Guide to Smart Wedding Planning Book Tour! @RealDealWeddingInsiders @Bookgal @therealbookgal #weddingplanning #weddingplanningtips #weddingplanningadvice #weddingplanning2022

The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® Guide to Smart Wedding Planning gives you practical and actionable steps to take control of your wedding planning, make the best decisions, and keep your sanity along the way.

You’ll learn how to:

* Navigate stressful relationships

* Create a vision that represents you both

* Understand and build a realistic budget

* Choose the right venue and vendors

* Stay present and enjoy your wedding day

Being engaged is one of the most exciting times in your life, but it can cause some unexpected challenges, and at times it can get downright chaotic. So, let’s help you get organized and get into a more manageable mindset. 

Your life is already busy, and now you’ve emotions and multitude of details that come with it. We know you want to make wise choices from the get-go. And that’s what we’re here to help with. 

SMART Wedding Planning 

A lot needs to happen in order for you to realize your ideal wedding, no matter how big or small it may be. To get there, you’ve got to be SMART about your decisions. Your choices should be: 

S – Specific to your priorities and needs 

M - Manageable within your budget, time frame, and comfort zone 

A - Articulated clearly communicated to family and vendors 

R - Realistic of expectations

T -Timely made with enough information and with enough time to execute them 

This book gives you the SMART approach to develop and refined your wedding vision, bring it to life within your particular budget and timeline, and manage your family and vendors to get the best results. 

Real Deal Fact #1

Planning a wedding can be extremely stressful. There’s no other period in your life where the expenditure of time, money, and emotions churn together to create a perfect storm as much as when you’re trying to create The Most Important Day of Your Life! 

SMART wedding planning includes the Three Cs of what it really takes to produce the wedding you want: Communication, Comprehension, and Calculation. You will need to: 

• Communicate with your family and partner, as well as your vendors. 

• Comprehend what it takes to produce the wedding you envision. 

• Calculate the real cost of your wedding. 

Almost from the moment you announce, “We’re engaged!” the tension starts to mount. Within days (or hours), the questions start coming: When’s the date? What’s your color scheme? Do you have a venue/photographer/dress? 

Your stress level rises as to-do lists swirling in your head. Your first instinct might be to try to get a head start by making appointments to try on dresses or visit venues. Our advice? The first thing you should do is press pause. 

Wedding planning requires you to look at the big picture. Every decision you make, from the venue you choose to the size of your guest list to the number of bridesmaids, will affect other decisions down the road. This road may be new to you, and it’s difficult to know what lies ahead, so it’s important to take your time and plan your journey. 

Real Deal Fact #2

If you’re going to have the wedding you envision, then shopping for your dress or finding your venue is not step one. These are all exciting and important aspects of planning but prioritizing, budgeting, and research need to be done before those steps are started.

5 REAL DEAL TRUTHS OF WEDDING PLANNING

Yay! You’re engaged and about to embark on planning your wedding. You’ve probably heard that it can be a stressful time. But with a some understanding about where you might experience challenges you’ll be more prepared to handle any bumps in the road. Here are the top 5 reasons why this process can make anyone a little anxious. 

1. WEDDINGS BRING OUT THE “ZILLA” IN EVERYONE 

The tired cliché́ of the demanding “Bridezilla” is widespread in our culture. In reality the “Zilla” mentality is not limited to the bride. “Zillas” can be anyone; a parent, a sibling a friend. You’ll quickly learn that everyone has opinions and ideas about what’s best for you. Often people you thought you knew intimately start acting like strangers, behaving in ways you never saw coming. They may have unrealistic expectations and demands or get dramatic when you aren’t seeing things their way. 

2. IT WILL TEST YOUR MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS 

Wedding planning is a true test of your future marriage. You’re packing a lifetime of experiences into an engagement period that lasts an average of 16 months. You’re confronted with combining families as well as dealing with others’ constraints and expectations—issues you may have never noticed before. Differences between you and your future spouse’s family, , can affect many wedding planning decisions. When you merge two lives and families, conflicts can come up. Wedding planning packs it all into a compressed timeframe.

