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       Books by Jacquelin Thomas

      Kimani Romance

       The Pastor’s Woman Chocolate Goodies Teach Me Tonight You and I

      Dear Reader,

      A lot of women feel pressured to lose weight because of the way women are often portrayed in some of pop culture’s magazines, movies and television shows. Cherise Ransom has never been thin, but it isn’t until she’s an adult that she understands the importance of loving herself and being a size healthy.

      My inspiration for this story was an article I read about an eleven-year-old who committed suicide after being teased by classmates because he was overweight. This tragedy prompted me to highlight Cherise’s struggles as an overweight teen and her desire to fit in with her peers, which leads to a mistake that haunts her many years later as an adult. But will it come between her and the man she falls in love with?

      I hope you enjoy You and I. I am also looking forward to introducing you to the Alexander family of Beverly Hills in the coming months.

      I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to contact me on the following:

      Facebook: www.facebook.com/jacquelinthomas

       Twitter:

      www.twitter.com/jacquelinthomas Web:

      www.jacquelinthomas.com

       Email: [email protected]

      Blessings to you,

      Jacquelin Thomas

      About the Author

      JACQUELIN THOMAS is an award-winning, bestselling author with more than thirty-five books in print. When she is not writing, she is busy working toward a degree in psychology. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.

       You And I

      Jacquelin Thomas

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Bernard, you are my best friend and the love of my life. There are no words to adequately express how honored I am to be your wife. Thank you for being my #1 fan and supporter. Other men should follow your example as a husband, father and friend.

      Chapter 1

      “I can’t believe you have another brother and that I have another cousin,” Cherise Ransom told Elle as they stood in line for the duck with chocolate sauce that everyone at the wedding reception had been raving about.

      “I know,” Elle murmured. “It’s eleven of us now.”

      “Well, we call ourselves a clan—I guess it’s true. Especially with all of the marriages and children—there’s a bunch of Ransoms running around Los Angeles.” Cherise’s gaze traveled once more to where Ransom Winters was standing with his bride, Coco, holding court.

      “He’s definitely related, though,” she said. “He looks just like us. I think it’s pretty cool that his mother named him Ransom. I guess she wanted him to have his father’s name in some way.”

      Cherise glanced over her shoulder at a woman standing nearby and said in a low voice, “Aunt Amanda sure seems to be taking it well.”

      Elle gave a slight shrug. “He’s not hard to love at all. Ransom is a really neat guy, and he was an instant fit with the family. As for my mama, she wants to leave the past behind. Ransom was conceived when she and my dad were separated.”

      “Sometimes the past definitely has a way of catching up with you,” Cherise responded, staring straight ahead, watching the bride and groom, but her mind was somewhere else, in another place and time.

      Elle followed her gaze and said, “Ransom and Coco make a beautiful couple, don’t you think?”

      Cherise nodded, bringing her thoughts back to the present. “I want someone to come knock me off my feet like that.”

      “The right guy is going to show up when you least expect it, cousin.”

      She met Elle’s smile with one of her own. “I really hope so. You and Brennen are crazy in love, and you’ve just had another baby. All of you…well, all except Ivy, are deliriously happy. To be honest with you, sometimes I get a little sad being around all the love and happiness.”

      “Now you sound like Ivy,” Elle pointed out with a light chuckle.

      “See, that’s who I need to start hanging out with,” Cherise said. “She and I are on the same page. We can be lonely together.”

      Elle passed on the chocolate-dusted scallops with vanilla butter sauce, while Cherise decided to give them a try. “Not too much,” she told the server. “Thanks.”

      Cherise made her way back to the table, following Elle. She sat down next to her.

      “Girl, there’s so much chocolate at this reception, I can feel myself putting on pounds. You know that’s the last thing I need right now,” Cherise said, picking up one of the elegantly designed boxes of chocolate truffles.

      “You need to stop that, Cherise,” Elle told her. “You look beautiful.”

      “She sure does,” a man said from behind them.

      Cherise turned around in her chair. “Hi, Daddy.” She rose to her feet to give her father a hug.

      “Uncle Jules, where have you been?” Elle asked. “I tried to call you last week.”

      “I was in Raleigh, North Carolina. An old friend of mine is terminally ill, and so a bunch of us decided to go up and spend some time with him.” He stroked his daughter’s shoulder. “I’ve told you about talk like that, Cherise. And look at your plate. You hardly have anything on it.”

      “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with the way I look,” she quickly explained. “But I can’t just go crazy when it comes to food. I want to be healthy and keep off the extra pounds, so I eat smaller portions. I’m a full-figured gal and proud of it.” Cherise sat back down.

      Elle hugged her. “I’m so proud of you. I remember when you came to live with us and how much your weight bothered you. You’ve grown up to be this beautiful and extremely confident woman, and now you’re helping other girls do the same.”

      “I’m just trying to get them to focus on being a size healthy versus a size four.” Cherise was proud of her work as a counselor at the Darlene Sheppard Center, a therapeutic community for overweight children and teens.

      Her father spent a few more minutes with them before moving on to talk to some of the other guests. Cherise was glad to see him, although he stayed on the go—had always been that way, which is one of the reasons her parents had

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