by A. D. Ellis
I would like for my mom and dad to have another baby. I used to think that a baby came from kissing but now I know that’s not true. My mom and dad kiss all of the time; it’s sort of sweet but sort of gross too. Anyway, they should have hundreds of babies if they just came from kissing. So, there must be something else to it. I asked Nicky and he said he can’t talk about making babies anymore; he said he learned the other thing it takes and it’s not something he can tell me about. His face got really red and he told me to talk to my mom or dad. They got really red and said they’d tell me about it when I’m a little older. So, I’ll just wait for now.
A note from the author:
I hope you’re satisfied with the happily ever afters of the Deckers, the Morgans, and the Jordans. These families came to me in 2013 and I’ve grown to love them more with each passing day. They are all the type of people I’d like to just have as friends; I can see sitting with them and chatting like I do with real-life friends. I was 99% sure their stories were over, but a reader said I should write more and ideas just started growing in my mind. There’s more to come in the Torey Hope Novels series!
When I first started writing Libby and Nate’s story, I had no clue that Audrey would get her own story. But, Audrey kept telling me that her story needed to be told. I think she wanted people to have the chance to understand her better and hopefully realize that she wasn’t just a mean bitch. I’m so glad I listened to her and let her story come out. I am thrilled for her and Jeremiah and Beckett.
I’ve had an idea for Nicky since the end of For Nicky, but I knew it would be a hard story to tell and I never saw it as a full-length story. Carly was such a wounded girl; she and Nicky are so beautiful together. They learn from each other and lean on each other. Carly accepts Nicky as he is and loves him unconditionally. Nicky still has stars in his eyes when he looks at Carly and I don’t think those will ever go away; it’s truly a touching sight. They are two very special souls and I’m so very glad they came together.
Can’t you just picture those three handsome men, holding their children, walking towards the women they love? It’s a scene that plays in my head over and over and makes me smile (and drool just a little bit too).
A big THANK YOU from:
Nate, Libby, Abby, Decker, and Sawyer Morgan
Jeremiah, Audrey, Beckett, and Megan Jordan
Nicky, Carly, and Zachery Morgan
THANK YOU FOR READING OUR STORIES AND LOVING US!
How to Connect with A.D. Ellis
Please check out my Facebook page! I keep it updated with information about For Nicky and Because of Beckett, upcoming books, news, and myself. I already have some ideas for other books, so be sure to LIKE and FOLLOW my Facebook page so you don’t miss out! www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
You can also “friend” me on Facebook if you’d like! Just search for “A.d. Ellis Author”. I love to “meet” my readers so give my page a LIKE and friend me. Let me know if you’ve read For Nicky and Because of Beckett!
You can LIKE and FOLLOW Nate Morgan (www.facebook.com/NateMorganForNicky) and Jeremiah Jordan (www.facebook.com/JeremiahJordanBecauseBeckett) too!
It would mean the world to me if you’d LIKE my Amazon author page! http://amazon.com/author/adellis The more people who visit, like, and add my books to their wish list, the more exposure I get as an author. Thank you!! While you’re there, please leave a review of For Nicky and Because of Beckett.
I’m on Goodreads as well. www.goodreads.com/adellisauthor PLEASE leave me a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you enjoyed For Nicky and Because of Beckett! Positive reviews are a life line for independent authors. Another way to help me is to tell your friends to read my books! Word of mouth is a very powerful thing!
You can also follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/ADEllisAuthor
Check out my webpage here. www.adellisauthor.webs.com
Acknowledgments and Thanks
Wow! Time to say THANK YOU again and I have so many to remember! If I miss you, please forgive me! This part is almost as hard as writing the blurb!!
I want to start with my husband, my children, my family, my friends, and my colleagues. They support me indefinitely and they try not to throttle me when I refer to “my book” a few too many times. I’ve been humbled at the number of people who have bought my book in both eBook and paperback form just because I wrote it! Signing a paperback book for family and friends is a surreal experience. In particular, I’d like to thank Jodie for continuing to support and encourage me from before For Nicky and through Because of Beckett and beyond. To my parents who now refer to me as their daughter “the author” and tell their friends about my book, I always knew you’d support me, but watching it in action is just heartwarming and awe-inducing.
My ladies at The Indie Erogenous Zone! I’m forever grateful to have met you and have your support. Knowing I can turn to you to laugh, cry, complain, vent, and ask questions is invaluable. Sometimes it seems like it’s us against the world, but I’m glad I have you all on my side! Love and hugs! IEZ 4Life!
My friends at Indie Romance Writers! What a diverse group of individuals we all are, but that’s what makes it special! Thank you for your help in answering questions and offering advice when needed. Much love!
To my MMs (and Sean!). Thank you from the bottom of my heart for 9+ years of support, laughs, tears, and advice. We almost have tweens! How is that possible!?! Thank you for never discouraging my dream and pursuit of writing a book. Thank you to those who have bought it, read it, offered suggestions when I needed them, shared it with friends, and even asked for my autograph! Sean, again, thank you for your military input. MMs, no one else really gets it, but you are in my heart forever no matter the distance or the years.
