The Secret isn’t as secure as Derek’s team originally thought it was, and a person on the inside of Alexander-Knight is set on exposing him, breaking him, and taking away all he holds dear.
Refusing to let anyone suffer for his crimes, Derek takes matters into his own hands. He’s exposed, he’s defenseless, but his friends are determined to save him.
A STAND-ALONE, ONE TO HOLD NOVEL. Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
The muscle in my jaw clenches hard, but my voice stays calm. “Open the door, Melissa.”
“No.”
I step back ready to snap that chain with a swift kick, when she pushes it closed and the noise of that f**king deadbolt sounds again.
“God dammit!” I shout as I shove my key back into the lock. I’m turning it open when I hear scraping noises on the other side. This time when I push against the wood, it doesn’t move at all.
Resting my forehead against the door, I take another deep breath, fighting for control. “Please let me in.”
“You promised!” She yells from the other side. “You looked in my eyes and promised.”
“Baby, I didn’t know how serious this was.”
“I won’t hear any more lies from you. Take your shit and leave. It’s over.”
She’s crying now, and all semblance of control I had is gone. This is not happening. Stepping back, I hit the door with my shoulder as hard as I can. A low growl escapes my throat on impact. The door doesn’t budge.
“Open the door,” I repeat.
Again, she says, “No.”
Stepping back, I kick it with the sole of my foot. The doorjamb shudders, but it doesn’t give.
“Don’t make me call the police,” she shouts from the other side.
That nearly sends me into a rage. My shoulders are rapidly rising and falling as I step back and survey this situation. The woman I love has thrown me out and is now threatening the cops on me. Am I having some kind of f**king bad dream?
The only possible way I might get in the house comes to mind. “I want to see Dex.”
She’s angry, yes, but if we can look at each other, talk it out… Maybe she needs to yell at me. I can listen, hear what she needs to say, and everything can go back to normal.
“I’ll talk to my mom. We’ll work out a schedule for you to visit him.”
My fist is pounding on the wood before I even realize what I’m doing. This is f**king idiotic, and I need to get on the other side of this f**king door and hold Melissa in my arms.
“Stop it!” I can hear the break in her voice, and it rips me apart. “You’re scaring Dex.”
Breathing hard, I rest my head against the wood again. Looking to the side, I can see the cracks that have formed around the doorjamb from my attempts to break it down. Sound filters through the spaces easily. The noise of my Melissa crying is just on the other side. I can’t take this.
“Melissa.” This time I’m pleading with her. “Please open the door.”
“No.” She says softly, between sniffles.
My heart is twisting in my chest. “What do you want me to do, baby? Just tell me what to do.”
“I want you to go away.” Her voice shakes as she says the words.
“I can’t do that.” I’m breathing hard now. “I love you.”
“Not enough to keep your promise.”
“I love you more than enough.” Gripping the wooden frame, I fight my emotions. “Let me in.”
“I’m done talking. Take your bags and go.”
Noises on the other side sound like Dex whining. I hear her go to him and attempt to soothe him. Stepping back, I look at the windows and consider breaking one of them. For several long seconds, I visualize myself doing it. I look around the perimeter and see every place I can force my way inside, go in there and gather her in my arms, make her stop saying these things.
But I don’t. It would scare Dex, it would anger Mel… It would only make things harder for me.
Instead I do what she asks. Ice is in the pit of my stomach as I pick up my duffel and the largest suitcase and carry them to my car. Popping the trunk, I put them inside and go back for the remaining two.
Tia Louise is the Amazon and International Bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD series.
From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to picking up USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning a 2014 “Lady Boner Award” (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.
A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.
Prologue
Natalie
“Oh, Chloe, if you’d like to come out, please wait until your Daddy gets back,” I insist, holding my belly as another Braxton Hicks contraction hits. I grip the dresser and try to breathe through it. It seems like they’re coming more frequently.
Once it passes, I try to finish what I came in here for. Aaron is away, but I want the nursery done so we can enjoy the next few weeks once he returns. I walk around what will be her room, putting a few more of the pretty pink dresses in the drawers. Aaron and I have fought about the vast array of pink things that are now strewn around the house—he hates it, I love it.
He insisted we paint her room in camouflage. Brown, green, and black camouflage for a girl? No. I almost sent myself into labor with that argument. I got home and he and Mark were drawing it out on the walls. I launched various household items at Mark while throwing him out of the house. My husband found out shortly after how much he could suffer by my hands. I may not be a SEAL, but you don’t mess with me either. In the end, I won with purple walls and the sheer netting around her white crib.
“Daddy’s going to love this room, Chloe. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the pretty butterflies.” Needing to take another break, I sit in the rocking chair and rub my stomach. It soothes me knowing she’s in there. I can protect her—it’s my job. I love being pregnant and it’s a miracle we were able to conceive her. I’ve already told Aaron I want to try for another one as soon as she’s born. I close my eyes and sink, allowing the world to fade away.
I imagine holding her in my arms, sitting here in this chair, soothing and kissing her. I picture Aaron with her asleep on his chest as she gets to hear his heartbeat. She’ll own his world and have him wrapped around her finger.
Knock, knock, knock.
I hear the door, but it takes me a few seconds to get out of the chair.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
They bang louder this time.
“Coming!” I yell at the door. Jeez, give me a second.
Waddling to the door takes me a minute since I’m the size of a whale.
I open the door and see Mark Dixon, Aaron’s boss and close friend. He works at Cole Security Forces with Aaron and served with him for years. His head is hanging low and when he looks up, his eyes are full of sorrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lee,” he chokes on the one syllable of my name. The one Aaron uses. Something is definitely not right.
“What happened?” I ask again as I begin to shake.
Tears fill his eyes and I know. I know my life is never going to be the same. I know everything I’ve ever feared is about to come true because Mark doesn’t cry. Mark wouldn’t be at my door if something weren’t really, really wrong. “It’s Aaron.”
My heart stops beating and the world I live in ceases to exist. “Don’t,” I beg with tears blurring my vision and my breath accelerating.
This can’t be happening.
“Please, don’t, Mark. Please,” I beg him again, because once he says it…but I know it’s futile. It doesn’t matter because he can’t stop it. It’s already happened.
“Natalie, I’m so sorry.”
The dreaded words that every military wife fears. Only I wasn’t supposed to have to worry about this anymore. We were done. We got out. I wasn’t supposed to ever fear this again.
