I swallow thickly. “That he did.”
Ben may be gone, but his love and heart certainly isn’t it. He lives on in The Paper Crane project—which completely took off, becoming a sensation. Now, wherever we go, we always seem to find a paper crane. Each one brings a smile to my face and reminds me to cherish every single day. Life can be cut short in an instant, so make sure to live with no regrets and love with all your heart.
This book. This book has been ten years in the making. Ten years of starting, stopping it, deleting, and questioning whether or not I’d ever actually tell it. But in that ten years Blaire, Ben, and Ryder stayed with me. They waited patiently until I was ready to tell this story and then they burst forward and demanded that I finally do it—that I take that step out of my comfort zone. I know this book isn’t for everyone—in all honesty, as a reader, it’s probably not something I’d want to read (is it bad for me to admit it) but it’s a story I had to tell. Over the years this story took on many different shapes and forms—in most of them Ben wasn’t a main figure early in the story, but in my mind I knew him and it hurt me that readers would
n’t know him. You can’t fall in love with a character you’ve never really met. So I knew that I’d have to build his character up before his demise and I also knew that it was going to crush me. I hope I’ve done my job right and that the emotions are there, that you feel everything I wanted you to feel as a reader. …And I hope you don’t hate me too much.
Regina Bartley, you are my partner in crime. Thank you so much for all the writing sprints and always being there for me to talk to. Your friendship means so much to me—more than you’ll ever know.
Hang Le thank you for creating the most beautifully artistic cover I’ve ever seen. It’s exactly what this book needed and I think it truly speaks to the feel of the story, which is what I wanted.
Wendi, formatter and editor extraordinaire, when I say I don’t know what I did before you I mean it. It’s such a relief to have someone I can rely on so completely. You’re a rock star. Don’t forget it.
To the girls in my Facebook group, Micalea’s Minions, thank you so much for all your kind words and help whenever I need it. Creating this group was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This group has become my happy place and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you.
To my beta readers (you know who you are!) I can’t thank you enough for all your help in making this book, and my others, what they are. I value your opinions and input so much, and I love that you guys love my characters as much as I do.
Haley Douglas I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love our talks and how excited you get when I send you chapter. It always puts a smile on my face. And thank you for being my kinda-sorta-assistant since…you know…I suck at giving you things to do. Sorry. Haha!
Emily. Emily. Emily. What is there for me to say that hasn’t already been said? You’re amazing and I’m so lucky to have a friend like you in my life.
To each and every person that has read this book, and any of my others, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to live my dream. Thank you for your messages, comments, and emails. Thank you for coming to see me at signings. Thank you for everything. I wish I could hug each and every one of you.
Coming this summer
The Game That Breaks Us
A standalone New Adult college romance
Hockey’s bad boy needs to clean up his reputation…
Bennett James has built his career at being the best, on and off the ice, and now it’s come back to bite him. The media has turned against him, and with a near career-ending injury, he needs to clean up his act and prove that he’s serious about the game. For Bennett, working with his old coach at his alma mater feels like a step back, but it might be just what he needs.
…and she’s going to help him do it.
Grace Wentworth has always been the good girl, and she’s tired of that stigma. She wants to prove that she can get down and dirty with the best of them. The problem? She doesn’t know how.
Bennett will teach the good girl how to be bad, if she pretends to be his goody two-shoes girlfriend in front of the media.
But what happens when the game becomes real?
An Excerpt from:
ESCAPING HEARTBREAK
REGINA BARTLEY
It’s time for Sawyer to start living her life. Since she was fifteen she has taken care of everyone but herself, including her older brother Dane. She has been lying to herself to keep from feeling the pain of her parent’s death. Now she is twenty and she’s ready to start a life of her own. Moving into her parent’s lake house would be the perfect escape. Wouldn’t it? That’s what she thought. Only, it led her right into the emotional place she’s been hiding from all this time. All of those years of running from her feelings, she now has to face them. It’s too much. She can’t deal with it alone. Someone has to help. She’ll do anything to escape the heartbreak, but you can only run so far.
Travis can’t believe his eyes; his half-opened, blood shot eyes. Sawyer Evans was in the flesh and standing over him. He hadn’t seen this girl since he was ten years old. Travis only saw the Evan’s during the summer when they moved into the lake house. He and Dane were best friends. When Dane invited him and the old gang to a welcome back party at the Lake House, he couldn’t wait to go. It turns out getting wasted was only half the fun. Seeing Sawyer was the other half. She was the sexiest girl he’d ever seen and he was going to make sure that she knew it. Only she shot him down time and time again. He’s determined to break down those walls and get inside her head, but he’ll have to be sober to do it, and no matter how hard he tries, she’ll always run. He can’t keep chasing her. He has to figure out a way to make her stay.
It’s time to stop running, stop hiding, and start learning where the true escape lies. Everyone will face heartbreak, but not everyone will find love.
ONE
Sawyer
“Earth to Sawyer,” Uncle Jake snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Where are you at?”