Unmaking Hunter Kennedy (55 page)

Vere nodded. “I’d love to go with you. But—no—wait!”

Hunter paused. His heart stopped beating “But what?”

He and the waiting crowd went completely silent.

“What?” You’re killing me.
What?
” He tightened his grip on her hands and looked into her big, brown eyes. “Don’t change your mind. Please.”

She raised her brows and managed her impish challenge-grin. “Well...um. What’s your name again? Did you say it was Hunter?
Hunter Kennedy
?”

Everyone laughed, including him.

Hunter swept her into a spinning hug, desperate to have his arms all the way around her as he responded to her question, “Yes, yes, yes and
yes
! Hunter Kennedy. That would be me.”

Vere, now grinning madly, surprised him when she planted a quick, soft kiss right on his lips as he set her down.

He couldn’t help but kiss her back for a very long time while the crowd cheered
.

Best part? Vere didn’t seem to care they were kissing in front of everyone.

And everyone’s parents.

THE END

About The Author

Anne Eliot writes sweet, bestselling teen romances about high school and/or first loves along with some tough emotional issues.

Thanks so much for giving your precious reading time to this book.

Reviews are important and help authors be found by other readers.

If you liked this book, please recommend it to a friend or review it on

Amazon.com

I also hope you will try my other teen romance:

Click the title below to preview or download
free sample chapters

from amazon.com!

Almost,

a love story

For more information please follow me on twitter:

@yaromance

I would also be honored if you would 'like' my
Facebook
page, or want to email/message me directly there or on Goodreads.com!

https://www.facebook.com/anneeliotauthor

...

www.anneeliot.com

Anne Eliot

'BEST FIRST KISSES'

RESOURCES

To Cari Rhea and Kathy Loew:

Thank you for openly sharing your stories of teen and adult depression. Thanks for describing the roads you walked, sharing your beautiful journals, and/or giving advice on Hunter’s scars, inside and out. You are amazing women. Your kids are wonderful. We all are beyond lucky that you won your battles so we could share in yours (and their) beautiful lives.

If you are depressed, or thinking about self harm or have thoughts of suicide or cutting, please reach out.

Don’t hide or be ashamed of anything you feel

but please don't hurt yourself.

You are not alone. You are NOT alone. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Tell someone. Talk to someone. Please. Ask for help.

You are important, you are beautiful and you are worth everything.

There are best friends and amazing people you haven’t met yet...

they are real...and they are waiting for you.

For immediate help and links to suicide hotline

phone numbers in your country, get on the Internet and search:

teen depression

or

suicide hotline

This search method is a good starting point to find the places and phone numbers nearest you and in your own country. You can also use these searches if you think a friend might show signs of depression.

Many national suicide hotline numbers have people manning the lines 24 hours a day.

Your school can also help, but you must be brave and reach out to ask for help. There are many websites with interactive chats, stories you can relate to and groups who are available on Facebook and Twitter as well. Please search some keywords, tell an adult or someone you need help, or call your national suicide prevention hotline to simply talk.

Keywords that might help your Twitter and Facebook searches for support and people to connect with on this tough topic:

# teen suicide help # stop SUICIDE # depression # mental health

# stopselfharm # teen suicide # self harm # sad # cutting

# staystrong # warning signs of depression # stay positive # suicide hotline # end bullying now # stop bullying # teen # suicide

Acknowledgements

There are so many people to mention here, but first and always, I have to thank my family. My sweet husband Tom, my beautiful daughter Kika, my wild-child Wilson and all six of my parents: Louise and Louis Nelson, Chuck and Connie Powers, Bob and Jackie MacFarlane. Again, thanks for your love, patience and support.

