The Next of Us
Number 5.5 in Series
Part 5.5 of the Sage Ridge series
Happily Ever After isn't supposed to come with an expiration date.NadineBarely a couple before becoming a family, Aaron and I built a beautiful life together.Before I can blink, our children are grown and gone, Aaron's rarely home, and I wander around our big, empty house like a lost soul.I don't know who I am anymore.Or where we go from here.And I can't shake the niggling doubt that if we hadn't gotten pregnant, Aaron wouldn't have chosen me.AaronWhen the pregnancy test came back positive, I vowed not to let it steal Nadine's dreams. We chased this life down and wrangled it into submission.But now our beautiful life feels more like a prison than a prize.And I'm afraid the woman I've loved since I was a teenager will no longer want what I have to offer.If she had to choose again, would she still choose us?Would I? As a reader and a storyteller, I am irresistibly drawn to more mature characters. Though they often carry the fears, insecurities, and traumas from their younger years, they tend to do so with humor and panache! They bumble along until life forces them to deal with their brokenness in the midst of parenting, building a career, looking after aging parents, and starting or mending a romantic relationship. Here is where I write my stories. Stories where physical intimacy reflects emotional intimacy and healing. Stories of sisterhood that celebrate family and chosen family. Soul-stirring stories that take you on an emotional journey, one where you might easily recognize yourself or someone you love. As in the real world, there are no easy answers. But their hard-won HEAs will make your heart happy.At home, I am outnumbered by one husband, four kids, a dog, a cat, and plumbing issues that never quit. You can most often find me curled up on my front porch, earbuds in, music cranked up, with my nose stuck in a book. Honestly, I'm most often hiding from my favorite people in the world who require far too many meals. When I'm really lucky, my husband, who is without a doubt the hero in my very own love story, is hiding with me.
