The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (230 page)

“Fair enough,” he concedes with a snicker. “But my poor manners don’t change what I heard.”

“What you
think
you heard.” I say with a bow of my head.

“So I didn’t hear you say that you love me?”

“I don’t know, did you?” I reply, my heart starting to race.

“Belle.” His tone is gentle, yet direct.

“Holden,” I quip right back, adding a flare of snark, deciding to turn the spotlight on him. “How do you feel about me?”

His reply isn’t what I expect. There is no hesitation, no doubt. “I love you. I love you more than anyone I’ve ever loved in my life. A life without you doesn’t seem worth having.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

And I can see it in his eyes ... he isn’t.

“So it’s your turn,” he continues. “How do you feel about me?”

I glance down at Emily, fidgeting. “That’s such a hard question to answer.”

“No, it’s not. I don’t want to waste any more time not being completely honest with how we feel. I love you, Annabelle Hart, and I think you love me, too.”

“I—” Why can’t I bring myself to say it? I want to say it, but I’m a mom now, and I need to think about Emily. I see a flash of hurt in Holden’s eyes as he jumps to his feet.

“Say it, Belle. Tell me how you feel about me ... to my face,” he demands again.

“Holden, I—” Again, the words lock in my throat. What’s wrong with me?

“Maybe I was wrong,” his voice is shaking. He turns to exit the room, walking away from my bedside. Though I’m holding Emily close to me, coldness overcomes me.

“Holden!” I shout, terrified he might be walking out for good. “Wait.” Emily begins to stir in my arms.

“What is it?” He is more guarded now; I can sense it in his words.

“It’s complicated now. I have Emily, I’m a single mom, and I have to think about her.”

“You’re making it complicated, Belle. I love you, and all I need to know is if you love me.”

He’s staring at me. I don’t know what to do. If we’re a couple and things go wrong, it could cause Emily pain one day. If I tell him I don’t want to be with him, then I know I’ll be hurting all of us.

Holden shakes his head and pushes his body out of the doorway. My head is spinning, the world is falling out from beneath me. “I love you!” My voice carries through the upper floor of the inn. Emily begins to cry from how loud I shout. “Holden, please, come back, I—”

“No need to beg,” Holden chimes, poking his head around the corner. “I knew you loved me. I just had to get you to say it.”

I huff, shifting in the bed, trying to sooth Emily’s screams. “Now she’s crying.”

“She’s hungry. Bea has been feeding her formula Dr. Marshall brought, but there’s nothing like the real thing,” Holden says, moving to the foot of my bed.

“Maybe we should ask Dr. Marshall,” I say, the entire idea of the unknown a little frightening. Emily hushes for the moment as I pat her bottom.

“I’ll get him,” Holden offers. “But before I go, I want you to know something.”

I peer up at Holden, his golden hair falling over one eye, and I wish I was kissing him right now. “Okay.”

“You and Emily are my world now. For the two of you, I’d do anything.”

***

E
ight Months Later ...

Her binkie!
I remember, darting back upstairs and checking under the bed for the missing item that would result in a disastrous trip.

“Where are you going, Belle?” Holden shouts from the bottom of the stairs. “We’re going to miss the flight if we don’t hurry.”

It’s not under the bed. That’s when I remember she had been chewing on it during bath time just that morning. I dart down the hall and see it resting at the bottom of the tub.

“Found it,” I exclaim, though he has no idea what I was looking for. I race down the stairs, and pause at the base to kiss Emily, who is nestled in Holden’s arms. She giggles, and both Holden and I smile. It’s amazing how much joy an eight month old can bring into one’s life.

“Why aren’t you three gone yet?” Bea asks, emerging from the kitchen.

“That’s what I was saying,” Holden growls.

“Well, come on, the taxi’s loaded and waiting. Off with the three of you. Call me when you get in,” Bea instructs.

I take Emily from Holden’s arms, and he scoops up the last couple of bags I have piled by the door. Kissing Bea on the cheek, we rush out and climb into the cab. It’s going to be tight, but as long as we don’t get stuck in traffic we should make our flight in time.

I let out a huge breath as we pull out from the long gravel drive, relief washing over me as I know we’re on our way. Soon enough we will be on a plane, flying back to the States.

“Are you nervous?” Holden asks.

“About which part?” I inquire with a grin.

“About the meeting with the publishing house, of course.” He laughs.