The Book Makers Crew and Teen Reading Advisory Girls
: Artists
Peter Freedman & Katja Kulenkampff
, the best editor/readers in the world:
Tracie Schultz, Lana Williams, Michelle Major, Lara Hunter & Kika MacFarlane
for the long hours of devotion to Hunter’s commas. To the crew who found me ‘the right Hunter’: Kika again, Saoirse O’Connor— esp. you and your constant, cute, RED CHEEKS. Kimmie Statman, Mackenzie Weller, yaromance.com girls, tweet masters and great friends, who along with Kylie Nash looked at proofs and pages, and for making sure I did not choose the ‘OTHER’ cover photo that made you all scream in horror. To Becca, Maddie D., Maddie J., Katie P., Valerie, and Greta from far away Germany too. <3

To sweet Keva O’Connor, Katy Offen, Kylie Nash again and Sammy Loew for braving the first proofs and making me feel confident enough to hit 'publish'. What would I do without all of you being part of my life? I am so lucky to know you all. A special shout out to Jenna and Sydne Shattuck who were the first to know Hunter so many years ago even before Almost. Jenna, remember when you threw the pages and got so mad after 'the kiss'? HA! And 'hi Molly O' -- You girls all rock. 
Always. Again. Forever.

To the amazing
Jeff Bezos and Jon Fine
and all who work at
Amazon.com, CreateSpace, and the crew at Kindle Direct Publishing
. Your work, your store, your easy publishing tools, PlugIns, devotion to making this easier for the writers to write and the readers to discover the books they want plus your unmatched customer service is so appreciated. Thanks for being in my dream come true and for letting me hold my books in my hands. amazon bestseller list dream! Also, thanks for creating a store consumers trust and for making the awesome Kindle products that allow so many easy access to great books in so many ways. THANK YOU. You’ve changed my small world while ever changing how the planet reads, buys and writes books.
#grateful #kindle fire #kindle @amazon I <3 u.

To my agent,
Jane Dystel at DGLM.com,
for signing me, believing in change and making another dream come true for me in NYC. No matter what, it's impossible to top that lunch.
#rockstar :)

Cheerleaders, the people who love books, and the people who love romance:
FIRST, to the
awesomeness that IS the community found at Goodreads.com and Shelfari.com There is no better fun online than hanging, checking out books and meeting readers.

A special huge heart and hug goes to the little stack of emails, notes

The Thank You List:

There are so many people to mention here, but first and always, I have to thank my family. My sweet husband Tom, my beautiful daughter Kika, my wild-child Wilson plus all six of my parents: Louise and Louis Nelson, Chuck and Connie Powers, Bob and Jackie MacFarlane. Again, thanks for your love, patience and support.

The Book Makers Crew and Teen Reading Advisory Girls: Artists Peter Freedman & Katja Kulenkampff, the best editor/readers in the world: Tracie Schultz, Lana Williams, Michelle Major, Lara Hunter & Kika MacFarlane for the long hours of devotion to Hunter’s commas. To the crew who found me ‘the right Hunter’: Kika again, Saoirse O’Connor— esp. you and your constant, cute red cheeks. Kimmie Stattman, Mackenzie Weller, yaromance.com girls, tweet masters and great friends, who along with Kylie Nash looked at proofs and pages, and for making sure I did not choose the ‘OTHER’ cover photo that made you all scream in horror. To Becca, Maddie D., Maddie J., Katie P., Valerie, Anahid, Greta from far away Germany. <3

To sweet Keva O’Connor, Katy Offen, Kylie Nash again and Sammy Loew for braving the first proofs and making me feel confident enough to hit 'publish'. What would I do without all of you being part of my life? I am so lucky to know you all. A special shout out to Jenna and Sydne Shattuck who were the first to know Hunter so many years ago even before Almost. Jenna, remember when you threw the pages and got so mad after 'the kiss'? HA! Now you are in both books. Happy? Syd, you’re next. You girls all rock.  Always. Again. Forever.

To the amazing Jeff Bezos, Jon Fine and ALL who work for all of us at Amazon.com, CreateSpace, and the crew at Kindle Direct Publishing. Your work, your store, your easy publishing tools, PlugIns, devotion to making this easier for the writers to write--and the readers to discover the books they want--plus your unmatched customer service is so appreciated. Thanks for being in my dream-come-true. For letting me hold my books in my hands, and keep them on my phone and Kindle reader! I can never repay how happy you’ve made me feel. Also, thanks for creating a store consumers trust and for making the awesome Kindle products that allow so many easy access to great reading in so many ways. THANK YOU. You’ve changed my small world while ever changing how the planet reads, buys and writes books. #grateful #kindle #amreading #FF @amazon

To my agent, Jane Dystel at DGLM.com, for signing me, believing in change and making another dream come true for me in NYC. 

