Keep Me (41 page)

“I can’t believe you got him a puppy! How did I not know there was a living thing under that tree all night?”

“Because I
can
surprise even you, you know? And I’m not a total idiot, I had Beck drop him off this morning. Gave him a key. That little fucker would have been barking all night—you see how rambunctious he is?” I caught a glimpse of brown and white fur flash by and immediately started second-guessing my impulsive choice of gift.

“Almost as feisty as you,” she laughed, resting her hand on my shoulder for leverage to stand.

“Where are you going? Don’t start cleaning already. My dad and Riley won’t be here ‘til later. Let him play. Enjoy this.”

“I’m not cleaning, don’t worry. I have a surprise for you. I saved it for last.” She tiptoed to the tree—see, a fucking elf—more excited than that kid who got the BB gun from his mean old dad in that movie.

“Don’t tell me you got a puppy, too. What the hell are we going to do with two slipper-chewing pains in the—”

“It’s not a puppy,” she said, sitting down next to me on the couch. She presented me with a flat, rectangular envelope. It was decorated in silver foil wrapping and topped off with a big red bow. The tag read, ‘To: Marcus, Love: Little Man.’

“What is this?” I said, eyeing the happy toddler, rolling around in total and utter merriment. “Luca man. Come here. This is from you, buddy?”

Luca’s head swung in my direction at the sound of his name. He sat up, placed both hands in front of him and inched his way up into a standing position. After steadying himself, he wobbled over to me and his mom with a drooly grin.

“Open it,” Tessa urged as she scooped Luca up and placed him on her lap.

I stared at the two of them—matching blonde bedhead, bright sparkling eyes, and smiles that lit up the room despite the mega-wattage of Christmas lights that shined brightly. I fingered the envelope in my lap, finally ripping the package open excitedly.

Inside a thin manila folder was a document. One single document that brought tears to my eyes as I read it:

Stepparent Adoption

Consent to Adoption by Parent Retaining Custody

I, the undersigned, being the parent of
Luca Thomas Brentwood
give my full and free consent to the adoption of said child by
Marcus Michael Grayson
, who is my husband/wife/domestic partner without relinquishing any of my rights, duties, obligations as his/her parent, and I respectfully ask that the permission be granted…

I couldn’t even continue, as my vision became blurry through the tears. Yes, I Marcus Grayson, inked up bad boy, was crying over the fact that the little boy seated next to me would soon be
my
son.

“Tess, really?” I beamed.

“Really, baby. The document underneath that one is Zack’s consent… he legally gave up custody. You’re the only father he’s ever known, anyway. He loves you. I love you and as soon as we’re married, we’ll be a family.”

My mind flooded with memories of the past—so many of the good and even the bad—but then images of our future fast forwarded past me like frames in a photo montage. I saw flag football games, first days of school, sunny afternoons waxing the Harley, and Luca begging me to take it out for a spin. There would be plenty of time for all that and so much more in between, but in this moment, this here and now, I couldn’t be happier.

“Well, in that case, we make it official tomorrow. You don’t need the hoopla and the big white dress, right?”

She shook her head, smiling wide.

“How about me, you and our little Luca man at the court house first thing tomorrow? What do you say, pretty girl?”

“You’ve never steered me wrong yet, Marcus. So, yes! It’ll always be yes with you, baby.”

This part seems like the hardest because I’m always afraid I’m going to miss someone important. So, to cover my ass… if you know me and have been a part of my personal life in one way or another, thank you for being you and just being there for me during this new journey in my life. There have been so many people who’ve helped me without even knowing it and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having your love and support.

To my husband, Jon, and my two little girls. Things have definitely changed in our household—lots of good, some not so good—since I decided to tackle this new love of mine. I thank you guys for dealing with me and my ups and downs as I spent hours on the computer or the phone writing or talking about Marcus and Tessa. I know they aren’t real to you, but to me—they live and breathe the same way you do. Thank you for allowing me to give up a little of my wife and mommy time to do this. It means the world to me. I’ve probably missed out on things I’ll never get back, so I promise to take it all in and stop to enjoy it more often. I am so blessed to be able to call you mine. I love the three of you more than words can say.

Trish, this story is almost as much yours as it is mine. I say it all the time and I’m saying it now so it’s down in print—where have you been all my life? I don’t know why we weren’t friends years ago, but I sure am happy you came into my life when you did. I can’t thank you enough for literally talking out scenes with me and giving me pointers in places where I felt I had no effin clue how to pull it off. Together, we made Marcus a loveable sexy beast and there is definitely a lot of Trish inspired mintness in the pages of this book. Thank you for being my “life beta.” I love you!

Amy, books brought us together but so many other things made us friends. I can’t thank you enough for all you have done for me and taught me along the way. I owe so much to you because of your help with getting the word out for
Man of My Dreams
(and for being a total cover snob), but our connection goes much deeper than that and I know we have a lifetime of good things to come. Yes, I joke about your harsh criticism, but your opinion means the world to me and I love your face for it!

To my indie girls, Barbara, Brenda, Celeste, Elisabeth, Lisa, Livia and Niecey: our conversations are priceless… I’ll leave it at that. I am so honored to be a part of a group of such hilarious, loving, witty, talented, (sometimes raunchy and bitchy), amazing women. It’s a pleasure to know that I can vent to any one of you and you’ll totally understand where I’m coming from. Each one of you has had a special role in inspiring me or giving me a boost when I needed it most. I’ve got your backs, ladies and we’re all in this together.

