Today I'm dropping f-bombs. Hear me out?
Mar 13, 2023 11:01 am
Hello! Today I'm dropping f-bombs... Forever After, fishnet stockings, and freebies. That wasn't so bad, was it? All snickering aside, you're in for a treat today.
What you'll find in today's email:
- Forever After chapter 1
- Another peek at what's in store for Luca and Penelope
- Books by Ivy Hunt and Eve London
- March freebies and sales
INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT'S ON...
Forever After! steamy, sweet, walk-down-the-aisle romance with an older brother, nervous bride, and a woman who's always the wedding planner, never the bride.
When I wrote Jasmine and Owen's story, I was considering writing the theme 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride,' but that multi-author collaboration fell through. I considered Bridezilla's and all the crazy things that could go wrong on the wedding day that no one plans for except...the wedding planner. She's seen it all, been through it all, and held her chin up to get through it.
Confession: I always get the book title Forever After confused with the Forever Stamps series, though they are far from similar.
Trivia:
- Jasmine's younger sister is Celia from Broken Promises. Jasmine and Owen both show up in that book.
- Jasmine and her Forever After business also play an important role in His Plus One.
- Hold on to your baby bumps. Stacy's baby bump's 8+ months along and ready to pop when she comes face to face with her one-night stand in Sing Me a Lullaby.
- I'm frequently asked to write Brent and Kelly's story (the bride and groom in Forever After.) What do you think? Since they get their happy ever after, is there more story you'd like to know?
Scroll to read the first chapter. Hit the button above to read more.
Kiss Me Quick contains copyright material.
Chapter 1
Jasmine
Since I opened my bridal design shop, Forever After, I've seen my share of hungover grooms, unhappy brides, and varying degrees of wedding mishaps. But this one takes the cake. I close my eyes and cringe while the maid-of-honor retches into the commode. The bride paces outside the bathroom door, ranting about her day being ruined.
Stacy, the maid-of-honor, gasps to catch her breath between intervals of dry heaving and endless apologies.
“I’m so sorry,” her voice shakes.
“Everything will be fine. You’ll feel better in no time.” I rub my hand gently up and down her back. The cold, damp hand towel draped across the back of her neck coaxes the tendrils at the base of her neck into tiny ringlet curls.
“Is everything okay in there?” The bride’s strained, impatient voice does nothing to calm Stacy. I hear the bride retreat into the adjoining bedroom suite. “This is a disaster. This is why I laid ground rules. I can’t get married without a maid of honor. Everything is ruined.”
A door slams and the low murmur of women's voices trickle into the bathroom. Stacy slumps beside the commode and settles herself against the cold tiled wall. Sweat beads along her hairline. Her makeup is perfect, save for a few lipstick smears. She clutches her stomach, and tears begin rolling down her face.
“I’m sorry,” she winces. “Kelly is never going to forgive me, is she?”
I've seen brides laugh off the most inconvenient wedding glitches and bridezillas rage about the number of bobby pins in their hair. I get to know a bride’s style preferences by designing their wedding gown and bridal party dresses, but not what they’re like outside the shop. I don't see how they handle friendships after their stressful big day once life returns to normal.
“I’m sure this will all be forgotten once we get you into that dress.” Though I’m not sure of anything of the sort.
Stacy shakes her head slowly, then lunges for the toilet, clinging to it as if her life depends on it. It takes several seconds for her to regain her composure.
"I can't. It's been like this for days." She takes a breath, turns her head to look at me, and then whispers. "I'm pregnant. The dress doesn’t fit.”
Panic mode sets in. Why she waited this late to say anything is beyond me. The dress is designed to distinguish the maid-of-honor from the remaining bridesmaids. It's also tailor-made to emphasize Stacy's curves. Just not new pregnancy baby curves. I mentally calculate a handful of ways to make it fit her. Maybe I can make a quick alteration. Add a sash? Adjust the zipper? Widen a seam?
“We’ll fix it,” I reassure her. Honestly, I have no idea how the dress can be altered in time for the wedding. It’ll take a miracle.
“It was an accident. I only found out last week. Kelly made all of us promise not to get pregnant when she asked us to be in the wedding.” Her face twists with a mix of distress and remorse. “I’ve been in bed all week. I won’t make it through the ceremony like this.”
If she can’t stand with Kelly, one of the other bridesmaids can stand in her place. So, what if there’s an extra groomsman? I’ve seen weddings with odd numbers in the wedding party.
