reversing out of the driveway.
As I approach the stoplight at the on-ramp for I-93, I’m at a crossroads. Do I go south to Cambridge to see Wes, or head west to Drew’s house in Needham? I can’t help but feel this one decision will change everything. Do I settle for the safety of what I know to be a loveless marriage? Or take a risk, knowing Drew has the power to destroy me?
My heart pounds in my chest as my eyes glance between the on-ramp and the road ahead of me. Then, as if the universe is playing a cruel trick on me, Dave Matthews’ voice singing the familiar first words of “Crash Into Me” fills the car. I’m instantly transported back to that night at Brody Carmichael’s party before Drew went to college. The night I gave him my first kiss. The night we became something other than the friends we’ve been fooling ourselves into believing we are.
When the light turns red, I know where I need to go.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Commitment! Find out how Drew and Brooklyn’s story ends in REDEMPTION.
Everyone deserves a second chance, but not for the same mistake.
At least according to Brooklyn Tanner.
Over the course of their long, complicated friendship, she’s given Andrew Brinks more than enough chances. What has she received in return? Heartache. Pain. Agony.
But also love, as cruel and beautiful as it’s always been between them.
Can she put herself through that again? Can she risk giving Drew her heart, only to learn he’s the same man he’s always been? She’s unsure, her head and heart engaged in a tumultuous tug-of-war.
When outside circumstances threaten Drew’s family, will Brooklyn finally put aside the grief of her past to offer him the support, and perhaps love, he needs? Or was their fate sealed all those years ago when Drew had no choice but to betray her?
DAMAGED
WILLOW WINTERS
About This Book
I married the bad boy from Brooklyn.
The one with the tattoos and the look in his eyes that told me he was bad news.
The look that came with all sorts of warnings.
I knew what I was doing.
I knew by the way he put his hands on me, how he owned me with his forceful touch.
I couldn’t say no to him, not that I wanted to.
That was then, and it seems like forever ago.
Years later, I’ve grown up and moved on. But he’s still the man I married. Dangerous in ways I don’t like to think about. Sexy as sin, he attracts all the wrong kinds of temptations.
The kind that’s unforgivable.
The kind that splits up marriages.
I did this to myself. I knew better than to love him.
And now I’m fucked.
I married the bad boy from Brooklyn. And I don’t know how I’ll survive this.
Preface
KAT
It only took one night; one moment, and my fate was sealed. He knew I would never tell him no.
I wonder what would have happened if I’d never met Evan. The thought makes my stomach sink and twist, and a cold chill flows in waves over my body.
It pains me. It literally hurts to think about not having him in my life. I didn’t know I was setting myself up for heartbreak all those years ago. Yet here I am, and that reality is what keeps me up at night.
That chance encounter set everything into motion, and I would have said it was a blessing only months ago. But now I know better.
I wish I’d never stopped.
I wish I’d never met Evan.
Whoever said it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all was a liar and a fool.
This isn’t worth it.
If only I could go back.
Chapter One
KAT
Tell me a lie and make it sweet,
Like the vows you made on our wedding day.
Tell me a lie, don’t make it hurt,
The pain in my chest just won’t go away.
Don’t tell me the truth, I can’t face what’s to come.
I’ll yell and I’ll kick, I’ll fight it, I’ll run.
Don’t tell me the truth, I don’t want to hear.
Tell me pretty lies with whispers sincere.
My skin feels cold. It’s an odd sensation that travels across my arms and I’d like to blame it on the alcohol, but I’ve felt it all day. Before the drinks came easier and easier. For days, really, I’ve been feeling this weird sense of not quite being in my own body. Maybe even weeks, but I’ve been ignoring the signs and whispers, pretending like they weren’t real.
But this sickness won’t leave me, now that