Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Good answer.” He pulled me close and kissed me before asking, “Are you having fun?”
“Definitely. Are you?”
“I am. I feel like I can finally take a breath.”
The photographer joined us just then and said, “I haven’t gotten a photo of you and your boyfriend yet, Ever.”
“Thanks for remembering. I really wanted a shot of the two of us. That’s just for me, though. Tracy doesn’t want his picture on social media.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said, as we turned toward the camera and put our arms around each other. “Go ahead and post it.”
Ever glanced at my profile. “Are you sure? That was always a big nope.”
“This is important. I’ll never be into the whole social media thing like you are, but I understand what it means to you now, and I want to be a part of it.”
He whispered, “Thank you,” and when he kissed my cheek, the photographer snapped a picture. She took a few more posed shots before heading back into the crowd.
I ran my fingertips along Ever’s jawline, and when he smiled at me, it made my heart trip over itself. This was so perfect. In fact, there was really only one thing missing. I said, “So, you’re fine with PDA too, right? I mean, like, a lot of PDA, not just a kiss or a hug.”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “What are you suggesting?”
“You’ll see. Wait here.”
I hurried through the crowd, stepped up onto the stage that held the DJ and his equipment, and made my request. The DJ grinned and handed me a microphone, and then he expertly tapered off the song that was playing.
My heart was thudding like it wanted to break out of my ribcage. I usually hated being the center of attention, but this was something I really needed to do. I held up the mic and tried to keep my voice steady as I said, “Hi, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Tracy Garcia, and I’m very lucky to call Ever Daley my boyfriend.”
There were cheers and whistles from the crowd, and Ever moved closer to the stage and beamed at me. “First of all, I want to thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate. As you can see, Ever has made something truly special here. It’s a place where we can gather with our friends, and a place where we can take some time for ourselves. To me, it’s a sanctuary dedicated to self-care, and I think that’s an important and beautiful thing.”
The crowd applauded, and I continued, “This place exists, and all of us are gathered here tonight, because of one extraordinary man, Ever Daley. Let’s give him a round of applause.” The crowd went wild, and he actually blushed, which was very cute.
I took a deep breath. Now for the scary part. I focused on my boyfriend and tried to forget about the other two hundred people in the room. “On a personal note, Ever, you amaze me every single day with your kindness, your generosity, and your positive energy. I’m so lucky that I get to live this life with you by my side. I think you already know this, but you need to hear it, too. I love you, Ever, with all my heart and soul. I love you more than anything on this earth.”
His smile lit up the entire room as he held out his arms to me. I handed the microphone back to the DJ, and the crowd parted for me as I stepped off the stage. I was only vaguely aware that they were cheering, because I was totally focused on Ever.
When I reached him, he grabbed me in an embrace and exclaimed, “You beat me to it! I had a special night planned after the party, with champagne, music, and candlelight. I was going to tell you how I felt.”
“I wanted to do the same thing, but I felt like I couldn’t go another minute without saying it.”
“I’m so glad you did.” He kissed me, deeply and passionately. Then he whispered in my ear, “I love you, Tracy. Forever.”
Epilogue: Tracy
Eight Months Later
As I leaned on the railing at the edge of the deck and listened to the waves crashing on the shore, the most wonderful feeling of calm settled over me.
The last few months had been hectic, no doubt about it, between the fitness center, my job at the shelter, and the two classes I’d just completed as I continued working toward my degree. But I was proud of us for all we were accomplishing.
Now that my semester was done and EverFit was running smoothly, we were on our first vacation. We hadn’t wanted to spend a lot of time traveling since we were only taking four days off, so we’d found a beautiful, secluded beach house just a couple of hours north of San Francisco. It was pure bliss.