Lucky Penny

by L A Cotton

  We broke through the small clearing, and I turned around not wanting to miss it. Penny’s eyes widened and then filled with tears. “I, I- Blake, this is, this is everything.”

  Mission accomplished.

  I’d laid the picnic blanket in the middle of the tree circle. Cartons of juice and cookies were scattered in one corner and a bunch of hand-tied flowers lay in the middle. Those were new, and with her hand in mine, I tugged a speechless Penny over to the blanket and pulled her down with me.

  “Eight years ago, a lost, sad, and afraid girl showed up at the group home where I was staying. I was pissed because it was another girl. Until I saw her. Saw the pain in her eyes and the way she held herself together with just her arms. I wanted to make her smile. I was only twelve, and I didn’t know why I felt that way, but I did. Over the years, I watched this girl grow into someone special. My friend. My partner in crime. My heart. She became everything. The light in my dark. My hope in despair. I lay out in No Man’s Land with her looking up at the stars planning our future. One where we were free. Where we could make our own rules. And then, one day, I was ripped away from her.” A lump stuck in my throat, and I gulped back the rush of tears behind my eyes. Penny’s eyes were already glazed over, and I saw her inhale a sharp breath.

  “Not a day went by when I didn’t think about her. Even when I thought she’d moved on, I still dreamed of her. Of where she was and what she was doing…” The lump grew, and I swallowed hard trying to choke down the emotion running through me.

  “Blake…” My name on her lips almost broke me, but I reached my hand for her and pressed a finger to her lips. “No, I need to say this. If I could go back and do everything differently, I would. I would pick you every time, Penny. I would be brave and strong and fight for you. But I can’t turn back the clock, so all I ask is for you to let me be that person now. Let me hold you when you’re sad and cry with you when you’re hurt. If you let me, I promise I’ll spend my life loving you.”

  I exhaled. Really, inhaling would have been better to let me catch my breath, but I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. After everything with my uncle, Brittany being a total bitch in the aftermath of finding out about Penny and me, and then the charges against Derek and Marie, the last seven months had been a whirlwind. I told Penny I loved her all the time, but I needed her to know that I never stopped loving her.

  My hands buried themselves deep into her hair and I drew her to me, pressing my lips to hers. I needed her to know I hadn’t just saved her, but she had also saved me.

  My tongue traced the outline of her mouth, and she parted her lips. The kiss was hungry, needy… desperate. I needed her to know she was my lucky Penny.

  She always would be.

  You can listen to the playlist here

  Young Love – Eli Lieb

  From Eden – Hozier

  Body Talk – Foxes

  Wings – Birdy

  Yours – Ella Henderson

  Sweet Nothing – Gabrielle Aplin

  XO – John Mayer

  Second Chances – Imagine Dragons

  Please Don’t Say You Love Me – Gabrielle Aplin

  Tears and Rain – James Blunt

  Say Something – Boyce Avenue

  Leave A Trace – CHVRCHES

  Wasn’t Expecting That – Jamie Lawson

  Let It All Go – Rhodes / Birdy

  Scars – James Bay

  Alive - Sia

  Contemporary romance and romantic suspense

  … written with feeling

  L.A is author of the Fate’s Love Series and Chastity Falls Series. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with writing. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L. A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.

  Official Website

  You can connect with her on:

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Or email her at:

  contact@lacotton.com

  A whole heap of people helped me get this story just right, and without them, Penny and Blake’s story would not be what it is here.

  Firstly, my good friend and writing buddy Jenny Siegel. Jenny reads everything I write as I write it, and Lucky Penny was no exception. Thank you for always being there.

  My beta readers: Claire, Kirsty, Lorena, Lucy, Sam, Shannon. My test readers: Ewelina, Courtney, and Maria, and my proof-readers: Caroline, Christine, and Nelly. As well as my unofficial proof-reader Ginelle (you spot those mistakes like no one else!) Thank YOU all for being so awesome and showing Penny and Blake so much love.

  Jennifer Holter, my friend, my assistant, my go-to gal, you are awesome, and I’m lucky to have you in my corner. Please stick around!

  My editor, Jenny Sims, thank you for making my words pretty, Daniela Conde Padron, thank you for such a beautiful cover, and Stacy from Champagne Formats for making Lucky Penny as pretty inside as it is out!

  Give Me Books for handling the release events—it was great working with you. And to all of the blogs who continue to share, support, and review my work. Thank you. I appreciate each and every one of you!

  And lastly, to my readers—the people who support my work and buy my books… you make it all worthwhile. I poured my heart into this story, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.

  ... keep reading for a sneak peek from

  Since You’ve Been Gone by S.M. Phillips

  The Portal Opener: Discovery by Annabel Fanning

  Since You’ve Been Gone

  A contemporary romance from S. M. Phillips

  Available to buy now

  Amazon

  "Deep breaths." My voice comes out in a reassuring tone, but deep down I'm bloody crap at trying to calm anyone down. "It's going to be okay, I promise. Just breathe. You can do this Han."

