An Online Angel Sweet Romance
December 1, 2017
88
New Release Giveaway
An Online Angel by Kelly Abell
2 Lucky Winners!
Prizes: #1 – Ebook of your choice from Kelly’s collection
#2 – $5 Amazon Gift Card
**Giveaway Eligible in US Only**
Book Blurb:
An innocent trip to an online store to buy her three year old son a Christmas gift turns into a living nightmare for Cheryl. Mark, her poker obsessed husband has just cleaned out their entire savings account for a high stakes poker tournament three weeks before Christmas. On top of that he’s decided to leave her and the son he never wanted because Cheryl “doesn’t get him”. Devastated, scared, and confused Cheryl must find a way to keep her struggling law practice alive and provide some kind of Christmas for Robbie.
Cheryl had her doubts about marrying Mark in the first place, and she should have listened to her instincts. Letting go of her first love, Kevin, was something she regretted even more now. At the time he wasn’t good enough for her, or so her parents tried to convince her. When Kevin contacts her out of the blue right before Christmas, is Cheryl due a Christmas miracle? Can one innocent message on Facebook rewind the past?
Excerpt:
Prologue
When Cheryl opened the door, Kevin knew something bothered her. The tight line of her lips, her furrowed brow, the slight bow of her head as she backed away from the door to let him in. Whenever she displayed these behaviors, it always meant bad news for him.
“Hey,” he said, stepping into the doorway. “What’s wrong?”
“You want to sit down?” Cheryl asked, leading him into the living room. Many nights he’d sat happily beside her on the couch, nuzzling that gorgeous neck, smelling the apple scented shampoo she used while some chick flick played on TV. Often those nights ended blissfully making love in her small bedroom about ten feet away. Instinct told him tonight wouldn’t be one of those nights.
“What’s going on? You’ve been acting weird for over a week now. You don’t want to go out, you don’t want me to come over and then, all of a sudden, you call me and say you want to see me. I don’t get it. What’s the matter with you?”
Kevin noticed the change after Cheryl’s sister came for a visit in June. Very soon after Meg left, this odd behavior began. He waited patiently for her response.
Cheryl curled her feet under her on the couch and sighed. “This isn’t going to be easy for me Kevin, but I want you to know I’ve given this a lot of thought.”
Uh oh. I don’t think I’m going to like where this ends up. He recognized the beginning of a break up speech. His heart stalled, fear gripping and squeezing hard. “Are you breaking up with me?”
The look of relief in Cheryl’s eyes answered his question. It’s true. Oh God, no. What am I going to do?
“What? Why?” He responded before she spoke. “I love you, Cher. I’ve told you a thousand times. I thought you loved me too.” He rose and paced the small room. “I even went ring shopping the other day to see what I thought you might like.” He fought to hide the desperation in his voice. He couldn’t lose her. Not now.
“Rings?” She swung around to face him, laying her arms on the back of the sofa and rising to her knees. “Oh, Kevin, what are you thinking? I can’t marry you.”
The words struck him like an arrow to the heart. Pain sliced through him, stealing his breath. What was she saying?
“I leave for Harvard in August. You’re planning to leave town for that month-long photography trip to Kenya. There is so much working against us.”
He stared at her, jaw dropping. “What are you talking about? It’s only three to four weeks. We’ve been apart longer than that. Besides, there’s Skype. We can see each other virtually every day. I’m not going to outer space for God’s sake.”
He rushed around the sofa, sat next to her, and grabbed her hands, turning her to face him. “I know you have three years of law school to get through. I’m not asking you not to go and get married instead. I’m proud of you. I can wait until you’re through. Please don’t let that be the reason. I love Mass. I can find a job near campus. Hell, I can work for the college paper.”
Cheryl hung her head, slowly withdrew her hands from his. “Kevin, it’s just not going to work out. You’re leaving school; you haven’t even finished your degree. Your life is moving in a different direction from mine. It’s just not a good fit any more. Besides, you’ve got other obligations. You can’t move to Cambridge.”
