Love Unrehearsed (59 page)

“Taryn, sweetheart. Look at me. Remember, this is our secret. You can’t tell anyone. Promise. Promise.”

I nodded. He took both of my hands in his.

“God, I’ve made so many mista—” He sniffed a few times. “But I’m going to fix it.” He nodded. “I want to be better for you.” He looked me right in the eyes. “No matter what anyone ever tells you, no matter what you hear, know that I love you. I have
always
loved you. Remember. Da— Joey loves you. You’ll always be my little girl.”

A tear fell down his cheek. And then another. I wrapped my arms around his neck because big hugs always make the tears stop.

“My baby girl. I love you, so much.”

“I love you, too,” I whispered.

“Always keep your head up and be proud. Don’t let
anyone
walk all over you. Ever. Be strong. Listen in school. And . . .”

Joey dropped his arms the second my daddy came into the garage.

“What? What’s going on in here?”

Daddy sounded grumpy and he didn’t look happy with Joey. I tugged on his shorts. “Daddy? Can you take me to see Kelcie?”

He looked down at me. “What?”

I really wanted another ice cube and to go bye-bye in the car with the cold air blasting in my face. Maybe there’s a big swimming pool in the clouds. “Kelcie. In heaven. Can you take me?”

Daddy grabbed Joey by the shirt. “What did you say to her? Tell me right now!”

Joey yelped and tried to push my daddy. They danced into the big silver ladder that was on the wall and it scared me when it crashed down to the floor. Daddy hit Joey in the face and his white teeth turned red.

Daddy grunted. “You stupid, irresponsible moron. You’re nothing but a piece-of-shit, good-for-nothing punk.”

So many people came running and everyone started yelling. Mommy grabbed Daddy’s arm and pulled. “Dan! Let him go!”

I covered my ears because it hurt. I wished Ken was with me.

We both needed someone to play with.

I’d like to thank the following people who’ve helped me turn this dream into a reality, listened to my lunacy, and guided me with a gentle hand:

First and foremost, a huge thank-you to my husband, Cory, and son, Ryan, for giving me the time, space, and freedom to drift off into imaginary worlds every day. You’ve allowed me to realize that dreams really do come true if you point yourself in their direction. Having the complete support of your family makes all the difference in the world.

This novel would not be what it is without the tireless help from my dear friend, Janeia Hill. She read, critiqued, listened to me cry, told me not to give up a thousand times, brainstormed, tweaked, kicked me in the butt, made long-distance calls, and gave her time and support generously. Thank you for holding my hand during this amazing journey.

To my best friend for the last twenty-five years, Marie S. You mean the world to me.

To my gals in the FP: Your friendships are invaluable and mean the world to me. Thank you for your support, your wisdom, and your unwavering love and acceptance. I am truly blessed to have each of you in my life. I cannot imagine having a better crew to make history with.

To all of my Facebook and Twitter friends—you make every day special.

To my ninja editor, Amy Tannenbaum, thank you for believing in me. You had me at “hungrily devoured,” but then again, I think you know that.

A huge thank-you to the wonderful people at Atria Books. Judith Curr, you are an awesome woman and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance. And to your tireless team: Chris Lloreda, Kimberly Goldstein, Samantha Cohen, Alysha Bullock, Dana Sloan, Jeanne Lee, Paul Olsewski, Ariele Fredman, LeeAnna Woodcock, Julia Scribner—thank you for making this novel all it can be.

A special thank you to my dynamo agent, Jane Dystel, and her equally fabulous cohort, Miriam Goderich, at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management. Thank you for giving me a shot and taking me under your beautiful wings.

Tina Reber
received her first library card at the age of four and, as the daughter of a small-town librarian, books have always held a special place in her life. She lives in a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son, who allow her to slip away into fictitious worlds on a daily basis.

To learn more about Tina Reber, visit her at:

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Also by Tina Reber

Love Unscripted

Atria Paperback

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by Tina Reber

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Atria Paperback edition August 2012

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-4767-1897-2

ISBN 978-1-4767-1898-9 (ebook)