Please, God, don’t take him from me. Please!
“But, I’m p-pregnant. I’m having a baby,” I stammer as if that will somehow make none of this real. “He said he’d be back. He said he…” I trail off as it becomes difficult to breathe. My hand flies to my mouth to stifle the scream about to escape. Everything goes colorless.
“It was an IED. I’m sorry,” Mark says as his eyes glimmer with unshed tears.
I fall.
But he’s there, cradling me in his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“No. No. No.” Mark holds me as I sob clutching my stomach. “You’re lying,” I hiss, tearing myself out of his embrace.
“I wish I were,” he says as I struggle to get up.
“It was a mistake. He’s having a baby. He said it was a simple in and out!” I scream and throw my hands against his chest. “You’re lying!” I scream, even knowing it’s not a lie.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry!” My sorrow turns to hatred. I hate him. I hate everyone in this moment. I hate Aaron and everyone who was there. I hate this house and everything in it. I hate the air that he no longer breathes. Hate consumes me. Hate smothers me. “Get out!” I yell and push against his chest. “Get the fuck out of my house! Aaron will be back in a few days and then we’re going to get ready for our daughter to be born.”
“Please,” Mark beseeches and I refuse to look at him.
This isn’t happening because Aaron’s alive.
He’s not dead. How dare Mark lie to me.
“He’ll be back. He wouldn’t leave me. He promised.” Aaron wouldn’t lie to me. He never does. When he left for missions, he would always say goodbye like it could be our last. But this time he kissed the tip of my nose and said, “Now don’t have that baby until I get back.”
“Can I call someone? Your mom?”
“No, you can’t call anyone because he’s not dead! Go get him, Mark! Go get my husband and bring him home.” I step back pointing my finger at him. “You all promised. He promised.” I clutch my stomach as a sharp pain radiates, but it’s nothing compared to the agony sitting on my chest. Tears flow relentlessly as I struggle against his hold. “He promised.”
“I know he did,” Mark says as he holds my head against his chest.
“He lied.”
My life is gone.
My heart is dead.
I’m a widow at twenty-seven.
*****5 HEARTFELT STARS*****
As I sit here writing this review, I must admit that I am still fully under the charming, effervescent, and simply fantastic spell of Consolation. It’s only March, but I already know that this book will be one of my favorites of this year.
It was that good. It was that enthralling. It was that amount of everything that makes a book something truly wonderful.
Consolation is the first book in The Consolation Duet, and it is the third book I’ve read by Corinne Michaels. I absolutely loved her other two books to pieces, and Jackson Cole practically melted me, so clearly it wasn’t a stretch that I was going to love this one, although I have to say that I think I loved me some Natalie and Liam just a smidge bit more. (But don’t tell Jackson Cole that, because then things could get awkward, and that’s just unnecessary.)
Consolation tells the story of Natalie and Liam, two people who never thought they’d end up where they are. She’s a young widow with a baby, and he’s her deceased husband’s best friend. They’ve got one serious connection going on, and Consolation follows their remarkable characters as they try to make sense of all that’s happening. Consolation was definitely an emotional read with so many ups and downs, but that’s just part of what made me love it so much.
What I absolutely loved about Consolation:
The immense level of emotion. The first thing that struck me when reading this book was the level of emotion that I felt almost instantly. Corinne Michaels throws you right into the thick of all of that emotion and feeling, and that is exactly what needed to happen for Natalie and Liam’s story. Experiencing that level of emotion just helps you get it all. It also allows you the extraordinary chance to really experience what Natalie and Liam are, making all that they go through that more real, that more intense, and that more emotionally powerful. This book will blow you away with how much feeling it has on every page, and it’ll give you every varied and thoughtfully crafted emotion under the sun, which you will love getting to experience.
Natalie’s magnificent journey. Natalie is put through the wringer with what she experiences in Consolation, and the instant you meet her your heart will go to her. You will love her, feel for her, and simultaneously want to hug her. Natalie’s story is filled with heartbreak and some serious pain, and your heart will break for her, but one thing about Natalie is that she has more strength than even she realizes. You will feel that strength as you get to know her, and it will bring out the most outstanding things in her. Even in those moments when she is vulnerable as all get out and has her doubts and questions about how she’s going to get through it all that strength emanates from her in the most breathtaking way. You will just be in awe of where Natalie starts to where she ends up through her amazing journey in Consolation.
Liam’s heart melting self. I think Liam just about melted my heart over the course of Consolation. He was honest and raw and he had a heart of gold that just made me fall more and more head over heels in love with his character. I was pleasantly surprised that I got a chance to read his perspective in Consolation, and that honestly made this book for me because it allowed me the chance to understand exactly where he was coming from. Liam is in such a tough position because he’s falling for his best friend’s widow, but I promise you will never doubt the heartfelt feelings coming from him. Liam just stole my heart with what he thinks and feels for Natalie. You will not doubt an ounce of what he has for her, and the level of vulnerability that man exuberates repeatedly will just melt you.
Banter galore! While this book has a lot of heavy, it also has a heavy dose of some utterly fantastic banter. Liam and Natalie can really go at it, and I was cracking up at the charming and hysterical banter those two had. That banter will make you smile and laugh, and it brings such a level of fun and humor to this emotionally charged story. It really is just the best, and it helps showcase the wonderfully dynamic and strong willed personalities of Liam and Natalie.
The way Natalie & Liam come to be. Natalie and Liam definitely have a unique story. They’ve known each other for ages, but have only recently come to feel the way they do because of circumstances beyond both of their control. Reading and experiencing how Natalie and Liam’s relationship develops over the course of this book is simply amazing. It’s superbly developed and written, and it just makes sense. All the hesitancies, the questions, the back and forth, the doubts, and everything in between that Natalie and Liam share seem exactly as they should. The connection and just pull that Natalie and Liam have towards one another is a force unto itself, and it just heightens everything that’s happening between them.
The huge OMG moments. This book has some serious OMG moments. I freaking yelled at my Kindle when I was reading this book. A few times. I also think I gasped more than once, because there were MANY moments that I did not see coming. Moments that shocked me. Moments that had me reeling and thinking and wondering what in the world would happen next. And holy all get out, THAT ENDING, but that just makes me all the more ready for the conclusion to this beautiful duet filled with all those huge moments.
