Blog Archives
Best Friends, Chapter 3
I posted Chapter 1 and 2 in the last two weeks. Each week, I’m going to try to post another chapter of my short stories. These stories were fun to write, so I want to share these amazing characters to my readers.
Here are the links to Chapter 1 and 2, so please read first before continuing. Chapter1
Best Friends
Chapter Three
The day consisted of hiking the trails of the nearby lake park and a picnic. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves-even Ryan. Kat couldn’t help but notice how Jenna kept migrating close to Ryan every chance she got. She wasn’t sure if she was the only one who noticed and what Jenna’s boyfriend thought about her flirting. Apparently, Ryan seemed to enjoy the attention from her.
Kat’s attention shifted to Jeff and his new girl. She was disgusted with how clingy Angel truly was toward Jeff. She held his arm and acted like a damsel in distress as she hiked. Jeff was more than willing to be her knight in shining armor, as he steadied and guided her through the narrow trails. For the life of her, Kat couldn’t understand why guys were attracted to such pathetic women.
Besides the annoying people around her, including Ryan, she enjoyed the warm breeze and the fresh country scent. She lived in downtown Chicago, so this tranquility was definitely a nice change. Kat was determined to stay to herself and allow nature do its magic on her. It wasn’t until she heard Jenna scream and grab onto Ryan’s arm that she knew she had enough. Kat was well aware that Jenna had pretended to lose her balance to have Ryan’s arms around her to steady her. It was the oldest trick in the book.
Kat deliberately walked to Ryan and said, “Babe, come here. Let’s take pictures by this spot.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the crowd.
“Hey, Kat, this is fun, isn’t it?” Ryan asked, smiling innocently.
She rolled her eyes and when she knew they were away from earshot, she said, “Jenna is all over you. I know you can see that.”
Ryan smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “She’s a looker, Kat. I’m enjoying the attention.”
“Clearly!” Kat hissed. “We’re supposed to be in love, remember? I mean, you went through this elaborate story of serenading me—which by the way, I was not prepared for—and now, you’re giving me no attention.”
“Oh, are you jealous, darling? Maybe you miss me?” Ryan teased, watching her squirm from frustration.
“You’re impossible. Look, we had a deal, okay? Don’t mess it up. Besides, I can tell that Jeff is jealous of you, and I keep catching him looking at me.” Kat smiled at the thought of Jeff still having feelings toward her.
“Who cares? He’s an ass.”
“Again, we had a deal. Just don’t screw it up. Please!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll behave. I promise.” Ryan grabbed her hand and led her back to the group, giving her tender kisses on top of her head along the way.
When they returned to the cabin that evening, Kat was exhausted. She immediately jumped into the shower, needing to wash the sweat off. Once in their room, she changed into a clean pair of shorts and tank. While she was freshening up, she heard Ryan laughing and mingling with everybody. She had no idea why that was bothering her. He was clearly being friendly with everyone, and it was obvious they all loved him. And why wouldn’t they? He was very charismatic and had the gift of winning everybody over, especially women.
When Kat heard the knock at the door, she assumed it was Ryan. “Come in,” she yelled.
To her surprise, Jeff walked in, closing the door behind him. “Hey, Katrina. I’m glad I got a moment alone with you.”
Kat was suddenly nervous, not used to having Jeff in such close proximity since their break up. “What do you want? I don’t think you should be here.”
“Why not? Two friends can’t catch up?”
“I’d hardly call us friends, Jeff. Besides, I’m sure your girl, Angel, would not like you to be in here.”
“What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her,” he replied, walking toward her.
Kat began taking steps back, needing the distance from him. She had no idea what he was doing here, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. “You need to leave, Jeff. I know Ryan wouldn’t like you being in here at all.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Kat and Jeff swung their heads around to see Ryan standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. “Is there anything you want with my girlfriend, Jeff?”
Kat watched the two men and was astonished by the difference between the two. As tall as Jeff was, Ryan still had an inch or two on him. Where Jeff liked to have his hair nicely groomed, Ryan preferred the messy look. Kat was used to seeing Ryan in jeans and t-shirt, where Jeff typically dressed up. After the hike, Jeff had changed back into his kakis and his polo shirt, while Ryan remained in his shorts and t-shirt. Ryan never was the one to particularly care about his looks, but Kat clearly remembered Jeff spending more time in front of a mirror than her.
Ryan continued to glare at Jeff. “Do you need anything, Jeff?”
“No harm done, man. Just checking on her. We were close at one point, if you remember.” Jeff chuckled under his breath.
“That was history. I want you out of our room, now.” Ryan stepped in and opened the door wider, gesturing him to exit.
Without causing a scene, Jeff strolled out, and Kat released a sigh of relief. She had no idea why she had been holding her breath.
Closing the door, Ryan turned to Kat. “Why did you let him in?”
She could tell he was annoyed when she noticed the familiar frown on his forehead. “I didn’t let him in. He walked in,” she answered.
“He shouldn’t be walking into our room like that. It’s completely disrespectful. He’s clearly trying to make his moves on you.”
“No, he wasn’t. Wait, do you think? Do you think he’s still interested in me?” Kat wasn’t sure if she should be happy or annoyed, especially since his girlfriend was downstairs.
“Stop. Just stop. Here’s how it’s going to be. You want me to play your devoted boyfriend? Fine, I agreed to it, but you better be playing the devoted girlfriend.” Ryan came closer to her and lifted her chin up to look at him. “Do you understand? I won’t be playing this game of yours if it’s just one sided.”
Kat had no idea why her heart was beating out of control as his ocean, blue eyes pierced into her. She had known Ryan her whole life for God’s sake. But, for some strange reason, this was not the same Ryan she had known all those years. This Ryan was a confident, prideful man, who was not going to allow anybody to make a fool of him.
Trying to duck past him, Kat was surprised when he braced her against the wall. “I didn’t get my answer.”
“Why are you doing this? I won’t make a fool of you, okay? It’s only two more days, and this charade will be over.” Kat shoved him away and ran out of their room. Not understanding her behavior, she sprinted straight to the bar and chugged a shot of the whisky.
Later in the night, as the men played pool, Jeff turned to Ryan and said, “I’m still surprised to see you and Katrina together, Ryan.”
“Why would you be surprised?” Ryan asked, as he took another gulp of his beer.
