Say the Word
Page 46
One change I absolutely hadn’t seen coming…
***
I awoke to the sensation of a pair of lips trailing across my bare stomach, leaving featherlight kisses in their wake. My eyes blinked open and I glanced down to see a familiar golden head hovering over my belly button.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, my voice cracking with sleep.
He pressed another soft kiss to my stomach.
I glanced to my left, the small glowing clock on the bedside table next to Bash’s bed informing me that it was just past 5:00 a.m. “Bash?” I asked, slipping one of my hands into his hair. I watched my fingers weave through the thick strands for a moment, my bleary eyes not registering the sight before me for several long seconds.
I finally realized what was wrong — starting with the fact that there was something shiny wrapped around a very important finger on my left hand and ending with the fact that I was pretty positive it hadn’t been there when I’d fallen asleep five hours ago. My hand stilled as my gaze caught on the ring.
Bash raised his head, his warm eyes cutting through the darkness to meet mine.
“What is this?” I breathed, my eyes flickering from his face to my left hand, which I held aloft as though it wasn’t part of my body.
“I’m pretty sure it’s your left hand,” Bash said, grinning.
The lack of air passing through my constricted throat made my voice rise to a nervous squeak. “And the ring?”
“Oh, that.” He laughed.
“Yes, that.” I glared at him. “Is this a joke?”
His laughter died mid-chuckle. “Why would this be a joke?”
“There’s a ring on my finger, Bash!”
“I’m aware of that,” he said in a patient voice, as though I were a five-year-old who didn’t quite understand what was happening. “I’m the one who put it there.”
“But… what…” I trailed off, dazzled by the large rock on my finger.
“Words, Freckles. Use your words.” He grinned again, his hands skimming up and down my sides in a soothing motion.
“You want to marry me?” I breathed, turning wide eyes to him.
Bash smiled. “Well, I don’t make a habit of putting rings on girls I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life with.”
“But you didn’t even ask me!” I narrowed my eyes on his grinning face. “Maybe I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with you!”
His laughter rang out louder than ever and his grin widened. “Yes, you do.”
“How do you know? Huh?” I teased, a euphoric smile fighting its way to the surface. “You snore. And you hog all the covers.”
“Those are your criteria for not marrying me?”
Damn, I needed some stronger material. “You’re always taking pictures of me without makeup on.”
“Can you blame me? You’re beautiful.”
I huffed, but my lips were twitching dangerously. “It’s five in the morning! I have morning breath! People are going to ask, ‘How did you two get engaged?’ and I’ll have to tell them I had bed-head and bad breath,” I whined playfully. “You couldn’t have waited to ask me at a decent hour, huh?”
“Sorry. I couldn’t wait another second.”
My eyes began to water as a smile broke out across my face. “Are you sure? Like really, surely sure?”
“I’ve been ‘really, surely sure’ since I was seventeen, Lux.” Bash climbed up the length of my body so we were at eye-level, his face hovering only inches above mine. “What time does City Hall open? Eight? I’m so sure about spending my life with you, we can get dressed and go right now. We’ll be the first people in line.”
I giggled as happy tears leaked from my eyes.
“I’m serious,” Bash protested, his eyes shining. “We can drag a priest or a clerk or a captain or someone with one of those internet-marriage licensing certificates out of bed.”
“You’d marry me today?” I asked, brows raised.
“Today, tomorrow, next week, next year. Any time you want.” Bash leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. His fingers interlaced with mine, and he lifted our joined hands so we could both stare at the bright diamond on my left ring finger. “When you’re ready, tell me and I’ll be there in a tux, waiting for you at the end of that aisle. Just say the word, Freckles.”
THE END
The Facts
This is a work of fiction, but the issues of human smuggling and sex trafficking across the globe are all too real. Sex trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise in the world – a $32 billion-a-year global industry. In the United States alone, each year an estimated 100,000-300,000 American children are at risk of being sold for commercial sex.
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, please don’t remain silent. Call the Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips. You can also call or text The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 to report a tip or get more information.
Your voice could save countless lives.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, I have to thank my readers.
Someday, I know I’ll look back on 22 as the year that everything changed, and it’s all because of you. When I think about the fact that I published both Like Gravity and Say The Word this year, it’s hard to believe I’m not stuck inside some kind of farfetched daydream. So thank you for making my fantasies a reality. I can honestly say that 22 has been the best year of my life. I only hope 23 (and 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and so on…) will live up.
Next, I must thank my parents.
Mom, despite my best efforts, I find you can’t be summed up in a string of words on paper. You wear many hats – mother, teacher, best friend, beta reader, editor, advice-giver, shoulder-to-cry-on, stealer-of-clothes-from-my-closet – and you somehow make them all look fashionable. You lend me your strength every time I need it, without question or complaint. Thank you for teaching me that being brave, even when it’s scary as hell, is always worth it in the end. I love you.
Dad, thank you for a thousand afternoons drinking tea in our kitchen, discussing everything from world politics to last night’s episode of The Walking Dead. Your wisdom, guidance, and love of laughter have shaped me into the woman I am today. I am lucky to know that whenever I need to bounce story ideas off someone, you’re always there to offer a fresh perspective or a creative angle I hadn’t considered before. I love you.
Zack, thank you for being the partial inspiration for the character “Jamie” – we might not be twins, but his brotherly-teasing aspects are certainly derived from our childhood. (Seriously, if you tell anyone the Fish Food story I will kill you.) If I didn’t have such a wonderful brother in my own life, it would’ve been far more difficult to put one down on paper. You chase your dreams fearlessly – thank you for encouraging me to do the same. I love you.
To Blyss Galizia – thank you for being my best friend, sounding board, beta reader, and partner in crime. No matter how far apart we live, I know you’re just a phone call away, always willing to listen to my latest escapades. I don’t know what I’d do without you!
To my friends, neighbors, and extended family – thank you for being my cheerleaders. Your support means everything.
To Matt Phillips at The Cover Lure – thank you for creating the most beautiful cover on the planet (and for putting up with my nit-picking changes for several long months). The work you do is stunning.
And, finally, to Mariah McManus. You don’t know me, but I feel I’ve come to know you through your beautiful music. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world. Your song Unarmed inspired the title of this novel, and for that I am ever grateful.
About the Author
Julie Johnson is a twenty-something Boston native, suffering from an extreme case of Peter Pan Syndrome and an obsession with fictional characters. When she’s not writing, Julie can most often be found daydreaming, drinking too much coffee, or
striving to conquer her Netflix queue. Say The Word is her second novel, but there are many more swimming around in her head, waiting to be put down on paper.
You can contact Julie on her website www.juliejohnsonbooks.com or find her on Facebook. Sometimes, when she can figure out how Twitter works, she tweets from @AuthorJulie.
Playlist
Songs that inspired Say The Word
Song for You by Jesse Thomas
Boats & Birds by Gregory and The Hawk
Be Be Your Love by Rachael Yamagata
Thinking of You by Katy Perry
A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
I Almost Do by Taylor Swift
Human by Christina Perri
Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars
Secrets by Mariah McManus
Say Something by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
Shame On You by Mariah McManus
Stay by Rihanna (feat. Mikky Ekko)
Unarmed by Mariah McManus