by Mya O'Malley
Until Maggie had heard movement from the woods, that is.
Let it go. She could almost hear Ryan’s voice saying the gentle words. He was just out of reach.
“You up for this, honey?” Concern etched his face.
Bryce had gone through a lot of trouble planning this day out, and she didn’t wish to hurt his feelings.
“I-I’m fine.” Naomi managed.
“Naomi? I think you’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.” She listened to him as she nodded her head. “It’s because of your determination, your unique will, that I brought you back here. I want this place to be special to us, just like it was to them. Does that make sense?”
It made perfect sense. And that was why she loved him so much.
He got her. Understood what made her tick.
Grabbing his hand, they made the hike up the mountain. Reaching the grassy clearing, Naomi stopped, prepared to stay a while.
“No, this isn’t it.”
He led her further up the mountain until her stomach was in a tight knot. What was this tough love or something, Bryce?
She could stop him, head back to the safer clearing. But she knew there was a purpose to his madness, and she was curious to find out what he had planned.
“We can go back if you’re not comfortable, but something tells me you’re going to be happy if you decide to head up there.”
Scanning the wooded area, she bit her lip, determined to trudge forward. She had Bryce by her side, she could do this. Once they were standing on the top of the mountain, he led her further until they reached their destination.
“It’s just a little bit further,” he whispered into her ear as she stayed by his side. Her quaking legs gave away her brave façade.
“I know where it is, Bryce,” she breathed in. Eyes wide, she swallowed, seeing Ryan’s face encouraging her.
“Stop. We’re here.” Bryce released her hand. She breathed deeply to steady her raw nerves. As she stood silently, he uncorked the bottle of wine and poured the deep red liquid into a glass for her.
Accepting the wine with a shaking hand, she welcomed the beverage as it slid down, warming her belly.
“Just a second, I brought something else with me.” Rummaging through his bag, he produced a small knife.
Instantly, a smile formed as she knew what he would do next. “Should I do the honors? Or would you like to?” He held the knife within arm’s reach.
“This is your idea, you go ahead.” Mesmerized, she watched as he carved a small heart next to the etching made years earlier by Ryan for his Maggie.
Tears rolled down her face as he carved their initials. Their own heart was now complete, resting right beside the original. N and B.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s beautiful and I think you’re amazing.”
He released a breath, chuckling softly. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.” Turning for a moment, he reached down into the bag on the ground once more. “Close your eyes.”
Wondering what he had in store next, she acquiesced, a smile forming on her face.
“Keep them closed.”
She nodded, savoring the moment.
“I brought you here for more than one reason, Naomi. First, I wanted to give you closure, help you to remember that although this place held bad memories, it also included wonderful ones. Next, I wanted to honor Ryan and Maggie’s love. I also know you’re just the one, the only one who could write their love story. Heck, I’m really nervous, Naomi.”
Tempted to open her eyes to see his face as he spoke, she used every bit of restraint to keep her eyes shut tight.
“Naomi. I want our love story to be just as meaningful. In my mind, it deserves its place right here next to Maggie and Ryan. What I’m trying to say, Naomi…”
She nodded, not sure if she could keep her eyes closed for one second more.
“You can open your eyes now,” he laughed.
Peering up at him, his eyes held hers, connecting with her. Her heart tugged as she attempted to hold back the tears.
Kneeling down on one knee, he fumbled with the small box he had held behind his back until that moment.
“Naomi? Will you marry me and make me and Holly the two happiest people ever?” His eyes softened as he gazed up at her.
“Yes, Bryce. Yes!” She had forgotten that the two of them were standing near the edge of the cliff. All of her fear subsided. He stood, and she leapt up to kiss him, seeing Maggie’s face in her mind, smiling warmly.
She knew one thing. If she had to do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. Maggie had opened up Naomi’s eyes, made her see how important her connection with love, with Bryce, was, and how much of a journey it could be to find the one person in this big world you were meant to stand beside.
She also realized another thing. She had one more chapter left to write. And she also knew for certain now that she had the perfect title for her book.
It would be called Maggie.
Acknowledgements
WHERE DO I start? There are so many people to thank. Maggie will always have a special place in my heart since it was the first novel that I published on my own, but with a ton of love and support from so many amazing people.
Alexandra, as I always say, your love for the paranormal continues to rub off on me. The books, the movies and the discussions all inspire me to write my own paranormal novels. So thank you again.
Mom, Dad, Alan, Jimmer, Damian, Amanda and Siobhan, thank you for your love and support. Mom, thanks for reading Maggie and all your valuable feedback. Siobhan, I hope the fact that I was inspired by your house and property while creating Maggie doesn’t freak you out. (laughs) Thanks for the countless times I wandered around your yard and beyond for inspiration.
I wanted to thank my oldest friends for their ongoing support. Kim, Janine, Karen, Jen and Diann- thank you for reading my books, and for listening and just being there.
I can’t thank my street team enough. Seriously. This group of amazing women have been my support team throughout writing this story and many others.
My editor, Dawn Yacovetta has got to be one of the sweetest women out there. Thank you so much for all your help and feedback while editing Maggie. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your hard work.
Sara Meadows, what can I say? As proofreader for Maggie and my amazing PA, thank you for everything, including giving me the nudge (push- haha) to finally give self-publishing a try. Also, thank you for your help throughout the entire process of publishing Maggie. Your friendship and support have been amazing. And your patience too! (Keep calm- format on.)
Thank you to my team of beta readers for Maggie. Kim DiMauro, Lauren Gebhardt, Maari Hammond, Kallie Kennon, Tabatha Marsh, Cindy Mathis, Sara Meadows, Kelly McMullen Lowe, Jessica Sroga, Dawn Yacovetta and Jemimah Zafoune, your feedback was very helpful. I also wanted to thank all the members of my street team for their ongoing support. We have lots of laughs and I appreciate you all. Char Webster and Kelly McMullen Lowe, I wanted to thank you for helping me out with the uploading process and answering all of my questions. Megan Travers, thank you for your help and support with so many of my books.
I love the cover for Maggie. It’s absolutely perfect for the story. Thank you to my cover artist and member of my street team, Jena Brignola. Jena created the most amazing teasers and promo posts for Maggie as well. Jill Sava, thank you for your help formatting Maggie.
To my readers, thank you for your support. It makes my day when I hear that people enjoy my books. There’s nothing like having someone tell you how much they liked reading your story, so thank you.
So yes, they say it takes a village. Whew!
You can follow me on Instagram @myaomalley and Facebook.com/myaomalley.
XOXO Mya
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