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Happy Ced & Nikki Day, First name / VIP Reader!

 

I'm so excited for you to finally read Ced and Nikki's love story. I love these two. I adore the way they show their love for each other in ways that are both big and small. Ced is my cuddly, cinnamon roll hero who is so busy taking care of everyone else in his life, he's never taken the time to really grieve the loss of his mother. Nikki is dealing with anxiety, self-doubt, and the guilt she feels over her past relationship and the impact it had on her friendship with Ced. I adore both characters. They surprised me in so many ways as their love story unfolded.

 

I love writing friends and siblings, and I had fun writing both in Ced and Nikki's story. He has two college-age sisters. She has a younger sister who says exactly what she thinks. We're introduced to their friends Toby and Leilani who add humorous moments to the story. And, of course, we get to catch up with Ward and Karris from Spin the Block.  

 

 

Click below and download the e-book, purchase a paperback copy, or read on Kindle Unlimited to find out.

Nikki 
I went from gracing magazine covers as a member of a best-selling female group to being the subject of a blog article on “The Downfall of Nikki Hart.” After the flop of my solo album and a failed engagement, my anxiety is at an all-time high. I’m in desperate need of a fresh start, so I’m headed to London in hopes of kickstarting my solo career. But first, I’m returning home to Atlanta for my old high school’s jubilee celebration. I’m here to heal the rifts caused by my manipulative ex and to repair my friendship with Ced.

Cedrick 
I’ve known Anika Hart was the woman for me since we met in high school. But family obligations and our individual music careers have always interfered. I was destroyed by her engagement to the one person in this industry I’d love to see take a long walk off a short pier. Now that she’s back, I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to stay.

Nikki believes the road to her solo career runs through London’s music scene. But I’m an award-winning record producer and co-owner of a brand-new boutique record label. If she’ll give me twelve weeks, I’ll prove we’re the perfect match in love and music.

 

 

NEVER THE RIGHT TIME deals with a variety of issues that may be difficult for some readers. Please note that this story deals with the following:

Each of these topics is dealt with in an informed and respectful manner. However, some readers may prefer not to read a romance that deals with such heavy, real-life issues.

Release week is a critical time for any author, but especially for an independently published author. There is no publisher who'll help get the word out about Never the Right Time. It's just little old me, my long-suffering assistant, my incredibly supportive Street Team composed of loyal readers, and readers like you, First name / friend. So if you have a moment, and you'd like to help me get the word out about Cedrick and Nikki's love story, there are two super quick ways to help.

 

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My eyes lock with Nikki’s, and I’m trying to keep my shit together, but hearing her ask if she could be moved to another table after I’d practically bribed Karris to seat her beside me… That shit cuts like a knife.

 

Nikki and I have been off and on since high school. We’ve always been good together, but I needed to stay close to Atlanta because my moms was sick and I was helping to raise my two younger sisters. Being a member of one of the hottest pop groups at the time kept Nikki on the road. We accepted that our lifestyles made a relationship impossible. But we remained close friends. No matter what, we’ve always had each other’s backs. Until Nikki got with ol’ dude.

 

Dino Bradley is music industry royalty. A kingmaker. And the asshole who dismissed me early on in my career as “a low-rent amateur” who wouldn’t know what listeners wanted if it bit me in the ass.

 

To be fair, I never told Nikki that. My pride wouldn’t let me repeat that shit to anyone—not even her. But I never forgot what Dino said. His fucked-up dismissal of my potential as a producer has fueled me for nearly a decade. I should honestly thank the two-faced asshole for helping launch my career.

 

But that didn’t make it sting any less when I turned on the television and saw Nikki on his arm at a music awards event in Europe a few years ago. And when she ghosted me—changing her phone number and email address—that was a sucker punch I hadn’t been expecting. My only comfort was the certainty that that egotistical bastard put her up to it. But hearing her desperate attempt to escape my table… maybe I was wrong.

 

Maybe it was Nikki all along.

 

“I’m not trying to avoid you, Ced,” she blurts, ending our standoff of awkward silence. “I had no idea I was assigned to your table.”

 

I study her widened almond-shaped eyes, highlighted by her intricate silver mask layered with crystals, pearls, and beading.

 

In all the time we’ve known each other, Nikki has never lied to me. So despite my bruised pride, I’m inclined to believe her. Still, I need an explanation.

 

“Then why did you sound so desperate to switch to another table?” My voice stays even, and my expression is neutral.

 

I’m not about the drama.

 

I’m not the messy producer who breaks up marriages or becomes a baby daddy to each of his ingenues. I don’t start petty beefs with fellow producers to drum up promo for my latest project. I do what I need to do to promote my artists, but for the most part, I keep my private life private.