Cheerleaders, the people who love books, and the people who love romance: FIRST, to the awesomeness that IS the community found at Goodreads.com and Shelfari.com There is no better fun online than hanging, checking out books and meeting readers.

A special huge heart and hug goes to the little stack of emails, notes

and addresses I’ve kept next to my computer all these months. Thank you Eva Segerblom, Thessa LaJoice, Laura Wells—tweet-cheering me on for those last edits—THANKS. To: Adriane Boyd, Tasha Winters, Amanda Tuzi, Casey/C.J.- :) Melissa Rodriguez-Wyer, Amanda-writer The inspiring Mrs. B/Joy. #FF @joyousreads, Diana Ivonne, Jennifer Halligan #FF @bookandlatte for getting me to Romantic Times. And from Indonesia blogger, Putri Utama! I’m so grateful to have met you all! <3!

And always: Sharon, Jenna and Sydne. I miss you so much. Giovanna and Elmer. There are no words for how much I love you. Masha Koyusheva daughter and sister who stole our hearts back to Russia, come back.

The MacFarlanes, Nelsons, Dawkins esp MC <3, All Mercados, The Sfalcins, C.J. <3, McDonalds, Hemphills, Carla P., Grandos/Nespolos/Tiabis, O’Connors, Nashs, Covingtons, Woods, Farquhars, Rheas, Wellers, Litvacks, Loews, Rothschilds, THE Wilsons, Brodys/McKeevers, Stattmans, Offens, Barrs/Austins--Anna n Emily, Gardners, Rileys, Drapers, Beauvais girls <3, Kraemers n Clarks n Hubreds who all moved. :( And neighbor Clarks! <3 Anna in NYC, The D’Oria family, the Powers Clan, the coolest teachers and administrators at AACL n AAHS Mr. Madsen and Mathnasium with extra hugs to Tessa Paul, Teresa Brown, Constance Ricotta, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Jesse, Miss O, Miss Helen, Miss Cooper, and Miss Olson. Without you teachers, this book would not exist. And you know why. His name is Wilson. xo #LOVEuTEACHERS xox to Don my mailman too! You guys are the best!

I have to mention Geoff Foley and Deb Walker! xo DOUBLE THX.

Illy and Tim Horton’s coffee. The sweet people at my neighborhood Chipotle, Noodles, Keva Juice and PeiWei. Without you, my family would starve. Ella James & Beth Balmanno my 4ever Amazon ‘free list’ launch buddies who work so hard and write so well. Carolyn Thomas my first librarian who shelved me in the YMCA Snow Mountian Ranch Library! The Burren in Co Clare, Katy Perry and The Avett Brothers for the brain dreaming spaces. Joseph Campbell always. Ever a kiss for my awesome lost-book-club friends, All at Celtic Steps <3 and the Irish Dance moms and sweet dancers who were all around me while I wrote this. #missuguys! Ladies in the neighborhood coffee groups—the Foothills Pool gang, Betsy at OLIVER’s DELI (and Justin)! The Colorado College friends and neighbors I don’t have room to list. This book was written around the years we’ve shared our lives. Thanks everyone, so much, for cheering me along this journey.

My writer hearts: Lana Williams, Michelle Major, Cindi Madsen, Jennie Marts, Deanna Knippling, Marty Banks, Jodi Anderson, Donna Koppleman. I love how you all never gave/never give up writing.

Hugs to the ‘Indie Pub Lunch Group’ and to the Sunday SCBWI SoCO members, the Pikes Peak Library District and the awesome ladies who are my fellow members of Pikes Peak Writers, and Romance Writers of America, RWA. #amediting #amwriting.