“Will you tell her? She’s going to be so angry with me,” Stacy pleads. “But please don’t tell her I’m pregnant. It’s her big day. I don’t want to take any of the attention away from her.”
I have a feeling angry is an understatement. News of a baby should elicit joy and congratulations, but doubtful that's going to happen when it throws a glitch in the bride's plans in the eleventh hour of her big day.
Stacy's teary wide eyes, contorted frown, and whimpering voice remind me of my younger sister. We were a team of mischief-makers, but Celia always suckered me into doing the confessing. That’s what big sisters do, right? Protect the younger, fragile siblings.
“I’ll take care of it,” I concede.
I swipe a finger across her forehead and tuck a curl that’s escaped her updo behind her ear. Stacy tries her best to give me a half-hearted smile. I return the gesture with an equally uncertain smile. I hoist myself up from the floor, straighten my clothes in the mirror then take a deep breath before heading out of the bathroom.
Please don’t blame the messenger.
“Kelly?” I knock hesitantly on the bedroom door, wary of what kind of reaction awaits me on the other side. “It’s Jasmine. May I come in?”
The door swings open. Kelly's mascara is smeared across her cheek and the pads of her fingertips. Thank goodness she's still wearing the oversized button-down shirt over her dress. Smudged makeup is easily fixed, but not when it’s smeared on white satin.
“Is she feeling better?” Kelly eyes me with an expectant expression.
“Let’s get you fixed up.” I go for upbeat, redirecting her attention before dropping the unwelcome news on her. “You’re getting married in less than an hour.”
"But what about Stacy?" She doesn't budge when I urge her toward the makeup table.
"Stacy's in no shape to make it through the ceremony, but everything will be fine. Your bridesmaids are all ready and beautiful." I rush through my words, trying to put as much spin on the positive. "Your guests will never know there was a glitch. Weddings never go exactly as planned. It's normal to have a few snags."
“Nothing about this wedding has been normal.” Kelly sounds more alarmed than upset about a missing maid of honor. "I've planned everything for the last year and a half, and something always goes wrong. The DJ had to be rescheduled, the first venue overbooked, the caterer went out of business. Now, this."
Her eyes widen into large saucers as panic grips her voice. It rises to a shrill squeak bordering on paranoia.
"Maybe all the cancelations and changes have been warning signs. Now Stacy's sick." She looks directly at me but stares through me as she loses her grip on reality. "Maybe Brent and I aren’t supposed to be married. We need to call it off before something terrible happens.”
She plops down on the bed, distraught and defeated. I don’t bother to console or calm her. Instead, I turn heel and make a beeline for the door, barking out commands to the bridesmaids to keep Kelly from doing anything rash.
There’s only one person who can talk sense into her now.
♥♥♥
Continue reading and find out who reassures Kelly and Jasmine that a walk down the aisle is the best thing for wedding day jitters.
♥♥♥
Home Wrecker's Construction Continues
Did you check out your Thursday, March 9, email with an impromptu diary entry from Penelope? She's sweet, innocent, and ready to make her move if she can get past her sweaty palms and nervous jitters.
Luca's rough around the edges and thinks Penelope is too innocent to sully. But he needs her heart and strength more than he knows. He's about to learn that the tougher he is, the harder he'll fall, and Penelope's his safety in thigh-high fishnet stockings. Read what happens when her veil of innocence is lifted.
AUTHOR CORNER
What if I—Ella Dixon, wallflower extraordinaire—saved Connor Hall, football god, from a robbery at gunpoint? Would the traumatic experience result in a temporary attraction between us? Plausible. Would Connor ask me to pretend that he's the big hero? Possible. Would I ask him for a huge favor in return? Probable. Would we end up in bed together? Predictable. And if our connection ends up being more than just temporary? Perfect.
Welcome to Mustang Mountain where love runs as wild as the free-spirited horses who roam the hillsides. Framed by rivers, lakes, and breathtaking mountains, it’s also the place the Mountain Men of Mustang Mountain call home. They might be rugged and reclusive, but they’ll risk their hearts for the curvy girls they love.
NEW MARCH SALES & FREEBIES
Go to my website for ALL the sales and free promos: https://www.authorpipercook.com/promos
Ends Wednesday Marriage of Convenience
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Thank you for scrolling to the end. I hope you found some interesting goodies today to get you through the week. I'll be back in your inbox Thursday with more from Luca and Penelope. Until then, stay safe and happy reading!
XOX Piper