All of Me (39 page)
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“I love you,” he said, and squeezed her tight.
He was ready to risk his heart again. Jillian was worth the gamble. He loved her so much. He still loved Aimee but in the
soft way of memories. And his heart was big enough to have two great loves in his life. He was a lucky, lucky man to have
found Jillian, and he told her so. Kissing her and whispering his love for her over and over and over. “I love, I love you,
I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered. “And I want you to know I’ve never said that to anyone before.”
“I know how hard this is for you. I treasure your ability to say it to me now.” Tuck reached out, took her hands, and laced
his fingers through hers. He put his head to her forehead and looked deeply into her eyes. “You hear me on this, Queenie?
I love you.”
Jillian nodded. She heard him. This man loved her. He not only told her, but he’d also showed her repeatedly, and she’d just
been too scared to recognize what it was or admit to herself what she was feeling in return. Too afraid there wasn’t really
such a thing as love this deep and wonderful. But now it was here, and she was feeling it, and she felt so stupid for not
believing, not understanding. Her friends had tried to tell her, but their words of encouragement had fallen on deaf ears.
She had to find out for herself.
As she looked into Tuck’s eyes as deeply as he was looking into hers, she felt her consciousness shift to a whole new level
of being.
For Tuck had convinced her to trust. Trust was all she needed to believe in the true miracle of love.
“My Magic Man,” she murmured, and kissed him from the very depths of her faithful soul.
I
t was time to let go.
Tuck knew that as surely as he knew he loved Jillian. Loving her didn’t mean he loved Aimee less. He had room in his heart
for two great loves in his life, and he realized his love for Aimee had been the love of his youth, his feelings pure and
simple and, honestly, in retrospect, too dependent.
The love he felt for Jillian was more mature. It was the love of his adulthood. Stronger, more complex, more autonomous. Jillian
made him change and grow in ways Aimee never had. He was ready for this grown-up kind of love. Ready and unafraid.
They walked somberly down the dock together on that first day of summer, Jillian carrying the urn with Blake’s ashes. They
were dressed in black jeans and sweaters, black boots, and black leather jackets. They climbed into the skiff and rowed out
into the middle of the lake. Tuck remembered the last time he’d been out on the lake. So much had changed since that autumn
day.
The sun was warm on their faces, but the air was still chilly. From the center of the water, they could see the lake house.
Tuck’s eyes met Jillian’s and she nodded. Slowly, with great reverence, they said a prayer and then they said good-bye to
Blake.
They sat for a long moment, not talking, just watching the water wash away the past and the sun slip down the horizon.
“It’s time to go,” Jillian said at last.
Tuck nodded. He dipped the oars into the water, rowing back to the lake house and giving thanks for the woman sitting across
from him. Jillian had brought him back to life. He’d been emotionally dead when he’d met her, and she’d saved his soul.
The little craft glided over the gentle current, carrying them to shore. He docked the boat. Jillian climbed out and tied
it up, and then she reached for his hand. He took it. Partners, the two of them.
And in each other’s arms, they’d both found what they’d been searching for.
Salvation.
Dear Readers,
Writing the Wedding Veil Wishes has been such fun I hate to see the series end. If
All of Me
is your introduction to the series, I envy you getting to meet the characters for the first time. To me, one of the most
endearing things about Wedding Veil Wishes is the camaraderie between these four friends. In today’s hectic work we all need
our women friends to help us through the ups and downs life (and romance) often throws our way.
The adventure all started in
There Goes the Bride
with Delaney Cartwright who finds that all important wish-fulfilling wedding veil in that mysterious little consignment shop
in Houston, Texas. Having the courage to wish on that legendary veil for a way out of her high-society wedding and led to
Delaney heart’s true desire—sexy cop Nick Vinetti.
Delaney passed the veil on to wedding videographer Tish Gallagher in
Once Smitten, Twice Shy
. Some sad life circumstances has broken Tish’s heart and her habit of using shopping as a solace has gotten her into deep
financial trouble. But when she wishes on the veil to get out of debt and ends up with a chance to film the wedding of the
President’s daughter, she’s stunned to learn the groom is none other than Secret Service Agent Shane Tremont, the ex-husband
she never stopped loving.
In
Addicted to Love
, starry-eyed Rachael Henderson (who was born in Valentine, Texas on Valentine’s Day) wishing on the veil to help her get
rid of her foolish romantic notions. After all, she’s been jilted at the altar—
twice
. The last time on the same day her parents inform her they’re getting divorced after twenty-seven years. Disillusioned with
love, she starts Romanceaholics Anonymous, only to discover the feelings she has for her childhood crush, Sheriff Brody Carlton,
are anything but foolish.
And last but not least, is Jillian Samuels from
All of Me
who never believed in true love or fairytale endings. She isn’t about to wish on that veil until a cruel betrayal leaves
her raw and aching. Pushed to the limit, she puts on the veil, falls asleep and dreams of her beloved. The only problem is,
widower Tuck Manner, is still mourning the loss of his beloved wife.
It’s with a fond farewell I bid Delaney, Tish, Rachael and Jillian their happily-ever-after. And I hope, as you read their
stories, they will inspire you to do some wishing of your very own.
May your life be filled with love,
THE DISH
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of Michelle Rowen
Dear Reader,
When I began writing my Immortality Bites series, I thought it would be fun to play with vampire myths. As a longtime fan
of vampire fiction, I wanted to see vamps more as heroes than villains. To do that, I had to humanize them a lot. Gone went
death-by-sunlight—my vamps can go out during the day. Gone went the compulsion to sink their fangs into any unsuspecting neck—my
vamps get their blood from sterilized sources and well-paid donors. Gone went the idea that vamps are undead—my vamps breathe
and have regular heartbeats. I kept a few things, though: immortality, extra strength, no reflection, and the fact that my
vampires were pursued by hunters who really wanted to slay them.
Now with the fourth book in the series, STAKES & STILETTOS, I asked myself, at this point, what’s the absolute worst thing
that could happen to my heroine, Sarah Dearly? And it was very simple, really. Now that she’s somewhat accustomed to being
a regular, everyday vampire who doesn’t have to worry about any of those nastier vampire myths, I should give all of them
to her in full force.
So I cursed her—or rather, she’s cursed by a vengeful ex-classmate who’s gotten into dark magic big-time since high school—to
become a “nightwalker.” These are the nasty vamps who give other vampires a bad reputation; the vamps who are the reason vampire
hunters and their sharp wooden stakes exist.
Sarah now has a big problem. She can’t control her thirst for blood. She can’t go out during the day. She can’t enter a house
without permission. Her heart has stopped beating and she’s officially room temperature. Her immortal life has gone from pretty
good to absolutely horrific as she searches frantically, along with her master vampire boyfriend Thierry, to find a way to
break the curse before it’s permanent.
Life for Sarah, forgive the pun,
sucks
.
In the most entertaining way possible, of course.
Happy reading!