The best friends you could ask for.What I’ve loved about all of the books by Corinne Michaels is the supporting and authentic friendships she creates with her characters. The love and connections they all share will just make you happy to read. In Consolation, I loved getting the chance to spend time with the characters I’ve come to love from her other books, while getting to know new characters more. Reanell in particular was a gem, and I loved her little spunky self something fierce! This author develops and brings these distinctive characters to life in such a fabulous way that makes you want to spend as much time as humanly possible with them all because they are all just that fun, and that endearing, and that important.
A man with a baby. I repeat: A MAN WITH A BABY. One of my favorite aspects of this book was getting to see one Liam Dempsey navigate the new waters of possibly starting a relationship with someone who had a child. Reading that man as he interacted and got to know Aarabelle, Natalie’s daughter, just about stole my heart. Literally. Nothing sells me more than a man who loves a child, especially when that child isn’t actually his. The love and care and just heart that Liam has for that little girl had me practically swooning all the time, and coupled with many moments of man with a baby humor, I was just more and more in love with Liam and Consolation.
The level of realness. I can’t say enough how real this book felt as I read it. I didn’t feel like I was reading it, I felt like I was living it. I’m not married to someone in the military, but this book showed me a glimpse of what that’s like. I’m not a mother yet, but this book made me feel like a part of me was already. I’ve never lost my husband, but this book allowed me the chance to see and experience what a life changing event like that is, and all of the repercussions an event like that holds. That is a true testament to Corinne Michaels and her writing because she created all of that. All of the emotion. All of the vulnerability and feeling. All of the ups and downs and realness and flaws that goes along with this story. She created it all, and she did it in such a beautifully breathtaking way that allowed me the exceptional chance to get all of that and more.
Consolation by Corinne Michaels was an enthralling read that gave me Liam and Natalie’s passionate, emotionally laced, and heart pulling story. I immediately connected with them both, and reading these two try to make sense of what they were feeling and thinking was just terrific. When you read their story in Consolation you will fall in love with their characters and all that they go through together, and you’ll be more than ready to see where the road is going to take them.
Corinne Michaels has written and created another story that I could get lost in, and I am just thrilled with what I got to experience in this book with Liam and Natalie. I got to see and understand those characters to their core, and my heart just went to both of them. This book and its events pushed them and in turn pushed me as the reader in the best ways, and that push exemplifies all that is outstanding about Consolation.
Consolation is a book that will give you so much. It’ll give you a story that will pull you in from the first word to the very last. It’ll give you two dynamic characters who’ll enamor you with their many authentic and remarkable qualities. It’ll give you events that will leave you feeling everything under the sun, and it’ll give you a reading experience you will just want to relish in again and again because it’s just that good.
Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.
Raised on fairytales and dreams of true love, Arden Winger left for college with a smile on her face and a happy, hopeful heart. Fast-forward seven years and that small town is behind her, but not the baggage she’s been carrying since she left.
Just a city boy…
It’s not that Exton Alexander had anything against relationships—he just never had the desire to try. Not necessarily jaded, Exton considered himself a realist. Little did he know, the one woman that would change everything was about to rock his world. This Alpha male knows the second he lays eyes on her that Arden is special– now he just has to work past her defenses.
Opening the door, I find Dante and Sabrina on the other side. Swinging it wide, I smile broadly as I gesture for them to come it.
“Exton’s been out all day at a production meeting, but—“
“We need to sit down and talk.”
I’m shocked by the serious expression on Dante’s face, but instead of questioning him, I follow as he leads me into Exton’s living room. Dropping down on to a chair, I wait for him to fill me in. As Sabrina takes a seat on the arm of the chair and sets a reassuring hand on my shoulder, my stomach sinks. Something is wrong.
Raking a hand through his hair, Dante lets out a frustrated sigh. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to give it to you straight. Exton’s been arrested for assault. He’s in jail.”
Jumping from my seat I cry out in shock. “What the hell are we doing sitting? We need to go get him out!”
“There’s nothing that we can do until tomorrow,” He answers. “His bail hearing will happen in the morning. I need you to pack so that we can be there.”
Looking over at Sabrina, I try to comprehend what’s going on. “I don’t understand—what? Why would we need to fly?”
“That would be because he’s being held at the Small Towne police department.”
*****5 Fantastic Stars*****
Strictly Temporary Volume 2 was everything I was looking for in the conclusion of Exton and Arden’s story. The minute I began their story in Volume 1, I wanted more, and let me tell you, Volume 2 delivers on every single thing you could want from those two.
Arden and Exton have such a fierce and powerful connection with one another that you feel the instant you begin their story, and this chapter of it just exemplified all the passion and feeling that accompanies them on every page. You will believe in what they share when you read this, and you will be fighting right along with them for everything to work out.
What I loved especially about this story was that it gave me some of Exton’s point of view. I absolutely loved that because that man is so dynamic, and stepping into his head was nothing short of wonderful. Getting his point of view, learning more of his past and what led him to the present of the book, and his side to the story just made me fall more and more under his spell. It also showed and exemplified everything he felt for Arden. You could just feel the passion and fierceness and devotion that that man had to Arden, and that just made him golden in my eyes.
Arden was a female character that I just connected with the moment I met her on the first page of this story, and I continued to just love her character as I read this part of her story. Arden’s character just screams authenticity. She’s so real, and all of the doubts and emotions and questions she has because of her past just made me connect with her character so much, because I understood exactly why she felt the way she did. Arden is also such a dynamic and strong female character, and I have mad respect for her after reading and experiencing what she goes through and overcomes in this story.
I especially loved that along with Arden and Exton’s magnificent story, I got a story with a ton of meaning behind it. This story and these characters touch on so many meaningful ideals, and I loved that along with one heck of a love story I got more meaning than you can shake a stick at. That meaning just embodied this story in the best way, and it made me love these characters more for the meaning behind everything they did and who they were.
Strictly Temporary Volume 2 gives you so much. It gives you Exton’s side of past events and shows you what was going through his head at some very crucial points in the story. It continues the story that I so adamantly fell in love with in Volume 1, giving you the passion, heat, and connection that just defines Arden and Exton in the best possible ways. It also gives you one helluva story that will keep you dying for more.
More of their fantastic and mesmerizing story. More of Arden and Exton and their wonderfully distinctive selves. More of just everything that makes this book the phenomenal thing it is.
