Page 374 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
Adam looked shocked and then ecstatic. “I’d say, I do,” he said, his voice deep with emotion.
“Good,” I said, nodding at him. “Because I do, too.”
One Shot at Love
Copyright © 2019 by Weston Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Shauna Jones
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
JADED CHRISTMAS
Description
Love is a lie…
Kari and Jake are back for a Christmas Novella story. This holiday we’ll be revisiting some of my beloved second chance romance couples. The original Jaded story was focused on the hope found after having your heart crushed. And how sweet that second chance love can be.
It starts with an HEA, so no typical Ali Parker drama that results in a cliff-hanger, just a fun Hallmark-like novella to curl up on the couch and enjoy this holiday season.
If you haven’t read Jaded, make sure you grab a copy before reading the holiday novella and get caught up on Jake and Kari’s story from the beginning. It’s one you don’t want to miss. It’s FREE everywhere for you.
CHAPTER 1
JAKE
"It's freezing out here." Marc pulled his hands to his face as Jake glanced around at him.
"It's not even that bad, yet." He smirked and glanced over at Drake. "You're quiet today. What's up, man?"
"I lost my mom a month or so ago." He shrugged and averted his eyes toward the ground.
Jake stopped and reached out to grab Drake's shoulder. "What? Your mom died?"
"Yeah." He shrugged and pulled out of Jake's touch as Marc moved up beside them.
"You better not be kidding, fucker." Marc crossed his arms over his chest, the playboy a few years younger than the others. "We're supposed to be having a good time, and you're gonna just casually throw out that you-"
"Hey. Shut it," Jake barked at Marc. Drake wasn't kidding. The sadness that Jake had seen sitting on his friend over the last few weeks had been real. Something was off, but they all figured it was just him and Sicily trying to work through some of their differences, or maybe even some of the shit they'd been through during late October when their relationship started.
"It's all right." Drake turned to face them and slid his hands into his pockets. "She was a good woman. I just wish I'd spent more time with her, you know?"
"Are you serious?" Marc's smirk faded off his face. The little shit would soon be Jake's brother-in-law and where most people would see him as a cocky frat boy, Jake knew a different guy. Sort of.
"Yes, asshole." Drake turned a hard stare onto Marc. "Why is this so hard to believe that I lost my mom? People die all the time."
Marc lifted his hands in the air. "No, I get it. I'm just suffering a little bit of shock here. This happened a month ago and we're just hearing about it."
"He's a private person, Marc. You know this." Jake glanced over and gave the guy another warning look.
"I know, but man... we're here for you. We're going to be in your life for a long fucking time if you're planning on shacking up with Sis. She's like a sister to my sister. You gotta stop carrying shit on your own. Jeez." Marc lifted his hands, brushing them over the top of his hair as his eyes widened.
