“Hot and tired.”
He leans down to kiss me, and I don’t miss the beard one bit. He was right when he said he was devastatingly handsome beneath it.
“Well, you look beautiful to me.”
He always says that, no matter what. No matter how sweaty, or short-tempered, or weepy, or crazy I get. He weathers all my moods like a pro.
He reaches up to take my face in his palms, running the pad of his thumb down the side of my jaw as he fixes me with one of his soul-searching stares. I feel like I’m melting into his hands, all sweat and skin, and I pull away self-consciously, but he will have none of it.
He tucks my hair behind my ear, my crazy, fly-away, almost waist-length hair, with the mind of its own thanks to pregnancy hormones and the relentless heat.
“I mean it,” he says, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. “You’re beautiful. I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Just like the first time he said this to me, and every time since, it conjures up such an intense emotional reaction deep inside me, it almost hurts. I know how much this baby means to him. I know that there was a time in his life when he didn’t think he’d live long enough to become a father, and I know how much he worries that he’ll somehow fall short of his own high expectations of himself.
I also know how wrong he is about that.
Our baby is lucky to have him, as am I, and I know we’ll spend the rest of our lives feeling grateful for him, no matter what.
I suppose luck is just another word for destiny, or fate, or serendipity. Whatever you call it, it brought us together, defying incredible odds. I have faith that, with power like that in the universe, we’ll be okay.
Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She loves to do DIY (if it's not bolted down, she'll probably paint it, re-cover it or otherwise decorate it) and has tried almost every craft known to man/womankind. She has two sewing machines and an over-locker she can't remember how to thread. She crochets (but can't follow a pattern), knits (badly) and refrains from both as a public service.
She believes in love at first sight, women's intuition and in following your heart. She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte.
What lights her fire is writing stories about real people in trying situations. Her passion is finding characters that are forced to test their boundaries. She is insanely curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and the complexity of relationships in general.
After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.
In the Shadow of Satellites
is her fifth novel.
You can connect with Amanda here:
www.facebook.com/amandadickauthor
www.instagram.com/amandadickauthor/
Join her private fan group on Facebook
and see teasers from upcoming books, giveaways and behind-the-scenes info on her published novels:
www.facebook.com/groups/amandadickbooks
First and foremost, thanks to my husband, Willie, and my kids, Georgia and Cameron. You guys are the most patient, understanding and supportive family I could wish for. Georgia, thanks for talking through the titles with me and helping me to decide on this one – we done good! Willie, I’ve used elements of our own story in this one, as you’ll no doubt recognise. Nineteen years, two children and thousands of miles later, here we still are. You still laugh at my accent, and I still can’t understand why you feel the need to miss out entire words from sentences. And purple is spelt with one r, not three.
Amber Smith Gragg and Pam Ochs Douglass – thank you both for your help with research. Amber, one day I’ll get to North Carolina and I’m coming to visit! Thank you for all the photos and for answering my endless dumb questions. Pam, thanks to both you and your son for answering my military questions.
To my awesome beta readers – Jennie Coull, Amanda Edwards, Tracy Skerratt, Kathy Townsend, Sandi Laubhan, Amber Smith Gragg and Judy Nickless – thank you for your dedication, honesty and support. I threw this at you with a 12 day deadline and you still came through for me – this story would not be the same without your input, and I’m so grateful.
To the readers that frequent my Facebook private fan group (AmandaDickBooks) – you guys rock! Thanks for keeping me motivated, for providing feedback and for your enthusiasm. You always come up with the bestest character names.
Sean Lowery at High Impact Covers has done an amazing job on this cover, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Thanks for being such a breeze to work with, and for your speed and intuitive input!
CP Smith at Affordable Formatting is by far, without a doubt, the best formatter I’ve worked with to date. Quick, easy to talk to and she has the kind of knowledge that just makes the process such a joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you. As Arnie said, I’ll be back…
Sarah Widdup, you saucy minx. I even named a character after you in this one (albeit I spelt it differently, but whatever, right?). Thanks for being my friend and for being my editor (in that order, too). You know how much I rely on you, and yet you never run away from me screaming. You deserve a medal. Love ya, dude.
To all the bloggers who helped me spread the word about this book, who shared Facebook and Twitter posts, who supported and encouraged me; thank you for all you do – it never goes unnoticed and will always be appreciated. The indie community is very lucky to have you with us and we will never forget that.
Last but not least, a big thanks to you. Yes you, reading this. Thanks for caring enough to share this journey with me, for your time and patience, reviews and support. I couldn’t do this without you!
Slipped Away – Avril Lavigne
Other Side of the World – KT Tunstall
Incomplete – James Bay
Fantasy Man – The Swell Season
Winter – U2
Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills and Nash
Fall At Your Feet - Crowded House
Gone Too Soon - Daughtry
Good Time – Counting Crows
When I’m Gone – 3 Doors Down
Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
This Years Love – David Gray
Second Chance – Liam Finn
In a Memory – The Butterfly Effect