This story had everything I’ve come to love and expect from a book by Ella Fox. It was just the right amount of flaming hot that brought the connection of the characters to life. The characters are sexy and memorable and perfectly distinctive and charming. The story itself is enthralling and filled with just the right amount of everything, from heat to love, from doubt to truth, and it kept me fully hooked in from start to finish.
I absolutely love this author’s writing and her ability to give me a story that I simply can’t get enough of. Her books just continue to give me characters and stories that I love immensely, and I cannot wait to get my hands on more!
When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.
But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.
One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.
Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.
I’ve never really been included. I’ve never felt like I truly belonged. But then again, how could I? Living on this island, I’ve seen and heard too many things. Lies. Secrets.
“Lies I’ve been forced to tell and secrets I’ve been forced to keep. They keep me locked to myself.”
They’re the reason I stand on the edge of the horizon and watch from afar. Other people’s lives have evolved, but not mine. It’s exactly the same. Day after day, the sun rises, and every time its rays penetrate my skin, I’m reminded that no matter how desperately I don’t want to be, I’m trapped. I want to live. I want to breathe. I just want to be . . . free.
Elle Summers
If I had my way, I would have walked off the catwalk and straight out of the public eye years ago. Never-ending contracts and obligations have kept me prisoner until recently.
“Now it is fear that has me trapped and running from my life.”
I’m now hiding in a tiny beach cottage in my mother’s hometown, praying no one will find me. No one understands. The demands, lack of control, threats … I just want it all gone. I want to escape. When do I finally get to be me? Free.
With one foot in front of the other I start running. Over the dunes and into the sand, I push as hard as I can. With tears streaming down my cheeks, visions of the fire play out before me. Gasping for air, the smell of smoke fills my senses. I didn’t notice it before but now it is so strong I almost gag. Wiping my nose with the back of my hand, I desperately try to find some fresh air. But no, there it is again, that smell. It’s on my skin. It’s like it isn’t just following me, but now permanently a part of me. Charging into the water, I dive under into the silence. My hands run over my arms, my face, and through my hair. I’m frantic and I have to get rid of the smell.
Washing up on to the shore, I curl up into a ball on the wet sand. My heart is broken for Beau and I’m so afraid. So very afraid. He’s the one and only person who has ever shown me love and the thought of losing him paralyzes me with fear. My sobs are still silent. I’ve been taught not to make a sound. But they hurt so much. Without a voice, I mouth his name over and over again. I just want Beau. I need Beau. He’s the only one who can make this all better, and make everything about this dreadful night disappear.
But he isn’t here and he can’t be.
With my eyes pinched shut, the smell of smoke in my nose, and the feel of a nonexistent heat against my skin, I know. I know it with a certainty that has robbed me of my voice and permeated itself into my pores that, no matter what, everything about this night will be . . . unforgettable.
*****5 Heartfelt Stars*****
I am an ending person. That’s my favorite part of a book because I love that end result. It’s honestly why I love reading series so much, because if I get a phenomenal ending, an ending that just leaves me breathless and so totally in love with what I’ve just experienced, it makes me love that series and that ending book even more.
Unforgettable Sun was an extraordinary ending to The Hale Brothers Series by Kathryn Andrews. I don’t think I could’ve asked for anything better, and while I am so sad this series is ending, I could not have asked for a more perfect book to close out this series of unforgettable books.
This last book and Matt and Elle’s story just reiterated once again why I love this outstanding series, and why it is assuredly one of my all-time favorites. Each book that I’ve read in this series has completely blown me away with the level of emotion and feeling that flows from the page, the extraordinary characters I met that I won’t ever forget, and their thoughtfully developed stories that pulled me in every single time I read them.
Matt and Elle’s story in Unforgettable Sun is simply unforgettable. I’ve been dying to get my hands on Matt’s story since I met him in Drops of Rain, and I was completely enamored by him in this book. Then to top it all off I got Elle’s character, and she is just one of the most authentic and endearing characters I think I’ve had the chance to read.
I adored them both, and reading their story and experiencing all that they go through was nothing short of amazing.
What was truly unforgettable about Unforgettable Sun:
Getting into Matt’s head. Matt’s character has always intrigued me, so I was beyond ready to get into his head and learn more about him. I was just enraptured by him throughout this entire book. Knowing his thoughts and feelings, and experiencing what he’d been through just made me care for and love his character more. It also broke my heart at times to read that darkness he faced, and reading his struggle made me want to reach in and make it better for him. But seeing how Matt handled that struggle, how he attempted to overcome it and fight through it just made him so remarkable to read.
The realness of Elle. Elle was a character that I just instantly connected to. She felt so real to me, and Kathryn Andrews creates her in such a way that just makes her come to life. Elle just screamed authenticity, and I found her character to be so relatable and easy to love. I also could not get enough of how strong she was, because like Matt she faces some pretty heavy things, but through it all she gives it her all to be exactly who she wants to be. I just loved how Elle faced and persevered through everything, and there was just such a vibrant beauty to her both inside and out.
Thatserious connection. Matt and Elle have a serious connection that sparks off of the page, and you will feel that the instant they meet. That connection builds and grows immensely over the course of their story, and it just heightens and solidifies everything they are feeling and experiencing together. You will feel the enormity and pull of their connection when you read their story. It will pull you in like a moth to a flame, and there’s no way you won’t feel that amazing and spark filled connection they share.
Exposing the past. Both of these characters have past and present darkness that they’re facing, but getting to know Matt’s past and what was haunting him just left me speechless. I had always wanted to know what was haunting Matt, and what led him to being the way that he was. What he goes through and what he had to experience just hurt my heart and made me so angry for him because of what he faced day in and day out. Reading Matt expose his past, being that vulnerable, and then in turn actually attempting to overcome it just left me in awe of him, and when you find out all he’s gone through I guarantee you’ll feel the exact same way.
All that fight. There is so much wondrous fight in this book. Matt is fighting the darkness from his past that haunts him every day. Elle is fighting the negativity that surrounds and permeates her world, while also fighting against a very real kind of danger. Matt is also fighting against the feelings he just knows to be true, and Elle is fighting to help him realize that what they’re feeling, what they could have is something exceptional. Something unforgettable. Reading all that fight just demonstrates the shear tenacity of these characters, and that determination just defines this book and them in the most amazing way.
