Nina's Got a Secret (24 page)
Read Nina's Got a Secret Online
Authors: Brian W. Smith
As he tucked Precious under the covers, Larry looked into her beautiful eyes.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“Yes.”
Larry kissed the child on her forehead.
“Are you mad at my mommy?” Precious asked.
“No, baby. Your mommy and I just have some things to talk about.”
“Are you still gonna be my daddy?”
“Yes, baby, I'm gonna always be your daddy.”
Precious smiled and hugged Larry's neck tighter. Her hug nearly brought him to his knees. He could feel Chrissy's spirit flow through Precious' tiny arms. Chills ran up his spine as tears ran down his face.
“Daddy,” Precious whispered.
“Yes, sweetheart, what is it?”
“Do you remember that day we went for the walk in the park and you were pushing me on the swing?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember that I told you what happened on that day Mommy, Chrissy, Ms. Val, and me crashed the car?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Did you tell Mommy what I said?”
Larry thought long and hard about that afternoon at the park with Precious. He grimaced when he thought about the way he felt when he'd learned that Nina had an opportunity to save Chrissy, but didn't try.
The images of his autistic daughter drowning with little to no hope of being saved ushered in additional thoughts; thoughts that were far more fiendish. Frown lines slowly extended from one side of Larry's forehead to the other as he recalled his decision to punish Nina for her deceit. It was clear that it would take time for this wound to heal, but Larry was determined to move on.
Larry looked deep into Precious' eyes and then kissed her forehead again and said, “I will never tell your mother that you told me everything that happened during the car crash. That will be between us. Now we have our own little secret.”
1. Considering the circumstances surrounding this storyline, did Nina do the right thing by saving her child or should she have saved her handicapped stepdaughter first?
2. If you were Nina and you knew that there was absolutely no way Larry could have found out what really happened in that crash, would you have told him the truth about your decision, or taken that secret to your grave?
3. This next question is for those people who emphatically say they would have saved their own child rather than the stepchild. If you felt secure and justified in your decision, but you chose not to tell your partner ALL of the details because you are afraid of upsetting him/her, aren't you guilty of being a hypocrite?
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Brian W. Smith is the author of several bestselling novels,
Mama's LiesâDaddy's Pain, Deadbeat, Beater
, and
Nina's Got a Secret
. Originally self-published,
Nina's Got a Secret
made several bestseller lists; was voted to the Sankofa Literary Society's “Top 100 Books of the Decade” list; and was featured on the Oprah Book Club's “What to Read” list.
During his six-year writing career, Brian has received several awards; been a Featured Author at several literary conferences; and was recently named “2011 Male Author of the Year” by AAMBC.
Brian continues to expand his “literary territory” by engaging in projects outside of writing novels. He is the co-host of the popular literary radio show on the Internetâ
On the Air with Trice and Brian.
Brian is also a member of the successful all-male literary tour, The Love Literature Tour, and is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at Collin County Community College (McKinney, TX).
Brian's educational background consists of two Bachelor of Science Degrees (Business Administration and Criminal Justice) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Dallas. Brian is a native of New Orleans, LA, and currently lives in Dallas, Texas.
Learn more about the author at
www.hollygrovepublishing.com
;
www.facebook.com/HollygrovePublishing
;
www.facebook.com/AuthorBrianWSmith
(Facebook fan page).
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COVER DESIGN BY MARION DESIGNS ⢠COVER PHOTO BY KEITH SAUNDERS
Strebor Books
P.O. Box 6505
Largo, MD 20792
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2012 by Brian W. Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.
ISBN 978-1-59309-411-9
ISBN 978-1-4516-5744-9 (ebook)
LCCN 2011938329
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition September 2012
Cover design:
www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Marion Designs
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