The Love Series Complete Box Set (69 page)

He catches me staring and smirks at me from the rocking chair. Reid stands and gently places a now sleeping Braden back into his crib. Walking over to me, he whispers, “Hey wife.” His lopsided goofy grin is visible even in the low light of the rising sun.

“Hey husband.” It’s cheesy and I wonder how long we’ll go on calling each other by titles instead of names, but I’ll let it slide when it makes him this happy.

When we get back into our bed, my head resting on his beautifully tattooed chest again, we lay together watching the sun rise through the window. Light fills the room and my heart.

I’m not foolish enough to think that things will always be easy, that we’ll always be perfect. We’ve still got mountains to climb, college to graduate, jobs to work. But as we bask in the light of the rising sun together, I know that Reid will always be my perfectly imperfect happily ever after.

The End

Acknowledgements

There are so many people who helped make Let Love Stay possible. I would be no where without the love and support of my family. My husband, James, is my rock—and my soft place to fall. Thank you so much for every single motivating word, complimentary remark, and gentle nudge of encouragement.

I owe a huge thank you to an amazing group of Indie Authors—you all know who you are. Saoching, Michele, Ana, Chelle, Suzanne and Antoinette—you’re all amazing and I’m so proud to be a part of this little family we’ve got going on. To our fearless ninja leader, Jennifer Short, thank you so much for, well, for everything.

To my amazing beta readers—Kristy Bruno, Chelsea Camaron, Kim Rinaldi, Jennifer Mirabelli, Nicole LoCrichhio, Mollie Minard, Kimberly Shepherd, Katie Lock, Emily Hightower, Jennifer Diaz, Pam Schaeffer, Laurna Hamilton and Jennifer Benson—thank you so very much for becoming invested in my characters and my books. Your feedback is hugely invaluable and I can’t wait to work with you on future novels.

To my good friend and fellow author, Carey Heywood. I can’t say thank you enough for all of your support. I’m so lucky to have developed such an amazing friendship with you. Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to stalk our books for many more years to come.

I have a distinct feeling that no one would even know who I am without the tremendous support of the blogs that have promoted me and spread the word about my books. Debra from Book Enthusiast Promotions, Mindy, from Talkbooks, Dani from Just Booked, Katie from Bookaholics Blog, Emily from Rate my Romance, and so many more—thank you so much for everything you’ve done. You’re such a huge support system.

Lastly, thank you so much to all of my readers. Your comments, notes of encouragement (and yes, even the “are you kidding me” comments from the end of
Let Love In
) really do make my day. I absolutely love interacting with you and I am so thrilled that you are enjoying my work. Thank you for everything.

Future Projects:

Let Love Heal,
Melanie’s story, will be the next book in The Love Series. I am hoping to have this out in the late fall of 2013. And yes, Lia, Logan, Cammie and Jack—and even Dylan- will all have their own books as well. I am also working on a standalone,
From The Wreckage,
which is a contemporary romance. This novel should hopefully be out in late 2013 / early 2014. Be sure to get all the updates by following me.

Let Love Heal Table of Contents

Master Table of Contents

Let Love In

Let Love Stay

Let Love Heal

Part One

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Part Two

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Part Three

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Let Love Shine

Let Love Be

Let Love Live

Other Works

Social Media Links

Dedication

For those who need a reminder, every now and then, that beautiful does not mean perfect.

Prologue

September 30, 1995

The I-beam swings haphazardly in the clouds. Teetering and tottering in the crystal-blue sky, it’s the perfect juxtaposition of artificial and natural—steel illuminated by the sun. Over a ton of metal effortlessly cascades through the air on the whim of a crane. It almost looks like a graceful ballet dancer as it swirls and twists, dips and dives. It’s mesmerizing, actually.

And then disaster strikes.

A deafening crack of a snapped chain sounds through the once peaceful air. The lively chatter of construction workers and architects instantly morphs into chaotic screams. Everyone runs, seeking cover from the impending doom.

As the massive beam plummets to the ground, people scramble, frantically grabbing others along the way to pull them to safety. It all happens so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it seems as if everyone will escape unscathed.

Until they don’t.

The beam changes direction, up-ending itself. Head architect, James Crane, exits the shell of the building. Hardhat on and earplugs in, he’s always one to follow procedure to make sure that his work site is safe. His eyes are pulled away from the clipboard of today’s itinerary as the shadow of a passing figure flashes before him.

His eyes are drawn skyward. The sun blinds him; his sunglasses are tucked into his front pocket rather than perched across his nose. He doesn’t have a second to process anything.

Crushed beneath the massive weight of the steel beam, the last thought that passes through the mind of Jimmy Crane, is of his wife, Lucy and his unborn daughter.

Lucy Crane is consumed with decorating the freshly painted nursery. If ever there was a woman more excited to meet her first child, well, Lucy’s jubilance would put her to shame. Purple frills and pink lace don every surface of the room. It’s a princess’ heaven and a mom-to-be’s dream come true.

Lucy sits on the floor, sorting through baby gifts from her shower last weekend. Holding a glittery onesie with an attached pink tutu up against her eight-and-a-half-month pregnant belly, she whispers quietly to her unborn daughter, “Maybe one day you’ll be a ballerina . . . Melody.” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and taps a finger against her lip as she contemplates one of her husband’s, James’ top name choices. “Hmm, no that just doesn’t sound right.” Still going through baby names, Lucy and Jimmy haven’t been able to find one upon which they both agree.