“I didn’t want you to worry. That little piece of information that there was a positive test out there would have been grown in the back of your head each day into something bigger than it was.”
I nod and take a deep breath. The secret is out, and there’s nothing anyone can dig up about Tanner McCain.
“You’re right. How do you know me so well?” I ask him, smiling.
“Because I’ve been in love with you for as long as I remember.” He bends down, and his lips press against mine.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and with a snap of his fingers, he places me back up on that cloud in the sky.
epilogue
THE PLASTIC BAGS DIG INTO my fingers as I fumble with my key in the lock. The snow banks are piled up on either side of the door, and my toes are freezing. I thought coming from the Midwest that I’d be used to the snow and cold, but I’ve never in my life seen this much snow at one time. The sun reflects against the window, and feeling the heat along my skin makes the slippery driving I just did from the grocery store disappear.
Once I’m in the building, my head falls in defeat in front of the stairs.
Two flights, I think to myself, adjusting the bags in my hands before stepping one foot in front of the other.
If those weren’t bad enough, Tanner has to be the last apartment on this floor. The glass jars clink together while the bread repeatedly tries to escape out of the bag while I walk down the long hallway.
“Should have waited for Tanner,” I mumble to myself, increasing my speed.
I insert the key into his—I mean, our apartment. God, what a foreign statement that is, even after all this time. My phone blares in the hallway, and I shuffle in as fast as I can, the door slamming behind me. I drop the bags on the table and then put the tips of my gloves into my mouth to shed them from my hands. Digging into a pocket of my parka, I retrieve my phone, seeing Brad’s name flashing across the screen.
“What’s up?” I ask, placing him on speakerphone to begin taking off my layers for warmth.
“She’s dodging me,” he says.
No, Hello. How are you guys? Tanner training hard? Do you ever see him?
Nope, good old selfish Brad is still alive and currently chasing down Taylor.
“Oh. Well, what did you expect?” I hang my coat on the coat rack I suggested we buy at the store even though Tanner was more than willing to have his coats hanging on the back of the kitchen chair all the time.
“I expected her to see my gorgeous face and my ripped body and run into my arms.”
I laugh. “Seriously?” I open up the plastic bags and begin unloading the groceries.
I cross my fingers and hope that the food will last for more than two days. But with an Olympic-training swimmer, food disappears faster than I can buy it.
“Why wouldn’t I think that? What are you doing?”
“I’m unloading the groceries. I just got back from the store.” I roll my eyes, waiting for his insult.
“Man, you have become domesticated. Your belly getting in the way? Are you wearing shoes?”
“Ha-ha,” I sneer at his typical jokes about me not having a job yet and being the stay-at-home girlfriend.
“I’m impressed. I never thought you’d take to the role so well.”
“Role? This isn’t a movie. Get on with Taylor. How did she react?” I open our pantry, already bare from us shopping three days ago.
“She ignored me. Walked to her car as though she didn’t hear me. Then, she got in, started it up, and drove away.”
I begin stocking our shelves, laughing to myself. Then, I hear a woman say something in the background. My arm stops mid reach. “Brad? Who’s that?”
I’ll fly back to Michigan and beat his ass myself if he’s with another woman after Taylor turned him down.
“Relax. I can hear the tension in your voice. You’d think since you don’t do much all day, you’d have less stress.” He chuckles.
Then, I hear a muffling sound.
“It’s my sister. Just razzing her.”
“I’m about to hang up now.”
“If you must know, I’m at the hospital. Ouch!” he screams. “It is still attached to my body,” he says to the woman, I assume the nurse.
“Brad?” I yell into the phone.
“She ran over my foot when she left me in the parking lot.”
I purse my lips together to stop the laughter begging to release.
“Go ahead, and laugh.”
“Are . . . are you okay?” I try to conceal any sound of amusement to his injury.
“I’m fine. Thank God it was my left foot. Ouch!” he screams.