3. MORE OPTIONS = MORE STRESS 

With the internet and social media,  a world of information is at your fingertips. It’s never been easier to peer into the lives of others. Celebrity and “Pinterest worthy” weddings are broadcast, through every possible channel. While most of us can’t afford a celebrity-style wedding, that doesn’t stop the images we see from leading to higher expectations for our own weddings. The sheer number of choices involved is enough to make even the most ambitious and organized couple feel overwhelmed. 

4. IT’S A LOT MORE WORK THAN YOU THINK IT WILL BE

Wedding planning is a big project with lots of moving pieces. The average couple will work with 10 vendors and spend 12 hours a week planning their wedding. It takes time to research and make decisions. You’ll feel like you have a second job! 

5. IT’S GOING TO COST MORE THAN YOU THINK 

Everyone knows weddings are expensive. When you become engaged, you get introduced to an industry you may have been completely unfamiliar with previously. It  takes some time to understand all the components you want or need for your wedding. It’s incredibly easy to blow your budget if you don’t factor everything in from the start. Collect the information and pad your budget!

Even though wedding planning can be difficult at times, it can also be so much fun. Armed with a little knowledge about what to expect, you will be more prepared to meet the challenges, keep your stress level low and enjoy the process.  

With a combined 30 years and hundreds of weddings produced, Edna Dratch-Parker, founder, and creative director of EFD Creative—Event Planning & Design, and Jeri Solomon, owner of Jeri Solomon Floral Design, bring their depth of knowledge and real-life experiences to help couples avoid common mistakes, reduce stress, and truly enjoy the wedding planning process.

Website: https://www.realdealweddinginsiders.com/

INSTAGRAM: 

@weddinginsiders

@efd_creative

@jerifloral

FACEBOOK: 

@RealDealWeddingInsiders

@EFDCreative

@jerifloraldesign

TWITTER:

Handles to tag:

@RDWedInsiders

@EFD_Creative

@JeriFloral

TIKTOK: 

@RealDealWeddingInsiders

Twitter: @Bookgal

Instagram: @therealbookgal

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MLX47b

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63025998-guide-to-smart-wedding-planning 

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Revenge Honeymoon by @kjgillenwater Book Blitz! #kjgillenwater #RevengeHoneymoon #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣

 

Revenge Honeymoon
K.J. Gillenwater

Publication date: October 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

What happens in the Caribbean, stays in the Caribbean…

Emily Small has a big heart, a loud mouth, and a terrible taste in men. She’s used to living in her perfect best friend Ruby’s shadow – but when Ruby is left devastated at the altar, Emily becomes desperate to save her friend from heartache… and salvage their non-refundable cruise!

Emily hatches an ingenious plan to soothe Ruby’s broken heart by island-hopping together as an act of revenge. There’s only one teensy problem: the cruise is for newlyweds only. Naturally, they have a solution. They’ll pretend to be a married couple!

But their ten days of fun are about to spiral into a crazy, messy adventure that risks leaving a few hearts broken along the way – because when Emily bumps into the ship’s hot photographer, Max Keeling, she begins to wish she could rethink their arrangement. If her deception gets discovered, would they boot her off the boat? But Emily can’t keep her hands to herself, and her cruise fling could bring everything crashing down.

How can she support her best friend at the worst moment in her life while pursuing an out-of-her-league guy in the Caribbean? And can she somehow find a way to have the best of both worlds?

As a hilarious, sexy, and heartwarming read that strikes the perfect balance between feel-good emotions and laugh-out-loud humor, Revenge Honeymoon is a fun and memorable romantic comedy that you won’t be able to put down. Grab your copy today!

Note: This book was originally released on Kindle Vella in serialized format. This version has been edited with an additional epilogue added.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“That was Tyler,” Emily gulped. Her mouth so dry she wished she had a bucketful of water to drink. “He’s not coming.” Her voice dropped to a bare whisper.

The cousins gasped and clutched one another in horror.

The make-up artist, who had been waiting to do final touch-ups, packed up her case in a flash and squeaked out of the room without a word.

Ruby’s eyes widened, her mouth formed an ‘o,’ and her body vibrated a fine tremor. “Oh no, was he in an accident? I told him not to drive himself. I’ve read so many stories about brides and grooms getting in accidents on the way to the church. Nerves, they said. Should I go to him? Where is he? Was he driving his father’s car or the rental? I hope he wasn’t driving the rental. We have to make it to our suite at the Hilton tonight, and I really don’t want to take an Uber. Or have my father drive. Oh, that would be so embarrassing.”

