Avenged (Altered #2)(69)
“Ma, I’ve told you, other people don’t think food is a sport. And Kitty’s perfect. Leave her be.” He leaned over and kissed his mother’s soft cheek. “It’s good to see you, too, Mom. I’ve missed you all.”
Moisture glistened in her eyes, and she patted his face. “Come. We should eat.” She looked behind him at his sisters, and started barking orders, telling the girls to leave his girlfriend alone, they were scaring her. For their part, the girls ignored their mother, barraging Kitty with talk. Or rather, they were talking while Kitty was nearby. Kitty was pretty much just standing, taking it in. But she had a smile on her face.
His mother managed to wrangle the girls and corral them inside, still talking. His father lagged behind. Nick took his hand, and they clapped each other on the back in the traditional man hug. “Good to see you, son.”
“You, too, Dad.”
And that was it. His father trailed the female contingent in the family, leaving Nick and Kitty together in the foyer.
“My goodness,” Kitty breathed.
Nick laughed, rubbing his hand over his head. “Yeah. They can be a lot. You okay?”
“They’re wonderful,” she said, her eyes shining. “They love you so much.” She tucked her arm through his again. “I love them already.”
He felt the smile slide off his face. His chest felt full, and he didn’t know what to say. “And I love you.”
“I love you, too. Come on.” She nudged her head toward the dining room. “I bet she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” She laughed, dragging him by the arm.
He lingered for one more moment, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth before they joined his family. Together.
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Acknowledgments
First, thanks to all of you, the readers! Your support has been amazing and humbling. I hope you enjoyed Kitty and Nick’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thank you to my writing pals, Terri Osburn, Jessica Ruddick, Laurie Benson, Kim MacCarron, and anyone else who helped talk me down during the writing of this one. You guys rock.
To my mom and sister, for reading this early on. We don’t get to pick our family, but if I could have, I would have chosen you. I love you.
Thank you to my fantastic editor, Candace Havens, and my super agent, Helen Breitwieser. You guys are an amazing support system, and I am so happy to have you in my corner.
A special thank you to S. Marshall Wilson, who helped me nail down the fighting techniques in this book. Your expertise was invaluable.
To my husband and my sons… Thanks for being patient when I’m lost in my head and you need to call me more than once. Thanks for not pointing out how crazy it must look when I complain about people I’ve made up. Most of all, thanks for your unwavering support through my ups and downs. I love you three more than anything ever.
About the Author
Two-time Golden Heart? Finalist Marnee Blake used to teach high school students but these days she only has to wrangle her own children. Originally from a small town in Western Pennsylvania, she now battles traffic in southern New Jersey where she lives with her hero husband and their happily-ever-after: two very energetic boys. When she isn’t writing, she can be found refereeing disputes between her children, cooking up something sweet, or hiding from encroaching dust bunnies with a book.