Black Swan Affair (31 page)
Authors: K.L. Kreig
T
hat day
, she may have pledged her life to me, but today she’ll pledge her love. Today I have it all.
We stop in front of the altar. Father R. putzes around a bit before he comes to stand in front of us. Avery is tucked safely on the floor at our feet, still snoozing away. Luckily.
There are exactly four people in attendance outside of our priest.
Mavs.
Me.
Avery.
And our unborn child.
We found out yesterday Mavs is pregnant again. We are both over the moon. I know it’s soon after Avery, but we want a big family and there’s no reason to wait. If anything, life has taught us you need to take what you want by the horns with all the gusto inside you. Our time here is fleeting.
I feel lucky every single day Maverick forgave me and came back to me, though I know it took her a while to work through it. So it’s not to hurt anyone’s feelings or to leave them out, but it felt right that the day we rededicate ourselves to each other is just for us and our children.
Father R. says a few prayers and blessings. Then it’s our turn to speak from the heart.
Taking both her hands in mine, I start. “Maverick…I don’t even know where to begin.” She’s already tearing up. So am I. “I want to say I always knew we’d end up at this very moment with so much love for each other it’s hard to contain, but I admit I lost hope along the way a few times.” That makes her breath hitch on a sob. I keep going, though.
“I could stand here and repeat those words—I love you—until I have no voice left, but in the end, they’re just words. What’s far more important are my actions to show you that every single moment of every single day you’re my everything. My sun and moon. My light and darkness. My one true love. I’ll make sure you never regret choosing me, Swan.”
The makeup she worked so hard to put on is streaked. Her eyes are red. Mascara is pooled under her lower lashes. She’s a mess. And she is the loveliest creature I have ever seen.
After a few deep breaths, she tells me what I wanted to hear two years ago. Today isn’t the exact date of our anniversary but I kinda like it that way. Now we have two special days to celebrate.
Mavs rubs her lips together a few times before exhaling with her mouth framed into a cute little circle. Then she starts.
“When I think of you, Kael, I’ve always had this easy, comfortable feeling.” Her voice cracks. Her eyes well again. Neither of us will make it through this without splotchy faces and snotty noses. “You’ve always been beside me. Caring for me, protecting me, loving me. Quietly erecting our life for us so it was ready when I was. You never gave up even when you should have. I—” She stops to take a few deep breaths. When she sinks her top teeth into her lower lip, I squeeze her hands, encourage her to continue with a soft smile. She returns it and my heart flips.
“I didn’t make it easy on you, but you hung in there and you will never know how grateful I am for your perseverance or how happy you make me every single day. We’ve had a lot of milestones already, but milestones don’t make a life; it’s all the little things in between that bridge the gap from one monumental event to the next. You’ve given me a thousand little things, Kael, and I know because of those we are unbreakable and everlasting.” Then she shrugs before her last words break me in the best possible way a man can be broken. “I followed my heart and it led me back to you.”
She stops talking and it may be fair to say she’s not the only one who’s a hot mess.
Father R. clears his throat. Good. At least I’m not the only pussy here. He holds out his hands and our wedding bands shine under the light streaming through the stained-glass windows. A few moments later, with them slipped firmly back in place where they will forever stay, I kiss her. Too long and probably far too inappropriate for a church setting, but fuck it. I didn’t get this chance the first time I married her. I’m not wasting my second one.
Mavs and I have fought through a lot of obstacles to get to this point—even each other.
Especially
each other, I think. Hard doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what it took to get us here. But I know with my wife’s hand in mine and my daughter in the other as we head back home to celebrate in our own private way, every second of that fight was worth it. I will not take a single second of the time I have left on this earth with her for granted.
Not one.
T
he Colloway Brothers
series
:
F
inding Gray
(free prequel to Forsaking Gray)
“
M
ove over Christian and Gideon
...there's a new sheriff in town. Gray Colloway just wrecked my heart and Kreig's hot scenes are so HOT, the pad of my index finger is scorched. ~
Katy Regnrey, New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, The Blueberry Lane Series
“
T
his series is absolutely amazing
. Brilliant. Intense. Passionate. Suspenseful. K. L. Kreig really brought her all when she introduced us to the Colloway brothers.” ~
Renee Entress’s Blog
T
he
Regent Vampire Lords
series
:
“
I
f you like
J. R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, or Kresley Cole, you’ll love K. L. Kreig. This series just got even better! Books like these are the reason we, the reviewer, should be able to give six stars!” ~
L. A. Wild, Author, Chance The Darkness
“
T
his author has done
it again. I was captivated and transported into the story right from the first chapter. A truly fantastic vampire book with romance, suspense, twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat all the way through.” ~
Hooked on Books Forever Bookblog
M
y musical inspiration
for writing
Black Swan Affair
:
“
I
’ll Be Waiting
” by Lenny Kravitz
“Away from the Sun” by 3 Doors Down
“Waste My Time” by Saint Asonia
“Incomplete” by Backstreet Boys
“Unsteady” by X Ambassadors
“So Far Down” by Thousand Foot Crutch
“Not Meant to Be” by Theory of a Deadman
“Falling Apart” by Papa Roach
“Love Song” by Tesla
“Remedy” by Adele
“All I Want” by Staind
“The Heart Wants What It Wants” by Selena Gomez
“In Chains” by Shaman’s Harvest
“Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor
“Going Under” by Evanescence
“Not a Bad Thing” by Justin Timberlake
“Torn to Pieces” by Pop Evil
“I’ll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)” by Steelheart
“Through the Ghost” by Shinedown
“Forever” by Papa Roach
“Wait for Me” by Theory of a Deadman
“Cut the Cord” by Shinedown
“Best Is Yet to Come” by Red
“Just a Dream” by Nelly
B
abbles
…
I
was
in the middle of writing a duet that I planned as my next release when this story idea knocked me on my ass. I had to quit writing that one to get this one out and it took a lot out of me.
