Rachel Reynolds isn't running from her past, but she wouldn't mind if it stopped chasing her, either. A senior in high school getting ready to graduate, Rachel is trying to look ahead toward her future, while forgetting the one night two years ago that set events in motion which altered the course of her entire life. Part of the future she's looking for includes falling out of love with her best friend, an act she seems incapable of, especially when it appears he might just love her, too. As Rachel tries to find her footing in a relationship that has baggage before it starts, a nightmare from her past reappears, upsetting the tenuous balance of Rachel's life and threatening the one person she loves most.
Excerpt;
A couple of hours later after dinnertime, playtime, bath time, and –thank Jesus—bedtime, I hear footsteps coming up the sidewalk in front of our house and I know it’s Tripp before he steps onto the porch and sits down. He’s close enough that I can feel him pressed against my side, and for a minute I wish we were together so I could just lean on him and let him make this better. How badly I just want to put my head on his shoulder and feel like this isn’t just my decision.
But it is, because she’s my daughter and mine alone. I need to remember that.
“What are you going to do?”
I
shake my head, but I don’t look at him. My eyes are fixated on the
crack in the sidewalk in front of our porch steps. It’s been there
since I can remember, a crack that has now turned into a division in the
sidewalk, a lip that trips unsuspecting people every day, and as I
stare at it I wonder how long it will be before it starts to spread
toward the house and its foundation, if it can get
there. If it will damage it. How long can a crack spread before
causing the entire structure it surrounds to fall?
“I
don’t know,” I finally say. “Wait and see if he really does what he
threatened to do, if this was just his way of making sure I know he’s
tuned in to what’s going on in case I get any idea of telling people.”
“I think you should press charges.”
“No.”
“Godammit, Rachel—”
“Don’t.” I
rip my eyes away from the sidewalk, away from the crack that is more a
jagged hole now and stare at Tripp. “I don’t want you to tell me why
that’s the wrong choice, or what could happen. I already know.” My eyes
burn with unshed tears as I stare unblinking at him. “I don’t need a
lecture or a reminder about why this could go wrong, Tripp. I already
know, okay?”
He
stares at me for a minute and then nods, reaching for my hand while his
gaze stays steady on mine, those blue eyes anchoring me.
“What do you need?” he asks and I release the breath I’m holding.
“Just sit with me,” I say. “Can you just sit with me?”
He
nods and unlaces our fingers so he can reach his arm around me and pull
me into his side so my head can rest on his shoulder. As if he reads
my mind, I feel his lips at my temple and for a minute, I sit there and
breathe him in, reveling in the feeling of being held.
About the Author:
Mom, Wife, Coffee Addict, and Book Lover
I am a writer of YA/NA contemporary novels. I write about those crazy ages of 18-23 because there is nothing scarier than being told to grow up and decide what to do with your life and who to be so suddenly. I write about love because it's my belief that love, in one form or another, saves us all at some point in our lives. I am married to a man who understands and believes in me, and mother to a beautiful baby girl and a neurotic Great Dane Puppy.
Giveaway:
2 winners get a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Tour organized by:
Rachel Reynolds isn't running from her past, but she wouldn't mind if it stopped chasing her, either. A senior in high school getting ready to graduate, Rachel is trying to look ahead toward her future, while forgetting the one night two years ago that set events in motion which altered the course of her entire life. Part of the future she's looking for includes falling out of love with her best friend, an act she seems incapable of, especially when it appears he might just love her, too. As Rachel tries to find her footing in a relationship that has baggage before it starts, a nightmare from her past reappears, upsetting the tenuous balance of Rachel's life and threatening the one person she loves most.
About the Author:
Mom, Wife, Coffee Addict, and Book Lover
I am a writer of YA/NA contemporary novels. I write about those crazy ages of 18-23 because there is nothing scarier than being told to grow up and decide what to do with your life and who to be so suddenly. I write about love because it's my belief that love, in one form or another, saves us all at some point in our lives. I am married to a man who understands and believes in me, and mother to a beautiful baby girl and a neurotic Great Dane Puppy.
Giveaway:
2 winners get a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Tour organized by:
thank you for the chance to win
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book, thanks for the tour stop and the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt I think my 19 yr old daughter would like this
ReplyDeleteI once heard a pastor say that the mistakes you make between those ages the author mentions, 18-23, a lifetime can't undo them. It is a tumultuous age.
ReplyDeletethanks for the chance looks like a good read.
ReplyDeleteGreat Excerpt! I am passing this link to my daughter, it will be a great read for her! Thanks
ReplyDelete