I sigh and soften my tone. “You know I would never sleep with you, Hayley...”

“Because of Jonathan?”

“Because of a lot of things.”

She blinks and veers her eyes towards my pants. “You were clearly aroused...”

“I was aroused because I thought you were a slut who wanted to get fucked, but I—I don’t have to explain myself to you. Let’s go.”

**End of excerpt**

Dear Reader,

Get ready for a new type of New Adult :-)

I love you,

Whit’

Acknowledgments

Where do I even begin with this one?

Up until this past summer I had no idea what ARCs, blog tours, and cover reveals were. I didn’t even have an author Facebook page. Seriously. But some type of way, readers found me without them and then I discovered what all those strange things were and gained more readers than I could ever imagine. (I also realized that book bloggers run the world! :-) )

Tamisha Draper and Tiffany Neal, can we PLEASE pretend that I didn’t drive you batshit crazy about this book? Pretty please? No? Is it because I’m already driving you crazy with the next three? Yeah...I am, huh? LOL

Tamisha, thank you for reading this time and time again (print out after print out) and for putting up with the craziness that comes with beta-reading for me: Phone calls, never ending email threads, chapters I decide to change minutes after you’ve read them, having to literally force me to sit down and write a sex scene because I’m “too nervous” to write it LOL, etc. etc...It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and I truly treasure your beautiful friendship and support.

Tiffany, once again thank you for being the mediator between the overly dramatic (me) and the secretly dramatic but she won’t admit it (Tamisha). I can’t thank you enough for reading this countless times, hanging up in my face when I asked too many questions (LOL), and suggesting changes that made this story a whole lot better. You and Tamisha are amazing and I love you.

I know the rest of this year and 2014 is going to be CRAZY with the release line-up that’s planned, and I truly hope you’ll continue to be there with me every step of the way. (Yes Tiff, Beyleigh has to be there too!)

Bobbie Jo Malone Kirby and Kim Kimball (Two Crazy Girls with a Passion for Books)... So, this is going to sound like a HUGE hour-long gush-fest, but it must be said: I love you two SO MUCH! You are the first bloggers who reached out to me and I owe much of Mid Life Love's success to you! Ever since you spotlighted me on your blog (Spotlight Week! YESSS!), I have fallen head over heels in love with your craziness, your obsession with hot guys who have *cough cough* interesting things LOL, and amazing books! (I’m pretty sure most of the newest books on my kindle are from your recommendations)

I honestly don't think At Last would have been possible without the two of you (Well, it wouldn't have existed at all because you MADE me write it...Like, I still can’t believe you convinced me to write this book!), and I really can't thank you enough for being my shoulder to cry on when the editing got rough and for telling me to follow my heart :-)

Thank you Bobbie Jo for the fucking amazing title and for the much needed phone call that changed "the accident" for the better. When are we meeting up in the mountains? No wait...Nashville :-)

Thank you Kim for the unwavering support, for reading this more than once, and for your endless Gandy pics that always make me smile.

I loveeee you both!!! Now, if only we could meet up somewhere and toss back the much needed shots...Costa Rica, anyone?

To the BBE group. Oh god, how your edits can bring someone to their knees! Repeatedly! Nonetheless, thank you so much for "editing the shit" out of this and never allowing me to publish a story that is anything short of amazing! PS—I would like to take this time to remind you that I received the only A (A plus actually lol) in our summer writing course years ago LOLOL :-) I had to! Long live the amazing anonymous duo! Love y’all to pieces!

Jacqueline Russell (Jacqueline’s Reads)... First of all, thank you for taking a chance on Mid Life Love and sticking with me through all the crazy release date changes for At Last! (I know you say I’m not difficult, but I know I am, so THANK YOU for putting up with me anyway!) I appreciate you so much for giving me your no-holds-barred opinion on earlier drafts and helping me with the pacing. I'm honored that you're hosting the blog tour for this book and even more honored that you read the unedited AND edited versions.(**You are one brave soul for that because with your mile-long TBR list? Yeah...Not many would even dare read an unedited piece—more than once. LOL) I will definitely take your advice and "kink it up" in the next book and, no wait—I'll just...Just—No, but I—See what I did there? *Laughing* (Don’t forget to tell your husband I said thank you for pointing out the DVD/VHS thing...Honestly, who else would've noticed something like that? :-) )

Stephanie Locke at Rude Girl Book Blog thank you for all the wonderful advice you’ve given me along the way! I really really appreciate it and will probably be asking you for more soon! Lisa Kane at Three Chicks and Their Books, thank you for sharing my books and reading them (at the speed of light)! Kristine and Kristy at Book Addict Mumma, Jennifer Mitchell at Two Sassy Chicks, Nicole Blanchard at Miss Construed Reviews, Debra at the Book-Enthusiast, and all the ladies at The Dirty Hoes Book Blog—THANK YOU!!! I’m effin honored to be on your radar and even more honored for the support you’ve given me.

To every. single. book. blogger. who has ever read my work (whether you loved it or hated it)—THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I am forever indebted to you and I'm thinking of a grand way to pay you all back! (Seriously. Something must be done.)

Jennifer Williams. You’re still the best sister in the world and always will be. I thank you for believing in everything I write. [“How many times do we have to have this conversation?!” :-)]

Jay Williams and William Ray Edwards II—Thank you for respecting “my zone” again and randomly interrupting it with your impressions of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.

To my parents. LaFrancine and William Edwards...Thank you once again for believing in me! It means more than you’ll ever know!

To my friends that I admire from afar: Alonna Grigsby, Nadira Williams, Aster Teclay, Ashley Warren, Tanisha Hill, Sherbrina Shepherd, Christina Royster, Courtney Johnson, Angelica Harris, Vince Cunningham, and Karleic Ellison.

To fellow Memphian Justin Timberlake. Once again The 20/20 Experience helped me write this book! You’re amazing!

To Colleen Hoover, Jamie McGuire, Abbi Glines, Arianne Richmonde, Theresa Ragan, Mimi Strong, Shanora Williams, Abria Mattina, Alice Tribue, Laura Babcock Dunaway, and many more indie authors whom I admire and look up to. I stalk you all religiously and learn more and more from you every day...Yes, I’m borderline creepy, but whatevs :-)

Last and NEVER least, THANK YOU to all the incredible readers who are reading this book to the very end! I hope you enjoyed the rest of Claire and Jonathan's story and that they'll continue to hold a very special place in your heart.

You are the best readers a girl could ever ask for!

Love,

Whit

PS—I dare you to ask me about a trilogy...I dare you. LOL

Dear Incredible Reader,

Thank you so much for taking time out of your life to read this book! I hope you were thoroughly entertained and enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.