Read Asa (Marked Men #6) Online
Authors: Jay Crownover
“Are you ready to do this?”
I lifted an eyebrow at her because she was looking at Royal where she had her head bent close to Saint’s as the two of them chatted about something quietly. “Do you mean today or am I ready to do this with her?”
She put her free hand on top of mine on her belly and looked up at me. “Both.”
I was walking her down the aisle as well as Royal since Jet was singing Madness’s “It Must Be Love” while Cora walked to the altar.
“I’m ready for both.”
She smiled at me and it made happiness bloom inside of me. For two kids from the wrong side of the tracks we really had managed to luck out and end up on the other side of things in a spectacular fashion.
“Is everyone ready?” Brite was officiating at the ceremony, so when he asked the question everyone snapped to attention like a bunch of good little soldiers as he and Rome headed to the front of the church.
When the music started up, Rule and Shaw clasped hands and started down the aisle toward his brother. No one was shocked when they only made it halfway down before he stopped and pulled his pretty blond wife in for a kiss. It made everyone sigh. Nash and Saint went next, the rock on her finger gleaming almost as bright as the smile on her face when she gazed up into those purple eyes, and the two of them glided elegantly down the aisle. Rowdy and Salem went next, both of them looking far too cool for the traditional black tuxes we wore and the simple off-the-shoulder black bridesmaid dresses Cora had picked out. Salem just laughed when, instead of holding her hand and walking down the aisle side by side, Rowdy pulled her in front of him, put his hands across her still-flat stomach, and walked her down the decorated church that way instead.
Royal appeared at my other side and hooked her arm through my free one. She winked at Ayden, then lifted up on her toes so that she could kiss me on the cheek.
“Our turn.”
And here it was. This moment. A moment that would seem so simple, so insignificant and irrelevant to some, and yet it was everything to me. This moment was my life coming full circle, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would’ve missed it and all the wonderful things that it was full of. Friends. Family. Love. Togetherness.
I took the two most important people in the world to me to the front of the church. I didn’t miss the pride in Rome’s eyes or the approval in Brite’s when I took my place next to the men that had saved me from myself.
It was RJ’s turn, and even with Sayer at the back of the church to give her a little nudge, the little girl didn’t look like she wanted to move now that all eyes were on her. I saw her bottom lip start to tremble and Rome must have seen it, too. He took a few steps away from the altar so that she could see him. He held one of his hands out to her and Remy’s eyes locked on her father and suddenly she was fine. A smile split her face and she marched down the aisle throwing the flowers like she had been born to be a flower girl. Rome tossed his head back in laughter as Remy stopped about halfway down and did a little ballet twirl just for dramatic effect. She forgot all about the flowers after that and ran the rest of the way to Rome, who hefted her up, making her squeal in delight. He put a smacking kiss on the little girl’s cheek and walked back to his place in front of Brite.
Jet started to sing and Cora appeared at the back of the church with her father. Joe was also in his dress uniform from the navy, which made the fact that his daughter was in a flouncy, puffy, light pink wedding dress even more noticeable. Of course there would be no white wedding for the punk-rock pixie. It was like the entire church took a collective breath and let it out as the two of them made their way to the front of the church. Rome couldn’t take his eyes off the woman that had helped him slay all his dragons. RJ kept clapping her hands and saying, “Mommy is pretty.” She sure was. Cora’s multicolored eyes gleamed with unshed tears as she slowly made her way toward her waiting family … all of us.
When Joe handed Cora over to Rome, Rule broke the emotional silence with a loudly whispered, “It’s about damn time,” which had the entire church laughing. Jet stopped by to give Ayden a quick peck on the cheek and to pat her very round belly before taking his place next to me. We shared a look and I just nodded my head. I had had to do some serious work to earn my place up here next to these men, next to the man that loved my sister when I didn’t know how. I would never forget it.
We all had marks, some physical, some emotional, some that would never leave us, and many of those marks were of our own making as we all tried to get to the place we were supposed to be. Our marks defined us, separated us, and made us the men we were today. One fact that none of us up here on this altar could dispute was that the most important mark, the most lasting marks we would all carry with us, came from falling in love with the remarkable women that stood across from us.
We were marked and had been marked in unforgettable and forever ways. We were all better men for it. Marked men. None of us would have it any other way.
So this was a tricky one. Asa is all over the map, so the musical choices that reflect his personality are, too, and I really pictured Royal as upbeat and bubbly, so I knew she needed a pop sound track—which I absolutely don’t listen to. So the compromise was that I gave her all old pop songs that were popular when I was younger and can remember hearing on the radio. These choices are silly, catchy, and fun, which fits her personality, but definitely are not the fare that’s on the radio today. (Though I do have a secret affinity for Eminem. Don’t tell anyone!) This is an interesting one, but it fits and I think it’s a good one to say good-bye on …
Tom Petty, “You Got Lucky,” “Even the Losers”
Shooter Jennings, “A Hard Lesson to Learn”
Diamond Rugs, “Blue Mountains”
Britney Spears, “Toxic”
Whiskeytown, “The Battle and the War”
U2, “With or Without You”
Jason Isbell, “Streetlights”
Raconteurs, “Salute Your Solution”
Funeral Party, “Finale”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, “Devil’s Waitin’”
One Direction, “Better Than Words”
Justin Timberlake, “SexyBack”
P!nk, “Trouble”
Eagles of Death Metal, “I Want You So Hard”
George Thorogood, “Who Do You Love?”
