I know when Mom and Andy exit their limo because all the energy goes straight over to them. I squeeze Emma’s hand, and we walk into the building.
“Excited?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, for the hundredth time, yes.” She leans up and kisses my cheek. “But thank you for caring.”
I place a hand on her cheek, stopping her from turning away and I press my lips to hers. She closes her eyes and sighs against me. Fuck, this woman does things to me.
After a second, I realize Andy is clearing his throat behind us. Emma giggles and her face turns pink as she turns to them, embracing Andy, Dorothea, and Mom. “Thank you so much for coming today. It totally makes this even more memorable for me.”
“You’re very welcome, dear. We wouldn’t have missed this, as your advisors,” Mom says with a wink.
“We’re so proud of you,” Andy says before we are ushered into the theater.
The audience quiets as the documentary starts to play. Emma squeezes my hand the entire time. Halfway through, I place her hand in my lap and put my other hand on top of hers. She doesn’t look my way as she watches the audience’s reactions to her work. When the lights come up and the audience cheers, I can see the tears well in her eyes. I hug her before anyone else can.
“I’m so fucking proud of you. Whether you win an award at this festival or not, you did it. You really did it,” I whisper in her ear.
She pulls back and looks up at me, placing her hand on my chest over my heart. “I’ve had so many endeavors this year, school, this documentary, working through trauma. And I’ve accomplished them all, because you’ve been by my side.”
I gaze into her eyes. There is such truth and honesty in them. I feel unshed tears in my own eyes now at the power of her words. I lean down so we are forehead to forehead. “There is no greater endeavor than learning how to unconditionally love, and I’ve only accomplished that because of you.”
Tears fall from her eyes, running down her cheeks. I capture them with my thumbs, brushing them away.
“I love you, Grady Daniels,” she whispers only loud enough for me to hear it. “I love you with all my heart.”
“I love you back,” I reply as I plant a quick kiss on her lips. When I pull back as I squeeze her hips, my dirty mind getting the better of me. I lean back to whisper in her ear, “Are there checkered panties under your dress? Because if there are, we should move our celebration into a more private space.”
I hear her breath hitch and her skin flushes. I know the answer before she speaks.
“I guess you’ll have to find out when we get back to the hotel room,” she says with a wink and a smirk. She quickly turns to talk to everyone around her.
I stand back and watch as my fiancée gets all the praise that she so well deserves. She’s amazing, and she’s all mine. Learning how to love might have been my unintended endeavor but being with her is far beyond any goal or wish I could have dreamt. Wherever the road takes us from here, we’ll be alright because we have each other.
Keep Up With The Kb World
Want to keep up with all of the other books in K. Bromberg’s Driven World? You can visit us anytime at www.kbworlds.com and the best way to stay up to date on all of our latest releases and sales, is to sign up for our official KB Worlds newsletter HERE.
Are you interested in reading the bestselling books that inspired the Driven World? You can find them HERE.
Also Written By S.E. Rose
Deceitful Destiny Series:
Island (Book 1)
Secrets (Book 2)
Bravura (Book 3)
Determination (Book 4)
Home (Book 5)
The Poisoned Pawn Duet:
A Fierce Princess
A Valiant Prince
A Wise Prince
Perfectly Imperfect Love Series:
Undeniably Perfect
Hopelessly Perfect
Novels:
Chronicles of a Hot Mess
Chronicles of a Rockin’ Mess
The Decoy
Novellas:
Neighbor in Apartment No. 5
The Tinsel Tango
The Fighter
Acknowledgments
My first and biggest thank you goes to Kristy Bromberg for letting me write in her Driven World. I read the Driven series a few years ago, and it remains one of my favorite romance series of all time. Being able to borrow some of her characters for this story is such an honor, and it’s been so fun!
To all the people behind the scenes that help make things possible: you know who you are, and you are very much appreciated! A book may be written by the author, but it takes a small army to bring it to readers, and I have one fantastic army.
And lastly, to my readers, new and old, thank you! For those who have weathered this wild ride with me, I hope you’ll continue to come along for all the adventures I have planned! And for those new to me, thank you for taking a chance on a new author! Every author writes in hopes that it will bring joy to someone, that at least one person out there will love the story. So, cheers to you all for your support! It means the world to me!
About the Author
USA Today & International Bestselling romance author, S.E. Rose lives near Washington D.C. with her family. When she's not wrangling her cats or keeping up with her kids, she's plotting her next story.
She loves all things wine, coffee, and cats. In her non-existent free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, binging on her favorite shows, and reading, especially if it's a good mystery or comedy.
Learn more about upcoming books from S.E. Rose at www.seroseauthor.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Also Written By K. Bromberg
Driven
Fueled
Crashed
Raced
Aced
Slow Burn
Sweet Ache
Hard Beat
Down Shift
UnRaveled
Sweet Cheeks
Sweet Rivalry
The Player
The Catch
Cuffed
Combust
Cockpit
Control
Faking It
Resist
Reveal
Then You Happened
Hard to Handle
Flirting with 40
Hard to Hold
Hard to Score
Hard to Lose