Second Chance Mom
It’s the reunion she didn’t expectRachel Bishop’s reckless past is back to haunt her. Her sister’s death has made her the guardian of a sullen teen and has brought her home to the secrets she’d run from—starting with Matt Johnston. Matt was the good guy who’d cracked her rebel-rousing teenage veneer. Now the handsome high school coach could destroy her hope of peacefully raising Chastity, the baby she secretly gave up to her sister years ago. To protect Matt and their daughter, Rachel must lie to them…but the heart won’t be ignored. If Rachel wants a second chance at family and with Matt, she must take a risk on love.
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Itâs the reunion she didnât expect
Rachel Bishopâs reckless past is back to haunt her. Her sisterâs death has made her the guardian of a sullen teen and has brought her home to the secrets sheâd run fromâstarting with Matt Johnston. Matt was the good guy whoâd cracked her rebel-rousing teenage veneer. Now the handsome high school coach could destroy her hope of peacefully raising Chastity, the baby she secretly gave up to her sister years ago. To protect Matt and their daughter, Rachel must lie to them...but the heart wonât be ignored. If Rachel wants a second chance at family and with Matt, she must take a risk on love.
Matt yanked up the armrest between them and turned in his seat.
âTalk to me, Rachel,â he said. âLike you used to.â
âCan we just go?â
Her ragged breath filled the otherwise silent cab. She needed comfort, and that was all he was offering when he hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her body across the seat.
âItâll be okay. You and Chastity will have each other to lean on.â
She tilted her head up. Worry clouded her brown eyes. âWhat if I fail her? What do I know about being a mother? Or teenagers? I had all these fantasies about how great weâd get along, but...itâs not going too well.â
âYou need to be her parent not her friend. Youâll find your feet. We survivors always do.â Hope-filled eyes met his. And held. His pulse thumped in his ears and his groin. He should push Rachel away, but he couldnât. Why did she affect him like no other woman?
Only one way to find out.
He pulled her closer. Her lips parted on a gasp a split second before he covered them. Then it happened. That shooting star sensation he hadnât experienced since Rachel had kissed him fourteen years ago...
What would you do if you had a chance for a âdo-overâ on the biggest regret from your past? Would you be willing to give up the good parts of your present life to erase that one bad decision?
Rachel and Mattâs story is the fruit from my writerâs brain which grew that idea. It led to more questions, such as how could something wrong also be right, and is it ever okay to tell a lie? Writers (especially me!) can spend hours debating issues like this.
Second Chance Mom is one of those stories thatâs been slugging it out in my brain for a while. I only wish Iâd had more pages! I feel as if Iâve only scraped the surface of Rachel, Matt and Chastityâs story. It will be interesting to hear what you think.
Emilie Rose
USA TODAY bestselling author and two-time RITA® Award finalist EMILIE ROSE lives in North Carolina with her own romance hero. Writing is her third career. Sheâs managed a medical office and a home day careâneither offered half as much satisfaction as plotting happy endings. Her hobbies include gardening, fishing, cooking and traveling to find her next book setting. Visit her website, emilierose.com, or email her at [email protected].
To my readers: without you,
I could not have lived my dream for 36 books.
Contents
RACHEL BISHOP RETRACED the path to the detention officerâs classroom that sheâd taken dozens of times nearly fifteen years ago. Her anxiety level increased with each step, even though she wasnât the one in trouble. This time.
Sheâd faced down inner-city thugs, armed militants and deadly diseases: none of which had terrified her as much as the huge responsibility waiting inside room 127.
A second chance at parenthood. Was she up to it?
She had to be. Moments ago sheâd signed papers accepting full custody of Chastity. Sheâd failed the child once before. She couldnâtâwouldnâtâthis time.
Her knees locked in front of the closed classroom door. She blotted clammy palms on her pants and endeavored to subdue her rampant nerves. It said a lot about the conforming citizens of Johnstonville that their combination middle and high school only needed one room for the troublemakers. The school had changed little since sheâd left. Would prune-faced Miss Gentry still be sitting behind the desk wearing her perpetual scowl?
Time to find out. Rachel pushed the door. It yielded with a sucking whoosh. Through the six-inch gap Rachel saw the old maid wasnât in the front of the room. Instead, Matt Johnston, the last person she wanted or expected to see, occupied the teacherâs chair. Rachel froze, her automatic fight-or-flight response engaging. Every instinct screamed run. But she couldnât.
She had loved Matt with all the passion her seventeen-year-old heart could contain, then sheâd wronged him unforgivably. She wasnât readyâwould never be readyâto face him.