“Ruby.” Emily grasped her friend’s arm, the fine Mikado silk cool under her fingers. A long-sleeved dress for a late fall wedding maybe was too warm for the Tampa location, but it had been so gorgeous on her friend’s slender body there had been no other choice at the bridal boutique. “He’s calling off the wedding.”

Nausea soured Emily’s stomach.

Why did she have to be the one who picked up the phone?

One of the cousins burst into tears.

Ruby stood stock still in the middle of the bride’s dressing room. “But—”

Rhonda Madison Evers entered wearing a royal blue mother-of-the-bride dress covered in sequins. “My darling. The make-up artist told me the news. How could that man be so cruel?” She curved her arms around her only daughter.

“Mom, I don’t understand. How could he not be coming?” Ruby crumpled to the floor.

“You’ll crush your dress!” Mrs. Evers gasped and knelt beside her. She yanked at her daughter’s arm as if her will alone would lift up the one-hundred-twenty-five-pound woman and her ten pounds of underskirts and heavy fabric. “We can still return it.”

“No, we can’t. It’s been altered.” The bride spoke in a monotone.

“Well,” said Mrs. Evers, “there’s always eBay or Craigslist, I suppose.”

“Facebook Marketplace is better,” mumbled a cousin.

Mrs. Evers shot daggers in the woman’s direction.

“I need to talk to him.” The bride snapped her fingers at Emily. “Get Tyler on the phone. I will just demand that he come.”

Emily gulped and bit at her lower lip, then got up the courage to tell her best friend since grade school the worst thing a best friend could say. “Tyler doesn’t want to get married. Do you really want to force a man to marry you, Rubes?”

“But he promised me. He gave me this ring.” Ruby held out her hand for the cousins, her mother, Emily, and now the florist who’d arrived with her wedding bouquet. A gorgeous pear-shaped 2 ½ carat diamond decorated her left ring finger. “Would he have given me this ring if he didn’t want to marry me?”

“He doesn’t want to marry you, Rubes.” Emily knelt and put an arm around her friend. The bride sagged against her.

The florist quietly set the bridal bouquet on a chair and scrambled for the door.

Emily led Ruby to an empty chair and her mother sat beside her. “He’s an awful man. A terrible, mean, awful man. Who would do that to my little girl?” Mrs. Evers took her daughter by the hand and gripped it tightly.

“Ow, mother, that hurts.” Ruby pulled her hand out of her mother’s grasp and began to nibble on her freshly manicured nails. “What do we do about the guests?”

“Your father is telling them now,” Mrs. Evers reassured her.

“What will we do about the reception?” Ruby pulled the veil out of her hair.

“We’re inviting everyone to meet us over there,” her mother answered. “We’ve already paid for the hall, the food, the entertainment. We might as well have a party, don’t you think, darling?”

“What will we do about the honeymoon?” Ruby kicked off her satin heels and rubbed her toes.

“Well, I guess you’ll have to cancel,” sighed Mrs. Evers. “Maybe they’ll give you credit.”

“No, wait, I have a better idea,” said Emily.

And that’s when the revenge honeymoon took shape. That very moment. And Emily Small’s life would never be the same.

K. J. Gillenwater has a B.A. in English and Spanish from Valparaiso University and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara. She worked as a Russian linguist in the U.S. Navy, spending time at the National Security Agency doing secret things. After six years of service, she ended up as a technical writer in the software industry. She has lived all over the U.S. and currently resides in Wyoming with her family where she runs her own business writing government proposals and squeezes in fiction writing when she can. In the winter she likes to ski and snowshoe; in the summer she likes to garden with her husband, take walks with her dog, and explore the Big Horn Mountains. She has written multiple books and plans on writing more.

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High Impact (High Mountain Trackers, #4) by Freya Barker Chapter Reveal!

 

Title: High Impact (High Mountain Trackers, #4) 

Author: Freya Barker 

Genre: Romantic Suspense 

Release Date: December 6, 2022 

Cover Designer: Freya Barker 

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC. 

