Authors: Jasmine Haynes
Somebody's Lover (15 page)
Taylor was giddy. Evelyn felt giddy
herself at the Sunday family barbecue. Mitch filled the doughboy pool for the
summer. Rina, Peter, and Brian splashed everyone that came in range, and Jamey
sulked because he couldn’t go in the water with his cast. David had actually
laughed at something Connie said, and Arthur put on his sunscreen without being
asked. They’d made love every night the last week. Evelyn felt like a blushing
bride.
And then there was Taylor. She
glowed, like when she’d first learned she was pregnant with Brian. Jace
couldn’t keep his hands off her. He smoothed lotion on her shoulders, dropped a
kiss on her hair, held a finger when that was all he could reach. And he
smiled. He laughed. Not just at the children’s antics, but at everything. She
hadn’t seen him laugh like that in more years than Evelyn could count. Taylor
did that for him.
They’d all miss Lou like the
dickens. Evelyn would always talk to him before she went to sleep, as if he
could hear up there in heaven. Her first born. Her big boy. She wasn’t silly
enough to think she wouldn’t cry on the anniversary of his death or his birthday,
or any day, just because she thought of him. But now she had Arthur to hold
her. And he had her. Sometimes that was enough to bring you a measure of peace.
Especially when your grandchildren
were as cute as bugs in a rug and your other sons had all learned to laugh
again.
Except Mitchie. Mitchie was another
story.
“Mitch isn’t talking to me,” Connie
whispered to her.
In unison, they put their hands on
their chins and stared across the lawn in Mitch’s direction. With a whoop of
laughter, the kids splashed him. He wiped the spray from his face and shook a
finger, a smile creasing his lips. As soon as they turned, racing off to get
Uncle David, Mitch’s smile died.
Taylor and Jace were worries off
Evelyn’s plate.
But there was David. He needed a
wife to make him complete.
And Connie and Mitch who
needed...well, something.
Evelyn never interfered in her
boys’ lives. They’d have to work it out for themselves.
Of course, she could always give
Connie a suggestion or two. And maybe find a sweet little gal for David. She’d
have to put on her thinking cap.
###
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Enjoy
the following excerpts and meet the author!
Somebody’s Ex
, Jackson Brothers, Book 2
The Jackson Brothers continues with
Somebody’s Ex
,
David’s story.
Copyright
2012 Jasmine Haynes
Cover
Design by Rae Monet Inc
Randi
Andersen has a thing for bad boys, tall, dark, sexy, and handsome. But bad boys
invariably make for bad relationships. She’s tired of being somebody’s ex,
ex-girlfriend, ex-lover, or ex-wife. Now, if she could just fall in love with a
nice guy.
David
Jackson has lived under the crushing weight of responsibility for holding his
family together since his brother’s death three years ago. Randi is too sexy to
resist, but the last thing he wants is a relationship.
Can
they both forgive their past mistakes in order to take the leap of faith that
love demands?
Excerpt
“You can’t just quit on me like
this, David.”
“I’m not quitting, Dad.” David
Jackson sighed and leaned his chair on its two legs back. He’d known this
wouldn’t be easy. “I want to fix up the house, and Rich Morrisey is going to
take me on so I can pick up some of the skills I’m lacking.”
It was the God’s honest truth. He
wanted to do some remodeling around the place he’d bought a couple of years
ago. Though he was handy with his tools, he needed to learn precision,
optimum-materials use, and practical shortcuts. Working for Rich part-time
would teach him the homebuilding trade.
“But what about a replacement?”
“You can hire some green kid to
help with loading and hauling.” Which comprised a good portion of the work
Jackson and Sons Arborists did. “I’ll still do tree work when you need me.” The
family tree-trimming outfit could run without him a few days a week. Dad would
still have Jace and Mitch.
“But why?”
“It’s a good opportunity for me.”
Not to mention that he needed a little time off from the family.
“I knew something was up when you
didn’t make it to the last two barbecues.”
The Sunday family barbecues were a
tradition his mom hadn’t allowed to die when Lou did. David had needed time off
from that, too.
“Look, I know this whole thing with
Taylor and Jace has gotten under your skin.”
Taylor and Jace. His youngest
brother and his eldest brother’s widow. Since the announcement six weeks ago,
he’d been telling himself they hadn’t betrayed Lou. Taylor had a right to move
on.
But marrying Jace? There was
something wrong in that.
“My decision has nothing to do with
them.” He’d struggled to keep his feelings to himself since that day at the
hospital, but the effort was wearing on him.
“David, I might be almost sixty
years old, but I’m not stupid. I suspected you had a thing for Taylor, and I
know it’s hard to watch her with Jace.”
