Groupie/Rock Star Bundle (78 page)

She’d finally earned her hard-won happily ever
after.

She was determined no one would ever take it
away from her again. She’d fight every force that came up against
them, for her man, for her child, for her family.

Chapter Twenty-Five

January 12, 2011. Ohio.

Holly

Julian flipped through the channels of the
motel TV. He couldn’t believe he was back in this stink hole of a
town after being so close to his dream. He cursed everyone: Leo for
blowing their whole cover, Graham for filing restraining orders
against them, and Holly her persistent whining over their latest
foiled opportunity.

She’d even turned a cold shoulder to him in
recent weeks. God forbid he dare touch her. Somehow he knew she was
still pining over Giovanni in a way that made no sense to him.
They’d find someone else. They always did.

In the meantime they returned to Ohio, tails
tucked firmly between their legs, back to hustling like they did
when they were kids. They had hitchhiked across the fucking country
once, wasn’t that enough?

When was it their turn?

Holly didn’t say much as she walked through the
door of the no-name motel they rented by the week. She handed him a
cheap bottle of booze from the bag. “What?” he said. “No
pretzels?”

She glared at him as she shoved a bag his
direction.

“Still mad at me, huh?” he said as she
disappeared into the bathroom. “You know, it’s not my fault this
time. You can blame your good pal, Leo. He’s the one that got you
invested into that lowlife Giovanni Carnevale,” he sneered. “We
almost made it across the finish line,” he said. “Too bad for us
the fucker has a pork fetish.”

He laughed at his own joke as he flipped
through more channels. “Hey, look at it this way,” he said as he
called through the walls. “At least you don’t have to pretend
you’re pregnant anymore. That never ends well. Remember Denver?” he
asked. “I remember Denver.”

She still hadn’t answered so he lumbered from
his reclining position on the sagging mattress and walked over to
the bathroom door. “Did you hear what I said?”

She opened the door. “Yeah. I don’t have to
pretend I’m pregnant anymore,” she repeated.

“Right,” he said as he turned back toward the
bed.

A tiny plastic object flew over his shoulder
and landed on the bed. Out of curiosity he bent for a closer look.
It was a pregnancy test.

It was positive.

He turned back to see the triumphant look on
her face. “Pack your bags,” she said. “We’re going back to
L.A.”

###

Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to my trusted, tireless
readers and unintentional editors: Jeff Mayo, Shirley Ozment, Sarah
Bohlander and Katrin Delfs. Without complaint (and with almost
masochistic enthusiasm) you muddle through what is essentially word
vomit and keyboard debris, produced in a flurry of sleepless nights
and foggy days. Thanks for helping me make sense of it all, and
loving these fictional folk enough to keep me honest and true to
their characters. Your encouragement is unmatched and truly
priceless.

Also I’d like to profusely thank my friend,
actor/comedian/activist/writer/magician/talk show host and rock
star in his own right - Hal Sparks. You fearlessly let me into your
world and gave me perspective, encouragement and, the biggest gift
of all, acceptance. Thanks for always setting the example of
excellence over perfection. And thanks most of all for keeping me
sane in a world that is often anything but! Your insight and
empathy are unmatched.

Thanks as always to my friends and to my family
who put up with my craziness while I live like a vampire months out
of the year to produce the books I love so much. I really couldn’t
do it without all of you, but my darling hubby in particular. Thank
you, Steven, for endlessly indulging your fangirl of a wife with
good humor and ceaseless patience. You are the best of the best and
I’m so lucky you are mine. I hope I can make you feel like a star
every day of your life. Since 1999 I have been (and always will be)
TeamSTEVEN.

About the Author

In addition to
being a freelance writer and author, Ginger Voight is an optioned
screenwriter who has completed eight feature length screenplays
since 2002. This prolific novelist has several e-book and print
editions of her work available, including the edgy, coming-of-age
drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS
, and the fun family adventure for
kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD
.

Having grown up on
Danielle Steel and Stephen King, Ginger both reads and writes a
variety of genres from kids’ books to horror. Titles such as MY
IMMORTAL
and TASTE OF
BLOOD
are a delicious, heady mix of potent
genres like horror, suspense and romance.

Genre romance,
however, has held a special place in her heart ever since she read
her first Harlequin novel when she was only eleven. Today Ginger
writes romances of her own, starring women who look more like the
average American woman rather than those traditionally represented
in the
size-biased American
media
. Her Rubenesque romances
were created especially for those heroines with fuller figures, who
can still get the man of their dreams if only they believe they
can. Such titles include UNDER TEXAS SKIES
, LOVE PLUS ONE
, GROUPIE
and PICTURE POSTCARDS. Her
contemporary, Rubenesque titles have even won her category
best-selling distinctions on Romance ebook
websites.

Additionally she
has published poetry in several anthologies as well as several
websites, and you can find a collection of her best odes to love
and heartache in JOURNEY THROUGH THE HEART
.