Blog Tour:
This
Is Living
by
Melody
Dawn
Feb 14th – Feb 21st
The
first time Jayson Reece saw Chloe Schaeffer, he knew she would be his forever. He
promised her then that he would show her how to live rather than just letting
life pass her by. Now, 9 years later, they’ve had the storybook romance, a
picture perfect wedding, and two twin boys to complete the family they always
wanted.
But
something is missing…
With
two rambunctious boys, Chloe decides to be a stay-at-home mom until the boys
are old enough to go to school. So, with her dreams of being a social worker
put on hold, she throws everything she has into being the perfect mother and
wife.
Jayson
has a very demanding career as an Emergency Room physician. He tries to balance
out his workload and that of being a family man, but lately his job has come
first. Is he beginning to lose focus on the things that are most important to
him?
Will
Chloe’s drive for perfection and the challenges of Jayson’s career drive them
apart? Or will they realize that love creates the perfection she desires and
the balance he needs to keep his family together?
There’s
only one thing left to do. Jayson needs to renew his promise to Chloe and she
needs to trust Jayson to get them back to where they belong.
A
place where living and loving is required…those only wanting to exist need not
apply.
Not
fully awake, I roll to the other side of the bed seeking my husband’s warm
body. It’s a habit I formed when we started living together years ago. At that
time, I needed to feel protected even if it was only from my own thoughts and
fears…especially from those.
With
him wrapped around me, I felt like no one in the world could touch me. That
feeling has never gone away and neither has my need for it, although now I just
do it because I love it. He got rid of those fears long ago, so now I just bask
in the feel of him without my brain tripping me up.
Instead
of Jayson, I feel the coolness of empty sheets. Disappointment hits me and I
reach over and turn on my bedside lamp to look around for evidence of his being
here. His nightstand as well as the chair he usually throws his clothes on
shows that he never made it home. I
reach for my phone thinking I must have turned the ringer down and look for his
missed call or text. We have a rule that he always calls or texts if he has to
stay for another shift or he can’t get leave for some reason. It’s the second
night in a row that he hasn’t come home from the hospital.
Our
alarm clock shows it’s almost 3:00 AM and my heart lurches in my chest when I
realize that my phone shows he didn’t call or text either. Panic rushes through
me and it’s almost crippling. Lying back down, I stare at the phone while
telling myself to get a grip. If something had happened, I would have been
contacted. Right? What if they didn’t know who to contact or what if he’s too
hurt to let someone know who to call?
Trying
not to have a full-on freak-out, I hit my favorites list and tap the top number
until it starts to dial. After a few rings, it goes to voicemail and I can’t
get anything out. My vision blurs and I feel like I can’t breathe. I pull out long
forgotten therapy techniques to calm myself down. Having a panic attack is not
going to help anything and if I’m not careful, I will hyperventilate my way
into passing out. I’ve got two toddlers in the house depending on me, so I have
to keep it together.
After
I get my breathing under control, I fire over a text to Jayson’s phone and hope
that he will answer right away or if he’s hurt, someone will hear the phone and
contact me.
Chloe:
Where are you? Are you ok? Please text or call me back. If I don’t hear from
you in 15 minutes, I’m calling the hospital. And probably your dad and brother.
Call me. Love you.
With
nothing left to do but wait, I turn over and bury my face in his pillow and
inhale. The familiar scent of him causes tears to burn my eyes. Instead of the
calm I was hoping to feel, my emotions began to amp up even more. Logically, I
know I’m probably going way overboard, but my heart isn’t listening to my head
right now.
Chloe has the perfect life or so everyone thinks.
She tried to leave her past behind, but it follows her like a dark shadow. Drowning in guilt, she's dying to live, but sees no way out. So she tries to fool herself and everyone else into believing she is fine.
But Jayson sees through the act that Chloe puts up for everyone else and he's going to do everything in his power to help her to live again.
Can Chloe let go, or will that night forever ruin her future?
She tried to leave her past behind, but it follows her like a dark shadow. Drowning in guilt, she's dying to live, but sees no way out. So she tries to fool herself and everyone else into believing she is fine.
But Jayson sees through the act that Chloe puts up for everyone else and he's going to do everything in his power to help her to live again.
Can Chloe let go, or will that night forever ruin her future?
Melody
Dawn is a contemporary romance author residing in the southern part of the US.
She started reading romance novels when she was a teenager and became addicted
to Happily Ever After’s. She got her own HEA when she met her soulmate 20 years
ago and they have been together ever since. They have two furbabies who think
they are Kings of the Castle and require a ton of attention. When she is not
reading or writing, she loves to refurbish old furniture into new pieces,
scrapbook, and most of all spend time with her main guy.
Hosted
by Obsessive Pimpettes Promotions