M
y husband
and I grew up in small Iowa towns. There isn’t a real Dusty Falls, but the setting was similar to where we both lived. Nicknames were commonplace in his town, as were Catholic schools. There really is a glowing tombstone that gets a lot of naked asses stuck to it, a Swinging Bridge that sways and a Suicide Cliff that people used to jump from (but never me because I was a chicken). So much of this story is based in truth, even down to some of the characters, and this was probably the most fun I had writing a book, yet the most challenging because of the way it was told in both flashbacks and the present. I hope I pulled it off and by the end the story, it gelled for you.
R
eaders of
Black Swan Affair
will fall into two camps: 1) Those who didn’t think Maverick could make any other choice, and 2) Those who are stomping their feet, thinking she chose wrong.
W
hat I say is
…that’s okay. You’re entitled to your opinion, but this is how I always envisioned this story going from the very beginning. This book was meant to twist your insides and rip your heart out in both a good and bad way. In any love triangle, someone loses. Someone hurts. One is left in the cold. It sucks and if you’re like me, your heart bleeds for the person who has to watch the one he or she loves ride off into the sunset while they’re left wallowing and miserable. But I’m an HEA kinda gal, so I like to think the one left behind was done so for a better reason.
R
egardless of how
you feel about the ending, I hope this story sticks with you. I hope you talk about it with your friends and in your book clubs and that it inspires healthy debate and discussion. I know it did with my betas. They were all
very
passionate about the ending. But so was I!
O
nce again
, thanks to my fantastic editor,
Nikki
, who rearranged her schedule when I asked so we could get this bad boy edited sooner!
Heather
, you know I love your face. ’Nuf said.
Trisha
, this book wouldn’t be half as good without your input, even though you fell firmly in the “stomp your feet” camp. I
sincerely
appreciate the time you took to make this book the very best it could be. Now…about that tiny house… My #SeducedbytheAlpha team:
Nashoda Rose, MNever, and Gemma James
…Wow! I am so honored I’ve gotten to know you all over the last few months. Thanks for your encouragement with
Black Swan Affair
and with this business in general.
R
achel
, my Miller Light girl. Love you to pieces, my friend.
F
riends
, family, bloggers, authors, betas, pimpers, and most importantly MY READERS: if you supported me in any way, shape, or form, you know who you are and you know I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am nothing but sincerely, eternally grateful for your belief in me. Every message and each e-mail I get from someone who wanted to personally reach out to me and praise me for how my work touched them in some way is
truly
a surreal feeling and
that’s
why I do this. Because you all encourage me. For that, I thank you.
F
or the love of God
…help an author out! LEAVE A REVIEW on Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever you purchased this book. Even one or two sentences or simply rating the book is helpful for other readers. Reviews are critical to getting a book exposure in this vast sea of great reads.
T
his is the hardest part
…talking about myself.
I’m just a regular ol’ Midwest girl who likes
Game of Thrones
and is obsessed with
Modern Family
and
The Goldbergs
. I run, I eat, I run, I eat. It’s a vicious cycle. I love carbs, but there’s a love-hate relationship with my ass and thighs. Mostly hate. I like a good cocktail (oh hell…who am I kidding? I love
any
cocktail). I’m a huge creature of habit, but I’ll tell you I’m flexible. I read every single day and if I don’t get a chance…watch the hell out, I’m a raving bitch. My iPad and I: BFFs. I’m direct and I make no apologies for it. I swear too much. I love alternative music and in my next life, I want to be a badass female rocker. I hate, hate, hate spiders, telemarketers, liver, acne, winter, and loose hairs that fall down my shirt (don’t ask, it’s a thing).
I have a great job (no…truly it is) outside of writing. My kids and my husband are my entire world and I’d never have made it this far without them. My soul mate husband of over twenty-eight years provides unwavering support and my two grown children know the types of books I write and they don’t judge their mom anyway (and my daughter is a beta reader even…yes, that can be awkward…very).
I’m
sincerely
humbled by each and every like on my Facebook page or sign up for my newsletter or outreach from someone who has read and loved my books. I still can’t get over the great support. The romance book community is a wonderful and supportive one. I’ve made more friends since I started this journey than I’ve made in my life and I’m a pretty affable person. It’s surreal. I’m pretty sure it always will be.
In short, I am blessed…and I know it.
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