Sharon Sala | Exclusive Excerpt from I'LL STAND BY YOU

“We need to have a talk. How would you two feel about Dori and Luther staying with us?”

“But they’re already with us,” Marshall said.

“No, I mean for always.”

Beep looked at Dori and then at the baby in her lap.

“Would ole Joe stay too?”

Dori nodded. “Yes, where I go, Joe goes.”

Marshall gave Johnny a long look and then glanced at Dori the same way.

“Are you guys gonna get married or somethin’?”

“Yes, we’re going to get married tomorrow,” Johnny said.

Marshall smiled. “I told Beep you guys were in love, but he didn’t believe me. I think it’s a good idea.”

Dori glanced at Johnny, but he was staring intently at the boys.

“Why did you think we were in love?” he asked.

“’Cause you guys watch each other when you think no one’s looking. I know how that stuff goes down.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Let me guess. You were watching romantic movies at Miss Jane’s too?”

“No, just the afternoon soaps. There’s lots of love stuff going on in those shows.”

Dori saw the look on Johnny’s face and burst out laughing, which made Luther laugh.

Beep wasn’t sure what was funny, but he was still so relieved that he wasn’t in trouble for breaking the night-light that he went ahead and laughed too.

“What? What did I say?” Marshall said.

Johnny grinned. “So, Beep, how do you feel about me and Dori getting married?”

“I like it. She likes us, and she makes good stuff to eat, and she’s really, really nice. And when ole Joe gets a little older, me and him can play together.”

Marshall frowned. “What about me?”

Beep shrugged. “You’re gonna grow up and get a girlfriend just like Johnny did. I’m gonna need someone to play with, aren’t I?”

This time it was Johnny who laughed. “So how do you feel about staying home from school tomorrow and being my two best men at the wedding?”

“Yes! We feel like that’s a good deal,” Marshall said. “Don’t we, Beep?”

Beep nodded. Anything that had to do with missing school was fine with him. “Can we go watch TV?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Johnny said and then grinned at Dori as they ran out of the kitchen. “I told you they would be fine with this.”

Luther squawked because the boys left, and then poked his thumb in his mouth and leaned against Dori’s chest.

“Even ole Joe doesn’t seem to mind,” Johnny said.

Dori glanced down at the baby and then back up at Johnny. They’d do whatever they had to do to keep their boys where they belonged.

Johnny circled the table, then got down on one knee and put his arms around the both of them.

“I know you don’t love me, but maybe one day, if I’m lucky, you’ll look up and realize you can’t live without me. In the meantime, I can love you enough for both of us.”

The declaration was so moving to Dori that, for a moment, she was speechless. And then she cupped his face with one hand and leaned forward until their lips were only inches apart.

He could feel the warmth of her breath against his face, and when he suddenly saw his reflection in her eyes, it felt like she’d captured his soul.

“I already see you, Johnny Pine, and if it’s just the same with you, I’d rather live my life beside you, not without you.”

He kissed her because he could no longer talk, and when the baby grabbed his ear and then his hair, he laughed.

About Sharon Sala

Sharon Sala, who has also written under the name Dinah McCall, has 85-plus books in print, published in four different genres-Romance, Young Adult, Western, and Women's Fiction, and her Young Adult books have been optioned for film. She has been named a RITA finalist seven times by Romance Writers of America, and in 2011 they named her the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books are New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly bestsellers and published in many different languages. She lives in Oklahoma, the state where she was born.

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About I'LL STAND BY YOU

No one is alone

Dori Grant is no stranger to hardship. As a young single mother in the gossip- fueled town of Blessings, Georgia, she's weathered the storm of small-town disapproval most of her life. But when Dori loses everything within the span of an evening, she realizes she has no choice but to turn to her neighbors.

As long as there is love to give

Everyone says the Pine boys are no good, but Johnny Pine has been proving the gossips wrong ever since his mother died and he took over raising his brothers. His heart goes out to the young mother and child abandoned by the good people of Blessings. Maybe he can be the one to change all that...