We wanted to be prepared.
We wanted to be ready to stand side by side and face whatever the world threw at us together.
Sometimes I wondered if I fell in love with him for all the wrong reasons. But I also knew I had wanted to leave him for all the wrong reasons too.
The only thing that mattered now though was that I wanted to stay with him for the right reasons.
That we used those reasons to choose to love each other and choose to stay together no matter what obstacles we faced.
I loved him.
I would always choose to love him.
And he would do the same for me.
“What are you smiling about?” His voice drifted in from the doorway, where he leaned against the frame watching me.
“You,” I told him honestly. “Us.”
He walked toward me, a slow, prowling gait that gave me butterflies in all the right places. “Those are good things to smile about.” He reached me, swooping down to kiss my hands that rested on my belly. When he stood up again, his eyes shimmered with adoration, “That’s a good thing to smile about too.”
I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his waist. His hands held me to him, one of them rubbing a soothing pattern over my back.
“Are you going to miss this place?” he asked gently.
I nodded against his chest. “Yes, eventually. But I’m going to love staying home too. At least for a little while.”
“I’m going to love you staying home too,” he chuckled. “You can make me lunch every day and iron my clothes.”
I pinched his nipple and made him yelp. “You can make your own lunch,” I scolded. “I will iron your clothes, though. It’s cheaper that way.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “It’s true. I get tired of buying new shirts every time I ruin one.”
“You’re a smart man, Nicholas. I don’t know why you can’t figure out an iron.”
I felt his smile when he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “It’s just one of the many reasons I need you, Katie. Don’t ever leave me.”
I lifted my face to meet his gaze. “Never,” I promised.
He squeezed me tighter to him. “I love you.”
His words were powerful. So powerful I felt them in my very core, in the very heart of me. I felt them as something permanent and lasting. I felt them as an oath, an unerring truth… as the conviction I lived my life with.
He was my husband.
He loved me.
He would always love me.
That was reason enough for me to love him back.
“I love you too.”
He kissed me slowly, lazily and so not appropriate for school. Then he helped me pack up nine years of teaching and we drove home to start the next chapter of our lives.
Together.
Look for Rachel’s next contemporary romance, The Opposite of You, coming January 26, 2016!
Acknowledgments
To God. For creative words, thoughtful moments and messy females. For loving the broken ones.
And to Zach. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I respect you. And I surrender. Every single day.
Mom, for the example you set. For being the wife that you were. For being the mom, the grandmother and the friend that you will always be.
To Carolyn, thank you for your endless work. Thank you for being unfathomably strong. For editing through cancer. For not hating me for asking you to. You are my hero.
To Caedus Design Co., you did more than create a cover. You molded a story. Thank you for always knowing what I need.
To Candice, Leigh, Miriah and Lenore. You girls. Seriously. You girls. I love you more than words. I love you more than confusing plot points and missing moments and all of the things that you catch and share and give. And on top of everything you are so careful with me. Me, the fragile, insecure artist. You are champions in my corner and I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for your honesty. But most of all, thank you for believing in characters that are underdeveloped and words that are wrong, misplaced and grammatically incorrect. You believe in my stories before they’re anything. And you fall in love with characters before they are what they’re supposed to be. Thank you.
To my peers and my friends, Samantha Young, Shelly Crane, Lila Felix, Amy Bartol, Georgia Cates, and Heather Lyons, thank you for being people I can count on. Thank you for understanding my fears and insecurities. For listening to me while I talk about them. For believing in me. And for supporting me. You ladies are the very best that there is. I would be nothing but a hunchback hermit without you.
To Mark My Words Book Publicity, thank you for being the best. Thank you for believing in me enough to work hard for me. Thank you for being so incredibly cool.
Rachel Marks, my agent, you are awesome. I am so lucky to know you and work with you. Thank you for putting in all of these hours and phone calls and emails. Thank you for wanting the best for me.
To my Rebel Panel. I started a group to support my career, but instead I found support for my life. I could never have predicted the kind of community we’ve formed together. But I am constantly thankful for it. And for all of you. Thank you for always being there to answer my quirky questions and for loving me even when I disappear for way too long. Thank you for loving these words and these characters and for treating them like they are your own. I love each of you.
Reckless Rebels. Girls. You are the very best of the best. Thank you so much for treating me like a rock star and always showing up when I need you. Thank you for just being there and listening to me and encouraging me. You humble me. And you make me so endlessly grateful. Thank you so much.
And now, thank you dear Readers. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Thank you for spending your time with my words. That is the greatest gift you could ever give me and I am so, beyond blessed that you chose this book to read. You have changed my life. And with every single download of something I’ve written, you continue to change it. And me. And I can never thank you enough for that.
About the Author
Rachel Higginson was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days raising their growing family. She is obsessed with bad reality TV and any and all Young Adult Fiction.
Please look for Rachel’s next contemporary romance, The Opposite of You, coming January 26th, 2016.
Other Books Out Now by Rachel Higginson:
Love and Decay, Season One
Love and Decay, Volume One (Episodes One-Six, Season One)
Love and Decay, Volume Two (Episodes Seven-Twelve, Season One)
Love and Decay, Season Two
Love and Decay, Volume Three (Episodes One-Four, Season Two)
Love and Decay, Volume Four (Episodes Five-Eight, Season Two)
Love and Decay, Volume Five (Episodes Nine-Twelve, Season Two)
Love and Decay, Season Three
Love and Decay, Volume Six (Episodes One-Four, Season Three)
Love and Decay, Volume Seven (Episodes Five-Eight, Season Three)
Love and Decay, Volume Eight (Episodes Nine-Twelve, Season Three)
Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)
Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 2)
Fearless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 3)
Endless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 4)
The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 5)
The Relentless Warrior (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6)
Breathless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6.5)
Fateful Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6.75)
The Redeemable Prince (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 7)
Heir of Skies (The Starbright Series, Book 1)
Heir of Darkness (The Starbright Series, Book 2)
Heir of Secrets (The Starbright Series, Book 3)
The Rush (The Siren Series, Book 1)
The Fall (The Siren Series, Book 2)
The Heart (The Siren Series, Book 3)
Bet on Us (An NA Contemporary Romance)
Bet on Me (An NA Contemporary Romance) coming fall 2016
The Opposite of You coming January 2016
Connect with Rachel on her blog at:
http://www.rachelhigginson.com/
Or on Twitter:
@mywritesdntbite
Or on her Facebook page:
Rachel Higginson
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Five Stages of Falling in Love, a second chance adult contemporary romance and after that, please enjoy a preview of Rachel’s zombie novella series, Love and Decay.