A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime (Monica Murphy)

["It\u2019s black and stretchy looking, the fabric shot through with silver sparkly thread. It\u2019ll cling to her like a glove and have me lusting for her the entire night. I\u2019m into torturing myself when it comes to Wren and her unequivocal hotness, so I\u2019m down. \u201cReally?\u201d She waves a hand at the dress covered with gold sequins. \u201cI like that one better.\u201d I shake my head. \u201cSave that one for New Year\u2019s.\u201d She turns to smile at me. \u201cThat\u2019s a good idea.\u201d Decision made, she grabs the dress and goes inside the walk-in closet to put it on, shutting the door behind her. \u201cI\u2019ve seen you naked before,\u201d I remind her. Soft laughter is my answer. \u201cWhy are you getting dressed in there?\u201d I shuck my jeans and slip on a pair of black trousers, realizing I\u2019ll only be able to change into half my outfit because my shirt is hanging in the closet, which is currently occupied by Wren. \u201cI want it to be a surprise,\u201d she tells me. I tear off my sweater and stand there waiting for her shirtless. She takes her sweet time, which I know is how she operates, yet I\u2019m impatient anyway. She fusses over her tits and worries they\u2019ll look too big and I have to reassure her that they\u2019re perfect. Because they are. Just like she is. The past two years we\u2019ve spent together nonstop, traveling the world. We decided to forego college and get some real-life experience, with Wren adding to her growing art collection during our travels. She came into a small trust fund when she turned eighteen from her mother\u2019s side of the family, and she\u2019s been investing wisely in unique pieces of art ever since. I might buy her a piece or two, but she deters more than encourages my indulgence in her. Her parents recent divorce and subsequent division of assets has put worry in her, and I hate that. The Beaumont art collection is a wondrous thing, and it was recently sold in two separate auctions with Sotheby\u2019s. Her parents made an absolute killing. Cecily has already started a new collection. Wren cried both days of the auction, too overcome at the loss of all that art. She doesn\u2019t know about the piece I bought for her at a different auction, a piece her mother spotted in the Sotheby\u2019s catalog and called me right away to tell me about it. She will soon enough though. As in tonight. We\u2019ve traveled all over Europe. Spent a month in Japan. A summer in the Canadian mountains. Two weeks in Switzerland. We return to home base because it\u2019s necessary, and Wren likes to catch up with Maggie, and Lara and Brooke, who are all going to college in New York City. Plus, she wants to spend time with her mother.","Her relationship with her father still isn\u2019t the best, and there was even a period where she didn\u2019t talk to him at all, but they\u2019re speaking more now. She even went and saw him yesterday for Christmas Eve, which was a huge step. He\u2019s living with Veronica, who no longer works for him. She hates art, but she does love spending Harvey\u2019s money. Figures. It\u2019s not trendy, spending the holidays in the Hamptons, but my mother has always wanted to be more of a trendsetter. More like she\u2019s adopted that Lancaster trademark I don\u2019t give a shit attitude the rest of us have. Wren\u2019s mother is here as well, because I asked her to come. I want her to witness what is about to happen tonight, because it\u2019s a game changer. A life changer. \u201cOkay, ta da!\u201d Wren kicks the door open, and she throws her arms out, that dress clinging to her sexy as fuck body, just like I knew it would. My gaze roams over her, not sure where to land first. \u201cHoly shit.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d She turns, revealing that the back of the dress is completely open before she whirls back around to face me. \u201cYou like? Oh, I can already tell you do.\u201d I lunge for her, my hands on her waist, my mouth on hers. She presses her hands on my chest, holding me off yet again. \u201cWhere\u2019s your shirt?\u201d \u201cIn the closet where you were.\u201d She slides her hands down, her fingers curling around the waistband of my trousers. \u201cI think you should go to Christmas dinner just like this.