That Perfect Someone Giveaway Winners and Deleted Scene!

It’s Friyay! I hope everyone had an amazing week. I’d live to send a huge thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed That Perfect Someone. I’m so thrilled you’ve enjoyed the book so much.

In the meantime, I have the winners from the Release Day Celebration for you! Congratulations to

J.W. Garrett

Glory

Cyndy

I’ve contacted all of you by email, and I hope you enjoy your new Kindle 🙂

If you haven’t read That Perfect Someone, get your copy on Kindle, KU, and paperback here!

Now, for the  fun part! I hope everyone is ready for that deleted scene! Blue couch warning as we used to say! Today’s is a tear jerker.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read That Perfect Someone, this scene contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Disclaimer 😉 : These scenes were removed from the book before the Condomgate chapter were added and final editing so may have errors.

Chapter 27

Lizzy’s eyes followed the clinic as they turned the corner. A few cars were parked in front, and at least one head was visible through the window, sitting in the waiting room. The place looked almost the same as it had when she was young. She’d always loved going to the clinic when she was a little girl and now actually being a veterinarian. What if she could never step foot in there again? How would she work?

When they pulled up to the house, she unbuckled while William rushed around the car and opened the door. “Take it slow.” He held out his hands for extra support while she stood. He’d been amazing while she was in the hospital, but now that Wickham was gone, would he still want to live with her as he had before. He would surely stay while she needed him, of course, but what about after? Her chest squeezed, and she breathed to relieve the pressure.

Her father’s old beat up pick-up truck pulled into the driveway as William helped her from the car. She winced at the uncomfortable tug in her lower abdomen when she stood and the pain the movement caused to her incision. His arm came around her back while she took small steps toward the door. She hated this—hated being so helpless.

“Why don’t you sit on the couch, and I’ll get our things out of the car.” She shifted her legs onto the cushions, relaxing while he grabbed a blanket from the basket and draped it over her. He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

She caught a glimpse of Evie at the top of the stairs, but the petite cat disappeared as soon as Lizzy’s father entered. He set down one of the bags just inside the door before he stepped over and sat along the edge of the cushion. “I’m glad to see you home.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be helping Chase?”

“I finished up the surgeries on my schedule and had some time before my next appointment, so I went home and grabbed lunch. I also wanted to come up and see you before my next appointment.” He took a stack of envelopes, mostly junk, from the coffee table and set them in her lap. “Mary seems to have gathered the mail when she came to feed Evie.”

She flipped through a few greeting cards, probably get well wishes, and way too many advertisements and credit card offers before her fingers landed upon a large, padded envelope. With a wince, she tossed it to the side.

“You have a package from Aggie Warehouse and you’re not ripping it open? Come on,” he said with a grin. “You know you want to.”

She looked at it and shook her head. Her eyes burned, and her throat was closing. “Not right now.”

William dropped the rest of the bags and scratched the back of his neck. “What do you want for lunch and dinner? I’ll run out and grab some groceries.”

“My wife will be here this afternoon with some potato soup. When she heard Lizzy was coming home, she was all excited about cooking. I also heard her on the phone. Don’t be surprised if all the horseshow mommas and some of our clients stop by with other offerings this week. I wouldn’t go too crazy.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll just grab the basics. Do you have time to stay with her until I get back?”

Her dad glanced at his watch. “I still have about thirty minutes, but Chase can cover if I’m a bit late.”

With a nod, William grabbed the shopping bags from the coat closet door. “I won’t be long, okay?” He kissed her again, her cheek this time before he hurried out.

As soon as the door closed, her father picked up the package. “What’s wrong, darlin’? And don’t tell me it’s nothing. I saw you trying not to cry.”

“Daddy, it’s complicated.”

His head hitched back. “How’s an envelope from a fan shop complicated? I know you haven’t decided to drop A&M and root for whatever snooty school William attended, have you?”

She couldn’t help but let one side of her lips tug up in a reluctant smile. “No, I’m not a Harvard fan, except when it comes to William.”

“So?” He dangled the envelope by a corner in front of her. “What’s in here that has you so upset?”

She didn’t have the strength to argue with him, but what would he say when he knew? “Go ahead and open it.”

His knobby fingers tugged at the flap until it gave, then reached in to pull out the contents, one at a time spreading the two onesies and the tiny booties across his lap. His eyebrows rose. “Does that boy of yours know?”

She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was going to return them. We don’t need them anymore.” The words came out in a whisper. She squeezed her eyes closed, and her shoulders shook.

