Then Elizabeth came and resurrected me. She breathed life into my lungs, making the dark shadows flood with light. A light so bright that I slowly began to believe in happily ever todays. No more pains of yesterdays, no more fears of tomorrow. In that moment, I stopped replaying the past and didn’t choose to reach for the future. Instead, I chose us as we were. I chose today.
Some days were still hard, and others, the easiest. We loved in a way that only brought more love. During the light days, we held each other close. During the dark days, we held each other closer.
I lay beside Elizabeth, wrapping her against my body, and she pulled in closer to me. Her brown eyes opened, and her sweet smile rose on her lips. “Are you good?” she whispered.
I kissed her earlobe and nodded once. “I’m good.”
Her eyes faded closed, and I felt her exhale against my lips. With each exhale, I took in her breath, I drank her into me, realizing that she was mine. Forever and always, no matter what the future may hold. Each day, I longed for her. Each day, I loved her more. As my eyes faded and her hands lay against my chest, I knew life was never truly broken; it was simply bruised some days, and bruises healed with time. Time was able to make me whole again.
My children were my best friends. All of them. Charlie, Emma, Colin, and the unnamed angel resting within my beautiful wife’s stomach. They were all so smart, so funny, and so deeply loved. I knew it made no sense, but sometimes when I looked into Emma’s eyes, I could almost see Charlie smiling my way, telling me he and Jamie were okay.
Then there was Elizabeth.
The beautiful woman who loved me when I didn’t deserve to be loved. Her touch healed me, her love saved me. She was more than any words could ever convey.
I treasured her.
I cherished her for everything she was, and everything she wasn’t. I cherished her in the sunbeams and in the shadows. I cherished her loudly, I cherished her with whispers. I cherished her when we fought, I cherished her when we were peaceful.
It was quite obvious what she was to me, it was so clear why I always wanted her near.
She was simply the air I breathed.
As I fell asleep under that wooden table, my children snuggling against their mama and me, I laid my lips against my wife’s and kissed her gently. “I love you,” I whispered.
She smiled in her dreams.
Because she already knew.
The End.
Acknowledgements
To my amazing group of critique partners who are easily some of the most amazing women I’ve ever came across. You all are beyond talented and I’m glad to have you each in my life!
To Alison, Allison, Christy, and Beverly: Thank you for taking the time to beta read this novel for me! Your notes and comments have helped me so much and I couldn’t think of a better team of ladies to be working with!
Thank you to my amazing editor Caitlin at Edits by C. Marie: You are my superhero.
To my proofreaders Emily Lawrence and Stacy Kestwick: My fairy godmothers!
To CP Smith for formatting my novel last minute and being nothing but an angel the whole time though! Thank you so much for your help! I’m so thankful that I know you!
To Danielle Allen and Olivia Linden: I love you, I love you, I love you some more.
To those who made my novel beautiful: My cover model Franggy for the lovely cover image, and my cover designer, Staci, from Quirky Bird.
A GIANT thanks to all of the bloggers and readers who spread the word of my novels and give them a chance! I cannot express how much you all mean to me! Thank you!
Lastly a big thank you to my family—my life. Thank you for believing in me always. Mom: I love you to the moon and back.
About the Author
Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon Bestselling author who has always been in love with words. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family. When she's not running a million errands and crafting stories, she's probably playing with her adorable pets.
Other novels by Brittainy C. Cherry include: Loving Mr. Daniels, Art & Soul, and The Space in Between.
You can find her on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/BrittainyCherryAuthor
www.twitter.com/brittainycherry
Pushing the Limits by author Brooke Cumberland
Blurb:
He’s my art professor.
I’m his student.
With an electric connection and undeniable chemistry, I know it won’t be long until one of us cracks.
When the opportunity arises to pose naked for the entire art class, I can’t help the thrill of knowing he’ll be watching me.
While they all look past me with their eyes narrowed and concentrated, drawing only the lines and angles of my body, he sees right through me down to my vulnerability.
He sees more than just the physical aspects—he sees me.
That’s when I see the struggle in his features as he tries to stay in control.
How do we keep our distance when everything seems to be pulling us together?
What feels so right can only go wrong if we keep pushing the limits.
Excerpt:
Tuesday starts and ends just as uneventfully. I’ve been looking forward to my night class, Advanced Art, ever since I signed up for it last semester. I’ve had a variety of art classes throughout the years, but painting has always been my passion.
Kendall and I meet up for a quick bite to eat before I head to the Lakin Arts and Behavioral—LAB—building. I don’t recognize the professor’s name on my schedule, so I assume he or she is new this semester.
I walk into the classroom and notice all the chairs are arranged in a large half circle. Only a few other students have arrived and look like they’re about to fall asleep already.