I feel bad for the nurse.
“I gotta go. I’ll call you tonight.”
Dead air sounds a second later.
Shaking my head, I continue the chore of putting the food away, trying to remember if I had bought everything for tonight’s dinner.
Brad’s jokes toward my current situation with Tanner deepen, and I fear I’m becoming a burden on Tanner. It’s not him surfacing those feelings. It’s me and my own diminishing self-esteem.
Not to mention, I’m not killing it with all these household chores. I washed his down parka after he spilled coffee on it one morning, and I ruined it. I stripped his coffee table of the varnish when my nail polish remover spilled across it. Somehow, the vacuum cleaner started smoking the first time I used it, so I don’t even go near the new one.
Tonight is different though. Tonight, I’m making us a romantic dinner to celebrate our six-month anniversary of dating. It’s probably cheesy and something I wouldn’t do if I weren’t stuck in snow country with nothing to do but please my man.
Taking out the recipe, I give myself a small pep talk to boost my confidence. I can accomplish at least one domesticated thing. During the past few months, I’ve refrained from calling my mom for advice because I want to show some form of independence even if Tanner supports me financially.
After the kitchen is ready to go, I hop in the shower to shave every last hair off my body, except for the ones on my head. As the water cascades down my back, the heat warms my cold skin. My mind drifts to Brad and his quest for Taylor. In the last six months, both our lives have changed for the better.
The press conference wasn’t the end of the ordeal. Some people still point to Tanner, not believing the hard facts of his progress the last two and a half years. They want to believe he can’t be that good without using, but he is, and he seems to be at peace, knowing so. He takes it all in stride just as he has his whole life.
Bayli was sitting in her car, waiting for us, when we pulled up to our driveway. Brad took the beating she gave him after he quietly told her he couldn’t marry her. The rest of us remained in the house, but we could still hear her screaming at him. Needless to say, her parents are trying to bill Brad for the lost money. But he seems happier, and it took him a few months to seek Taylor out and find out where she went after college.
I smile, remembering the Skype call when he located her. The hope in his face had me cuddling up to Tanner a little closer that night in appreciation of having the one I love so close. Now, Brad has to hold tight and not give up since she’s dodging him. That’s not Brad’s strong suit. This time, he needs to channel his fighting instinct he used to have and win her over.
I escape the shower, and I immediately smile. My hand covers my heart as though his words have shot me with Cupid’s arrow.
You’re perfect is scribbled across the mirror in Tanner’s writing.
He has this sense when I’m struggling. I guess I’ve been transparent the last few weeks. Next to his writing, I add my own note on the steamed mirror for Tanner to see the next time he gets out of the shower. My finger slides along the smooth surface, smiling at the thought of him finding my words.
When I’m done, I need you like a heartbeat reads on the mirror.
When I back up to open the bathroom door, I smile as it disappears.
I
put on the pink dress from our very first date, which I just found when I unpacked my boxes. I try to even do my hair the exact same way I did over two years ago.
Tossing on the apron Brad gave me as a going-away gift—smart-ass bastard—I take a hefty breath to begin cooking a meal to prove my worth.
An hour later, I’m shuffling between the cutting board, the stove, and the sink. Sweat is dripping in between my cleavage and I’m positive my makeup is streaking down my face.
Glancing at the clock, I have five minutes before Tanner will walk through the door. I rush over to the table, setting it with our generic white dishes and our only two wine glasses. After lighting votive candles in a line down the middle of the table, I toss the flowers I bought in a glass jar since we don’t have a vase. Stepping back, I’m impressed. It looks nice and romantic.
As I’m smiling at the table I accomplished to decorate, Tanner’s key twists in the lock, and I lean against the counter in the kitchen, so I’m the first thing he sees. With my hand on my hip, I deny the urge to bite my lower lip from how anxious his entry makes me.
The door opens, and I’m surprised to find he showered at the center. He’s all decked out in a charcoal pinstriped suit, holding a vase full of flowers in his hand.
