“Good for him. Good for both of you.” Daniel just smiled. “You’ll have to show me this big kid’s apartment someday.”
“I have tea there now. I mean, if you want to see it,” he offered.
Of course I agreed. We walked to his apartment and talked about anything and everything.
You know those people you could go years without seeing and when you finally get together it felt like no time had passed? Hold on to those people.
When he placed his key in the lock, he turned to say something to me, but nothing came out of his mouth. Because I placed my lips against his. It was rushed and suddenly imposed, but I had to remember his taste, I had to remember him against me.
He didn’t hesitate to kiss me back. His hand wrapped around my lower back, and I sighed against him, drunk on Daniel.
I pulled back and stared into his blue eyes. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” I blushed as I stepped back. “I don’t even know if you’re seeing anyone! And here I am just slamming my lips against yours as if this is some kind of—”
He shut me up, pushing his mouth against mine again. He separated my lips with his tongue and slowly deepened our kiss.
I sighed again, my eyes closed. “You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”
He chuckled. “No. And you don’t have a boyfriend?”
I felt his body against mine and was a little surprised at how much it still felt like home.
“Uh, Ashlyn?” he questioned, snapping me out of my mind.
“Oh! No. No boyfriend.” I slightly rocked back and forth in my shoes. “But you can tell me, you know. If there was another person in your life. I haven’t dated, because…well…how could I after this? But I mean, three years is a long time to wait and I completely understand if you moved on I mean—”
His fingers landed on my lips. “You’re rambling.”
I nodded. “I’m nervous.”
He stepped in close, our noses brushing. His fingers combed through my hair and he stared into my eyes. “There was never another woman, Ashlyn. There can never be another woman.” Putter. Putter. Heart. Heart. I watched his eyes smile. “Come inside.”
When I stepped into his apartment, I smiled. It was very much Daniel’s apartment. He had musical instruments in his living room and bookshelves packed to the corners with books.
I wandered over to the bookshelf, laying my fingers against it, feeling the covers of the books. So many Shakespeare plays. So much history.
“I have green tea and chai tea. And this weird boxed tea that one of my students’ Mom gave me for Christmas last year. What can I get you?” he asked, moving to his kitchen.
No words came to mind. Because right between Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing was my novel.
To Find Juliet.
Not just one copy, but two.
“Daniel,” I whispered.
He looked up and walked over to me. “It’s brilliant,” he said, crossing his arms across his body. “I mean, the lead hero could be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but everything about it is perfect. I loved it.” He cleared his throat and picked up both copies of it. “I loved it so much that I bought two. Just in case something happened to the first copy.”
A tear fell down my cheek and I nodded in understanding. “A double problem?”
He moved in and kissed my tears away. “We need to set up a signing for them.” He moved over to his living room coffee table and tossed everything onto the floor. Grabbing my arm, he led me to sit down on the couch. I giggled as he placed a pen in my hand and walked up to the table as if he were my biggest fan.
Which he might have been.
He placed the first book down on the table. I opened it and gasped. “Daniel…”
Inside the book cover was the promise ring Bentley had given to Gabby. And the book had already been signed. It read the words, “Will you marry me, Ms. Jennings?” signed by Mr. Daniels himself.
The tears fell down my cheeks and I smiled up at him. He nudged me gently. “You have to write your answer and sign your name.”
Of course I wrote the word yes.
And then I autographed it with who I would be for the rest of my life.
Mrs. Daniels.
We love.
~ Romeo’s Quest
Ashlyn went back to school, finishing off the last two years of her college degree. We made it our job to visit each other as often as possible, and when she came back to Edgewood, Wisconsin she moved into my big kid’s apartment. We spent the next year falling more in love, finding out more facts about one another. She kept writing, only growing stronger at her craft and decided she wanted to get a Master’s degree—but she stayed a lot closer to home for that program.
Home.
That’s what we were… We were home.
And today I wasn’t nervous. My hands were just sweaty and the damn bowtie wouldn’t tie. “Breathe, Daniel…” Where the hell was my best man? Wasn’t he the one in charge of the damn bowties that wouldn’t tie? Of course not. Jace wouldn’t know how to do it either.
My hands rubbed against the back of my neck before giving up on the tie and moving to the cuffs on my shirt.
“How are ya doing?”
I looked up to see Henry standing in the doorway, his tuxedo fully put together, his tie perfectly crafted.
There was a slight hesitation when I looked at him, my fingers shaking from some weird feeling—but it wasn’t nerves!
Well, maybe it was nerves.
“This damn bowtie is killing me and Jace is nowhere to be found.”
“Let me,” he said, walking over to me. His began helping me out and I sighed. Now I was extremely nervous. Henry always made me feel that way. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is.”
His hands worked as if he had been a professional bowtie expert in a past life. “If you hurt her, I will kill you and make it look like an accident.”
I laughed out loud until I looked into his scary, stern eyes on me. Swallowing hard, I felt him tightening the bowtie. “Henry,” I coughed.
