Kristin Billerbeck - A Billion Reasons Why

Advance Praise for
A Billion Reasons Why

Katie and Luc dance off the pages of this book, making you fall in love with them and New Orleans. A nostalgic trip full of surprises and romance.

CAROLYNE AARSEN, AUTHOR OF THE BABY PROMISE

A sparkling and lively romance... featuring the spunkiest heroine of the year!

DENISE HUNTER, AUTHOR OF CONVENIENT GROOM

A Billion Reasons Why is a fun, sophisticated romance with Kristin Billerbecks unique voice and quirky characters. I loved it!

COLLEEN COBLE, AUTHOR OF LONESTAR HOMECOMING AND THE MERCY FALLS SERIES

Acclaim for Kristin Billerbecks previous titles

Shes All That
Christian chick-lit star Billerbeck has moved on from her popular Ashley Stockingdale trilogy with an engaging new novel that features struggling fashion designer Lilly Jacobs and her two best friends, Morgan and Poppy... Snappy dialogue and lovable characters make this novel a winner.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Billerbeck has the chick lit tone nailed, providing the angst without the juvenile whine too common in the genre. Settle in for madcap fun that leaves the reader wanting more.

ROMANTIC TIMES

Perfectly Dateless

[W]itty musings and snappy dialogue

BOOKLIST

Well known as a chick-lit author... Christy Award finalist Billerbeck turns her talent for witty dialog to the YA market... [a] hilarious novel.

LIBRARY JOURNAL

A Billion Reasons Why

Other novels by Kristin Billerbeck include

What a Girl Wants
Shes Out of Control
With This Ring, Im Confused
Shes All That
A Girls Best Friend
Calm, Cool & Adjusted
Split Ends

A Billion
Reasons
Why

Kristin Billerbeck

2011 by Kristin Billerbeck

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc. 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
www.AliveCommunications.com.

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Publishers Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Billerbeck, Kristin.
A billion reasons why / Kristin Billerbeck.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-59554-791-0 (pbk.)
I. Title.
PS3602.I44B55 2011
813'.6dc22 2010043882

Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

TO NANCY TOBACK AND NICOLE CHRISTIAN
FOR MORAL SUPPORT.
AND TO THE BRICKS FOR INSPIRATION.

Contents

S OMEONE TO W ATCH O VER M E

Luc DeForges took the ring from Ian McKennas trembling hand and raised it to the sunlight that danced through the trees of New Orleans Garden District. Its exquisite.

The old mans tight expression relaxed, replaced by pride. A full carat of diamonds, cushion-cut center set in solid platinum by my grandfather before he left Ireland. You see that workmanship? How he made the center stone appear so much larger than it is by the cuts of the smaller stones? He was a master.

Mr. McKennas finger shook as he pointed to the rings bezel. A gentleman like yourself is sure to recognize quality. You cant buy this kind of craftsmanship anymore. His voice held an edge of desperation.

I agree with you, Luc said, as he pushed the ring back toward its owner.

Mr. McKenna shook his head. He seemed to be waiting for something more.

Luc tried again. It appears so much larger, but its dainty, like Katie. It belongs on a woman like her. The stones are a lighter color than I think of when I picture an emerald.

Aye. Mr. McKennas voice sank. Thats because they were hand selected to match my grandmothers eyes. The gems were renowned in Ireland as not merely being green but transparent like worn sea glass. He would have spent the money for darker emeralds if thats what the piece called for.

Luc nodded as the image of Katies sea-green eyes and red hair flashed through his mind. Im certain he would have.

Notice the detail work in the platinum with the cut emeralds? Mr. McKennas eyes watered as he stared hard into Lucs own. Platinum in an intricate design like this was extremely difficult, usually reserved for royals. He wanted my grandmother to feel cherished above all other brides.

Luc studied the way the metal crossed and intersected in a complicated form of lacy architecture, like a jeweled web. Any woman in Ireland would have felt that way.

My mam used to twist the ring around her finger and whisper to Katie that one day, when she found the right man, the ring would belong to her.

Ill guard it with my life, Mr. McKenna.

Again the older gentleman looked Luc in the eyes. I know you will. And I can trust you to make sure Katie gets it on her wedding day?

Luc held his fist to his heart. On my honor.

And you wont tell anyone you have this, you understand?

You have my word. Unless you ask for it back, Ill keep it under lock and key.

Mr. McKenna turned toward the sidewalk. I wont be asking for it back.

Now, all these years later, Luc could still picture the slope of Mr. McKennas bent back, the way he stepped, broken and wilted, a shadow of the lively man he remembered from his youth. If only hed known then that hed be the last person to see Ian McKenna alive, there were so many things he would have done differently.

So many things.

A F INE R OMANCE

Katie McKenna had dreamed of this moment at least a thousand times. Luc would walk back into her life filled with remorse. Hed be wearing jeans, a worn T-shirt, and humility. Hed be dripping with humility.

That should have been her first clue that such a scenario had no bearing on reality.

Katie, a voice said.

The sound sent a surge of adrenaline through her frame. Shed forgotten the power and the warmth of his baritone. A quick glance around her classroom assured her that she must be imagining things. Everything was in order: the posters of colorful curriculum, the daily schedule of activities printed on the whiteboard, and, of course, the children. All six of them were mentally disabled, most of them on the severe side of the autism spectrum, but three had added handicaps that required sturdy, head-stabilizing wheelchairs. The bulk of the chairs overwhelmed the room and blocked much of the happy yellow walls and part of the large rainbow mural the kids had helped to paint. The room, with its cluttered order, comforted her and reminded her of all shed accomplished. There was no need to think about the past. That was a waste of time and energy.