Regrets Only (42 page)
“Everything
okay?” he said. Now he looked concerned.
She
crossed to him and gave him a soft kiss, tugging gently at his bottom lip with
her teeth as they parted. “I’m fine. Just going upstairs.” She gave him a grin.
“Don’t get all swept up in football and forget about me, okay?”
He
growled slightly and leaned toward her. “What football?” Suzanne knew she’d
never get tired of that lopsided grin.
#
The
work took her nearly five hours. By the time she’d finished, it was one in the
morning and she had lost all sense of time. She went downstairs to find Dylan
asleep on the couch with the TV flickering. She shook him gently and he
startled awake, grabbing for his phone. They read the text together:
It’s
a boy! Adrian Burke Wendell, born 11:16 p.m. 6 lbs, 8 oz. Mom & baby GR8 :)
Luv, Jeff
“We’ll
leave first thing, eh?” Dylan said, grinning.
“Definitely,”
Suzanne agreed. “They’ll need your help controlling the rest of the family.”
Dylan
nodded and stood, stretching. His white t-shirt rose with his broad shoulders,
leaving an exposed gap of perfect stomach between it and his jeans. The three
months of relaxing had done Dylan no harm whatsoever. Tired and achy though she
was, she felt the familiar longing for him rising in her lower abdomen.
“What
were you doing all this time, Scarlett?” he asked sleepily.
“Huh?”
she said, distracted by the desire to touch his abs.
“Upstairs.
Were you painting something?”
“Oh,
no. But I think you’ll be happy to see what I was working on.” She took his
hand, his left hand, and pulled him upstairs by the finger that would someday
wear her ring. When they got upstairs, she held out her arms in her best Vanna
impersonation.
“What?”
he said, looking around. “What am I looking at, Suze?”
“It’s
what you’re
not
looking at,” she said.
Realization
dawned. “All of them?”
“Every
one,” she said, and then squealed as he scooped her up in an embrace. He
carried her up the additional flight of stairs to the master bedroom where he
enticed her to overlook her aches and pains while they made love. In their bedroom,
in their house, where they were both all in, and every single box was unpacked.
For good.
This part is
really
fun with a second book, because I
get to thank my fans! What a thrill! There are thousands of great books out
there competing for your attention; I am full of gratitude to everyone who took
a chance on this book and/or its predecessor. I appreciate your emails,
Facebook comments, and reviews. Your feedback makes a fun job even more
rewarding!
As always, I want to thank the friends and beta readers who
helped shape the book and provided invaluable support (with occasional
hand-holding and tear-drying, too): Kristal Goelz, Jenna Denisar, Carla
Birnbaum, Brenda Turetsky, Patricia Reeder, Rob Wade, Sarah Cutler, Michelle
Moore, and the always indispensable Ryan Van Meter. I thank Marla Kaplan for both
reading and the amazing cover art; and Faith Williams at Atwater Group for stellar
copyediting.
The biggest gold stars, however, go to my infinitely
supportive husband Sam and our two beautiful boys. They put up with my periodic
anxiety attacks, late nights glued to the laptop, and Saturday mornings typing
away behind closed doors. Far more importantly, they are the inspiration and the
heart of everything I do. Love y’all.
--
MJP
Cover Art by Marla Kaplan.
www.marlakaplandesign.com
the Author
M.J. Pullen studied English Literature and Business at the
University of Georgia in Athens. She also has a Master’s degree in Professional
Counseling and has worked as everything from a couples’ therapist to a
marketing manager to a waitress. Some people would say this indicates a lack of
focus, but she vehemently insists that the wide variety of experiences informs
and enhances her writing. That’s her story and she’s sticking to it.
She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two sons.
www.facebook.com/MJPullenBooks
Twitter: @MJPullen