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Ally tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat as Travis held her tightly, his body quaking. She stroked his hair, wrapping her other arm around his neck, knowing how much all this meant to him. He’d been alone for so very long, having a family but yet never quite being connected to them since the death of his parents. Ally was so grateful that everyone in Travis’s family had tried to convince him that his parents’ deaths weren’t his fault. “I love you,” she told him gently, continuing to stroke his hair to comfort him.
“I love you so much I think it might kill me,” Travis said in a muffled voice, still not loosening his grip on her. “You need to marry me soon,” he added in a more demanding but poignant voice.
“We’ll talk about it,” Ally said, knowing she’d relent. She felt the same way as Travis did, and she didn’t want to wait.
Travis pulled back and met her gaze, his expression intense. “Like hell we will,” Travis grunted.
And then he kissed her, and Ally knew exactly who was going to win this argument as she was swept away by the same volatile passion he was feeling, the two of them completely lost in each other.
Two Months Later
Ally knew Travis was on his way, and she whispered her usual countdown.
“Five…
“Four…
“Three…
“Two…
“One…”
She sighed as she watched her handsome husband walk through the door of his office, dressed in one of her favorite dark suits, and shooting her the wickedly gorgeous grin that always made her heart start doing cartwheels inside her chest.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said gruffly, his eyes roaming over her possessively.
“Good morning, Mr. Harrison,” she responded mischievously. “Let me get you some coffee.” Ally was always willing to go get his coffee when he greeted her likethat, which he hadn’t failed to do on any day since they’d returned from Colorado.
Most days, they rode to work together, but Travis had had an early morning meeting, so Ally had driven herself in her new vehicle. Travis had gotten her a Ferrari F12 as a wedding gift, a surprise that she hadn’t quite recovered from yet, although they’d been married a month ago in a small ceremony at his home. Even though the wedding had been small, it had been the most beautiful event of her life, the day she was joined with the man she knew she’d love forever and beyond. Asha, Mia, Maddie, and Kara had all pitched in to get it planned quickly, and they’d had all their family and closest friends at the ceremony and reception, which was everything Ally had ever wanted or dreamed of for a wedding. Of course, Travis had needed to have the best of everything for the wedding, and had shocked her later with a new F12.
Ally was pretty sure he was still anxious about her driving a fast car, and he’d texted her twice to make sure she’d made it safely to work, reminding her to watch her speed. If she was honest, she hadn’t been able to resist using a little of the enormous power of the vehicle, but only reasonably so, because she was still a little nervous about driving a car that damn expensive.
Travis had taken her out to his racetrack, but Ally hadn’t yet seen him use the superb racing skills that she knew he was capable of exhibiting when she was in the car. She teased him about driving like a little old man in some of his fastest cars, but he just grumbled that he wasn’t risking her life by doing suicidal speeds when she was with him. But she loved the exhilarating feeling of speed when Travis was doing his track runs, even if she knew he drove a hell of a lot faster on them when she wasn’t around.
Ally grabbed them both a cup of coffee and brought them into his office so they could have their morning discussion about business. She looked at him, his expression now pensive. “Are you okay?” Ally asked, concerned. He’d looked so happy a few minutes ago.
“I have something for you,” he said slowly, his voice low and serious as he added, “Please don’t get mad.”
Ally quirked a brow at him, wondering if he was referring to some of her lectures about buying her things she didn’t need. After her house had been destroyed, Travis bought, and bought, and bought for her, even when he knew she’d eventually get an insurance settlement to replace the things she really needed. And he hadn’t stopped yet, many of the things he was buying way more than she needed.
“I probably won’t get mad,” Ally told him patiently, although she always left herself some wiggle room in case he went over the top.
“You might,” Travis warned her, holding out an envelope to her. “This is for you.”
A little alarmed by the serious expression on his face, she hopped up and took the letter, looking immediately at the return address, recognizing the name immediately. “Why would I be getting something from them?” she asked quietly, perplexed as she opened the envelope, and then slipped her reading glasses from the top of her head and put them on.
As she started reading the enclosed letter, her knees gave way and she had to sit to complete the rest of the correspondence. “Oh my God. This isn’t real. It’s a hoax.” It was a notification that the first book in her young adult fantasy series had won one of the most prestigious awards possible for an unpublished manuscript. “I didn’t ever submit to them.”
“I did.” Travis’s voice was low and anxious. “But it was all you, Ally. None of the judges know who the manuscript belongs to and I swear I didn’t interfere. I just submitted it. What does the letter say?”
Ally’s eyes flew to his face, astonished. “It says I won first place, book of the year for an unpublished manuscript.” Her hands were trembling as she got up and handed him the letter, watching as he scanned the brief notification.
He grinned up at her. “I knew you’d win.”
If Travis was telling her he hadn’t made this happen, that she had won on her own merit, she knew it was true. If there was one thing Travis didn’t ever do, it was blatantly lie. He might have avoided the truth in the past, but he’d never lie to her about something like this. “You submitted for me?” Ally said huskily, her voice clogged with tears. Just the fact that Travis thought about doing something like that was amazing. She knew he had faith in her, but this was incredible.
“Are you angry?” He sounded nervous. “I know I should have asked you first, but I didn’t think you’d do it. And I knew you’d win.”