“Get a room,” Liana said, walking past us.

My cheeks burned and I put my hands over them.

With a smile, Mason pulled my hands to his chest and kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re so cute when you blush.”

I shook my head and leaned on him. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. He was here, right here with me.

This could only be a dream. My mother and I were getting along without any more lies. We were a far cry from being the perfect mother and daughter, but it was so much easier now. I had been accepted into the arts program in D.C., and now Mason was here with me. It was too perfect to be true, and if it was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.

He rested his chin on the top of my head. “It’s us, right?” He gestured to the painting.

“Yes,” I confessed, blushing again.

“I knew it.” He pulled back a little and looked down at me, into my eyes. “I love you, Charlotte, more than anything, more than anyone.”

My heart swelled. I smiled. “I love you too, Mason.”

He kissed me again—a little more chastely this time, since we were in a public place and he probably knew we had all the time in the world to kiss the way he liked to kiss me. A heat wave washed through me, thinking about what was to come. If I didn’t have to stay here for a couple more hours, I would be hauling him to my apartment right now.

Mason held me tight against him. “I’m never letting you go again.”

I snuggled on his arms. “Good, because I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Acknowledgments:

Writing acknowledgments is getting harder and harder. Hmm, maybe you guys won’t notice if I copy and paste the same acknowledgments from other books. I know, I know … I don’t thank always the same people. Damn it. Gonna have to fix it. ;)

So, let’s see who helped me with this particular book:

First and foremost, thanks to my husband and my daughter, for putting up with me and loving me even when all I want to do is write. I love you both sooooo much!

Thanks, Dani Crabtree, for being an awesome editor, and also a good friend. My books would be a big pile of crap without your help. :)

Thanks, Rebecca Berto, for this super sexy cover. It’s one of my favorites!

Thanks to the early readers and supporters of this story: Jani Grey, Priya Kanaparti, Renita Pizzitola, and Laura Carter. If you guys hadn’t insisted this story was good, it would still be forgotten somewhere in my computer.

And THANK YOU for reading my books!