Kevin stared at the woman he’d given his heart to, the underlying meaning of her words striking him full force. He couldn’t breathe. He saw it more clearly now. Ever since he’d told her he wanted to take time off from school and pursue photojournalism, she’d backed away. He’d overheard her talking to her parents one night when she thought he was asleep, and heard her express her disappointment in his leaving school.
He could hear her father now. “That Kevin is a loser, honey. You can do so much better than that. You’ll meet lots of more suitable men in law school. Cut this bum loose.”
AND she was listening.
I can’t believe she’s doing this to me. Other obligations? She’s holding Tony against me – or her family is.
“This is about my son, isn’t it?”
“Kevin, you know I’ve never cared that you had a son. I think the circumstances are unfortunate, but it has nothing to do with this conversation.”
He didn’t believe her. He’d told her about the girl he got pregnant in high school, and how they’d decided to go their separate ways. Gloria wanted the baby, but she didn’t want him. In fact, she made seeing his son very difficult. Last he heard, Gloria was engaged to some football coach.
What’s wrong with me? First Gloria, now Cheryl? Am I that terrible a man to be with?
This conversation made no sense. He met her gaze fighting the despondency threatening to pour out. He cleared his throat. “Are you sure about this Cheryl? How can you say that you don’t love me at all? We’ve been together for two years. We’ve had fun, haven’t we?” He gestured toward the bedroom. “We’re compatible in bed. I love you, babe. What went wrong?”
Her expression remained grim, but a tear did leak down her cheek. “I’ve just been giving us a lot of thought. It’s not that I don’t have feelings for you, I do. But we’re headed down different paths. You’re a free spirit, I’m not. I want this law degree.”
“More than me?”
She slapped the sofa cushion. “Stop putting words in my mouth. Why are you making this so hard? We just don’t fit. Our futures are too different.”
Her blue eyes went hard, her face determined. He knew he wasn’t going to change her mind. Not today, anyway. Once she settled on an idea, there was no changing her mind until she wanted to change it herself.
Sighing, he pulled his car keys from his pocket. When he looked down a tear slipped from his eye. He swiped it away.
“Okay. I’m going. Good luck at Harvard this fall. I leave for Kenya in two days. If you change your mind call me, but if I don’t hear from you in two days, I’ll write this off.”
Kevin walked to the door and opened it. Without turning, he said, “Cheryl, I will always love you.” He could hear her weeping softly as he closed the door. When he reached the street, he could no longer hold his grief. Blindly, he made his way home.
Two days later he left for Kenya without hearing from Cheryl.
About the Author:
Kelly is an international best selling author with novels that are traditionally and Indie published. She writes romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. Her aim is to write about gripping characters in tense situations that keep a reader turning the pages. She also spends a great deal of time helping other writers through her Writing Tips on her website and as a member of the Florida Writer’s Association.
When not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband of 30 years and her two college age children, when they find the time. She lives in Florida and enjoys all that living in the sunshine state brings, boating, fishing, beaches, theme parks, and more. Her favorite pass time is reading (what a surprise!) She likes Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, and Romantic Comedy.
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Thats a great movie. My fave is One Magic Christmas with Mary Steenburgen!
family watches its a wonderful life on xmas eve
My favorite traditions include spending time with family and decorating the house with festive and fun things I’ve collected over the years, which include special gifts from my mom. This is the time of year that brings families together, and it’s important to me to make sure that when our family comes together to celebrate, we enjoy the day with good fun and good food. And this year will be even more special with the arrival of my first grandchild, Evelyn. I couldn’t be more happy and excited to begin new traditions with her.
Hi Julia, I’m so happy for you. She’s such a precious little girl. I can wait, and then I can’t for Auburn to have some. 🙂
I have 7 adult children who now have children of their own. But we still get together every Christmas Eve eve to bake , listen to Christmas music and then Christmas day we all still get together for a huge meal. There are so many new additions every year that we have to go to whoever has the biggest house :). I myself still play Dean Martin , Bing Crosby & Louie Prima Christmas music while decorating the tree. It’s what my late mom did when I was growing up. Her and my Dad are both gone now as well as my 2 beautiful brothers. But the memories are always with me as I listen to the old music. Thank you for the giveaway chance.
