Something Wonderful Read online

  Copyright © Mary Ting 2014

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  Formatting by Inkstain Interior Book Designing

  To my loves—hubby, Joshua and Kaitlin—thank you for all your support, especially when I’m on facebook…lol!

  I would like to thank my street team. You are amazing and I can’t thank you enough, especially my admins-Janie Iturralde and Elliot McMahon

  To Kim Rinaldi—Your feedback means the world to me. You’re not afraid to let me know. I appreciate your honesty for helping me make this book awesome.

  To my PR, Damaris Cardinali—What would I ever do without you? Thanks for EVERYTHING you do and will do to get me out there. We make a great team!

  To Alexandrea Weis—For giving me great feedback. I love sharing our crazy book ideas. And thank you for taking your time to look over mine when you could be writing.

  To Jennifer Miller—Thank you for swapping teasers with me, but most of all for your friendship.

  To Sam Stettner—for your continuous support in everything I write. I love you to the moon and back!

  I want to give thanks to Lisa from The Rock Star of Romance for hosting the best blog tours!

  To Laura Hidalgo, who does amazing book covers. She has done all of mine. You are truly talented!

  To Esperanza Duarte and Jodi Shaw for being great editors and for polishing up my book.

  To Jane Soohoo—for taking the time to make sure my book is polished and ready to go. Thank you for everything!

  To Kitty Bowers—for being my number one cheerleader. I can’t thank you enough for spreading the love of all my books.

  To Jenny Brewer—for loving this series so much, she runs Something Great Fan page. I can’t thank you enough. How cool is that!

  To my breakfast club moms—thank you for ALL your support in books and in life—Rosie, Michelle, Gracie, Hung, Holy, and Patricia.

  Extra thanks to the three amazing friends. I’m excited to have their made-up quotes as part of my story.

  “Books! The other soul food." –Vanessa Strickler

  “Book hangovers, a girl's worst nightmare.” –Ashley Garland

  "Book boyfriends are better because they are always there when we need them.” –Pamela Joy Pope

  To my readers and bloggers—I can’t thank you enough for falling in love with my characters. It means the world to me that you want to continue this journey with them. I hope you’ll love Something Wonderful just a much, or if not more than Something Great. Thank you for your continuous support, whether I write YA or NA. Your support means the world to me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  “Something Wonderful is truly something wonderful. M. Clarke/Mary Ting captures love, romance and forgiveness beautifully. One of 2014’s MUST READS!” - Sammie’s Book Club, for Book Lovers

  “Be mine, because I want to be yours. I want to give you forever. It doesn’t get much better than that. Something Wonderful from M. Clarke is an amazing sequel! Everyone will wish they had the epic love of their lives like Max and Jenna.” - Vanessa, Fairiechick’s Fantasy Book Reader

  “Something Wonderful heats up the series with its undeniable need, want, passion, incredible characters and intense heated plot. New Adult at its BEST!” - Michele, Insane About Books.

  “Something Wonderful is amazingly brilliant! Sexy, Romantic, Page turning good. Could not put this book done!” - Janie, Crossangels

  “Just when you think the art of storytelling couldn’t possibly get any better, M. Clarke paints a delicate and refreshing masterpiece that will inspire, electrify, and melt your heart. Her exquisite and unforgettable talent is rare jewel that you will treasure and enjoy over and over again.” - Amber, The Wonderings of One Person

  “In the darkest times, when your trust is tested, love will conquer all. Something Wonderful gives us two stories of love, passion, and the ability to save someone who was once broken.” - Brittany, Spare Time Book

  “M. Clarke has done it once again. I am officially addicted to this series!” - Delphina, Delphina Reads too Much

  “If you are looking for love, heartache, hot steamy sex and brothers that will rock your world this is the read for you!” - Bella, Paranormal Book Club

  “This title says it all. It’s so fitting for this book! It truly is Something Wonderful!” - Jennifer, Jeni’s Bookshelf

  “M. Clarke/Mary Ting has done it again with the sequel to Something Great. It was better than the first. I highly recommend it!” - Victoria, Novel Reality

  What a crazy night. Everyone was wasted, including me. There were beer bottles and red cups all over the place. Couples were making out every which way I turned. There was even a body slumped over a sofa with legs dangling. Most of the party guests were juniors in college, including myself, but the invite was from a senior who was so trashed, he had no idea about the mess he would find in the morning.

  It was past two in the morning and I was getting really tired. Not wanting to spend the night here, I thought it was best to go home. As I looked for my roommate, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I wouldn’t have gotten this buzzed, but since it was Amber’s turn to be the designated driver, I let myself go and drank as much as I wanted, even knowing I would regret it the next morning.

  Since I had just broken up with the guy I had been dating, I really needed this. He turned out to be a jerk, but as far as the guys I’d been attracted to, that seemed to be my pattern lately. I was an asshole magnet.

  “Amber!” I yelled, but I don’t think my voice carried. I couldn’t tell. It was difficult to figure out how loud I was over the music pounding in my ears. When I couldn’t see her, I opened the nearest bedroom door. There were people in there, but they looked really high, and I could only assume they’d taken drugs.

