ebook release April 26 2011
You can always come home.
Second chances come a little harder.
Chase and Zoe were the high school golden couple. Football captain, cheerleader, prom royalty.
After graduation, though, Chase couldn’t resist the urge to experience life outside their small town. He didn’t exactly expect Zoe to wait twelve years for him, but now that he’s back, he finds some small part of him hoping she did.
It’s no big surprise she’s married. The kick in the face is she married his best friend.
Zoe was devastated when Chase left, but she’s filed those bittersweet memories under “Moved On”. She loves her life, and loves her husband. She has all she needs. And Chase keeps an honorable distance.
One cold, wet, miserable day, tragedy turns Zoe’s world upside down. Chase never expected her to simply fall into his arms, but a man can dream. Except his dream doesn’t include the fact that this time, she’s the one hitting the road…and he’s the one left behind.
But she wasn’t. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be okay again.
She went to pull away from him—she couldn’t take the touch of his hands—it didn’t feel right having him touch her. Abruptly, she stopped and stared, realized they were in the brightly lit front room of her home.
The home she shared with Roger.
Roger.
The pain inside her rose up, grabbed her around the throat like a fist and she started to shake. She needed to cry, wanted to scream—where was he?
A hand touched her shoulder gently. Looking back at Chase, she stared at his face mutely.
“I called my dad—figured he’d know where Roger was,” Chase said, his face neutral.
His eyes weren’t.
Those dark blue eyes were anything but neutral, anything but calm. She couldn’t entirely understand all the emotions she saw there, and she wouldn’t let herself think about them, either.
“Roger is in Lincoln with your father, of course.” Was that really her voice? So calm, so collected?
How could she sound so…unaffected when her life was on the verge of shattering?
Brain tumor.
MRI.
Tests.
Why aren’t you here, you bastard?
The sobs trapped inside her chest begged to be set free and she turned away from Chase, took one slow step toward the couch, then another. “I appreciate you bringing me home. I’m sure you have other things to do, though,” she said.
Calm, keep calm. Don’t fall apart until he’s gone…
“Zoe.” He touched her shoulder again. His voice soft and low.
She broke. Shattered.
Sinking to the floor, she started to sob.
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