“I promise that I’ll try my best to be the man you deserve. That when I hurt you unintentionally—because I’m imperfect—I’ll make sure to seek your forgiveness and help you heal. This time I won’t let my pride take over my heart. I promise to cherish you, Carter, and all the children we will have in the future.”
Tears roll down her eyes.
She sniffs, “My big guy. You’ve been my family for a long time. We had a strange beginning, a scary middle, and a heartbreaking ending. The best thing about real life is that we can restart with a fresh chapter. We can create a better and stronger beginning—one where we both get to decide what happens next.
“I promise to fall in love with you every day. To come to grow with you as we continue this journey together. To hold your heart and protect it the same way you protect our family. I promise to be supportive. The way you are with me. I’ll never stop believing in you—in us.
“Thank you for choosing me as your mate. Thank you for being my wolf.”
After we exchange the rings, Nyx says, “By the power vested in me by God and the state of Oregon, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
I nearly crush her in my arms, but I contain myself and just hold her tight, pressing my lips to hers. We kiss tenderly. It’s a new promise. A new day. A new beginning where we make vows to never let each other go. Even those we don’t voice out loud. This time around, we will be careful with each other’s hearts.
We’ll love fiercely and protect our family and our love from everyone.
As we all walk toward the house for the reception, I notice Jerome Parrish. He wears a formal suit. Did Leyla invite him to the wedding?
When I approach him, he says, “Congratulations.”
“You weren’t invited,” I grunt.
“And here I thought the invitation was lost in the mail, silly me,” he answers, and Leyla laughs.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
He pulls two envelopes from his jacket and hands them to us.
“Is it because of the wedding?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Read the letter, and you’ll figure out why I’m handing this to you.”
I stare at the letter, and it’d be easy to open it, but I have a deal with my brothers. The decisions we make together matter. They are promises among us that I don’t intend to break.
“Thank you,” I say, nodding.
“Why don’t you stay and celebrate with us?” Leyla says.
I freeze because, really? She’s inviting the enemy to stay and dine with us?
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” he answers.
“Please,” she insists. “There’s always room for another person.”
“Thank you,” he says, walking ahead of us.
“Why did you do that?”
“We still have a year to go, and he’s going to be around for that length. I think we can be friendly with him. It’s not his fault that your dad was bored and decided to create chaos, is it?”
She makes sense, and now that the anger is subsiding, things look so much different. Parrish isn’t the enemy. Just a tool my father is using from hell to create chaos. What Dad didn’t know is that his plan wasn’t foolproof, but we’re not safe either. We still have a year to go, and we don’t know what’s going happen, but we won’t let this town down. Everything that he thought would break remains intact. Everything he broke is being fixed or healed.
Thanks to him, the love story we thought had ended has a new chapter.
Something beautiful and wonderful reborn out of this chaos.
Our love.
A love we’ll protect fiercely.
I’ll slay dragons and build a fortress to protect it and my family.
Afterword
Dear Reader,
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Thank you so much for picking up a copy of
Defying Our Forever.
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Writing the Aldridge brothers has been a fun ride. When I began plotting them back in 2018 I wasn’t sure how this would look like. The idea was having three maybe four brothers from a different mother come to this town after their father died.
I spoke to a developmental editor about this series. We outlined it but even though I planned for one thing, these brothers changed their mind.
So, three became seven and I love each Aldridge a lot, even when Carter is no longer among us. (Well, among them.) I really feel these guys as a part of me.
Leyla’s back story is one of those true stories that happened and for years I keep wondering what happened to that girl. Where is she? I’ve been wanting to write her a happy ending and I think this one is fitting. I believe she’s a strong woman who doesn’t need a knight in shiny armor but the company of a good man like Pierce.
If you haven’t read Hayes and Blaire’s story and would like to follow their journey, you can grab a copy of Loved You Once. Henry and Sophia’s fairy tale is A Moment Like You.
I’m pretty sure, that like me, you’re waiting for the rest of those letters and the stories that go along with them. Beacon’s book releases early next year.
Call You Mine is a fun friends to lovers romance that has also one of my favorite characters from my original series (Unexpected Series). I can’t wait to write it and for you to read it.
One last thing, if you loved Defying Our Forever as much as I do, please leave a review on your favorite retailer, Goodreads, and on Bookbub. Also, please spread the word about it among your friends. One of my favorite things about writing is sharing this characters with everyone.
* * *
Sending all my love,
Claudia xoxo
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you to God because he’s the one who allows me to be here and who gifts me the time, the creativity, and the tools to do what I love.
Thank you for all the blessings in my life.
Thank you to my husband for taking upon the house chores so I can meet my deadlines. To my children and my family for supporting me in this journey.
It’s never enough to say thank you to my person, Kristi. Five years, a lot of patience and love that I will never be able to repay. While writing this book, she totally held my hand and even edited every word to make it just perfect. Thank you.
Heather Roberts who’s been keeping up with all my ideas and promotes me everywhere she cans. I’m truly thankful.
Hang Le, my longtime friend and my cover artist. She always understands what my books need.
Darlene, Karen, Melissa, Patricia, and Yolanda for always responding to my incoherent questions. Their feedback is important just like their friendship. To Amy, who just came into my life and gave me the best feedback and make this book a million times better.
To all my readers, I’m so grateful for you. Thank you so much for your love, your kindness, and your support. It’s because of you that I can continue doing what I do.
My amazing ARC team, girls you are an essential part of my team. Thank you for always being there for me. My Grammers, you rock!
To my Chicas! Thank you so much for your continuous support and for being there for me every day!
Thank you to all the bloggers who help me spread the word about my books. Thank you never cuts it just right, but I hope it’s enough.
* * *
Thank you for everything.
All my love,
Claudia xoxo
About the Author
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right. When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge-watch shows with her equally geeky husband.
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To find more about Claudia:
website
Also By Claudia Burgoa
The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers Series
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Loved You Once
A Moment Like You
Defying Our Forever
October 2020
Call You Mine
February 2021
As We Are
June 2021
Yours to Keep
September 2021
* * *
Against All Odds Series
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Wrong Text, Right Love
Didn’t Expect You
Love Like Her
March 2021
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Second Chance Sinners
Pieces of Us
April 2021
Somehow Finding Us
May 2021
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Standalones
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Us After You
Almost Perfect
Once Upon a Holiday
Someday, Somehow
Chasing Fireflies
Something Like Hate
Then He Happened
Maybe Later
My One Despair
My One Regret
Found
Fervent
Flawed
Until I Fall
Finding My Reason
Christmas in Kentbury
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Chaotic Love Duet
Begin with You
Back to You
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Unexpected Series
Uncharted
Uncut
Undefeated
Unlike Any Other
Decker the Halls
Co-writing
Holiday with You
Defying Our Forever (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers Book 3) Page 26