âSeth, what exactly is our relationship?â
Laura looked at him, trying to get an answer. âI mean, for the last month Iâve seen you almost every day. I donât knowââ
He cut off her sentence by kissing her. Not some platonic buss on the cheek, or even a friendly kiss on the lips.
This one spoke of attraction and a hunger that Laura suddenly felt keenly. Or maybe it wasnât that sudden.
Maybe she hadnât wanted to acknowledge that sheâd felt something more than friendship for Seth for a while. It had been so long since sheâd been held like this. Her lips pressing his. Soon it wasnât a tentative exploration, but a deeply passionate awakeningâ¦.
Dear Reader,
I have always been a reader. I tell people that I was raised by Tolkien, Lewis, Heinlein and McCaffrey, and Iâm only half kidding. Their storiesâalong with so many othersâhave taught me so much about acceptance and faithâ¦about love. Living my life without reading? Iâd miss so much.
Thatâs why my character JTâs functional illiteracy was so compelling to me. According to the National Right to Read Foundation, â42 million American adults canât read at all and 20 percent of high school seniors can be classified as being functionally illiterate at the time they graduate.â As a writer, I find these figures tragic; as a lifelong reader, I think they are a crime. And eHarlequin.com feels the same way. They have a book challenge on their website that benefits the National Center for Family Literacy. Iâm thrilled to work with a publisher that promotes literacy in such a concrete way.
Despite that heavy subject, the real theme of the story is that life gives second chancesâ¦and sometimes so does love.
The last thing Laura Watson is looking for is love. Sheâs lost her fiancé, had his babyâ¦she just wants peace. But when Seth Keller comes into her life, she finds love. So does he, and heâs not looking for it either. But finding love and embracing it are two different things. It takes a certain strength. And thatâs the question for both Laura and Seth. Are they strong enough to take a chance on love again?
I hope you enjoy their journey!
Holly Jacobs
To all my friends on the eHarlequin Boards,
Twitter and Facebookâ¦you all give me glee!
And a special thanks to Lisa,
forwarder of nice reviews and great French translations!
LAURA WATSON WATCHED the monitor.
The staff had long since turned down the volume, but she could still see the numbers rise and fall on the screen over Jayâs head. Blood pressure. Heart rate. Those numbers should have been comforting. They meant Jay was still here with her.
But she knew those numbers were a lie. Despite the fact that Jayâs heart was beating, he was gone.
His mother and father stood on the other side of the bed, their faces as ashen as Laura suspected her own was. His mother clutched his unmoving hand.
âWe need to honorâ¦â Lauraâs voice broke. She took a moment and tried again. âWe need to honor Jayâs wishes.â
They were the hardest words that Laura had ever said. But she knew it was the right thing to do. It was what Jay would have wanted. It was what he made her promise.
Not that heâd planned this.
Jay was a cop and even in a small city like Erie, Pennsylvania, there was always a chance that heâd end up here in a hospital and this decision would be on her shoulders.
As theyâd planned their future, planned their wedding, theyâd discussed everything, including this possibility. Jay didnât want to linger, held to this life by machines.
But, despite all their conversations about the future, they hadnât envisioned this, because it wasnât a bullet that put Jay here. It was bacterial meningitis. Jay wasnât laid low in the line of duty, but by a tiny bacterium.
âHeâs not coming back,â Laura said. âThe doctors were clear.â
Even if his body could survive this illness, his mind was gone and heâd never be Jay again.
Theyâd never be married. Their June wedding, only two weeks away, would never happen. No minister would ever pronounce them husband and wife. Jay would never know this child.
Lauraâs hands rested on her still-flat stomach. And this baby would never know its father.
The thought was a physical pain that tore at her.
She remembered the night she told him about her suspicions. They were engaged and already planning a fall wedding, but sheâd still felt nervous, afraid that heâd be unhappy about a baby coming so soon.