his arms into a shirt, Beau murmurs, “Lucky us.”
I get dressed and brush my teeth.
When I emerge from the bedroom, I see our families gathered in the kitchen. Every single person, from Mama and Larry to Milly and Maisie, is crowded inside our house, most with cocktails in hand.
One person I didn’t expect? Emma.
She’s decanting a bottle of wine by the stove. Samuel is beside her, lifting bottles out of the cardboard box at his feet onto the counter.
Emma turns her head to look at him. He looks back, and she smiles. He blushes.
For a second—it’s so quick I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t watching—he puts a hand on the small of her back.
“You seeing this?” Beau asks, low, in my ear.
“Oh yeah,” I say. “Told you there was something going on there.”
“Enemies to lovers,” Milly says, sidling up beside me. “Makes for a good story, don’t you think?”
I nudge her with my elbow. “What’s your story gonna be?”
“Romeo and Juliet?” Beau answers.
“Really?” I ask her.
She just shrugs. “Maybe.”
Emma and Samuel pass glasses around. Someone calls for a toast. Beau, ever the good sport, raises his glass at the same moment he rests an arm over my shoulders.
“As much as I wanna hate y’all for crashing our day after,” he says, “I don’t because we’re hopping on a plane to Hawaii tomorrow for eight glorious days of solitude. Thank you, Mom and Lizzie, for watching Miss Maisie for us.”
“Happy to,” Mrs. B. says. She’s holding the baby, and she looks beyond blissed out.
Mom just beams.
“And thank you all for the best wedding weekend ever,” I say. “We’re lucky to have you in our lives.”
Maisie giggles.
Larry toasts to love.
Beau can’t keep his eyes off me.
We’re hungover and happy, surrounded by family and friends.
This life we’ve chosen, it’s a good one.
Want more Beau and Annabel? You’re in luck. I wrote a bonus epilogue! It’s Beau’s birthday, and Annabel has a big surprise for him. Grab your copy here!
Thank you for reading SOUTHERN SEDUCER. It’s a book straight from my heart, one I knew I needed to write when I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression one month after my daughter, Grace, was born in November 2019. Like Annabel, I struggled hard in those early days. But I wish I’d known I wasn’t alone in the darkness. I would’ve felt so much less shame, so much less like a failure, if I’d heard others talk openly about their experiences with PPD and new motherhood.
And so this book was born. This was not an easy story to write. But my hope is that some of you feel less alone as you read it. I also hope to further the conversation around the realty of new parenthood so that, one day in the not too distant future, moms (and families) get the resources they need to make the experience a more positive one.
If you think you’re suffering from Postpartum Depression and/or Anxiety, I encourage you to seek help. It’s not a pleasant conversation to have, but I know from firsthand experience how life changing it can be. A combination of antidepressants and therapy have kept me afloat during the first year of Grace’s life. I cannot imagine what my experience would’ve been like without them.
SOUTHERN HOTSHOT, Samuel and Emma’s book, is next up in the North Carolina Highlands Series! I’m hard at work on it and hope to have it out sometime this winter. In the meantime, check out SOUTHERN CHARMER, the first standalone book in my Charleston Heat Series. Yes, it has southern studs galore, food porn, and shamelessly raunchy sex scenes. And yes, you can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited (PS: it’s also available as an audiobook, with the fabulous Joe Arden and Emma Wilder narrating!) Keep reading for a steamy excerpt!
In the spirit of openness, I love nothing more than hanging out with readers. I spend the most time in my reader group on Facebook, The City Girls, where we talk about anything and everything—PPD, butt stuff, what we’re having for dinner. It’s a fun place.
You can also follow my not-so-glamorous life as a romance author and new mom on Instagram @JessicaPAuthor.
Southern Charmer Excerpt
Eli
“Olivia!” Can’t help it. My gaze flicks down her body. “He—hey.”
Of course.
Of course Yankee girl shows up to The Spotted Wolf looking hot as hell five seconds after I decide to pump the brakes.
What a sick fucking joke.
Thanks for nothing, universe.
Olivia, bless her, is wearing blue jeans that are tight tight tight. Her white button down would