“Dan.”
“You’re choking me.”
A sly smile found his lips and he loosened the bowtie. He stepped back and nodded toward me before he held out an envelope to me. “Be good to her, son.”
The word son hit my ears and I nodded, taking the letter from him. He turned to walk away and I called after him. When he looked back, I smiled. “Thanks for your help.”
“I just tied a bowtie. No big deal.”
But we both knew he had done so much more than that.
He left me alone with the envelope and I opened it, finding two letters inside. I pulled out the first one and began reading Ashlyn’s words.
Mr. Daniels,
The answer to where I want to be in five years? Simple.
With you.
P.S. I saved a letter from the fire.
Forever Forever,
Ashlyn.
I’d never known it was possible to love someone so much. My hand reached into the envelope and pulled out the second letter, and I pounded my fist against my lips, taking it all in.
To Whom It May Concern,
Hi there. I’m not sure if we have met, but since today is the day you’re marrying my sister, I thought I would say hello. Since I can’t stand up in front of everyone to give my maid 0f honor speech, I’ll give it to you.
When Ashlyn and I were seven, she found a spider in our room, and instead of smashing it, she wanted to take it outside so it could live a nice spider life. It later crawled on her and she killed it by mistake. She cried for three days straight.
When we were fifteen, she dated a total loser, and when he broke up with her, she cried for four days straight.
When she found out I was sick, she cried more days than I could count.
She has the biggest heart in the world, and I know you have seen all sides of it. It takes a strong man to love my sister. And you are a strong man. So here are some twin-tips for you from yours truly:
Read her Shakespeare when she cries.
Take walks in the rain and jump in the puddles with her.
Don’t mind her when she calls you an asshole during ‘that time of the month’—she’s a total bitch at those times.
Buy her flowers because it’s Tuesday.
Make her do things that scare her.
Don’t be a pushover—we don’t like that.
Don’t be a dick either—we hate that.
Smile at her when you’re mad.
Dance with her in the middle of the day.
Kiss her just because.
Love her forever.
Thank you for loving my best friend, brother.
Keep up the good work.
-Your new sis, Gabby
I stared at the words for the longest time, tears streaming down my cheeks. The door to the room opened and Jace peeked his head inside. My hands brushed against my eyes and I turned to him.
“You ready, Danny? The photographer wants a few shots of the groomsmen before the ceremony,” he said smiling my way.
I walked over to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “I’m ready.”
He smirked my way. “You know how to tie a bowtie?”
I snickered and rolled my eyes. “Of course. Don’t you?”
“So help me God, if you move, I’ll kick your ass. Don’t. Breathe,” Hailey muttered behind me, my hands resting on my waist. I stood as still as possible, staring out the window at the beautiful landscape. The sun lay golden-soft over the huddle hills.
Hailey pulled the ribbon of my corset tight, cutting off my air supply for a moment.
“Okay, on the count of three, exhale… One…two…three!”
I breathed out, bending forward as much as the gown allowed me to. A robin danced past the window, and I followed it with my finger, watching it fly higher and higher toward the nonexistent clouds of the day. The sky was completely blue in all directions.
Turning around to face Hailey and Mom, I listened to them inhale deep, but a following exhale never came.
“I look fat!” I cried, running my hands across the lace material.
Mom’s eyes watered over as she walked closer to me and placed her hands in mine. “You look like the most beautiful bride.”
My lips turned up. “It’s a good day to get married, isn’t it?”
Hailey clapped her hands together and poured champagne. “It’s a perfect day for a wedding!”
There was a knock at the door, and I moved a curl of hair from my face. “Come in. Unless you’re Daniel. Then you stay out.”
The door knob turned and two people walked in with boxes in their hands. Jace and Bentley. They were in suits and looked extremely dapper. When they turned to me, I blushed because of how their mouths hung open. I shifted around at the silence, begging them to speak.
“Ashlyn, you look…” Bentley smiled, showing his deep dimples.
“Perfect,” Jace finished, his blue eyes brighter than the day. “Um, sorry. We’ll leave you to finish getting ready. We just had a few things to give to you.”
Bentley walked over to me and opened the first box. “Something old and something new. Gabby’s favorite guitar pick placed on a new diamond necklace.”
My eyes glossed over as Hailey lifted my hair and Bentley placed the necklace around my neck. I thanked him with a kiss on his cheek.
Jace stepped up next with a smaller box. “And something borrowed and something blue.” The box opened and I gasped. “It was our mom’s favorite pair of blue diamond earrings. You don’t have to wear them. I just thought…”
His worries were taken away because I removed the studs from my ears and quickly replaced them with the beautiful earrings.
Jace wrapped me in a hug and held on tight. “He’s one lucky bastard.”
“Is he nervous?”
Jace gave me a wicked smile and reached into his back pocket. Pulling out an envelope, he placed it in my hands. “He told me to give it to you.”