“I mean if you two were going to hook up, why wait all these years? Why wouldn’t you have hooked up prior to this?”
Ryan laughed while Kat held her breath. “What makes you so sure that we didn’t hook up through the years?”
Jeff almost choked on his beer, and Kat had to walk away to pour herself another drink. “Nah, I doubt that. I’m just surprised because, frankly, I thought you were gay all this time.”
This time, it was Kat’s turn to choke on her drink. The room became silent as everybody’s attention shifted to their conversation.
Ryan smirked and asked, “Why would you think that?”
“Well, Katrina is clearly hot. No man would wait all these years to finally make his move on such a hot girl.”
Ryan remained calm and collected as he finished his beer. “Well, that’s where you and I differ, Jeff. You see Kat as a hot girl. I see her as so much more.”
Kat closed her eyes, processing what Ryan had just said. She moved toward them and took his hand. Staring straight at Jeff, she said, “Ryan is nowhere near gay, Jeff. I should know.” Smiling seductively, she turned back to Ryan and softly kissed him, seducing him. She caught a hint of surprise in Ryan’s eyes when she finally pulled away.
“Well, that’s our cue. Time for us to go to bed,” Ryan announced and guided her to their room.
“Thank you, Ryan,” she said when alone in the room. “What you said and did downstairs…well, I appreciate it.”
“Anything to get that kiss from you, darling,” Ryan teased.
Kat rolled her eyes, grabbed her toiletry, and hurried to the bathroom down the hall. She noticed Ryan had the same idea because he headed toward the second bathroom. Kat wondered if maybe she had drunk too much alcohol because she was feeling lightheaded and was having difficulty focusing.
By the time she got back, Ryan was already stretched out on the bed, his eyes closed. She immediately noticed that he had taken his shirt off and was wearing only his shorts to bed. It’s not like she hadn’t seen Ryan shirtless before, but for some reason, her insides were doing somersaults as he filled the full size bed. Blaming it on the alcohol, Kat forced herself to look away.
“You sleeping on the bed?” Kat asked, wondering how she would be able to sleep next to him with such close proximity.
“Where else would I sleep?” he asked, opening his eyes to look at her. “Nice pajamas by the way. Sexy.”
“What’s wrong with my PJ’s? They’re comfortable!” Kat looked down at her black and white, plaid pajamas. They were her favorite pair. Granted, the matching top and bottom were hideous to look at, but she didn’t wear them to feel sexy. Focusing back on the task at hand, she continued, “You can sleep on the floor. I’ll give you the comforter, and I even brought a sleeping bag.”
“I’m not sleeping on that hard, wooden floor. If you have a problem sharing this bed, you can sleep down there.”
“We can’t both fit on there,” she whined.
“Why not?”
“We’d both be on top of one another. There’s no room, Ryan.”
“Again, I don’t have a problem with this. You figure out what you want to do. I’m crashing. Good night,” Ryan said, turning away from her.
Kat wondered what happened to the nice Ryan who had just defended her downstairs. She stared at the bed a few more minutes, contemplating what to do. Giving up, she crawled on the other side of the bed and squeezed in next to him. For several minutes, she remained stiff. Then, reminding herself that it was only Ryan, she closed her eyes and soon fell into a peaceful sleep.
That’s all for now, y’all! Chapter four will be posted next week.
If you’re interested in continuing with this story or any other short stories, you can get Loving You Hurts So Good on Amazon. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited. Amazon
If you’re interested in reading any other books, here’s my Amazon page. Link
Best Friends, Chapter 2
I posted Chapter 1 last week. Each week, I’m going to try to post another chapter of my short stories. These stories were fun to write, so I want to share these amazing characters to my readers.
Here’s the link to Chapter 1, so please read this first before continuing. Chapter1
Best Friends
Chapter Two
It was a two-hour drive to the resort. Ryan was driving while Kat enjoyed the country breeze blowing from the windows.
“So, what did you tell Sarah?” she asked.
“Women are crazy…no offense. I tried to tell her I was going away with my buddies for the weekend.”
“You mean you tried to lie to her.”
“Whatever. Anyway, she started throwing a fit about that. Something about how come I don’t take her away for a weekend. It got so annoying that I just had to break it off right then and there.”
“Are you serious? You broke up with her? All because of a little disagreement?”
“She was starting to become too clingy anyway. I’ve been feeling claustrophobic lately.”
Kat shook her head in disapproval. “What happened to the nice Ryan I used to know when we were kids? That Ryan would have treated his girlfriend like a princess.”
Ryan laughed. “That Ryan never dated. He couldn’t even get a date if he tried.”
“Well, you went from one extreme to another. You’ve never wanted to be in a serious relationship? I mean, Ryan, we’re getting old. Maybe we should be thinking of finding somebody to settle down with.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m in my prime age. We’re only twenty-eight. You make it seem like we’re in our fifties or something.”
Kat rolled her eyes, wondering what happened to her sweet, innocent Ryan in the last ten years. “Well, one day, somebody is going to steal your heart, and you won’t even know what hit you.”
Ryan remained silent for several seconds. Changing the subject, he said, “Okay, let’s talk about the game plan for this weekend. Do I need to know anything? What kind of boyfriend am I to you? How did we decide to start dating? We need to make sure we have the same stories, Kat.”
“Right! Okay, so you have to convince them that you’re head over heels in love with me. That’s the best payback. I’m dying to see Jeff’s reaction. Nobody knows I’m bringing you. They all think I’m coming alone. I can’t wait to see their faces when you walk in with me.” Kat smiled to herself, visualizing the entire scenario. “As far as how we started dating… hmm let’s see…Oh, I know! You’ve always been in love with me since we were kids. You just never had to guts to tell me. But, one day, when we were out, and we were both drunk, you finally had the courage to confess to me. I decided to give it a chance, and well, you won me over.”
“That’s stupid. I don’t like that at all. It makes me sound pathetic. You know, less of a man that I had to get drunk to tell you my feelings. Why can’t you be the one who asked me out? How about, you were drunk and called me over. You attacked me, but I was a gentleman and didn’t take advantage of you. When you woke up in my arms the next day and realized that I respected you enough to not do the dirty, you realized that I was the one for you. It was like an epiphany.” Ryan smiled smugly at his version of the story.
“Wow, that’s really bad. But fine, if that makes you feel more like a man, we’ll go with that story. By the way, you know we have to share a room, right?”
