The Total Package (29 page)

Authors: Stephanie Evanovich

“I’m so glad your brother and sister-in-law decided to tell your mother they were having a baby before you moved down here. The looks she was giving me were starting to get scary.”

“That’s only going to hold her off for so long. God help us if we decide to have another kid. We’ll have to buy another house up there.”

“I can do that,” Tyson said. “In fact, I look forward to it. Just think how much they’ll enjoy winters in Austin.”

They tucked the barely stirring Brendon safely into bed and went to their own room, where Tyson wasted no time in pulling her close, knowing he only had a few minutes before some idea sent her flying back downstairs to quickly type it out.

“I really do love you, you know,” he told her with sincerity as he helped pull the shirt over her head. His lips grazed over the now-exposed skin and with a quick flick of his fingers her bra began to come apart. “I think I always have. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You are such a smooth talker.” She pulled at the belt buckle that held up his jeans and leaned into him as his mouth descended on her now-uncovered breast.

“It’s easy when you speak the truth,” he murmured, and the race to disrobe was on.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I fell in love with Austin, Texas, after being invited to give a talk at the Lake Austin Spa Resort. Granted, it’s hard to hate on a gorgeous spa resort, but from the moment I landed in Austin I was enchanted. Thank you, Robbie Hudson and the rest of the staff,
for your generous hospitality, not once but twice! I thought of you all often as I wrote
The Total Package
. I hope I get to see you again soon.

This probably isn’t a very good sign in a writer, but it’s hard to find the words to express my gratitude to my editor, Rachel Kahan. Thank you for your love of words, attention to detail, and appreciation of a good corny joke. I can’t even picture being on this journey without you.

I’m also extremely grateful to the team at William Morrow including, but not limited to—Heidi Richter, Dianna Garcia, Kathy Gordon, Kaitlin Harri, Trish Daly, Jennifer Hart, Angela Dong, Doug Jones, Shelby Meizlik, Virginia Stanley, Lynn Grady, Shawn Nicholls, Lisa Sharkey, and Michael Morrison. I know there are so many others whose names I’ve missed, but I do know this much: it takes a village to publish a book and my village rocks! Special thanks to Liate Stehlik, whom I don’t see nearly enough, but who makes me smile every time I do.

Diane Short La Rue, Alison Skap, Stacy Schlanger Alesi, Melissa Amster, Anita LeBeau, Kristin Thorvaldsen, and Tamara Welch—thank you so much for allowing me into your blog-o-spheres and then giving me the precious gift of your friendships.

Thank you, Ron Block, for being all that and a delicious bag of chips. (Hold the quail eggs.)

Sandra Bunino, my writing friend, what can I say? You’re amazing. Thank you for always being an enthusiastic sounding board, your general wisdom, and the unique ability to turn any stressful situation into an all-out laugh-fest.

And no blessing count would be complete without saying thank you to my readers, for your encouragement and support. Without you, I would be in a cubicle maze, crunching numbers. Because of you, I still pinch myself on a daily basis. Because of you, a dream came true. I wish there were words bigger than THANK YOU.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Evanovich is a full-fledged Jersey girl from Asbury Park who began writing fiction while waiting for her cues during countless community theater projects. She attended the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and acted in several improv troupes and a couple of B movies, all in preparation for the greatest job she ever had: raising her two sons. A full-time writer now, she’s also an avid sports fan who holds a black belt in tae kwon do
.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.

ALSO BY STEPHANIE EVANOVICH

Big Girl Panties

The Sweet Spot

CREDITS

Cover design by Mary Shuck

Cover photograph © HDDigital/Shutterstock

Title page and chapter opener art © by Roman Malyshev/Shutterstock, Inc.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE TOTAL PACKAGE. Copyright © 2016 by Stephanie Evanovich LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-223485-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-06-241120-4 (international edition)

EPub Edition MARCH 2016 ISBN 9780062234872

16 17 18 19 20 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada