Authors: Michelle Lynn
Love Emerged (34 page)
“Stop being a diva, and help me open this can.”
“Bea—”
She holds up her hand. “Just open it.”
I shake my head, and open the paint can.
She smiles. “Thank you, my strong, lifesaving man.” She gives me a chaste kiss.
“I aim to please.” Reluctantly, I move toward the brushes.
“Wait, let me make sure this color goes. Can you check the walls in the break room to see if they’re painted?”
I narrow my eyes. “Doubtful. Why would they start with the break room?”
“Just go. Please,” she whines.
I figure if it gets me out of painting for a few minutes, then fine.
I’m on my way back, and when I turn the corner, Bea’s standing there with a box in her arms.
“Are we onto project two so soon?” I ask.
Her eyes flick to the wall.
My vision follows, and in gray paint, she’s written,
McCain Zanders Advertising
.
I look from the wall to her, and she’s smiling wide.
“So?” she asks.
“What are you saying, Bea?”
She puts the box at my feet and steps back again. Inspecting the box, I see it’s full of office supplies, including a giant pile of Post-it notes.
“Be my partner. We can run this together. Fifty-fifty.” She bites her lip.
Damn, if this isn’t the best offer, but I can’t accept this from her.
“I can’t put in half, Bea. This is you, and you don’t need me. I’m happy at Deacon.”
“I know, Dylan. But I want you here . . . with me. I think we’d be a pretty powerful team, and we could make something of this company.”
This opportunity is one that only happens once in a lifetime. I figured I’d be an exec at a top-notch firm one day, but to own my own? To have a say in what happens? There’s no comparison.
“I have three requests.”
“Requests?” She smiles and crosses her arms over her chest, waiting. “Please go ahead, Mr. McCain.”
“One, I pay you back as the company succeeds.”
“Hmm . . .”
“Bea.”
“Okay. Next?”
I walk over and grab the paintbrush, changing it to
Zanders McCain
. “Ladies first.”
“I can deal with that. Third?”
I drop down to my knee, pulling out the ring I bought her a month ago. “You marry me?”
Her hands cover her mouth, and a loud squeal escapes her throat. This wasn’t how I was going to propose. It involved going on a private boat with enormous amounts of flowers and a five-course meal, but impromptu has always worked for us. In the end, it only matters if she says yes.
“Well?” I ask since all she’s doing is staring down at the ring.
“Yes! Of course! Yes!” She jumps up and down and then falls to her knees, meeting me. Her two hands grip the sides of my face and pull me toward her, pressing her lips to mine.
“I love you,” she murmurs against them.
“I love you, too.” I take the ring out of the box and place it on her shaking left ring finger.
She tackles me to the ground, leaving me on my back.
“I think our first line of business is, every time we gain an account, we celebrate.”
“How so?” she asks, straddling me and unbuttoning my shirt as my hands glide up her bare legs.
“Naked and Fucking Day.”
“Deal.”
Thank you for reading
Love Emerged
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Check out the rest of the Love Surfaced Series.
Love Surfaced
Piper and Tanner’s Story
Love Rekindled
Taylor and Brad’s Story
FIRST, I NEED TO THANK
all the readers that have been waiting for Bea and Dylan’s story. You saw something in their brief meeting in Love Surfaced and have been asking for this story. I hope you fell in love with them, as much as I did writing them. Thank you for being faithful and loyal readers of my work.
Second, thank you to my team . . .
Sommer Stein from Perfect Pear Creative Covers, for another gorgeous cover.
Heather Davenport, Book Plug Promotions for organizing all my release events.
My editor, Jovana Shirley with Unforeseen Editing for helping me get this out as fast as we could.
To my proofreader, Ultra Editing, that goes above and beyond proofreading to double check that everything jives.
To my second proofer, Behind the Writer, that polished the book wonderfully.
Christine with Perfectly Publishable for her beautiful formatting.
To my betas, Mia Kayla, Angie Stanton, Danielle Allen, and Karrie Puskas. You each make Bea and Dylan’s story shine.
To all the blogs who have supported me, not only with Love Surfaced Series, but with all my books, thank you. No one would know who I was without the help from you spreading the word. There are no amounts of thank you’s that feel adequate, Muah.!
Mia Kayla, my Friday night date at Starbucks, my travel partner, my co-pilot on this journey toward our dream. Thank you for your sound advice, your truthfulness, and mostly your friendship. I feel fortunate everyday that I have you to bitch with, to brainstorm with, and to celebrate with.
To my family, thank you isn’t enough. You deal with searching through hampers to find clean clothes, take-out dinners, and a chaotic life during my deadlines. Always know, you’re sacrifices aren’t unnoticed. I love you.
Michelle Lynn is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. She developed a love of reading at a young age, which helped lay the foundation for her passion to write. With the encouragement of her family, she finally sat down and wrote one of the many stories that have been floating around in her head. When she isn't reading or writing, she can be found playing with her kids, talking to her mom on the phone, or hanging out with her family and friends. But after shuffling around her twins, she always cherishes her relaxation time with her husband after putting the kids to bed.
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THE INVISIBLES SERIES
Don’t Let Go
Let Me In
Let Me Love
Can’t Let Go
Let Me Go
Love Me Always
LOVE SURFACED SERIES
Love Surfaced
Love Rekindled
Love Emerged
Thank you for reading.
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STANDALONES
Love Me Back
Collaboration
Familiar Ground
Love Grows In Alaska
Seeing You