  “Amber?” I wasn’t as loud as the last time I called out. When I heard my name, I rushed into the restroom.

  “Amber,” I said again, and stopped from going in any further.

  Her hair was pushed over to one side, and her hands were resting on either side of the toilet seat as she bent over it. “I need a minute.” Her words echoed inside the toilet. A few seconds later, whatever she drank and ate poured out of her mouth.

  “Amber, you okay?” I asked, grimacing. I dropped to the floor next to her.

  “Yeah,” she managed to say, flushing the toilet. After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she collapsed beside me. “I feel…awwwful. Let’s go home.” I was pretty sure she slurred her words.

  “You said…you weren’t supposed to drink, remember? You drive. Me drink.” I pointed at myself. I wasn’t feeling sorry for her anymore. Actually, I was pissed. “What the fuuuck, Amber?”

  “Sorrrry. I saw him…with…her,” she sighed, somberly. Holding on to the sink, Amber stood up, stumbling until she got a hold of herself. “Come on.”

  When I wasn’t responding, she grabbed my arms. With an irritated sigh, I pulled myself up. “I don’t….” I started to say, but I lost my words and finally understood what she meant by seeing him.

  Her boyfriend had broken up with her and had started seeing this girl right away. I could sympathize, but it didn’t matter. Now we were both out of it, and there was no way we could go home. Amber tugged me along. I had no idea where we were going as I let her lead the way. We passed the kitchen, the
living room, and oh, crap…passed her asshole ex-boyfriend and somehow, we were out of the house with our purses.

  The cool wind whipped against my face and made me alert, reminding me that I’d left my jacket inside. Not only that, I felt a few drops of rain, falling faster by the second. Shivering, I looked at Amber, who was struggling to get her keys out of her purse.

  “We can’t,” I said, a bit more aware of the situation. “We’re both wasted.”

  “I feel better,” she argued, pushing me aside to get in the car.

  I held on to the door, hoping to calm her down. “Forget him. He’s not good enough for you.”

  Amber had already started the engine. “Get in,” she demanded. Her tone was angry, but I could see the hurt and tears that dampened her eyes.

  “Please…get out of the car. We’re both too drunk,” I said forcefully, trying to snap her out of the buzz and make her come to her senses.

  “I can’t be in the same room with them.” The tears she was trying to hold back were now streaming down her face. “How could he just move on like that?”

  Feeling her pain, my heart ached for her. If we were home, I would cry with her. “We’ll stay away and hide in one of the rooms.”

  Amber looked at me and wiped her tears, and then she looked up to the sky. “I’m getting wet. You coming?” She reached for the door and missed. Her coordination wasn’t all there. Finally, on her third try, she managed to grab the door, forcing me to jerk back as she slammed it shut.

  “I’m serious. You can’t drive,” I urged, as I pounded my fist on the window. I was desperate. My words to her were not registering the urgency of the situation. I thought I had convinced her when she looked up at me again, but her mind was apparently somewhere else. When your heart is breaking to that intensity, nothing matters. You just want the pain gone, even if you have to distance yourself from it. I understood. I had been there before.

  “It’s not that far!” she yelled.

  “Please…stay with me.”

  When she saw I wasn’t getting into the car, she sped away. Drenched from head to toe, I ran back into the house. Feeling the warmth, I shivered from the drastic temperature change, fumbled through my wet purse, and took out my cell phone to dial Amber’s cell.

  It was difficult to hear her voice when she answered because of the pouring rain, the thunder that just boomed, and the worst reception from her Bluetooth.

  “Amber, come back. It’s dark, it’s pouring, and you’re freakin’ wasted.” She was putting herself out there, vulnerable, risking her life over a loser who wasn’t good enough for her.

  “He broke my heart,” she bawled.

  Her cry was loud and she gasped for air. I knew that cry. I’ve cried it several times myself. I also knew it would be difficult to drive in that condition, not to mention the other reasons why she shouldn’t be behind the wheel.

  “Amber!” I said loudly. For some unknown reason, my heart pounded against my chest. I had a terrible feeling and I couldn’t shake it. I was scared out of my mind and I didn’t even know why. “Pull over. I’m coming to get you.” Looking around the living room, I urgently searched for someone sober…anyone.

  “He’s such an ass and I—”

  What I heard next tore my world apart. It was worse than a boyfriend break up, worse than failing a class. It was something you never think would happen to anyone you knew because at that age, you think you’re invincible…untouchable…unbreakable. I heard her try to say my name, followed by a loud screeching that caused immense pain in my ear; then silence as the call disconnected.

  It happened so fast that it felt like a dream. I’m sure I went into shock as my phone slipped out of my hand. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. Then I knew…I just knew that was the last time I’d ever speak to her again.

  Sometimes life was cruel and fate did things not in your favor. I wondered what the hell I did to deserve this. Her family certainly didn’t deserve it.

