(Sweet Haven #2)
Publication date: January 29th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
It only took one letter to make every painful memory resurface. But it took Kyleigh Helton thirteen years to bury those memories. The question in that letter will force her to make a difficult decision. Forgive, or continue to let resentment and anger consume her fragile core.
The simple life she craves seems miles away when she’s dealing with an ex who won’t let her go and a boyfriend whose problems mimic a past she’d rather forget.
She realizes it’s time for things to change. But every decision and change she makes has a consequence, and she begins to wonder if she’s strong enough to handle them.
David Madison has been struggling with guilt and grief since his brother’s death and finds comfort in the one thing Kyleigh despises. When a phone call pushes him over the edge and guilt consumes him even more, he breaks a promise to Kyleigh that threatens to tear them apart.
As quickly as things fall back into place, his world shatters again, pushing him to the breaking point, and he begins to wonder how much more he can take before he turns to the one addiction that started it all.
But he can’t. He promised. He needs to stay strong for Kyleigh. Because now she needs him more than ever, and he won’t let her down again.
***This is book two in a trilogy but each book can stand-alone***
***Due to sexual content and language, this novel is intended for audiences ages 18+***
Goodreads
Amazon
Excerpt
He blew out a ragged breath, wondering how much she’d had to drink tonight, and how much longer he could hear his mother ask for his dead brother before he pulled out a bottle himself. It seemed they were all just a bunch of drunks. None of them could get by in life without the help of alcohol, including him. The need for alcohol ran through his blood as much as blood itself.
“Mom, you need to understand that Randy is not here any longer.” He paused for a moment, dreading the next thing he had to say. He’d said it enough in the past six months to her that he knew exactly what her reaction was going to be. “Randy’s dead, Mom. Remember?”
“You are a liar, David! How dare you say that about him. He’s staying at your place, remember. He’s been living with you now for a year. Is he out somewhere? He’s probably out with a girl, isn’t he?” his mom said with a little laugh that sounded maniacal, making him shiver.
“No, Mom. Randy’s been dead for six months now. Where’s Roger?”
More crying sounded through the phone and David grabbed a fistful of his hair in irritation. Going through this with his mom was almost as bad as going through Randy’s death all over again. It was as if he was re-living it every time he had this conversation with her.
The need to drink the guilt away hit him hard. Hearing his mother ask for her son through a mess of confused tears tore him apart. He knew it had to be his payback for letting Randy drive away that night. God was punishing him for doing nothing. He was making him re-live it every week, through his mother. He sucked in a sharp breath, knowing he deserved all of this, but also knowing he couldn’t handle it. He needed something to dull this ache, to make him not care anymore; with each sob coming from the line the need grew even stronger.
The crying was getting so loud now that it began to hurt his head. He couldn’t console her, she didn’t want it, wouldn’t listen. She just wanted to torture him with his guilt; hang it above his head until he caved and opened the bottle. He had the bottle in his hand before he even knew what he was doing. He looked at the bottle. So many conflicting emotions coursed through him that he didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. He just wanted it to stop.
One way or the other.
He opened the bottle and brought it to his mouth just as his mom cried out Randy’s name in a sob that sounded broken and ragged—just like him.
With the alcohol beginning to burn his guilt away, he said, “Mom, I’m sorry for everything,” and hung the phone up.
The simple life she craves seems miles away when she’s dealing with an ex who won’t let her go and a boyfriend whose problems mimic a past she’d rather forget.
She realizes it’s time for things to change. But every decision and change she makes has a consequence, and she begins to wonder if she’s strong enough to handle them.
David Madison has been struggling with guilt and grief since his brother’s death and finds comfort in the one thing Kyleigh despises. When a phone call pushes him over the edge and guilt consumes him even more, he breaks a promise to Kyleigh that threatens to tear them apart.
As quickly as things fall back into place, his world shatters again, pushing him to the breaking point, and he begins to wonder how much more he can take before he turns to the one addiction that started it all.
But he can’t. He promised. He needs to stay strong for Kyleigh. Because now she needs him more than ever, and he won’t let her down again.
***This is book two in a trilogy but each book can stand-alone***
***Due to sexual content and language, this novel is intended for audiences ages 18+***
Goodreads
Amazon
Excerpt
He blew out a ragged breath, wondering how much she’d had to drink tonight, and how much longer he could hear his mother ask for his dead brother before he pulled out a bottle himself. It seemed they were all just a bunch of drunks. None of them could get by in life without the help of alcohol, including him. The need for alcohol ran through his blood as much as blood itself.
“Mom, you need to understand that Randy is not here any longer.” He paused for a moment, dreading the next thing he had to say. He’d said it enough in the past six months to her that he knew exactly what her reaction was going to be. “Randy’s dead, Mom. Remember?”
“You are a liar, David! How dare you say that about him. He’s staying at your place, remember. He’s been living with you now for a year. Is he out somewhere? He’s probably out with a girl, isn’t he?” his mom said with a little laugh that sounded maniacal, making him shiver.
“No, Mom. Randy’s been dead for six months now. Where’s Roger?”
More crying sounded through the phone and David grabbed a fistful of his hair in irritation. Going through this with his mom was almost as bad as going through Randy’s death all over again. It was as if he was re-living it every time he had this conversation with her.
The need to drink the guilt away hit him hard. Hearing his mother ask for her son through a mess of confused tears tore him apart. He knew it had to be his payback for letting Randy drive away that night. God was punishing him for doing nothing. He was making him re-live it every week, through his mother. He sucked in a sharp breath, knowing he deserved all of this, but also knowing he couldn’t handle it. He needed something to dull this ache, to make him not care anymore; with each sob coming from the line the need grew even stronger.
The crying was getting so loud now that it began to hurt his head. He couldn’t console her, she didn’t want it, wouldn’t listen. She just wanted to torture him with his guilt; hang it above his head until he caved and opened the bottle. He had the bottle in his hand before he even knew what he was doing. He looked at the bottle. So many conflicting emotions coursed through him that he didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. He just wanted it to stop.
One way or the other.
He opened the bottle and brought it to his mouth just as his mom cried out Randy’s name in a sob that sounded broken and ragged—just like him.
With the alcohol beginning to burn his guilt away, he said, “Mom, I’m sorry for everything,” and hung the phone up.
Tara Neideffer was born and raised in Indiana with a love for animals, especially horses. As a child, she could always be found in the saddle, running her horse at full speed through open fields. She also has a love of ghost stories and a morbid fascination with watching murder mystery shows. When she's not busy writing, she's taking care of her animals, spending time with her family or reading. She still lives in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and stepson, on twenty acres, with too many animals to name.
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