“Oh, Lizzy.” His voice was heavy. “I’m so sorry.” His arms came around her, and she buried her nose into his shoulder as she had when she was a little, the scent of his familiar cologne lingered on his shirt and soothed her. “I’m going to assume you don’t want your mother to know?”

She shook her head as she straightened. “Don’t tell Momma. I can’t deal with that, not right now. She’d make it all about her and drive me up the wall.”

He laughed and fingered the writing on the top onesie that said, “Daddy’s Favorite Aggie.” “I don’t think you should get rid of these. You’ll only end up buying them again one day.” He folded the top onesie for a better look at the second that said, “I also yell at midnight” with a maroon crescent moon and stars.

“You don’t think it’s a bit morbid to keep clothes meant for a baby who didn’t live for one who does?”

He took her hand and squeezed. “I think people probably do it all of the time. Baby supplies are expensive and most people need to be more practical than that.” He held up a finger before he began folding them. “Tell you what, I’ll put this all back in the envelope, and you can hide them in a bottom drawer somewhere until the time is right.”

After a deep breath, she leaned her head against the back of the sofa. “I don’t know if I can go back to the clinic.” With one difficult conversation done, why not try another?

“You can’t let him win, Lizzy.”

How could she make him understand? Just the thought of returning to the office made her struggle to breathe. She couldn’t even sleep through the night without dreaming of Wickham and the barrel of his gun in her face.

“Chase and I know returning to work will take time. What happened that night is a lot to deal with, especially with what you’ve just revealed to me. I understand why you’re scared and why you’re so sad, but I think you should talk to someone about what happened.”

“William and I have talked—”

“No, not just William.” He tucked a curl behind her ear. “I mean a counselor who knows how to deal with PTS. William and you both will probably need it.”

“You think we have PTS?”

He shrugged and held her hands firmly in his. “I don’t know. I’m not a psychiatrist. But, I do know you and William have both been having nightmares. I sat in that room while both of you slept and heard you both whimper and say things. I could tell what you were both dreaming about. In the end, you were louder and startled him awake before his became too bad.”

“Was this when the two of you woke me up?”

“Yes, and I’ll never forget the look of terror on your face. Your Aunt Maddie treats children, but she may know someone.”

“I’d rather not have to drive to San Antonio.” Not that San Antonio was any great distance, but it was far enough for her to dread right now.

“I’m sure she can find someone in the Hill Country. Would you like me to call her? I think she and your uncle are coming up this weekend to see you. They’ve been waiting until you were out of the hospital. They didn’t want to be an imposition.”

“I’d enjoy seeing her.” She’d always liked her aunt and uncle, but with their own children and busy work schedules, they didn’t often make it to Longbourn.

Movement on the stairs caught her attention so she turned. Evie took a cautious step down and sat, staring at the two of them. “Hi, Ickle Bit,” she said softly.

“She’s trying to figure me out. Mary said Evie actually let her scratch behind her ears yesterday. You know she was lonely if she did that.”

Lizzy smiled and dropped her hand beside the sofa, rubbing her fingers together in a way she sometimes used to call the finicky little feline, but Evie didn’t move. Instead, she continued to watch them like a hawk without moving a muscle.

“I’m sure she’ll come over once I leave,” said her father. “Does she like William?”

“She lets him pet her, and she did cuddle with him that day I sent him home from the hospital, but I don’t know if she’ll continue with me home.” She rested her head back against the cushion. “Daddy, can I have some water?”

“Of course.” He hopped up from the sofa and hurried into the kitchen. Without her father there, Evie stood and walked over, checking the kitchen once or twice to ensure she wouldn’t be nabbed by someone.

The cat jumped up and crossed over Lizzy’s lap. With careful steps, she turned, lay down on Lizzy’s thigh, and nestled against her. When her father returned, he chuckled. “I see she wasted no time.”

“No,” she said as she rubbed Evie’s velvet soft fur.

He handed her the water and quickly backed off. “I’ll take care of your bags for William. I don’t want to disturb Evie, and I’m sure your boy’s exhausted. I don’t think he slept through the night once while you were in the hospital.”

“No, but he did say he slept most of the day after you took him for his haircut. Thank you for that. I really appreciated it. I just wish that he’d agreed to do it again. As much as I wanted him to get some time for himself, I’m glad he stayed. I needed him there.”

“I think he needed you too.”

