Breaking Benjamin Page 16
He leans down and looks into my eyes. “Were you surprised tonight?”
I smile. “I don’t think I have ever been more surprised,” I tell him with a smile.
“Good,” he says, pleased. “I will continue to try and surprise you for the rest of our lives.”
“I will continue to love that,” I reply.
Ben kisses the top of my head. “On that note, I have one more surprise for you.”
I turn to face him. “You’re pregnant?”
Ben chuckles. “Not yet, Angel.”
“Oh, that’s disappointing,” I say with a wink.
“I’m pretty sure we can practice making a baby a little later tonight, though, if you’d like.”
Just the promise of seeing him naked has heat pooling between my thighs, and I bite my lip in anticipation. I know Ben has noticed because that cocky smirk on his face says it all. I catch his gaze and marvel for a moment at the beauty of his eyes. If eyes are truly the windows to the soul, then right now, his windows are wide open. He’s completely bared himself to me, and I to him; this man who I will spend the rest of my life adoring. Behind us, people start the count down, but we continue to look in each other’s eyes.
Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three…
“I love you,” he whispers as he leans in to take my lips.
…Two… “I love you, too.”
…One…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Acknowledgements
We have a lot to be thankful for, but first and foremost, we are so grateful that we were brought together in this crazy Indie book world and that it created a friendship and a bond between us that not even words can describe. It led us to this amazing collaboration, but goes so way beyond that. We know it’s just the beginning of what’s to come and we can’t wait to share it all with you.
We are both extremely grateful to Stuart Reardon, who not only graces our cover, but also gracefully put up with our long emails and crazy questions and requests. Stuart—you’re such a genuinely beautiful person, inside and out, and we thank you for sharing yourself on our cover with your gorgeousness and for helping us to promote our story! #TeamBreakingBenjamin p.s. Michelle promises to stop asking you to take your shirt off.
Speaking of the cover, we FLOVE Liv Moore from Liv’s Shoppe so hard!! You made our cover and teasers look AMAZING!!! Thank you so much!
Of course, the team of #Haymi would never have existed if it was not for our dear friend Helene Cuji from the blog IAMABOOKHOARDER. We thank you not just for bringing us together, but for your continued support throughout our careers. We Flove you!!
There were a couple people that helped us pull all the pages of this book together seamlessly, and we owe them each a huge thank you. Kendra Gaither, thank you for so much for taking the pieces we sent to you and making them whole. I know it wasn’t an easy task, but you as always, make it look like it was. We would also like to thank our formatter Leigh Stone for your amazing and fast work!! You always do so amazing, and make our pages look absolutely stunning; thank you!!
We’d both also like to thank our husbands. We spent a lot, and I mean a lot, of time together working on this book, meaning they got even less of us then they already do. But, like the amazing men they are, they gave us the space we needed to grow and flourish and create. For this, we love them and thank them for letting us be exactly who we are. Stephen, there is a lid for every jar, and Haylee is so glad she found hers in you. Doug, through every second, minute, hour and day, Michelle loves you more.
Of course, last but not least, we must thank our readers. We adore you. For not just giving our words a chance, but (a lot of you) for also loving them! For those that love our respective series, this book is for you, we wanted to do something special for you guys and we hope that Breaking Benjamin will also steal your heart!
About the Authors
Haylee Thorne
When Haylee Thorne isn’t writing her stories, she works proudly as a registered nurse in Kentucky. Haylee loves to read and watch TV (she may or may not be slightly obsessed with anime), and there aren’t many movies she has not seen. She’s known to enjoy a good glass of champagne, and can eat an unlimited amount of French fries (seriously, it’s a problem). When she has some free time (as in time not spend working or writing), Haylee loves spending time with her family and friends.
You can find Haylee on her webpage at
http://hayleethorneauthor.com/
or on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/hayleethorneauthor/
or on bookbub at
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/haylee-thorne
Other Books by Haylee
Tomorrow, Book 1 of The Kingsley Series: https://amzn.to/2Lz5EWU
After Tomorrow, Book 2 of The Kingsley Series: https://amzn.to/2ITCM9V
The Beard: https://amzn.to/2ITRIVu
Reclaiming Tomorrow: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35712006-reclaiming-tomorrow
Project U.G.L.Y: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40037150-project-u-g-l-y
Michelle Windsor
Michelle Windsor is a wife, mom, and a writer who lives North of Boston with her family. When she isn’t hidden away in her office, she’s been known to partake in good wine and good food with her family and friends. She's a voracious reader, loves to hike with her German shepherd, Roman, enjoys a good romance movie and may be slightly obsessed with Outlander, okay, and Stuart Reardon too….
You can find Michelle on her webpage at
https://www.authormichellewindsor.com
or on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/authormwindsor
or on Bookbub at
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-windsor
Other Books by Michelle
The Winning Bid, Book 1 of The Auction Series: https://goo.gl/ufsC9B
The Final Bid, Book 2 of The Auction Series: https://goo.gl/oHGWdp
Losing Hope: https://goo.gl/e6LfFo
Love Notes: https://goo.gl/jYfG2L
Tempting Secrets, Book 1 in The Tempted Nights Series: https://goo.gl/PSggN5