We Are Us

Acknowledgments

My readers—you are EVERYTHING!!! I love reading your reviews and value your honest feedback! And all those messages/posts/tweets/e-mails you send as you’re reading—they make my day! **hugs** In so many cases you have become friends. Thank you for letting me into your lives!!

A huge thank-you to, Jessica Alvarez of BookEnds Literary Agency. Your career guidance is invaluable!

Lexi Smail, I am so thrilled we got to work together again— I could never have told Poppy’s story without you!

Regina Wamba, thank you for this GORGEOUS cover! (and for putting up with me!)

Marla Esposito, thank you for your attention to detail!

Devyn Jensen, thank you for ALL THE THINGS!!!

Je

My Beta Beauties:

Cindy, Thank you for your eagle eye and loving this story as much as I did.

Danielle, working with you is such a pleasure! Thank you for your feedback, encouragement, and friendship. You make my life a lot less stressful!

Lana, your voicemails about this story were #authorgoals! And your suggestions, as always, were invaluable!

Nadine, I love that you always speak your mind. Your honesty and thoughtfulness are a gift—thank you for sharing them with me. The love between Poppy and Gavin is much deeper because of you.

Nicole, thank you for your friendship, helping me with the VIPs, and all your screenshots!

Paramita, you are so enthusiastic and supportive. Thank you for convincing me I wasn’t crazy and always making me smile!

Stephanie, thank you for making sure I got the medical details right and loving this story!

Yamina—thank you for your insight and encouragement. Your advice definitely make this story stronger !

Abby O’Shea & Christina Westrich, thank you so much for taking a chance on me. It is such an honor to be a part of The Romance Reveal Book Box, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity!

Lauren Layne and Anthony LeDo

Moments by Andrea, thank you for the fabulous head shot.

Thank you to all the amazing bloggers and author assistants who have become a virtual cheering section for me, and I hope that I do the same for you. You are the unsung heroes in this wonderful place called Romancelandia and I am so grateful for your support.

I can fill the pages of this book with everyone that has made me laugh and smile and cry with your incredible reviews and personal messages. I hope you enjoy WE ARE US—believe me when I tell you, you are the reason I spend endless hours at my laptop.

My ARC Team, you remind me why I write. Thank you for your encouragement and honest feedback. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but because of you, it isn’t a lonely one.

My Bookstagram Team, I am in awe of the creativity, energy, and effort to put into your pictures!

Grandma, you left me nearly twenty years ago, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss you. For any smokers reading this—put the cigarette down. Think of the people in your life who will one day watch you struggle to breathe and, when you lose that battle, will miss you desperately.

To my family & friends—I adore you all . . . and I’m sorry for ignoring your calls when I’m writing!

Thanks to my mom for never ripping all those “bodice-rippers” out of my hands as a teen/tween, and to my dad for showing me what it means to work hard. (Who needs weekends or vacations, anyway?)

Stephen, thank you for being a wonderful husband and supporting my dreams. I love you. Logan, Chloe, and Pierce, thank you for being such great kids & genuinely considerate of my writing time. I am blessed to be your mother.Our lives are enriched by our sweet rescue puppy, Pixie. The wonderful organization that brought Pixie into our lives is Goofy Foot Dog Rescue, and if you would like to welcome a dog into your family or donate to their organization, please visit their website: www.goofyfootrescue.org

And if you would like to see more pictures of Pixie and get updates on new releases, sales, and behind the scenes snippets, please sign up for my newsletter at http://bit.ly/TaraLeighNwsltr.