Manager for Hart’s Horse Rescue, Lucy Lenoir, finally feels she has a handle on life after having worked hard to leave her old one behind. So hard, there are times she almost forgets what she escaped. Memories which suddenly come flooding back when she catches a glimpse of a familiar horseman in town.

What’s worse, he’s in the company of the unlikely cowboy she’s only just beginning to trust.

High Mountain Tracker, Bo Rivera, tries hard never to repeat his mistakes. A huge one changed the course of his life and made him particularly cautious, especially around women. So much so, he almost passed up on the best thing to ever walk into his life; the compact, blonde ballbuster in need of a gentle hand.

However, the more he learns about her, the more he realizes a soft touch alone won’t keep her demons at bay. Those will need a firmer hand…to keep the gun steady.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO |

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories. With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We've Read All Year Award for "Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

Purchase/Pre Order the rest of the series!!

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Tink (Handmaidens MC, #1) by D.M. Earl Release Blitz!

 

Title: Tink (Handmaidens MC, #1) 

Author: D.M. Earl 

Genre: MC Romance 

Release Date: November 3, 2022 

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

President of the Devil's Handmaidens, Maggie "Tink" Rivers' is hellbent on ridding the world of human trafficking.  Between her duties as president of her club and her duties in business, she's in over her head, feeling empty and overwhelmed.  But when she meets a former Navy SEAL, everything changes.

 Relocating to Montana is Ellington Rutledge's fresh start.  And the beautiful and fiery president of the female motorcycle club is just the new beginning he's been looking for.  As Tink and Ellington grow closer, her past comes back to destroy them.  With Tink's life on the line and the club at stake, can Ellington save Tink and the club before it's too late?  

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO |

D.M. Earl is a U.S.A. Today Bestselling Author who spins stories about real life situations with characters that are authentic, genuine, and sincere. Each of her stories allow the characters to come to life with each turn of the page while they try to find their HEA through much drama and angst. D.M. finds ideas for her next story from within those around her and what she experiences in daily life. Each book has a part of her left behind in it. She lives in Northwest Indiana married to her best friend who was instrumental in the start of her writing career in 2014. When not writing D.M. loves to read, play with her seven fur-babies (yeah crazy) and ride her Harley Dyna Lowrider.

“Enjoy this Ride we call Life.” Remember we only get one chance.

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Upon a Wicked Tide by Kate Craft Book Blitz! #KateCraft #UponaWickedTide @book.cove #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣⁣

 

Upon a Wicked Tide
Kate Craft

Publication date: October 31st 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

In a world of sirens, pirates and unspeakable danger, one might crave a quiet life on the Garden Isle…but not this blue-eyed girl.

Upon the death of her guardians, Emerelda Mirabel comes to inherit three curious things:

A book…

Not a diary or fable, but something almost sentient. This riddlesome book hums with power, each page offering strange warnings and temptations…Perhaps speaking to a future already written?

A desire…

Adventure calls to the young captain, a hunger for something more than a simple fisherwoman’s life. Upon her ship, The King’s Arcana, she will sail the eight seas, venturing to strange lands with strangers amongst her crew. But at what cost?

A heartless prince…

Seemingly cursed with no heart, Prince Ryder could not care less about his kingdom, his family or even life itself. But when the king insists his son travel with Emery to find a cure for the affliction, something finally stirs within. Something he cannot explain. Something binding him to the blue-eyed girl.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Hello!

If you're really curious, here's a little about me.

I am an emerging writer of fantasy romance. With CHAOS FORGED A FABLE, I will be debuting into the world of published authors with nothing but excitement and an arsenal of future projects waiting to be brought to life.

I studied at the University of Roehampton, graduating in 2014 with a BSc in Psychology and Criminology. Growing up, I was lucky enough to live and travel around the world on various trips and expeditions. This experience has bled into my books, offering adventure and excitement.

I have two partners in crime. The first is my fiancé, who will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future. The second is my fur-baby, Bodhi, the beautiful fox-red Labrador! Together we live in the perpetually dreary United Kingdom.

Check out my website for more info on books, giveaways and blog updates!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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Bratva Beauty by Sabine Barclay Blog Tour! #sabinebarclayauthor @sabinebarclayauthor

Bratva Beauty
Sabine Barclay

(The Ivankov Brotherhood, #4)
Published by: Oliver Heber Books
Publication date: November 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mafia, Romance

She can pretend not to notice…

They say I’m the best looking in my family. I couldn’t care less.

