‘What’s that?”
Pointing to the bed, I wait for her eyes to follow and release her when she notices the note card that’s propped up in the middle. Watching as she picks it up and opens it all the way, her expression changes. The soft smile she’s had since I asked her to open the door is still there, but now there’s a glistening in her eyes. The words on the card obviously making her feel more than she was prepared for.
The last six months have been our fresh start, but it’s this moment here and now that’s our new beginning.
Hi. I’m Dillon.
“Nice to meet you, Dillon. I’m Cadence.”
The End
Here & Now Playlist
Beautiful To You by Halestorm
Life Is Waiting by Faber Drive
Bleed by Hot Chelle Rae
Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
Are You Ready For The Fallout? by Fastball
Re-Offender by Travis
Unity by Shinedown
Stop & Stare by OneRepublic
Bed Of Roses by Bon Jovi
Here And Now (Deconstructed) by Seether
Hard To Find by Skillet
By Your Side by Lifehouse
Save A Life by Manic Drive
Like Nobody Else by My Darkest Days
You Want To Make A Memory by Bon Jovi
I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
What I’ve Overcome by Fireflight
Broken Open by Adam Lambert
Halo by Bethany Joy Galeotti
Here’s To Us by Halestorm
At the Beginning by Richard Marx & Donna Lewis
(Dillon & Caddy’s final scene song)
Acknowledgements
As usual, a book of mine wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t come in at the end of it and thank the people that helped me get it to where it needed to be. In the world and in your hands. So let’s get on with it shall we?
Mom and Dad. If it weren’t for you both, none of this would even exist because I wouldn’t exist. So if nothing else sticks, let the next few words I write do it. Thank you for being my parents, for loving me, teaching and nurturing me and making me into the woman, mother, friend I am now. I love you both and it’s the strong and never-ending kind.
Caleb, Noah, Raine and Isabella. My Forever CNRI. Without you, there is no me, or at least no me worth knowing. Not only am I blessed to have you all call me Mommy, but I’m blessed to know you and have had my life altered every single day by you. Thank you for being the light and the beauty in a world often filled with far too much darkness. I love you all to the moon and back.
Lisa and Pamela, the two best beta-readers and friends I could ever ask for. Your input on this book, along with the others we’ve been through together, means the world to me and the amount of love and respect I have for the both of you knows no bounds.
Joey, this time around pulling double duty as my co-author and beta reader, in addition to his other jobs as best friend, critic when things read like crap, overall champion and superhero. Thank you for being who and what you are. If everyone in the world had a person like you in their life, the world would be a much better place. Taking this journey with you was an experience I will never forget. I love your face pretty boy ;)
All of the readers and fans of both the Count On Me series and my other books. Words will never adequately portray how thankful I am for each and every one of you. How much you spending your hard earned money and time on something I’ve written means to me. From the very bottom to the very top of my heart, thank you for putting your faith in me as a writer. I love you all more than words can say.
I energy you all <3
Joey’s Acknowledgements
Melyssa Winchester. My pretty girl and maybe my Cadence too. I acknowledge you for being crazy enough to let me write this with you. That’s all I got. I love you, pretty girl and it’s an always and forever kind of thing.
Pamela Sparkman. For not thinking I completely sucked at this and for encouraging me when half the stuff I wrote I thought looked and read like crap. You’re a class act lady. Keep on doing what you love because me and my girl, we love you for it.
Anyone who reads this and likes it as much as they did the first one. Thanks for taking the chance. I’m stoked you picked it up, especially since there’s another Winchester on board this particular crazy train. Thanks for being a part of what Melyssa calls the Dillon Murphy Effect.
About The Authors
Melyssa Winchester is a mother of four from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When she’s not knee deep in adolescent awesomeness, she’s falling in love, one book boyfriend and girlfriend at a time. She is a lover of all things romance and will forever believe in a real and true happily ever after.
When she’s not off being a mom or writing you can find her doing one of two things. Reading or buried under the covers watching Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy or Veronica Mars.
Melyssa is currently working on Unbroken (Isaac Crawford’s story) as well as the standalone new adult contemporary romance Fall. There also might be another heavenly adventure in the works, as only one of the fallen can bring.
You can find her on the web, either at her personal site, Facebook (which she just might have an obsession with) or Twitter (@WinchesterBooks) where she talks incessantly about her kids, her writing and all things book boyfriend related.
Joey Winchester is the original fan dude. Whether it’s music, books or art, if he can find a reason to fan dude over it, he will. He’s also known to be a superhero when he’s not working his 16 hour day job, as well as best friend, ever faithful beta-reader and all around great Canadian boy.
