Everly After (33 page)

Shit, the garage. I guess I have a roommate who loves her Harley.

The thing is, the small fib I told my parents about the having all girl roommates is more of a lie now that Beau’s moved in. At least with Taylor here, I had two female roommates and Ethan. Forget the fact that I’m in college and mostly on my own, my parents still want me locked away like Rapunzel or better yet, shipped off to a nunnery. Yeah, they’d gun for making me a nun with a highly successful painting career. To them, relationships and boys are bad. Unless I have paintbrush in my hand, everything is considered a distraction.

After my failed attempt at being a college freshmen in New York, I don’t need any more distractions in my life. I don’t want to disappoint anyone again, not even myself. My time in Portland is going to be different.

I’m
going to be different.

My parents don’t comment on the art I have stacked against the wall, or the painting I have on the easel by the window, but rather on the orange stain on the ratty carpet. If they look close enough, they’ll notice my rug is practically a palette. I always forget to screw the caps on to my oil paints while I work.

“The Christmas lights and the tapestry could be a fire hazard,” my father says. I fight back the urge to jump on my bed and rip it off the wall just to make him happy. My mother circles around the tiny room, her disapproval obvious as she studies all the photos I have taped on the walls and the pots of flowers clustered around my desk.

“How’s Aubrey? I thought she was coming to lunch with us?” she asks, folding her hands in front of her. The dirty glasses perched on her nose don’t fight the image of her becoming an aging scholar. Give her a gown and a witch’s hat and she’d be the spitting image of Professor McGonagall.

I hear the soft creaking of the floorboard by the front door, then it closes.

I relax, taking the first true deep breath of the morning. I check my phone again. Twenty minutes before we have to be on campus and meet Aubrey.

“Who was that?” my mother asks.

I grab my purse and a folder of work I need to drop off to my art professor for the open house. “My roommate,” I say, smiling that I don’t have to lie.

But my hands are still burning and I can feel the hard pressure of his body against my palms. The smell of bourbon on his breath, the motor oil staining his gray t-shirt.

Stupid dimple.

***

Between Everything and Us
will be available January 2015. You can add it to
Goodreads
or preorder it
here
.

I wrote the first draft of
Everly After
when I was sixteen, and though I’ve rewritten a few times since then, nothing fell into place until I sat down this past January to completely rewrite it yet again. Twelve years have passed since the original draft, twelve years that have seen me off to college, on many travel adventures, through the tribulations of new jobs, apartments, and homes, not to mention marriage to my best friend. Throughout all of that, I never forgot the story about Everly and Beckett. So readers, thank you for reading! It’s surreal to have this book actually exist in the world and I appreciate the time you took to read it.

I want to thank Deborah Nemeth, my incredible editor, for believing in this book and for helping me stay true to the messy and imperfect journey of Everly and Beckett. And a big thank you to my copy editor, Rebecca Weston, for making my words shine.

To Jonny, my favorite person in the entire world (aka my incredible husband). I’m so glad you walked into my dorm room wearing that ridiculous hat of yours ten years ago. Thank you for your unwavering belief in me, for making me smile on my bad writing days, and for celebrating with me on the good ones. And thank you for my gorgeous cover. You have been my favorite part of these past ten years. I probably won’t ever like Bruce Springsteen, but I’ll try. There, that’s in writing. And happy early anniversary—to many years more and plenty of adventures. I love you.

To my family, I’m not sure I’d have this book out without all of your support over the years, especially the past few months. Thank you for pushing me to chase after my dreams and thank you for understanding when I lock myself away because of deadlines. Thank you for believing in me and my writing, and thank you for carrying around my book cover to show everyone. I love you all.

To my MTWBWY BAMFs, you ladies are my everything. Twitter is an amazing thing for bringing us all together and I’ll be forever grateful that you came into my life. It’s been such a pleasure growing as a writer alongside you talented ladies, and becoming such great friends in addition to sprinting partners. I am so excited to be here cheering you on as the rest of world gets to meet your beautiful books. Keep writing and may the words with be you.

To Erica Monroe, thank you for helping a fellow newbie indie out. I’d be lost without your help and guidance, not to mention the final push you gave me to follow my dreams when I was teetering on the edge of stopping completely. For that, I don’t think a simple thank you will suffice, but know that it means the world to me to have you in my life.

To the amazing women of the NHRWA and NECRWA chapters who have cheered me on these past few years during meetings and conferences. You have all helped me not only become a better writer, but you have also showed me that’s okay to speak up and proudly announce to the world that I’m a romance writer. Thank you for that.

To Kristine Wyllys, thank you for your guidance and for being such an inspiration. Not only are your words gorgeous, your books have showed me that it’s important and necessary that our heroines have happy endings, too, no matter if they’re tough to love.

To Lia Riley, thank you for helping me with the query for this book when I was trying to find it a home, and for loving Tom Hardy as much as I do. You’re awesome and I appreciate all of your help and encouragement.

To Jamie, a big thank you for being my very first fan when I decided not to hide my fiction from the world any longer. Without your encouragement and undying enthusiasm for the craft of writing, I’m not sure my lovely Bly would ever exist, never mind ever allowing the world meet Everly and Beckett.

To Holly, thank you for your endless support on all things writing and life. I’m so glad the Belles brought us together.

And lastly, I know it might be silly, but I want to thank me. You didn’t give up and now you have the proof in your hands. Remember that.