But her…She takes my breath away.

Not everyone sees her the way I do. That’s fine by me because she’s mine.

I pity those who think they can come between us.

I won’t stop until she’s at my side. Mine to touch. Mine to love. Mine to push to her limits then bring her back.

She’s my everything. She’s my soulmate.

Bratva Beauty is an interconnecting, standalone Dark Mafia Romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. It contains extra-steamy scenes that will make your toes curl and your granny blush. This is book four in The Ivankov Brotherhood, a six-book series that’ll keep you warm at night.

Goodreads / Amazon

Sumiko

I head back to my office and leave the door open. That’s not entirely unusual, but I hope Pasha sees it. It’s an invitation to him more than it is anyone else. When I get to my desk, I pull my phone out and pull up my web browser. I don’t know who that man was, but I’m guessing Greg’s father. I thought Greg owned the company. He’s the CEO.

Balandin: Russian surname

Meaning: A small crater on the moon.

That’s not what I expected when I search their name. Not that it’s Russian or its meaning. Greg has no accent, so I never guessed he spoke another language. Is it a coincidence that Pasha and his family interviewed this firm? Do they like to keep their business within the Russian community? I don’t know that we have any other Russian clients. This isn’t a large company, and there are only ten accountants on staff. Even if I’m not working with a client, I know about most of them. Did I miss something? Why does it matter?

A knock makes me look up. I smile at Pasha, and he comes in. He shuts the door behind him, and I’m out of my seat. I’m back in his arms, and it feels like I arrived home after a long day. It’s comfortable and familiar already. It’s where I want to be.

“Malyshka, I didn’t know your firm—the owner of your firm—was Russian. Turns out he’s my dad’s childhood friend. Only Christina knew the owner was Russian.”

“You like to keep your business within the Russian community. I thought you might.”

“We do. It’s not that we think your company needs our support, but we like to support other Russians.”

“I can understand. My parents feel the same way about shopping at Japanese owned stores. There aren’t too many Brazilian owned businesses near us, but they look for them. Maybe it’s an immigrant thing.”

“I suppose so.”

“I have to work, Pasha. But you still—”

I glance toward the door before meeting Pasha’s gaze once more.

“I still owe you your spanking.”

“You know I’m not a little, right? I don’t even know where that came from.”

“I know, and I’m not a Dom. I may like to be in control, but that’s not the type of relationship I want with you, malyshka.”

“I think between that and you calling me baby girl, it just seemed to fit.”

“Seemed?”

“Seems, Daddy.”

I try it out when we’re not in the middle of having sex, and it still feels foreign, but not wrong. Heat flares in his eyes before he devours me. His tongue thrusts into my mouth, and I don’t stifle my moan. We’re fumbling with each other’s clothes, the air of secrecy and discovery heightening our excitement.

“I’m going to fvck you, malyshka. And this time I will mark you. You are mine.”

“And you’re mine.”

“I am.”

We abandon each other’s clothes and tug at our own. I look back at my desk and notice my thong on the floor beside it. Holy fvck. Did Greg see that? I don’t think so. I didn’t notice Pasha dropped it there. I didn’t even notice I sat through the entire meeting with no panties. 

Pasha lifts me off my feet and carries me to one of the chairs in front of my desk. It’s a tight fit, but we manage as I straddle him. I might be on top, but he guides me as I rise and fall on his cock. More like a fvcking Coke bottle. I’ve seen enough dicks in real life and in movies to know he’s more than average.

The chair creaks as we move together, and I have a moment of doubt that we’re too heavy. That I’m too heavy. But Pasha’s let go of my hips and is moving his hands over my thighs, pressing his fingers into me before gliding them over my hips to my ass to squeeze it, then to my waist. His fingers trail over my belly.

“Fvck, malyshka. Every inch of you is temptation. I want to strip you and kiss all of you. I want to mark all of you as mine.”

“Tonight?”

“Every fvcking night.”

He must be exaggerating. I look into his eyes, and he’s revealing his feelings to me. There’s earnestness there, and now I think he might mean that.

