The Last Encore (It's Always Been You Book 1)

by Elodie Colliard

To the women who feel like giving up: everything is temporary. No matter how bad things are right now, it shall pass. And tomorrow is another day to get back up and fight, just like we’ve always done. And to Emily Henry, the Yogurt Queen of the Ohio River Valley, who made me want to write and tell stories in the first place.

He had left when he’d promised her he wouldn’t. And he had never looked back. So … that was that.

“Avery, wait,” Josh called behind her, but she didn’t slow her pace down. “Would you please stop … Avie, please wait a sec.” Avie. The sound of his nickname for her made her stop instantly. Nobody had called her that in years. The last time she’d heard it was the day he had left, when he’d told her he was going to miss her. “So fucking much, Avie.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

Avery watched him make his way to the bar and gasped as she saw him dip behind it and grab two bottles of champagne as discreetly as he could.

“You have absolutely no shame, do you?” Avery said, amused. “How old are you?!” “Shhh quiet, act normal.” He placed his hand on her back and guided her toward the door and as soon as they were outside, he started laughing. “Okay now, run!”

“Cheers to you being a badass woman.” The words stung a little, because she’d spent the last three years working nonstop, sacrificing every other aspect of her life to build her business and so far, it wasn’t paying off. She was still in debt, still not making enough money to rent her own apartment, and barely had a social life. She had been fighting so hard to do what she loved, but she had to admit that she was starting to get tired of not seeing the results she wanted.

Most of the time though, I felt like a stranger living my own life. Sometimes, I still do.”

She was walking down the porch steps when she stopped short, squinting her eyes. Was that Josh's car parked over there? It couldn’t be. Because if it was, it would mean he'd been there all night, and while he was a thoughtful man, she didn't think anyone would go through the agony of sleeping in a car. Her whole body shivered at the thought. Her sleepy brain was probably playing tricks on her. Still, she approached the black Audi, and saw Josh, his head tilted toward the window, his mouth hanging open and drool coating his chin. How could he look so cute drooling?

“Enchanté,” she sputtered with the worst French accent possible.

Avery clung to his shirt. “No please, please don’t leave me here alone, J. I can’t stay here alone,” she sobbed. Josh put his arms around her, holding her tight and rubbing her back. His familiar scent relaxed the muscles of her throat a bit. “Okay, okay, I won’t go, I promise. I will never leave you again, Avie, you hear me? It’s over, you’re safe now. I’m here, always will be. I promise.”

“I love you. I love you like I’ve never loved anybody, and that scares the shit out of me. I’m scared to lose you, to give my all to you and lose myself along the way. I’m terrified of so many things, but I love you more than the fear that weighs on me constantly.