I gave him a questioning smile. “I thought Jayme should be represented on such an important day,” he said, answering my silent question.

Shit. I was going to cry. And smear my makeup even worse than it already was.

“Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss me.

“Stop quoting Browning and go find my parents,” I told him, though I was grinning broadly.

“I’ll see you after,” Maxx said, kissing me one more time.

I watched him slip through the crowd and make his way to the seat that Renee had saved for him. I remembered walking out of his apartment two years ago. I hadn’t been sure I could move forward with Maxx, given his betrayal. I was unable to forgive him right away. My heart had been wounded all over again.

In the end, though, I had held true to my promise and hadn’t walked away. Because he deserved better than that. We both did. We had fought too hard to not give it everything we had. And that included allowing myself to trust in the man who had already hurt me so much. The man who was trying to slay his demons for me. One vicious battle at a time.

But it hadn’t been easy. Learning to trust Maxx didn’t happen overnight. And there were days when I was still plagued with the doubts that had almost destroyed us before we had a chance to begin. But I had never been particularly fond of easy.

We had experienced some dark days on this path together. There were times he struggled with his dependence just as intensely as he had when he first stopped using. Even though he was relentless in his outpatient treatment, I knew that it would always be there. The addiction. It would be a part of him forever. It wasn’t one of those things he’d ever truly heal from.

But somehow, he was making it work. We both were. Together.

And then, a month ago, Maxx had just gotten his latest commission from his art installation piece in New York City and had wanted to go out and celebrate. He had established himself as X, the mysterious street artist whose works were selling for astronomical prices.

He had taken me to the cinema in town. The Doom Generation was playing. He had arranged everything. And in the darkened theater where we had had our first date, he had slipped a diamond ring onto my finger and asked me to be his wife. Of course I had said yes. I had never been able to say no to Maxx.

After graduation I planned to move into his apartment in the city. And when Landon came home on holidays from his art school in Philadelphia, he would stay in the spare room. And we’d spend Christmas with my parents and have dinner parties with friends. And we’d have the life we’d always wanted.

The one Maxx dreamed of.

The dream we had both longed for.

Things weren’t all sunshine and roses, and they never would be. We had to learn to accept the dark and ugly that would always be inside us. And when Maxx fell, I’d be behind him holding him up. And when I began to doubt, he’d be there reminding me of why I’d follow him anywhere. Because after all this time, I had learned that I could trust the man that I loved. I could trust in the love that had changed our lives.

And that was the only kind of happily ever after either of us needed.

acknowledgments

It’s time to thank the usual suspects.

To Ian and Gwyn: You are in every word and on every page. I love you.

To my parents, who always believed I could do anything, and to my grandparents, who gave me the tools to follow any road I wanted to take.

To Matt: You may be gone but will never be forgotten. You were my original cheerleader and biggest supporter. You’ve left a hole that will never be filled.

To my Bad Ass gals, Amy, Tonya, Claire, Stacey, Brittainy, and Kelsie: Your talent continues to awe and inspire me every single day. I’m so lucky to have you in my writing world.

To Kristy, the best PA and friend I could ever ask for: You keep me sane in complete insanity. What would I ever do without you?

To Michelle, agent extraordinaire: You are a superwoman! Seriously. You should buy stock in awesomeness.

To Elana and Alex, my amazing editors at Gallery: Your support and your belief in Maxx and Aubrey have made this all possible. Thank you for your endless patience and guidance!

To the fantastic people at Gallery who have supported these stories from the beginning: You have helped make this writer’s dreams come true.

And most importantly, to my readers, to the bloggers, to the people who support me daily: This would mean nothing without you!

about the author

A. MEREDITH WALTERS is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of New Adult novels including Bad Rep, Perfect Regret, Lead Me Not, and the Find You in the Dark series. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a counselor for troubled and abused children and teens. She currently lives in England with her husband and daughter.

FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/A-Meredith-Walters

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Also by A. Meredith Walters

Twisted Love Series

Lead Me Not

Find You in the Dark Series

Find You in the Dark

Light in the Shadows

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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First Gallery Books trade paperback edition June 2015

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