Balanced on two chair legs, David
almost fell backward, shock hitting him first. Then he tamped down a burst of
anger. That was the most telling symptom of his current malady, a temper too
close to the surface. In the past, he’d been slow to anger, but recently, the
slightest thing set him off. He dropped his chin and stared at his dad over the
top of his sunglasses. “You’ve gotta be kidding. Where did that come from?”
“I’ve got eyes. You’ve been twitchy
around her for months.”
He’d been twitchy because Lou’s
death had ripped a hole the size of California in the family, tearing apart the
very fabric by which they lived, and filling his big brother’s shoes had been a
helluva lot harder than he’d thought.
But wanting Taylor for himself?
Christ. “Dad, I never had a thing for Taylor.” The thought of being a
second-hand dad to her boys petrified him.
He wanted out for a while. He’d
worked for the family outfit since he was old enough to load the scrap left
behind after a job. Over half his life. The last three years had been the
worst, since Lou died and keeping the family together fell on his shoulders. On
his watch, they’d damn near crumbled beneath the weight of Lou’s passing. He
sucked at being the eldest.
His dad was still giving him the
eye. David felt the need to repeat himself.
“I’m happy for them. I don’t have
any hidden passion for Taylor. And I’ve made my decision.”
His dad’s lips flattened. “I don’t
know how I’m going to tell your mom. She’s going to be heartbroken.”
He should have known Dad would play
the guilt card. David took a deep breath, then let it out long and slow.
“Mom’s going to be fine, and you
know it.”
Arthur Jackson sighed, and
resignation eased the tense line of his jaw. “She should hear it from you.
She’ll want to be sure you’re happy with this move.”
“I planned on dropping by to tell
her tomorrow.”
“And you’re coming to the barbecue
on Sunday or she’ll think you’re mad at us all.”
He was thirty-four years old yet
his father still seemed to think he needed to be told how to handle a delicate
situation. It wasn’t a dig, it was just his dad, but he’d never heard his
father remind Lou about the basics.
David hadn’t handled the situation
well on the day he found out about Taylor and Jace. In fact, he’d been way out
of line. He’d apologized to both of them for the shitty things he said. But
something changed that day, as irrevocably as life had changed the day Lou
died.
He no longer felt a part of his
family, and he’d step away until he could figure out why. He’d leave before he
let loose with something even more damaging than what he had already said to
his brother.
Meet
all the Jacksons
Somebody’s Lover, Book 1
Somebody’s Ex, Book 1
Somebody’s Wife, Book 1
Have you ever wondered about past lives, reincarnation, life after
death? Did you love the film
Dead Again
? If you’re a fan of contemporary
romances with a dash of paranormal, then try Jasmine’s new Reincarnation Tales,
sexy stories about love that never dies.
Reincarnation Tales Book 1
Copyright
2012 Jasmine Haynes
Cover
design by Rae Monet Inc
A
love that spans lifetimes, an evil that has followed them through the ages...
Bern
Daniels doesn’t believe in ghosts, UFOs, or reincarnation, but when he sees
Livie Scott, it’s as if he’s known her forever. Now he can’t get her out of his
mind. He wants her in his bed and in his life. For keeps. He’s even starting to
believe they’ve lived past lives together.
Will
jealousy out of the past come back to destroy their future?
Livie
is unaccountably drawn to the tall, dark stranger. He literally sweeps her off
her feet. And she’s oh so willing to let him. But her sister Toni is planted
firmly in her path to happiness. Livie has been forced to choose between a man
and Toni before; is she destined to play the same twisted game with her sister
over and over?
Livie
and Bern soon discover there are shadows lurking from their past, past lives
that is, which threaten everything they believe in, everything they want. And
even their lives.
Excerpt
Livie buried
her arms elbow deep in hot, soapy water. She enjoyed doing the dishes by hand.
The water warmed her
down
to her toes. She
loved a clean kitchen. She loved order and neatness and everything in its
proper place. She loved an established routine and—
Something hit
her on the cheek with a splat, slid down her face, and landed with a plop in
the water, sinking before she actually saw what it was. She brushed her cheek
with a wet hand, soap suds settling close to her eye. She wiped them off on
against shoulder, then skimmed her hands through the water searching for what had
struck her.
Something
slimy slithered across her fingers and skittered away. She jerked, suds
splashing over the edges of the sink. In the kitchen doorway, her sister
giggled, a girlish giggle laced with malice. Another watery splat, this time on
the back of her head, and the thing, whatever it was, slid down her neck into
her blouse.
Just then, the
one in the sink poked its head above the water. A snake, a slimy, horrible, fat
snake with huge fangs that sank into the soft flesh between her thumb and forefinger.
Livie started
screaming when she felt the snake down her blouse wriggle and slither all over
her...
*
* * * *
Toni parked her
car on the street and let herself into Livie’s condo on the fifth floor of the
building. Toni preferred apartment living, where she could pick up and move
whenever it suited her. But Livie liked roots and ownership, even if it was a
tiny condo in a big complex in Belmont.