“I figured as much. It would look very strange if we were in different rooms. I don’t have a problem with it. I mean, it’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.”
Kat laughed, remembering how they would have sleepovers all the time until they were about ten years old. After that, both of their parents allowed them to hang out, but restricted sleeping together.
“Wish we could go back in time, Ryan. Everything was just so much simpler back then.”
Ryan reached to hold her hand. Squeezing it, he said, “You just make things more complicated than it needs to be. Things can still be simple.”
She sighed, shaking her head. “No. Life is complicated. We were so innocent back then that we didn’t notice. When middle school and high school came, everything changed.”
He removed his hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. “It didn’t have to change. We drifted apart. You hung out with the popular kids. I’m sure being a big time cheerleader put a lot of pressure on you regarding who you could hang out with. A nerdy guy with glasses and pimples would not have been cool at all.”
Kat sensed the bitterness in his tone. “Ryan, I know I was a bitch back then. Those stupid, so-called ‘popular’ friends are not even in my life right now. You’re the only one who has stood by me through all these years.” She leaned her head onto his shoulder. Ryan meant the world to her. She knew she was nasty to him those years growing up, but once she matured, she had always regretted it.
Ryan sighed and placed his arm around her, bringing her closer to him. “Hey, on the bright side, at least the pimples, the greasy hair, and the glasses are gone now.”
“Amen!” Kat agreed, leaning her face up and kissing his cheek.
Before long, they were pulling up on the dirt road which led to the oversized cabin. There would be seven other couples there. Luckily, the cabin was large enough, consisting of eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen, basement, and a large living room. The law firm liked to send the attorneys away once a year. They felt it was good for team building and the morale of the firm.
Kat’s anxiety began to build as they pulled up the driveway. She had purposefully avoided Jeff at work since the breakup. How was she going to handle being under the same roof, especially with his new girlfriend?
Ryan must have sensed her uneasiness because before exiting the car, he grabbed her hand. “Hey, you okay? Show me the confident, badass Kat I’ve known all these years.”
Kat took a deep breath and nodded. She could do this, especially with Ryan standing by her side. “I’ll be fine. I just needed a second.”
Without saying anything further, Ryan jumped out of the car and swung around to open her door. He then grabbed their luggage and waited for her to catch up. Smiling reassuringly at her, he gave her his arm for her to hold while they both walked toward the door.
Jenna, one of her colleagues, ran out. “Katrina, you made it! You’re the last to arrive.” She turned her attention toward Ryan. “Oh, hey! Ryan, right? I didn’t realize Katrina was bringing anybody?” She then turned her gaze toward Kat, her eyes dancing with curiosity.
“Hey, Jenna. Yeah, I wanted to bring my boyfriend to the retreat. Can’t be away from him for all those days,” Kat replied, proud of herself at how smoothly she handled that.
“Hello, Jenna. Long time, no see,” Ryan said, flashing his sexy smile.
Kat detected the flirtatious tone and glared at him when Jenna’s back was to them. Damn him, he just can’t help himself.
Ryan smirked, shrugging his shoulders innocently.
Once inside, the rest of the guests crowded around them, everybody talking at once about the plans for the weekend. Kat immediately noticed Jeff as he slowly strolled toward them from the living room.
“Hey, guys! You all remember Ryan, right? My best friend from childhood? Well, he’s now my boyfriend.” Kat decided to just throw it out there right from the start.
Everybody stopped talking and stared at Ryan and then back at her. Kat could feel the heat rising to her face, wondering if she totally screwed that one up.
Ryan placed the luggage down and said, “Hey, glad to be here. I probably know most of you here, except for the significant others. I just couldn’t let Kat go without me. I would miss her every minute of the day. Hope you guys don’t mind me tagging along.” He pulled Kat into his arms and lifted her chin, gazing into her eyes. Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, teasing her. “Three days without you would be the death of me, Kat,” he whispered.
While several women from the audience sighed, Kat knew her face was probably beet-red by then. She had not prepared for this at all. She thought she could pull this off, but she was failing big time. Not only was she flustered from Ryan’s kiss, she was completely astonished by his acting skills. How the hell was he so good at this?
“So, where’s our room, guys? Would love to unpack and get cleaned up a bit,” Ryan asked the group.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, Ryan. Where are our manners? You just threw us off guard with that sexy kiss,” Larry said, and several people chuckled. Larry was one of the guys who had organized this trip. “It’s upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you guys.”
Kat sprinted after Larry, well aware of Jeff’s eyes following her and watching her every move. Once Larry left Ryan and her alone in the room, she closed the door. She immediately noticed the tiny room with the full sized bed in the center. Against the wall, there was a small chest with a mirror and four drawers. This is going to be a long weekend, she thought.
Ignoring the setup of the room, she turned her attention back to Ryan. “What was that?” she whispered.
“What?” he asked innocently, raising his eyebrow.
“That…that kiss…downstairs. I was not prepared! You should have warned me.”
“Kat, you were making a total fool out of yourself. I was trying to save you.”
“I made more of a fool out of myself from your kiss. I was not ready for that,” Kat continued to whisper loudly, her hands on her hips.
“How could I know that my kiss was going to get you all rattled? I didn’t know I had that kind of effect on you.” Ryan laughed, unable to hold back.
Kat picked up the pillow and threw it at him. “It didn’t have any effect on me. I just didn’t realize you were going to kiss me right then and there. I needed to be prepared, that’s all. Besides, it’s not like that’s the first time we’ve kissed!” she hissed.
Ryan was in the middle of unpacking his clothes, but turned to her when she said that. “You remember that? We were like four years old.”
“Of course I remember. That was the first time. We snuck a peck in the closet. But then, we kissed again when we were ten. And, the last time, we were thirteen. That one was a bit longer.”
Ryan laughed. “Yes, I remember all of our innocent kissing. I think we were curious more than anything. Guess there will be a lot of kissing this weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Oh my God, Ryan! You’re impossible.” With that, she took her luggage and began throwing her clothes in the drawers.
Fifteen minutes later, they were both heading downstairs, holding hands. As soon as they arrived in the living room, Jenna grabbed her and said, “Come on, Katrina. I’ll get you some wine. Ryan, do you want anything?”
“Yeah, I’ll take some beer if you have some.”