Other Works by Melyssa Winchester
Love United Series
Holding On To Heaven
My Heaven (HOTH Alternate Ending)
No Surrender
Wanted
Stairway To Heaven
A Light In The Dark
Before The Light Series
(Can Be Read Standalone)
Hold Onto Me (Archangel Michael’s Story)
Absence Of Light (Ryan McGregor’s Story)
(Coming Soon)
Count On Me Series
(Can Be Read Standalone)
Count On Me
Hear Me Now
Take Me With You
All My Heart
Here & Now
Unbroken (November 20, 2014)
Take My Hand (Coming Soon)
Excerpt From: Shattered by Pamela Sparkman & Deanna Gohn
Prologue
Maggie
I sat in the airport waiting for my flight, only marginally aware of the activity around me. Business men in suits, carrying briefcases and rushing to make their flights; families embracing to say goodbye as their loved ones passed through security; happy moms and dads with excited children, holding hands and laughing. I saw and heard them, but they seemed far away. An illusion. It was strange to me how the world could keep turning, like nothing had changed. I guess for them nothing had, except in my world, everything had changed. So much so, and so quickly, that I was having a hard time separating my nightmares from reality. The last few days have been layered with a blackness so thick I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cut through it.
I looked down at my hands because that was all I seemed to be able to bring into focus. They were shaking and they somehow didn’t even look like my hands. Focusing on them, however, made me feel a little more grounded. I rubbed them together thinking that warming them up would help. I felt tears threatening at the corners of my eyes, wondering how there could be any left. Fear and uncertainty was trying to creep back in, fighting to take up permanent residence in my mind. I wanted to run; I didn’t want to face this.
I closed my eyes, shook my head, and breathed. No, I won’t let that happen.
I’ve made it this far, I’m not turning back now.
Talking to Lily last night had helped. It wasn’t easy for me to open up that much of myself to her, even though we’d been best f
riends since college. I’d never let her see so much of my soul. Opening up to her, confiding in her about my feelings and my fears, about how frozen I felt on the inside, it gave me a sense of relief and courage that I never expected to find because she gently reminded me that it had already let go; or rather, I had let go of it. She also reminded me that I had already fought that battle and won, and it wasn’t one I needed to face again.
She was right, I had recently faced things that I thought I never would and I had come out on the other side, realizing that I was a lot stronger than I thought. For the first time in my adult life I was truly happy and ready to make a major change; a major move.
That’s the funny thing about life... sometimes it has other plans for us.
Five Months Ago
Chapter One
Joe
“I’ll have another,” Hayden said, finishing his second beer.
I looked up and continued to wipe down the bar. Hayden didn’t bother looking up; he just continued staring at his empty bottle. I grabbed another beer, popped the cap, and set it down in front of him. “You gonna tell me what the hell is wrong with you?”
“What? Nothing’s wrong with me.”
“Right,” I said, tossing his empty bottle into the trash. “And I’m Mother Theresa.”
“Dude, it’s nothing. Just in a bad mood. Don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Alright, fine. Although you’re depressing my other customers. You’re gonna make me look bad in front of the ladies.” I looked over and winked at some blonde chick who I knew had been staring at me since she sat down. “Everyone knows bartenders are shrinks with shot glasses. Now, either tell me what the hell is bothering you or at least pretend you’re not in a foul mood. Your bad vibes are acting against me here.”
“Mind telling me what the hell you’re talking about?”
“You. You might as well be wearing a sign on your back that says ‘Keep the hell away from me.’ How am I supposed to keep my other customers happy if no one wants to get within ten feet of you?” I made a point to glance on either side of him to show him that no one was sitting anywhere near him. There were at least three empty bar stools on both sides of his brooding ass.
Hayden glanced around, shrugging. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, I’m not afraid. I’ll sit beside him.”
I’d been so zeroed in on Hayden, trying to figure out what his problem was that I hadn’t seen her walk in. She not only sat down next to Hayden, she put her hand on his shoulder and patted it twice. “What’s up big guy? Who kicked your dog?”
He actually smiled the minute she sat down. It was the first time he looked happy since he walked in an hour ago.
How’d she do that?
“Well, I’ll be damned.” I made a dramatic display of throwing my hand towel down on the bar. “I’ve been trying for an hour to make this boy crack a smile and you walk in and accomplish it in five freakin’ seconds. I even used some of my best jokes.”
“She’s cuter than you are and smells nicer,” Hayden quipped.
“That hurts, bro. You used to like the way I smell.” I placed my hand over my heart and pretended to wipe a tear from my eye.
“Shut up, dude.”
“No, you said you loved me. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. You’re breaking my heart, man.”
Hayden grinned, and she looked amused.
“You boys are too much,” she said. She looked up at me. “I’ll have what he’s having.”
I wanted to stare. Her green eyes were so – damn. I looked away and reached for a beer bottle, popped the cap and set it down in front of her. “Here you go, Maggie. Anything else?”
When she looked up and her eyes found mine again, I grinned. She quickly turned away. Shaking her head she said, “Nope, this is good.”
I stepped away to help another customer at the other end of the bar and then made my way back down to where Hayden and Maggie were sitting. She had gotten him to loosen up some because he was actually talking now, and that put a smile on my face, so I wanted to put on smile on hers.
