“I’m so proud of you. So proud. And your mother would be. Is.” He holds my face and raises his eyebrows.
“You think? That she’s watching me? Us?” I nod.
“I have no doubt. She wouldn’t have left you alone in this world. You or Lizzy. She loved you too much.” I don’t need to have known her to know that’s true.
“I think so too.”
Sylas is mesmerizing. There are only about three people (including me) who are actually listening when he starts to play, but soon every head in the coffee shop is turned to watch him and before I know it, the place is packed with people who are just as entranced with him as I am. I have to fight to get close to him when he finishes. He gives me an embarrassed smile, as if he has no idea the effect he has on people. The effect his unbelievable voice has. Ten minutes later he’s booked for the next week and at two other venues.
“It’s fate,” I say. “Fate, fate, fate.” He gathers me in his arms after he puts his guitar in the case. He recently had it painted red and the word “Marina” carved into it. It makes me smile whenever I see it.
“Luck,” he counters. “Luck, luck, luck.” He gives me a kiss each time he says it. I pull back and hold his face so he can’t kiss me again.
“Fate.”
He just shakes his head.
“Whatever you say, Redhead.”
Epilogue
Less than a month later, a former rock star who was trying to get his brand new record label off the ground walks into one of Sylas’ shows and offers to sign him.
He’s hesitant at first, but I tell him I will never have sex with him again if he doesn’t at least consider it.
“Well, we can’t have that,” he says.
We’ve found the perfect apartment and moved into it together, along with Leo, the burned coffee table, my terrible drawings and a few other knickknacks from my old place. It’s the perfect combination of the two of us and I’ve never felt more at home.
I wear my septum ring all the time and still enjoy that my mother flinches every time she sees me with it in. I also colored the bottom part of my hair black and that got me a great reaction as well. Sylas loves it and I love it and that’s all that matters.
Cash, Track, Baz, Hardy and Row have become a huge part of my life. I know that if something breaks, or I have an emergency, any one of them would drop everything to come and help me. They’ve adopted me into their group, as well as Lo. I catch her kissing Cash in my bathroom during one of our “family” dinners.
“Hey, I walked in on you with your pants down, so don’t judge me,” she says before slamming the door in my face. I tell Sylas and he just laughs. As long as they’re both happy, then that’s all that matters.
And I’m happy. I never knew I could feel this way. The good days far outweigh the bad and I can see so many more good days stretched out ahead of us.
Whether it was fate or luck, we’re together in spite of everything. We’re Saige and Sylas and I wouldn’t want to be anyone else, or be with anyone else. There’s no one else who could love me like he does.
My Sylas.
Acknowledgements
I have never been under such a tight deadline as I was with this book. I’m still not sure how it happened, but it did. I owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to my editor, formatter and publicist for working crazy hours on my behalf. I’d also like to thank my author friends (especially Jen Armentrout) who encouraged me and supported me through this sometimes hellish experience.
Writing is the best thing I’ve ever done, but sometimes it’s the worst as well. Two sides of the same coin. I’d also like to thank Jay Crownover (again) for suggesting that I write this installment in Saige’s point of view. It was interesting to get inside her head and realize that while she might be a con artist, she’s still a twenty-year-old girl.
I’d also like to thank everyone who was so encouraging for this entire series. The people who messaged me and told me they loved the first book and couldn’t wait for the second, the people who had never read any of my books, but bought this one and loved it, the author who messaged me and told me how much she loved the first book. Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
About The Author
Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA and Adult New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer.
When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.
Find Chelsea Online
chelseamcameron.com
Twitter: @chel_c_cam
Facebook: Chelsea M. Cameron (Official Author Page)
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Mailing address:
P.O. Box 241
New Harbor, ME 04554
Other Books by Chelsea M. Cameron
Nocturnal (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book One)
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Nightmare (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Two)
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Neither (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Three)
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Neverend (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Four)
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Whisper (The Whisper Trilogy, Book One)
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Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, Book One)
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Faster We Burn (Fall and Rise, Book Two)
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My Favorite Mistake (Available from Harlequin)
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My Sweetest Escape (Available from Harlequin)
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Sweet Surrendering
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Surrendering to Us
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Dark Surrendering
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For Real (Rules of Love, Book One)
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For Now (Rules of Love, Book Two)
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Deep Surrendering
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UnWritten
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