That's YAmore Blogfest

For those of you not interested in reading short (250 words or less) excerpts about lurve, you are excused from commenting on my blog until next Wednesday.  I won't hate.

For those who love the notion of being in love, and adore reading YA -- you are in the right place!!

Check out all That's YAmore Blogfest participants to remember the joy (and pain) of falling in love for the first time.

The following is an excerpt from near the end of my YA WIP. Quick scenario, girl loves boy and knows boy cares about her, but he's never used the "L" word. Not that it matters because they're expecting the story conflict to rip them apart very soon...

Without meaning to, Jackson had taught me those things. When he was gone, my heart would need a tremendous amount of recovery time. But when I was ready to love again, I’d know better than to settle for anything less than what I deserved. That was his gift to me.

“If I had the chance to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything,” I said.

His look of relief made me sad. It stung that he’d ever doubted me. I turned around and settled back against his chest. It wasn’t his fault I’d fallen in love with him when he warned me not to. He couldn’t possibly understand how I felt.

“I love you, Reese.”

I froze. His words were so soft I wondered if it wasn’t a trick of the wind.

“What did you say?” I held my breath.

Jackson rested his forehead on my shoulder, shielding his face. “I said . . . I love you.”

The weirdest feeling exploded through my chest, spreading out from the center in waves. Until they were spoken, I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear those words.  A bittersweet pang thumped with each beat of my heart.

He turned his head, skimming the hollow of my shoulder with his lips. Warm breath preceded the brush of his kiss against my neck, setting off shivers of pleasure as he whispered in my ear. “I love you.” 

Three times. He’d said those wonderful words not once, but three times.

Happy Valentines Day Weekend!!