Forever summer (Summer # 4) (26 page)

Authors: C.J. Duggan

BOOK: Forever summer (Summer # 4)

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“All this, all these memories surrounding us, every single moment has led to this.” I held the diary out to him, urging him to take it. “This is the one page that isn’t up there.” The very one that confessed my true feelings for him.

Adam took the diary, his gaze flicking intently from the leather-bound book to me. He turned it around in his hands, feeling the weight of it, rubbing the silken ribbon divider between his fingers.

Adam glanced up, watching me intently. “Do you love me, Ellie Parker?”

I stilled, taken aback by the unexpectedness of his question, but my answer was easy. “Can four hundred and twenty-six photocopied diary entries be wrong?”

Adam laughed. “I guess not,” he said, throwing the diary on top of the CD player, the weight accidentally hitting the pause button and plunging us into silence. He wasn’t going to read it, he didn’t have to read it, I knew he knew I loved him, I could see it in his eyes.

Adam reached out to me, sliding his hand around the side of my waist, drawing me closer to him, his mouth hovering so close to me I could feel his breath ghost across my lips for a long moment before leaning in and kissing me so passionately fire burned under my skin, my hands bunching the fabric of his shirt as I drew him into me.

Just as we thought the world and everything around us might melt away in all its insignificance, our moment was interrupted by a distant echo of cheers and wolf whistles. We broke apart, turning to see we had gained a rather impressive audience peering through the sliding glass door of the hotel. The entire Onslow gang, clapping and cheering us on. Amy banging on the glass in excitement, Ringer singing out, “About bloody time.”

The sound became louder when Chris slid the door open, disguising as best he could the smile that danced under the surface as he leant in the doorway, shaking his head.

“Now, can I have my beer garden back?” It earned him a rather impressive whack to his upper arm by Tammy.

“What?” he cried. “It’s Saturday night, people are asking …” Chris’s words were cut off by Tammy shutting the door, and drawing the blind, not before a rather daggy and elated Tess gave us a huge ‘thumbs up’.

“I swear he’s adopted,” Adam said, shaking his head and encircling his arms around me, bringing his lips back to mine just like I hoped he would.

We didn’t give up the beer garden that night; instead, we sat on the steps of the gazebo, watching the stars and reading the photocopied diary entries one by one, laughing and talking long into the night. He promised to keep my mortifying secrets if I promised no more Starship songs.

My heart was full knowing that Adam finally had no doubt about how I felt about him, and as much as that made me happy, there was a lingering, unanswered question that rolled over in my mind, something that didn’t feel right, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. And in that very moment, as if reading my mind, Adam broke his gaze away from the stars and looked at me, really looked at me, lost in deep thought as his eyes ticked over my face for what seemed forever.

“I love you, Ellie Parker.”

I took in the depth of his eyes, the very ones that had lured me into a thousand different kinds of trouble, the ones that would have me following him anywhere.

I broke into a winning smile, leaning my head against the warmth of his shoulder, hiding the tears that threatened to well in my eyes.

Adam Henderson loved me.

“Sounds like I’m going to need a new diary.”

Sliding his arm around my shoulder and kissing the top of my head.

“Don’t worry, Parker, we’ll fill up those pages in no time.”

I laughed out into the darkness, lacing Adam’s fingers with mine. “Of that, Adam Henderson, I have no doubt.”

Absolutely none!

Acknowledgements

Much love to my amazing husband, Mick, for being the beautiful part of my reality and supporting me in all I do; I know it’s not easy, but I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else.

To all the bloggers, reviewers and readers who have enjoyed and shared the
Summer Series
. For taking something away from the story, for loving and embracing the characters. In a world that is often dark enough, it has been an absolute pleasure injecting it with a bit of sunshine.

I am blessed with such a talented, hardworking team; these ladies always go above and beyond for me. A special thanks to: Anita Saunders, Fiona Wilson and Keary Taylor.

Many thanks to my formatter, Karen Phillips.

Always grateful for the love and support of my friends and family.

My fellow authors for their inspiration, support and friendship: Frankie Rose, Jessica Roscoe, Lilliana Anderson, Keary Taylor. I adore you ladies and would be truly lost without our daily chats.

To my fierce ‘Team Duggan’ warriors, for your unwavering support and enthusiasm. For always spreading the word and fighting the good fight to help put the
Summer Series
out there for the masses. I feel incredibly privileged to have each and every one of you on my team and in my life – thank you.

Turn the page for a preview of the exciting new novel

by CJ Duggan

KISS THE GIRLS

DON’T MISS CJ’S BRAND-NEW ROMANCE COMING 2016

KISS THE GIRLS

The past never stays buried for long.

Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Taylor has only ever known one life.

Growing up in the impoverished housing commission estate in Southside was always about daily survival and dreams about a future that would never be. But when Charlie finds herself the daughter of a lottery winner, she and her single mum finally have a means to escape into a world of unimaginable wealth and privilege.

Five years on, and a now-seventeen-year-old Charlie calls Half Moon Street home, nestled in an affluent inner-city neighborhood, where tree-lined paths are overshadowed only by the pristine townhouses.

Despite the best all-girls education money can buy, designer clothes and more zeros in her bank account than she could spend in a lifetime, there is one thing that is clear: Charlie was not born into wealth and will never fully fit in with the elite. If it weren’t for the unlikely friendship with her neighbour, Isabella Kincaid, Charlie would run from this foreign life. Run from all the lies she’s been telling.

Until him.

Charlie has never forgotten the one and only exchange she had with Isabella’s older brother all those years ago. Despite his privileged upbringing, there is an edge to Sebastian that Charlie recognises.

And now he’s back, but seriously off limits. Isabella has made that perfectly clear to her friends.

But for Charlie, who is always one to guard her emotions as carefully as she guards her heart, the question is: Will the shadows of her past threaten to break her seemingly perfect world or will the forbidden boy next door?

Pre-order now exclusively on the iBookstore

About the Author

CJ Duggan is a number one internationally bestselling Australian author of seven independent titles of her popular New Adult Summer Series. In addition to her chart-topping indie novels, CJ is set to publish two titles with
Hachette, Australia
with her brand-new Paradise Series in 2015 (Paradise City and Paradise Road).

CJ lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia. When she isn't writing books about swoony boys and 90s pop culture you will find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos.

AVAILABLE NOW

The 'Summer Series'

The Boys of Summer

Stan

An Endless Summer

Max

That One Summer

Ringer

Forever Summer

The 'Paradise Series'

Paradise City

Paradise Road