Worth the Wait (Picking up the Pieces #4) (33 page)

Everyone laughed as Lizzy let out a frustrated breath. “Every damn time,” she complained as she passed her one-year-old baby girl, Maggie, over to Stacia so she could try to wrangle her husband. Maggie was their second child. They had a four-year-old boy who Trevor insisted be named Merle. After five months of silent treatment and no sex whatsoever, he finally broke down and agreed to name their unborn son Rick.

“We gonna have to ban flag football from our Sunday family day?” Gavin shouted after her as he bounced his and Stacia’s eight-month-old daughter, Delilah, on his knee.”

“Wouldn’t do any good,” she yelled back as she made her way over to where Trevor stood with the rest of the kids. “He’d find a way to act like a big-ass child no matter what!”

The gang burst into laughter at the sound of Trevor’s whiny, “What’d I do now?” from across the park.

“They kicking a lot today?” Callie asked, rubbing on her mother’s protruding belly as Kenzie leaned back in Brett’s arms with her feet resting on the bench. It was her third pregnancy. Only about a year after getting married four and a half years ago, Brett and Kenzie welcomed their son, Cole, into the world. The second pregnancy was unexpected, but no less welcome. And when they discovered they’d be having twins, they were on cloud nine. They were also done. Five kids was more than enough. Kenzie had even gone as far as to threaten Brett with bodily harm if he ever tried to knock her up again.

“Like soccer players, honey pot,” Kenzie answered her daughter.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Callie said in awe, smiling up at her mom and dad.

“You’re such a great big sister, ladybug,” Brett told her, kissing her on the top of her head.

“Thanks, Daddy.” She grinned lovingly at Brett before she and Cam took back off to play football with—a hopefully better behaved—Trevor.

As the gang watched their little ones run around the park, all giggling and happy, each one sent up a prayer of thanks for the life they’d all been granted. They had it all. Friends who had become their family in the quaint little town of Cloverleaf.

Life had thrown some serious curve balls, each of them going through their own ups and downs, but they’d all managed to pull through it with the love and help of each other.

Yeah, life was great for the Cloverleaf gang.

And every day was better than the last.

The End.

This book was the hardest book I’ve ever written. Not because of the subject matter, but because I finally had to say goodbye to the Cloverleaf gang. I never could have predicted just how much you guys would fall in love with this gang when I started Luke and Emmy’s book nearly two years ago. I started this journey with these characters, and leaving them behind nearly broke my heart. But I’m happy with how their stories ended, and I hope you are, too.

I couldn’t have done this without my fabulous readers.

Much love,

~Jess

After having her heart broken by the only man she’s ever loved everything seemed to go downhill for Emerson Grace. It has taken eight years but Emmy is finally starting to pick up the pieces of her damaged life. But the man who destroyed it has returned bringing with him the pain of the past. Can she let go of the pain Luke caused and accept him back into her life or will the memories be too much for her to overcome?

Running from Emmy was the only way Lucas Allen knew he could protect her from the demons he carried with him. After spending one perfect night together Luke takes off, certain that he can’t possibly give Emmy everything she deserves. Now he’s made the decision to return to Cloverleaf and make things right. But is he prepared to truly face all of the damaged he has caused?

Will Luke and Emmy finally get their chance at love or will the secrets of the past stop them before they even get to begin?

People make mistakes when they're young, but how they choose to come back from those mistakes is what matters in the end.

Savannah Morgan found true love at a very early age, but one rash decision — one that she would regret for the rest of her life — was all it took to end her relationship with the love of her life.

For seven years, Jeremy Matthews has accepted being "just friends" with the only woman he's ever loved. Finally deciding that enough is enough, Jeremy relentlessly pursues Savannah until he forces her to see just how right they are for each other.

When Savannah's past mistake is revealed, threatening the future she so desperately wants, the fate of their relationship lies in Jeremy’s hands. Will he be able to forgive Savannah, or is the relationship truly over?

When struggles and obstacles threaten the foundation of Savannah and Jeremy's relationship, will they choose to let each other go, or rise from the ashes of the past to claim their happiness?

Living in the small town of Cloverleaf, watching her friends settle down one by one, all Lizzy wants is her own happily ever after. But with each failed date she starts to believe that finding the one man who will look at her like she’s his reason for living is practically impossible.

Trevor has had feelings for Lizzy since stepping foot into Cloverleaf, but despite their intense chemistry when they first met, the feisty little redhead friend-zoned him before he ever had a chance to make his move. After watching her date every loser in town he’s finally decided enough is enough. Thanks to a drunken weekend in Vegas, he finally has the one thing he’s always wanted…Lizzy as his wife.

But just because he caught her doesn’t mean he’ll get to keep her. Can Trevor and Lizzy push the boundaries of friendship and build a relationship that can truly last, or will they crash and burn before they ever get off the ground?