Love Nouveau (33 page)
It’s funny how all this shit works, like the universe wants you to believe it’s nothing but a series of random coincidences. But really, I think fate is the one orchestrating the push and pull of our lives. Even if I hadn’t met her in Madison at Sully’s bachelor weekend, we would have eventually crossed paths. I was destined to meet her. Some things are just meant to be.
The powers that be made no mistakes in our relationship; the only mistakes that rose were from simple human error—or rather, my own fucking stupidity.
How do you tell the love of your life that she saved you from yourself without scaring her away? The past year has been one of the darkest of my life, full of bad decisions, amazing stories, and epic mistakes that I am too ashamed to even remember. But I finally feel like I am headed back in the right direction when I am pointed toward her.
That night in Madison, Ivy appeared as the brightest star in my sky, placed there just for me, bringing me out of darkness and into light.
I was immediately attracted to her. Not in the physical sense—I mean, don’t get me wrong. Ivy is hot as fuck. She has legs for miles, smokin’ tits, and an ass tighter than a drum just begging to be banged. Plus, she has to be the most gorgeous girl who has ever given me the time of day. But from the moment I first laid eyes upon her, and heard the lightness of her laughter, my heart caved in on itself and I didn’t just see her hot body. I saw
her.
It was like my soul had found its missing piece the moment she walked into the party and I immediately knew I was home.
She
became my home.
Ivy makes it easy to forget and lets my past stay in the past. And believe me, there is plenty to forget, especially over the past few months. If she were to ever find out what really happened with Hailey, she would probably string me up by my dick and leave me to die. I mean, I never lied to her. We weren’t
technically
together. I just gave her a bunch of half-truths. I’ve spent my adult life being so afraid of turning into my dad that it happened organically without my knowledge.
I suppose the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.
But I know it’s only a matter of time before the demons I’m leaving behind catch up to me, even though Ivy doesn’t deserve to be burdened with my bullshit. Only I deserve to live with every ounce of regret and guilt and internally wrestle with my past indiscretions. She has enough on her plate and doesn’t need anything else to worry about. I just hope to God that if it ever comes out she doesn’t see me as the piece of shit I really am.
I don’t know what is going to happen with us, but I do know that in order for us to work we need this fresh start in New York.
A clean slate.
A new canvas.
I’m just hoping that together we can paint over our history and make a new masterpiece.
Want more Ivy and Phoenix? Stay tuned in 2015.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT to thank my husband Mike. Without you, these words would never have been penned. I know this entire process has taken us on quite the ride, but thank you for being here for me through it all (even when I disappeared behind a computer screen and you wanted to throw me off a cliff). You took on more than your fair share so I could go after what is arguably the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I wish I had the words to explain just how much I appreciate having you in my life. You make everything richer and I am so, so lucky to be your other half. I love you more than you could ever begin to comprehend.
Thank you to my children, Thing 1 and Thing 2 … for being a constant source of inspiration. I realize you are too young to understand everything that happened over the past year while writing this book, but I want you to know that you are never too old to chase down your dreams. I love you both fiercely and you’re not allowed to read this until you’re at least forty-five.
To my family who cheered me on once I finally confessed that I was writing a book … thank you. But I meant what I said, if you start reading into these characters and situations, you will never be allowed to read anything else I write. You are all crazy and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jennifer Roberts-Hall … where do I even begin? From the moment I first messaged you to ask about your approach to editing, I knew I had made a dear friend. Thank you for holding my hand throughout the editing process. Thank you for giving me confidence. Thank you for being so fantastic from start to finish. Your kindness, patience and guidance are unparalleled. You are a BAMF.
Sharon Goodman and Melissa Saneholtz… you loved my baby as if it were your own and I could never thank you enough. You two worked tirelessly to help get me noticed and I want you to know just how much I appreciate your hard work. Thank you for rocking my socks off through this whole process. If you’re looking for a power team, hunt down Sassy Savvy Fabulous PR!
To all of my beta readers who helped shape this story into the best possible version of itself … we did it!!