Carol L
Hi Carol. Thanks for participating. That’s a lovely tradition. I hope to have that one day as my kids have children of their own.
Hi Trudy. That made me cry. I’ve lost my Mom so any memory I have of her is so precious. I’m glad she made that time for each of you. She sounds like a great Mom!
My favirite is all of us getting together on Christmas evening for dinner and just enjoying each other’s company.No matter where we are we all come together that night.
That’s great. We used to go to my Grandmother’s every Christmas Eve and then go to church. I miss those day.s 🙂
i dont have any one except by dogs and cat but they keep me occupied and we do the tree and out side
and they love watch the the lights and then the the cat love the blinking light
Pets are family too!!
My husband and I come from different religious backgrounds we have fun finding ways to incorporate traditions from both and making the holidays great for both of us.
Hi Donna,
That’s really clever. I love to learn about new traditions. What are some of the things you’ve done?
When I was an older child, my sister and I would wait until midnight and wake my mother up so we could open gifts.
Bet she loved that. LOL I remember one Christmas I was so excited I threw up. LOL
My fav tradition is making M&M cookies together… have been doing this since we were kids and now share the tradition with my nephew.
That’s neat Colleen. My mom and my sister and I would make candy every Christmas. Jets and rolled Peanut Butter candy.
Didn’t take me to a page to leave a Christmas memory/tradition!
I have a favorite memory not a tradition.
When I was eight I started questioning why Santa only left me one gift every year & my friends got several & some got lots! My momma had to tell me the truth, we were poor; daddy was a truck driver & they could only afford to give us kids just one gift. That year she let me choose my own gift. She spent several hours with just me one day taking me between 2 stores as I tried to make up my mind between a Barbie & Ken set or a mannequin head (Candy) that you could change hairstyles & apply make up. The best part of that day was simply spending it with my momma! There were 5 of us & this was a very rare treat. I’ll cherish this memory forever. Momma’s been gone 25 years now.
Wow Trudy. That made me cry. I’ve lost my mom too and that’s a memory you’ll have for a lifetime. How wonderful
My favorite is when my kids open their stockings Christmas morning, the look on their faces its their favorite thing before presents lol!
Hi Shannon. That’s so sweet. The little ones always add so much to Christmas time. The delight and wonder. I look forward to grandchildren as mine are all grown up now. LOL
Hi Cheryl! I know what you mean. Fortunately most of mine is close by.
My favorite part of the holidays is being with family . For me to be able to visit with them all , since most live out of state is the best !
my favorite tradition was opening up one gift on xmas eve.. growing up it was always pajamas 🙂
I hear about that a lot. Families all wearing the same pajamas on Christmas. I should start doing that with my family!
While you’re hear I’d love to get to know you better. Tell me your favorite Holiday Tradition. One of mine is a special decoration I have for the Christmas Tree. It is a homemade ornament made by my mom who has now passed. It is little Santa Mouse asleep in a hammock. My own personal tradition is to have a moment of sweet reflection when I hang that ornament on the tree. Then I can think of her all through the holiday season knowing she’s with us.
What’s Yours?
So sweet! My momma made me a similar ornament! Mine is a mouse tucked into a walnut bed! I keep it out all year.
I try and have the family traditional meals as much as possible during the holidays. With both our parents deceased and my sibs in different states it sometimes just me; but its a great memory and helps me keep those good times growing up alive.
Breakfast is orange cinammon rolls and chocolate milk (or tea); Christmas Eve dinner is baked ham, baked beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, and Santa cookies; Christmas Day is turkey and all the trimmings.
Hi Robyn, That’s a great idea. I don’t like the idea of you being alone on Christmas, but I think keeping that tradition alive keeps the family close to your heart.