Blind Reality (38 page)

“Cole and Millie, you guys seemed to hit it off right away. Did that surprise you?” Millie looks at Cole and smiles. Sadly, he doesn’t return the gesture and that’s not lost on Millie. I feel bad for the both of them right now. “Cole is great. I knew early on that he was someone special for me.”

“And what about you and Josh?” The question is directed at Joey, but I don’t give her time to answer.

“I fell in love. Joey is the most beautiful, smart, funny, and down to earth woman I’ve ever met. She gets me and doesn’t let my profession define us. I love her.” I take my hand away and place my fingers under her chin to turn her face toward me. “I love you, Joey.”

The crowd erupts in a boisterous cheer. Once they’ve calmed down, I drop down to my knee and pull out the black velvet box that has been sitting in my pocket since last night. I open the lid, earning gasps from the three women closest to me.

“Joey, I know we’re already married, but I would really like to do things right. Will you marry me in front of our family and friends? Will you be my partner in all things and marry me … again?”

I gaze into her eyes as her hand covers her mouth. She glances from me to the crowd who are yelling for her to say yes, and some even saying that they’ll marry me. I try not to laugh, but I can’t help it.

It seems like minutes until words are spoken.

“We’ll be back after the commercial break to see what Joey has to say.”

B
ackstage at the
Helen
show, the producers of
Married Blind
stand there, shocked. They were already dealing with the fallout from Amanda and Gary’s relationship and Amanda’s lawsuit that had been filed earlier this morning citing fraud; and were preparing a press release for after today’s broadcast in light of the Joshua and Joey Wilson fallout that was soon to happen once their divorce hit the newswire.

None of them expected to watch Josh get down on bended knee and propose.

“Can you zoom in on the ring?” Barry asks the cameraman who does as he’s asked.

“At least five carats,” Barry’s assistant says.

“Run a quick promo,” Barry barks.

“Sir?”

Barry rolls his eyes at the incompetence. “Clearly we have another show.”

“Right, of course, what would you like to call it?”

“Married Blind: Reality,” Barry says as if his assistant should’ve read his mind.

During the commercial break, while the audience waits for Joey to answer, the promo ad runs announcing a fall airing of
Married Blind: Reality
, leaving the viewers at home wondering what on earth it can be about.

Once the assistant has run off, Barry dials his boss and waits patiently for the call to connect. Once it does, he spills on his idea, confident that his boss will say yes. Joshua and Joey Wilson were fan favorites … there was a reason why they didn’t win.

To my crew, as always, thank you for everything that you do to help bring each idea to life. Yvette, Traci, Georgette, Tammy – you guys put up with a lot of harebrained ideas and I appreciate it. Amy, Audrey, Kelli, Tammy and Veronica – you guys work so hard to make sure everyone knows about my stories, thank you. Christine – thank you for pushing me to make the right decision!

The design team: Sarah, as always, you blow me away with each cover you give me. Emily, your crew is amazing and works tirelessly to bring our books some flavor.

To my family – as always I appreciate everything you do.

Heidi is a
New York Times
and
USA Today
Bestselling author.

Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup, and their newest addition of a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she’s writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either daughter’s basketball games.

Love’s Second Chance
by LP Dover

Prologue

Korinne

W
hat do you do when you have nothing else to live for? When the world closes in on you and rips your soul apart, leaving you dying and aching on the inside. How does one regain the pieces that have been scattered to the wind?

On the day I lost Carson, my world went gray and dark. The light inside me died when he was taken from me. I remember wiping the tears angrily away from my eyes as I sat there beside him. I wanted to see him clearly, to remember everything about my final moments with the man I had loved, cherished, and called my husband for the past two years. We were building a life together, and now it was going to be lost.

Holding his hand while he lay broken and battered in the hospital bed, I couldn’t begin to fathom what my life was going to be like without him. As strong as Carson was, I knew it took all of his strength to even try to hold on. I wanted to take that pain away and keep it as my own. No one should ever have to see the person they love die in front of their eyes. I knew I would never forget the love and adoration in his gaze when he spoke those final words on his last dying breath.

“I love you, Kori,” Carson says to me, his breathing raspy and forced, and I know it’s agony for him to breathe because of the broken ribs. His face is almost unrecognizable from the damage of the crash, but no matter what, I’ll always see the angelic face of my husband in my mind. My heart has broken into a million pieces just looking at him so helpless and visibly in pain. If I could trade places with him to spare him the anguish I would. A million times over I would.