“Hey, Maggie, why does a seagull fly over the sea?”
Hayden rolled his eyes and Maggie’s green ones once again met mine. “I don’t know, Joe. Why does a seagull fly over the sea?”
“Because if it flew over the bay, it would be called a bagel!”
Maggie laughed and even Hayden managed a weak chuckle as he shook his head at me.
“Ah,” Maggie said, “I’ve heard about your jokes.”
“That I tell the best jokes on the planet?”
She grinned. “Not quite.”
I gave her a wink.
A couple of older ladies took a seat on the other side of Hayden and continued their conversation rather loudly. By older, I mean, like grandma’ish, and apparently hard of hearing since it seemed necessary for them to shout their conversation.
“I called to make my payment over the phone,” one of them screeched, “and he said that because I made my payments on time each month that they would send me a pair of panties in the mail.”
What?
That got all of our attention. Hayden, Maggie, and I all looked at each other with the same expression, and continued eavesdropping on their conversation.
“That’s not what he said,” the other one shouted.
“Well, that’s what I thought he said.”
“No, get the peanut butter outta your ears. He said that because you made your payments on time they will send you a coupon for a pair of free panties. They’re not sending you an actual pair of panties, you crazy woman. How would he even know what size to send you? And why are you ordering things out of that catalogue anyway?”
Hayden promptly stood up. “That’s my cue to leave. I can’t listen anymore. I already want to stab my mind’s eye.” He shook his head and shivered, threw down some money and said, “I’m outta here. Maggie, you want me to walk you to your car or are you staying?”
I wanted her to stay, however, I didn’t say anything. I waited for her to answer instead.
“I think I’ll stay a while longer. I want to give Lily and Cooper some privacy.”
“Okay, well I’ll see you guys later then. Good night y’all.”
We both said good night at the same time and Hayden walked out the door. I walked over and got the drink orders from the two older ladies, who continued to discuss the lingerie catalogue and what colors were available in the previously discussed free pair of panties.
“So,” I said, walking back over to where Maggie sat, “I really wish I could un-hear that conversation. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same. I’m scarred for life.”
“What’s the matter, Joe? You don’t think grannies should order their panties out of a lingerie catalogue?” She was wearing a very mischievous smirk.
“Stop. Please.” I shuddered. “One should never hear the words granny and panties in the same sentence. Ever. Well, unless you’re talking about granny panties, and who wants to talk about that? Seriously, this conversation is disturbing.”
“I wouldn’t have thought you could be bothered by anything. Being a bartender I bet you hear all kinds of crazy and disturbing things.”
“Yeah, well, we just learned something new about me at the same time. I’m just as surprised as you are.”
Our eyes locked for a moment, and I made myself look away and forced myself to get busy. Maggie was a nice girl and she was Lily’s best friend, so I wanted to be respectful and not mess around with her. Besides, she was only going to be here for a few days for Cooper and Lily’s wedding and then she’d be leaving. No point in starting something I couldn’t finish.
I noticed the blonde chick still ogling me, and then she motioned for me to come over. “I’d like another martini please,” she said as I approached her.
“Yes, ma’am. Coming right up.” I fixed her drink and placed it in front of her with a new napkin.
“Thanks,” she cooed.
I walked back
over toward Maggie and noticed the smirk on her face.
“What?” I asked
“That girl,” she said, lifting her chin in the blonde’s direction. “She’s practically undressing you with her eyes. Could she be any more obvious?”
I looked over my shoulder at the blonde and then looked back at Maggie. Normally I would encourage the flirting with the blonde, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it this time. Although I did feel like flirting with Maggie…a little. “Is she the only one?”
“Only one what?” Maggie asked.
“Undressing me with her eyes? Is she the only one?”
“How should I know?” Maggie swallowed and looked down. Then she sat up straighter and glared at me. “Why? You think every woman wants to undress you?”
She was challenging me. I liked it. “Yep,” I said flatly.
“Oh really? You think I do too?”
I looked at her and pinned her with my eyes. “Don’t you?”
She tensed. “No.”
“Yes you do. I can tell.”
“I promise you, I don’t.”
Maggie’s shoulders were stiff and her body became rigid the longer I stared at her. Her red hair fell to her shoulders where my eyes landed on soft creamy skin exposed by the green silk blouse she was wearing. I leaned over the bar to get close enough to smell her hair. She stiffened more, and I smiled inwardly. She didn’t move away so I leaned in closer. I could feel the heat of her breath on my skin. “You promise, huh? I think you’re lying.”
“Well, I’m not. You know it’s not attractive to be so cocky.”
“I’m confident. Not cocky. There’s a difference.”
“Not from where I’m sitting.”
“Then why haven’t you moved away from me? Why did your breathing pick up when I got this close to you?” I moved in even closer so that my breath brushed across her ear. “And why are you pretending you aren’t turned on right now?”
Here & Now Page 31