Hello! On today's #MRWhooks Book Hook Blog Hop, I'm offering an excerpt from CHILD OF MINE, book one in my Masonville small town romance series. In this scene Lauren and Cole marry. Theirs is a marriage of convenience because Lauren is pregnant. But perhaps both are wishing for more.
Excerpt:
“With this ring, I thee wed,” he said.
The gold band sparkled on her hand, a symbol of his commitment.
Of his love?
Lauren brushed the thought aside. She was getting carried away by the romance of the ceremony. Their marriage was based on friendship and mutual respect. Love didn’t enter into the equation.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Cole leaned forward and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft, his kiss tender. She was instantly transported to the last time Cole had kissed her, the night their child was conceived. Memories of warm, wet kisses blew through her head with the power of a hurricane. He’d caressed her, touched her, loved her with a passion and fervor that woke her in the middle of the night wanting more.
Too soon he pulled away. He leaned forward again to whisper in her ear.
“You look beautiful.”
“So do you,” she whispered back.
The judge addressed the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Cole Walsh.”
The crowd cheered and clapped. Garrett whistled. Charlotte came forward to hug and kiss them.
“I’m so happy for both of you,” she said, her eyes shiny with tears.
Lauren’s parents wished them well, her mother dabbing tears from her eyes. She hugged her and whispered in her ear. “It’ll work this time.”
Lauren nodded. Dear God, I hope she’s right. She couldn’t bear another unhappy marriage, especially since this time there’d be a child involved, a child who needed a stable, happy family to grow up in.
But standing beside Cole, with his arm around her shoulders, hope filled her heart.
Blurb:
Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his.
Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?
Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?
Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Child-of-Mine
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Hi,
This sounds like a good read. I wonder how these two will cross over into truly loving one another.
Shalom shalom
Wonderfully done. Yes, a great hook! "Lauren’s parents wished them well, her mother dabbing tears from her eyes. She hugged her and whispered in her ear. “It’ll work this time.”
Lauren nodded. Dear God, I hope she’s right. She couldn’t bear another unhappy marriage, especially since this time there’d be a child involved, a child who needed a stable, happy family to grow up in."
Lovely and emotional scene :)
Such emotion here... I really want them to succeed as a couple.