Angie Albertson, you are undoubtedly the world’s greatest secret keeper and one of my favorite cheerleaders. You saw this story when it was in its ugliest, rawest form and looked beyond the hot mess to help push this in the right direction. Your feedback and your friendship are invaluable. I love you, dearly.
Erycka Thesing … I want to get on a plane and just give you the biggest hug imaginable. Thank you for religiously holding our Sunday night sprints sacred. Thank you for letting me vent when I couldn’t find the right words. And thank you for celebrating each and every last letter that made it onto the page right along with me. You are amazing and wonderful and kind and I am so lucky to have you as my critique partner and friend.
Amy Preston Rogers, thank you for your countless support along the way—from helping build my fan base, to creating teasers, to sharing my passion for storytelling. Your enthusiasm for these characters is unprecedented. I hereby give, devise and bequeath Phoenix T. Wolfe to you, my dear. He’s all yours, baby!
To Melanie Peterson, for not only scouring Target stores for a pair of ridiculous cats in outer space leggings for me, but for also loving Phoenix and Ivy’s story so much. Deana Wolstenholme for being the first stranger to read this and think, “There’s something here.” And to Sara Johns, for finding the holes and helping answer medical questions that nobody ever wants to have to ask. Thank you! To Terrie Johnson for answering all of my miscellaneous syntax questions with a smile. And, of course, my trio of “fresh eyes”—Marisol Herrera, Janelle Stevenson and Alexis Durbin who helped find those last minute glitches before hitting publish.
To all of the ladies in the Berry Brigade … I am so lucky to have your friendship and support through this entire process. It truly takes a village and I could never have done this without your support.
Thank you to all of the bloggers who have supported me, especially Sassy Savvy Fabulous, Chicks Controlled By Books, Three Girls and a Book Obsession, Judging Books by Their Covers, Schmexy Girl Book Blog, Devoured Words, 101 Ways to Make Love to a Spoon, A Book Junky’s Obsession, A Book Whores Obsession and Livin’ Simple. Thank you for your support – not just of me, but for the entire indie author community! No author out there could do this without you.
To Najla Qamber … you took a small idea and completely surpassed all of my expectations with the cover design. Thank you for understanding my vision and for creating a stunning piece of art. Your talent is unmatched. And to Julie of JT formatting for helping bring my baby to life and answering my endless stream of technical questions over the past few months.
I want the world to know that the one and only Heather Markey is responsible for giving me the perfect “hot guy” name. Also, I need to confess that I stole one of her jokes. Thank you for being a constant source of hilarity, you slut monkey.
All of my ladies from “the sandbox” … :grouphug:
To the one and only Charles Bukowski, who may or may not have said the
Falsely Yours
quote on the opening pages of this book.
To all of the authors who have imparted wisdom, encouragement, feedback and love to me throughout this whole crazy process, I am forever indebted to you. I’m especially looking at Mia Asher, Angie McKeon, L.U Ann, Deena Bright and L.B. Simmons. You push me to be a better writer and “thank you” simply does not do my gratitude justice.
And finally, it would be amiss to not thank
you
, the reader. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a chance on a no-name indie author and reading my debut. I have spent many a sleepless night worrying that nobody other than my mom would read
Love Nouveau
. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this little piece of my heart as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you are so inclined, I would love to hear from you!
B.L. BERRY IS MANY THINGS. A New Adult author. A self-proclaimed music whore. A long-course triathlete. A marketing savant. And a full-time working mom. While there are never enough hours in the day, she does the best she can to get things done and hopes for technological advances in human cloning.
When she’s not hiding behind her computer writing, you can find her spending time with her family or catching up on her favorite TV shows. Rumor has it she’ll sleep when she’s dead.
She is Canadian by birth. Mexican by marriage. Chicagoan by heart. Kansan by choice. Jayhawk purely by common sense.
Residing outside of Kansas City, she lives with her husband, two children and black pug. Each day her family thanks the makers of e-Readers, because without which they would be living amongst stacks and stacks of romance novels. Conversely, each day B.L. Berry thanks the makers of e-Readers for hiding her book-hoarding tendencies.
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