When We're Thirty Casey Dembowski (the chimp paradox .TXT) 📖

We. He hadn’t given up hope. Hannah’s gaze shifted from Will to the apartment as he unlocked the door. Nothing seemed out of place, except perhaps Hannah herself. She wondered if it had always been this small and where Will would fit among her things.

“Thank you. You didn’t need to do this.”

“I did, though,” he said, walking through the small space. It was odd to think he’d been here so few times. That one of the biggest parts of her life had almost never been in her home. “Consider it my husbandly duty.”

She shook her head and leaned back against the couch. “Do I get to go now?”

Will narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you mean?”

“I have something to tell you, but you won’t stop talking.”

He waved his hand in front of himself, clearing the path. “By all means, Mrs. Thorne.”

She grinned and plugged her phone into her speaker system. She scrolled until she found Leonard’s musical wedding gift. The opening chords started. Hannah led Will around the back of the couch to the same spot where he’d proposed. She dimmed the lights. Leonard’s voice filled the small apartment.

“Is that...?” Will trailed off when Hannah got down on one knee, taking his hands in her own. “What are you doing?”

She smiled up at him. “Proposing, dummy.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “When you came back into my life almost five months ago, I didn’t expect this. I thought it would be like that semester of college where you crashed on our floor.” She shifted on her knee. “God, this is really uncomfortable.”

Will laughed. His eyes glistened with tears. “Five months ago, you wouldn’t even have been able to kneel like that.”

“I know,” she said. Her hands trembled where they held his. “The more time I spent with you, the closer to you I wanted to be. I grew to love you, slowly and then completely. There is no other choice for me. It has to be you. Not because of the pact or our history but because of the man you are and the man you are working to become.

“I love you, William Anderson Thorne. I promise to choose you every day for the rest of my life.” She stood up, looping her arms around his neck. “Marry me. Marry me again.”

He nodded, and his lips crashed with hers for the first time in weeks. Their tears mixed, leaving a salty taste to the kiss.

“It would be an honor to stay your husband, Hannah Grace Abbott-Thorne.” He held out his pinky.

Hannah kissed him again before linking her pinky with his.

Acknowledgements

Writing may be a solitary task, but the journey to publication is not traveled alone. Without the support and comradery of so many, this novel may never have found its home.

First, a very big thank you to Lynn McNamee at Red Adept for taking a chance on Will and Hannah and their crazy marriage pact story. And to all the staff at Red Adept—When We’re Thirty would not be where it is without you. A special thanks to my amazing RAP editors Angie and Marirose for loving Will and Hannah as much as I do.

To my RAP mentor and friend, Erica Lucke Dean—you have made my path to publication so amazing. Thank you for full-day conversations on grammar, for brainstorming whenever I needed you, for my amazing cover and graphics, and for so much laughter. I don’t think I’d have survived this journey without you.

A big thank-you to my early readers, who saw this book in its infancy and helped shape it: Alison, Tracey, Katherine, Natalia, Bradeigh, Robin, Lainey, and Kimberley.

For the last several years, I’ve had the absolute honor of being in a small, tight-knit online writing group. To all the ladies in the Ink Tank, my Fictionistas—I could not do any of this without you. Finding all of you has been a highlight of the last several years of my life. When this pandemic is over, I can’t wait to give each of you a giant hug.

To all my fellow writers who have been with me on this journey through one organization or another—thank you for the love and support. Knowing you all (virtually or otherwise) has made this journey worthwhile.

To the 2021 debuts—we did it!

To all the authors, readers, and bookstagrammers—you have made my publication journey so much fun. Thank you for all the support and for making sure more than my family knows about my book.

To Danielle Burby—thank you for encouraging me to write this book and for helping me get here.

To the ladies of the On the Same Page Book Club—thank you for making me feel like a celebrity long before I ever signed my publishing contract.

To all my friends and family who have watched me write and write and write some more—thank you for letting me get lost in my own little world for all these years.

To my best friend, Katie—there’s a reason Hannah has such an amazing best friend and that she’s named Kate. I never imagined when we started writing our book in ninth grade that I’d be here one day.

To my mom—thank you for believing in me and my dreams and for giving me the chance to try everything so I could find my one thing.

To my husband, who has given up countless hours with me while I’ve written and edited and worked to make this dream a reality—your support has kept me going through the hardest of times. Thank you for embracing my dreams. I love you more.

And finally, to my daughter—you’re the very best thing in my life. Your smile and laughter and love bring me so much joy and inspire me every day. Dream big, princess.

Did you love When We're Thirty? Then you should readFor the Love of Katie by Erica Lucke Dean!

Newlywed Katie Maxwell is ready to settle down and leave her amateur detective days behind. But when the veil of