Always Have: A Bad Boy Romance(64)
When we reach the front, Dad turns to me. He has tears in his eyes and all hope of not ruining my makeup is gone. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Dad.” I hug him, careful not to make him lose his balance.
Braxton keeps him steady with a hand on his arm. Dad pulls away. Braxton still has his hand on Dad’s arm, and Dad places his hand over the top of Braxton’s. “Thank you, son.”
Braxton’s eyes glisten. He blows out a breath and smiles, wrapping my dad in a gentle hug. Dad’s nurse has his chair ready for him, and he takes careful steps to the side and sits down.
I hand my flowers to Selene, and Braxton stands in front of me. He takes my hands, his eyes never leaving mine. I’m vaguely aware of the officiant speaking, and I know there’s a small group of people watching from their seats, but it all falls away. Braxton is everything.
Our vows are simple, and I say mine first, looking up into his eyes. When it’s Braxton’s turn, he shifts closer, his face tilted toward mine. His words are only for me.
“I, Braxton Taylor, take you, Kylie Winters to be my wife. I promise to love you, honor you, and cherish you from this day forward.” He places one hand alongside my face, swiping away a tear with his thumb. “I love you, Ky. I always have. I want nothing more than to be yours for the rest of my life.”
I take a trembling breath and smile up at him.
I hear the officiant say the words—“By the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you man and wife.”—but I don’t see anything but Braxton.
I think he’s supposed to say you may kiss the bride, but Braxton doesn’t wait.
He slips his hand around to the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair, and brings his mouth to mine. He holds nothing back, kissing me with all the passion I’ve ever felt from him. His tongue caresses mine with tenderness, lighting me up inside. I melt into him, feeling his strength, his warmth. He’s always been my rock, my safety, my soft place to land. His hands are steady and strong, his lips so soft against mine.
He pulls away and hesitates, his nose brushing against mine. My eyes flutter open, and he smiles. Our little crowd of guests clap, and I think we’re supposed to walk back down the aisle now, but he surges in again, kissing me hard. I wrap my arms around his neck and he lifts me up off my feet, holding me tight against him. I’m so light, I could almost fly.
He’s here. He’s real. He’s everything.
Always.
~~~
Her brother married her best friend, but can Selene find true love? Always Will is coming in November!
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About the Book
Sometimes a story comes out of nowhere and knocks me upside the head and won’t leave me alone until I write it. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s creative gold.
ALWAYS HAVE was that story. There were times when I’d wake up in the middle of the night with words knocking around in my brain, and I’d have to get up and write so I could go back to sleep. I remember wandering through the grocery store one day, my head so full of these characters, it took me twice as long to get my shopping done because I had such a hard time focusing on reality.
Okay, the not focused on reality part is kind of me all the time. But when I was writing this book, it was really bad.
Braxton and Kylie became so real to me. That generally happens with my characters—the heroes and heroines from my Jetty Beach series feel very real. But Brax and Ky took that up a notch. I’m not sure why. I FELT them, deep in my bones, in my soul.
That’s made releasing this book to the public a strangely emotional experience. Writing romance is an exercise in opening yourself up—in feeling things very deeply and sharing those things in the form of a story. And this book made me FEEL. I hope it came across on the page, and I suppose the reality is, some people will feel it the way I did, and others won’t. That’s just how it goes. But for those who felt it—who laughed and cried along with Brax and Ky—know that I felt it too. Every bit of this story, every emotion, was real and raw and beautiful for me.
So where did it come from?
I had this idea about a trio—a brother and sister, and their best friend. What if (my ideas usually start with what if questions) the brother was in love with the best friend. And what if he’d loved her ever since he could remember, and he was kind of tortured by being just friends. And, what if he was devastatingly hot and had no trouble getting women, leading to his (well-deserved at this point) reputation as a player. But the only woman he really wanted was RIGHT THERE, and he couldn’t have her. Oh yes, I like him already.
I wanted to write about a man who’s kind of a bad boy—obviously not the dark, dangerous bad boy (there are lots of amazing authors who write that kind of hero far better than I could). But a bad boy who’s a player. Hot, fun, confident—but he’s not the guy you can date and think he’s going to stick around. What made him interesting to me was why. Why would he be like that? I wanted it to be much deeper than “he can get away with it, so he does.” Sure, he’s gorgeous and likes to be naughty. But men can be gorgeous and naughty without leaving a long string of broken hearts in their wake.