“Of course,” Jenna replied. She continued to pull Kat into the kitchen with her. “Holy shit, Katrina! Why didn’t you tell any of us? He’s so hot. How do you manage to get the most beautiful guys?” Jenna poured the red wine into the glass and handed it to her. She leaned into the fridge and grabbed a Bud Light. “Did you see Jeff’s face? It was priceless!”
Kat took the opportunity to inquire about Jeff. “Which one is his girlfriend? I don’t know everybody here.”
“Oh, she’s the cute blonde who looks like she’s twenty-one. Her name is Angel. I don’t know what he sees in her. I swear, she’s probably ten years younger than him.”
“Angel? Really?” Kat couldn’t help herself, and she noticed her immediately.
Angel had long, curly hair, a petite body, and a gorgeous face. Yep, complete opposite of her. Kat had brown, wavy, shoulder-length hair, green eyes, and although she prided herself to be physically fit, she knew she wasn’t petite by any means. She was 5’8” and being a natural athlete, she had strong, defined muscles. Jeff was 6’1”, and his new girl, Angel, seemed like she was just over five feet. As much as Kat hated to admit it, she knew that Angel was a looker. She had the innocent beauty that most guys would be drawn to and would want to take care of her.
“Yes, he told us her name was Angel. She’s kind of clingy, though,” Jenna continued. “Who cares about her, though? I want to hear more about what happened with Ryan and you. I always knew there was something there between you two. I was just wondering when you guys were going to figure it out.”
Kat swallowed hard, faking a smile. Before she could reply, she heard Jeff say, “So, Ryan, how did you and Katrina finally hook up? We want to hear about this.”
Ryan looked at her and smiled. As he held his hand out to her, Kat walked to him and took it. She handed him his beer, and he pulled her into his embrace as he planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Oh, I’ve always been in love with her. Probably since the first time I saw her…yeah, I was about three years old when my family moved next to Kat’s house. I would say it was love at first sight for me.” Ryan caressed her back, pulling her tighter into his arms.
“That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” Dee, one of her other colleagues, said. “What about you, Katrina? What finally convinced you to give him a chance?”
By now, Kat was so confused, she couldn’t remember what story they had agreed on. When she continued to stand there with a fixed smile on her face, Ryan continued, “Oh, she had no idea I’ve felt this way. Finally, I just couldn’t take it anymore. One day, we were hanging out at a karaoke bar, and I had plenty to drink. I finally got the courage to get on stage and sing to her about how I felt.”
Kat was frozen. Where was this coming from? They hadn’t discussed this at all.
“You sang to her? You’re kidding! How sweet are you!” Dee jams her boyfriend in the rib.
“What? Oh, man, you’re gonna get all the guys in trouble here,” her boyfriend said.
“What did you sing to her?” Jenna asked, dying to know the details.
“One by Ed Sheeran,” Ryan replied. “Once I was on stage, I announced that I was dedicating the song to my best friend, Kat. Of course, after I sang the song, she finally figured out how I felt about her. And, well, the rest is history.”
“That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” somebody said, while other females began to sigh loudly around the room.
“You loved my singing, didn’t you, babe?” Ryan turned his attention to Kat, flashing his cocky lopsided grin.
“Yes, babe, I did. You sounded just as good as Ed Sheeran, if not better. Stole my heart that day,” Kat said, staring hard into Ryan’s eyes, and silently promising him he wasn’t going to get away with this one.
That’s all for now, folks! Chapter three is coming your way next week. Kat and Ryan’s story is becoming interesting, right?
If you’re interested in continuing with this story or any other short stories, you can get Loving You Hurts So Good on Amazon. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited. Amazon
If you’re interested in reading any other books, here’s my Amazon page. Link
Best Friends, Chapter 1
Hello, good people! Happy 2018! I have decided to share some of my short story collection right here on my website. Most of these stories are in Loving You Hurts So Good, which is available on Amazon.
I will post a chapter at a time. Hopefully, you guys enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them. Today, I’m posting Chapter One of “Best Friends.” It’s a contemporary romance/romantic comedy. I just think it’s really a cute story, and literally, I laughed out loud writing some of the parts. I totally fell in love with Ryan and Kat and their story.
Best Friends
Chapter One
“You drag me to dinner with you just to watch you mope around? Come on, Kat, you’re acting ridiculous.” Ryan watched her play with her food.
“Ryan, you don’t understand how serious this is. I have to go to this stupid retreat with my firm. There’s no way I can get out of it.”
“Can’t you just say you caught the flu at the last minute or something?” Ryan took another bite of his steak.
“No. You see, that’s what everybody is expecting. They think I’m going to back out. I just can’t give Jeff that kind of satisfaction.” Kat slammed her fork down onto her plate.
“Then go there looking hot and show him what a mistake he made. Show him you don’t even notice him.” He cut another piece of his steak and brought the fork to her mouth. “You’ve got to try this. It’s freakin’ delicious.”
Kat opened her mouth and accepted the tender meat. “Mmm, yes! That’s sooo good.”
“Told you! Here, if you don’t like your food, you want half of mine?”
“Nah, I’m too worried about next weekend to enjoy it. I’m sorry, Ryan. I’m a terrible company.”
“Yes, you are. You need to stop letting this loser make you feel like this. You guys have been broken up for over six months now.”
“I know! I know! This is definitely not me. But damn it, I have to see him at the office every day. And now that he’s got a new girlfriend, it’s just that much harder. He’s bringing her to the retreat, so I’ll have to watch him flaunt her around. Why me?”
“If you had started dating again, you could have brought your new boyfriend to the retreat and shoved it in his face.” Ryan’s eyes were dancing as he teased her.
“You know I’ve had a hard time moving on after Jeff. But yes, that would have been the perfect revenge. He dumped me after an entire year of dating. I’ve never dated anybody that long for God’s sake. And this is exactly the reason why I don’t.”
Ryan smirked. “You broke your own rule on this scum, Kat. Hope you learned your lesson.”
She rolled her eyes. “You think this is funny, don’t you?” She snatched his plate. “Give me this. I change my mind.”
As she began eating his food, all Ryan could do was laugh at his friend. He was happy to see her eating something. “So, what are you going to do?”
“I like your idea of bringing a boyfriend. But there’s no way I can find one by next weekend. I’m screwed.” She continued to devour the food. Suddenly, she stopped eating. “Wait a minute. I got an idea.”
“Oh, no. I don’t like the sound of that. One of your ideas usually means trouble.”