“I told you I’m all in, Sumiko.”

Sabine Barclay, a nom de plume also writing Historical Romance as Celeste Barclay, lives near the Southern California coast with her husband and sons. Growing up in the Midwest, Sabine enjoyed spending as much time in and on the water as she could. Now she lives near the beach. She's an avid swimmer, a hopeful future surfer, and a former rower. Before becoming a full-time author, Sabine was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating engrossing contemporary romances that will make your toes curl and your granny blush.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / Newsletter / Amazon

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Temporarily In Love by @danicaflynnauthor Book Blitz! #TemporarilyInLove #danicaflynn #XpressoTours @XpressoTours

 

Temporarily In Love
Danica Flynn

(MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company, #3)
Publication date: October 31st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I’ve never loved someone quite like my high school sweetheart. But she shattered my heart to pieces when she moved to California for college and never came back.

Now she’s back in Drakesville and for the first time in sixteen years, I’ve come face-to-face with the only woman I’ve ever loved. Kissing her was a bad idea. Spending countless nights tangled in my sheets was an even worse idea.

She’s only here long enough to make sure her parents’ bar stays afloat. I can’t get attached, when I know she’s just going to leave again.

And I know I’m not reason enough to make her stay.

Temporarily In Love is a small-town second chance autumn-themed romance book. If you love fall and Halloween, you’ll love this book.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play / Eden Books / Smashwords

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SNEAK PEEK:

Declan’s dark eyes seared across the length of my body like he remembered all the times he had stripped me out of my clothes. He always did like the knee-high boots I wore during the fall.

“You cold?” he asked.

I nodded. “Been in California too long.”

He shed his zip-up hoodie and put it over my shoulders. “Here.”

A memory of this exact scene played through my mind’s eye. Of me not wearing proper attire because I wanted to dress cute for him and him giving me his jacket. But that was sixteen-year-old Declan and Lila; we weren’t those people anymore.

“Dec…”

“Come on, love, let’s go on the zipper,” he said and took my hand.

I didn’t question his slip up. The old pet name rolled off his tongue like it hadn’t been sixteen years since I broke his heart. Like I hadn’t stood in his driveway all those years ago and told him I got accepted to Stanford and wasn’t going with him to Penn State. I told him I wanted to break up, because long-distance relationships never worked, but I’d always love him. That part had been true, was still true, but I never came back to him. I went to California and stayed there while he stayed in our gossipy small town and made a name for himself.

The pad of his thumb brushed against the back of my palm. “Love?”

“Right. Let’s go on the zipper!” I said excitedly, pulling myself away from the trip down memory lane.

We walked over to the ride and waited in line for a few minutes, but neither of us wanted to sever the connection of our hands. I wondered if he was thinking about all the times we had done this before. Of those times back in high school when he was the one dragging me toward the rides. Adult Declan was quiet and reserved, and I couldn’t get a read on him. He wasn’t the boy I fell in love with, but yet, at the same time, he was.

He led me into the cage and made sure I was seated before he slid in next to me. We pulled the lap bar down, and the ride operator clicked us in before shutting us inside the metal cage. We were pressed so close together, I felt his thigh against my own.

I didn’t know why I did it, but I turned to him and found he was staring back at me intensely. He didn’t jerk back when I brushed my lips against his. He threaded his hands through my hair, one of them gripping my neck possessively as he deepened the kiss. We kissed like we hadn’t forgotten, like it hadn’t been years since we were pressed together. We still fit so perfectly.

Then the ride lurched, and I pulled away to grab onto the handlebar above my head as we moved upwards. We screamed our heads off as our cage flipped us around. I held onto Declan’s arm when the ride took us up to its full height and then brought us back down to the ground, all the while flipping us upside down in our cage.

I felt dizzy by the time we were back on the ground, and the ride operator opened the cage for us. Declan got out first, then offered me a hand when I stumbled out.

He studied me. “Okay, love?”

I could only nod.

My heart was doing somersaults, and it wasn’t because I was motion sick from the ride. It was singing with the way this man still turned me inside out. But I couldn’t get ideas like that. I didn’t deserve him after what I did. Not after I had been such a coward and cut him out of my life.

Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn't sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.

Visit her at danicaflynn.com for the latest news.

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