Luc was dashing in his crisp white tuxedo, with his tanned skin and vibrant green eyes that picked up color from the ocean in the background. He looked hotter than hell. There was a light wind brushing my face as we said our vows. I knew it was Mama and Papa’s way of being here from their place up in heaven. Everything was perfect. Joe was Luc’s best man and the day was filled with love and happiness as my father walked me down the aisle and delivered me into the arms of the only man I ever loved.
Epilogue:
Four months later
After twenty-four hours of labor our bouncing baby boy was born. I never really knew that my heart could be so big, until I saw my son and the way Luc watched him as if he were the most precious thing in the world. My man may have been groomed to be a rough mafia boss, but he was sweet, tender, and loved our child endlessly.
“What should we call him?” he asked me within minutes of giving birth. I had barely caught my breath from pushing. I didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl, so we decided that we would meet the baby and then decide a name. “So what do you think?” he nudged me again.
“Hmm, I’m not sure…no French names, though, I need something I can relate to.”
“You have a problem with the French, baby?” Luc said kissing my lips.
“No problems with the French, they happen to be really good in bed. But to be honest, after splitting in two the way I just did, you ain’t coming near me anytime soon,” I said, holding up my finger to him and showing him that I meant business.
Luc threw his head back laughing. “You take all the time you need to heal, Vicky, I’m not going anywhere. Let’s be honest, the no sex thing is not going to hold long with you, you are addicted to me,” he said with a cocky tone.
“I am addicted to you, baby, but don’t hold your hopes up, I just pushed something the size of a watermelon out of a hole the size of a tangerine.”
“Seriously, Vicky, let’s cut out the fruit talk. I will not refer to your pussy as a tangerine.”
“Ssh,” I said smacking him in the chest. “Do not use that word in front of our son,” I demanded. Then we both looked down to our son and let out a contented sigh. I could sit all day and watch him. He was perfect.
“Let’s call him Kai. Luc, it has many meanings like strong and unbreakable,” I suggested. The truth was that at the end of the pregnancy I had trouble sleeping, so I stayed up on my phone at night and Googled boy and girl names and Kai just stood out for me. I knew that there were a lot of twists and turns in life. Nobody got everything they wanted, and nobody was free of disease or pain. We all faced something at one point or another. I wanted to give my son a name that I knew would be strong and represent a strong personality, just like his daddy.
His father had defeated Luc since he was a child. He grew up with abuse and later on his father pulled him into a life he didn’t want. Yet Luc was strong enough to persevere and he made the ultimate sacrifice of freeing his family from the bondage his father had placed on him. His mother and his brother, Justin, moved to Germany. They weren’t close to Luc and he didn’t seem to care, it was if he had wanted that part of his life completely erased. He focused on Kai and I, and he had a special relationship with my father. Once Kai was born, Bryce asked me if I would mind calling him Daddy, since he wanted little Kai calling him Grandpa. Of course I was happy to oblige.
Luc thrived on being an attentive father. He wanted Kai to have the close bond of family he never had growing up. He made it his life’s mission. He was my wild card and I would bet on him every time. Even though the dust had settled now, life was full of kicks and punches and with Luc by my side I knew that we would face those bumpy roads together. I knew I was stronger for having survived what I had survived. I knew that if something bad would strike, Luc and I were stronger together, and we would face this crazy life together.
Acknowledgements
I would first off like to thank my editing team. Ellie with Love N. Books. Her investment in the story helped me take it to the next level. Karen Hrdlicka of Barren Acres Editing, thank you for basically putting your life on hold to take on this project. You have no idea how much I appreciate your dedication and super amazing proofreading skills. I would also like to thank my cover artist Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations for making another cover that is simply put, Wow!
While writing this story my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. She was more than a grandmother to me because she spent a large portion of her time raising my sister and I. She was at my house having coffee and cookies this past March and by April 1st she was gone. It was incredibly difficult to watch. She instilled in me a love for books and she was very proud of my accomplishments. She had a copy of Bitter Sweet Love sitting on her coffee table at all times and didn’t hesitate to share it with friends despite the hot and steamy nature of the story. She herself was an avid romance reader and I remember her collection of romance novels on a bookshelf in her room. She was always very supportive of me and my endeavors and she will be missed.
I would also like to thank my husband and kids for putting up with the endless hours I spend on a computer concocting my next story or deeply embroiled in what I am writing. I know my kids appreciate the pizza dinners they sometimes get when things get too busy in the book world and I am thankful that they are so understanding.
To all the readers and bloggers who have taken the time to read and share my stories, I am internally grateful for your selfless generosity. I have to say that the world isn’t always a fair and happy place but the people I have met in the book world have been so kind, caring, generous, helpful, selfless - that I can go on with a longer list of adjectives but I don’t want to bore you. I will just say that your support is really heartwarming!
I would love to hear back from my readers. You can connect with me on my website: http://www.rcstephens.com
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Present
January 2013
Have you ever been at such a low point in your life when you saw the light to the other side? I thought it was something that people experienced when they were old and gray and had lived a life full of hopes, dreams, accomplishments, and family. I never thought that the angel would come for me at twenty-five. It’s my birthday.
It’s also the day I die.
She’s here. I can see the light around her and feel the warmth of her presence, amber liquid pouring too quickly over my head. The heat flows between my legs. What’s happening? So much blood leaves my body. I can’t feel pain. I see only light and crimson. This is my end, but I’m not ready. I have so many things left unfinished, so many mistakes to correct. This is all my fault. The baby will die and I did this.