folder already out and is followed by Emily who has one shoe on.
“Mom, did you find my shoe?”
“I don’t have time to find your shoe. We should already be in the car and—”
“Found it!” Jill announces into the chaos of the room with her arm shoved under the sofa.
With fast hands, I clean out their folders, sign their daily planners, and pull out a note from Jill’s teacher, requesting me to come in on Friday to volunteer in the classroom.
Just because I work from home doesn’t mean I’m not busy, Mrs. Briman.
Shoving the folders into their backpacks, I dump an obscene amount of creamer into my coffee, screw on the lid, and grab my keys.
“Let’s go.”
The kids run out to get into the car as I shout, “I love you, babe!”
“Hey, while you’re out, we need more toilet paper.”
Love you too.
After I drop off the kids and run by the store, I head back home and am just in time to see Landon’s car pulling out of the driveway. We both stop and roll down our windows.
“Remember, I’ll be home later than usual,” he tells me.
“That’s fine. I have a lot of stuff to do before my trip this weekend.”
“Well, if you’re not too tired, maybe we can spend some time together when I get home.”
That’s code for sex.
“Maybe.”
“Just pretend I’m that billionaire in the book that kept you up all night.”
I laugh and drive into the garage at the same time he smiles and heads down the street.
Walking into the house, I embrace the silence and solitude. When Jill was born six years ago, I decided to take a short leave of absence and then return to my job as creative director at FOX25. But before I reached the end of my leave, I found out I was pregnant with Emily.
After I resigned, my life became focused on the kids and Landon. Though I was happy and content for a while, those feelings eventually waned, and I began itching to have something of my own again. So, in the evenings after everyone was asleep, I stayed up and wrote. I didn’t know what I was writing. There was no plan. I simply enjoyed getting lost in a world that had nothing to do with changing diapers, folding laundry, and cooking dinners. I took parts of my past and present and twisted them into a work of fiction, and pretty soon, it turned into a novel.
I remember calling Brooke, who lives only a short drive from Belmont, where I live. She has a beautiful home with her husband and son, Ryder. I told her about the book and began sending her chapters to read. She humors me, even though her tastes in books are anything other than the steamy romances I write.
Writing became my obsession. I couldn’t wait for everyone to go to bed so I could get back to my self-created chimera. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes fantasize about the male lead in my book while Landon and I were having sex. During the day I was mom and wife, and at night, I was something else entirely. I created a world where laundry didn’t exist, sex wasn’t something I had to schedule, and there were no children in the background throwing fits. Before I knew it, four months had passed and I had a finished book.
After college, Brooke went on to work for a multimedia entertainment agency, and with her knowledge, she guided me to the world of self-publishing. Together, we found a designer to create a cover for the book, we hired an editing company, and next thing I knew, the book was published online for anyone to download and read. I even had a company produce paperback books that people could buy.
And they did.
People actually bought the book. Lots of people. The reviews were wonderful, and after two weeks, the book hit the New York Times bestsellers chart! It was a whirlwind when I started getting emails from literary agents who wanted to represent me. Landon and Brooke helped me decide which agency to go with, and once the contract was signed, my book was sent to the top publishing houses in New York City. By the end of the year, my book was no longer self-published; instead, it was being published by none other than Simon & Schuster.
My life changed overnight—literally—and Landon was so proud and supported me wholeheartedly. All of a sudden, I wasn’t just a stay-at-home mom, but a