“Um, okay. Let me think. Remember when you told me you owed me big?”
“No, when did I say that? I think I remember you saying that to me.”
“Ryan, of course you’ve said that. You say it all the time to me.”
“You have a very selective memory, Kat. But okay, what do you want?”
“Just hear me out with an open mind, first, okay?” Ryan nodded hesitantly, worried what she was about to say. “I want you to come with me to the resort. You know, as my new boyfriend.”
Ryan laughed. He couldn’t help it. His friend was going nuts through the years. “I know you’ve lost your mind now.”
“Why not?” she whined.
“I’m not going to this boring retreat and pretend to be your boyfriend, Kat. It’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? I would do it for you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“Yes, I would! If I knew you were desperate, I would do it. Why wouldn’t I do that for my best friend? Like best friends are supposed to be there for each other. Through thick and thin. And you said to go with a hot boyfriend. You’re the perfect hottie! Everywhere we go, the girls drool all over you.”
“It’s not going to work, so you might as well stop. Besides, everybody at your job knows me, including Jeff. And let’s not forget, I have a girlfriend.”
“It’s just for three days. Sarah doesn’t have to know. Just make something up. Or just tell her the truth if you’d like. As far as my work goes, I’ll just tell everybody we realized that we had feelings for one another all this time.”
“I would not tell Sarah anything, Kat. You really think she would support the idea? She’s already jealous of you.”
“Yeah, why does she hate me so much? How long have you been dating her? Two months now? Isn’t that your time limit with girls?”
Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. It completely sucked that Kat knew him so well. But he wasn’t tired of Sarah yet, and he certainly didn’t want to break up with her just to be a “pretend” boyfriend for Kat.
“What’s in it for me?” he finally asked.
“My company isn’t enough?”
“Nope, I can get that anytime. If I went along with this stupid idea of yours, I’d have to deal with your uptight colleagues for three whole days. If that’s not torture, I don’t know what is.”
“Fine, I’ll give you that. What do you want?”
Ryan rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes. “Let me think about this. I’m going to make sure this is well worth it for me.”
“I’ll tell you what, Ryan. You don’t even have to tell me right now. You do this huge favor for me, and I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
A sly smile began to form on Ryan’s face as his eyes danced in mischief. “I like the sound of that. Hope you know what you’re getting into.”
Okay, that’s Chapter One. I will post the second chapter next week. If you absolutely can’t wait and need to read this one and other stories, you can get Loving You Hurts So Good on Amazon. It’s also free on Kindle Unlimited. Just click here.
Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2017
I have so much to tell you guys! In November, I went to Miami for Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Ceremony. Both, Fate’s Cry and Fate’s Roar, won Honorable Mention in Romance-Paranormal category. I am grateful to Readers’ Favorite for awarding the books such a prestigious recognition.
I am excited, yet humbled, that all six books I’ve entered so far for awards are now award-winning novels.
Miami was a blast! I swear meeting up with other award-winning authors is the greatest feeling. These guys are talented, inspiring, and are full of amazing wisdom. Here are some pictures from the Meet and Greet and the ceremony itself.
I have more good news! My Perfect Imperfections was a featured book for a university’s book club! Yes, a university! Holy Family University in Pennsylvania discussed My Perfect Imperfections in November. Man, I’m so excited because when I wrote My Perfect Imperfections, I hoped to inspire and raise awareness. To say I was honored that this story was chosen, is an understatement. Here are some pics from the book club at the library from the university.
If anybody wants to purchase an autographed copy of any of my books, please contact me. Christmas is coming, so this may be a fantastic gift for somebody. 🙂
Lastly, I absolutely love photography. I’m really not that great at it, but I did take this pic while hiking in California one day. I liked it, so I decided to use it. I leave you with this final thought. Until next time, lovelies.
Girl Behind The Veil Cover Reveal
“Opposite worlds. An impossible dream. A forbidden wish.”
I’m so so excited to share this cover for Girl Behind The Veil. It totally captures what the story is about. I hope you guys love it as much as I do.
And, the best part? It’s available for preorder for a special introductory price of only 99cents! This is for limited time so get our copy now. I know you’ll love this story. Amazon link to preorder
Here’s the blurb:
His assignment is simple.
Buy the girl and get out.
Going undercover to catch the bad guys is nothing unusual for the American soldier, Kaden Reid.
But this time, it isn’t the bad guys he is after.
This time, he has to save the mysterious, gray-eyed girl behind the veil.
While visiting her father in Pakistan, Salena is suddenly kidnapped.
Three weeks in captivity.
Three weeks of torture.
Lifetime of invisible scars.
When the paths of two strangers from opposite worlds collide, their lives are irrevocably altered. Can they overcome not only the society’s barriers, but also their own inner turmoil? Can their hearts find the courage to fight for the forbidden dream?
Girl Behind The Veil, Chap One
It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve been writing this story. The good news is that the first draft is finally done! I’ve been going through the manuscript and editing away. Next step will be the beta readers, then the editor, then more revisions. So, there’s still lots of work left. For now, though, I’m going to share the first chapter with you all. Remember, it’s not professionally edited yet. Nevertheless, I think you’ll enjoy this sneak peek. I really love the way the story has developed 🙂
The Mission
My assignment was simple. Buy the girl and get out. It shouldn’t be too difficult since I’d been in much more dangerous missions than this. Piece of cake.
Besides, being in the Special Forces for the United States government had trained me well to perform under pressure. At the age of twenty-five, I was one of the younger soldiers in my unit. But I had more than proved my worth. Not only was I picked for this assignment because of my age, but I was one of the top combat and weaponry agents, as well as being fluent in four different languages.
I was disguised as Pier Silvani, a wealthy son of a very successful Italian businessman. Pier had a reputation of getting what he wanted, even if he had to break the rules to get it. It made me sick how many human trafficking operations existed in the world. These evil men found ways to get the innocent girls in their possession and sell them to the highest bidders.
I rode in the back of the Jeep while the two Pakistani men, with their guns in their hands, sat in the front. They had picked me up from my hotel couple of hours ago and were bringing me to check the girls out in person. I was well aware that I was at a complete disadvantage with no weapons of my own. I wasn’t even allowed to bring a cell phone with me.
