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How do you tell a man there is something wrong with his child?
THE FORGOTTEN CHILD a #1 kindle bestseller in romance series and westerns. And Book #1 of Finding Love ~ The Outsider Series.
This is by far one of the best books I have read. Lorhainne Eckhart proved herself yet again by pulling you in with a heartfelt story and keeping your attention with the passion that fills the pages. ~ ROMANCE JUNKIES
A Real Tear Jerker: Omg, I loved this book. I stayed up all night trying to finish it. I cried, My heart broke, I have an 18 year old with autism. This would make a fabulous movie... Tammy
Overview:
He wasn't looking to love again. But what he got was a woman who shook his lonely bitter world upside down, and touched him in a way no other woman could.
Excerpt:
Every woman, at
one time in her life, will experience the phrase, I had an
epiphany. Well that’s exactly what happened this particular
spring morning, when Emily Nelson’s eyes popped open just as the
sliver of light at the break of dawn crept up the horizon and, for a
moment, there was peace. Until she blinked a couple of times and
reality set in. She glimpsed the lump beside her in their king-size
bed—her husband, Bob. Emily pushed back her thick, dark hair and
slid to the side of the bed. She was hit by irritating turmoil, an
unwelcome friend, twisting up her insides as if wringing out a wet
rag. Not even a shred of interest remained for the man she once
loved. She’d more empathy for the crotchety old geezer at the end
of the street.
So what made this morning different?
She didn’t know how to explain this awakening, this unfolding from
deep inside some place she thought had long since closed and sealed
off. Find some courage. Believe enough in herself, and then she’d
soon be living a life that was hers, for the first time, filled with
an amazing peace and hope. And that’s what compelled Emily to shake
off her 10-year funk, throw her thin, pale legs over the side of the
bed, and get up.
Emily, a 35-year-old, average-looking
mother and wife, slipped into the ugly brown bathrobe her husband
bought her this past Christmas. The one he meant to give his mother
but got confused after he wrapped them, since the boxes were
identical. His mother got the old lady polyester pants with the
elastic waistband meant for Emily, so she supposed she got the better
of the deal.
She held her breath when she chanced a
glance at Bob, who lay softly snoring on his side of the big bed; the
fact he was still asleep eased her anxiety. Emily suppressed a sigh
of relief. She had no interest in spending time in a room with this
man, any more than the grumpy old geezer up the street. Maybe that
was why the knot in her tummy loosened when she left the room and
stood outside their daughter’s door. Katy, her blonde two-year-old
beauty, was sleeping like an angel in the bedroom across the hall, in
their average, very plain, box-style rented bungalow. Emily tiptoed
across the cheap neutral-colored carpeting, the same quality you see
in most rental homes, which showed every stain imaginable, even after
shampooing year after year. She pressed her hand on the doorframe and
pulled Katy’s door closed so she wouldn’t hear Emily at this
early hour. Five a.m. was her personal time, when her head was clear,
when her creative juices flowed, when she faced reality and could
make the tough decisions with absolute clarity.
Today’s the day. When he comes down,
I’ll say it. Her gut twisted, and she knew now it was nothing more
than fear of the unknown. She couldn’t wait anymore; it had to be
today. It was past time and she knew she’d ignored this decision
for too long. The signs were all around her—they had been for
months. Now, with no chance to think it to death or get cold feet,
the floor squeaked as his heavy footsteps thumped down the hall
toward her. Her skin chilled and she had a buzzing sensation in her
ears, as if the floor were about to drop out from beneath her feet.
Bob, her husband of twelve years, shuffled into the kitchen past her
as she leaned against the counter. What made it worse was the way he
looked away, as if to dismiss her, a woman of no importance.
“It’s over between us.” Wow, she
said it. Her courage wavered, but she crossed her arms over her small
breasts and stood her ground, feeling enormous in the bulky robe even
though she kept her body slim with womanly curves.