\u201d \u201cFine.\u201d I tug on the neckline of her dress, the stretchy material moving freely, until one perfect tit is hanging out. \u201cAnd you get to go like this.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d She lets go of me and tucks herself back in, mock glaring at me. \u201cYou need to finish getting ready.\u201d As I get dressed, I do my best to ignore the nerves growing within me, hoping this too observant girl doesn\u2019t figure me out just yet. She\u2019s seemingly oblivious, her good mood wearing off on me, until I can\u2019t help but smile too. This is what she does to me. Makes me happy. Lifts me up. Doesn\u2019t let me get away with being a total asshole\u2014most of the time. She\u2019s sweet and fun and smart and interesting and I enjoy spending every day with her. And though we\u2019re young and she\u2019s only just turning twenty fucking years old, I know without a doubt, I don\u2019t want to live my life without her. I need to make things official. Hopefully, she\u2019ll say yes.","We eventually leave the guest room we\u2019re sharing and head downstairs to the formal dining room, where everyone is waiting. Drinks in hand and appetizers readily available. Wren\u2019s mother is talking with Alyssa, who is very pregnant with Grant\u2019s baby\u2014a girl. Just knowing he\u2019s going to bring a female into the world has changed my brother completely. He\u2019s nicer to all women, and won\u2019t let our father say one bad word about the first grandchild being a girl. Even though he wants to, the misogynistic old bastard. Finn came to the Hamptons alone\u2014perpetually single and happy about it. Charlotte is with her husband Perry, and though they\u2019ve been through a lot, they look happy. In love. Dad is slinging back scotch and Mother is fussing over the flower centerpieces. Wren goes to help her \u2014my girl still loves to fuss too\u2014and while she\u2019s distracted, I make sure the piece I had delivered earlier is where I instructed it to be placed. I check my pocket to make sure the ring is still there, and yeah, it hasn\u2019t grown legs and ran off. Fuck, I\u2019m nervous. \u201cI have an announcement,\u201d I call to the room and everyone turns to look at me, questioning expressions on their faces. Especially Wren\u2019s. Praying like hell I don\u2019t fuck up my prepared speech, I launch into it. \u201cSo there was a girl I didn\u2019t know who walked onto campus our freshman year, and I thought she was the most beautiful girl I\u2019d ever seen. I hated her on sight.\u201d My brothers laugh. So does my father. My mother just sighs and shakes her head. Wren smiles at me, already knowing this story. \u201cThere was something about her that I saw in myself, though I never truly believed we had anything in common. How could we? She was the complete opposite of me, or so I thought. Until we had psychology together our senior year. And our teacher paired us up for a project. I learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about me. And yeah, we were also drawn to each other, so now here we are. Together for the last two years. The best two years of my life.\u201d I smile at her, and she smiles in return, her expression suddenly nervous too. Does she know what I\u2019m about to do? \u201cI realized that what I saw in her before wasn\u2019t what I saw in myself. Not at all. Wren isn\u2019t like me. She\u2019s an actual part of me. And I can\u2019t imagine my life without her in it.\u201d The room has gone completely silent. Wren\u2019s eyes shine with unshed tears. \u201cYou might hate me for this, doing this on your birthday and Christmas but\u2026\u201d I go to her and drop to one knee, taking her hand in mine. \u201cWren, I love you so damn much. Will you marry me?\u201d I reach inside my pocket and pull out the ring I chose just for her.","A single diamond solitaire, round cut. Simple. Three carats. Large enough, but not over the fucking top like the rings worn by every other Lancaster bride that\u2019s ever existed. And it\u2019s dangling off the stick of a cherry Blow Pop. \u201cOh my God.\u201d She bursts out laughing, her cheeks turning pink, and I smile. \u201cReally, Crew?\u201d \u201cAnswer me, Birdy.