Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: May 29, 2014
Digital ISBN-10: 1631120360 ISBN-13: 978-1-63112-036-7
Print ISBN-10: 1631120379 ISBN-13: 978-1-63112-037-4
Purchase link : http://www.5princebooks.com/buy-links.html
The Acceptance:
Tyler Benson’s world
was shaken with the news that he had a sister—one he never knew he had. Though
he loves his sister, and his family remains a tightly woven unit, he simply
can’t shake the feeling of betrayal from his mother. After a sabbatical from
his family to find himself it is time to head back home and try to pick up the
pieces of his life.
Courtney Fields has
learned to deal with many tragedies. Losing her sight at eight-years-old was
only a challenge that gave her many other skills. Now dealing with the loss of
her brother in combat will no doubt teach her new lessons in life.
When Tyler meets
Courtney on a South bound flight to Nashville he couldn’t possibly have
expected that she’d be his lesson in accepting the things he cannot change or
control. But can he reciprocate in helping her accept the loss of her brother
when she learns the truth of his death?
About Bernadette Marie
Bestselling
Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part
of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its
release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The
married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says
she can write it, because she lives it.
When
not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly
hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her
front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree
black belt in Tang Soo Do.
A
chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011,
5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to
write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too.
How to reach Bernadette Marie
@writesromance on Twitter
Excerpt from The Acceptance
There was something about an airport. People were coming and going. Some were heading out for adventure and some were heading home—just like Tyler Benson.
Nashville would always be home. He’d taken nearly three
years to see the world and think his life through. He wasn’t sure he had a
better grasp on it yet, but he knew one thing—he missed his family.
Why had he let his mother’s choices affect him so much?
Things must have been pretty bad for her if she gave up a child and never spoke
of it again.
The man in him understood. She was protecting him and his
brother from what had happened to her when she’d fallen in love with an abusive
man who tried to kill her. But the boy in him was still hurt.
Heading back wouldn’t fix everything. He assumed there’d be
a lot of late night talks over the kitchen table as there had been when he was
a teenager. His father already had offered him a good job in the construction
firm which had been in the family for generations. And—he needed to finally get
to really know his sister.
Darcy had been as shocked as Tyler when she’d learned who
her mother was. After all, she’d fallen in love with Tyler’s cousin—that had to
have been a little odd. But the Keller family was eclectic. It was made up of
lots of adopted children, but they were still one big family.
His cousin Ed and his sister Darcy had been married over a
year now. Their wedding had been the only time Tyler had been home in three
years. Now it was time to face his parents and ask for some forgiveness, though
he was sure they’d give it to him. Everyone understood his need to find
himself.
They called his flight from New York to Nashville and it was
time to board the plane. He stood and moved toward the line as a woman ran
right into him.
“I’m so sorry,” she said quickly.
“It’s no problem.” He looked down and noticed she’d dropped
her scarf. “You dropped this.” He bent down to pick it up and hand it to her.
The woman only held out her hand, but didn’t reach for it.
Tyler placed it in her open hand.
“Oh, thank you. I lose more things.” She gave a casual laugh
and continued on. It was then he noticed the cane in her other hand.
“Do you need an arm to get on the plane?”
She smiled at him, though her eyes were shielded behind big
sunglasses. “Are you a nice man or do you feel sorry for me?”
That was quite a question, he thought. “Well, I’d like to
think it was because I was raised right.”
“You’re from the South.” She thought a moment. “Tennessee?”
“Yes. Born and raised in Nashville.”
She leaned in closer to him. “I guessed from your accent and
since we’re getting on a flight bound that way.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Offer still holds.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Tyler. Tyler Benson.”
“Courtney Fields and, Mr. Benson, I’d love to have you guide
me if you don’t mind.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
He let her take his arm, though she didn’t interlock elbows,
instead she held the back of his arm just above his elbow.
When they approached the door Courtney held out her ticket
and the woman scanned the ticket and placed the stub back in her hand. She then
did the same for Tyler.
Once checked in, they walked down the jet bridge.
“Do you travel a lot, Mr. Benson?”
“It’s Tyler, and I’ve been doing my fair share the past few
years. How about you?”
“I’ve been seeing the world, though not intentionally. So
yes. I travel quite a bit. But this is a special trip back home.”
He desperately wanted to ask her why she said she’d been
seeing the world. Could she see? Was it just a figure of speech?
“Hello, Ms. Fields.” The stewardess greeted her as they
walked on board.
