Cash, this is your daddy, Cole.” The cute Australian Shepherd puppy wiggled in my arms as he licked Cole’s chin.
“You got me a puppy?” he asked in amazement.
“I did. Sixteen years ago today you told me about how you wished you had an Australian Shepherd and how you would name him Cash. You knew I was sad and you tried to cheer me up.”
“I remember. I can’t believe you did this.”
“You’re gonna have to share him, though.”
“I don’t mind. I’ll share anything and everything with you, baby, you know that,” he said through a grin as he scratched Cash behind his ear.
I did know that, but that wasn’t what I meant. “I’m not talking about me.”
“Whom are you talking about then?” His eyebrows were raised in confusion and mild amusement.
My heart was beating so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest any second. “You’ll have to share him with our son or daughter.” I took his hand and placed it on my stomach. Cole was standing in front of me, his body frozen, his mouth hanging open, his eyes filled with shock. I watched as shock turned to comprehension, and comprehension turned to happiness.
Pure and simple happiness.
“You’re pregnant?” he whispered.
I nodded.
He whooped, then grabbed me—and Cash by extension—and whirled me through the air, his face alight with nothing but joy. Cash was yapping at his daddy, happy that he was happy.
And I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe.
This was it.
This was us.
We were as happy as we could be.
With nothing but a bright and joy-filled future spread out in front of us.
The End.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to thank my incredible husband without whom none of my books would have ever been written. You gave me the opportunity and the proverbial kick in the behind to make my dreams come true. I love you. Always and Forever.
A special Thank You goes to Teeny, my sista from another mista, the sister I never had and always wished for. Thank you for all your tips, for letting me vent, for making me laugh, for being there whenever I need an open ear, for motivating me when I’m ready to give up, for your all around support. And of course, for your fabulous job on the formatting and cover. This book is for women like you and me, the flowers that grew through the crack in the sidewalk.
Another special Thank You goes to Mayra, one of the sweetest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Thank you for all your kind words of motivation and encouragement, for your ideas, for being my beta reader and my amazing teaser designer.
Thank you, Neva Carter, my new editor. I loved your suggestions and am glad we found each other.
Thank you to all my friends (you know who you are), to my beta readers, and to the bloggers and reviewers who took a chance on a new author and give their continued support.
And last but definitely not least, a big thank you to you. The Reader
Enjoy other works by Julia Goda
The Cedar Creek Series
Bent Not Broken
Be Here Now
Bent Not Broken (Cedar Creek #1)
Life has taught Ivey Jones early on that with trust come pain and betrayal. Out of survival she has created walls around her to keep anyone from getting too close. Though she lives in her dream house in the Rocky Mountains and loves being the owner of the town's quirky little bookstore Serendipity, her life is narrow and governed by strict rules that she never deviates from…until Cal Bennett enters her life.
For the past nine years Calvin “Cal” Bennett has stayed away from Ivey, thinking she deserved better than to be saddled with a single dad who has never been good at relationships. Until a few chance encounters show him what he’s been missing and he can’t stay away any longer.
Little does he know he’s got a fight on his hands that he might not be equipped to win. Shadows from Ivey's past lurk in the dark, ready to strike and bring her low once and for all. But Cal swears he will do whatever it takes to break through that wall of steel to win Ivey’s heart and keep her safe.
Now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Be Here Now (Cedar Creek #2)
Six years ago, Loreley Cooper thought she had it all. Head over heels in love with her boyfriend Jason and ready to take on the future after college, she landed the internship of her dreams. But things came crashing down during a fight when she believed she found out he’d done something she knew she could never forgive. Completely heartbroken, she walked away and hasn’t talked to him since.
Now, six years later, Loreley is recovering from a painful tragedy that almost killed her. She is finally finding her way back to herself when now famous rock star Jason Sanders returns and seems determined to win her back. Why he would seek her out after all this time, Loreley has no idea. She has sworn to never talk to him again after what he did to her.
Jason Sanders has regretted not chasing after Loreley to fight for what he knows would have been a life filled with happiness. Now he is back and he is determined to remedy his mistakes and not let the love of his life walk away from him again. He is willing to do anything and everything to make her give them another chance.
But misunderstandings are uncovered and secrets are revealed that lead to pain and heartbreak yet again. Will they have what it takes to forgive each other and themselves and fight for their happily-ever-after or is it too late?
Now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
About the Author
Julia Goda has been writing stories in her head since she can remember. Much to her teachers’ dismay, given the task of writing a short essay she would always come back with way too long and detailed stories. Many discussions (she has always been somewhat of a smart-aleck) and bad grades were the result, so that for most of her life she thought she couldn’t write worth a damn and pursued other careers. But the dream of being an author wouldn’t be ignored and kept lingering. With a little help from her fantastic husband, who gave her the necessary kick in the behind, she was finally brave enough to start writing her first novel. Since then she has enjoyed giving herself over to her stories and making them come to live.
Her novels jump genres and touch on all kinds of different topics, but the things she tries to focus on no matter what are romance, strong women, and a good sense of humor.
When she is not in her writing cave, she enjoys reading, drinking coffee, eating good food, and listening to rock music.
Julia Goda has lived in Germany, Virginia, and Colorado (where she fell in love with Boulder and the Rocky Mountains). Her current home is Southern Alberta, Canada, where she lives close enough to the Rockies with her husband and chocolate lab to enjoy the beauty and excitement that is mountain living.
Connect with Julia Goda:
www.juliagoda.net
www.facebook.com/juliagodaauthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/juliagoda
Google: www.google.com/+JuliaGoda
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/Julia_Goda
Twitter: julia_goda
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