Further To Fall

by Catherine Cowles

  Austin unrolled the bundle, his confusion compounding until he read the words on the front of the white onesie. Daddy’s Little Fighter with a pair of boxing gloves. His jaw dropped, and his eyes shot to mine. “Does this mean?” he started. “Are you?” His eyes flew from mine to my nonexistent belly.

  “You’re gonna be a daddy.”

  Austin dropped the bag and was suddenly moving. He threw his arms around me, burrowing his face in my neck. I felt dampness there and in my own eyes. “Just when I think I can’t get any happier. I love you, Carter.” His hand snuck between us, resting on my stomach. “And I love you, little guy.”

  I drew my head back. “It could be a girl.”

  Austin’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears and humor. “If there’s a God in Heaven, our first child will be a boy.”

  My brows furrowed, “Why?”

  “Your beauty? I’m gonna need all the help I can get looking after any girls you give me.”

  I relaxed in Austin’s arms as we glided over the dance floor. My eyes traveled around the room, pausing on different people, letting the warmth of being surrounded by all our loved ones wash over me.

  Michael was shoveling forkfuls of chocolate cake into his mouth, his eyes dancing at something his mom’s new husband was saying. Earlier that year, Sofia had married Carlos, the Casanova fighter who had hit on me the first time I went to Austin’s gym. Sofia had brought Carlos to his knees, and he worshipped the ground she walked on. Finally, Sofia and Michael had a man in their lives who truly deserved to be there. I knew Joe had made amends as best he could, through written letters this time, but he still wasn’t in their lives. There were some things you might be able to forgive, but you’d never forget.

  My eyes travelled to the bar where Ford was putting the moves on one of Austin’s cousins. I giggled as I saw him blatantly check out her cleavage. Some things would never change. A few stools down, Liam was engrossed in conversation with Austin’s dad and Austin’s old coach, Mel. Both Liam and Ford had stayed close, the brothers I’d never had but always wanted. And I knew they’d both had conversations with Austin when he struggled to let go of what had happened to me. Easing his mind and helping him make peace with it.

  Surprisingly, ever since that first day at the hospital, I hadn’t struggled. I felt safe. Safe because Austin made me feel that way. This didn’t mean he let up on my self-defense training, that would always be a way for him to feel as if he could keep the bad things in life from touching me. Since it meant close body contact with my man, I didn’t mind.

  My gaze continued on, resting for a bit on Taylor, who was sitting with her mom. I was worried about my bestie. She tried to hide it, but every now and then, I caught shadows in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. While her mom was in remission, I think her battle with cancer had marked Taylor. I knew the only thing I could do was be there when she was ready to open up and be willing to help her carry her burden for a while. Just like she had for me so many times.

  Austin twirled me in a spin, and I caught sight of my parents swirling around us. Both my parents and Austin’s dad had been relishing the joy of their only children finding their other half. Austin swung me back into his arms, kissing me soft and slow. “Good day?” he asked.

  “The best,” I answered, brushing my lips against his again. Pulling back, I gazed into his dark blue orbs. “Just when I think I can’t get any happier.”

  THE END

  Taylor’s story is just beginning. Want to know what happens on her journey of heartbreak and healing? Find out in Beautifully Broken Pieces, coming February 27th. Click HERE to be notified upon release.

  Bonus Scene

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  Reviews encourage other readers to try out a book. They are critically important to getting the word out about a book, and mean the world to every author.

  I’d love your help in spreading the word. If you could take a quick moment to leave a review on your favorite book site, I would be forever grateful. It can be as short as you like. You can do that on your preferred retailer. Or on Goodreads here. Or on BookBub here. Even better? All three! Just copy and paste that baby!

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  Acknowledgments

  Acknowledgments are my very favorite part of every book. I often will flip to the end of a novel just to read the acknowledgments first because I love knowing who helped the author along his or her journey. This first batch of acknowledgments is bound to be a doozy because guess what? This is my first book! I wrote a freaking book, guys!

  There are so many people who helped me make this book a reality, but the first thank you has to go to my mom. My love of books is greatly due to all the books she read to me throughout my childhood. She also supported me in every way imaginable throughout the writing process and listened to far more book talk than she was probably interested in. Thanks for encouraging me to take this crazy path, Mom. I love you!

  Lyle, thank you for being so proud of me every single time I accomplished a step in this process and helping me take this leap. I’m so lucky to have you as a soul sister!

  Trisha, my bookish bestie. You walked with me through every part of this journey with me. Thank you for being a kickass combo of cheerleader/sounding board/editor/shoulder to cry on!

  Getting involved in the Indie Romance world has put me in contact with some incredible women. I’m especially grateful for a few authors who took the time take a baby author under their wing. I swear, women supporting women will change the world.

  Alessandra Torre, I’m not sure this book would have ever gotten finished if it wasn’t for you and your amazing classes. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with the world and for taking the time out of your busy schedule to walk me through some of the scarier aspects of self-publishing. Your encouragement and wisdom have meant the world to me!

  Julia Sykes, I love that book world reconnected us. I’ll never forget how excited you were for me when I told you I was writing my first book. Your enthusiasm and kindness were such fortitude to this new writer’s soul. Thank you for taking the time to share all you’ve learned with me.

  Devney Perry, thank you for taking the time to answer my millions of questions. Your kindness and generosity of spirit are unparalleled!

  Social media can be a scary place, but I’ve been lucky enough to find two incredible communities of encouraging authors in the Alessandra Torre Inkers group and my KB101 ladies. Inkers, thank you for sharing all the different things you’ve learned in your own journeys and for providing encouragement and laughs. To my KB girls, thanks for sharing in the joys and sorrows of being a newbie writer. So thankful to have all of you to lean on!

  Emma Renshaw, my wormhole twinsie. There aren’t enough “thank you”s in the world to express my gratitude for having you on this journey. You are such a gift!

  Grahame Claire, I’m so glad this crazy world of writing brought us together. Thank you for your eagle eyes, wisdom, and constant brainstorming sessions!

  My fearless beta readers: Trisha, Emily, Angela, and Ryan. Thank you for reading this book in its roughest form and helping me to make it the best it could possibly be!

  A huge thank you to my editors Susan and Chelle for walking me through my very first editing process. You were both so kind and helpful, thank you for guiding my path.

  Nikki, TWILIGHT FOREVER! Also, thank you for taking the time to answer 500 public relations questions. I’m so lucky to have a friend like you in my life!

  Michelle, thank you for answering all my many medical related questions. Hopefully, I didn’t mess
anything up too badly!

  Lastly, thank YOU! Yes, YOU. I’m so grateful you’re reading this book and making my author dreams come true. I love you for that. A whole lot!

  About the Author

  Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

  You can find Catherine in all the usual bookish places…

  Website: http://catherinecowles.com

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