Exclusive Bonus Scene: Caught Up In Us Ever After by Lauren Blakely

I am so excited to share this exclusive bonus scene with you from First Night and Ever Afters, a compilation of bonus scenes as part of the Caught Up In Us series by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Blakely!!! This new ebook is also anchored by a sexy short story featuring a supporting character from Trophy Husband and a supporting character from Playing With Her Heart. The compilation is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes!

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• Barnes & Noble
• iTunes

Caught Up In Us Ever After

A lone tear slides down my cheek as we leave the movie theater. I can’t help it. I cry every time I see Casablanca.

My husband Bryan hands me a tissue. “I always wondered why you haven’t yet learned to bring tissues with you to the movies,” he says sweetly.

I shrug. “I know. It’s this huge lapse in my memory or something,” I joke as I take the tissue and wipe the tear away.

“You always cry at the movies, Kat.”

“Not always,” I say as he holds open the door for me and we step out into a crisp October evening in Manhattan. It is the end of October, Halloween to be precise, and Bryan and I both took the afternoon off to go to the movies. I know, call us crazy. We are wild kids playing hookey. But it’s not often when there’s a matinee showing of one of the greatest movies ever at a cinema on the Upper East Side.

“Most of the time,” he points out.

“Only if it’s sweet, or romantic, or sad or heartfelt or an amazing ending.”

That earns a knowing laugh. “Like I said, pretty much every movie.”

“Well, do you blame me? It’s a perfect ending, but it’s a sad ending too. You want them be together so badly,” I say.

“But they can’t be together.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes it so heartbreaking.”

He reaches for my hand and squeezes it as we reach the crosswalk. “I’m glad we have our happy ending,” he says, and leans in for a quick kiss. I melt at his the feel of his lips. Always have, always will. We’ve been married for four months now, and every day with him gets better.

We cross the street and I run my fingers along the outside pocket of my purse, feeling the outline of the gift I have for him. It’s a surprise, something I made myself, and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to share it with him. I hope he loves it and what it stands for.

Now that the afternoon has coasted into evening, the neighborhood streets are thronged with young trick or treaters. A robot rushes past us, followed by a ninja.

“So cute,” I say. “I’m guessing they’re probably in first or second grade.”

Then a girl in a princess costume skips down the block, holding her mom’s hand. “I want to get a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” the girl announces happily to us, sharing her candy dreams with anyone who will listen. The mom smiles as if to say “kids will be kids.”

“Be sure to get some Kit Kats too. Those are awesome,” Bryan says, offering candy advice.

“Look at you,” I say. “Candy advisor to the kids.”

“I’m a big fan of candy,” he says, then points down the block. “Hey, look at that costume.”

A young boy scampers up the steps of a brownstone, wearing a crazy-looking Siamese cat costume with wild hair and one fang-y tooth. He’s not just any cat. He’s Bryan’s favorite cartoon cat. “That’s Bucky! From Get Fuzzy! My favorite comic strip.” He turns to me, grips my hand tighter as if making an impassioned point. “When we have kids, I would absolutely get my kid a Bucky the cat costume for Halloween. That cartoon just makes me laugh.”

I gulp. Now is the perfect time. Who would have thought that I’d be walking down the street on Halloween and stumble into the right moment? But sometimes the right moments just present themselves and you have to seize them.

“Actually, Bryan,” I say, then start to trail off.

I stop walking. Bryan follows my lead and looks at me, his green eyes curious.

“What is it? Is everything okay?” He runs his hand along the sleeve of my jacket.

“Everything is great. I have a gift for you,” I say and reach into my purse and take out a small wrapped present. “I made this for you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “ A gift from my wife? I am the luckiest guy in the world.” He unwraps the present, and smiles when he sees two small cufflinks. They are miniature padlocks and I made them to represent the locks on the Lovers Bridge in Paris where we traveled for our honeymoon.

“I made them by hand. For you.”

“They are beautiful,” he says, and then pulls me in close for another delicious kiss. I linger on his lips as the next flock of costumed kids scurries by. Then I break the kiss, place my palms on his chest.

“They symbolize us. You and me,” I say, and the nerves fly through me, but so does the excitement. “Our love. But also the love we have that is growing.”

“Growing,” he repeats and it’s starting to click.

“Expanding.” I say with a sly smile, then I pat my belly. It’s still flat, but soon it won’t be.

His eyes widen and he speaks in a whisper. “Are you?”

I nod. “Yes, I’m pregnant!”

“We’re going to have a baby?”

Another nod. “Yes. We’re going to have a baby.”

His grin is as wide as the sky, his eyes rimmed with wonder and happiness. He pulls me close, wraps his arms around me. “I’m so damn happy with you Kat, and this only makes everything in our life together better. I love you and I love our baby.”

About Lauren

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.

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