Them Crooked Vultures, “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I”
The Killers, “All These Things That I’ve Done”
The Duke Spirit, “Love Is an Unfamiliar Name”
Christina Aguilera, “Dirrty”
Guns N’ Roses, “Civil War”
Eminem, “Berzerk”
American Aquarium, “Northern Lights”
Band of Horses, “The Funeral”
Slobberbone, “To Love Somebody”
Black Angels, “You’re Mine,” “Love Me Forever”
Sea Wolf, “O Maria!”
Morningwood, “Best of Me”
Madness, “It Must Be Love”
Before I get into my regular acknowledgments it occurred to me that I need to take a minute and holler at the other authors that have helped me navigate this crazy journey to get the Marked Men into the world. Writing is a joy and a passion but it is also a job, a job with the world’s greatest perks and benefits no doubt. It’s also a job that has some pretty crazy ups and downs and over the last few years there is a good chance I would have ended up quitting or in a strait jacket if it weren’t for these wonderful and extremely talented ladies:
Jennifer Armentrout is my hero. I want to be her when I grow up and I’ll make book babies with her any day.
Cora Carmack always makes me laugh. It’s good to remember this is supposed to be fun and she never lets me forget it.
Sophie Jordan is the master of reinvention. She is genius and has so many voices and ideas. She is the prime example of how to always grow, always challenge yourself and to never be scared of something new.
Tiffany King is prolly the nicest human being alive. She showcases how easy and effortless it is to support instead of compete. I just love her and her entire outlook on life.
Kristen Proby is a class act. I love her to death and honestly she is the perfect author to showcase how to conduct yourself professionally and thoughtfully in this business and in life. We are an odd pair but I’m so glad she loves me back.
Lisa Desrochers was the first author to tell me that I had something special working for me. She was so kind and so excited for me it was infectious. She’s brilliant and her take on romance is so fresh and different it’s hard not to admire everything that sets her apart.
KA Tucker is an agency sister and an amazing author, seriously the woman gives me word envy all the time. Every time I read one of her books it makes me want to be a better writer. Plus she’s just a doll and every time I’m in the same room with her I just want to hug her face off.
Of course, since this is the end of the series, I have to thank, first and foremost, all the amazing readers who embraced it and loved it as much as I did. Would there have been more after
Rule
without you guys? I can’t honestly answer that question with a yes. I love how my misfits found a place in your hearts and so did their misfit creator. I wouldn’t push to do better without you guys. I wouldn’t give of myself so fully with each book I write if I had never promised not to let you guys down. Being able to share my loves and my passions with so many people over and over again has really been a blessing.
Never doubt that the most important thing to authors is their readers. We want to thrill you. We want you to fall in love. We want to surprise you. We want to shock you. We want to make you angry. We want you to be blown away. We want you to stick with us while we try something new. But more than any of those things, we want to thank you for giving us a platform from which to let these stories shine.
So thank you and a million different thanks for a million different things.
The same goes for the bloggers who have had a hand in getting the boys out into the world. I appreciate those of you who have followed my career—through this series and, more importantly, beyond it. I know that being a blogger can be thankless, but please know that I am thankful for your support and promotion every step of the way. Hell, if it wasn’t for bloggers, I wouldn’t have had Karen, Michelle, and Rosette to help me navigate my first blog tour or promotional blitz. I wouldn’t have had Denise to tell me, “Hey, you need to make a Facebook and a Twitter.” I wouldn’t have had Mel around to say, “You need a fan page and I’ll help you run it,” or Mich in all her Kiwi glory to be like “You’re gonna be a star and I want to interview you even if no one knows who you are,” and Lisa being all “Let’s do a character interview—oh, you don’t know what that is, I’ll walk you through it.” Plus, most of the events I come out to see you guys at are spearheaded by passionate bloggers. You are all so important to sharing the love of books with the world that I can’t stress my gratitude for what you do enough. I always say I won’t name-drop because I value all the bloggers who have been there for me along the way equally. But for those of you who have been on board from day one … I especially thank you for believing in me and having faith in me being more than a flash in the pan. It matters so much to me.
Getting
Asa
wrapped up took a lot of work. He was a complicated guy with a difficult past, and getting him to a place where he understood that he deserved not only love but to be a better man took work. He really undid me and I wanted to make sure that he not only got the story he deserved but so did the rest of the gang. I absolutely couldn’t have gotten him there without Vilma Gonzales (my book spirit animal) and Denise Tung (my story sensei). I needed both of them to make this the best story possible and guide me in the right direction when I was lost. Reaching the end of this series gives me goose bumps. Instead of feeling sad that it’s over, I feel like I really did what needed to be done to have everyone be where they were supposed to be. Now all I am is excited to move on to the next thing. I’ve made many an important, valuable, interesting, and wonderful book friend along this journey. These two ladies rank at the top of that list. I have all the love in the world—and then more—for both of them.