My fingers traced over the letter and I smiled, knowing that it was his letter he’d written years ago about where he wanted to be in five years. I’d already had Henry deliver my letter to Daniel.
Mom smiled to everyone. “How about we give the bride-to-be a few minutes to read?” Everyone agreed and left the room.
I sat in a chair, opening the letter.
My Sweets,
You asked me where I saw myself in five years, and the only answer I can come up with is with you. We’ll be so deeply in love that the world will envy us. We’ll be so ridiculously happy that the flowers will grow from our laughter. In five years from now, you will be mine, and I will be yours.
If things go the way my heart is begging them to go, you will be my wife. I don’t know if we will have children by that point, but there will be children in our future. I will wake up every morning with your sweet smile and emerald eyes on me. I will fall asleep to your touch, your heat. So on the day we say ‘I do,’ just know how much I do love you. There is no question to the truth of the words, no doubt that fills me inside. From this day forth, the only thing I ever want to do is love you.
Always Always,
Mr. Daniels
His words were embedded into my soul. Daniel Daniels was now a part of me. But truth be told, I thought he’d already been there before I was even born.
After a while, Mom and Henry came back to get me. The sweet, romantic music began to play. The church doors opened slowly. Henry wrapped his arm around mine. All of our loved ones stood up, staring at me.
Yet I couldn’t notice them.
My eyes were glued to the handsome man standing at the end of the aisle. He was grinning, giving me the kindest smile in the universe, and I couldn’t help but smile back as I stared into those eyes of his.
Beautiful.
Breathtaking.
Brilliant.
Blue eyes.
And for the first time in forever, I knew that, no matter what—no matter the obstacles in life, no matter the challenges—we would make it. He was my golden, and I was his.
Forever forever and always always.
We were more than okay.
The End
Thank you for reading Loving Mr. Daniels! It means so much to me! If you have a minute and get the chance to leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, that would make you a super rockstar!
You can also find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/brittainycherryauthor
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Thanks for all of the love and taking a chance on these characters of mine, and thanks for taking a chance on me! XoXo
There have been so many authors, bloggers, and readers who have helped me along the way with this novel. From reading, to sharing, to a simple ‘like’ on a teaser, I am so honored to have such a great team of people supporting me. Words cannot thank you enough for the love.
The world of writing and publishing is an exciting and terrifying world. If it were not for my author support groups, I truly do not think I would be able to keep pushing publish! Thank you for all of the laughter, the tips, tricks, and fun times. I truly value each and every one of you.
To my bad ass ladies. I look up to each of you so much! I love you and am blessed to have you all in my life! Your talent inspires me and your amazing support is unworldly.
To my outstanding PR team at Read and Tell Promotions, beta readers, and amazing formatting fairy godmother Tami—thank you! If it weren’t for all of you, my book wouldn’t be anything! Seriously, you all are so much a part of this story and I thank you for the time you put into it!
To my friends: Thanks for still loving me even though I disappear for months at a time. I hope you know that your friendships are so important to me!
There’s no doubt in my mind, I have the most amazing family standing beside me at all times. They remind me of my strength when I feel weak, they bring me laughter when I’m on the verge of tears. When it comes to family, I win.
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To Kristen: For telling me to keep writing and to believe in this story when I wanted to toss it to the side. You’re one of my best friends and I’m so happy we found each other on this crazy journey!
Last but not least: To Mickey. Not only are you the most amazing editor, but you have a heart of gold. You go above and beyond to make sure my work is the best it can be. Thank you for not only going above and beyond with your skills, but also for being such a kind, wonderful individual. You’re the best!
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Prologue
Michael Rourke
Jasmine whimpered, gripping my hair and pulling my mouth to her drenched pussy. Her fingernails desperately scratching against my scalp, combined with the heady aroma of coconut and the ocean, held me prisoner in a foggy desire.
She could’ve asked me to do anything and I would’ve been happy to oblige. The woman was perfection. Not in the conventional way, but in the exotic and mysterious way that had me coming back to her again and again. These past few weeks in the Caribbean had surely worked me over, as I had been trying to find some way to keep her on this island, keep her here with me.
“Por favor, Armond,” she whispered as I traced my tongue along her inner thigh. Knowing that I’d won, my smirk escaped. For weeks I’d coveted this siren, determined to put a smile across those dark, sexy, full lips. I’d imagined what her plea would look like: her legs spread out before me and her long black hair curtaining her pillow, the sheets, one breast, and her arms reaching for me.
“Not yet, Jazzy,” I countered. “You’ve been teasing my cock for weeks. It’s time for a little payback.”
She huffed and threw her head back to the satin pillow, causing her breasts to ripple with the motion. Her hands flew over her head as she settled into the sheets. Closing her eyes, she grabbed a firm hold of my hair with one hand and began moving her hips.
I swept my tongue over her clit momentarily and buried my nose into the tuft of hair on her pubic bone, taking in her scent. “Oh, sí, sí, mi Armond,” she murmured breathlessly.