“Oh, that ...” I pause to confirm my feelings. “No, I’m not. I think I’m more nervous about seeing my mom and dad again.”

“You all have been getting along smashingly since she read the book.”

“No, I know. But this will be the first time she’s seeing Emily, and not to mention, meeting you.”

“Oh, no worries there. I’m British, and all American women love British men.”

“Is that a fact?” I ask, laughing.

“Yes, it is,” he confirms.

“We’ll see,” I challenge. “I think I’m still in shock Kenzie is getting married.”

“Just shows, true love always finds a way ... look at us.”

“What about us?” I tease.

“Oh, come on, you were so messed up in the head, but I stuck it out, and now we’re here. Actually making a go of it.”

“All messed up in the head, was I?” I act shocked, but it is much too hard to get mad at those perfect lips, the dip in his chin, and that hair that hangs in tangles, begging for you to run your fingers through it.

“You know what I mean.”

“Best to quit while you’re ahead.”

“Right,” Holden agrees.

When I think about the complete mess Kenzie’s love life has been since Emily was born eight months ago, it’s hard to imagine she’s getting married. She spent a week with us in England after the baby was born, and despite my protests, she decided she was going to end her relationship with Ben when she returned home.

She explained that if I could have had the baby of an ex-fiancé who cheated on me and still find love, she wasn’t going to wait around any longer. She did exactly as she said, and in those next eight months, while I was learning to be a mom and how to trust again, Kenzie was taking control of her love life. She was going to get her happily ever after even if it meant a trail of broken hearts was left in her path.

“I love you,” Holden leans in and whispers in my ear. Emily grabs his trimmed beard and tugs on it, giggling again. I turn toward him and press my lips against his for a second.

“I love you, too,” I breathe the words.

“Are you happy?” he asks, peering into my eyes. I nod and smile at him. And it’s true, I am happy. Emily is more than I could have ever hoped for. Holden has loved me exactly as he promised to, and it looks like my book is going to get published.

Holden’s dad was right about looking into a person’s eyes for the truth. And the truth in Holden’s eyes is clear— he would do anything for us because he loves us.

THE END

***

I
t’s not possible to give enough thanks to my readers. You all have shared my books with other readers, purchased my books, and left reviews. I couldn’t do any of this without you; I’m still in awe every day. I also want to thank Regina Wamba, of Mae I Design for capturing Annabelle and Holden perfectly.

Thanks goes out to my editor, Madison Seidler, fantastic job as usual. Thanks as well to JS Nelson Editing for polishing up the final product.

A shout out to Stacey Blake for formatting my book and making it look pretty and clean. I can’t forget my community of Indie Authors who supports me daily. There are far too many of you to list, but you all know who you are and how important you are to me.

To my husband, you’re my muse, my rock, and my reason for everything I do. To my three brilliant children, mommy is so proud of you. I love you to the moon and back.

***

W
endy Owens was raised in the small college town of Oxford, Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went on to a career in the visual arts. After several years of creating and selling her own artwork, she gave her first love, writing, a try.

Wendy now happily spends her days writing—her loving dachshund, Piper, curled up at her feet. When she’s not writing, she can be found spending time with her tech geek husband and their three amazing kids, exploring the city she loves to call home: Cincinnati, OH.

YA Paranormal

The Guardians Series

Sacred Bloodlines

Cursed

The Prophecy

The Lost Years

The Guardians Crown

Contemporary Romance

Stubborn Love Series

Stubborn Love

Only In Dreams

The Wandering Hearts Series

Do Anything

It Matters To Me COMING FALL 2014

Jack’s Redemption COMING SPRING 2015

Dystopian Science Fiction

Trilogy coming in 2014 and 2015 - more info to follow at the links below

For more info on Wendy’s novels visit:

http://wendy-owens.com
/

If you want to follow her on social media, you can visit:

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/WendyLOwens

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wendy-L-Owens/191731754221996?fref=ts

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5038955.Wendy_Owens

***

It Matters To Me

The Wandering Hearts Series #2

Coming Fall 2014

K
enzie was never known to be a patient girl.

When it came to her boyfriend Ben, she was being pushed to her limits. In college she thought their future held so much promise, but things don’t always go as planned. After school, Ben finds himself jobless, and is forced to work in his father’s auto body shop. He assures Kenzie once he can take care of them financially, they can move forward with their lives together.