 

The last thing I want is for pics to show up on some gossip site claiming Nikki and I were seen arguing, especially on the heels of her breakup with ol’ boy.

 

Nikki’s chest rises and falls rapidly, and I can’t help noticing how damn good she looks in her short asymmetrical silver dress. One shoulder is exposed. Her deep-brown skin glows and shimmers beneath the overhead lighting. Sparkly bejeweled high heels make her legs look a mile long—though she’s barely five-four.

 

I force my gaze back to hers. There’s agony in her expression—the kind I’ve felt since Nikki cut ties without warning two years ago. Part of me wants to sweep her up in a bear hug and assure her everything will be all right. But I resist the urge, until I hear what she has to say.

 

“Honestly?”

 

“Always.” I clench my jaw, preparing myself for whatever she’s struggling to say.

 

Nikki glances around. Angel—the girl who helped her—is watching us as she talks excitedly to two other members of the event staff. Nikki’s shoulders stiffen, and I recognize the signs of her anxiety heightening. She turns her back to where the girls are standing and lowers her voice. I can barely hear her over the din of conversation, laughter, and the clink of dishes as people grab hors d'oeuvres at a nearby table.

 

“Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?”

 

I gesture toward the corridor outside of the ballroom. Then I head to a lounge at the end of the hall. The event staff had been doing some prep in here earlier, but now it’s just us. Arms folded, I lean against a wall in the corner of the room. “So what is it that you⁠—”

 

“I’m really sorry, Ced. I shouldn’t have ghosted you without an explanation,” Nikki blurts before I finish my question. Her voice trembles. “We’ve been friends—and so much more—since high school. You didn’t deserve that. I’ve felt awful about it every single day since then.”

I heave a small sigh of relief because I honestly needed to hear Nikki say those words. Still, I can’t help scowling. Because Nikki’s admission of guilt only raises more questions.

 

“If you felt so badly about ghosting me like that, why the hell did you do it?” I already know the answer, but I just need to hear her say that Dino’s insecure ass couldn’t deal with our friendship.

 

“A couple weeks after Dino and I made our first public appearance, you sent a teasing text asking if I was still kicking it with Grandpa. I realize you were just joking⁠—”

 

“I wasn’t,” I interject, feeling the need to make that crystal clear. “You were too good for his ass.”

 

“Dino wasn’t buying that you were just kidding either, and I guess he wasn’t wrong. Despite being an absolute legend in the business, he’s extremely sensitive about his age. He feels particularly threatened by younger men.” A dark shadow floats over her expression. “I assured him that though we were involved in the past, we were just friends at the time. That you weren’t a threat to what we had. But he was just so⁠—”

 

“Angry?” I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to say the word. Maybe Nikki and I haven’t exactly been friends these past couple years. But if Dino Bradley laid a finger on her, I don’t give a fuck who he is. I’ll board a plane right now for the pleasure of beating his ass.

 

No one lays a hand on Nikki Hart. Not if they want to keep all their teeth.

 

“No. I’ve seen my mother with enough awful boyfriends to know better than that,” she says. “If he’d been angry or given me an ultimatum, it would’ve launched me into a rant about how he didn’t own me or have the right to tell me what to do.”

 

“Then how did he react?”

 

“We’d been seeing each other a few months at that point and… I know I should’ve mentioned it to you, but I knew you’d say Dino was too old for me, that he’d been married too many times already…” Nikki counters before I can ask why she thought she needed to keep the relationship a secret.

 

Nikki and I have always been friends first. We’ve seen other people over the years, and we’ve never felt the need to hide that. We valued our friendship and each other’s privacy. So if she’d wanted to keep things on the down-low, I would’ve respected that. I’m a little salty about the fact that she felt she couldn’t talk to me.

 

“We’d gotten serious by the time we made that appearance. Attending the Brit Awards together was a calculated unveiling of our relationship.” Her full lips quirk in a sad smile. “So Dino and I are having a debate about my friendship with you and why it wasn’t a threat to what he and I had. Then he gets really emotional about betrayals by past partners. About how they’d claimed the same thing… that the guy was just a friend and there was nothing for him to worry about. Only, it wasn’t true. That’s why he’s been divorced twice.”

 

“Three times,” I correct. “But that first one was on him. After all, he did leave wifey number one for the mega pop star who became wifey number two.”

 

Nikki’s shoulders tense, but she doesn’t counter what I’ve said.

 

“He was devastated about the possibility of losing me, and I was so taken with him,” she continues quietly. “I admired him, and I couldn’t believe this legendary industry giant was into me like that. That while the entire world was obsessed with Kaliyah, Dino was destroyed by the thought of losing me. I was in love with him, so I…” She swallows hard and the trembling of her hands becomes more noticeable.

 

Nikki sets her things on a nearby table and removes her mask.

