First, I would like to thank you for allowing me to announce
my special message on your blog. I am so honored to be here today. I understand
your blog is a reflection of you and so I thank you for giving me this
opportunity. Next, I’d like to thank every reader that has ever picked up one
of my books and given them a chance. And finally I’d like to thank all of my
fans that have felt compelled to reach out to me. I have appreciated all of
your letters, messages, and support, whether it came in an email, or just a
short and sweet tweet.
When I began this journey, I had no expectations. I had
dreams and hopes and wishes, but to say I expected For Always to take on a life of its own would not be true. Since
its release in October of 2011, many people have contacted me asking me if I
planned to write a sequel. I thought Stephanie and Jordan’s story had been
completed, but for many of you, it wasn’t enough. So because you asked, because
you told me in no uncertain terms you wanted it, I am working on And Forever, the sequel to For Always. And Forever picks up where For Always ended. While Stephanie and
Jordan are finally a couple, they still carry the same baggage they had before.
Can their love survive the ghosts of their past and the challenges of the
future?
I hope you are excited about this as I am. I expect And Forever to be released in July 2014.
Until then, look for teasers on Facebook and Twitter. And before I go, I leave
you with this, the prologue of And
Forever. Once again thank you for
being so amazing. Happy Reading!
Prologue
The
scent of death lingered nearby. Always. Only I didn't attract it, I repelled
it, like a deflector shield. This was my lot in life, to extend the days of
those I loved. That theory came from Jordan; the keeper of my heart, and the
love of my life!
I
sighed. I didn't realize I did it until Jordan apologized. Again.
"I'm
sorry Steph, I don't want to be distracted."
"I
know. I understand. Promise."
He
misunderstood. It was a contented sigh. One that said I was thrilled my
boyfriend was driving me to school. The sigh was a sign of how surreal sitting
next to Jordan and knowing that he loved me was. How I couldn't believe in a
matter of hours he'd be leaving me alone on the college campus, and I intended
to savor each minute with him. The sigh was the only chance I had of getting
any of those sentiments across because he didn't want me to talk while he was
driving. I knew just being in the car together was challenging for him.
Jordan
still suffered the after effects of a terrible car accident that left his
ex-girlfriend dead. Of course he was breaking up with her at the time because
he loved me, and I pushed him into making a choice between us. When he served
as my unexpected prom date, I made him admit his feelings. That's what led to
his break-up with Madison, leaving him in a swamp of guilt induced quick sand
when she died. But we worked through all that.
I
hoped.
I
didn't bother saying anything further to try and reassure him I wasn't upset.
I'd already been warned he couldn't concentrate on the road and to keep the
radio down. The problem was he wanted it down so low I couldn't hear the music.
I glanced at his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles were white. He held
on so tight I expected his fingers to cramp up. I hated that this was so hard
for him. I wished I knew how to make it better, but the only thing I could do
was stand beside him and hope in time he'd heal.
I
turned to my window, watching the never ending expanse of trees zoom by. I
wished for a brief moment I'd gone in the other car with my mother and her new,
at least new to me, boyfriend Eddie. I'd been clueless about Eddie, but after
her health scare last week, she came clean. She wanted to see him and had been
ordered to take a few days off of work. Work is where they'd rendezvous during
lunch. She'd been frightened when they first told her it looked like a heart
attack and realized it was silly to keep him hidden away. No way I wanted to
hear what cheesy, weird things they might be talking about. I mean it was my
mom, gross. Still, I was happy for her. My father died a decade ago and as far
as I knew she'd never dated before.
I
chose to ride with Jordan, because even in the deafening silence, and the
tension he carried on his shoulders every time we got in a car together, there
was nowhere else I'd rather be. From the first moment he spoke to me, he owned
my heart. It was branded with his name. I'd tried for four years to move on, to
forget him, but that wasn't an option for me. No one could hold a candle to
him.
"Hey,"
He pulled my attention back to the here and now. "You know I love you
right?"
I
smiled. Of course he knew that would make me smile, that's why he said it. It
felt like that's all I'd done over the last week since he found me crying on
the beach. I'll never forget the wave of relief that washed over me when I
found out he'd been spared from a terrible plane crash. He never made it on the
plane because I called him at the last minute in an attempt to get him to stay.
Thank goodness I did. I didn't know where he was going or why, but Maria warned
me that he was leaving, and it might be forever.
I
always believed myself to be the root cause of the bad things that happen to
people around me, Jordan thought I was what kept them hanging on. I didn't
believe him, at least not yet. But having him try to convince me otherwise
promised to be amazing.
For Always Buy Links
Haven't read this yet but have added it to my TBR list. Happy Valentines to y'all! ♥ ♥ ♥
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