Published by:
Andrea Michelle
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious and the work of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Emerge into Forever
© Copyright 2014 by Andrea Michelle
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations within a review or article, no other part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form including but not limited to: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other creations in the future hereafter without written permission of the publisher.
The author acknowledges the real people, places, copyrighted/trademarked status and the trademark owners of all mentioned in this work of fiction. This includes, but is not limited to references to social media, various local places and people. All mentioned trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold, or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, you must purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not gifted to you legally, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Please, respect the copyright and hard work of this author. Thank you for reading.
Cover Design: Artistry in Design
Cover Photographer/License: DollarPhoto
Interior Design: Andrea Michelle
Editor: Lindsay Thibodaux
*Warning: Recommended for readers 17+ due to sexual content, underage drinking and adult language. This is the final book in this series. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Excerpt for Ever After
Once upon a time in the boot of Louisiana, a young girl made a mess of things and began writing dark poetry to cope. She often found herself daydreaming and creating stories in a far away land that didn't exist and was always out of her reach. Her mission was to move on, find love and a reason to believe in the beautiful things in life. She didn't expect to be counting her blessings daily for all that she has found since then. Her once dark poetry became colorful and bright—it became music. She found purpose and her make believe stories slowly vanished away. Her poetry also sat in the backseat as more important things took priority. However, life can catapult you in the blink of an eye. A long forgotten coping mechanism of writing would once again become her escape. This time, though, she realized that this escape where she created stories was not a curse, but a gift. Embracing her voice, she breathes life into her characters and poetically weaves together stories for readers to enjoy. She is no longer the young girl who feared the unknown, but is stronger and has faith that beautiful things will always be in reach. She is married to her best friend, and is a mom to three beautiful daughters who are her favorite cheerleaders. She is excited to have the opportunity to share her love of writing with readers. The stories are fictional, but they are real to her. She has always felt things passionately and this new journey as an author is no different. She is no longer looking back, but looking ahead to this amazing adventure with all of you. She invites you to connect with her if you desire to do so.
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Dear Reader,
I truly believe music is the perfect healer for a bad day or the inspiration to a beautiful story. I love to listen to music while I write; actually I find it necessary. This is the playlist that I felt moved me while I climbed inside Josh & Riley’s heads. Enjoy :)
PLAYLIST FOR THIS NOVEL:
to listen on Spotify: http://t.co/AzQKy9rMNc
Never Get To Heaven – Sarah Blaine
Gold (Flume Re-Work) – Chet Faker
Chandelier – Sia
Breathe Me – Sia
Breathe Again – Sarah Bareilles
Pieces – Andrew Belle
Sad Song (feat. Elena Coats) – We The Kings
Set Fire To The Third Bar – Snow Patrol
You and Me – Bassnectar
Thank God I Got Her – Johnny Diaz
Break Free – Ariana Grande
Rest In Pieces – Saliva
The Climb – Miley Cyrus
I Won’t – Colbie Caillat
I Never Told You – Colbie Caillat
Take It Out On Me – Florida Georgia Line
White Girl –Trina
To Build A Home – The Cinematic Orchard
Distance – Jack & Jack
Stay With Me – Tylar Ward & Anna Clendening
When You’re Gone – Avril Lavigne
Innocence – Avril Lavigne
Let Me Go – Avril Lavigne (feat. Chad Kroeger)
Give You What You Like – Avril Lavigne
Falling Fast – Avril Lavigne
Frozen Twilight – God Is An Astronaut
My Superman – Santigold
All The World – Fauxliage
The Ocean – Tegan And Sarah
In My Veins (feat. Erin McCarley) – Andrew Belle
Ocean Wide – The Afters
I Was Wrong – Sleeperstar
Only One – Alex Band
Breakdown – Seether
Weak – Seether
Here and Now – Seether
The Gift – Seether
Last Stand – Adelitas Way
Let Go – 12 Stones
Lost In Paradise –Evanescence
You Are The One – Shiny Toy Guns
What If I Was Nothing – All That Remains
What Now – Rihanna
End Of All Days – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Purple – Pop Evil
Find You – Zedd, Matthew Koma
Without You – Three Days Grace
Alibi- Thirty Seconds to Mars
Lost In You – Three Days Grace
We Remain – Christina Aguilera
Devil May Cry- The Weeknd
Mirror – Ellie Goulding
Beating Heart – Ellie Gouldin
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Beautiful With You- Halestorm
Break In – Halestorm
Run Away – Cary Brothers
In My Arms – Plumb
Cut – Plumb
Stars – Grace Potter and The Nocturnals
Bloodstream – Stateless
Shooting Arrows - Santigold
Let Me Be Myself (Acoustic) – 3 Doors Down
Without You – Mattia Cupelli
Human – Christina Perri
Somewhere – Within Temptation
Feels Like Tonight - Daughtry
My My Love –Joshua Radin
In Loving Memory of my prior editor Monique O’Connor.
