Hand of Thorns (30 page)

Walking out to the large balcony styled porch, I place a platter of prepared hamburger patties onto the glass table. Leon reaches over to grab them one by one, placing them onto the flaming grill. "Thanks, babe," he says as I walk towards the French doors.

"You're welcome. Need anything else?"

"A beer?" he chuckles.

"I'll be right back."

I head in where Penelope and William are sitting on the couch. She is due any day now for her second child, once again the sex is going to be a surprise, and I give her some serious credit for not finding out ahead of time. "When is Sumner and Gunther going to be here?" She asks.

"They said they'd be here before the food was cooked." I shrug. "You know them. Always late."

"I'm not always late," Sumner rounds the corner at that exact time. "This is my celebration, so excuse me for showing up when I felt like it."

"What, do you think you're a movie star or something?" I mock.

She throws her hair over her shoulder, acting all prissy. "Damn right I do." And she is. She landed her first role unexpectedly, and gets to start filming in one week from today. More excitingly, Gunther gets to help produce the film.

"Babe, I need the cheese, too," Leon yells from outside.

"I can bring it out to him," Gunther offers.

"Grab him a beer as well?" I ask.

"One for myself, too?" He smiles, knowing I'll nod my head.

He heads out to the porch along with William, while I sit with my girls. We're missing Rochelle, but that's only because she's out of state traveling with her newest boyfriend, Troy. We gossip about the things we've been up to, since our lives have all been insane lately. I guess that is what happens when you follow your dreams, but at least at the end of the day, we all have one another when we need each other.

"Monica." Leon pops his head inside. "Burgers are about done. Want to start getting things set up?"

"Yeah, of course." I hop up from the couch, and my friends join me in gathering the tossed salad, some dressing, the drinks, and the platter of fruit. We head back out onto the deck. It's a perfect June day with the sun shining high in the sky, and a few clouds here or there. Almost a hundred degrees out today, perfect for swimming, which is what is planned sometime after we're finished eating.

I look out to the beautiful waves crashing against the beach that runs along our property. I come out here every single morning before I start my day to enjoy a small cup of coffee or tea. Many nights Leon and I sit out here, watching the sun escape into the horizon, while enjoying the silence at the end of a long day, when all that seems to surround us from morning to night is noise. I wouldn't want it any other way, especially the nights that are cool and we stay bundled up together in a blanket.

Once everything is set up, I head back into the house and down the hall. I peak my head inside the play room we have, which is designed with a play kitchen and fake washing machine, a million Barbie’s and babies, tons of cars and books and other items that probably don't get nearly enough playing with. This is uncharted territory for the adults, because it's always a mess, but it's worth it to see the smiles.

"It's time to eat," I tell the kids.

Brady and Vivienne drop their toys, pouting as they walk towards me. "Get those pouts off your mouths, or you can't fill it with yummy, delicious food."

"Yay," they yell simultaneously, running towards the living room to head outside.

I walk further down the hall to open the nursery door. There sleeps my precious baby girl, snuggled against her favorite blanket. Next week she turns a year old, and I already have baby fever for one more, but Leon said we should wait at least another six months. I stare at Roslyn Rose Owens for a few more moments before slowly closing the door, letting her sleep peacefully.

It's been a battle, Ellie is always making it hard for us to see Vivienne, but by court order Leon and she have split custody. It's usually only difficult though when he is traveling somewhere for a movie, which has become more frequent with the fact he's in several different roles now, because she doesn't want to leave Vivienne alone with me. The judge said though, since Leon and I are married and living together, she has to allow it.

We actually got married the same day we found out I was pregnant. We went to the court house and signed papers, making it quick and official. I didn't care about an elaborate wedding, nor did he. We made sure to have a beautiful reception with our family and friends. That was more than enough for me, especially when we got to announce our pregnancy to them all.

Walking back out onto the porch, I sit next to Leon, digging into the food along with everyone else. We end the day with a few drinks, a million laughs, and more love than I ever imagined there would be in my life at only twenty one years old.

When the house is mostly picked up and everyone is gone, we put both of the kids to bed, and head out to the porch. Leon sits down in the reclined beach chair, and I sit in front of him, as he wraps his arms around me. Kissing my shoulder up to my ear, he bites down on my lobe. "I love you, Beautiful."

"And I love you, Beast."

Thank you to all my amazing fans, family, and friends for supporting me in this crazy, beautiful journey! Your support, large or small, makes me more grateful than I could ever explain. It amazes me to have such incredible people in my life, whether you’re close by or across the globe. I’ve met many wonderful people along the way, and have a long list of others I’d love to give large hugs to!

I truly hope you enjoyed reading
Hand of Thorns
!! If you did, please feel free to let your reading buddies know and/or leave a review. My gratitude is forever yours! A huge thanks to my editor and betas for helping bring this story to life, I couldn’t have done it with you ladies!!

Ashley Beale, 27, is an international bestselling author from Maine. Although all of Ashley’s novels are New Adult and Contemporary romance, each one is uniquely different from the last.

You can typically find Ashley surrounded by her children, family, and friends. In her spare time she enjoys writing, reading, adventures with her children, shopping, traveling, or simply being outdoors. She absolutely loves getting to know her fans as well & meeting new people!

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