Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (44 page)

No. I guess not.

Kyle continued to let his feelings roll. “From what you’ve told me, I doubt that’s the case. When you are hurting, you lean on someone, Lily. Your family, people you love—that is what they are there for.”

He pulled me into his arms. “Look, Lily, I know today was hard. It was
awful,
and I know you were hurt and overwhelmed. It nearly killed me to watch you in so much pain.” He hesitated for a moment as if he were pushing away those memories. “But that is separate from you and me. I will
always
be here for you. That will never change.” His eyes were burning into mine, making my chest tighten with love. “Don’t run from me ever again, Lily. That hurt the most, watching you walk away from me.”

My eyes watered at how much he cared. So many feelings were stirring in my chest. I grabbed his face, not wanting to talk anymore, and I kissed him. He kissed me back with passion and such intensity that I thought I might faint. He kissed me like he hadn’t seen me for days or weeks.

I thought of all the ways this man had touched my soul. There were so many reasons why my life would never be the same because of him. He had left a permanent mark on my heart. Part of me never wanted to let him go, but I knew that if I kept him, I could someday lose him.

Kyle pulled back, swallowing hard, while looking nervous.

“What’s wrong, Kyle?” I blinked up at him, feeling confused, wanting to know why he’d pulled away.

Kyle regarded me with such love in his eyes. “I’m in love with you, Lily, and I know you’re in love with me, too. Come to Lake Tahoe with me and give us a chance. I know you have things in your life that you’re working on, and so do I, but we can do them together. I love you, and I want you to be mine. I want to wake up next to you every day, and see your beautiful smile. When I come home from work, I want to see you my house or find you out by the lake watching the water with your laptop nearby...If you don’t like living in Lake Tahoe, then I’ll build you a house on a beach anywhere you want.” He gave me the most breathtaking smile. “Just take a chance with me, my beautiful Lily. I love you.”

Kyle looked deep into my eyes, trying to find his answer. “You have my heart in your hands, Lily. Please don’t break it,” he said, his voice low and vulnerable.

I could feel my pulse accelerate. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest.

He loves me?

And I love him, too?

Move in with him?

My thoughts were everywhere.

Is it possible to pass out from a panic attack?

My fingers started to tingle just as spots danced before my eyes
.

Can I…take a chance?

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it. I look forward to reading all of your comments and reviews, and I thank you in advance for sharing your feedback with me.

For the most up-to-date information, please follow me on Facebook at
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I have so many wonderful people to thank. Each person has truly been a blessing along this new chapter in my life.

First and foremost, I cannot express enough thanks to my remarkably talented editor, Jovana Shirley, at Unforeseen Editing. She was the first person I met when I started this journey of writing, and I’m forever grateful for her friendship, advice, and the endless late nights she shared with me while perfecting every single word. She took my original manuscript of
Beautiful Chances
and made it shine. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!

To my family, who has always supported me with unconditional love, even during the past six months when I practically lived in my writing cave—Thank you, and I love you all dearly. *Hugs*

To Colin Wayne, fitness model and athlete; his wife, Megan; and photographer, Golden Czermak, at Furious Fotog—Thank you for working together with me on the cover photo shoot and for creating such amazing photographs. You all did an amazing job!

To Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations—Thank you for taking all the photographs and creating a work of art. I am in awe of your extraordinary talent, and I absolutely love how beautiful the final cover turned out.

To my betas: my dear husband, Travis; Kelsey; Shirley; Linda; Sherri; Elizabeth; Kendall; Kelly; and Alissa—Thank you for your countless hours of reading and for giving me that push I needed with your kind and encouraging words. I love you all!

To the many bloggers who put their heart and time into promoting my book—THANK YOU! I’ve made so many great friends along the way. I’m forever grateful to you all.

To Rosette, Karen, and Michelle, at Literati Author Services—Thank you for your hard work and guidance in what was an unfamiliar territory for me. Without you, I would have never known what steps to take.

To J.B. McGee, author and friend—Thank you for welcoming me into the writing world with open arms. Also, I owe you a great deal of thanks for designing my website.

To all fellow authors—Thank you for writing books where I can lose myself for hours and for inspiring me to write a love story of my own.

And especially to my readers—I can never thank you enough for reading my book. All your support means the world to me.