 

Even with half her face shielded, Nikki Hart is the most beautiful woman in the whole damn place. But without her mask, I’m struck by her delicate features.

 

Soulful, expressive eyes that peer straight through you. An elegant nose that was tweaked the tiniest bit when the group first blew up. Soft, full lips that always make me think of the cherry cola lip gloss she was obsessed with when we were in high school. But today she’s wearing a purple lipstick that complements her hair color. Her jet-black hair is styled in her signature pixie cut with soft, silky layers that make me want to run my fingers through them. Purple and blue highlights and an undercut give the look a sexy edge. Her smooth deep-brown skin always seems to have an inner glow.

 

Anika Hart is and always has been the complete package. And I hate that I can’t stop thinking about how much I want her.

 

“I didn’t come here to make excuses. I shouldn’t have given in to the pressure to choose between Dino and my friends.” Nikki sweeps a few locks of hair from her face. “I was caught up in what felt like a fairy-tale romance and…” She lowers her gaze before meeting mine again. “I just needed to tell you how sorry I am. I understand if you can’t forgive me. That’s why I asked for a table in a less conspicuous location. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to seeing me again. Under the circumstances, it didn’t seem wise to be seated at the front of the room.”

 

I’m processing everything she’s said. Trying to come to terms with the fact that she was in love with that fake-ass motherfucker who never deserved her. Not even on his best day.

Nikki nibbles on her lower lip as she studies my scowling face. I haven’t responded yet, so she gathers her things.

 

“I’m sorry, Ced. This was a lot to drop on you on a night when we’re celebrating saving Peachtree and the accomplishments of outstanding alumni like you, Karris, Ward⁠—”

 

“And you,” I say.

 

She gives me a smile of gratitude for including her among the school’s top alumni.

 

“I needed to tell you how sorry I am, and you deserved that apology in person. Not through a text message or a phone screen. Maybe this was the wrong place and the wrong time, but I didn’t have your number and you’re no longer at the same address.” Her words come out quickly, but then she draws in a breath. “I’ll see if Angel can find me a seat at another table. 

Or maybe it would be better if I go back to my…”

 

Before Nikki can finish her sentence, I step forward and wrap her up in a hug. The way I’ve wanted to since I first caught a glimpse of her. It feels good to have her in my arms again. To feel the warmth of her soft skin and inhale her teasing floral scent. How her breathing almost immediately syncs with mine.

 

Yeah, I’m still pissed, and my ego is bruised. But I know Nikki Hart. I know what she’s been through, how she grew up, and why she’d gravitate to a man like Dino Bradley. Knowing that she fell so deeply for this man she shut me out of her life stings. But not as much as it hurt not having her in mine.

 

I don’t know exactly how things between us will play out. But I know I’m going to do everything I can to convince Nikki to stay here in Atlanta. I just hope she’s open to the possibility. If she stays, we have all the time in the world to figure everything else out.

All the thoughts and feelings rolling through my head right now are a lot for me to process. But the strongest emotion is the deep affection I’ve always felt for her. If the past couple of years haven’t erased it, I don’t know that anything ever will.

 

This hug is starting to feel like a whole-ass conversation. It’s conveying all the words I’m not ready to say. I squeeze my eyes shut and sigh, barely keeping it together. But Nikki’s shoulders shake gently.

 

She can’t hold back the tears as she quietly whispers, “I’m so sorry, Ced,” again and again.

“There you are Mr. EtCedEra.” Marai Morrison, another Peachtree graduate, rushes toward me in a black jumpsuit and cat-eye glasses, clutching her clipboard. She’s tonight’s program director, and sis is taking her job seriously. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You were supposed to report to the green room ten minutes ago. The sponsors are scheduled to go onstage in”—she checks her watch and her eyes go wide—“three minutes. Thank God we’re running a little late.”

 

I’m still holding Nikki, but her back is to the woman who just seems to notice I’m not alone.

“We’ll finish this conversation later, all right? For now, let’s just enjoy the evening. Got a spot saved for you right beside me at the VIP table.” I pull back and whisper to Nikki, who is still dabbing tears. “I have to do this now, but promise me you won’t leave.”

 

“I won’t. I promise. But I need to fix my face before I go back out there, so I’ll probably miss your speech.”

 

“There’s a bathroom right outside this room,” Marai chimes in, glancing at her wristwatch again. “If you hurry, you can catch him.” Cat Eyes turns her attention to me. “Two minutes.” She holds up two fingers.

 

I squeeze Nikki’s shoulder, then I let Ms. Program Director usher me backstage. Karris Baker is onstage talking about finding her joy again as an artist by working with me and Ward Hughes—my longtime best friend and now business partner—at our new record label, Peachtree Records. And before I know it, a plan is brewing in my head of how I can keep Nikki here in Atlanta with me.