  "No I bloody can't." She wails back at me. "There's not a cat in hells chance that I can do this. What was I thinking? What were you thinking by letting me go through with this?" She squeals, while throwing her arms around frantically.

  Always the bloody drama queen, this one, I think to myself. Instead, I say out loud to her, "It's only natural to get nervous. It's a big step, a complete lifestyle change. To be honest, I'd be a little worried if you weren't nervous, but I know you better than anyone and I know how long you've been dreaming and waiting for this day to arrive."

  I place my fingers on the side of Hannah's beautiful porcelain face and look her square in the eye. A pool of dark chocolate reflects back at me, hazed over with the tears that are threatening to break free and she's shaking like a bloody mad woman. All I want to do is wrap her up in my warm, protective arms and make all of her worries fade away, to completely disappear, but I know her better than anyone and I know that she's made of stronger stuff than this.

  "What do I do?" She whispers. She's that quiet, I only just about hear her.

  "Well, you can start by drying those bloody eyes, but watch your make-up. Don't be rubbing too hard, I don't think we've got enough time to re-do it, again and the last thing you need right now is a pair of puffy bug eyes."

  "What if he's changed his mind, Luce?" She asks, her voice breaking slightly, her bottom lip begins to wobble and it takes me back to when we were younger. Hannah has always been the one to wear her heart on her sleeve, while I was the one making sure everything was okay, holding the fort and tackling the bad guys from time to time.

  "What?" My head snaps up to look at her through the reflection in the mirror and I'm left speechless at her stupidity. Now, with Hannah that's bloody saying something.

  "What if he's realised that he's made a huge mistake and decided to run for the hills? It's not like I'd blame him. I mean, look at me, I can't even hold it together on the most important day of my life."

  "Oh give over, you stupid mare. Daniel isn't going anywhere, not unless it's with you anyway. You should know this by now Hannah. Y
ou're just getting last minute nerves, that's all and like I said, it's only natural. Look at you, you're absolutely beautiful. Why wouldn’t he want to spend the rest of his life with you?"

  All Hannah does is shrug her shoulders back at me, while looking absolutely defeated. This isn't like her at all and I really want to give her a bloody good shake, but that won't do her any good, not yet anyway.

  "Come on, people are waiting for you."

  "I love you Lucy." She whispers to me.

  "I know, and I love you too." I smile at her, while taking both of her hands in mine and I give them a little squeeze for encouragement. "Don't you bloody dare start crying again, lady."

  "You're right. What am I saying? I'm about to marry the man that I love, my one true soul mate and look at me. I'm stood in the bloody toilets being a right hormonal cow... Oh fuck." I'm quickly shoved out of the way as Hannah makes a beeline for the nearest cubicle, with her hand firmly clamped over her mouth. I only just about manage to make out her mumbled words. "I think I'm going to be..."

  "Sick?" I answer for her, as I hear the contents of her insides emptying out into the bowl. Nothing is ever plain sailing with us two. Time will only tell how the rest of today is about to pan out. One thing I do know is that it's definitely going to be a memorable one. After almost thirty minutes of back rubbing and soft coaxing, Hannah and I are finally ready to face the music. Well, as long as she doesn't have another breakdown. I really don’t think we’d survive another one in such a short space of time.

  "Let's take this one step at a time, okay?" I try my best to soothe her, hoping my calming words will help her put one foot in front of the other, to help her see that she's doing the right thing and to turn around now would be nothing but idiotic.

  Today is hard for me too, more than she will ever know. Today, not only am I giving her away, but I'm giving her away to a man who I know loves her deeply, but she'll no longer be the care free girl who I grew up with. Sure, she'll still be my Hannah, but now she'll have to grow up and be a wife, and maybe one day soon, a mother. Oh boy is she going to be in for a shock with that one. Looking after ourselves on a daily basis has been a challenge in itself over the years. Never mind caring for a baby. But, I guess what will be, will be and I know that she can achieve anything if she puts her mind to it. She's just that type of girl, and no matter what, she’ll always have me right by her side.

  The aisle looks absolutely breath taking. A selection of gardenia, ranunculus and white garden roses are perfectly and delicately placed along each bench with white ribbons attached. Sparkling crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and fairy lights are flashing dimly around the wooden beams, creating a wonderful magical effect. It's perfect, everything is absolutely perfect. Just how Hannah wanted it to be and just how it should be. It looks and feels like something straight out of a fairy tale. I feel her pause beside me and her body stiffen as the sound of John Legend fills the room. I look over to her and see that she’s panicking again.

  After a deep breath she says, "This is it Luce. It's really happening. I can't believe that it's finally here."

  "It sure is, and that man right up front is waiting to spend the rest of his life loving you, and only you." I smile back at her. I can feel my eyes start to well up and I don't want my emotions to get the better of me. I need to be strong for Hannah. I blink as fast as I can to try and keep them at bay and thankfully, none break free.

  "Uh, huh." She smiles and I can see the nerves slowly begin to take hold of her again, trying to pull her down. I’ll be amazed if she makes it to the end of the aisle in one piece at this rate.