My shoulders slump, and my smile widens. “You remembered,” I whisper, my throat tightening.
He takes me in, and then his eyes flick to the table all set for a romantic dinner. “I was going to take you out.” He places the flowers on the table next to my makeshift arrangement. “It looks beautiful.” Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me to him, his face nuzzling in my neck. “Not as beautiful as you though.”
“Aw, aren’t you the sweetest?” My hands reach up, feeling his damp hair.
His hands tighten, and he lifts me off the ground.
“I missed you,” he softly says.
I love the way he makes me feel so wanted.
He kisses my neck and places me back down on the ground. “So, what do we have?”
He walks into the kitchen, and just as I’m about to tell him, I notice smoke lingering in the air.
“Hey, babe?” he asks, opening the oven door. A billow of smoke rushes out.
“Oh my God!” I scream right before the smoke alarm blares throughout the apartment.
Tanner rushes over and opens a window, and as the expert I’ve become in the kitchen, I turn on the fan above the stove, grab a dishtowel, and wave it below the alarm. Tanner calmly walks over, reaching up and pressing the sounding alarm to shut it off.
I freeze in place, watching him take charge. He takes the dish out of the oven, puts it in the freezer, and waves his hand in the air to dissipate the smoke. Looking at the table, the tears well up in my eyes because of another failed attempt. I tried to show Tanner how much I love him. My fingers swipe the few spilled tears on my cheeks, and when Tanner gets the situation all under control, he laughs, walking over to me.
“I guess I still get to take you out to dinner.” He chuckles again.
The misery festers in me and emerges, and tears pour out of my eyes. My head falls into my hands, and Tanner rushes the last few steps toward me.
“Hey.” His arms wrap around me while his head dips down to entice me to look at him. “It happens, baby. I took care of it.”
His sentence breaks me, and my slow trickling of tears turns to sobs gushing out.
“That’s it,” I stutter. “You always take care of me,” I admit the insecurity I have when it comes to our relationship.
“I love taking care of you.” He grabs my hands and pushes them away from my face. His thumb and forefinger cup my chin, and he tilts my face up to meet his. “What’s going on?”
I close my eyes, building up the courage to be honest with him. “I can’t even cook you dinner.”
I wail, and he laughs.
I push him back and stand up. “I’m serious, Tan. I’m a disaster in anything house-related. Brad pokes fun at me all the time about if I’m pregnant and barefoot.”
Walking around the table, I blow out the candles and begin stacking the unused dishes.
“Brad’s an ass, and he should worry about his own life for once.”
When I go for the flowers, Tanner’s hand rests on my forearm. “Baby?” he asks.
I stop. “You go out and swim and work your endorsements, and I sit around here all day, living off of what you make. I feel like a kept woman.”
I slump down in a chair, and Tanner pulls his own chair over to position himself right in front of me.
“Oh, Piper. You sacrificed so much to join me here. You gave up your opportunity back home to teach. I promise you’ll find something out here soon. Just so you know, every day when I get in my car after practice, I’m thankful you’re here, waiting for me.” He takes my hands in his.
“But I’m like a leech stuck to your back, and one day, you’ll want to take a stick and fling me off.” My head falls again.
He shakes his head, a smile threatening to break at my drama. “Jeez, baby, you’ve really got a way with words.”
He laughs again.
“Relationships are give-and-take. This is only one chapter, and if we’re lucky, we’ll have a lot of years together.” He tips his head to see my face.
“It doesn’t change the fact, I can’t even make you dinner,” I admit again.
A small smile crosses his lips. “I couldn’t give a shit if you cooked me dinner, ironed my shirts, or whatever fifties housewives did. All I need is you. You keep me going, keep me swimming. You know, every day, on my last swim, my pace is faster than the others because I know I’m closer to coming home to you.” He tightens his grip on my hands.
“Are you sure you don’t mind that I’m not domesticated—at all?” I ask him.
