Happily Ever Never, page 1
part #182 of 1001 Dark Nights Series
Happily Ever Never
A Montgomery Ink Legacy Novella
By Carrie Ann Ryan
Happily Ever Never
A Montgomery Ink Legacy Novella
By Carrie Ann Ryan
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2023 Carrie Ann Ryan
ISBN: 979-8-88542-010-5
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by 1001 Dark Nights Press, an imprint of Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
Happily Ever Never
A Montgomery Ink Legacy Novella
By Carrie Ann Ryan
New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan returns to the Montgomery Ink world with a blind date romance between two unlikely strangers.
I love falling in love.
Only I’m the worst at it.
My friends call me a serial first dater and I can’t blame them.
All I want is a happy ever after, yet all I find are happy ever nevers.
This is my last chance. After this set up with my friend’s tattoo artist, I’m done.
No more dating. No more chances.
If I don’t fall in love with Leo Johnson, I’ll give up on dating.
Even if it shatters my dreams in the process.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
About Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She’s the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Also From Carrie Ann Ryan
The Montgomery Ink Legacy Series:
Book 1: Bittersweet Promises
Book 2: At First Meet
Book 2.5: Happily Ever Never
Book 3: Longtime Crush
The Wilder Brothers Series:
Book 1: One Way Back to Me
Book 2: Always the One for Me
Book 3: The Path to You
Book 4: Coming Home for Us
The Aspen Pack Series:
Book 1: Etched in Honor
Book 2: Hunted in Darkness
Book 3: Mated in Chaos
Book 4: Harbored in Silence
Montgomery Ink:
Book 0.5: Ink Inspired
Book 0.6: Ink Reunited
Book 1: Delicate Ink
Book 1.5: Forever Ink
Book 2: Tempting Boundaries
Book 3: Harder than Words
Book 3.5: Finally Found You
Book 4: Written in Ink
Book 4.5: Hidden Ink
Book 5: Ink Enduring
Book 6: Ink Exposed
Book 6.5: Adoring Ink
Book 6.6 Love, Honor, and Ink
Book 7: Inked Expressions
Book 7.3: Dropout
Book 7.5: Executive Ink
Book 8: Inked Memories
Book 8.5: Inked Nights
Book 8.7: Second Chance Ink
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs
Book 1: Fallen Ink
Book 2: Restless Ink
Book 2.5: Ashes to Ink
Book 3: Jagged Ink
Book 3.5: Ink by Numbers
The Montgomery Ink: Boulder Series:
Book 1: Wrapped in Ink
Book 2: Sated in Ink
Book 3: Embraced in Ink
Book 4: Seduced in Ink
Book 4.5: Captured in Ink
The Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins Series:
Book 1: Inked Persuasion
Book 2: Inked Obsession
Book 3: Inked Devotion
Book 3.5: Nothing But Ink
Book 4: Inked Craving
Book 5: Inked Temptation
The Gallagher Brothers Series:
Book 1: Love Restored
Book 2: Passion Restored
Book 3: Hope Restored
The Whiskey and Lies Series:
Book 1: Whiskey Secrets
Book 2: Whiskey Reveals
Book 3: Whiskey Undone
The Fractured Connections Series:
Book 1: Breaking Without You
Book 2: Shouldn’t Have You
Book 3: Falling With You
Book 4: Taken With You
The Less Than Series:
Book 1: Breathless With Her
Book 2: Reckless With You
Book 3: Shameless With Him
The Promise Me Series:
Book 1: Forever Only Once
Book 2: From That Moment
Book 3: Far From Destined
Book 4: From Our First
The On My Own Series:
Book 1: My One Night
Book 2: My Rebound
Book 3: My Next Play
Book 4: My Bad Decisions
The Ravenwood Coven Series:
Book 1: Dawn Unearthed
Book 2: Dusk Unveiled
Book 3: Evernight Unleashed
Redwood Pack Series:
Book 1: An Alpha’s Path
Book 2: A Taste for a Mate
Book 3: Trinity Bound
Book 3.5: A Night Away
Book 4: Enforcer’s Redemption
Book 4.5: Blurred Expectations
Book 4.7: Forgiveness
Book 5: Shattered Emotions
Book 6: Hidden Destiny
Book 6.5: A Beta’s Haven
Book 7: Fighting Fate
Book 7.5: Loving the Omega
Book 7.7: The Hunted Heart
Book 8: Wicked Wolf
The Talon Pack:
Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist
Book 4: Wolf Betrayed
Book 5: Fractured Silence
Book 6: Destiny Disgraced
Book 7: Eternal Mourning
Book 8: Strength Enduring
Book 9: Forever Broken
The Elements of Five Series:
Book 1: From Breath and Ruin
Book 2: From Flame and Ash
Book 3: From Spirit and Binding
Book 4: From Shadow and Silence
The Branded Pack Series:
(Written with Alexandra Ivy)
Book 1: Stolen and Forgiven
Book 2: Abandoned and Unseen
Book 3: Buried and Shadowed
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal's Song
Book 7: Prowled Darkness
Book 8: Dante’s Circle Reborn
Holiday, Montana Series:
Book 1: Charmed Spirits
Book 2: Santa’s Executive
Book 3: Finding Abigail
Book 4: Her Lucky Love
Book 5: Dreams of Ivory
The Tattered Royals Series:
Book 1: Royal Line
Book 2: Enemy Heir
The Happy Ever After Series:
Flame and Ink
Ink Ever After
Acknowledgments from the Author
I want to thank Liz, Jillian, and MJ for creating such a wonderful place for authors to write stories that would otherwise be lost. Without the caring and enthusiasm of these three women, I wouldn’t be able to write stories about love, dating, heartbreak, and laughter featuring characters that don’t quite fit into the Montgomery Ink family.
