Love Unmatched (22 page)

Her dad was still talking to the lifeguard. I walked towards her and said, “Hey, are you okay?”

She hugged her hands to her chest and said, “I’m okay. But I didn’t find your quarter.”

I reached my hand out to her. “I’m Kieran. I’m sorry I made you do that.” She took my hand and shook it.

She let out a small smile, “Kieran – that’s a cool name.”

“I got really scared when you didn’t come up.” The last thing I wanted was for her to drown while searching for the stupid quarter that I dropped at the bottom of the pool.

“Me too. I couldn’t move my legs.” She was gathering up her clothes on her hands and was walking towards the bathroom to change.

I felt so bad. She really could have drowned because of me.

“Hey, what’s your name?” I asked, following her steps.

“Sedona.”

She turned around and smiled at me. My heart skipped a beat when she smiled.

“Do you like Super Mario Brothers, Sedona?” I loved Super Mario Brothers. My friends and I were crazy for Mario and Luigi. Maybe girls liked them too. 

She smiled again. Her eyes turned a prettier color when she did that. I found myself wanting to make her smile more.

“I play with them all the time,” she answered. I heard her dad call her name. He wanted her to hurry up so that they go home.

“Are you going to be here next Saturday?” I asked.

“Maybe.”

“Okay, then I’ll bring my Super Mario Brothers trading cards. I have some really cool ones. I can show them to you and if you like them, I can give you some.” She was cool. She didn’t tell her dad that I was the one who bet against her and that was why she almost drowned.

“Cool,” she grinned and touched my hand. I didn’t move away. “Kieran, you still have to teach me the thing that you did earlier.”

“Sure,” I agreed. She left to change into her clothes. She was cooler than a lot of other girls. She did not back down from a challenge and she was still nice to me, even after I made her jump off the pool so that I could teach her a basic move like a back flip.

I waited for her to get out of the bathroom. Once she was out, she was wearing a pink shirt with funky-looking shorts. She giggled and mumbled, “You know, Kieran, I think we’re gonna be great friends.”

I smiled at her, “I don’t think so. You’re a girl and I’m a boy.” She continued walking and I found myself walking beside her.

“So? I’ve always wanted a friend and a brother. It’s even better because you swim really well.”

“Uh-huh.”

She reached for my hand and said, “I know it. You’re going to be my friend.”

I kept quiet. But I couldn’t shake off that funny, weird feeling in my chest that maybe she was right.

My Deepest Thanks

To my husband:
Thank you for always being there for me. You’ve told me to treat writing as a hobby so I can continue to love it and feel no pressure. I have and look what it has brought me – tons of new friends. You are my rock. You’re not a Zander or a Kieran, you’re just you and that’s more than enough.

To my dad:
Thank you for encouraging me to be the best that I can be. When I told you that I started publishing my stories for people to read, all you said was, “Make people smile.” I’m trying dad. One story at a time.

To my girlfriends:
Elle, Sharon, G, Mel, and Chris: Thank you for reading through my endless drafts and for not letting me give up. Many of my characters are based from the lessons I’ve learned with you guys and the ridiculously hilarious moments that we’ve had. I love you guys!

To Janessa Osborne:
I thank fate for bringing us together. Remember when I said, “Hey, I wrote a book. Do you want to read it?” And the rest is an ever-evolving amount of texts and lots of LOLs. I appreciate you and Nikki (Book Junkies Anonymous). You two will always get the first dibs if I continue to write.

To Author Jay Crownover:
You RULE. I would never be able to write about tattooed men and rockers the way you do. And why would I? I know you kick ass (in books and in real life) & when I’m down, you tell me to shake it off and just do my thing. Lotsa love, YO. I look forward to reading more of your Marked Men Series.

To KMS Editing:
I stand by my firsts. Any grammatical mistakes or errors after your final edits are on me. Thanks, doll.

To N Design:
Thanks for my book cover. It’s a bit dark but you know what? It’s your homage to your favorite movie and I let you have it. Contact info:
[email protected]
.

To my readers
, bloggers, and new author friends:
Thank you for your encouragement, support, and for telling your friends to read my book. You crack me up in numerous ways and I’m grateful for your enthusiasm and kind words. Without you, I’ll be sitting pretty in my couch and watching reruns of my favorite shows. NOT. I’ll be reading scholarly journals and scientific research. SURE. Thank you for spurring me on to keep writing my own brand of romance. I want to give a special shout-out to these authors & their upcoming books -
Melanie Dawn
(So Much It Hurts),
Kimi Flores
(Intertwined Hearts Series), &
Nichele Reese
(Juilliard or Else). You guys tag me and call my attention when need be. And make me more “sociable-looking” in the book world.

About the Author

"I write because I love it and for no other reason. The minute I stop enjoying it will be the exact moment I will stop writing."
Anne Leigh is a 30-something-year-old who refuses to let the calendar dictate her age. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Nursing. She likes to write about strong women and equally strong guys who grapple with their emotions when faced with something as intangible as love.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. With her crazy schedule, she gets frustrated at L.A. traffic and needs an escape to keep her sanity, which thankfully her characters provide.
She did not think of publishing her stories and when she finally did, she's truly appreciative of every, single person who found the time to let her characters become parts of their world. She is the author of the
Unexpected Series
.
Book One is Love Unexpected. Book Two is Love Unmatched. Book Three is Love Untouched.

She appreciates all the readers who leave kind comments/reviews on where they purchased the book because without them, all her stories would remain locked up in a thing called “computer.”
She's always happy to find new friends and would love to hear from you via:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/anne.leigh.963
.

E-mail:
[email protected]

Goodreads

Note:
I do have a Twitter handle
:
anneleighauthor. I don’t tweet a lot & I apologize because I really am so busy but I will give you notifications/updates on upcoming books if you’d like to be my Twitter friend.