More time with my favorite set of brothers. So I love me some Hale Brothers. A lot. I’ve loved every book in this series because I’ve loved each of those brothers for the dynamic and distinctive people they are. Unforgettable Sun really just illuminates the depth of love these brothers have for one another. Those boys stole my little heart, and I think each of them are always going to have a little piece of it because they’re just that spectacular and heart melting. They really are the best and this book gives you another little fabulous taste of them all.
Emotions and feelings galore. Kathryn Andrews knows how to create a story with so many varied and thoughtfully crafted emotions and feelings. They flow throughout each of her books, and just make them the magnificent things that they are. When I read Matt and Elle’s story I not only had the chance to step into their dynamic heads, I got to feel and experience and live everything they were. You feel their heartbreak, their pain, and their hurt. You also feel all their vulnerability, but you also get to experience their hope and fight and just all the amazing things that make them who they are. Having that kind of a connection and the chance to experience what they do with that level of emotion was extraordinary, and it just made me connect to Matt and Elle even more because of their fantastically layered and emotional story.
The theme of being free.This book is all about being free. Being free of the past and the darkness it entails, free of other people and expectations, and just being free to be who you are. Being free to follow that sun, that light, and that happiness. Matt and Elle are both seeking that feeling of freeness, and the journey you go on with them as they push to be free is nothing short of wonderful. Kathryn Andrews adds that theme of being free into this story in such meaningful and beautiful ways, and I promise you are going to be enthralled by their journey and fight to be free.
That ending! Now I’m not telling you how this book ends, but just know that the ending for this book, for this series was everything I wanted and needed it to be and more. It will satisfy you, it will blow you away, and it will do everything in its power to make your heart oh so happy. Matt and Elle’s story is one helluva journey, and it provides the most superb ending to a phenomenal series.
Unforgettable Sun and Matt and Elle’s story exemplified everything that makes a book exceptional for me. Their story gave me the opportunity to feel with them, connect with them, hurt with them, and love them for everything they were and were trying to do. I wouldn’t trade that experience in for the world because it allowed me the chance to truly connect to two authentic characters and their utterly breathtaking story.
Every book in this series has given me so many things. This series gave me the chance to spend time with 3 dynamic and captivating brothers with some seriously dark and twisty pasts, as they fought for that light they so truly deserved. It also gave me three beautifully written stories that exemplified what it means to give it your all in order to end up exactly where you need to be. This series gave me 3 unique and mesmerizing reading experiences that gave me it all.
This series gave me everything. Unforgettable Sun gave me everything. Matt and Elle gave me everything.
This book is just another shining example of Kathryn Andrews’ phenomenal writing and storytelling, and as much as I wish this wasn’t the end, what she gave me within each of these books is something I will truly never forget.
OVER TEN YEARS ago my husband and I were driving from Chicago to Tampa and somewhere in Kentucky I remember seeing a billboard that was all black with five white words, “I do, therefore I am!” I’m certain that it was a Nike ad, but for me I found this to be completely profound.
Take running for example. Most will say that a runner is someone who runs five days a week and runs under a ten minute mile pace. Well, I can tell you that I never run five days a week and on my best days my pace is an eleven minute mile. I have run quite a few half marathons and one full marathon. No matter what anyone says . . . I run, therefore I am a runner.
I’ve taken this same thought and applied it to so many areas of my life: cooking, gardening, quilting, and yes . . . writing.
I may not be culinary trained, but I love to cook and my family and friends loves to eat my food. I cook, therefore I am a chef!
My thumb is not black. I love to grow herbs, tomatoes, roses, and lavender. I garden, therefore I am a gardener!
I love beautiful fabrics and I can follow a pattern. My triangles may not line up perfectly . . . but who cares, my quilts are still beautiful when they are finished. I quilt, therefore I am a quilter.
I have been writing my entire life. It is my husband who finally said, “Who cares if people like your books or not? If you enjoy writing them and you love your stories…then write them.” He has always been my biggest fan and he was right. Being a writer has always been my dream and what I said I wanted to be when I grew up.
So, I’ve told you who I am and what I love to do . . . now I’m going to tell you the why.
I have two boys that are three years a part. My husband and I want to instill in them adventure, courage, and passion. We don’t expect them to be perfect at things, we just want them to try and do. It’s not about winning the race; it’s about showing up in the first place. We don’t want them to be discouraged by society stereotypes, we want them to embrace who they are and what they love. After all, we only get one life.
In the end, they won’t care how many books I actually sell . . . all that matters to them is that I said I was going to do it, I did it, and I have loved every minute of it.
Find something that you love and tell yourself, “I do, therefore I am.”
Is there a statute of limitation on heartbreak? Rhiann Baron-Wilde hopes so. Surely eight years is long enough…right?
After chasing her dream of living in New York and working in the fashion industry, Rhi suddenly isn’t so sure that’s what she really wants to do anymore.
After all, the hush-hush stories she’s been writing—stuff about white knights and forever after—are calling to her.
Then, Liam Ashforth turns up eight long years after walking away from their secret love affair. And not just any old reappearance—not him! No, he’s come
back as her boss in a move that shakes up Rhiann’s whole world.
Liam makes it clear—he wants her back. But can she believe him? Should she trust him again? After all, they hadn’t exactly parted as friends. Then again,
maybe this is her very own happily ever after?
But secrets and lies have a way of coming back to haunt in sometimes surprising ways and an unexpected twist that threatens more than their feelings puts
these two to the ultimate test.
Wilde Heart is the second book in the Wilde Women series about three sisters who weren’t exactly looking for love by Bestselling romantica author, Suzanne
Halliday
****4.5 Wilde Stars****
Wilde Heart was another fantastic book by Suzanne Halliday. Her writing and storytelling just continues to hit it out of the park, and I fall more and more in love with her books the more I read them.
I loved getting another chance to step back into the family dynamic of the Baron-Wilde family in this book, because let me tell you: that is one fantastic family with some seriously wonderful personality. This book is the second in the series and tells the story of Rhiann and Liam, who have a bit of a past. And when I say they have a bit of a past, I mean they have a crap ton of past, which made this book so enjoyable to delve into.
Wilde Heart showcased everything that I’ve come to love and expect from Suzanne Halliday. The writing was seamless and flowed right off the page, the story itself was fantastically paced and kept me hooked in from start to finish, and the fabulously distinctive characters she created pulled me into it all once again.
Suffice to say, I loved me some Rhiann and Liam in Wilde Heart.