Bob turned and, for the first time in
months, he really looked at her. His dirty blond hair was gelled and
impeccably groomed. His pale face flushed and his icy blue eyes
appeared so dull and tiny in his round face. His body was ordinary,
average height and build—a man who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.
She felt nothing for him, just a hardness; whatever love had been was
now long dead and gone.
Time stretched out painfully; it took
an eternity to pump the blood through her body, roaring louder and
louder in her ears between breaths. Bob turned away. He poured
himself a cup of the coffee she’d freshly brewed, dismissing her
again. He’d mastered that skill long ago, hammering her pride down
a little further each and every day. No wonder it took an act of
sheer courage for Emily to look strangers in the eye. Hadn’t her
dad done it to her own mom?
“You know we haven’t had a marriage
for a long time, Bob. There are no feelings left between us. We don’t
communicate, and Katy’s picking up on the tension in this house.”
He dropped his mug on the counter, and
fired off his delusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about. I think you’re the one with the problem. Katy’s fine if
you’re not around.” His words stung, even though Emily knew it
wasn’t true. Why didn’t she expect this? Because her mind didn’t
play those kinds of games, that’s why.
“No, Katy is not fine. You’re
always yelling at her. You won’t spend time with her. When you’re
home, you sit in front of the TV 24/7. You do nothing to help me.”
Shouting, he stepped toward her, “You
know what I think this is really about? Money! Anyway, it’s your
fault we have no money!”
Okay here we go. She’d expected an
attack. He was really good at twisting things to his way of thinking.
This man she married, at one time loved, had become an unwelcome
stranger. “I think it has to do with no communication,” Emily
rebutted. “The only time I know what’s new with you, is when I
overhear you on the phone. You know… those nightly conversations
with your mother. And come to think of it, that’s part of the
problem. The only relationship you have is with your mother. And it’s
just plain weird. You’re not a child. Grow up. It’s disturbing
that you talk to her about what’s going on in your life, and not
me. If you were being honest with yourself, you’d admit you’ve
made no attempt to have a relationship with me. And I’ve ignored
how you’ve treated me for years.”
Emily held up the flat of her trembling
hand, unable to stop her mouth from spewing everything she’d
suppressed for so long. She continued, “You’ve always had this
strange relationship with your mom. What’s really sick, is I’ve
had to stoop to eavesdropping when you’re on the phone with her.
Just to find out your latest news. A vacation you’re planning with
friends of yours. A new job you’re applying for in Seattle. Taking
a few courses at night school. Don’t you think that as your wife
I have a right to know about these things?”
He dumped his coffee down the sink. His
face hardened into someone she didn’t know. “It wasn’t as if I
was hiding it from you, but you’re sure happy to launch a war with
my family. You could have just asked.”
Emily shut her eyes and let out a heavy
sigh. Katy would be awake soon, and Bob needed to leave for work.
“This is going nowhere,” she said. “I’m not going to keep
fighting with you. I’d like you to move out. Take whatever you
want.”
He didn’t answer her. What he did
instead was grab his coat and storm out the door, slamming it behind
him hard enough to rattle the double-pane windows. But apparently he
wasn’t done with his temper tantrum, because he followed up by
gunning the engine of their two-door rusted Cavalier, the tires
squealing down the driveway. In her room, Katy screamed. Across the
street, lights came on in the front window of the Hanson’s house.
Great. She’d need to apologize now, for Bob disturbing them before
six a.m. with his irresponsible behavior.
Emily raced down the hall to comfort
her daughter, furious at Bob for yet another mess he’d created for
her to clean up. Except this time, it didn’t stick—the mad, that
is. With the words finally out of her, Emily felt the dark,
oppressive weight lifting from her back, leaving her with a light
peaceful feeling flowing through her body. You know, the feeling you
get when you know you’ve finally done the right thing. Even though
she had no money, no job, a child, and no idea how she’d make ends
meet... still, the right thing. A dismal sounding outcome but, for
the first time in years, Emily Nelson felt the sun shoot out a
powerful ray of hope.
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