by Anne Leigh
Everything was great between us. If there was one thing I wished for, it would be that her brother would come to terms with the fact that Brynn and I were together and inseparable now. Milo apologized to me after what he did at the World Championships, but he was still in the negative about my involvement with his sister. It weighed heavily on Brynn that she and her brother had a strained relationship, when they used to be so close. Brynn tried to reach out a couple of times, but Milo was in a dark place. After they banned him from swimming, the last thing I heard of him was that he was in Vegas.
I tried my best to help Brynn out by just being there for her as she was with me. If I had a bad practice, she would climb up on my lap and sort me out. If I needed a good beating in the head, she was not afraid to give it to me. Gearing up for the Olympics, which were in a few months, I had the option to move my training back to San Francisco. The renovation on my old training grounds were complete, and was being heralded as one of the premier swimming centers in the U.S. I discussed it with my coach, fully aware and prepared to stand firm with my decision to stay in Arizona. My litany of explanation was fruitless because after I had enumerated all the cons of moving to San Francisco, coach just looked at me and said, “You can tell me every single reason that there is on why you don’t want to go back to San Francisco. I’ll let you know one thing, or one person, that’s at the center of it— Brynn.”
That shut me up. He was right. Brynn was my command center, the electronic beep that started me up, and the heat that lit me, her incandescent glow never dimming. Before her, I viewed my life as eight lanes. Now, there was only one lane that mattered. The one that led to her heart.
During one of our heart-to-heart conversations, she asked why I never told Ace I loved her in a different way. She was pretty smart so she caught on quickly that I was talking about Ace when we had that huge fight, and I talked about only knowing love once before, and at such a young age. My answer was plain and simple. “I loved Ace. I still do, but now it’s the same love that she feels towards me. A long time ago, I may have loved her differently. Maybe it was puppy love or a childhood crush, I’ll never know. I didn’t tell her because she needed me as a friend, as a brother, and by the time I thought it was okay to let her know, she liked that idiot Brennan.” I gave Brynn a short recap of the drama between Brennan, Ace, and Zander. “You know, now that I think about it, I am happy that I never told Ace because maybe it would have changed the dynamics of our friendship, and we’d be in a different situation now. She’s happy with Zander, and now she has Sofia. As for me, I have this wonderful girl who is busy making my body her own, so I have no complaints.” Brynn’s hands were massaging my chest while I was talking and she was making me hot.
“Again?” She rolled her eyes in a mock complaint.
“How many times do I have to tell you?” I raised my eyebrows and gave her an innocent look. “You have to be prepared to meet my needs...”
Her hands trekked lower, followed by her body, I felt myself get harder, and when her mouth was in line with my erection, she blew a hot breath on it, and whispered, “I think being a world champion has made this even bigger. Imagine what it will be like when you become an Olympic champion?”
Oh, I loved this girl.
“Babe,” Zander whispered against my left ear, “Did I tell you how hot you look tonight?”
I leaned on his arms. We were sitting way too close to each other at this public gala, but that was the only distance that Zander tolerated. “Yes you did.” I smiled. “Many times.”
“I can’t wait to take this dress off of you later.”
Goosebumps started forming on my arms and neck. My man put all those thoughts in my head so that by the time we got to our hotel— sometimes the limo but tonight we had Brynn and Kieran with us so that would be a no-no—I would be helpless, ready and willing to do whatever it took for him to be inside me.
Now was the best time to remind him. “Babe, remember your mom’s with us.” Haven was with Sofia at the hotel right now. When Zander and I attended social functions, Haven traveled with us to watch Sofia for a few hours. Our baby girl was 16 months and 3 days old, an endless bundle of energy that had us scrambling to catch things that got in her way, as she waddled and walked, and grabbed and knocked over unfamiliar and familiar objects. I had warned Zander that she might grow up to become a football player like her daddy, but he bristled at that, and said, “Good. At least she will be able to throw a perfect spiral and beat the crap out of the guys who try to get close to her.” Just the mention of boys courting and vying for our daughter’s affections one day made him growl. Oh my poor baby girl, if I wasn’t here, her dad would most likely have her home-schooled and locked up in a tower like Rapunzel.
