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Blurb:
Where most stories end, this one begins. Nina and Shane are already married and have a special needs baby. Life isn’t the fairy tale she imagined. Their happily ever after has never seemed so far away. Then one October, everything falls apart. Years of addiction result in Shane having a complete breakdown. Nina must decide whether to keep the family together, or keep Kylie safe. The choice isn’t simple. The results are unexpected. The journey to happiness is long and difficult. See, the truth about love is that it’s messy, challenging, exhilarating, exhausting, and scary. Most of all, real love never ends.
“What do you want from me?” He sat up and reached for me, but I pulled away. “I want to be able to carry on a conversation. I want you around. You care about the pills more than me.” I bit my trembling lower lip. “No I don’t! Nothing is more important than you, but I can’t do this without the pills.” His brow furrowed. “Well, I can’t do this with them.” Swiping at my eyes, I met his gaze for the first time. “We don’t even have sex any more.” Shane backed into the corner of the couch and glared at me. “It hasn’t been that long.” A hollow laugh escaped my throat. “It’s been six months.” My eyes narrowed. “You don’t even know.” “What? You think I’m cheating on you?” His hands rose in frustration. Shaking my head, I scowled. “Nope. It’s the pills. You can’t get it up.” His voice was low, barely more than a whisper. “It doesn’t feel good.” I leaned close, one eyebrow raised in challenge. “It’s the pills. Because of them, you feel nothing.” Without uttering another word, I rose from the couch and strode into the bedroom, not stopping until I had reached my walk-in closet. Pulling out my suitcase, I laid it on the bed and unzipped it. By the time Shane had entered the room, I had already emptied my sock and underwear drawer. “You’re leaving?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “We’re through?” His head hung, but I caught him glancing at me nervously. “I deserve better than this. I deserve a man who can be a husband, who loves me more than he loves getting high.” I stood a few feet away from him, my arms crossed over my chest. “I want marriage and kids. I want to not have to worry when my husband will come home and whether he’ll live another day.” “You said you’d love me through it!” His voice turned whiny. Frozen in place, his words hit me in the heart. “I’ve been loving you through everything for three years. I’ve loved you through the growing pains of letting go of your booty calls. I’ve loved you through the alcohol. I’ve loved you through one addiction after another.” My hands fell to my sides. “Don’t ask me to stick around and watch you kill yourself.” The tears started again, running down my burning cheeks like salty lava. “I love you too much to do that.” I turned away and opened the next drawer. Shane came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle. “I’ll quit.” His voice shook as he spoke. “Be patient with me. We’ll get through the wedding and I’ll quit.” Pausing, I considered his offer. “Why not quit now?” I twisted in his grasp to face him. “It’s too much with the wedding planning. I don’t want to fall apart. I want us to have a good day, a good weekend.” He leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose. “I love you, Nina. I’ll always love you. I can’t do this without you.” Frowning, I stared at him. He seemed frightened, even as he tried to act confident. I clasped my arms around his neck. This man. I had to love him. There was no other explanation for this. “Promise,” I urged. “Promise.” He echoed. The words were whispered in my ear, sending chills up and down my spine. Tingles of longing began in dormant places. He pressed his groin against me. “Feel that,” he demanded. For the first time in such a long time, Shane had an erection. It seemed too much to hope for. Slowly, he began to undress me, yanking my shirt up over my head. He smiled as he reached behind me to unhook my bra. As it slid down my shoulders, exposing my already hard nipples, he grinned. “Hello, girls,” he murmured as he dropped to his knees before me. Seconds later, he had them in his mouth, lavishing attention on first one, then the other. My insides quivered in anticipation. It had been so long, I’d be lucky to last three minutes with him inside me. Eagerly, I undressed him, pulling his polo shirt over his head, then fumbling with his belt. “I got it.” Shane seemed as impatient as me. Soon, we were naked and rolling around passionately on the floor. As I felt him press against my wet opening, I pushed on his chest. “Condom.” I reminded him gently. Shaking his head, he frowned. “We’re getting married soon. It doesn’t matter.” Then he turned his attention back to pleasuring me. Four weeks later, a test confirmed I was pregnant. Six weeks later, I was walking down a dock on a mountain lake to meet him under the gazebo and say our vows.
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