What I absolutely loved about Wilde Heart:
You hit the ground running.The moment you start Wilde Heart you hit the ground running and you don’t stop until you reach the very end. The events of this book keep the story so well paced, and it just heightens everything that you’re reading and experiencing with Rhiann and Liam. I thought it was spectacular how Suzanne Halliday threw you straight into the thick of it because it just worked for their story and made so much sense. And all the twists and turns and ups and downs they faced in this book will keep you insanely hooked and dying to know what’s going to happen next.
Sassy as all get out Rhiann. I love me a strong sassy female something fierce, and Rhiann fit that ticket. She says what she wants and what she so passionately feels, and I adored that about her. She was so fierce and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind to Liam or anyone else for that matter, which made her character so fun to get to know. Rhiann is a such a strong female character who just felt so real to me as I read and got to know her over the course of this story, and the more time I spent with her, the more I realized just how fantastic of a character she was.
The intensity of Liam. Woah buddy is Liam Ashforth a smidge on the intense side, but that’s one of the best things about him. That intensity just oozes from him throughout this book, and you can just feel it emanating from him as you experience his character. That intensity causes him to do some pretty interesting things, but that also gives you a glimpse into the real Liam hiding behind all that intensity. And let me tell you, the real Liam is something else, something that you will simply not be able to get enough of as you read this book.
The fierce connection they share.Rhiann and Liam have such a powerful and strong connection between them that really exemplifies how intense, how fierce, and just how passionate they can be together. You feel that in your bones the instant you start this book. You will feel that in the push and pull from their heightened emotions and feelings, in all of the things they say and do, and even in those moments where they seem like they want to bite each other’s heads off. All of that connection continues to build and build throughout the book in such a spectacular way that will have you believing in everything that Liam and Rhiann are sharing. It really will make you believe in what they could be, and I guarantee that you will feel how connected they are in more ways that one.
All the vulnerability. Now while Liam and Rhiann are two of the strongest characters around, Suzanne Halliday does a phenomenal job of showing their vulnerabilities. She shows that they can both take a hit and keep going strong, but she also creates opportunities for authentic vulnerability to shine through. Those instances of vulnerability illuminated so much about both Liam and Rhiann, and it was those moments where I just was pulled in more to them both. Those were the moments where you see their intentions, their motives, their ultimate desires, and those are them moments that kind of just left me amazed by that vulnerability they have and share.
Second chances are the best. Second chance romances are quite possibly my favorite type of story to read, and Wilde Heart just reiterated once again why that is so true. Rhiann and Liam’s second chance at it all illuminates the fight both of them have to give what they share a chance, and it shows just how real they are through the flaws and questions and doubts that linger between them. Suzanne Halliday develops their story and relationship in such a magnificent way, and she made it so I wanted to fight right along with them for that second chance that they both so truly deserved.
More, more, more. What I think I love most about this series, and all of Suzanne Halliday’s other amazing books is that they give you more of the characters you’ve come to meet and love, while giving you the chance to fall head over heels for a new couple while simultaneously setting you up for more. I can’t say enough how much I love this about her books. Reading this series, and Suzanne Halliday’s other books feel like coming home while also getting the outstanding chance to experience something new. It all just works and I love all the more she gives me in her books!
Wilde Heart was just another wonderful book by Suzanne Halliday that I highly enjoyed reading. Her writing, character and story development, and just the overall feeling to her books just continue to suck me in each time I read them. She creates books that I can get lost in, and I couldn’t love that more.
This book tells the story of Rhiann and Liam as they try to attempt another go at the fiery passion and connection they share. Their story is definitely full of just enough drama and crazy to keep you on your toes, so much emotion and feeling to have you experiencing it all, and the right amount of everything else to have you in full on adoration of these characters and what they go through.
Liam and Rhiann’s fantastic story in Wilde Heart is all about the amazingly fierce and wonderful things that can happen when you throw caution to the wind and decide to give in to all the pull you’re feeling. That pull, that desire, and that need for love and connection just shines through this book, and it will have you enjoying every single terrific word this story gives you.
USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Halliday writes what she knows and what she loves – sexy adult contemporary romance with strong men and spirited
women. Her love for creating short stories for friends and family has developed into a passion for writing romantic fiction with a sensual edge. She finds
the world of digital, self-publishing to be the perfect platform for sharing her stories and also for what she enjoys most of all – reading. When she’s not
on a deadline you’ll find her loading up on books to devour.
Currently a wanderer, she and her family divide their time between the east and west coast, somehow always managing to get the seasons mixed up. When not
digging out from snow or trying to stay cool in the desert, you can find her in the kitchen, 80’s hair band music playing in the background, kids running
in and out, laptop on with way too many screens open, something awesome in the oven, and a mug of hot tea clutched in one hand.
After having LOVED and I mean LOVED J. Daniels Sweet Addiction Series, I should have known that I was going to effing love her Alabama Summer Series. After reading the first two books in this fantastic series, I have come to realize 3 things:
1. Ben Kelly is an effing heart melter and Luke Evans is one heck of a wonderful heartbreaker. And don’t even get me started on how much I loved their special lady friends Mia and Tessa. Those two girls are sassy and spunky and two of the best female characters around.
2. I need to go to Alabama for the summer like yesterday if it means I get to meet charming and hot as the Fourth of July men like I met in these books. Seriously. Ben, Luke, and Reed have sold me on the entire state of Alabama.
3. I have got to stop leaving phenomenal books like these ones unread on my Kindle. I cannot believe I waited so long to read this series. I should be arrested for waiting so long, and if I have a choice in who gets to arrest me, my vote surely goes for Officers Benjamin Kelly and Luke Evans.
What can I say? I loved everything about these books and this series, and I am practically panting for the next book that releases in just about a week and a half. Both of these books had more southern charm than you can shake a stick at, immensely enthralling characters who will charm your pants off, and storylines that just didn’t quit.
Wrap that up with the fantastic writing of J. Daniels and you have the making of a surefire 5 star read. These books had laugh out loud humor that will have you dying, all the emotions and feelings that will connect you right into these books, and enough firework level chemistry between these characters to rival the biggest Fourth of July firework show.
They just have everything that makes a book spectacular, and I guarantee there is no way you can resist the spellbinding charm of these books. And let’s face it:
There is no way you could ever possibly resist Ben and Luke. Or Mia and Tessa. And don’t forget Nolan and Reed because they’re kind of the best too.
