The Choices I’ve Made by J.L. Berg
Jake Jameson walked away from his former life a long time ago, but a death in his family forces him to return–to the demons that haunt him, to the town he swore he’d never return to and the woman he left behind. Can Molly forgive the choices he’s made or are some things better left in the past?
Description
Find more from this author on:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Author Site
GoodReads
Facebook
TwitterAbout the author:
J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready series, the Walls series, the Lost & Found series and more. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls and two pups. When she's not writing, you will find her cuddled up, watching a movie with her family, obsessing over fandoms or devouring anything chocolate! J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.
What inspired you to write your book?
Since moving to the East Coast, I've always been fascinated with the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Ocracoke Island is especially interesting because it's so isolated. I loved the idea of creating a small town series there, filled with wonderfully deep character I knew readers would fall in love with,
Here is a short sample from the book:
“It’s like riding a bicycle, isn’t it?” Dean said as he approached me.
I’d parked my rental and cut the engine like instructed before stepping out toward the railings. The air was a bit cooler than before when I’d touched down in Raleigh, and the humidity had drastically improved since the sun set.
“If the tourists can figure it out, I sure as hell can. Besides, it’s not like I forgot all those years we used to get out of summer chores to catch a ride to Hatteras.”
Dean grinned. “Man, we sure thought we had everyone fooled, didn’t we?”
“We did,” I answered adamantly.
He just shook his head. “No, we didn’t. My ma told me years ago that she knew exactly where we went. Yours did, too. They just chose to let it go, saying, What fun is youth if you can’t get away with a few things here and there?”
I was shocked. “So, you mean, all this time, they knew? Every covert getaway we planned, every success story?”
“All crap.” He laughed, both of us turning our attention back to the water.
“Well, I’ll be…”
“You know, your accent is becoming stronger, the closer we get to home.”
“It’s not my home,” I growled.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his shoulder rise as he shrugged.
“Okay, whatever you say, but don’t be surprised when you start complaining about mainlanders and the price of coffee in a few days.”
I rolled my eyes. “Never gonna happen, my friend. I’m here for one thing and one thing only. To help transition my father’s practice, so it can soon become someone else’s problem.”
He turned to me, looking somber. “And that’s the only reason?”
A wisp of long blonde hair and a forgotten smile flashed across my mind. I could hear her laughter. Feel her body as she surrendered to mine.
“Yes,” I answered firmly, my jaw twitching as I willed the memories away. “It’s the only reason.”
Dean’s hands went up in a symbol of surrender. “Okay, just checking.”
I watched the white spray of water the ferry left in its wake as it sped towards the island. Sped was a relative word. A one-way trip between the mainland and Ocracoke was about an hour, but considering the lack of alternatives, it was an impressive feat. I remembered my grandmother telling me of the days before the ferries had become the standard around here. It’d made leaving the island a rare occasion, and that generation still talked nonstop about how wonderfully exclusive the island had been.
After my mom had died, it’d felt pretty much the same.
Like a tropical prison meant to cage me in forever.
“Listen,” Dean said hesitantly. I could hear the sudden distress in his tone, which immediately drew my attention sideways. The lines across his forehead that hadn’t been there the last time I saw him deepened as he grappled for the right words. “I wanted you to hear it from me first. Molly and I, we’re getting ma—”
A dreadful, deep boom sounded off behind us, instantly cutting off Dean’s words.
Turning around, we instinctively ducked as an explosion of fire ripped through the ferry. Flames burst through the engine room, engulfing it in a fiery plume. Utter mayhem followed.
“What the—” I cursed under my breath as Armageddon surrounded us.
Screams. Bloodcurdling, soul-ripping shrieks of pain ripped through the night, causing my body to leap into action. This was what I had been trained to do after all. It was what had been hardwired into my brain after years of residency and training.
Weaving through the maze of cars, I sprang into action. Dean followed suit. We ripped doors open, pulling injured people from their cars, away from the flying wreckage.
“Dean!” I yelled, pointing to a family of four who were scared stiff. “Get them out of here!”
He nodded, carrying the battered and bruised as well as the shaken to safety. The rest, however, were for me.
Grabbing anything and everything I could from the cars, I quickly made makeshift tourniquets for wounds that wouldn’t stop bleeding, I banged on chests and started CPR, as brave souls took over so I could attend to others. And I never stopped assuring them that everything would be okay.
When, in reality, I knew the opposite.
There had been an explosion on the ferry.
A ferry carrying dozens of cars.
Gallons of gasoline.
We were literally stuck in the middle of the ocean on a ticking time bomb.
It was only a matter of time before—
Another explosion sounded, making my ears ring and my heart race. Turning toward the sound of the blast, I saw complete horror.
Cars were flying through the air and into the darkness of the water.
Screams.
God, I’d never forget the screams.
Especially one in particular.
“Jake!” Dean hollered, his voice standing out above the rest. “Jake, help!”
I finished assessing child’s small leg. “Don’t move, okay?” I said, turning my attention to his mother. “Keep pressure on his leg. Help will be here soon.”
But, even the blue-eyed child, covered in his own blood, knew that was a lie.
We were all going to die here.
Even me.
But like hell I’d stop trying.
Jumping over a scrap of metal, I made my way to Dean’s cries of help. When I got there, it took everything I had not to lose my shit as my eyes took him in.
“Hey,” I said, analyzing the situation as I drew closer.
Dean’s arm had been nearly severed. How? I wasn’t sure, but I was guessing what remained of his pickup truck next to him was to blame.
Pulling the shirt off my own back, I did what I could. I tried to stop the bleeding, I checked for other wounds, and most importantly, I kept him awake, even when his dark expression told me it was the last thing he wanted to do.
