Preslee stared warily at him. “That’s it? You’re agreeing that quickly?”

“Sweetheart, I would agree to anything as long as it means getting you back in my life permanently. While I do still want to marry you, I’m happy to wait until we’re both ready. There’s no hurry. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you.” He slid his hands into her hair and kissed her with everything he had. “I love you, Preslee.”

“I love you too,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. Then she whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long before I was ready to work things out.”

“Don’t be. You were worth the wait.” He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “I’m just glad that we’re together now, and that we have a bright future to look forward to.”

“Me too.”

He lifted her chin until her eyes met his. “And baby, you’ll never have to worry about me leaving you. Because I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

Her heart filled with joy as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his hard chest, the top of her head grazing his chin. “I know.”

Acknowledgments

I am so grateful to everyone who worked on this book or supported and encouraged me along the way. If I forget to acknowledge you, I apologize. It wasn’t intentional.

Thank you to my amazing husband, Denny, for all your love and never-ending support. And my two wonderful kids, who make me proud every day. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys!

To my dad, thanks for all the love and encouragement. I can always count on you to be there for me when I need you. I love you.

Much love goes to Amanda Rushing for always being ready for another one of our long talks. I’m so glad we’ve grown so close over the past few years.

Bobbie Watkins, thank you for your love, support, and friendship. You are the best friend a girl could ask for. Twenty-four years and counting…

A warm thank-you goes out to the rest of my family and friends for always supporting me. In particular, Becky Lyle, Terry Bliss, Deborah McInnis, Brenda Lyle, Stacy Pyryt, Andrea Retrum, and April Jackson. Without all of you, this world would be a lonely place.

Big thank-yous go out to my wonderful and thoughtful editor, Alex Logan, and the rest of the Forever group for all the magnificent work they did to get this book to the readers. A special thank-you goes out to Emily Andrukaitis for the great copyedits, to Bob Castillo for always being a pleasure to work with, and to the art department for their brilliance with the fantastic book cover. I love it!