I’ve met so many fabulous people in indie author world! From readers to authors to bloggers, I feel blessed to know you all. I know this is where I will no doubt forget someone; please don’t feel slighted, just know that I love you all! Janine “Neen” for your advice, our chats, your limericks, your heart, and your books! I love you! Laura for being my teacher/author buddy; I’m waiting on your book patiently! Colleen for being my almost neighbor and making me laugh. If I ever need to go to the hospital, I want you as a nurse. But I’m not coming to THAT floor! Let’s get DQ again soon! Aleatha, you’re another almost neighbor. Thank you for reading my first book and offering such kind words. Thank you for constantly answering my questions and encouraging me on this journey. And, thank you for Tony! Paula, thanks for letting me be creepy and come see your baby! You were one of my first blog supporters and it means the world to me! The countless number of blogs who have shared, supported, reviewed, spotlighted for me….THANK YOU doesn’t even begin to cover it! You are the BEST!
I can’t list every person I’ve met and loved on this journey, it would equal its own little novella. But, if we’ve spoken by chat or tag or comment or email, please know that I love, love, love you and I’m grateful for your support and friendship.
My editor Stephanne. Well, if For Nicky wasn’t your cup of tea I’m not sure how you even made it through Because of Beckett. Ever the professional, you are great at finding my errors without getting distracted by a story you may or may not have ever read if you weren’t editing it for me. Thank you for teaching me the difference between farther and further and for finding my one million comma misuses! I promise that I’m learning from you with each edit and I hope I’m getting better. I will focus on TENSES next time! I’m ever so grateful for your offer to edit my first book and so glad I asked if you’d be interested in editing my second book. I’ve got more coming and you’ll be the first I turn to! God brought us together all those years ago and I’m blessed to know you!
My beta readers, oh my beta readers! Denise, Debbie, Lynn, Pamela, Peggy, Leeann, Jodie, Sydney, Colleen, Kim, Shaunda, Jamie, Chelsea, Beth. You all ROCK! You’re my “fresh eyes”, you catch quest instead of guest, you find those times when I mix up names. My fingers often type slower than my hea
d thinks of ideas and you help me find those errors. A word doesn’t make sense, a sentence doesn’t flow, a detail is wrong, I know I can always count on you to find it and point it out to me. Your eyes and skills and willingness to help me on Because of Beckett were beyond invaluable to me. I was humbled when I asked for a few people who liked For Nicky who would be interested in beta reading and I got such an overwhelming response from all of you. Hearing you tell me that you were crying and weren’t even halfway through, or that you hated Audrey so much you never thought you’d like her but then you did, or that book two was even better than book one, all of these things mean the world to me. Having you write reviews and pimp/tag me and share my name with others is such a boost to my confidence and will keep me doing this crazy author thing. And, since you talked me into it, I guess I have a novella and book 3 to write because of your input. THANK YOU!!
My readers and reviewers. So as not to leave anyone out, I won’t start listing by names because there are so many individuals and blogs that I know I’d never get them all in here without missing someone and then I’d feel bad. If you read For Nicky and left a review, THANK YOU!! If you’ve just finished Because of Beckett, THANK YOU and please leave a review! To those who couldn’t beta read for me but wanted to and will read/review Because of Beckett, THANK YOU!
Overall, I’m just so very grateful to everyone who has supported me or taken this journey with me! Because of you, I think I’ll keep at it until the stories stop coming. Happy Reading and God Bless!
PLAYLIST for Because of Beckett
You can follow ADEllisAuthor on Spotify
Here is the link to my Spotify where you can find my playlist for Because of Beckett
Please note that this author LOVES music but is NOT a music expert in any way. So, if Spotify told me a certain artist was singing a certain song, I took their word for it. Some of these may be cover artists. In some cases, the original artist did it better, but in some cases I think the cover artist did it better. Here are a few of the songs on the playlist.
“Do What You Want” by Lady Gaga
“One More Night” by Maroon 5
“Listen to Your Heart” by Edmee/DHT
“Monsters” by Timeflies/Katie Sky
“Mmm Yeah” by Austin Mahone
“Talk Dirty to Me” by Jason Derulo
“Demons” by Imagine Dragons
“Waiting for Superman” by Daughtry
“Angel” by Aerosmith
“Don’t Laugh at Me” by Mark Wills (BECKETT’S SONG)
“Let Me Love You” by Gavin Mikhail (THE SONG THAT JEREMIAH PLAYS FOR AUDREY) The video link is here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnt8PrWYwSo)
RESOURCES
There are addictions of many different types. If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, this site may be helpful. (This site was helpful in my research of what addicts [sex addicts and others] would go through in recovery.)
