Engage
by Kate Stacy
Series: Every Day Heroes World
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2021
After closing one chapter of my life, I’m ready to start the next. But marrying my baby daddy’s twin brother wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.
Brooke
Shane Masters isn’t the reason I came back to Sunnyville. In fact, I only returned to tell his brother that I’m pregnant with his baby. Then, I found out that he’s married, already has children of his own, and wants nothing to do with my baby.
Despite all that, I decide to settle here for a while. I’m low on funds, need regular prenatal care, and can’t keep traveling as my pregnancy progresses. And Shane? Well, he might have the answer to all my problems.
Shane
As a respected officer with the Sunnyville Police Department, I pride myself on my morals. Typically, I see the world in black and white, but not when it comes to Brooke Foster. She’s a bit of a gray area.
Usually, I’d avoid getting involved in the messes my no good brother gets himself into, but this time he’s gone too far. If cheating on his wife isn’t bad enough, he got Brooke pregnant and refuses to take responsibility. If he won’t do the right thing, I will.
Getting married is a simple solution, but it creates a whole new problem. The more time I spend with Brooke, the more I want our marriage to be a little less convenient and a little more real. Can I convince her to give me a chance, or will she always see my brother when she looks at me?
Kate Stacy’s Engage is a steamy, emotionally-gripping contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Worlds project.
Copyright 2021 Kate Stacy
“What happened?” I ask, leaning my elbow on the table and resting my head in the palm of my hand.
“I thought I was pregnant,” she says with a mirthless laugh. “It scared the shit out of me. Made me realize that I wasn’t as ready to settle down as I thought, so I packed my bags and left without a word. I avoided that side of the country like the plague… until I found out I was pregnant for real. I had this sudden need for closure, and to give him closure. He deserved that much. I also still thought we were married, so I knew it was something I needed to take care of before I could move forward with my life.”
It’s kinda messed up that she bailed on the guy without telling him, but I’m trying not to judge. Everyone has reasons for doing the things they do, and I can tell by the way she’s talking that it’s not something she’s proud of. Part of me even understands. The way Brooke grew up couldn’t have been easy.
“So, you went back…”
“Yeah. He’s with someone else now. Happy.” There’s a wistfulness to her tone that has me questioning whether she’s still in love with this guy, whoever he is.
“What happened?” I ask, wanting the whole story since she seems so willing to give it to me.
“I found out the truth about our marriage, had an uncomfortable conversation about the past, and lied to him about my future. Seeing him with someone else broke something in me. I lied to him so he would think I’m doing better than I really am. I was jealous for a moment. He’s happily in love with someone else, and I hated that it wasn’t me. Then, I hated myself for even having those thoughts because everything that happened was on me. He treated me like a queen, and I ruined it all. It was silly, you know? I went back there for closure, never once thinking about reuniting with him, but once I knew it wasn’t even a possibility… it’s like I yearned for what could have been.”
I nod, understanding what she means. I think it’s perfectly natural for her to feel that way, especially with the way the relationship ended between the two of them. But there’s one thing I’m still curious about.
“What lie did you tell him?”
“Clearly, I’m pregnant… so I told him that I’m engaged. And though I’ll likely never see him again… I hate that I lied to him.”
Her words rattle around in my brain, and then something clicks.
Holy shit.
That’s it!
The solution to all her problems and the perfect way for me to help her.
It might seem a little out there, but...
“What if it didn’t have to be a lie?”
“What happened?” I ask, leaning my elbow on the table and resting my head in the palm of my hand.
“I thought I was pregnant,” she says with a mirthless laugh. “It scared the shit out of me. Made me realize that I wasn’t as ready to settle down as I thought, so I packed my bags and left without a word. I avoided that side of the country like the plague… until I found out I was pregnant for real. I had this sudden need for closure, and to give him closure. He deserved that much. I also still thought we were married, so I knew it was something I needed to take care of before I could move forward with my life.”
It’s kinda messed up that she bailed on the guy without telling him, but I’m trying not to judge. Everyone has reasons for doing the things they do, and I can tell by the way she’s talking that it’s not something she’s proud of. Part of me even understands. The way Brooke grew up couldn’t have been easy.
“So, you went back…”
“Yeah. He’s with someone else now. Happy.” There’s a wistfulness to her tone that has me questioning whether she’s still in love with this guy, whoever he is.
“What happened?” I ask, wanting the whole story since she seems so willing to give it to me.
“I found out the truth about our marriage, had an uncomfortable conversation about the past, and lied to him about my future. Seeing him with someone else broke something in me. I lied to him so he would think I’m doing better than I really am. I was jealous for a moment. He’s happily in love with someone else, and I hated that it wasn’t me. Then, I hated myself for even having those thoughts because everything that happened was on me. He treated me like a queen, and I ruined it all. It was silly, you know? I went back there for closure, never once thinking about reuniting with him, but once I knew it wasn’t even a possibility… it’s like I yearned for what could have been.”
I nod, understanding what she means. I think it’s perfectly natural for her to feel that way, especially with the way the relationship ended between the two of them. But there’s one thing I’m still curious about.
“What lie did you tell him?”
“Clearly, I’m pregnant… so I told him that I’m engaged. And though I’ll likely never see him again… I hate that I lied to him.”
Her words rattle around in my brain, and then something clicks.
Holy shit.
That’s it!
The solution to all her problems and the perfect way for me to help her.
It might seem a little out there, but...
“What if it didn’t have to be a lie?”
Author of emotionally-gripping, contemporary romance, Kate Stacy’s novels feature sassy heroines, swoony heroes, life, love, friendship, and all the angst. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family and friends in small-town North Carolina, Kate can most likely be found nose deep in her Kindle. She stays up too late, swears too much, and loves too hard.
Likes: Music, Mermaids, Tequila, Knee-high Socks
Hobbies: Baking, Cake Decorating, Crafting, Photography
Facebook Reader Group: Kate's Townies
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