Page 91 of Reckless Liar

But most importantly, I learned that I had a four-day maximum before spending my time in his old T-shirts and boxers made me crazy. In the end I had to choose between leaving the condo wearing my floor length maid of honor dress or Xander’s oversized clothes. Both items declared a walk of shame. After a single phone call, my mother arranged for my stuff to be returned to the condo.

A week after I moved back in with Xander, Eloise came to live with us to finish out her senior year. As I promised her, we got her to Los Angeles where she found a job as a personal assistant to a musician. I wasn’t a fan of the man, but Eloise seemed happier than she ever did living in Ridgewood.

At the Lisandre art show in Seattle, Xander stopped me in front of my favorite painting, fell to one knee and asked me to marry him. We were married on New Year’s Day in a small ceremony with only twenty guests. Neither of us wanted a big event. All we wanted was to begin our life together.

After we married, I got off birth control and we stopped using condoms. We thought having a baby together would be an easy process, but it turns out conception is more complicated than we knew. Conditions have to be exactly right for a pregnancy to occur. I was diagnosed with luteal phase defect. After years of medications, monthly blood draws and ultrasounds. Xander and I gave up on trying. We hadn’t had the extra money for the fancier medical treatments.

When we struggled to get pregnant, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the universe telling me that I hadn’t deserved happiness with Xander. That God, or whoever was punishing us for being together while Max wasn’t here. After we got married, Xander suggested I see a therapist. Working with Dr. Ang, I was able to talk through my relationship with Max. I could see all the places I’d let myself down.

The greatest lie I ever told, was that I held no value without Max. I let everyone, myself included, believe that he was everything to me. Through therapy I could admit how angry I was with him. How I hated the person he’d turned me into. That I hated that I let myself be lost in him. And through that I could truly heal. It was hard work. I’d been lying to myself for years, and no matter how much Xander loved me, I needed to discover my truth myself.

Four years after we married, I stood in the bathroom of our small bungalow, staring down at the little stick in my hand, not believing what I was seeing. A plus sign. For weeks I’d been feeling run down and food tasted weird. I tried to drink a beer and it tasted off. I heard the slam of the door and Xander’s heavy work boots as they made their way down the hall. He called out to me, and I let him know I was in the bathroom, not trusting that if I moved, the stick might say something different.

Popping his head into the bathroom he frowned at me. “Sweet, what’s going on?”

With a shaky hand, I held up the stick. He took it out of my hand. “Is this? Are you? Am I? Are we?” He stumbled over his words.

I nodded, my throat thick with emotion. He dropped the stick on the ground, picking me up around my middle and bringing my lips to his. He kissed me with abandon. His touch hungry for me. Pulling away I saw wetness in his eyes. I brought my hand up to his cheek. “You’re crying.”

He smiled, wiping my cheek with his thumb. “So are you.”

He kissed me again with cheeks wet with our joy and our growing future between us.

Acknowledgments

Whilethisstoryisdeeply personal to me, the journey I traveled to get here was not.

To my editor, Heather E. Andrews thank you for taking the time and love on this story. Your fangirling over Xander brightened my life. All my writing friends I have made during the journey, so much love. Shayna and Heather, for reading it in it's rough form. Cassidy for being my number one cheerleader. To the Raveonettes for writing,Last Dancewhich served as the catalyst for the prologue.

Heidi for being my go-to person with all nursing and hospital-related questions. Thank you to everyone who helped with the research, Bryan and Chrissy for not batting an eye when I asked,when can a person be declared dead?Any inaccuracies are my creative liberties.

Thank you to my family; I love you all beyond measure. To Liz for letting me take creative liberties withthatstory. Now I know you love me.

My sons; Jackson, and Bennett, thank you for being such fans even when I won’t let you read my books.

Most of all, to Rusty. These are my dreams because of you. Thank you for being my first reader and biggest fan. I’ll always be yours.

Also By Linnea March

Faultless Notion

They didn’t mean to get married.

Eloise Dunning ran far from her small town in the Pacific Northwest to Los Angeles with little more than the clothes on her back and a dream of being a singer-songwriter. Now she is a personal assistant to the rock band, Prevalent Notion, and leaving her songbook in the bottom of her bag.

Keller Grant is everything a rock star should be. Sinfully attractive, an enigmatic artist with a dark past, and an immensely talented drummer. He loves the revolving door of women in each city, creating music with his bandmates in Prevalent Notion, and teasing an uptight Eloise.

The night before the band kicks off their American Tour, Eloise and Keller wake up in each other’s arms with wedding bands on their fingers. Forced by the record label to maintain the marriage for the public, they face a hungry press, rabid fans, and jealousy from all sides.

As they get the world to believe in their facade, they find that, maybe, this marriage doesn’t feel like a performance.

For fans of music, bungee jumping, steamy moments behind closed doors, and heartfelt moments on the wings of the stage. Here is your new favorite rock star romance.

Faultless Notion is a full-length contemporary standalone romance. It is book one in the Prevalent Notion Series

PrevalentNotionBookTwo

You met them in Faultless Notion, now see how the sweetheart rock star and the steadfast designer find love.

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