The Inheritance, page 33
While Phyla and Elondra began discussing future business collaborations, Ash nodded to Darby and Kelsey, who’d been waiting for the signal. The two women slipped out without Phyla noticing they’d gone.
After a few minutes, Ash took Phyla’s hand. “Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for the last two days. I’m dying to know what you have beneath that elaborate tarp out there.” Phyla turned back to Elondra. “Will you excuse us for a short while?”
“Of course.”
They stood, and once Ash had intertwined her fingers with Phyla’s, she whispered to Allegra, “You’ll keep everyone inside?”
When Allegra rose from her chair, Sasha came and put her arm around her waist. Allegra smiled at her assistant, and her eyes shone with a light not often seen by her friends. “Sasha and I shall guard the doors like the Valkyries of the northern lands.”
Phyla rolled her eyes at Allegra’s blatant affection for an employee.
Ash chuckled and led Phyla outside. They walked hand in hand to the lake, where Darby and Kelsey waited on either side of a tarp that was covering a large object that Phyla had known nothing about until their arrival two days earlier.
Ash’s stomach was in knots because she wasn’t sure how Phyla would feel about what she’d done. There were some things so personal that she worried she’d possibly overstepped her bounds, but it was too late to turn back now.
They stopped ten paces away, and once Ash had her nerves under control, she nodded. Darby and Kelsey each held the ends of a rope, and when they pulled, the tarp slid off an elaborate bronze creation featuring a life-sized Phyla with her curly-haired toddler, Charlie seated on her shoulders, laughing and holding out his tiny hand to a mother bear and her cub who were gazing up at them.
Ash’s heart stopped when Phyla gasped and then covered her mouth with her hand. When tears began to fall and a sob caught in her lover’s throat, Ash thought she’d made a horrible mistake. That is until Phyla pulled her into her arms and began kissing her cheeks and her forehead and her mouth, whispering, “I can’t believe you,” and, “You’re so wonderful,” and, “I love you, my Ash Phoenix Redux.”
By the time Ash could see out of her own tear-filled eyes, she and Phyla were alone. Phyla took her by the hand and led her to the statue, where she placed Ash’s hand on Charlie’s laughing face and covered it with her own. “I didn’t think you could have won my heart over any more than you already have, but you’ve outdone yourself this time. His face is exactly as I remember him. Ash, my love, I can never thank you enough for the changes you’ve made to my life.”
Ash turned and pulled Phyla into her arms. “You’re the one who’s changed my life, Phyla McGuire, and I don’t intend to ever let you go. You’re mine, forever, and I’m yours, and I am the luckiest woman ever to walk the face of this earth.” With Phyla pressed up against her, Ash ran her hand up into her hair, pulled her close, and whispered in her ear, “There’s more to come tonight, my love.” When Ash kissed Phyla’s ear and whispered, “Patience,” she smiled at her lover’s quiet moan that reverberated deep within her soul.
A Small Favor
Reviews are really important to independent authors. Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed the book. Just a line or two, and it would mean a lot to me.
Thanks a bunch,
Alison
Also by Alison Naomi Holt
Mystery
Credo’s Hope - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 1
Credo’s Legacy – Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 2
Credo’s Fire – Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 3
Credo’s Bones - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 4
Credo’s Betrayal - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 5
Credo’s Honor - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 6
Credo’s Bandidos - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 7
Credo’s Run - Alex Wolfe Mysteries Book 8
Fantasy Fiction
The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi
The Spirit Child–The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi 1
Duchess Rising–The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi 2
Duchess Rampant-The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi 3
Spyder’s Web-The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi 4
Spyder’s Kiss-The Seven Realms of Ar’rothi 5
Aidrafiri: Aevala’s Own - The 7 Realms of Ar’rothi 6
Bardic Tales From Ar’rothi - A collection of short stories set in Anacafria
Daughters of Elyon
Elyon’s Blades - Book 1
Elyon’s Ghost - Book 2
Elyon’s Vengeance - Book 3
Mage of Merigor
Mage of Merigor
Psychological Thriller
The Door at the Top of the Stairs
About the Author
“They whispered to her, you can’t withstand the storm. She whispered back, I am the storm. ~ Frieda Kahlo
I grew up listening to my parents reading me the most wonderful books full of adventure, heroes, ducks, and curly-tailed pigs. I promote reading wherever I go and believe literacy is the key to changing the world for the better.
Along those lines—the changing the world for the better part—I have always believed that there is a strong, capable warrior inside each and every girl and every woman in the world. I try to use my platform as an author to empower all womenkind by creating strong women warriors whose lives aren’t perfect but who stand up for themselves and for their sisters, no matter what difficult challenges life throws their way.
Together, women can change the world for the better. Whether the world we change is no bigger than the block we live on or the children we raise or whether we change entire communities, women can and do make a difference. Believe in yourself. I do.
If you want to know a little about me personally, my previous life as a cop gave me a bizarre sense of humor, a realistic look at life, and an insatiable desire to live life to the fullest. I love all horses & hounds and some humans…
For more information:
https://alisonholtbooks.com
Alison Naomi Holt, The Inheritance