Her father disappeared into the laundry room, and a moment later, the gentle whirring of the washing machine filtered into the living room. When he passed back through, he took what was left upstairs. She continued petting Evie as her eyes became heavy. She never saw her father come back down.

~ * ~

She woke with a start and looked around the room with wide eyes. Evie lifted her head to stare at her for a second before settling herself back to sleep. Was she going to dream about Wickham every single time she closed her eyes? She was so tired of it all. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

“Hey.” William sat down facing her. “When I got home, you were asleep. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a bus.” Her eyes traced over his beloved features. Dark circles stood out in stark contrast to his olive complexion, he once again sported the start of a light beard he hadn’t possessed the night of the shooting, and his eyes though soft, held a sadness she knew without asking was the same she carried with her. “What are we going to do?”

His large hand rubbed up and down her calf. “What do you mean?” He was always touching her these days, as if he was afraid she’d disappear.

“Well, you sort of moved in here because of Wickham. Are you planning to go back to your own house?”

His hand stilled, and he straightened. “Do you want me to?”

“I didn’t say that, but our relationship progressed quickly, and I don’t want you to stay because you feel obligated or because you think you have to.” There! She’d managed to choke that out without her voice cracking.

He scooted forward and took her face in his hands. “What I want more than anything is to be with you. Since I moved in here, this house and you have become my home. I’m happy here—happier than I can remember being in a long time and would prefer to stay as long as you want that too.”

She stifled a sob. “I’m sorry, but I had to make sure. I know you love me—you’ve said it a lot lately—and I do believe you, but please understand that I had to be sure you really wanted to be here with me.”

He held her until her sobs lessened, and she pulled back. “Don’t you know that deep inside I could never stay away. How do you think I ended up living here to begin with?” She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. “I know I said all that crap about Wickham, which was true to an extent, but your dad and I could’ve just set up the security system.”

“Would that really have been enough for you?”

“No way,” he said with a firm expression. “But I was already falling in love with you. Yes, at the beginning, I hid behind my history with Anne, but from the moment I first saw you, I was a goner. I never felt about Anne how I feel about you. The love I thought I had for her pales in comparison, which is why I fought it. If I’d been hurt by her, what could you do to me? My heart would be shattered.”

“I’d never intentionally hurt you?” Her voice was defensive, but he had to know.

“I’ve come to realize that,” he said. “And if you need proof that I hoped to live here on a permanent basis, ask Ana. She and I discussed what we would do with the Saddler ranch last week while you were sleeping.”

“What did you decide?”

“Ana went out and took a look at the house and the plans. She’s spoken to the contractor about a couple of changes she’d like to make while they’re finishing up the house—nothing major and work they haven’t done yet: bathtubs, showers, and so on. Chase seems interested in living there with her.”

“He flipped that townhouse in his free time. He’s been holding off on selling, but I think he’d follow Ana wherever she wants to go.”

He played with her fingers while he watched them. “I don’t think he plans on moving in soon, but I think he will eventually. Ana, in the meantime, is content to live there on her own.”

“Well,” she said with a scan around the living room. “As you know, I’ve been renovating this house since I moved in, but I haven’t finished. I started with the rooms I live in and was working my way out from there.”

“Which is why the bedroom I used for all of a week has Pepto-Bismol pink flamingo wallpaper?”

She covered her mouth and laughed. “That was Lydia’s room.”

“She likes flamingos?”

“No, she liked pink when she was about thirteen. Momma found that wallpaper on clearance and put it up as a surprise while Lydia was in school. Lydia was sixteen by that time and while she still loved pink, she despised that wallpaper. She spent the next two weeks pouting and hollering about how ugly it was, but it was too late. Momma refused to take it down when she’d spent all that time putting it up. I think it’s the only time I can remember Lydia not getting her way.”

“What did your dad do?”

“He laughed then went out to the stable to avoid the rest of the argument.”

He picked up her hand and kissed her thumb. “We’re going to be okay, Lizzy.”

“Daddy wants us to go to therapy.”

“And I agree with him.” His steady gaze held hers. “Neither of us can sleep through the night, and one day, we’ll need to sit in a courtroom with Wickham for a trial and sentencing. I want us to be able to do that without giving Wickham the satisfaction of knowing that he continues to haunt us. We deserve to be free of him.” He rubbed a finger under Evie’s chin. “Hey, she’s not trying to bite me for a change.” He squeezed Lizzy’s thigh. “What do you think?”

“About Evie?”

“No, about talking to a professional. Will you try with me?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”