\u201d I hold the lollipop\u2014and the ring\u2014out to her. \u201cYes,\u201d Wren whispers, her gaze meeting mine as she nods over and over again. \u201cYes, yes!\u201d I pull the ring off the Blow Pop and slip it on her finger, and she splays them out, the diamond winking up at her and nearly blinding me. Rising to my feet, I pull her into my arms, kissing her senseless. Someone starts to clap and soon the entire room is filled with applause. Even my father is clapping and smiling, and that\u2019s quite the accomplishment. \u201cOh my God, I love you,\u201d Wren says just for me, kissing me yet again. \u201cWhat the hell is up with the Blow Pop?\u201d Finn asks, his gaze dropping to where I still clutch it in my hand. \u201cPrivate joke,\u201d I tell him. Wren smacks my chest lightly, smiling. Her mother approaches us, pulling me in so she can deliver a quick kiss to my cheek. \u201cI am so proud to have you as my future son-in-law.\u201d \u201cThank you.\u201d Cecily and I have always gotten along. We both only want the best for the most important person in our world. Wren. \u201cAre you ready to give her the other present?\u201d Cecily asks. Wren gasps, her wide eyes on me. \u201cThere\u2019s another present? Crew, if you keep this up, you will eventually never be able to top yourself.\u201d I just laugh. \u201cI\u2019m not worried about that. And yes, Cecily. I\u2019ll go grab it.\u201d I walk into the small sitting room that\u2019s connected to the dining room and grab the canvas before I bring it into the dining room for Wren to see. The moment she spots it, she covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock. Her gaze goes to her mother, and then to me. \u201cWhere did you find this?\u201d \u201cSotheby\u2019s,\u201d Cecily answers for me. \u201cThere was another auction. One that got overshadowed by ours.\u201d There\u2019s sadness in Wren\u2019s mother\u2019s eyes, and I understand why. Losing her marriage, her art, hasn\u2019t been easy for her. But she\u2019s strong. She\u2019s already doing so much better.","Wren drops her hand to her side and slowly approaches the piece. Another one by the same artist, this one untitled, though it matches A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime. Made at the same time but smaller, with those multi-layered Chanel kisses all over the canvas. \u201cI thought this one went missing,\u201d Wren says, her gaze sliding over to me. \u201cThank your mom. She found it. I just bought it.\u201d She turns to her mother, smiling at her before she rushes me, wrapping her arms around me so tight I swear she\u2019s got me in a stranglehold. She kisses me in front of everyone, pulling away so she can murmur, \u201cYou\u2019re in trouble now.\u201d I frown. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Her mouth finds mine yet again, soft and sweet, and I drown in her taste. Loving that this woman is mine. All mine. When the kiss is over, Wren smiles, the sight of it stealing all the air from my lungs. \u201cNow you owe me two million kisses.\u201d Sylvie Lancaster\u2019s book is next! Promises We Meant to Keep is coming September 1st! More info coming soon\u2026","PLAYLIST \u201cPretty\u201d - Coco & Clair Clair, Okthxbb \u201cI Hate U <3\u201d - Slush Puppy \u201cDid We Change\u201d - From Indian Lakes \u201cpink bubblegum\u201d - lavi kou \u201cyeahyeahyeah\u201d - Scotch Mist \u201cdream boi\u201d - tara-bridget \u201cDeep in Yr Mind\u201d - James Wyatt Crosby \u201cI\u2019m Not in Love\u201d - Kelsey Lu \u201cAre You In The Mood?\u201d - Bay Fraction \u201cForever\u201d - Night Tapes Find the rest of the A MILLION KISSES IN YOUR LIFETIME playlist here:https:\/\/spoti.fi\/ 3McPHVu","WANT A FREE BOOK? SIGN UP! Dear Readers, I hope you enjoyed A MILLION KISSES IN YOUR LIFETIME! If you haven\u2019t already, please sign up for my newsletter so you can stay up to date on my latest book news. Plus, you\u2019ll get a FREE book by me, just for signing up! Click below: Monica Murphy\u2019s Newsletter Are you on Facebook? You should join my reader group! That\u2019s where you find out all the good book news FIRST! Click below to hang out with us: Monica Murphy\u2019s Reader Group Want to read a BUNCH of free romance novellas, including one by me about the sexy, growly Grant Lancaster? Check them out HERE!","ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wrote this long ass book in