Found at the Library (21 page)

But, whether he knew it or not—and Mac really hoped he’d managed to keep this a secret—today was all about Tommy.

The same Tommy who sent him confused glances now as he worked his way from the back of the room where he’d been standing. His man looking so gorgeous with his head of curls that needed cut again. They’d both been busy and distracted lately with the upcoming holiday season. Tommy walked toward him with that loose gait, loose because he’d fucked Mac into the mattress this morning and then again in the shower. Stress relief at its finest. After a year together, they’d made stress relief into an art all its own.

Mac gave him a reassuring smile. The last year had been amazing for the two of them. After Ryder had been released from the hospital, the two brothers had moved into Mac’s house. Ryder needed help during recovery and neither of them had places big enough. Space was something Mac had plenty of in his sprawling home, so it had only made sense.

He glanced over at Ryder now, sitting off to the side with a big grin on his face. Ryder and Emily were the only other two people who knew the plan.

Tommy arrived at the front and hissed under his breath, “What are you doing? This is your thing, not mine.”

Mac winked at him. “That’s what you think now, but you’re wrong,” he whispered as he brushed a light kiss across Tommy’s cheek, which turned even redder.

With a final squeeze to his fingers, Mac began talking into the microphone again. “Some of you already know this, but last year when I was supposed to be writing this book, I got a little behind because I had a new distraction in my life.” He motioned to Tommy. “This guy right here.”

“Oh, sure, throw me under the bus,” Tommy grumbled in a low voice.

The people sitting up front laughed since they were the only ones who could hear Tommy’s hushed comments.

Mac smiled. “No one’s getting thrown under the bus here. But what most of you probably don’t know is that Tommy is T. Garrett, the owner and artist at Typecast. He creates gorgeous works of art using—and inspired by—books. When the hardback version of
The Final Destiny
came out, he created a piece of art, using that book. That’s why we’re here today.”

Tommy looked at him quizzically, and Mac could see the wheels turning in his lover’s head as his eyes widened. Tommy was coming to understand there was more going on here today.

“Most times, the covers change slightly between the hardback and paperback releases, but usually those are pretty minor changes. When my publishing team saw what Tommy had done with the hardback copy of
The Final Destiny
, they were also inspired. They wanted a total revamp of the cover for the paperback. As a result, I give you the newly released paperback version of
The Final Destiny
.” Mac pulled the drape off the ten-foot banner, and Tommy gasped.

The graphic design team had done an incredible job. They’d photographed Tommy’s art. This new piece featured the three dimensional logo of the
Mystique
crew flying out of the center of the standing book. It was gorgeous and evoked the perfect blend of sci fi, with the internal lighting, and futuristic feel, with the design. It made a perfect centerpiece on the cover. It was truly beautiful, but it didn’t compare to the man beaming with happiness beside him.

Mac wiped his hands on his pants and tried to find some moisture in his mouth, because now they’d arrived at the real test to the day.

He picked up the paperback version of the book that had been hidden behind the podium. “Tommy, as the artist for this new version, I have a specially prepared paperback copy of the book for you.” Tommy began to reach for it, but Mac shook his head and turned back to the audience.

“But first, I need to tell you the story of how Tommy and I met. I found him at the library book sale. I became rather put out when I realized he bought books so he could destroy them. At least, that was my impression of what he did.” Mac grimaced at them as a few of them chuckled. “Yeah, I was an idiot. I had no clue what Tommy really did with his art. When someone altered a book all I could see was the desecration of my hard work within the pages. Because, you know, the guts are kind of my thing.”

There were some more laughs from the audience.

“I’ve since discovered that sometimes the books become even more beautiful when the guts are cut out to create something else. And with that in mind,” he dropped to one knee in front of Tommy and held the book toward him, “I give you this book.”

Tommy’s eyes had widened dramatically and his hands shook as he took the book out of Mac’s grasp.

“Open it,” Mac encouraged.

With trembling fingers, Tommy opened the cover. His eyes widened and then filled with tears. “Are you serious?”

Mac grinned, feeling a little sick to his stomach. “Serious enough that I defiled a book for you. Will you marry me, Tommy Garrett?”

Tommy reached into the tiny compartment carved into the middle of the book pages and removed the matching set of wedding rings. He pulled Mac up from the floor. “Yes! Oh my fuck, yes.” And then he kissed him to the sound of the crowd applauding.

THE END

***

Do not let anyone stifle your dreams.

Do Epic Shit!

Author’s Note:

While Mac and Tommy are pure fiction, the circumstances around Tommy’s dyslexia are not. Those details are how things played out for my 20 year-old son when he was diagnosed with dyslexia at 17. But like Tommy, he learned how to cope and is in his junior year as a photography major at Texas Tech University, although this semester he’s interning as a team photographer with the Washington Redskins.

Be on the lookout next year for book #2 in this series,
Found at the Bookstore
, featuring Ryder and Stig. ;)

Another Note from the author:

I am so lucky. I have two of the best editors in the business, and I’m the absolute worst when it comes to editing. I bitch and complain and truly hate the process of editing, but their suggestions are always spot-on and make my books so much better.

Thank you to
Mia Downing
and
Sarah Negovetich
. I could NOT do this without both of you!!

And of course, I have a fabulous team all the way around.

To
Amanda Matthews
who read this book first and was just as excited as me. She loves these characters, too. She also created the gorgeous, drop-dead beautiful cover and I couldn’t be any happier with it. It’s so perfect!

To my betas...they had it easy this go around. I just sent them the book and told them to simply enjoy. Thank you to
Anso, Kim, Lee, and Tessa
.

And then
Sabrina
who’s the last person to touch it with proofreading. Thank you for reading fast at the last minute. Love you, girly!

Smiles,

Christi

Tommy’s
Do Epic Shit
key...it played a kind of big part in this story. There is actually a key like this that inspired it. In fact, I have several of them that I will be giving away throughout the 2015 holiday season. So keep an eye on my blog and Facebook page for those giveaways.

www.Christi-Snow.com

https://www.facebook.com/christisnowauthor

And you can have your own embossed keys created by the super talented,
Marah Johnson
(the artist behind these.) Her Facebook link...

https://www.facebook.com/marah.johnson?fref=ts

Snowcroft Lost...

This is a Male/Male romantic suspense.

Secrets and Lies… 

Everyone has them. Big ones. Little ones. 

For Trevor Mayne and Jamie Vaughn, secrets and lies are how they’ve made their fourteen year friendship work. Don’t talk about it. Ignore it and it won’t be real. Pretend like everything’s fine between the two of them. 

Jamie can’t live like this anymore. He’s in love with Trevor, his best friend who just happens to be straight. Tired of hiding his feelings, he decides to walk away. From their friendship. From his hometown. From his business. 

But before Jamie gets a chance to leave, a freak accident leaves Trevor with amnesia. A new blank perspective leaves him confused about the inconsistencies of what he’s told his life should be vs. the feelings that he knows he has. Now those secrets and lies, that should be safer than ever, are suddenly front and center and changing everything between them. 

Their world is at risk because their secrets and lies aren’t the only ones at play here. There’s a bigger lie out there and it could just destroy everything as they get closer and closer to the secret hidden in depths of the Snowcroft forest.