Zander’s signature grin came into view. “I already took care of Mom. I reserved a suite for her on the top floor so it’s just you and me, babe.”
“Well, we also have Sofia...,” I reasoned, knowing that Zander had already made a plan A to Z when it came to his desire for me. I didn’t expect any less; he was creative and coming up with strategies was his forte. After all, he was one of NFA’s top quarterbacks.
His hands laced with mine under the seat, while he muttered, “She’s gonna be exhausted when we get home. She’ll be snoring her little nose and mouth away by the time this shindig ends so don’t you try to get away from this, woman.”
I rolled my eyes. As if. I gave him a quick kiss and then Damien, a wide receiver for the NFA, approached our table and struck up a conversation with Zander.
I sipped on my champagne and my gaze landed on Kieran and Brynn, who were sitting at another table. We wanted to be all seated together but Zander decided to come at the last minute, depending on the time his game ended. We had no choice but to sit in the last available seats, separated from Kieran and Brynn. As often as he could, Zander made sure that we attended charity events to benefit and advocate for childhood cancer research. Kieran was busy whispering into Brynn’s ears and I saw a flash of color spread over Brynn’s face. She looked exquisite in her peach chiffon dress that we, along with Sofia and Haven, had shopped for this afternoon, while Kieran and Zander hung out with other athletes that they’ve become friends with. I was happy for Kieran and Brynn. They were truly right for each other. I’ve never seen my best friend look at a woman the way he looked at Brynn. As if she was so precious to him, he could not even take his eyes off her for a minute.
While out shopping today, Kieran had texted Brynn multiple times asking if everything was okay. Finally, Brynn had put her foot down and called him, telling him, “If you text me one more time, I’m going to plant poison ivy in your trunks!” Kieran must have said something because she lowered her voice and replied, “I love you, too. And, yes, I am okay. I am having fun, and I’ll see you later.” Her phone pinged a few minutes after that and she let out an exasperated breath before digging it out of her purse. After checking her phone, she burst out laughing uncontrollably, which had Sofia gurgle in excitement, the milk that she was drinking spilling out of her mouth. As I wiped Sofia’s mouth and hands, Brynn showed me what had her choking in laughter. It was a picture of Kieran’s gold medal, but instead of the insignia in the middle, he had replaced it with a picture of Brynn, and the words ‘MY GOLDEN GIRL’ typed in cursive below the photo.
Yes, my best friend had become a sappy guy. Brynn has shown him how to enjoy life and has brought so much laughter into his loner-like existence.
I’ve known my best friend most of my life. From the time he shook my hand when I was nine and dared me to jump that pool, he has become one of the single most important people in my existence. It relieved me and lightened my heart to see him loved the way he should be, by a woman who is undoubtedly the right one for him.
When I was 16, the night before Kieran went to college, I fell asleep in his arms. I was upset that he was leaving, going hundreds of miles away from me, so we spent the whole day together, as we normally did. That was the first time I had ever f
allen asleep with his arms wrapped around mine. I must have woken him up because he moved his arms lazily and unfiltered words came out of his mouth. He mumbled them so softly, but I heard him loudly and clearly. “I love you Ace.”
He had told me he loved me a hundred times before that, but this time, he said it differently, and I felt a stabbing pain in my heart because even then, I knew that he was not the one for me. That I couldn’t love him the way he must have wanted me to at that time.
Zander’s hands encircled my shoulders across the chair, and I glanced at Kieran and Brynn again. The love between them was what he deserved, and I knew because this was the love that flowed between Zander and I.
There were many types of love in this world. Some we were born into, some we grow into, some we fight against, and some we fight for. Then, there were the kinds that touched every fiber of our beings; that we would wilt away without it if it were lost. Lastly, there was a type of love that we could leave untouched.