I also wouldn’t have nearly as much fun or be as connected to my reader base as I am without Melissa Shank. Man, is she just good people through and through. She manages my life when I can’t do it, and she really is the bridge that makes it easy to travel out there and touch base with the people that it matters most to connect with … my readers. She works really hard to keep the minute details fun, and whenever I ask her to take on a task, I just assume it’s handled and I think that’s so rare to find in people these days. I’m grateful every day that she ended up in my corner. If you want to connect with me and my peeps … I’m talking the peeps that love all things Jay, please come on over and join the Crowd … we have a good time and always encourage everyone to play well with others.
www.facebook.com/groups/crownoverscrowd
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Since it’s the end and I always go on and on about my usual suspects: my mom and dad; my Gma, who has read ALL my books and keeps them on a shelf, which just makes my heart happy; Mike, who manages all my heavy lifting for me (I never knew how important that was until I got divorced!); and my dogs … I feel like I can just sum it up and say no one is as lucky as I am. I have wonderful people in my life. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by love and support on a daily basis. I would never ask for more and I will never accept less than all the wonderful things they have to give.
I do need to say that the idea of living in the moment, of being present and awake for all the wonderful things happening right now, is a constant battle I wage. Every single release day this struggle sends me into a tailspin, but I’m determined this time around to take the lessons this book is about and apply them to my actual life. I’m not only in the arena, I’m also in the moment.
Now on to business … oh yes, putting out a book is very much work and very much a business, so don’t let anyone ever try and tell you otherwise.
I’ve been so fortunate that all the people that I work with in a professional and creative capacity are really wonderful … I mean really.
My editor, Amanda, is feisty and sweet. She only wants the best book possible to get into your hands, and she works really hard to make sure that happens. She hasn’t ever tried to change what I do and I value her so much for that. With my books, what you see is what you get, just refined enough to make for an easier and more satisfying read. Amanda has also been willing to let me do different things and push boundaries, and has embraced all my crazy … hell, half the time she encourages it. I really feel lucky she is the one that opened the door for me to be able to tell my stories my way, and hearing her feedback as we work together has not only made me a better writer but a better person along the way.
There is an army of women behind the scenes at a big publishing house that works tirelessly to bring romance and books in general out into the wild. When I was younger I could only dream of a job like that, so to see the girls that do it and do it so well really makes my soul happy.
Jessie and Alaina really do an excellent job not only of managing the business of Jay but also of managing Jay. I’m not always the easiest person in the world to navigate around, but they do it flawlessly and they make the business part of what I do fun. Even though publishing is a business and sales and numbers really do matter, all of the team at HarperCollins make me feel like it’s just as much about me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I ended up in the place I was supposed to be and now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
So thanks, ladies, for giving me this opportunity and working as hard as you do.
KP … oh, where do I start to sing the praises of this lady and her tireless dedication to her clients? She’s amazing. The end! Seriously, I loved her before I needed her, but now I love her even more. My admiration for this woman borders on obsessive and I tell her all the time she better hold a spot on the InkSlinger team because if this writing thing doesn’t pan out I’m going to work for her. I’m so honored to be part of the InkSlinger roster of talented and groundbreaking authors … know it!
Somehow I’ve ended up with this ridiculously cool group of people in Texas I get to call my homies. They are funny, kind, and all of them have hearts as big as the state they live in. So this is my special shout-out to the Lone Star peeps that always make me smile: Heather and Brad Self, Stephanie Higgins, KP Simmon, Vilma Gonzales, the entire Shank family (Jake is the best books husband in the land and Lizzy gives me hope for the future), Danielle Sanchez, Yesi Cavazos and Trini Contreras and Damaris Cardinali (okay, Damaris is an East Coast girl, but I always think of her and Trini hand in hand, so she ends up here :-)).
Okay, so this a big one … a major one … the person who deserves more thanks than I can even begin to try to explain and that’s my agent, Stacey. She is all the things. She’s my support system. My business partner. My priest. My mom. My fashion consultant. My cheerleader. My voice of reason. My sparring partner. She plays so many roles really that I can’t thank her or give her enough credit for all the ways she helps me out in my life and my career. I owe my having more books beyond
Rule
and even more series beyond the Marked Men to her. She believed in the boys when others were all “That girl can’t spell and I don’t think she’s ever seen a comma.” She always had more belief in me than anyone else and she has never wavered in her assertion that I am supposed to be writing books for a living. She always tells me she’s a fan first and my agent second. I’m her fan first and her client second. I owe pretty much every great opportunity that has come my way since all of this started to Stacey and I don’t think there will ever be enough time or words to thank her for that.
So here we are at the end of what really has been an epic journey. I’ve loved every second of it, even the seconds I hated. I’m really looking at things as if one door has closed and now I’m hurtling myself out an open window and just seeing where I’ll land. I have so many fun ideas that I really, really hope you guys want to jump with me.
As always I’m easy to find if you want to holler at me and have me holler back:
Thank you for everything.
Love & Ink
Jay