Sweet Little Memories (Sweet #3)(47)

Stone didn’t sleep that night. He’d sat outside on the porch.

He made the final decision, and one week before I gave birth to our daughter, Stone’s father was buried. His stepmother didn’t contest the will seeing as she received the home in Manhattan and twenty-million dollars. Much more than she would have gotten in a divorce. The prenup made that very clear.

Hilda once again signed over custody of her child. This time to Stone when the courts tried to say that Wills legally went to his mother. Wills didn’t even ask to see his mother. He began to accept that he was safe with us. That we loved him and he had a home here. Soon he began to act more like the child he was than the child too old for his years.

Heidi loved coming to stay with us over the weekends and spending holidays together. She adored her niece and nephew, and they loved her. She had a room in our home if she ever wanted to live with us, but she was happy with her life at Among the Spanish Moss.

The door behind me opened and I turned to see my handsome husband walk outside. He was watching the kids play with a pleased smile. His eyes shifted to me. “How you feeling?” he asked.

I held up my cup. “The ginger tea Geraldine suggested works well. Wish I’d known when I was sick with Prim.”

Stone walked over and pressed a kiss to my head. “You decided when we’re gonna tell them yet?” he asked referring to the kids.

I hadn’t yet so I shook my head.

He shrugged. “Whenever you’re ready. No hurry. We can let them think you’re getting fat.”

I shoved him and laughed. “Not funny,” I said not amused even a little.

“I like it when you’re big and round. It’s the only time I know Jasper isn’t looking at my wife and imagining her naked.”

“He doesn’t do that,” I replied then rolled my eyes.

“Hell yeah, he does.”

The kids loved their Uncle Jasper and I was thankful the relationship between Stone and Jasper had been restored. They needed each other. They weren’t brothers by blood, but they were brothers in every way that mattered.

Stone sat on the couch beside me and pulled me into his lap. “Come here. I need to hold you before you get too heavy.”

“If I didn’t love you, I’d hate you,” I told him.

“You couldn’t hate me. I’m too damn lovable.”

He was right, he was. At one time, he didn’t believe that. At one time, I didn’t believe it either. But life has a funny way of playing out in ways you never imagined.

A boy walked into my world one day and I thought he was the most rude, beautiful, unlikable person I’d ever met. And now I couldn’t imagine a day without him by my side.





THIS STORY HAS BEEN ONE more ride. From the moment Beulah and Stone’s story came to me until I wrote the last sentence in the epilogue. I always love telling a story. This one was special. Just like a reader wants to find a moment to get lost in a book, I looked forward to the times I would sit at my computer and their story would unfold for me. It was a beautiful tale that will remain one of my favorites.

There are so many people that played a part in this trilogy’s creation, production and promotion.

The first person that reads what I write (and holds me accountable for word count on a daily basis) is Britt. Jack Britton Sullivan, my youngest child’s father, reads my words every morning when he wakes up. He not only helps me mold the story he also gives me ideas when I get stuck or unsure. This kind of support is priceless.

Next there is Amy Donnelly who works with my crazy unorganized last minute ways. She takes what I hand her and turns it around in record time to make it exactly what I wanted it to look like.

Christine Borgford also is a complete life saver. Her formatting is beautiful and she deals with my last minute requests and rushed deadlines. Never complaining and always giving me an amazing product.

This trilogy would not exist if Ian Wallace from iBooks hadn’t contacted me about writing iBooks an exclusive trilogy. The entire team at iBooks is incredible. They are there for support whenever I need them. I’ve loved every moment of this experience with them. Thank you iBooks!

Hang Le for the beautiful covers. Each one fits the story perfectly. She was a pleasure to work with. I couldn’t be happier with the cover art for each book.

Danielle Lagasse, Vicci Kaighan and the rest of Abbi’s Army. These ladies are my ultimate support group. They amaze me daily. I love you all!

Kiki Chatfield who is incredible at what she does. Her marketing, organization and enthusiasm has helped get the Sweet Series in front of so many new readers.

Colleen Hoover and Kami Garcia for taking the time out of their incredibly busy lives to read and blurb Sweet Little Thing. Friends like them are hard to find. I’m truly grateful.

Monica Tucker-the world’s most patient personal assistant (aka life handler) on the planet. You have no idea how hard I am to get things from. I forget, I’m ADD, I am a hot mess. And she deals with it beautifully.

My kids-Austin, Annabelle, Ava and Emerson-who without them I would have no reason to do any of this. They inspire me, bring me joy, and complete my world. I love y’all.