Just know now that once you begin these books you will not be able to put them down because they are just every amazing little thing wrapped up into one outstanding package.
“Do you feel that? That’s what you do to me. Every fucking time I’m near you.”
“I don’t say anything else. I just let her feel it. You own this part of me. Take it. The magnitude behind that admission doesn’t faze me. I don’t care how crazy it seems to be obsessed with someone after one night together. I’ve never felt like this.”
Synopsis:
When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her childhood best friend, Tessa, there’s only one thing keeping her on edge. One person that she’d do anything to avoid.
Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.
Mia hates him with a fury and has no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and finally give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy that excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process.
Always get the name of the guy you’re going home with.
Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again. Until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister.
Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him.
Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be.
What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?
“You can hate someone until you’re blue in the face, but htat doesn’t take away the desire that brews in your gut at the mere sight of him or her.”
“It’s crazy how you can love a person and hate them at the same time. It shouldn’t be possible, but I think the more you love someone, the easier they are to hate.”
Luke Evans is a heartbreaker. I didn’t want to give mine to him. Not when he kept me out.
He gave me enough, just enough to make me fall in love with him. I say this to convince myself. But I know the truth.
I would’ve fallen in love with him at a distance.
Handing my heart over to Luke was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I was naive when I wished for more, when I hoped he wanted the same things I did.
I try to hate him. I try to forget him.
But it’s not that easy. Love is a ruthless bitch, and I’m her latest victim.
Tessa Kelly is a man-eater.
When she sets her sights on you, she doesn’t just consume your heart, she goes for your soul.
What we had was perfect, real, and all I would ever want.
But she destroyed it.
She destroyed us.
I try to hate her. I try to forget her.
But it’s not that easy. Love is for people who have hope, and I have none.
Opening the door, I find Dante and Sabrina on the other side. Swinging it wide, I smile broadly as I gesture for them to come it.
“Exton’s been out all day at a production meeting, but—“
“We need to sit down and talk.”
I’m shocked by the serious expression on Dante’s face, but instead of questioning him, I follow as he leads me into Exton’s living room. Dropping down on to a chair, I wait for him to fill me in. As Sabrina takes a seat on the arm of the chair and sets a reassuring hand on my shoulder, my stomach sinks. Something is wrong.
Raking a hand through his hair, Dante lets out a frustrated sigh. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to give it to you straight. Exton’s been arrested for assault. He’s in jail.”
Jumping from my seat I cry out in shock. “What the hell are we doing sitting? We need to go get him out!”
“There’s nothing that we can do until tomorrow,” He answers. “His bail hearing will happen in the morning. I need you to pack so that we can be there.”
Looking over at Sabrina, I try to comprehend what’s going on. “I don’t understand—what? Why would we need to fly?”
“That would be because he’s being held at the Small Towne police department.”
Raised on fairytales and dreams of true love, Arden Winger left for college with a smile on her face and a happy, hopeful heart. Fast-forward seven years and that small town is behind her, but not the baggage she’s been carrying since she left.
Just a city boy…
It’s not that Exton Alexander had anything against relationships—he just never had the desire to try. Not necessarily jaded, Exton considered himself a realist. Little did he know, the one woman that would change everything was about to rock his world. This Alpha male knows the second he lays eyes on her that Arden is special– now he just has to work past her defenses.
When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.
What would you do if you knew when you were going to die?
Would you will death to come and claim you quickly?
Or would you pray for more time?
It wasn’t until I knew that I was about to die, that I decided to really live.
And it wasn’t until I gave up on love, that I finally found it.
Just not in any of the places that I’d been searching.
Sometimes you don’t get the fairytale happily ever after,
but if you’re lucky,
you get so much more.
You get a perfect beginning that you can keep hold of until the end.
*****5 Heartfelt Stars****
I will shamefully admit that Empty Promises was the first thing I ever read by Elle Brooks, though after reading this utterly phenomenal novella, I can assuredly tell you that it will most certainly not be the last of what I read from this fantastic author.
I loved this novella. I was enraptured by the beautiful and heartbreaking and just breathtaking story between the pages of it the instant I began reading it. The characters, the story, the meaning behind it all in this novella just blew me away, and I was fully captivated by the heartfelt beauty that just exuded from this story.
Empty Promises is a prequel novella to Elle Brooks Promises Series, and it tells the story of Emily. Emily is really something else, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever really had the chance to experience a character like hers, but that’s what I loved about her. That’s what made this novella so unforgettable and just downright amazing because it gave me the wonderful chance to experience something I’d never experienced before.
And while I’ll be completely honest that this story and Emily and Lucas had my heart breaking at times and made big old baby tears fall down my face, in the end it was sincerely beautiful with an immense amount of meaning and feeling that just reiterated how spectacular this story was.
What I absolutely loves about Empty Promises:
The power of Emily.I don’t know if I have the right amount of words to capture the wondrous being that is Emily. She is very raw and real at times because of what she’s going through, and her honesty and vulnerability weaves its way through this story in such a remarkable way. Emily just makes you want to love her the instant you meet her. She’s just got a heart of gold and is bound and determined to make her last few months on this Earth all that they can be. Honestly, I have mad respect for Emily’s character because of what she faces with her head held high, and how she pushes through, and gives it her all even when most would just give into it. Emily is fierce in her own magnificent way, she is just a force to be reckoned with, and I guarantee by the end of her story you will just be in awe of her. I know I was.
Lucas Wade stole my heart. Lucas, Lucas, Lucas. That boy stole my heart. Period. I could honestly go on and on about how much I loved his character for days, and it still would not be enough to capture how much I was just enamored by him. He is the definition of swoon-worthy. And not just because I imagine him as being someone who’s really enticing to look at, though he definitely has that going for him. No, I loved Lucas because of the heart of that boy. His heart spoke volumes and it made my heart fall head over heels for him. The feeling, the meaning, and just the amount of everything that came from that boy’s heart had me melting, and of course, swooning. Lucas Wade officially stole a piece of my heart in this novella because of his heart and all that he does for Emily, and that boy is just golden in my eyes.