Typically, I wasn’t assigned to such missions, but this one was different. Apparently, they had kidnapped the wrong girl. It looked like this girl I was to save was somebody very important. I was never informed of her father’s identity, but was told he was somebody very big in the political world. As soon as he found out his daughter was missing, he contacted the right connections with enough influence to have my team be brought in to find her.
Once it was determined that this human trafficking organization had kidnapped her three weeks ago while she was shopping in a bazaar, we were given strict instructions to keep it all very simple. I would act as a client, buy her from the organization, and get her out. We would then see her safe to her father, and the mission would be completed.
I only hoped that she never told her kidnappers her true identity. If they realized they had a goldmine in their hands, God only knew what they’d do to her. Even I wasn’t notified of much information about her. I was merely shown a picture of her and was told she was only nineteen years old. My unit hadn’t even told me her name.
Luckily, we had enough contacts to get me in as one of the potential clients. At first, I was given photographs of girls to choose from by the kidnappers. I wasn’t interested in any of the other girls, though. Sure, it would be pretty awesome to be able to save them all, but their fate was out of my hands. I was after the one and only—the girl with the beautiful, gray eyes.
Since my team had already shown me numerous photos of her, I recognized her picture immediately when it was presented to me. She had a hijab around her face, so her hair was completely covered, but her gray eyes were unmistakable. Whereas the other girls had kept their eyes casted down, this girl had stared straight into the camera with a look of defiance.
To keep it believable, I’d chosen four different girls out of the twenty pictures they’d shown me, one being the subject. Now, as we approached the compound—which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere in northern parts of Pakistan—my senses were on high alert. Already driving for two hours, there was nothing around us but vast land.
As we got closer, I noticed five different Jeeps parked, and two large tents were set up. I was guided into one of the tents by the driver and was ordered to stay there until further instructions. Knowing I was with no weapons in the middle of nowhere and responsible for saving somebody very important made my adrenaline pump even faster. But, the fact that they believed I was very wealthy who liked to live on the edge helped me get this close to the subject.
When they brought the four girls into the tent, each was covered from head to toe in her traditional attire. Five men with guns were accompanying them. One of the men, who appeared to be their leader, approached me and shook my hand. He smiled as he pointed to the girls behind him. I smiled back, showing him I was looking forward to the business transaction.
“Welcome, Pier Silvani. I think you’ll be pleased with these girls, yes?” The man spoke in Hindi.
“Yes, very pleased,” I replied in Hindi. I wasn’t very good in the language, but was able to wing it if needed.
“Shall we speak in English to make it easier on both of us?” he asked in a very heavy accent.
“I would prefer it,” I agreed. “Thank you.”
With a swift move, he approached each of the girls and pulled their garments off them. Four completely naked girls stood before me, and it took everything out of me not to react at their humiliation. As much as I wanted to cover the girls, I pretended to inspect each of them by circling around them. Some of the girls whimpered, some trembled out of fear, and all but one kept their gaze down to the ground.
I knew who the girl I was searching for immediately. She was the one who kept staring straight ahead, her lips drawn into a thin line, showing insubordination. Her skin was as clear as a porcelain doll, and the contrast of her jet-black hair cascading against her snow-white body took my breath away. Her almond-shaped eyes were the most unusual color of gray, and the depth in them could pierce one’s soul.
Whereas the other girls stood with their shoulders stooped forward, she remained erect with her shoulders and head held high. There was not a sound coming from her while she stood strong and held onto her pride. Even though her hands were rolled into tight fists and she maintained her chin up, I could tell she was hanging on by a thin thread, holding onto any little dignity that remained.
An overwhelming urge to cover her with my own jacket from the prying eyes of the disgusting pigs snuck up on me. I wanted to protect this girl—a complete stranger—and whisk her away.
“Don’t worry, they’re all virgins. We inspected them.” The man laughed as if he was sharing some inside joke with me.
I forced myself to laugh with him, and pointed to the girl I was after. “I want her.”
“Ah, yes, she is special, yes? We call her Azmia. A beautiful girl, yes?” He approached her and smacked her on her bare bottom.
I saw Azmia close her eyes and clench her jaw, trying to keep herself together.
I stepped right in front of her and cupped her chin in my hand, forcing her to look at me. She stared deep into my eyes, daring me to make the next move. Leaning forward, I brushed my lips against hers ever so softly, causing the men to laugh and whistle. She, however, kept her lips tight, maintaining indifference to my kiss.
“Azmia,” I repeated the name. How fitting since Azmia meant brave. “Yes, very beautiful. I want her. Here’s the money you asked for.” I held out the briefcase containing $50,000 in cash.
The man grabbed the briefcase from my hand and opened it. Once satisfied of the content, he nodded. “Yes, you’ll enjoy this one. We have her papers and her new ID’s for you. You should have no problems getting her out of the country.” He then turned toward his men and spoke in Hindi. “Cover the girls up and get this one ready to go. And keep your hands off her!”
I wasn’t surprised that he had to remind his men to keep their hands to themselves since it appeared they wouldn’t hesitate one bit to fulfill their wildest fantasies with her.
Within ten minutes, the girl named Azmia was sitting next to me in the back seat of the Jeep, covered from head to toe in her black garment. This time, the man who spoke English was riding in the front as a passenger, but the driver remained the same. They were supposed to take us to the airport in Islamabad where they believed my private jet was waiting for us. It was a three-hour drive, and if everything went as planned, we should be at the airport before sunset.
My goal was to just keep us safe for the next three hours, and then my assignment would be done. My team was already waiting for us at the airport, and they’d take over. They were supposed to check us in through the gates as if we were any other passengers to avoid any suspicion. All I had to do was to get Azmia to that point. Once there, they’d get her to her father.
As we drove through a completely deserted road, I kept my eyes on the men in front of me. I was well aware that both of them had handguns attached to their waists. We had been driving for nearly half an hour, and I knew the nearest sign of any civilization was probably another hour away.
The men were talking amongst themselves and would occasionally say a couple of things to me. They were mostly making jokes about my time with my new girl. I humored them and laughed at their silly jokes. But when I heard a sudden pop from the side of the Jeep, I had a sinking feeling that we had a flat tire.
“What happened?” I asked.
The driver got out and answered to his boss in Hindi. “Flat tire, Sahib.”