At the tender age of 16, I left Kieran’s love for me untouched. Fate came into the picture, bringing us to the present, in full circle, where we both experienced this great love for each other, just not with each other. He would always be my best friend, and I his. Never more, never less.
In Gaelic, Kieran means “little dark one.” Kieran is by no means “little.”
To his fans, Kieran’s a source of light and hope and has touched their hearts in more ways than one.
Chapter Headings are just a few of the letters and wishes that Kieran has received, answered, and made come true.
Coming in 2014
Hubby: For being there every step of the way and making me feel that I can do what I want and reach my dreams – whatever they may be.
Readers: I can’t ever call you my fans. To me, we’re tethered by our love for books. I appreciate every comment, every word of encouragement, everything that you give me. I wish I can write and publish a book as often as my imagination takes over but my love for writing is superseded by my love for my career. I don’t think I will be able to write my stories if it were not for the plethora of emotions that I see and experience in nursing. I would like to think that in every story I write, I am able to impart a little bit of the struggles and emotions that I get a glimpse of every day. Writing will always be my escape. I will not always write about nurses. I have many stories in my head about doctors too (lol). I cannot thank you enough for reading my stories. Because of your continued support, I am able to give back to organizations that need help and to me that is the biggest reward that writing has brought me. My personal FB page is this one: www.facebook.com/anne.leigh.963 - I have to warn you that this page is a place where I can just be silly me. My author page is listed in the back and future book info. will be there.
Family: My dad, my brothers, my family. You inspire me every day and make me whole. See, Dad, I’m still writing…Still trying to make people laugh. I hope.
Best of the Bestest Girlfriends: Elle, G, Shar, Lan, Chris, Berns. I cannot wish for better friends than you. You know me in the best and worst possible ways. Thanks for standing by me.
Book Friends
Author Jay Crownover. My book bestie. Thanks for telling me to keep going and being by go-to gal for book decisions. You’re my tighty. Always. I love your Marked Men Series and all the super secret characters you create!
Cris Soriaga Hadarly, Pam Carrion, Jennifer Gruler Haren, Janessa Osborne, Karrie Puskas, Shannon Girard, Jamie Bourgeois, Melanie Dawn, Kimi Flores, Nichele Reese, Amanda Stone, and many others: You ALL rock!! If I forget to list your name, I apologize but you know who you are. You were there for me from the very start. Merci.
Katie Mac and KMS Editing: Thank you! You are both wonderful editors. All the errors after your final edits are on me.
The bloggers who are always there, just to name a few : The Book Avenue Review, Book Junkies Anonymous, Book Addict Mumma, Sugar and Spice Book Reviews, Book Bitches Blog, Reading Past My Bedtime, Becky’s Book Blog and MANY, MANY OTHERS – Thank you so much for your hard work and for spreading the word about indie authors. Where would we be without you?
My Future Books
Love Untouched is the end of the Unexpected Series. However, I’m planning on writing spin-off novels and novellas from the characters in this series. I also have a lot of stories ruminating in my head of characters that are unrelated to the series.
So…we’ll see where the future takes us.
“I write because I love it and for no other reason. The minute I stop enjoying it will be the exact moment I will stop writing.”
Anne Leigh is a 30-something-year-old who refuses to let the calendar dictate her age. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Nursing. She likes to write about strong women and equally strong guys who grapple with their emotions when faced with something as intangible as love.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. With her crazy schedule, she gets frustrated at L.A. traffic and needs an escape to keep her sanity, which thankfully her characters provide.
She didn’t think of publishing her stories and when she finally did, she’s truly appreciative of every, single person who found the time to let her characters become parts of their world.
She appreciates all the readers who leave kind comments/reviews on where they purchased the book because without them, all her stories would remain locked up in a thing called “computer.”
She’s always happy to find new friends and would love to hear from you via:
Facebook: Like her Official Author Page for book updates: Author Anne Leigh
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @ Anneleighauthor
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