Say Yes by Tara West
(Something More #2)
Publication date: October 10th, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
(Something More #2)
Publication date: October 10th, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Andrés, why can’t it be enough that I love you? That I want to spend forever with you. Why must you expect so much more? I’m not ready for marriage and a family. I don’t know if I ever will be.
Christina, I need to know that what I’m putting into this relationship isn’t all for nothing. To me, you mean everything. But I won’t be your stepping stone. Because as much as it would kill me, if you refuse to commit to something more, I will walk away.
Will Christina ever be ready? Will Andrés stay or walk? Will their love endure or is it doomed before they even have a chance?
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{Excerpt}
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Andrés. How have you been?”
My
hands go clammy as I give the military doctor a blank stare. Why did I think it
would be a good idea to come here? Oh, yeah, closure. That’s what I kept
telling myself on the drive to the VA hospital. I wanted to let Doctor Barnes
know I don’t need to see him anymore.
Because
I don’t. I’m better now.
I wipe
my hands on my jeans, trying to get rid of the excess moisture. It must be hot
in here. I have no reason to sweat. No reason at all.
“I
figured as much.” He crosses one leg over his knee, looking casual as he leans
back against the upholstered leather chair, but there’s still that expectant
look in his eyes. Despite the glare on the doctor’s glasses, I can see the
man’s impatience. “How else have you been?”
This
shrink is never one to waste time. He’s not afraid to pressure me to get to the
point, which is one reason I have always liked him.
I sip
from my water bottle, clear my throat, and then answer. “I haven’t had a bad
dream in months.”
After
the roadside bomb had flipped our truck and killed my best friend in
Afghanistan, I couldn’t escape the nightmares that plagued me. Although the
occurrence of those dreams slowed after I met Christina, they completely
stopped three months ago, after my best friend’s wife, Letty, contacted me on
Facebook. She’d written me a long letter apologizing for blaming me for James’s
death. She’d even invited me to San Antonio for her youngest son’s birthday
party. It seems I just needed Letty’s forgiveness for the nightmares to stop.
“That’s
great news.” The doctor smiles wider this time.
I can
tell this smile is genuine, and I release a pent-up breath of air.
Then
the doctor hits me with the next question. “Are you adjusting to life as a
civilian?”
“Oh,
yeah.” I nod before sticking one clammy hand in my pants pocket. The little
velvet pouch is still there, and though it takes up no more room than a
wadded-up tissue, it feels heavy. The weight of it presses into my thigh.
What’s worse is, the strain is somehow tethered to an invisible noose that is
wrapped around my neck. Each day the pouch feels heavier, and the noose feels
tighter, so tight I feel I may suffocate from the pressure. “I’m learning how
to take over my uncle’s businesses.” I say the words I rehearsed on the drive
over. “Working out and….” I pause and finger the pouch again. “I met a girl.”
I shift
in my seat, trying to suppress my arousal as I envision last night in bed, when
Christina’s long auburn hair had been fanned around my thighs. I can’t forget
the expression in her emerald eyes when she looked up at me, flashing that
seductive smile right before she took me in her mouth.
“You
sound hesitant to talk about her. Are you having second thoughts?”
“No,
never.” I vehemently shake my head before I force myself to stop.
Doctor
Barnes has that look in his eyes again. Damn, he’s too smart for his own good.
I remind myself I need to find a new shrink, maybe one a little less observant.
Maybe one who nods and agrees with everything I say.
I avert
my gaze, but I can’t escape the feeling Doctor Barnes can see through me,
straight into my soul. But I came here to talk, didn’t I? No. I came here to
tell the doctor I no longer need him, as soon as I get help with this one
little problem.
I look
the doctor in the eyes, take a shaky breath, and slowly exhale, even though the
invisible noose is making it harder to breathe. “Ever since we moved in
together, my family has been pressuring us to get married.”
He
gives me a pointed look. “How do you feel about marriage?”
I
answer without hesitation. “I love her. I’ll do anything to marry her. I even
had a ring made, but I don’t think I have the nerve to pop the question.”
I
shouldn’t have asked Tia for my grandmother’s ring. That was a bad idea. A very
bad idea. We’ve only been together six months, and I’ll scare her off. Then I
remember Tia wagging a finger in my face and clucking her tongue, telling me
the church frowns on sex out of wedlock.
I don’t
want to offend God, but I don’t want to lose Christina, either. Her parents were
unloving and abusive. How can she possibly be ready for marriage and family
after what she’s been through?
Slowly,
I pull the velvet pouch out of my pocket, loosen the drawstring, and dump the
ring in my palm. I hold the shining silver band beneath the soft glow of the
overhead lights.
“The
emeralds came from my grandmother’s wedding band,” I say to the doctor as I
press the ring between the tips of my fingers. “They’re the same color as
Christina’s eyes.”
“You
said you don’t have the nerve to ask her,” he asks in an annoyingly impartial
monotone. “Why?”
“It’s
just….” I swallow against the tightening knot around my throat as I place the
ring back in the pouch. “I’m afraid she won’t say yes.”
AUTHOR BIO:
A
former high school English teacher, I now work from home as a novelist
and a part-time graphic designer. I love dragons, handsome heroes, and
chocolate. I’m willing to share my dragons and heroes. Keep your hands
off my chocolate!
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.
{Giveaway}
Tara West has so generously offered to give an ebook of Say Yes to one of Clever Girls Reads' readers! Thanks so much Tara!
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