Your love and kindness will always be remembered on the pages that you touched, both in your own books and the books that you edited for others like me. I love and miss you dearly. May you rest in peace.
TO MY HUSBAND – I can’t even form words for how much your support means to me. I have neglected you many of nights to write this book, yet you never complained. You are my best friend. You have always been and always will be my best friend. You fell in love with a troubled girl when she was nineteen and stuck in her dark poetry. You are the reason my poetry has become happy. Your love is the reason this love story was able to grow to fruition. You gave me something to believe in and I love your more and more everyday.
TO MANY AMAZING LADIES – MY IEZ Ladies: MaryAnn Jordan, AD Ellis, MJ Nightingale, Jen Andrews, Andrea Long, Kristine Raymond, ML Steinburn, Sandra Love, EJ Shortall, Victoria Brock – without you I’d be so lost. You ladies are my rock and I am so thankful to have you all as friends. Words aren’t enough to even express the love I have for you. You’re my people. My PA team and editor: Trista Baldwin, Michelle Hart and Lindsay Thibodaux – You are my crew and I love you to pieces. Trista and Lindsay, you have been with me from the beginning and your love for Josh and Riley touches my heart. Thank you. My Beta Readers: Jamie Turner-Norton, Renae Poletti, Erica Danielle, Jess Danowski, Jen Andrews, Heather Young, Emma Shortall, Alissa Riker, Trista Baldwin, Kathy Corbett-Shreve, Lindsay Thibodaux and Michelle Hart – you ladies are more than betas’ to me. You listen to my crazy thoughts and never pass judgment. You offer advice and talk me off the edge all of the time. I just love you bunches. My Working Girls – It’s still crazy to me to even have a street team. I just think you ladies are so awesome. Your support means the world to me and I thank you so very much for being by my side on this crazy journey.
TO THE READER – This book was very hard for me to write. It’s bittersweet. I’m struggling to say goodbye to these characters. They are embedded so deep into my soul, I want to keep them with me forever and write their every moment. Thank you for reading their story and for embracing them with love and kindness. Your messages to me, your thoughts and your support touch my heart deeply. I hope that I give you, “the feels” and make your heart happy. I apologize in advance for any tears shed. I know I have shed plenty both writing this story and reading it. Then again, these characters are my babies. Love you all and thank you for joining me on this wild adventure.
TO ALL THE LOVELY BLOGGERS – Thank you to the hosts for Emerge into Forever: Tabitha Collins Jones with The Book Partners in Crime for my Release Day Blitz, Sandra Love with Indie Author Books for my Cover Reveal, and Ena Burnette with Enticing Journey Book Promotions for my Blog Tour. Thank you to the many blogs that participated shared posts on social media and reviewed my book(s). Without you, this would not be possible.
***WARNING***
This is the third and final book in the Shifting Series. It is strongly encouraged to read the books in order.
Not recommended for anyone under the age of 17 due to underage drinking, sexual content and adult language.
Synopsis for Escape the Doubt (Book 1 in the Shifting Series)
Is taking a chance with your heart worth the escape, or was it better to have never loved at all? Can forgiveness really set you free?
After the unexpected death of her Dad, and the haunting manner in which he died, Riley Shaw built invisible walls around her heart. Barriers she created to protect her from splintering into broken pieces that couldn’t be repaired. She was unable to move forward from her past, letting the guilt of her parent’s mistakes dictate her own choices.
Dean Warren was safe. Being with him was innocent and peaceful because she didn’t truly love him. His words held her captive in a false sense of security. His eyes were deceptive, and his promises of never pushing her beyond what she was willing to give were broken, leaving Riley in a state of regret and doubt.