“Nope. You know what I do mind though?” he asks.
I scrunch my eyebrows at him. “What?” I whisper.
“The fact that you go to the grocery store or to the mall, and nobody knows that your heart is taken,” he says.
My head inches back. He’s making no sense. “Do you think I would—”
“I think it’s time we fix that.” His hands leave mine, and he digs in his pocket before bending down on one knee.
“Tan,” I sigh, my hand running across my heart. It hurts from how much more it grows for this man in front of me.
“Piper Ashby, you’ve been my friend and my lover, and I dare you to be my wife.”
My body melts into the hard chair as he takes my hand, separating my fingers. I suck in a breath when he positions the round white metal on the tip of my finger. The tears build up again, and they slowly release from my eyelids.
My voice gets caught in my throat as I envision myself, all those years ago, writing Piper McCain in notebooks. Now, this boy is waiting patiently for my answer on bended knee.
Overwhelmed with happiness, I choke out, “I’ll take that dare.”
acknowledgments
THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE THAT helped me bring Love Surfaced into your hands.
The first (yes, you have to share first place), my two nightly sprinting partners—K.L. Grayson and Mia Kayla. You both pushed me by cracking your whips, and never let me toss my manuscript in the trash. The hours of brainstorming and encouragement you both gave me while writing Piper and Tanner, will never be forgotten. There’s no way I can convey how fortunate I am for your friendship. You are my rocks in this crazy book world—plain and simple.
With tears already brimming, it’s now time to thank the people who sacrifice the most—my family. We haven’t had the best year, but I never would have gotten through it without you. I’d still be sitting on the couch with a blank screen if it wasn’t for your gentle pushing to keep moving forward. I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you for the hugs, couragement and love you’ve given me the past eight months.
Next are my editors, Perfectly Publishable and Unforeseen Editing.
Nicole Strauss, Perfectly Publishable, you have
a way to draw out emotion from me and if it wasn’t for your digging, Piper and Tanner wouldn’t be the characters they are.
Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, I was thrilled to work with you and you exceed the reputation you have in this industry. If it wasn’t for your eagle eye and detailed perfection, no one would be able to make sense of my jumbled words.
To Alexis Durbin, Indie Girl Proofs, you might be hard to please (I mean that kindly), but your honesty is refreshing. You had a much deeper hand in Love Surfaced than only proofing and I appreciate you giving the extra attention.
Sommer Stein from Perfect Pear Creative Covers. I searched and searched for the perfect photo. Then you go above and beyond, and search too. You send me a photo you can’t get out of your head. We go for it and in a half hour, my eye-catching cover is finished and breathtakingly beautiful. You’re creativity amazes me with every cover you create. Muah.
To all my betas and there were a lot of you, but you each brought different advice that helped the story of Piper and Tanner evolve. Danielle Allen, Mia Kayla, Annie Trembley, Angie Straton, Melinda Bones, H. D’agostino, Melissa Rolka, Becky Martindell, Roxie Madar, Yamara Martinez, Kumiko Lee, and Amy Konczyk. Thank you for taking the time to read Love Surfaced in its roughest form.
There’s one last beta, but she’s not only a beta, she’s been my Personal Assistant for the last few months, Karrie Puskas. Thank you for your friendship, your hours of promotion, and doing everything you can to get my name out there. I cherish the friendship we’ve built these last months.
Heather Davenport, Book Plug Promotions, you my lady, surprise me with your organization and attention to detail with each event you plan for me. Thank you for never making me have to worry about anything because you are always one step ahead.
To all the blogs who have supported me, not only with Love Surfaced, but throughout the years. I appreciate you scheduling time to read and review Love Surfaced. Scheduling shares of the cover, teasers and excerpts. Without you, no one would find me.
Lastly, the readers. Without you I’d have no one to share my stories with. Thank you for trusting me by purchasing my book. I hope each time I do not disappoint you.
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