And Neil. As free from his demons as he’d ever been, he had the chance to do right by Emma and the man she’d loved, by raising his granddaughter with the same love he’d had for his daughter. It was there, unmistakable in every laugh, every kiss he dropped on her little blonde head, every time he fell asleep trying to get her to do the same.
And me. Sure, I’d never planned on having a kid. But life doesn’t care about your plans. We’re all at the whim of fate, who could take anyone, anything, away from us at any time. Rather than resist it, I was going to embrace it. I was going to love every second I had with everyone in my life.
“Sophie?”
I startled at Neil’s voice. “Sorry, I was a million miles away.”
“I could see that.” He stood with a groan and put his arm around my waist. “Somewhere more exciting than a two-year-old’s birthday party, I imagine.”
I looked up into those green eyes I’d lost myself in time and again. “No. There’s nowhere else I would rather be.”
Because I already had everything I wanted, right where I was.
Abigail Barnette is the pseudonym of Jenny Trout, an author, blogger, and funny person. Jenny made the USA Today bestseller list with her debut novel, Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. As Abigail Barnette, Jenny writes award-winning erotic romance, including the internationally bestselling The Boss series.
As a blogger, Jenny’s work has appeared on The Huffington Post, and has been featured on television and radio, including HuffPost Live, Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show, and National Public Radio’s Here & Now. Her work has earned mentions in The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly.
She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to kill her.