“Your mommy is exhausted,” I whispered to the sleeping baby. “She’s been worried about you for a long time.” We’d found out months ago that we were having a little girl, and April had been over the moon. The nursery was decked out in frill and lace, as was the large closet holding all of her little outfits.
We’d been worried about Robbie’s reaction to having to share the spotlight with us, but since we’d been home, he’d wanted to hold her and be next to us with her the whole time. We weren’t naïve enough to think it would be all smooth sailing, but we’d had a full year with him to adjust to our family.
I knew April wanted Olivia in the little bedside crib thing she’d gotten, so I kissed her forehead and lay her gently in there. She shifted and then stilled. I watched her chest rise and fall and thought about how much my life had changed in the last year. Almost a year and a half ago I first laid eyes on April Knight, now April Anderson. I walked over to our bed and covered her sleeping body with the blanket. April’s dark hair was fanned behind her, and her lips were open slightly. The urge to kiss her almost consumed me, but I knew I needed to let her sleep.
From what I knew about babies, we would be up soon to feed the little angel. I thought back to that scared little boy, five years old and having lost everything when his dad killed himself. For the first time in a long time, I knew my life had a purpose. In this case, it had three—okay, four if you counted drumming. I no longer heard my mother’s evil voice or felt like the world was better off without me. I’d put both her and my father behind me. I was only moving forward now.
I had people in my life who loved me, and I loved them, too.
I slid into bed next to my wife and pulled her flush to me, right where I loved her. She sighed in her sleep and rested her head on my bare chest, snaking her hand around me. My new daughter slept next to us, and my son down the hall.
Somewhere along the way, I’d learned to listen to more than just the beat of my drums. The beat of my heart became the most powerful sound of all. I knew now that April, Robbie, and now Olivia were my purpose in life, and that I was more than just a drummer, after all.
THANK YOU TO my fantastic readers, both those that have eagerly awaited every one of my books and the ones that will choose this book to be your first L.L. Collins romance. Thank you for taking a chance on me.
To Kristen, my #POS4Eva. I can’t believe we weren’t in each other’s lives before this year. Now I don’t know what I would do without you, and I don’t want to know. It was totally fate that put us together that day. Thank you for needing to mail packages that day, too. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you, for the hours you spent on this book, and for being an amazing confidant and friend. Here’s to many more Starbucks dates. I love you x1,000.
To Tracey, my right hand woman. Thank you for your continued love and support. One more book down, many more to go.
To Mary Ellen, this year we’ve sure learned a lot, and yet here we are, together. Thank you for being you, and being real.
To my beta readers, who shall remain nameless but know I love them just the same, thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to help me make my book better. I couldn’t do it without you.
To my family, who continues to support me and ask me, ‘What number book is this now?’ or, ‘Are you writing again?’
To the many amazing authors that I call friends, thank you for your words of encouragement and your support.
Please consider leaving a review at your point of purchase after reading. It helps more than you know. Help support indie authors and if you loved it, tell a friend or two. It’s more appreciated than we can express. Support getting new books to choose from and purchase your books, don’t get them for free from a piracy site.
THE LIVING AGAIN SERIES:
Can all be read as standalones
Living Again (Living Again #1)
Living Again
Reaching Rachel (Living Again #2)
Reaching Rachel
Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3)
Guarding Hearts
Finding Forever (Living Again #4)
Finding Forever
Breaking Free: A Living Again Novella (Living Again #4.5)
Breaking Free
Boxed Set
Amazon:Boxed Set
THE TWISTED SERIES
*Are NOT standalones
Twisted Souls (Twisted #1)
Twisted Souls
Twisted Paths (Twisted #2)
Twisted Paths
STANDALONES
Back to the Drawing Board
Back to the Drawing Board
Sentenced
Sentenced
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L.L. Collins loves spending her days in the Florida sun with her husband and two boys, reading, and writing. LL has been writing since she was old enough to write. Always a story in her head, she finally decided to let the characters out and make her lifelong dream of becoming an author come true in the self-publishing world. She’s the author of the Living Again Series and the Twisted Series, plus standalones Back to the Drawing Board, SENTENCED, and now Snared: A Jaded Regret Novel.
Visit LL on her website, www.llcollinsauthor.com and on all social media. Look for more of her emotionally charged novels soon!
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Spotify Playlist Link
Seether- Broken
Seether- Words as Weapons
Seether- Truth
Creed- Overcome
Staind- Suffer
Evanescence- Hello
Saliva- Always
Creed- Are You Ready
Breaking Benjamin- Dance With the Devil
Linkin Park- Nobody’s Listening
Chevelle- The Red
Coldplay- True Love
Evanescence- Going Under
Slipknot- Snuff
Buckcherry- Sorry
Pearl Jam- Black
U2- With Or Without You
Stone Sour- Through Glass
Trivium- Until The World Goes Cold
Three Days Grace- I Am Machine
Flyleaf- Set Me On Fire
Cary Brothers- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Breaking Benjamin- Ashes of Eden
Halestorm- In Your Room
Halestorm- I’m Not An Angel
Young Guns- Infinity
Lower Than Atlantis- Here We Go
Theory of a Deadman- Angel
Breaking Benjamin- Angels Fall
We Came As Romans- The World I Used to Know
Seether- Nobody Praying For Me
Three Days Grace- Unbreakable Heart
Three Days Grace- Tell Me Why
Three Days Grace- Landmine
Three Days Grace- Never Too Late
Nickelback- Gotta Be Somebody
Skillet- Whispers In The Dark
Evanescence- Taking Over Me
Nickelback- I’d Come For You
Three Days Grace- Chalk Outline
Whitesnake- Here I Go Again
Staind- Believe
Papa Roach- Forever
Safety Suit- Life In the Pain
Stained- Epiphany
Pop Evil- 100 in a 55
Three Days Grace- Pain
Evanescence- My Immortal
Staind- Schizophrenic Tendencies
Staind- Tangled Up In You
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