www.recoverynation.com
Victims of sexual molestation and assault can find help in many places, here are some sites that may prove helpful in your healing and recovery:
http://www.bandbacktogether.com/How-To-Help-Someone-Heal-From-Sexual-Assault/
http://www.bandbacktogether.com/adult-survivor-sexual-abuse-resources/
http://rainn.org/get-info/effects-of-sexual-assault/adult-survivors-of-childhood-sexual-abuse
If you or someone you know are suffering from PTSD, there is help available. It’s not just a disorder for military members. Here’s a site with information that may help.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml
Judy Jordan’s Chocolate Sheet Cake
The chocolate sheet cake that Jeremiah made for Audrey is actually the recipe that the author’s mother has been using for 43 years. This recipe came from my Great Aunt Jeanette’s Civic Club of Mount Vernon, Illinois cook book. Of course, Jeremiah took liberties with the recipe when he added crushed chocolate almonds and toffee to the top, but it sounds delicious!
Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
4 TBS cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
2 eggs, beaten
Sift flour and sugar in large bowl. Mix butter, cocoa and water in sauce pan - bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into well-greased 15 1/2 and 10 1/2 x 1 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Icing
1 stick butter
4 TBS cocoa
5 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (if you like nuts)
Combine butter, cocoa and milk - bring to boil. Remove from heat. Beat in vanilla and sugar. Add nuts if you are using them. Spread on hot cake.
Christmas in Torey Hope
A Novella
A.D. Ellis
www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
Copyright © 2014
Cover, spine, back by
Selfpubbookcovers.com
SelfPubBookCovers.com/RLSather
Copyright © 2014 by A.D. Ellis
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Dear Reader,
Loving Josie, A Torey Hope Novel is coming soon! But, until it releases, I thought you might like to catch up with our favorite Torey Hope residents: Captain Decker, the Morgans, and the Jordans. Four years have passed since the epilogue of Because of Beckett. It’s right after Thanksgiving and the families are preparing for Christmas celebrations.
Here’s a quick reminder and run down of the families:
Nate and Libby Morgan are happily married. Their daughter Abigail Emerson “Abby” is now eight years old. Their twin boys, Decker Nathaniel and Sawyer Nicholas are four years old. Nate wouldn’t mind another baby, but Libby has put down the proverbial foot and said no more children. The twins keep her hopping. Nate and Maverick were not very happy with the procedure she scheduled for them.
Jeremiah and Audrey Jordan are very much still in the honeymoon phase even this many years after they said “I do.” Our favorite little insightful boy, Beckett, is ten years old. Megan Elise is a six year old princess, at least in Daddy’s eyes. Remember when Jeremiah was musing that another baby was possibly in the works? He wanted another boy so Meg would have a big brother, a little brother, and a daddy to protect her. Well, he got his wish. Kendrick Robert is almost four years old. “Three’s company” as Jeremiah would say; he and Audrey have called it quits on babies. Jeremiah jokes that they should have looked for a buy-one-get-one free procedure since he and Nate were both out of commission the same week. The girls swear it was just a coincidence, but the guys are pretty sure it was planned that way. As a side note: Audrey finally relented and gave in to calling her sister Libby rather than Beth; she broke the habit because everyone began calling her sister Libby and it just stuck.
Nicky and Carly Morgan are still looking at each other with stars in their eyes; it’s truly touching to watch them together. If two people were ever meant for each other, it’s Nicky and Carly; they fit like two perfectly matched puzzle pieces. Their love is inspiring. They are also in love with their four year old Zachery “Zach” Malone. They are very much enjoying trying for another baby, but they know they are blessed beyond measure with their little boy.
Captain Decker, John and Cindy Morgan, and Jack and Judy Jordan are in love with their grandchildren and spend as much time with them as possible. Seven kids ages 4-10 are a lot to handle, so usually the older couples will team up to take them all on at once. The grandpare
nts have never been happier and are beyond blessed with the friendships they’ve formed together.
A lot of readers suggested that they would like to hear a little more about Captain Decker, the Morgans, and the Jordans. That’s what this novella is; it’s a chance to catch up with Nate, Libby, Jeremiah, Audrey, Nicky, and Carly along with hearing some touching love stories from the past and present.
And, as with most novellas, this book will serve as a little sneak peek into characters we may find gracing us with their stories in Loving Josie, A Torey Hope Novel.
Thank you for continuing to love these characters and their stories; you, the readers, are what keep the stories alive.
Happy Reading!
Love,
A.D. Ellis
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Butterscotch Pie
Acknowledgments and Thanks
Connect with the Author
Chapter 1
The day after Thanksgiving
“Ok, let’s get those pizzas ordered! Dad, can you take care of that? Three large cheese, three large loaded, and three family orders of breadsticks. The guys can go pick them up when they’re ready. Libby and I will stick the kids in the bath tub a couple at a time; Carly and the grandmas will get them all dried and dressed. Once that’s all done, we can just crash and veg out. We haven’t had time to visit much today.”