Thank you for 1,001 Dark Nights.
And thank you, dear readers, for following me on this journey.
Discover More 1001 Dark Nights authors and their amazing stories…
Click here to explore
Lara Adrian
Dylan Allen
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Kristen Ashley
Tessa Bailey
Sawyer Bennett
Shayla Black
Lexi Blake
Lauren Blakely
K. Bromberg
Claire Contreras
Tina Folsom
Melissa Foster
Heather Graham
Donna Grant
Liliana Hart
Larissa Ione
Alexandra Ivy
Lorelei James
Darynda Jones
Lisa Renee Jones
Laura Kaye
J. Kenner
Corinne Michaels
Elisabeth Naughton
Laurelin Paige
Carly Phillips
Jennifer Probst
Kristen Proby
C.D. Reiss
Christopher Rice
Carrie Ann Ryan
Kendall Ryan
Kennedy Ryan
Kylie Scott
Jill Shalvis
Gena Showalter
Cherise Sinclair
Susan Stoker
Tijan
Rachel Van Dyken
Skye Warren
Laura Wright
Joanna Wylde
Rebecca Zanetti
Discover More Blue Box Press authors and their amazing stories…
Click here to explore
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Kristen Ashley
Sawyer Bennett
Steve Berry
Lexi Blake
Robin Convington
Kaylea Cross
Jay Crownover
Avery Flynn
C. W. Gortner
KL Grayson
Cristin Harber
Lynn Raye Harris
Liliana Hart
Larissa Ione
Suzanne M. Johnson
Laura Kaye
J. Kenner
Kimberly Kincaid
Gennita Low
Randy Susan Meyers
Corinne Michaels
Monica Murphy
Carly Phillips
Kristen Proby
Christopher Rice
Lucinda Riley
M.J. Rose
Kennedy Ryan
Cherise Sinclair
Susan Stoker
Rachel Van Dyken
Samantha Young
Table of Contents
Book Description
About Carrie Ann Ryan
Also Carrie Ann Ryan
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover More 1001 Dark Nights Authors
Discover More Blue Box Press Authors
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Ten
Discover More Carrie Ann Ryan
An excerpt from Nothing but Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chapter 1
May
“I’m looking for forever. I want that moment. It’s just so hard in this day and age when you can’t figure it out. Or maybe it’s always been that way. Maybe you expect to find someone, and yet you feel you’re going to end up with nobody, and in the end, it surprises you.”
I looked up at Josh, the kind man in front of me, who happened to be my date for the evening and smiled softly. He seemed earnest enough about wanting this to work out. And while part of me had heard this refrain before from my dates, I let myself believe him. At least, for now.
“It would be nice to have things work out for once.”
I winced as the words left my mouth, knowing they were a little too vague and far too desperate. For all I knew, I had just given Josh an invitation to grab my butt on the way out of the restaurant. Or lead him down the long road of him thinking that I was in this for the long haul, even though I didn’t remember his last name. Or maybe he would think I was too clingy and run away before the desserts were served.
I’d only had one person leave me on a date before. He’d climbed out the window in the bathroom as if it were too much for him.
As if I were too much for him.
I ignored those memories, telling myself that they didn’t matter. They shouldn’t matter. It wasn’t like it was my fault that every single date I went on ended up horrible, awkward, or just not right.
I was looking for that spark. That one moment where everything made sense, and I could see him as my forever.
I just wasn’t quite sure I was good enough at dating to find it.
“I’m so glad we’re on the same page, Maybelline.”
I held back a wince, hoping it didn’t show on my face. “My name is actually May. M. A. Y.” I smiled softly as I corrected him. I didn’t want to make him feel bad, but my mother had named me May after my late aunt, the woman who had saved my late father’s life when they were children. She’d died in a flash flood at only fourteen years old but had rescued my then ten-year-old father in the process. The legacy that came with my family meant that our promises to each other and how we cared for one another was paramount. When my father was dying later on in life, he’d asked me to make him a promise: follow my heart and be open. To try to find my forever, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted one. So, I would marry for love…but first, I had to try.
I cherished the name I shared with the woman I had never met, whose courage allowed me to exist.
Josh blinked. “I’m sorry. I thought it was a nickname. I like Maybelline.”
Well, that wasn’t awkward at all—another strike in the NO column. But if I kept making NO columns, I would never find that happily ever after. Once again, it would be a happily ever never.
Trying to find common ground, I scrambled. “I used to use their makeup. I think I still have a face wash from them.”
He frowned, looking oddly perplexed.
“You know, the company? ‘Maybe it’s Maybelline’?”
“But I thought you said your name was May. Are you messing with me? I’m not stupid, you know. I don’t like it when people make me feel stupid.”
