Stoking the Embers (New Adult Romantic Suspense): The Complete Series (48 page)
Read Stoking the Embers (New Adult Romantic Suspense): The Complete Series Online
Authors: Leslie Johnson
Tags: #new adult romance suspense
After graduation, the station hosts a barbeque in mine and Beth’s honor. The food is delicious and I eat so much I barely have room for a slice of cake.
“We did it!” Beth squeals, not for the first time. We happy dance together, our faces hurting from smiling so much.
After cake and ice cream, Ken yells to get everyone’s attention. He holds up his glass of soda and says, “I’d like to make a toast.”
When everyone is quite, he begins…
“Today we celebrate a milestone in the lives of two very strong and beautiful women, the lovely Stephanie Vonnegut and Beth Richards. Two warriors.”
Cheers go up, so he has to pause. He waves his hands in the air to quieten everyone down. When all is silent again, he continues…
“Everyone has a dream and Stephanie wears her dreams on her wrist.” There is murmured confusion and Ken waves me to the front. When I’m by his side, he lifts my hand in the air, the bracelet jingling on my arm.
He lowers my hand and kisses the back of it, holding it to his chest. “Several years ago, Stephanie got this bracelet and purchased charms that had special meaning. One was a tiny diploma. Well, she got the real one today.”
Cheers go up again.
“But there are a couple other charms on here that haven’t been transformed to reality. You see, Steph here is a pet lover, but she’s never been able to have one of her own.”
I gasp, intuiting what is coming next. Beth comes around the corner, two squirming balls of fluff in her arms. I squeal, jumping up and down, throwing my arms around Ken, causing him to spill most of his drink. I don’t care.
I turn to see a tiny black Labrador puppy and a white long-haired kitten. Beth is dripping tears on them as she presents them to me.
The kitten cries and I reach for him, holding him to my face while reaching for the puppy. I sink to the floor and cradle the animals in my lap, still unable to believe they get to go home with me.
The little cat stiffens and swats at the puppy, who draws back looking painfully insulted. Then the kitten leaps on the pup and starts biting her ear. Everyone laughs. The sound scares the kitten and he puffs up and hisses. The puppy launches on him and they start rolling around, falling off my lap. They are so adorable, playing and launching themselves at each other, already good friends.
I notice that Ken even bought them collars. The kitten’s is blue and has a little bell which is dinging merrily. The puppy’s collar is pink and also has something attached. Not a bell. What is it?
Curious, I reach for the dog and lift her up. I gasp. It’s a ring. A diamond ring. I look up at Ken and he’s grinning so big his dimple is showing.
He reaches down and unhooked the dog’s collar. He slides the ring off of it, then sticks out a hand. In a daze, I reach out and he pulls me until I’m on my feet. When I’m steady, he lowers himself to one knee.
“Stephanie Grace Vonnegut, I hope that today, you’ve had a couple of dreams fulfilled. Now, I’m hoping you’ll fulfill one of mine.”
I look down into his gorgeous face and it blurs before me, then clears again as I blink away the tears trying to blind me.
“Marry me.” He puffs out a breath and laughs. “Wow, I never thought I’d be saying that.” I laugh too and sink to the floor to be on his level.
“Will you?” he asks and reaches for my hand. I reach for his.
“Yes. Yes. Yes!”
The crowd goes wild and the kitten runs up my back, clinging to my shoulder and hiding in my hair.
Ken slips the ring on my finger and leans toward me, pressing his lips to mine. The puppy barks and the alarms of the fire house join in.
A room once full is almost instantly deserted as men pour out to do their duty and everyone else gives us some privacy. Ken stays; he has today and the next two days off. I think I know what we’ll be doing the entire time.
He picks up the puppy while I manage to remove the kitten’s little claws from my neck. We’re still sitting on the floor, smiling crazily at each other.
“Thank you,” I say. “Thank you for these little guys and for giving me a family and a future.”
He grins. “Thank you for saying ‘yes’ to it all.”
I laugh. “Did you really think I was going to say no?” I give him a ‘don’t lie’ stare.
He looks from my eyes to my lips and back up to my eyes. “I was hoping, but yeah, there was a little devil on my shoulder that kept saying you were going to bolt.”
I shake my head and lean in to kiss him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
I shiver, remembering another promise I made and broke not long ago. I shake the memory off and look into the eyes of the man I love.
“Promise.”
The End
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Announcing Ashes
The story continues with Beth and Gage.
She's the wind. He's the fire. Both are independent, hot headed, and strong. Neither want a relationship or to be tied down in any way. But outside forces have other ideas.
When Beth is confronted by an old demon, she can't imagine the danger she's in. She's too stubborn to ask for help, but will she have a choice? How do they fight an evil that can't be seen or understood?
Don't miss the first book in the Stoking the Embers steamy spin-off series, Ashes. If you loved Beth and Gage in Stoking the Embers, see what happens next in Ashes, a five book romantic suspense series.
Available Now!
Exclusively on Amazon and free on KindleUnlimited!
Thank you lovely readers for your support, you are the best! You are the reason I keep writing books and you make me so happy. I appreciate every one of you and that is from the bottom of my heart.
I don’t want to forget my Facebook fans, editor, advanced reviewers, thank you for all your help and support in making the series the best it could be.
About the Author
Leslie is a California native but recently moved to Arizona after a stint in Arkansas. She enjoys travel and being with her grandchildren.
She is an avid reader of many genres, but prefers romances with travel or thriller themes. She loves writing about strong women and strong men because the world needs both!
Please visit me at:
http://lesliejohnsonauthor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lesliejohnsonauthor
Announcing Ashes
The story continues with Beth and Gage.
She's the wind. He's the fire. Both are independent, hot headed, and strong. Neither want a relationship or to be tied down in any way. But outside forces have other ideas.
When Beth is confronted by an old demon, she can't imagine the danger she's in. She's too stubborn to ask for help, but will she have a choice? How do they fight an evil that can't be seen or understood?
Don't miss the first book in the Stoking the Embers steamy spin-off series, Ashes. If you loved Beth and Gage in Stoking the Embers, see what happens next in Ashes, a five book romantic suspense series.
Available Now!
Exclusively on Amazon and free on KindleUnlimited!
Other books from Atrevida Publishing
Leslie Johnson - Firefighter Romance Series
| Jessie Taylor, running away from her cheating boyfriend, meets a new flame, firefighter Ryan James. Fate can be cruel or kind and she had been running from it her whole life. There would be no running this time. |
| Cassie McDonald is courted by a millionaire with a dark secret, but along comes firefighter Brendan McKay. |
| Francine is at a crossroads, her life hasn’t gone the way she planned. |
Leslie Johnson - The Ambassador’s Wife Series
| On the outside, Sophie seemed to have it all... beauty, wealth and status as the wife of an important American Ambassador to Cuba. With many social events and functions to fill her time, she’s rarely alone. But she’s never felt so lonely. She’s withering inside, shrinking from the neglect of her busy husband and the loveless marriage that had once been so full and close. Find out what happens in the Ambassador’s Wife Trilogy. Books include: Havana - Book 1 Witchcraft - Book 2 Dance - Book 3 |
