“Yes, perfect for her.”
Bailey glanced between them, feeling confused. “Have you seen it? Did Ryan show you before?”
Alex nodded. “Ryan very respectfully came to me and asked for my blessing before proposing.” His smile faded slightly as he looked at the ring. “Of course, I gave my blessing, and I gave him this ring.”
Bailey looked down at the ring. “Whose…where…?”
“It was Theresa’s ring, the same ring I used to propose to her with.”
“Oh, wow.” She looked over at Ryan’s smiling face. “I absolutely love that.” She fisted her hand and held it to her chest. “That makes me very happy.” She fought to keep the whine out of her voice, but she was so touched by the fact she was wearing her mother’s ring, she couldn’t control the tears as they spilled from beneath her lids.
“Alex wasn’t sure, but I knew you’d be touched.” Ryan brushed the tears from her face and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Bailey…”
“I love you,” she said. “I love you brighter than the stars and deeper than the lake.”
OTHERBOOKSBYDANAMASON
If Finding Bailey got your heart pounding, your pulse racing, and left you wanting more, don’t miss Dana’s Accidental Love Series or her Embrace Series, all available on multiple platforms.
Romantic Suspense to get your heart pounding!
Embrace Series
Dangerous Embrace, Book One
Precious Embrace, Book Two
Broken Embrace, Book Three
Embrace Series: Romantic Suspense Box Set
Scorching Contemporary Romance with a guaranteed HEA!
Accidental Love Series
Accidental Groom, Book One
Accidental Lies, Book Two
Accidental Secrets, Book Three
Prefer to listen to your romance? Check out Dana’s audiobooks:
Dangerous Embrace
Precious Embrace
Accidental Groom
Accidental Lies
Accidental Secrets
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my family, those of you who are still here, thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do this dream job. And it is still my dream. To all of my extended family and friends, thank you for your constant support. Please keep sharing and spreading the word. I couldn’t do this without you.
To the people who read everything I send them, Lisa, Katie, Nancy T, Paige, Nancy G, and Linda, thank you so much for your valuable feedback and for answering my never-ending questions. I’m forever grateful for having you ladies in my life.
Katie, I’m not sure how I’d continue to do this without you. You keep me sane. I hope you know that I treasure you and our friendship. Thank you for always being around for me, and thank you for your steadfast honesty, even when it’s hard to hear.
Lisa, girl, you’re a freaking rock star and an inspiration. I want to be you when I grow up. You keep me writing, even on the most challenging days. Your enthusiasm is relentless every damn day, and I admire that. You’re humble and generous and just an all-around wonderful person who deserves everything this life has to offer.
Nancy T, ditto everything above! Thank you for always being available and supportive. Thanks for fixing my words, knowing your shit, and keeping me pointed in the right direction. Because I need that, all the time!
Carrie Butler, you’re such an extraordinary friend. Thanks for putting up with me! It’s hard to work with friends, and I understand that. I also realize I’m not an easy client, but I hope you know how much I appreciate the effort you put into making me happy even when I didn’t know what I wanted.
ANOTEFROMTHEAUTHOR
Thank you so much for picking up my book. I know you have many, many choices out there, but I’m thrilled you chose to read mine. Writing Finding Bailey has been a labor of love. I began researching and writing this book in 2010 after coming across a news article about an abandoned baby. Horrified with the idea of someone being so heartless, I had to wonder what it takes to do that, especially to your own child. Then my wheels started turning, and I knew I had to write this story. These characters have been in my head for many years. Time and time again, I set this one aside for other books, and other ideas, but that doesn’t make Finding Bailey any less special to me. And I really hope you love Bailey and Ryan as much as I do.
I’ve tried to make them as human as possible, which required me to do a lot of soul searching and questioning my own relationships. We all wonder, don’t we? We’ve all had the feeling of not belonging at some point in our lives. Living with cooler, or more athletic, or smarter siblings will do that. Being the youngest, or the smallest, or the one who struggles in school when the people around you are thriving, is, I think, something we’ve all felt at one time or another. With this thought, I wondered what it would feel like to find out that I didn’t actually belong. And then, what happens when the abandoned baby grows up? Does she question everything? Or does she feel utterly secure within her adoptive family? All these questions led to Bailey’s story.
Every heroine needs an equally complicated hero. I can easily say, Ryan has been one of my favorite characters to write. On the outside, he’s a very cool, confident, and articulate person, but inside he’s just like the rest of us. Swimming in insecurities and seeking acceptance, even if it’s only from Bailey. I love strong but vulnerable men in my romance novels, and Ryan fits the bill for me. I hope you like him as much as I do.
I’ve considered turning this into a series, writing a story for Lucas and Wade as book two and three. What do you think? Would you like to hear more about the men of El Lago? Please take the time to write a review of Finding Bailey and let me know what you