  "Remember, deep breaths, and one step at a time. I've got you and I'm not going anywhere." I promise. With my words, a small smile appears on her lips and with her first step, she clutches onto me for dear life.

  The short walk feels like an eternity, so I have no idea how it actually feels for Hannah. All eyes are fixed firmly on the gorgeous bride stood next to me, and rightly so too. Hannah has always been beautiful, inside and out, but with her ivory dress and natural glow, she's never looked more gorgeous than she does right now.

  As soon as we reach the top of the aisle, Daniel slowly turns to face his bride and his eyes grow wide. I lean in and give Hannah a small kiss on her cheek and I can feel all of her worries slowly leave her. She knows that this is meant to be, how it should be. Everyone knows that it's meant to be. Hannah and Daniel are like everyone's perfect fairy tale couple, so much so, you can't help but be a little envious of them from time to time.

  "We are gathered here today..." The sound of the vicar's voice pulls my attention back to the front of the church. What with me being the maid of honour, as well as giving Hannah away, my attention should have been firmly focused there to begin with, but I keep getting an intense sensation that someone is watching me from behind. As much as I try to fight it, curiosity gets the better of me and I take a sneaky glance behind me and suddenly wish that I hadn't.

  Everything stops in a heartbeat.

  The vicar’s voice is drowned out and my ears are taken over by the strong, loud beat of my hammering heart. I stand frozen to the spot as my whole past flashes before me, as my eyes rest on his perfect face... That perfect face that I used to know, the one which regularly takes over my dreams.

  The Portal Opener: Discovery

  A new adult fantasy romance from Annabel Fanning

  Coming January 2016

  Pre-Order Now

  All my life I’ve had vivid dreams. It’s my memory of these dreams that I’ve shared with Felix that has him saying I’ve an obsession with parallel universes. But what I really dream of are realms — towns, cities, even entire worlds that exist along side of and even intertwine with the earth you live on now. They are always there, invisibly waiting for someone to find their way in. Oh, and another thing…they really exist, I’m sure they do.

  Ever since I can remember, every few weeks or so, I’ve fallen asleep and dreamt of entering a new realm. I’ve never really given any thought to how many realms there are in reality, perhaps as many as I’ve seen, perhaps far fewer. By now though I’ve dreamt of hundreds, and each one has been different, and yet none of them have ever offered me an explanation on how I got into them.

  It’s this last part that frustrates me when I wake up because I desperately want to enter a realm out of dream state. It’s infuriating that I always seem to wake just before the answer is uncovered.

  For years I’ve been yearning for an adventure, for some new discovery to cross my path, to shake up my world and breathe life into my mundane existence. I want something more than just this boring life, there’s got to be more, and I’m certain that I have these dreams for a reason. They are the grand adventure that I’ve been waiting for. They’re a message from my soul, and that’s where my so-called obsession comes from. I can’t let these dreams go, they’re too real and too important to me to just brush away their frequencies as a coincidence. My desperation eventually led me to think about portals — portals are my answer, they can transport me, I’m sure.

  But even after this breakthrough comes to me, I’m still at a dead-end, because it’s not like I’m an expert in conjuring them out of thin air. I don’t know how to open a portal, and so I’m disappointed every time I awaken, still having no clue as to how to get from where I am to where I want to be.

  Portals, I wonder.

  Well, it’s not your typical teenager’s ambition, is it? Not like I can go to the career councillor at my school and say, “When I grow up I want to open a portal and enter a new realm…” and watch Mrs. Schneider’s face falter.

  Or is it?

  As I sleep on the sofa I enter a realm that again is completely new and, this time, completely white. It’s also deserted, as they always are in my dreams, though I’m sure that this can’t be the case in reality. (But when I think about that aspect I’m sent off on another tangent altogether: who occupies the realms?)

  I walk through this new world at do
uble speed, seeming to know exactly where I am going. Without observing the sights around me, I enter a building, not even pausing to look at the name of it carved above the black marble entrance. It seems to be a sort of library, though it’s not familiar to any I’ve ever been to before.

  I follow as my feet lead me to a door with a sign that reads: Career Councillor. Very unusual, I think to myself. I’ve never seen a link between my high school life in Applesby and the realms that I enter at night.

  Without hesitation, I open the door and step inside a small office, and thankfully there’s no Mrs. Schneider waiting for me. The office has a large wooden bookcase that stands behind a small iron desk with a glass top, which is adjacent to a window that’s currently filling the room with sunlight. Everything’s cramped, yet cosy, as though each piece of furniture has its own purpose. The chair that’s tucked behind the desk is empty, as are all of the shelves in the bookcase, though this doesn’t strike me as odd. There’s only one thing that seems out of place — a sheet of paper on the otherwise unoccupied desk.

  It has four lines of writing on it:

  Close your eyes, push your right palm out in front of you.

  Let your fingers fall forward onto the door handle.

  Open your eyes, see the door before you.

  Now open it.

  I flip the paper over, where only one line is written:

  You are the Portal Opener.

  I re-read it several times, not daring to believe that I finally have the information that I’ve waited so long to obtain. Eighteen years of dreaming has, at last, paid off. I have my answer.