Acknowledgments

Now we’ve come to my favorite section of any book—where you get to see the author get all misty-eyed over everyone who helped make her latest story a reality. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are truly involved in the creative process. Writing at your computer can be isolating, but publishing is far from it. To everyone who had a hand in making this story a reality, thank you.

Ashley Bodette, thank you for brainstorming and answering a bazillion and a half what if questions with me. For reading my scary outlines and going over the same scenes until they’re perfect...thank you. You are a blessing and the best assistant ever, and I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through the last year without you holding my hand. You have a friend for life, chica.

Without guidance from Ashley, Trisha Wolfe, Shannon Duffy, Caisey Quinn, Mindy Ruiz, Michelle Madow, Mary Hinson, Heather Self, and Kayleigh Gore, this book probably wouldn’t exist. I’d be stuck in my head and still staring at a blinking cursor. These girls kept me writing, kept me inspired, and they made the entire process a joy. They critiqued and beta-read my drafts, gave fabulous feedback, drove around LAX with their camera phones so I can see it (love ya, Mindy!), and truly got my characters and the story I wanted to tell. Love you, girls!

It’s not possible to go through this without a handful of dear friends who understand your crazy. Who provide emotional support, laughter, handholding, advice, and so much more than I can even name here. Cindi Madsen, Melissa West, Tara Fuller, Lisa Burstein, Meagan Erickson, Christina Lee, Stina Lindenblatt, Rhonda Helms, Wendy Higgins, and Cole Gibsen, you girls are my mafia. I love you to pieces, and all of you are “cool” and “foxy” in my eyes. ;)

Stacy Abrams is my literary fairy godmother. She polished my words until they shined, humored my quirky freak-outs, and loved these characters as much as I do. She asked for even more from their worlds and provided a safe, fun, supportive atmosphere with Entangled. She kept me laughing through the edits and made me sound so much smarter than I am. *mwah*

My street team, the Flirt Squad, is seriously the best support team ever. They keep me smiling. They support me AND each other. They offer fabulous advice and laugh with me whenever I “pull a Rachel.” Girls, thank you so much for the love, the laughs, the ideas, and most importantly, the friendship. You make this journey a blast. I’m the luckiest author ever, and I heart you all. An extra special shout-out to member Holly Underhill, who won a contest and became a character—I hope you had a blast living in Cat’s crazy world! And Shelley Bunnell, thanks for naming Ransom—he turned out to be one of my favorite characters. Hope he didn’t remind you too much of your dog (tee hee)

I couldn’t possibly thank every team member. Each and every one of them makes me smile, do a giddy dance, and cry happy tears. But a few rock stars in particular went WAY beyond leading up to this release, so Saleana Carneiro, Meredith Johnson, Jen Stasi, Veronica Bartles, Cindy Hale, Crystal Leach, Valerie Fink, Jessica Mangicaro, Staci Murden, Zoe Miller, Kathy Arugelles, Shelley Bunnell, Katrina Tinnon, and Heather Love King, consider yourselves virtually tackle hugged.

Debbie Suzuki and Jamie Arnold, thank you for leading up the tour and for your constant support. Kelly Simmon of InkSlinger PR, you rock my world. Damaris Carinali of Good Choice Reading, Christine of I*Heart*BigBooks (and I cannot lie…), and E.M. Tippetts, you are all simply amazing. Thank you for your talent, your friendship, and your support. Love, love, so much love.

Chris and Michelle Holmes, thank you for putting up with my random, plentiful questions about all things “car” and “mechanical.” For the links to cool videos, the inside intel, and for totally inspiring a future book idea during our chats—YOU ROCK!

This series found an enthusiastic audience and from book one, I’ve gotten questions about Cat and Lucas. I hope this story lived up to your hopes and answered most of your questions. Who knows, there may be more fun to come. Thank you for loving these characters so fiercely!

And finally, my family. They deserve so much more than a measly paragraph, but they know how lost I would be without them. My daughters, Jordan and Cali, are my number-one fans, and they are why I do this. I hope they see that anything is possible, and if you chase a dream hard enough, you can make it happen. Mama loves you girls. It’s an honor to be your mother and your teacher, and the memories we make each day in our homeschool inspire the words that I write. My mother-in-law, Peggy, reads every book I write, and isn’t shy about making sure everyone knows about them. I love that—and I love her! My parents, Rosie and Ronnie, and my brother, Ryan, give me amazing feedback, constant support, and free babysitting. They are the best cheerleaders ever, and I love them so, so much. And finally, my husband, Gregg, is my rock. His faith is unbelievable, his love too awesome to comprehend, and his encouragement such a blessing. He is the reason I know true love exists, and he inspires every love story I tell. SHMILY, baby!!