by Jami Wagner
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, but she is already past me, headed toward the hallway.
“Here.” Beth hands me a white mug and takes her mother’s spot on the couch, one leg tucked under the other.
“How are you?” I ask.
“Maverick, small talk, really?”
Setting the cup on the table and sitting next to her I say, “No, I suppose not.”
I sigh, clearly picking up my father’s habits, and run my hands over my face.
“Maverick, just spit it out.”
“It was my uncle. All of it. I’m assuming Austin helped, but it was Bart.”
“What?”
“He was the one who sent the email from my account and the one from yours, and he is the one who deleted the presentation. He was struggling to accept my advancement in the company.”
“Wow.”
I scoot closer to her and take her hand. “I hope you know I would never—”
“I know,” she cuts me off.
“Beth, these past couple of weeks have been the most painful days of my life. My life without you, it’s not right.”
She squeezes her hand in mine.
“It’s not easy for me to admit when I’m wrong, but it’s very clear in our situation that I may have overreacted. I should have let you speak the day everything blew up in the office. I should have answered at least one of your calls when you tried to reach me. I made a lot of mistakes.” She pauses. “And I’m learning. I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I know I have always had this image of what relationships are like, but … you changed that view for me.”
“How could I change your view if we still ended up apart?”
“You changed it because every day that we aren’t together, I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t see your face, feel your touch, or hear your voice.”
My chest swells, and for the first time in the last month, I feel my heart race again.
“Let’s give this one more chance,” I say.
“Maverick, I know what I just said, but—”
“Don’t think about what could happen. Don’t think about what has happened to other people. I made mistakes, too, but I swear to you I have learned and I will be better. I know because everything you just said, I feel it too. Don’t give up on us. I love you, Beth.”
“I’m scared,” she whispers as I wipe away the tear that has fallen over her cheek.
“Me, too. But only of losing you.”
“So, you want it all?” she asks.
“A real try,” I say. “All in—exclusive and everyone knows about us. My family, your family, all our friends. This time, we do this the right way.”
Her silence freezes my heart as I wait.
“Okay,” is the only word she’s able to speak before I have her face in my hands and my lips pushed against hers.
God, I’ve missed her.
“I never thought I would live in Montana, let alone in Colorado,” she says and I laugh.
“I didn’t take the job in Colorado,” I tell her.
“You didn’t? Are you two …?”
“We’re good. He’s actually looking forward to the day where he can officially meet you and apologize for everything that happened.”
“Well, I look forward to the day when we can all forget this.”
“Me too, babe, me too.”
“So did they offer you the job in Wind Valley?”
“No, they offered it to Austin.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, but then my dad and I reviewed the tapes to find the real answers and we got more than we wanted. You are now looking at the new, vice president of Mitchell Marketing.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it looks like I’ll be staying in Wind Valley.” I pull her in for a kiss. “And you know, now that my uncle and cousin are gone, there is another position to fill. It’s yours if you want it.”
“Maverick.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, that’s awfully sweet of you, but I got a job.”
“You did? With who?”
“With TACM.”
“That’s amazing, but you know you are always welcome at MM.”
“I think we both know that working together isn’t the best idea.”
I kiss her forehead.
As long as I have her, she can work wherever she wants.
Epilogue
Six Months Later …
Beth
The last thing I want to be is cheesy, but spotting Maverick as he walks through the door at the BA, I truly am the luckiest woman there is. He’s already ditched his jacket, but he’s still dashing as ever in his heather-gray suit. He scans the room, and his entire face lights up with just a smile when he finds me. It’s probably a natural reaction to the shit-eating grin I know I’m sporting right now. The smile hasn’t left my face since he called me an hour ago to let me know he would be off early and that we should meet here for drinks.
Working for a firm has always been my goal, but I have the perfect job as head of marketing at what is currently the fastest-growing radio station in the state. The day they called me was a good day. It was also the day my mother agreed to seek professional treatment.
I’d love to work each day with Maverick, but with us each having such crazy, determined agendas to make it on our own, we haven’t quite reached the point where we are working together again. If I’m honest, we both get a whole hell of a lot more done at work when we aren’t together.
“Babe, you look incredible,” he says, leaning down to press his lips against mine. His kiss if over too soon. If we were alone, it’d be a different story.
“Congratulations, Maverick. You’ve done pretty well for yourself, even with all the distractions these last few months.” There’s humor to Abby’s tone and I know exactly what she’s implying.
Maverick’s and my relationship is going great. So great, in fact, that when my lease is up at the end of May, I’ll be moving into Maverick’s apartment. It’s weird to think I was the one always losing roommates and now it’s Abby who will need to find someone to replace me. She tells me she’ll be fine because two jobs will take care of everything financially, so we’ll see.