I showed my irritation. “I don’t have all day. I need to get to my destination while it’s still daylight.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” The leader said to me in English. “The rest of my men are not far behind us. We’ll use one of those Jeeps to get you to the airport.” He grabbed the radio and spoke in Hindi to explain the situation. He then turned toward me again and said, “See, they’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
The driver entered his seat again while we all waited. My senses were so focused on the men that I didn’t notice when Azmia suddenly lunged toward me. Caught off-guard, she was instantly on top of me, punching and scratching.
Before I could take control of the situation, the leader jumped out of the Jeep and pulled her off me. Snatching her hijab off, he grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the vehicle. I leaped out as well, trying to calm everybody down. The driver had remained in the Jeep, waiting on the leader to handle the girl.
“I told you to learn your manners! He’s your master now!” The man screamed at Azmia in Hindi while shaking her like a rag doll. He pulled his gun out and held it to her face.
“Stop!” I ordered. “I can handle her. She’s mine now.”
“She has to be taught a lesson for her behavior,” the man replied back to me, shoving her to the ground.
Azmia landed hard, but only a soft whimper escaped her lips.
“I said, I’m her master now. She’s mine! I’ll handle her!” I kept my voice stern.
The man turned to me, taking in heavy breaths as if to calm himself down. “Fine! But I warn you, girls like this one must be controlled.” He then bent down to pull her up to standing. To my horror, he punched her on the side of her face.
As Azmia toppled down again, I could no longer hold back my fury. I lunged forward, tackling him down. The impact caused him to drop his gun, and I took the opportunity to grab him in a chokehold. When I saw the driver stepping out of the Jeep, instincts took over. Without hesitating, I snapped the lead guy’s neck, and he lay limp in my arms.
I knew I had to act quickly as the driver ran toward us with the gun pointed at me. Everything happened all at once. The gunshot echoed into the deathly silence of the isolated road. The driver went down, and I realized Azmia had just shot him. She was standing there with the leader’s gun in her hand, her eyes wide with shock.
I stood up very slowly, stepping toward her. When she pointed the gun at me, I raised my arms up, showing her I was harmless.
“It’s okay,” I said in English. “Do you understand English at all?”
She remained quiet, but continued pointing the gun at me
“I’m here to help you.” I then spoke in my broken Hindi while I kept taking small steps toward her. “Your father sent me.
A look of confusion crossed her face, and I took the opportunity to grab her wrist and snatch the gun out of her hand.
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” I placed the gun on the waist of my pants and continued, “We have to go. The rest of the men will be here in no time.”
When I saw her trying to weigh her options, I moved quickly. I grabbed the driver’s gun and checked the back of the Jeep. Seeing the backpack, I breathed a sigh of relief when I noted the content in there. It had a few water bottles, first aid kit, a knife, a military blanket, and some military rations.
“Bingo,” I whispered to myself. Placing my arms through the backpack, I turned to her. “Let’s go! We have to get out of here before the rest of them arrive. We have to go through the woods where they can’t follow us with their Jeeps.”
I was speaking in English because there simply was no time for me to try to figure out how to translate everything into Hindi. I grabbed her arm and began running toward the tree lines.
Although Azmia still seemed to be in a state of shock, she ran alongside of me. I held onto her arm to help set her pace. We needed to get as much distance as possible before the rest of them found their men dead.
$100 Amazon Gift Card
I have to share this with you all because it’s too good to miss. Who can’t use extra $100, right? Check it out!
`*•.¸(`*•.¸(`*•.¸(`*•.¸¸.•*´)¸.•*´)¸.•*´)¸.•*´
•••$100 AMAZON GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY•••
¸.•*´(¸.•*´(¸.•*´(¸.•*´`*•.¸)`*•.¸)`*•.¸)`*•.¸
Sign up for our Newsletters and be entered to win a $100 Amazon Giftcard, Signed Books, or Ebooks.
************************************
We want a way to send our updates and special news directly to you. With posts not being seen on Facebook and everyone just being so busy, we don’t want you to miss anything coming from us.
************************************
Enter with our rafflecopter giveaway. Link below.
* After we have your emails we will add you to our newsletters (and 2 authors’ blogs).
** You must accept all invitations that you receive. If your name is chosen for a prize, it will be verified.
***Authors included: Christina Butrum, Cayce Poponea, Lyssa Cole, CM Lally, Michele Mannon, Christina Tetreault, Lyssa Layne, D. Silverfox, Ana E Ross, Victoria Saccenti, Author Angie Martin, Jalpa Williby, Theresa Paolo, Michelle Windsor, Theresa Hissong, Eva Moore, Ines Vieira, DL Gallie, Callie Harper, Samantha Conley.
****Hosted by: Amanda Walker PA & Design Services
Click on this LINK
Would love to see your name on my newsletter list. 🙂
Fate’s Roar Earns the Five Star Seal from Readers’ Favorite!
I am so excited to share that Fate’s Roar just earned the five star seal from Readers’ Favorite! I just got three professional reviews back and all are five star reviews! Here’s what they had to say:
Review #1:
Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
“Fate’s Roar by Jalpa Williby is the next novel in the Fate Series and I am irrevocably in love with Williby and her writing style. If you had told me that I would be this immersed in the story of gargoyles, I would have never believed you. However, there is something about the way Jalpa Williby writes so that you cannot help but like it, love it and adore it.
This time, the story is about Shane and Samantha and how they overcome their problems to be together forever. The moment Shane laid eyes on little Samantha, he knew that he needed to keep her safe. Throughout her life, Shane was her one protector and he did everything in his considerable power to help her and keep her safe. Now that she is no longer a little child, but a very beautiful woman, Shane has feelings for her. Samantha loves him back, but the Gargoyles are not happy with them and their friendship. Now Samantha is in trouble; she has to pay for something that she had no control over and Shane will not let that happen. He will protect Samantha, even if it means that he has to take drastic measures. She is his to protect and he will do it at any cost.
What can I say about this amazingly thrilling and fascinating novel? It is remarkable, the character development is stupendous, and I absolutely love the way that Jalpa Williby writes. She has a way with words that cannot be described but only experienced. I love the way she built this absurd world of Gargoyles and made it this interesting for a person like me who does not like paranormal fiction that much. I wish I could give this novel more than 5 stars because it deserves a lot more. Absolutely brilliant!”
Wow! She says, “irrevocably in love with Williby and her writing style…absolutely brilliant…more than 5 stars.” Hell yeah! Thank you, kind reviewer!