I choose a seat in the middle and start rummaging through my bag of supplies. I look up briefly as a guy sits down next to me. He looks to be in his late twenties or perhaps early thirties. I sneak another glance and notice he has brown hair, nicely trimmed all around, but a tad longer on the top. He’s wearing a dark blue V-neck sweater with just the collar of his white button-up showing underneath it.
His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, accentuating his broad chest and muscular arms. I lower my eyes to his dark wash jeans and admire how well they fit him as if they were custom made just for him. He looks casual but not overdone. I shift my body and lower my eyes just in time to avoid him catching me staring at him.
He turns toward me as if he wants to say something, but before he can, Ellie, a girl I’ve had classes with previously, sits down on the other side of me. “Hey, Aspen! Back to the grind.”
“Yup…another class, another semester closer to graduation!” I say happily.
“What’s with the get-up? You going out after class?” Her eyes scan up and down my body.
“Uh, no.”
Her brows rise. “You look like you’re going on a manhunt while I’m here looking like a poor art student.”
“You are a poor art student.” I deadpan, ignoring her comments about my outfit.
“That’s beside the point.” She laughs.
I shrug. “I just like wearing them. They make me feel good, I guess.” It’s not a lie, but not exactly the full truth.
Ari didn’t like wearing dresses. She was all about the adventure and getting dirty, but I loved dressing up and wearing Mom’s high heels. After her death, my mom and I struggled to find a common ground that connected us. I found any excuse to be out of the house just to get a little bit of clarity.
Once I found my first babysitting job, I saved up enough money to buy my first pair of designer shoes. A whole summer of babysitting toddlers for one pair of heels.
My parents weren’t pleased with me at all, but for the first time in years, I felt good about myself. I had earned something for myself and they couldn’t take that away from me. They’d alr
eady taken so much. It represented my independence, something I had fought so hard for—something I still fight for.
“Well, good news for you then, because I hear our professor is a hot piece of ass,” she says with a giddy smile.
I laugh and shake my head at her blunt words. “What? It’s like the university’s way of apologizing for this god awful class.”
I hear a choke of laughter next to me. The guy overheard everything.
“Jesus, Ellie…” I bite my lower lip to keep from bursting out in laughter.
“Oh, come on…” She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Wouldn’t you agree with me?” She leans forward and directs the question to the guy next to me on the other side. “A little eye candy never hurts, am I right?”
Directing my attention toward him, he responds, “Can’t say it would.” He smiles and shifts his eyes to mine. “However, I’d be more for the female eye candy proximity.” He winks.
“Oh!” Her eyes light up as if that surprises her. “Well, the campus has plenty of that.” She smiles and twirls her blonde hair around a finger, batting her eyelashes like a love-struck schoolgirl, but his eyes are fixed on mine.
“This class isn’t going to be so bad,” I defend. “I mean, I guess if the professor has a nice, squeezable ass, then, yeah, it’s a bonus. But most of us—” I scowl. “—are here to learn.”
She snorts and sits back in her chair. “But it sure as hell doesn’t hurt.” She smirks. “Either way, he’ll be off limits anyway,” she says matter-of-factly. “Which is really a tragedy. Hot guys shouldn’t be teachers. It’s a distraction.”
Now I’m the one that snorts. “A distraction? You sound like a cat in heat.”
I notice the other chairs have filled up by now and my anxiety heightens. Professors are usually early, especially for night classes. But I don’t see anyone in the front of the class yet. If they’re late, students take that as a pass and leave class early.
“Well, whatever gives me something to look at for the next four months. I mean, seriously! Night classes are brutal.”
“Remind me to partner up with you on team projects,” I mock, exaggerating my tone as I smile at her scowl. “Unless you want to rescue me and be my partner?” I turn and ask the guy next to me, my eyes glassy as I take in his deep stare. Now that I’m really looking at him, I notice he has deep dimples in both cheeks when he smiles and the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. One of his brows arches as he stares amusingly at me.
“As flattering as that is, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He flashes a knowing grin and stands up, walking straight toward the front of the classroom.
My heart sinks into my stomach as the realization hits me.
***
Pushing the Limits
Out now on Amazon!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brookcumberlandauthor
www.brookecumberland.com
Just One Regret by author Stacey Lynn
Blurb:
Growing up, Grayson Legend and Kennedy Knowles were inseparable. They turned to each other when their families were nothing more than worthless guardians, and had promised each other to always stay friends.
Then Kennedy did the unthinkable.
She fell in love with her best friend.
And after finally finding the courage to let him know—
Grayson took off.
After walking away from his best friend because he didn’t feel like he would ever be good enough to give Kennedy what she wanted or needed, Grayson Legend has become a household name in the MMA fighting world.
When he runs into Kennedy at a fight in Vegas, he immediately determines to do one thing—never let her go again.
She has a secret.
They both have regrets.
And when the truth comes to light—
Everything between them could be ruined.
Brittainy C. Cherry, The Air He Breathes
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