“Celia.” Courtney smiled, having obviously recognized the
woman’s voice. “I didn’t expect you on this flight.”
“I’m state side now.” Celia took Courtney’s hand which still
held her cane and patted it. “I’ve heard we have your brother on board,” she
said softly.
Courtney nodded. “Finally.”
“Your family has been in my thoughts for a long time.”
“Thank you,” Courtney said. “Oh, Celia, this is Tyler. My
arm candy for the walk down the jet way.”
Celia looked at Tyler and then back at Courtney. “I thought
you had an escort.”
“It’s always good to make a new friend. How’s he look?”
Celia scanned another look over him. “You did good.”
Tyler forced a smile. “Thank you?”
Celia laughed. “Courtney, can I help you find your seat?”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll use my arm candy.”
Tyler looked at her ticket. “You’re in 3A.”
“Yep, that sounds right. Where are you?”
“I’m in 4F.”
“You like the window too?”
“Luck of the draw really.”
Courtney stopped and turned back to Celia. “Can you see if
you can arrange my escort to trade to 4F?”
The smile on Celia’s face and the look she casually gave to
Tyler made him a little nervous. His good deed had warranted him a seat change?
“Do you mind sitting by me on the flight? I could use some
good company,” Courtney asked.
Tyler thought about the past three years and wondered if he
could be good company. But, like he’d told her before, he’d been raised right.
And if the woman wanted to sit by him who was he to turn her down?
“If the other passenger doesn’t mind changing I’d be happy
to switch.”
“I still like the window. I hope that’s okay,” she said as
she walked toward her seat.
Once they were seated Courtney turned to him. “Thank you for
picking up my scarf.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Thanks for keeping me company. This trip home is a hard one
and it’ll be nice to have a handsome man to talk to.”
He wondered what made her trip so hard, besides the obvious
hindrance of not being able to see the world around her.
“How do you know I’m so handsome? Celia might have been
lying to you.”
She smiled. “Oh, I can tell you’re handsome. And you’re not
married. I would guess you’re in your mid to late twenties. You were well
educated. You’re about six-two. And you have blue eyes.”
He knew that staring at her with his eyes wide open wasn’t
going to make her aware of how stunned he was, but for some reason he was sure
she knew.
“How do you know all that?”
The smile on her mouth turned into a playful pucker forcing
her cheeks to dimple on both sides. “You handed me my scarf with your left
hand. You don’t have a ring.”
“You felt for a ring?”
“I dropped the scarf on purpose. You smelled good.”
That made him laugh aloud. “Okay, keep going.”
“I’ve held the arms of many people. I’m five-five, so I know
my heights from there.”
“I’m six-three.”
“I was close.”
“My education?”
“You have an accent, but your words have a refined quality
to them. I’d guess you can speak more than one language.”
“My father speaks French, and so does my aunt. I’ve always
known both.”
She nodded slowly as though she were collecting her reward
for knowing so much.
“Okay, those are all logical. How do you know I have blue
eyes?”
“That one was a guess, but I was right. You just told me.”
“You have quite a talent.”
Courtney turned her head toward the window. “You also seemed
lost.”
“I beg your pardon. How would you know that?”
“I could feel it. It felt as though you could use some
company and I sure know I could.”
He wasn’t sure how this woman could tell so much about him,
but she had a keen sense of the world around her.
The last passenger to board the plane was a soldier in
uniform. As he passed by their row he looked down at Courtney as if he knew
she’d be there and then he continued to his seat which Tyler noted was the seat
he was to have occupied.
As the doors were secured the pilot came over the speaker.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be starting our flight
shortly. I wanted to inform you that we have the honor of flying a vet home to
his final resting place today.”
The air in the plane grew thick and Tyler could hear the
many gasps and even sobs which had come from that announcement. He turned
toward Courtney who had gripped her hands in front of her and pressed her
forehead to her white knuckles.
“Are you okay?”
She lifted her head and he could see the tears streak down
her cheek from under her sunglasses. Hesitantly she nodded.
“I’m finally getting to make the journey to take my brother
home.”
Tyler let out a long breath and watched as this woman he’d
just met turned her face toward the warmth of the sun coming in through the small
window.
He’d gained a sister and felt like his world had ended.
Courtney had lost a brother and yet was thankful to be with
him on his final ride home.
Tyler rested his head against the back of his seat. His life
didn’t make any more sense than it had three years ago when he’d left
Nashville. But at least when he got there his brother, sister, and his parents
would be there.
What was there for Courtney?
