Selling the Drama (49 page)

"That's lovely. Is it a family name?"

"No," Charlotte replied throatily. "But he's
named for someone special."

Toby gazed down, taking in the sight of his
new son's face; he was crying no longer, but wore a serious
expression that reminded him entirely of Ashley. "Hello there,
little Eli," he said softly. Pressing his lips to Eli's tiny
forehead, he inhaled deeply, breathing the scent of new life in,
the weight of his son insubstantial in his hands but the complete
opposite within his heart. Glancing up at Charlotte through wet
eyes, he laughed.

"You'd think I would be used to this by
now."

Charlotte smiled at him, taking in his tears
and joy, her own eyes shining. "I'll never tire of seeing you with
one of our babies in your arms for the first time. You get this
look on your face; it's like hope magnified by infinity. As if you
can't believe what you're holding. You've looked that way each and
every time. Never any different." Reaching her hand out, she
touched Eli on the foot with her finger, stroking it lightly before
fiddling with his tiny toes.

Toby reached down, encasing both her hand
and the little foot she still had a hold of, all of them now
connected by a single grasp. Standing there, in the still that
existed between birth and everyone arriving to meet their new baby,
he could say without a doubt, that he had everything.

And there was not much more that you could
want than that.

******The End******

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks goes out to Stephanie Nicholas for her
legal expertise, her undying patience, her dedication to accuracy,
and her constant friendship.

To Kelly Waters, for coming up with the title for
this novel, and for your ongoing support. I appreciate everything
you do to spread the word about my books and I have come to value
your friendship dearly.

To the usual suspects who read everything I send to
them, tell me what works and what doesn't, then read again, and
again, and again. You know who you are. You all have your roles in
this process and I couldn't do this without you. Thank you, a
million times over.

I would also like to acknowledge Sergeant First Class
Joseph Kapacziewski of the 3rd Ranger Battalion of the United
States, a true hero whose personal story inspired part of what I
chose to write about here in this novel. His memoir, Back in the
Fight, is a fantastic book if you are interested in reading more
about overcoming the limitations of amputation.

SOUNDTRACK

Usually, I would incorporate my playlist throughout
the novel. This time, I wrote longer chapters and used more music.
To prevent interrupting the flow of the story, I decided to simply
list the music for you instead. Played in order, it gives an
impression of the journey taken by the characters throughout the
story.

Enjoy!

The Devil Wears a Suit - Kate Miller Heidke

Tennis Court - Lorde

Every Other Freckle - alt J

Wicked Game - Chris Isaak

Nightswimming - R.E.M

Dreams - The Cranberries

Estranged - Guns N' Roses

Closer - Nine Inch Nails

Complicated - Avril Lavigne

So Cold in Ireland - The Cranberries

Beautiful Girl - INXS

Boom Clap - Charli XCX

Ava Adore - The Smashing Pumpkins

Falling - Verdigrls

Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins

1000 Sundowns - Emma Louise

Up and Down and Back Again - Powderfinger

Special K - Placebo

Dammit - Blink 182

Lost at Sea - Appleonia

Bad Day - R.E.M

Dream Baby - Hootie and the Blowfish

Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos

Smother - Daughter

Selling the Drama - Live

Alive - Gabrielle Aplin

I'm Not Coming Back - Husky

Stolen Dance - Milky Chance

Hot N Cold - Katy Perry

Reckless - James Reyne

Same Mistake - James Blunt

Hurt - Dean Ray

Nobody's Fool - Avril Lavigne

Budapest - George Ezra

How Does it Feel - Eskimo Joe

Panic Cord - Gabrielle Aplin

How do You Feel Today - Gabrielle Aplin

Home - Gabrielle Aplin

Winds of Change - Vance Joy

Hope and Validation - Bernard Fanning

All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey

The Look of Love - The Jezabels

Speed of Sound - Coldplay

Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen

Stand Inside Your Love - The Smashing Pumpkins

Angry - Matchbox Twenty

Tunnel of Love - Bruce Springsteen

Home - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes

The Beast - Angus & Julia Stone

Everybody Hurts - R.E.M

Mad World - Gary Jules

Dark Storm - The Jezabels

Demons - Imagine Dragons

Feels Like Home - Martha Marlow

Broken Brights - Angus Stone

Lego House - Ed Sheeran

Blame it on Me - George Ezra

Run Daddy Run - Miranda Lambert

Monsters - Angus Stone

Hollywood - Angus & Julia Stone

High Hopes - Kodaline

Flickers - London Grammar

Lifeforms - Daughter

Nara - alt J

Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt

The Hardest Part - Coldplay

All I Want - Kodaline

Swallowed By the Sea - Coldplay

Everybody's Laughing - Alex Lloyd

Life's for the Living - Passenger

Not Afraid - Eminem

Holes - Passenger

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

Other titles by this
author:

Somebody I Used To Know

In The Arms of Sleep

Yellow Light

Theresa Smith is an author of Contemporary Australian
fiction with romantic elements set against a backdrop of domestic
drama. Selling the Drama is her fourth novel. She lives in outback
Queensland, Australia, with her husband and three children.

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