All the heart pulling moments.There are more moments in Empty Promises that will pull at your heart than you can shake a stick at. They will squeeze your heart because you know how hard and painful the events of this novella are for these characters to experience. Elle Brooks creates these characters in such ways that you fully feel what they’re feeling and experiencing, and that just amplifies everything. Every heartbreaking moment, every moment that makes you want to cry, every emotion they have and experience, and just every moment that pulls at your heart for what Emily, Blair, Emily’s family, and Lucas are going through. It pulls at your heart, but those moments are what make you feel this story. It’s what makes this story and its characters the memorable and superb thing that it is.
Plenty of balancing fun. Now I don’t want you thinking that this book was all about the sad moments, because it wasn’t. There were so many instances and moments where I laughed my butt off at what was happening. Right when everything was so tough, or I felt like my heart was hurting like crazy, Elle Brooks created a moment to break the tension. A moment where I as the reader could not hold in the hysterical laughter at some of the brilliantly funny and very realistic awkward things that were happening. And the best part was that those funny moments, those moments of authentic laughter and light, just perfectly balanced with everything else going on in the story. It made it all whole, and just brought everything together in such a wonderful way.
Blair and Emily’s friendship. Emily and Blair’s friendship made this novella for me. Their friendship together was well layered and thoughtfully crafted over the entire story, and it just felt real. Elle Brooks completely captures what it means to have a best friend with the way you talk and feel and do things in ways that only best friends do, and what a friendship like that really entails. You could just tell how important they both were to one another. Reading their friendship just made me happy because it allowed me the chance to experience through Emily what true, honest to God friendship can do for you and make you feel.
A plethora of engaging characters. One of my favorite aspects of this novella was meeting all the exuberant and dynamic characters of this series, and I’m practically chomping at the bit to get more of them in the next two books. Blair, Ethan, Brie, Casey, and just everyone else who I met in this story drew me into it all more. They are all seriously engaging, and they just all felt so real to read. Elle Brooks creates a group of characters you want to spend time with, and that really is just fantastic to have when you’re reading this story.
The beautiful meaning and power of this novella. I could probably go on and on about the beautiful and breathtakingly heartfelt meaning behind this story. There is such a power to the words you will experience with Emily and everyone around her, and I think it’s literally impossible for these words and the emotional meaning behind them to not strike you somewhere. This story and Emily make you feel and think and wonder and just experience it all. Getting the chance to read and experience that is honestly one of the best feelings in the world, and Empty Promises gives that to you again and again.
Empty Promises tells the story of Emily. Of how she realizes what it means to truly live when she’s about to die. Of how she realizes the power of a person and love, and what it can bring. Of how endings truly can bring about some of the most beautiful and heart melting beginnings that a girl could ask for.
I loved this novella. I cannot say those four words enough. It made me feel. I laughed, I cried like a baby, my heart hurt and my heart soared at times, and in the end I fell in love. In love with these exceptional characters, in love with this meaningful, emotional, and genuine story, and in love with what I got to feel and experience on every single page.
This story gave me everything I didn’t even know I needed, and it is a spectacular beginning to the Promises Series which I plan on finishing just as soon as I finish this review. Elle Brooks’ fantastic writing and storytelling will bring this story, Emily, and every other little extraordinary aspect of Empty Promises to life. It will give you everything and more, and in the end you’ll be beyond thrilled that you had the chance to experience the power and magnificence of Empty Promises.
“Where’s Dad?” I ask as I watch Mom pull a packet of coffee from the back of the cupboard.
“He’s gone for a run, sweetie,” she says matter-of- factly before throwing me a smile. Mom’s got a great game face. If I’d not overheard her conversation, I’d have no clue she was just upset.
“Okay, I have an idea, and I want you to just trust me, so grab your things and come with me. We’re going out.”
Mom looks a little bewildered by my cryptic request before she shrugs and grins. “Fine, lead the way, Emily.”
We climb into her car and I scroll through my phone until I find the address of the nearest bridal store. I locate one three miles away and begin inputting it into the GPS. Mom looks at the address, and I can see the gears in her head turning as she tries to work out the address and wonders what would have me dragging her out the house for. She’s a good sport and doesn’t seem too put out that I’m refusing to tell her what it is we’re doing as we makethe short journey. A few minutes roll by before we pull up outside Dana’s Bridal Boutique, and the GPS signals that we’ve reached our destination on the left. Mom looks at me questioningly and I give her a rueful smile. There’s only a bakery, coffee shop and the bridal store on this small stretch of road.
“I overheard you and Dad talking this morning.” She still looks confused so I point to the Bridal Boutique. She covers her mouth with her hand as she leans back into her seat, her eyes crinkling as realization dawns. “You were talking about the fact that you should go first, and that you’ll never see me in my wedding dress, or be there with me at the delivery of your first grandchild. Well, there’s little I can do about an immaculate conception,” I shrug, “but this,” I point to the store again. “This I can do.”
I watch as a million different emotions wage war behind her sapphire eyes before she admits defeat, closes them tightly and slumps forward resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. I watch quietly as she holds a finger up to me, signaling she needs a minute. When she finally opens them again, they’re glassy but she seems to have recovered her composure enough to step outside the car. I don’t know what to make of the situation, and honestly, I’m regretting my decision as I climb out and round the car. Maybe this was a stupid idea and is too much for her. Hell, maybe it’s too much for me. I’m about to apologize and tell her so when she finally speaks.
“You really are something kind of wonderful, Emily,” she says before ambushing me in a fiercely tight hug. I sigh and feel a little of the tension drain from my shoulders, like someone’s just turned on an invisible faucet to ease some of the pressure.
“I’m sorry you heard that conversation. I was just having a weak moment. We don’t have to do this,” she whispers into my hair and squeezes before pushing me back to see my face.
“I’m glad I did hear, and I want to do this. Is that weird?” I answer, and it’s the truth. I am glad I overheard their conversation. I hate that she feels like she needs to be strong one hundred percent of the time for me. It’s not healthy.
“It’s not weird at all, Emily.”
“Good. Okay, enough of this.” I square my shoulders. “Let’s get in there and go play dress up.”
Hello…
I’m a little neurotic; I function on a tiny amount of sleep and a huge amount of caffeine. I love green skittles and have an irrational fear of stormy weather. When I’m not writing about super hot college guys, you can generally find me googling them…All in the name of research of course. I can be persuaded to do just about anything with the promise of a good book or a bottle of bubbles. Oh, and I also love to write.
Elle is the author of the Promises Series including:
Book #1 is “Promises Hurt” released in August 2014.
The Never Ending Book Basket 