Review #2:
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
“Fate’s Roar by Jalpa Williby is the second stunning entry in the Fate Series, a work that seems to efficiently combine romance and the paranormal to create the kind of entertainment that will appeal to a wide audience. Readers are introduced to two powerful characters whose romantic journey will take them by surprise. Shane is the kind of attractive man who’d turn any woman’s head, but he has an arrogance that matches his sexiness. He is the kind of guy who doesn’t have any plans of settling down and, although he leaves many broken hearts in his wake, he has a protective attitude towards Samantha, a girl he’d never want to suffer the kind of cruelty he metes out to women. But everything changes when she suddenly disappears.
Jalpa Williby has a rare gift for character and knows how to explore human emotions, making the characters come alive, vividly. There is a lot the author did right, a lot that I loved about this romance. The book starts with action, a fire incident, and the reader gets to meet the protagonist very early in the story. The discovery that Shane cares about Samantha more than offering her protection doesn’t come abruptly and readers will love how the author does the showing, building the tension slowly until it reaches the climax. The plot in Fate’s Roar moves very fast and, with the interesting characters and the powerful conflict, it will be hard for readers to put the book down. Jalpa Williby offers her signature for writing, the crisp prose that sings like music in the ears of readers, all sprinkled with vivid descriptions and interesting dialogues. Romance has never been my thing, but this author has succeeded in creating a strong interest in me for this genre. The plot is irresistible and the compelling cast of characters will leave readers trapped in the world of this book until they read the satisfying end.”
This reviewer states, ” rare gift for character and knows how to explore human emotions…her signature for writing, the crisp prose that sings like music in the ears of readers, all sprinkled with vivid descriptions and interesting dialogues.” I honestly can’t express how much reviews like these mean to me.
Review #3:
Reviewed By Lex Allen for Readers’ Favorite
With Fate’s Roar, the second novel in this series, Jalpa Williby has firmly established another great group of characters and, for me, a new paranormal concept—gargoyles. In Williby’s words, lead character Shane is “sexy, arrogant and ruthless. He is used to women falling at his feet. Settling down has never been an option.” The author doesn’t mention that these attributes apply only to his human side, nor the fact that this monster, this gargoyle—yes, one of those ugly statues most commonly found on Catholic churches—has a few paranormal abilities with which he can manipulate the human mind. In Fate’s Roar, Shane rescues his gargoyle brother (Damien) and human wife (Kelsey) from a fire and meets Kelsey’s ten-year-old niece Samantha for the first time… naked. He tries to use his abilities to cause the girl and her mother to forget they saw him and discovers that little Sammy is not susceptible to his power. If that’s not the start of a great story, I don’t know what is!
It’s been two years since I last read a novel by Jalpa Williby, but I recognized her name when it popped up on Reader’s Favorite review list and snatched it up without bothering to read what the book was about. That already tells a lot about my opinion of this author’s writing prowess. Her talent at weaving romance into a thrilling, paranormal scenario is truly second to none, including the now household names of Bella Forest or Stephenie Meyer. Fate’s Roar is a roller coaster ride that combines deep emotional ups and downs with impossible to foresee twists and turns in the exciting storyline. I predict another bestseller for Jalpa Williby — deservedly so!
Lastly, this reviewer compares me to Bella Forest and Stephenie Meyer. Can I smile any wider?? “Her talent at weaving romance into a thriller, paranormal scenario is truly second to none…deep emotional ups and downs…exciting storyline.”
See why this story is getting such great reviews! You can get it on Amazon (Free on Kindle Unlimited)
Fate’s Roar: Cover Reveal and Official Trailer!
Fate’s Roar is ready for preorder for a special introductory price of only 99cents! Limited time only!
Don’t miss out! This story is hot, full of suspense, and definitely a thrilling ride! I promise you, it will have you biting your nails. A part of you will hate Shane, but the other part will absolutely adore him. Are you ready for the cover?
Shane is probably one of the most intense characters I’ve ever written about. He’s selfish, yet he’d die protecting the ones he loves. He’s fierce and ruthless, yet just as sensitive and loving.
Are you ready for the trailer? Here’s the link:
New Year, New You!
Find Your Destiny!
Hey, lovely people! Just in case you didn’t know, it’s January 1st, 2017! That’s right. Another year passed…actually flew by. Hope you were able to accomplish all you wanted to in 2016.
Most of us, though, are probably still working toward our goals. For example, you may still not have reached the fitness goal you had set for yourself. Or, maybe you wanted to get a certain grade in a particular class, and it didn’t quite happen. Or perhaps, that promotion you had your eyes on for 2016 didn’t go through.
Don’t get discouraged! You are not alone, believe me. The good news is that we have more time to try to reach those goals. I mean, somebody up there thought we needed more time in this world because we’re not quite done, are we?
I do realize I’m rambling right now. But hey, just trying to help all of us regroup here. We need to be proud of all we did accomplish in 2016. We need to lift our heads up high and realize those tough times when we could have fallen a part, we held ourselves together and somehow made it through. We need to believe in ourselves and our dreams. Let the wind guide you. Don’t be afraid to adjust the sail to reach your destination.
I’m a firm believer of never giving up. If something is important enough, never walk away. It’s easier to walk away, trust me. It takes more courage to fight and keep fighting. This could be anything. It could be fighting for somebody you love. Or trying to get that degree. Or trying to land that job. Or even trying to sell millions of books. We all have to do some soul searching and figure out what’s important in our lives. Then, fight, fight, fight for that dream.
Perhaps it’s an idealistic view. But, who else will believe in us if we don’t believe in ourselves? We have one opportunity in this lifetime to get it right. You don’t want to be that 90 year old (yes, I’ve had many of these for patients, and they’ve regretted on missed opportunities) in a nursing home, remembering your life with nothing but regrets. Choose wisely. Live fully. Love unconditionally. Laugh uncontrollably. Find your destiny!
I wish you all a wonderful New Year! Here’s to 2017 and hoping much peace and happiness to you.
I leave you with this one final quote from one of my books, Chaysing Dreams: “There will always be ups and downs, twists and turns in our lives. But we have to find the strength to keep moving forward. The past is done…it’s over, and you can’t change it. You can hold on to your memories and learn from them. Look at what’s in front of you, focus on your vision, and run toward it. Because when it’s all said and done, only you are in charge of your strength, peace, and happiness.”
What is your path in life? What is your destiny?