  As I sat there on a chair next to the hospital bed, feeling my heart pumping into overdrive, I gazed at my Tessa hooked up to a bunch of machines, the only things keeping her alive. She was already brain dead and she was bleeding internally. Tessa…my Tessa…was gone, and yet I could still feel the warmth of her hand as I held it to my cheek. My lips quivered and every cell, every nerve, every muscle in me was in a state of panic…so tight, constricting, preventing me from moving, preventing me from breathing. I was running out of time; SHE was running out of time.

  I spoke to her, desperately praying for a miracle. “Tessa, baby. How am I supposed to let you go? How do I breathe without you? Don’t do this to us. Come back to me. I know you can hear me.”

  I didn’t think I had any tears left to shed, but when I realized this was going to be the last time I would ever see her…touch her…speak to her face to face again, I’d lost it. “Why did you run off and get in that stupid car?” My tone was soft, but reprimanding. “And why the fuck did it have to rain that day? If you leave me, you’re taking everything good in my life. You’re going to take my heart…my soul…my will to live. Do you hear me? Your parents need you. Your sister needs you. I need you. If you want to punish me, then fine. Just…come…back.”

  I let go of her hand and rubbed my face with my palms. My throat made an awful grunting noise, but there were no tears left. I was utterly drained, dried out. The life had been sucked out of me and all my will had been spent. Letting go of what you love was difficult enough, but holding onto something you thought was meant to be forever was detrimental. Though I knew it was time to let her go, I couldn’t…I just couldn’t.

  “You know what’s really fucked up?” I continued. “Your parents have to decide whether to pull the plug and let you die. How the hell are they going to live with themselves knowing they gave up? How the hell am I going to live with myself knowing that I stood by and let it happened? You tell me?”

  Standing up, I hovered over her and gave her one last soft kiss on her lips. It was the most painful kiss I’d ever given anyone. I lost it again when I buried my face into the side of her neck to inhale her scent. I needed to memorize how she smelled…memorize the feel of her soft skin… memorize…her. I was afraid I would forget her, afraid she would disappear in my mind; afraid I would forget how much I loved this woman. I don’t know what had gotten into me, but I started screaming at her. “Wake up,” I said loudly. “Wake up!” I shouted at her.

  “Matthew.” Max placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s time to let her go. The doctor is on his way.”

  I don’t know what I would have done if Max hadn’t been there. Even understanding what he had said, I didn’t budge. My body refused to listen.

  “You need to step aside. You had your time. Her family is waiting.”

  “I can’t, Max. I fuckin’ can’t. How am I supposed to walk out of here? This is where I belong…with her. The moment she dies, I’ll die with her.” I looked at Tessa again.

  Hoping....

  Wishing....

  Praying....

  I was waiting for her to open her eyes, staring at her so the first thing she would set her beautiful eyes on was me.

  “You’ll make it through, Matt. I promise. You have your family; we’ll help you get through this. You’re not alone.” Hearing Max’s shaky voice didn’t help the situation. I could feel he was in pain too, but I knew he was being strong for me.

  I knew Max meant every word he said, but it wasn’t enough. The pain was too deep and it had cut through whatever faith I had left. When the doctor came in, followed by Tessa’s family, Max grabbed my shirt and pulled me to the other side.

  “Please…let’s wait one more day,” I pleaded wearily.

  “Matthew,” Tessa’s father started to speak in between taking small breaths. He was trying his best to contain himself. “She’s gone. And even if somehow there was a miracle, she wouldn’t be the same Tessa.”

  I knew he was right, but I hoped he would change his mind. “No,” I sa
id quietly as I watched the doctor do his thing in horror. “No…no, no, NOOOOO!” I didn’t realize how loud I was, until Max dragged me out of the room. He knew I would’ve attacked the doctor if he hadn’t restrained me. I could see through the window that her family was sobbing, and I was doing the same in Max’s arms, feeling helpless, like someone had ripped out my heart.

  “It’s my fault, Max. It’s my fault. I…let…her…go,” I sobbed. My body trembled in Max’s hold as I let out a gut-wrenching cry that poured out of my soul, until there was nothing left of me. My body and mind had disjointed and I was lost to the darkness…to the emptiness.

  Air…no air.

  I needed air.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  My air, my purpose, my will to live had been sucked out of me. My world was shattered that day. It broke me in ways that would change me. I cursed at life and I cursed at God. I had been damned to hell, but I didn’t care. I was dead anyway.

  “Becky!” I exclaimed, running toward the open front door. “Let me help you with that.” Grabbing the tail end of the Christmas tree, I lifted it up to my waist and helped her carry it to the living room next to the television. Thank God we had wooden floors; the pine needles left a trail and my head spun at the thought of having to sweep them up.

  “You okay, Jenna?” Becky asked worriedly, placing her hand on my shoulder.

  I must have looked flustered. “Yeah…just…nothing,” I smiled, inhaling the fresh scent that spiraled into my nostrils, imagining myself in an enchanted forest.

  “Doesn’t that smell heavenly?” Becky proudly looked at the tree with her arms crossed as I mimicked her stance.

  “Yeah, it does.” Looking at her, I scowled. “Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?”

  “You had company. Speaking of which, is Max still here?” Taking off her red scarf and black coat, she flung them on the sofa.