To my critique partners, Ruthie Henrick, Carrie Nichols, Celeste Grande and Virginia Pierce: thank you all for making it pretty. I’d like to think that this was a huge improvement from that first horrific manuscript I sent you all way back when, but we are never too good for critiques. I love working with all of you because there is not a suggestion you make that doesn’t prompt me to think. My stories are better because of your tweaking—I only hope I’ve been able to return the favor.

Betas—you make me want to scream and curse, but if it weren’t for you there’d be far too many inconsistencies and Marcus is way too damn perfect to have any of that! Trish, Heather, Jennifer, Trisha, and Christine I don’t know what I’d do without you. From taming Marcus around Skylar to making Luca stand out a little more, my characters and the readers have no idea how much you’ve helped them out. I value your feedback and the time you took out of your busy lives to get
Keep Me
to a place where I’m proud and confident to share it with the world.

Jenn, I feel like I need to thank Amy every day for sending you my way. I can’t imagine a day without checking in with you—it’s like we’ve known each other for years when in reality it’s been such a short time. I love getting an
Oh My God
out of you—I’m learning it doesn’t take much, but I still love it! We had this crazy twin-like connection from the first conversation we ever had and a bond like ours—it’s just freaking unexplainable. Thank you for always being there for me… beta for life!

To Stacia, Alexis, and Leary… thank you girls for your enthusiasm over my books. I can’t thank you enough for your thorough read-through of
Keep Me
and for helping me see where things needed improvement. You girls totally rock and always make me feel so special.

Tracey, I think we connected because of
Man of My Dreams
but oh how we connected over Marcus! Keep swooning while you listen to that song, it makes me feel like my job is done. Thank you for all the awesome pimpage, but mostly for your friendship. I feel like I can talk to you about absolutely anything and I can’t wait for us New York girls to get together!

To Amy and Lisa of Truly Schmexy Promotions, thank you for rounding up the troops and “putting me on the map.” Whether it’s a cover reveal, a cover re-reveal, a blog tour, creating a graphic, or just sharing a sale, you guys are so incredible. I love our little snarky PM convos (and some of the names we’ve given them) and I can’t thank you enough for all your stellar advice.

To the all blogs who’ve been so amazing in helping a newbie out, especially Schmexy Girl Book Blog, True Story Book Blog, Totally Booked, A Book Whore’s Obsession, K&T Book Reviews, Three Girls and Their Book Obsession, Carver’s Book Cravings, Panty Dropping Book Blog, The SUBClubbooks, Lives & Breathes Book Blog, and so many more. Thank you for embracing me as an author, both with
Man of My Dreams
, and now with
Keep Me
. No one truly understands the time and effort it takes for you to do what you do. Thank you for being so selfless and supportive and for pimping us new authors out to all your wonderful fans.

To ALL my family and friends for allowing me to be
me
and accepting all the changes that have taken place in the last year or two. I apologize for being less involved and visibly absent even while in the middle of a dinner, a phone conversation, or a get together. I still love and cherish each and every one of you and none of this would be possible without your love and support. You are irreplaceable, even if it seems that Facebook, the iPhone and a few fictional characters have trumped you—so not the case, I promise.

To my go-to girls—the everyday staples in my life. Tara, Trish, Marianne and Celeste; I honestly don’t think I can wipe my own butt without consulting you girls. Scary, but true. Thank you, a million times, thank you for inspiring me, laughing with me, crying with me, picking me up off the floor, smacking me in the back of my head, and being a part of
me.
It is so damn important to have good friends to support you through all the ups and downs in life—I have the dream team with you ladies and our friendships span so many varying lengths of time, but where we are now is just the beginning. There are so many more good times to come! This story has a little bit of all of us in it and our pasts, presents, and futures have a lot to do with what winds up on the page. Remember that the next time we’re out drinking.

To muses and fantasies. If it weren’t for my imagination running wild, Marcus would be stuck in my mind forever… and that’s no place for a hottie like him to be hiding out. Thank you, Marcus Grayson, for letting me express myself in ways I never knew how.

To my editor, Melanie Gilcher, for her keen eye and the power to recognize something that’s “awkwardly phrased.” Your suggestions and your attention to detail help make me see things in a different light. I can’t imagine working with anyone else.

Thank you to my formatter, Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats for making it all so pretty and perfect. I know it seems silly, but fonts and chapter break symbols excite me as much as they excite you! I love working with you because your attention to detail is always spot on.

To my incredible cover artist, Regina Wamba of Mae I Design and Photography. I can’t thank you enough for your patience with all the back and forth and indecisiveness that went on with the mock ups. I absolutely love the finished product and I know I’m always in the right hands with you. Thank you for bringing Marcus and Tessa to life, visually.

To all the dedicated, enthusiastic, supportive readers. I put my first book out there hoping I’d reach a few people, but never could I have imagined the outpouring of love and incredible feedback I’ve received. Every single one of you has touched my life in some way, shape or form. I thank you all for making me feel special—like I’ve made it in this huge sea of talented writers—and for giving me a reason to keep on going. As always, if you enjoy Marcus and Tessa, I encourage you to please leave a review online—this is the best way to show an author your love for their work and it is greatly appreciated.