Jimmy slaps me on the shoulder as he passes. He’s chuckling and muttering something to himself. Liam is trudging down the stairs before I can shut the door and turn on the light to let Katelyn and Josie know we are working.
I hate the way Liam looks in the morning. No, I shouldn’t say that. I’m happy for him. He’s with the one woman he loves and they are happy. Sickeningly happy, he’s paid his dues and deserves this. The pride I see in his eyes when he looks at his son is the same way I am when I look at Quinn. They are the best of us, no matter how much we screw up.
“Jimmy, my man,” Liam says as they man hug. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Linda let me in. Tell me, how much did you have to pay her to leave her comfy job at the hotel to come here to take care of your sorry ass?”
Liam laughs. He made it a few months before he started looking for a housekeeper. He didn’t want Josie having to take to care of the house by herself so he asked his former maid, Linda, to move to Beaumont. He’s in the process of building her a nice little house out behind his and bought her a car.
“Let’s get to work. Katelyn is working on some new bars that she heard about so we need to work out the kinks.” Liam straps his guitar on and starts tuning.
“I worked this out before you guys got here.” I move over the laptop and press play, watching Jimmy and Liam as they listen to the melody. Liam smiles and looks over to the lyrics we’ve been working on. Jimmy moves to the keyboard and hits a few keys and I add in the beat from my drums. Liam signals to Tyler to start recording. He strums his guitar and sings into the microphone as Jimmy and I play along with him.
When I look up, Katelyn is watching me. Not us, but me before she turns and is out of sight. For one brief moment I have a sliver of hope that she might feel the same way.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To say this has been a whirlwind journey is an understatement. When I started, I never thought I’d get this far. To hold my book, to see my name in print and to hear about people reading something I wrote is all too surreal.
Yvette Rebello ~ No words will ever capture what you mean to me. This adventure, it’s not possible without your guidance and support. I can’t imagine ever doing this without you. Thank you for putting up with all my crazy story ideas and being the sounding board that I needed.
Holly Stephens ~ To have you be on this ride is a tremendous honor. I will always remember the story that brought us together and how it’s guided and allowed us to develop an everlasting friendship. I’m excited to be starting this process with you.
Forever My Girl would not be possible without Yvette & Holly. The countless hours of emails, text message and phone calls shaped the cast of characters that make up Forever My Girl. I am and will always be in their debt.
Eric Heatherly ~ Without you, your lyrics and music, Liam doesn’t come alive. You’ve given me an opportunity to bring something different to my novels and for that I thank you.
Cari Renee ~ Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping bring Liam alive on stage. If it wasn’t for your love of music, Cari, I would’ve never been introduced to Eric. I’m forever grateful.
Jillian Dodd ~ How can I ever say thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for me? From answering rambling and incoherent text and email messages to holding my hand and helping me build a fan base. I’m so proud to be representing Bandit Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity.
DamarisCardinali ~ What started as a risk when I sent you Forever My Girl has turned into a great friendship. I can’t thank you enough for your support and the support Good Choice Reading Reviews has given me.
Beth Suit ~ Wow. Thanks to Jillian we met and for that I’m so thankful. You have been a true blessing to have in my life. Thank you so much for all your hard work on Forever My Girl. I look forward to a long and fulfilling friendship with you.
Sarah Hanson ~ To say I’m in awe of your talent would be an understatement. What you did, bringing Forever My Girl to life, amazing. I will never be able to thank you enough, nor will I be able to look at my gorgeous cover and not cry.
Fallon Clark ~ Thank you for always being here for me. It’s hard to believe I’ve known you since you were sixteen and here we are working together to create magic. Thank you for always being there when I need you and your red pen.
And finally to my family. Erik, Madison & Kassidy ~ thank you for putting up with me always being in the other room, sitting with my laptop while we watch TV and the late nights. Your support, guidance and encouragement means more to me than I can ever tell you. Mom; Dad & Beth – look at what I did! Nicole & Becky: Thank you for reading and giving me feedback. Jenn Sy: your encouragement knows no bounds.
Jen Howell: you had the first official ARC & review, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to give Liam too.
Grandma & Ryan ~ I miss you. I wish you were here to see this.
To all the readers, reviewers, bloggers and authors, I thank you.