Love on the Outskirts of Town
Page 38
Oh, good Lord. “You probably said the wrong thing and she’s reacting with pregnancy hormones. She’ll be back after the holidays and you can make it up to her then.”
“No. She won’t. Her apartment is empty. She’s gone, and I don’t know where or why.”
Well, shit. “This sounds like a problem for Dean and Zander.”
A muscle spasmed in Tom’s jaw. “No. We’re not telling anyone else until we track her down.”
Their brothers were the security consultants, but Matt sensed that this was not a time for logic. “Okay. We’ll figure it out.”
“I mean—” Tom swore under his breath again. “Jesus. Even though it’s unexpected, this baby would be loved, you know?”
Oh, Matt knew. But now wasn’t the time to get into that. “Yeah, for sure. It’s just, ah, maybe she thinks she’s not ready for a baby?” He was out of his depth here. “Maybe she should talk to Natasha. And she’d keep the pregnancy a secret, of course.”
The door opened behind him as he said that, and he turned around.
Owen was glaring at him. “How did you know?”
Tom frowned at Owen. “How did you know?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Who are you talking about? I’m talking about Chloe.”
Fuck. Matt held up his hands. “Okay, one at a time. I mean, I don’t know who’s drama is bigger here, but please tell me you aren’t talking about the same woman.”
Owen was still giving Tom a terrifying look, but he shook his head. “No. Sorry. Not the same woman.”
Matt wasn’t sure he wanted to be in the middle of any of this, but hey, he’d never been a friend one would have confided in before, so he wasn’t going to knock that he had two buddies sharing secrets.
Except it was his wedding day, so they should make it quick. He wanted to get back to his bride. He turned to Owen. “Who did you think he was talking about?”
“It doesn’t matter. I overreacted.”
Tom laughed. “Welcome to the club.”
“Is someone else…” Matt trailed off as Owen’s eyes blazed with fury. Pregnant. Someone else was pregnant.
And Matt was pretty sure it was Owen’s eighteen-year-old daughter.
Thank you for reading Matt and Tasha’s story! If you want to be the first to know when the next Pine Harbour books go up for sale, join my newsletter!
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Coming Next in Pine Harbour
Love on the Edge of Reason (Pine Harbour #8)
Tom Minelli doesn’t know why Chloe Davis has fled Pine Harbour, but she’s pregnant with his baby and he wants her back. Not just back in town. He wants Chloe back in his life, and not as the casual hook-up friends they were before. But finding her proves harder than he expected—and when he does track her down, she drops a bombshell on him.
Love on the Edge of Reason is the final book in the Pine Harbour series, but the standalone romances with men in uniform continues with Reckless at Heart, book #1 in the new Kincaids of Pine Harbour series.
Reckless at Heart (The Kincaids of Pine Harbour Book #1)
“Daddy, I’m pregnant.”
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The last three words Owen Kincaid ever wanted to hear from his teenage daughter. He knows how hard it is to have a kid when you’re still a kid yourself. He did it, and now eighteen years later, history is repeating itself. To say he’s beating himself up is an understatement. The last thing he needs is to fall head-over-heels in lust with his daughter’s midwife.
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Kerry Humphrey hates her new client’s father. She has no reason to hate him, except for the fact he’s tall and brooding and always there, hovering in the background of appointments. And the crackle of chemistry every time their eyes meet. She hates that, too.
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Everything about their attraction is ill-fated. But it won’t go away. Maybe, for one night, they can be… Reckless at Heart.
Coming in 2019!
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Acknowledgements
aka The People Who See Me, Warts and All
First nod must go to Kristi Yanta, who has edited five of my Pine Harbour books now. None of them have been easy, but this one took the cake. She held my hand through three brutal drafts and still promises to come back for the last book in the series (and the start of the next one, because I’m a glutton for punishment).
This series guts me in a way nothing else I write does. These characters are alive and real in my heart, and I want to capture every tiny part of their
The Viking gets a mention here, too, because every minute that I was writing this book was also a rocky period personally—for him, and for us. But he never wavered in understanding that no matter what else was going on, I needed to write. Sometimes it wasn’t much. December and March were gong shows. But once the storm was over, and I picked up my computer again, he brought me endless cups of tea and rubbed my arms and handed me tissues.
I told him that it took twice as many words as usual to convince myself that my characters could have a happy-ever-after ending, and that was really hard to realize. I know a lot of my readers sometimes feel the same way, that what we read between the pages is a stretch from reality. But I hope this book shows that we all have a story—just some have a lot more words than others.
I’m also thankful for my assistant Lori, who designs the most beautiful release week graphics for my books, and keeps my Facebook page updated when I’m locked in the writing cave. And in general is always there to listen and support and make me more tea.
Tea. Yes, if you were wondering, I am Meredith. Right down to being the small-town girl who left Bruce County to live in the city. I like being close to a Starbucks, but the county will always have a special place in my heart.
And a huge thanks to Bonnie, who got the copyedits on this turned around faster than I thought humanly possible.
Other grateful notes:
Jessica A, for reading this book in broken parts and pointing out where my characters were being stupid.
Liis M., who lives in Port Elgin for real, and posted on Facebook about her kids playing hockey on her driveway while she watched them—wrapped in a parka. I went back to the scene where Natasha was watching Emily play and changed it from what I’d originally written (tricycling) to playing hockey. I love my real life reader inspiration for scenes!
Speaking of which…
Mandy R., who tagged me on Twitter to ask why romance heroes (especially in Pine Harbour) always wear #blackboxerbriefs. Well, Mandy, Matt most certainly does not. #pinkavocadotrunksforlife
And finally, a grateful nod to the early ARC readers who caught the last handful of typos: Liis M., Carissa R., Beverley H., Wendy F., Mel K., Terri S., Gi P, Ariana B, Elizabeth C.
As always, I appreciate my tribe more than words can say.
~ Zoe
About the Author
Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She’s currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and dreaming of heroes (mostly) out of uniform. She also writes erotic romance as Ainsley Booth, because who needs sleep?
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www.zoeyork.com
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