Joshua Parker had the power to take what was left of Riley’s splintered pieces and ruin her completely, or make her whole again. He was her best friend, her next-door neighbor—everything she wanted and settled on never having. Loving him was as easy as breathing air. The fear of losing him forever was more real to her than the feelings she couldn’t escape.
When faced with the very thing she feared the most, and in the arms she thought were safe, Riley finds herself questioning every decision she has made over the past two years. When she finally escapes the doubt in her head, and accepts the truth in her heart, is it too late?
“I’m so close to the edge of the cliff that I know one more breath, one more inch, I could fall.” –Riley Shaw
Synopsis for Embrace the Moment (The Shifting Series, Book 2)
Torn apart by a tragedy, pushed together by fate. Nothing is coincidence.
Riley and Josh have been through it all together, first as best friends and now as a couple.
Faced with a decision that will test their relationship, these two learn to fight harder than ever before to keep their hearts intact. Once the decision is made, there is no going back. With the past creeping into their present, and miles between them, they learn nothing is easy. Every moment matters.
Can Riley and Josh survive the first year of college apart? Will their love remain strong enough to embrace every moment that belongs to them? Or will someone from the past interfere, take what he wants and ruin them forever?
"For each star in the sky, I have a reason why I love you. When you look up at night, never forget this truth." ~Josh Parker
IN HER WORLD LOVE IS TEMPORARY
FOREVER ISN’T EVEN IN THE VOCABULARY
IN MY WORLD, SHE IS LOVE
SHE IS FOREVER
ALL IS POSSIBLE WHEN WE’RE TOGETHER
STARS ARE HUNG JUST FOR US
SHINING BRIGHT WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH
GUIDING HER BACK TO ME
BACK HOME
BACK INTO THE ARMS WHERE SHE BELONGS
THEME SONG FOR THIS NOVEL: Sad Song by We the Kings (feat. Elena Coats)
She escaped the doubt, and he embraced the moment. Shifting apart then shifting together. Could they finally emerge into forever?
One secret broke his trust, which led to both of their heartbreak. They both learned that sometimes love just isn't enough. Until now.
Nothing with them had ever been simple and coming home to right his wrong would be no different. Josh was prepared to say or do anything to fix his mistake and mend what he had broken between them. He wasn't expecting to find out his worst nightmare had come true. As usual, though, not everything is as it seemed.
Riley had been slowly spiraling into a dark hole of loneliness and despair without Josh. Rebuilding walls he had once broken down, pushing away everyone around her. One self-destructive mistake left her unguarded and vulnerable causing her past to slam into her present with painful force. Destroyed by Jo
sh's assumptions then given hope by his reassurance, she climbs out of the dark and back into his arms. He’s her light and she’s his music.
Enough is enough and communication is key. No longer hiding behind walls and past screw-ups, they fight like hell for what they want. One another. Always wanting more.
Apart they are a mess, but together they are music.
Recommended for ages 17+ due to underage drinking, adult language and sexual content. Parts of this novel are dark in nature.
CHAPTER 1
Why does the past always creep into the present? Is it even possible to forget the things you never wish to think about?
“Why are we here, Dean?” Preslee asks, as we walk into the party full of strangers and loud music—a distraction necessary to survive where my head is. The bigger question should be why the fuck am I here with her after everything she’s done. I know why, because she is the only person equally as fucked up as me. The only person fucked up enough to keep coming back to me. She’s partially to blame for my state of mind being what it is, but I can’t blame her for that. I can only blame myself for not being a better person when she needed me. I’m no good for anyone. It’s probably a blessing our baby died. I’d be a shit father just like mine was.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut, trying and failing to reign in my irritation with her. “Just shut up.” I snap. “If you have somewhere else to be then by all means, get the fuck out.” I hear her yelp in surprise and turn my head just enough to catch her mouth gape open as she looks at me. I don’t wait around for her decision. I have a need, an ache to fill with something, even though I’m not sure what it is just yet. I walk to the corner in the living room to watch the people in this area. I need someone to catch my eye. No one does yet.
Preslee catches up to me quickly—decision made. Wrong one, Preslee. You should have left. I can feel something stirring in me—something unfamiliar and a little scary.
She grabs my arm and turns me roughly to her, making me meet her baby blues that look so fucking desirable when she’s on her knees. “Shit, Dean. What the hell?” Her eyes study mine curiously, searching them for something. She must find the sinful thing she likes because her lips turn up into a soft smirk as she looks over my shoulder and back to me.