“I love you so much, Carson. You can’t leave me, please don’t leave me.” I choke as a sob escapes my lips. I have to remain strong for him, but how can I when he’s facing death and I’m about to lose him. A tear escapes from the corner of his eye, and before I can speak again he grips my hand tightly.

“Shh, don’t cry. I need you to promise me …”

I lean over him, desperate to hear what he wants me to promise him. I’ll promise him anything if it will keep him here longer. “Promise you what, Carson?” I say quickly, knowing time is running out. The beeping of the machines begins to slow down … slower and slower. Breaking down into tears, I desperately try to cling onto him, to feel the life inside of him before it dies away. How can his time be up when he has so much to live for?

With quivering lips, I kiss him gently, branding the feel of him in my mind so I will always remember. Our final kiss, the last one we will share forever. His eyes flutter open one last time and on his last breath he cries, “Promise me you’ll …” But that’s as far as he gets. I sit there frozen, stunned into silence, when I see that he’s breathing no more.

“Promise you what, Carson?” I scream desperately. I need to know what he was going to say. I take his face in my hands, willing the life back into his body, but his eyes stay locked onto mine as his soul is set free. The machines begin their long and drawn out beeping, signaling the passing of my beloved husband. I am frozen in place, numb on the outside but in despair on the inside as I stare at the lifeless form of the man I have grown to love and cherish. His body is still, so very still. My tears flow like hot rivers down my cheeks, landing on his bruised face. “I love you. I will always love you,” I cry. My lungs feel constricted and the world seems to be closing in around me. I can’t breathe, I can’t think, and I sure as hell can’t believe that my husband is now gone ... forever. How am I going to face the future without him? He’s gone … and from this moment on, so is my heart.

Just when I thought moving on was possible, that day and the way it felt would come stumbling back in like a plague, consuming me with its pain. Sometimes I wanted to imagine it was all just a bad dream, but then reality would strike and the memories came flooding back of the day Carson died, and of the fear that if I ever decided to love again I’d be doomed to face the same torment. Bearing that kind of pain again was not something I wanted to endure.

Chapter One

Korinne - The Move Back

“A
re you sure you want to move back? You know, you can stay here as long as you like.” My mother’s warm face showed her concern, and if she had her way she would have made me live with her and my father forever. As much as I loved my parents, we all knew that I’d be miserable if I stayed there.

When Carson died, I decided to live with my parents for a while. I needed to get away to try to deal with my grief, but mostly I didn’t want to be alone. I had no siblings or close family in Charlotte so I had no other choice except to stay with my parents. For six months I had lived with them at their beautiful home in the historical district of Charleston, SC. I loved it there, but it was time for me to go. After loading the last of my belongings into the trunk of my car, I turned around to face my mother. I had been told I looked just like her, except for the hair color. Mine had always been a golden-blonde, whereas hers has always been a deep, chestnut brown. Also, we both happen to be as stubborn as mules, but my mother never owned up to it.

“I know I don’t have to leave, Mom, but I can’t stay here anymore. I appreciate everything you and Dad have done for me, but I have to live my life the way I want to live it,” I said boldly.

She shook her head in disbelief. “But that’s just it, Kori. You’re not living it! You’re twenty-eight years old and have so much to live for. It’s been six months since Carson died.” At the mention of Carson, I knew my mother could see the hurt that passed over my face. Her voice turned soft and concerned. “You need to move on and get your life back on track.”

I had heard those words from her over and over, and every time it took more and more control to keep my calm. I didn’t think she would have said that to me if she knew what it felt like to lose the man you loved. I gritted my teeth and put on a fake smile like I always did in this situation. My mother knew it was forced, but she went along with it anyway.

“I’m trying, Mom. That’s why I’m moving back to Charlotte, so I can start over. I’m going to start working again and go from there,” I informed her, anything to appease her so I could leave. What I hadn’t told her was that I
was
moving back, but I wasn’t going back to mine and Carson’s home. I rented a condo and planned to stay there until I got the strength to go back home. I knew my parents would find out eventually, but for now I didn’t plan on telling them. My mother sighed and pulled me in for a tight embrace. Hugging her with all I had, I breathed in her motherly scent, the aroma that had been my comfort growing up. Other than my grandmother, my mother had always been my biggest supporter.

“That sounds great, sweetheart. You’re always welcome to come back any time you want.” Releasing her hold, she looked me in the eyes. “I love you, care bear. You
will
get through this. You’re strong and I have complete and utter faith in you.”

I nodded, quickly averting my eyes so she couldn’t see the tears building up, about to fall. “I love you, Mom,” I said as I opened the car door. “I’ll call Dad when I get on the road to tell him good-bye.”