a short amount of time because yet again, I found myself consumed with a Lancaster. I know Sylvie should\u2019ve been the next book out, but\u2026Crew came to me like Whit did last year. In December, he started whispering in my ear, urging me to create a Pinterest board. A playlist. I was furiously writing in my notes on my phone until I realized, hey. Just write the book. So I did. And now you\u2019re holding it in your hands and hopefully you enjoyed it. Crew is no Whit. I can\u2019t duplicate him, he\u2019s one of a kind. Crew is nicer than Whit, even though he started out like a jerk. But once he really fell for Wren, he pulled out all the swoony moments. Gah. The piece A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime actually exists. Go look it up. It\u2019s cool. There really is a very wealthy couple who got a divorce and split up their massive art collection - I read an article about them in December. What is it about December that is so inspiring for me? Drew Callahan came to me in December 2012\u2026 Fun fact: I lost 12,000 words on this book in the middle of January. That\u2019s\u2026a lot. I was devastated. I CRIED. At one point during this moment of crisis, I was going to put it on the back burner and focus on something else. But they wouldn\u2019t let me go. By this point, they literally consumed me. So I rolled up my sleeves and wrote like a woman possessed (I was). I listened to the playlist on repeat while writing. Those songs are them and their story and I\u2019ve never been more obsessed with a playlist. Some of the songs come from Euphoria (they have such great music). By the way, Crew is Charlotte Lancaster\u2019s little brother and you\u2019ll meet her in The Reluctant Bride. She marries Perry Constantine - reluctantly. Oh just wait! I adore them too! As always, a giant thank you to everyone who reads my books. I cannot do this without you, and you mean so much to me. I also want to thank everyone at Valentine PR for taking care of me - Nina, Kim, Daisy, Kelley - you ladies are the best! Nina, thank you as always for your insight. You made the ending of this book that much better. Thank you to my editor Rebecca and proofreader Sarah for all that you do. And to Serena for her solid notes. Jan for her love and enthusiasm and edits\/graphics. Huge shout out to Emily Wittig for bringing the cover in my head to life. And for being such a sweetheart. p.s. - If you enjoyed A MILLION KISSES IN YOUR LIFETIME, it would mean the world to me if you left a review on the retailer site you bought it from, or on Goodreads. Thank you so much!","ALSO BY MONICA MURPHY","Standalone Things I Wanted To Say (but never did) A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime Promises We Meant to Keep","The Arranged Marriage The Reluctant Bride The Ruthless Groom","College Years The Freshman The Sophomore The Junior The Senior","Dating Series Save The Date Fake Date Holidate Hate to Date You Rate A Date Wedding Date Blind Date","The Callahans Close to Me Falling For Her Addicted To Him Meant To Be Fighting For You Making Her Mine A Callahan Wedding","Forever Yours Series You Promised Me Forever Thinking About You Nothing Without You","Damaged Hearts Series Her Defiant Heart His Wasted Heart Damaged Hearts","Friends Series Just Friends More Than Friends Forever","The Never Duet Never Tear Us Apart Never Let You Go","The Rules Series Fair Game In The Dark Slow Play Safe Bet","The Fowler Sisters Series Owning Violet Stealing Rose Taming Lily","Reverie Series His Reverie Her Destiny","Billionaire Bachelors Club Series Crave Torn Savor Intoxicated","One Week Girlfriend Series One Week Girlfriend Second Chance Boyfriend Three Broken Promises Drew + Fable Forever Four Years Later Five Days Until You A Drew + Fable Christmas","Standalone YA Titles Daring The Bad Boy Saving It Pretty Dead Girls","ABOUT THE AUTHOR Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult and new adult romance, as well as contemporary romance and women\u2019s fiction. She\u2019s also known as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.","Copyright \u00a9 2022 by Monica Murphy All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. Cover design: Emily Wittig emilywittigdesigns.com Editor: Rebecca, Fairest Reviews Editing Services Proofreader: Sarah, All Encompassing Books"]