The fact that Maverick and I aren’t living together at this point means a lot of sleep-overs. This is what Abby means by distractions. Although, I think it’s more of a distraction for her than anyone.
I’m pretty sure she and her latest fling are on the rocks, because she has been home a lot more lately. I think it’s good for her.
“I’ll gladly take a distraction if it includes this beautiful face,” he says, shooting me a wink.
“Awe, that is so cute,” Sky says. She’s all about the romance world right now, what with the diamond Luke put on her left hand last week. She hasn’t been able to stop smiling and now she thinks everyone should fall in love.
“Ugh, gag me” is Abby’s response with a roll of her eyes. She slides out of the booth and heads for the bar. Sky follows behind her, leaving me and Maverick alone. He scoots in and wraps an arm around me.
“I can’t wait to get you home,” he whispers into my ear before placing a long, slow kiss on my lips. “Show you how much I love you.”
“Well, then you should have told me to meet you at your place if you wanted to find out how much I love you back,” I tell him.
“Who I Am With You” by Chris Young comes on the radio and Maverick pulls me from the booth, twirling me on the floor before wrapping his arms around my waist to pull me in snugly.
“I can’t wait until you’re all moved in,” he says as we sway back and forth.
“It’ll be here sooner than you think, only a few months to go.”
He kisses my forehead.
“Make that someday tomorrow. Then I can marry you and we can start a family and begin the rest of our lives, together. No more waiting.”
Not even a minute into the song, I move back and stare up at him. He’s becoming a
pro with all his bluntness. I knew he wanted to be with me, but I guess I never imagined he dreamed up a life for us. He swallows and the large bob of his throat makes it clear he’s preparing himself for whatever I have to say next.
“Okay,” I say, quicker than I expect. “I want all that, too.”
Maverick picks me up in a big hug, lifting my feet off the ground. He spins and I squeal as he sets me down and kisses me.
I can’t predict our future and I don’t intend to try, but meeting Maverick sparked something inside me and that feeling, well, I’m never letting it go.
THANK YOU for reading Just One Spark, the fifth book in the Black Alcove series. Keep an eye out for the sixth and final book in the series, Just One Love, by visiting www.jami-wagner.com.
Acknowledgements
I believe I say this about every book, but this book was honestly the hardest to write. I say that because planning a wedding and writing a novel at the same time was not an easy task. Yet, somehow, I did it (with a lot of help from my editor) and now Beth’s story is out there for all to read. I hope you enjoyed it.
Mom, Dad, and Holly: I’ll continue to thank you day after day at the support you have for me. You are my biggest promoters and I love it and you!
Dana: As much as I hate to admit this, I am pretty sure that if it weren’t for you, I’d still be writing this book. You pushed me to finish it before I left to be married and because of you, I did. Thank you, thank you!
Julie Sturgeon: You make me a better writer. I couldn’t do this without you. The fact you are always there for me when I need you, at any time of day, means so much. We are a team and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Christa Holland with Paper and Sage: Once again, this cover is amazing. Waiting to share it drove me insane. You are fantastic at what you do!
Jesse Gordon: You are so good at what you do. I will recommend you to anyone looking for a formatter. Thank you for doing such a fantastic job!
Megan Phillips: I am so happy I brought reading back to your life and I love that my books have been a part of it. Thank you for being a beta reader and helping me grow as an author.
Mallori and Kate: Knowing I can count on you during the final stages of edits is a good feeling. Thank you for being there for me!
Melissa: Thank you for listening to me go on and on about my books as I work out any plot holes. Also, thanks for letting me stick around even when I have to cancel plans last minute because I’m hitting a deadline. You rock!
InkSlinger: You do an amazing job at organizing cover reveals, blog tours, release days, and more! Thank you for helping me spread the word.
Readers and Bloggers: Without you, I wouldn’t be publishing my sixth book. You believe in me and my characters and I can never thank you enough.
JAMI WAGNER was born in Wyoming. Still living in the Cowboy State, Jami and her husband are currently writing their own love story with their yellow Lab.
Jami enjoys writing New Adult and published her debut novella, Date in the Dark, in 2015. Her first full-length novel, Just One Kiss, was published in October 2015 and is the first book in her Black Alcove series. The next three in the series, Just One Night, Just One Touch, and Just One Moment are available now.
Visit and connect with Jami at www.jami-wagner.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorJamiWagner, on Twitter at @Jami_Wagner, or on Instagram at @JAMIWAGNER_.