I’d seen this look before.
Dozens of times in my days of working as a resident in the ER. The will to live was waning. Dean was giving up. His eyes began to look skyward as he reasoned with God.
“Hey,” I said, tightly pulling the scraps of fabric around his biceps.
His focus fell back on me.
“Remember when we were little, and Terri used to bust our hides for running off to the beach?”
He gave me a ghost of a smile as his eyes went glassy. “Yeah,” he choked out. “We never seemed to be able to do what we had been told.”
“Remember how we made fake pirate swords out of driftwood and practiced battling each other as the tide receded?”
“I bested you every time.”
“I wasn’t made for fighting, I recall.”
He coughed a strangled cough that made my insides burn. “No, you were always suited for something better. Something bigger. I’m glad you found it, and I’m fortunate I was able to see it before—”
“No,” I said. “Don’t you dare say it, Dean. You and I are going to get off this trash heap of a boat and walk into town as heroes, you hear me? You’ll be the talk of the entire island. Hell, you might even get laid.”
He laughed, and I could see the struggle in his gaze as he did so.
“Tell Molly I’m sorry.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to decipher his words. “Tell Molly you’re sorry for what?” I asked, not knowing if he was still here with me or lost in a memory.
“Tell her I’m sorry for not being enough. For not being you. Take care of our Molly for me.”
I shook my head as I looked down at him, disbelief invading every molecule of my body.
“It was always you and her, Jake. Now everything will be as it should.”
His words swam around me like piranhas as I tried to make sense of it all. I looked into his eyes one last time, remembering the moment before the explosion.
Molly and I are getting ma—
Married.
My chest burned as I watched Dean’s eyes shut tight and I was left holding the limp body of my oldest friend.
The man who’d stolen the only woman I’d ever loved.
Related products
-
The Runaway Roommate by C.S. Mae
Casey Peters has a problem and that problem is the half-Korean hottie that moved in when her former roommate moved out.
Now her life has become like an episode from one of her favorite dramas, complete with: crazy exes, roommate shenanigans and confusing plot twists.
This story is a Naughty Niblet: the perfect amount of sexy to satisfy, but not make your hips big.
His Wicked Games by Ember Casey
Lily Frazer would do anything to save the Frazer Center for the Arts–even take on the infamous billionaire Calder Cunningham. When Lily breaks onto the Cunningham estate, she only wants to find and reason with Calder. (All right, all right, she wants to punch him in the face, too, but that's Plan B.) As it turns out, the arrogant billionaire is willing to give her the money he promised, but there's a catch: she must win it from him.
And the games he has in mind aren't exactly… innocent.
Lily isn't about to give up the money without a fight (or let some haughty bastard seduce her), but she quickly discovers that there might be more to the brooding Calder than she initially perceived. As their games of cat and mouse become increasingly intense, she suddenly finds herself confused by her own emotions. Can she deny her attraction long enough to win the money she needs?
A contemporary, steamy take on Beauty and the Beast, His Wicked Games is a tale of devilish deeds, wild passions, and wicked romance.
Boxed Set: My Alpha Billionaire, A New Adult romance by Tawny Taylor
For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, a sexy New Adult boxed set by USA Today Bestselling author Tawny Taylor.
A USA Today Bestselling Book!
An Amazon Kindle Top 10 Bestseller!
A Barnes and Noble Top 20 Bestseller!
An Amazon Top 10 HOT NEW RELEASE (Erotica)!
An Amazon #1 Bestseller (Coming of Age and New Adult & College)!
AT LAST, YOU CAN BUY ALL FOUR BOOKS AT ONCE AT THIS SPECIAL SALE PRICE. AN $8.99 VALUE!
This ebook contains:
Book 1: What He Wants
Book 2: What He Demands
Book 3: What He Craves
Book 4: What He Needs
Billionaire Shane Trant is used to getting what he wants. What he can’t buy, he takes. When he sees Bristol Deatrich for the first time in over ten years, he knows he wants her. But there’s a problem. Only complete possession of her mind and body will satisfy him. He’s not sure the sweet little Bristol is ready for his brand of extreme carnal play.
But that’s not going to stop him from trying. After all, he learned a long time ago, nobody wins if they don’t take risks. If this risk pays off, they’ll both win.
Holding Out For Skye by S.R. McKade
Things are finally starting to look up for Skye Fletcher. She’s got a new job with a great salary, she’s finally out of the rat-trap she used to live in and into a decent apartment. She couldn’t be happier. Except for the thorn in her side, a.k.a. Cian Hunter, her arrogant and too good-looking co-worker whom she has the misfortune of being stuck with.
In spite of himself, Cian Hunter fell hard for the surly, unfriendly woman who made no secret of her dislike for him. He knows he and Skye are meant to be. Convincing her of that fact seems like an impossible feat. However, he’s utterly confident he’s up to the task. His future and his happiness depend on it, after all.
When Skye’s one impulsive, uncharacteristic little act changes the status-quo between them, her life gets entangled with Cian’s way more than she’s comfortable with.
That’s when her life really turns upside down…
The Advent of Lena, a Tale of Beauty and the Beast by Neil M Campbell
Chloe Lambert is used to men looking at her twice but for all the wrong reasons – they cannot believe how ugly she is. She has no reason to think Park Delafield, of the perfect profile and cheek bones to die for, is any different when he insults her in a pub. But all is not as it seems, turns out he’s looking for salvation and has decided she’s the one. Only trouble is, Chloe’s not so sure.
When a stranger in a bar loudly comments on her appearance, Chloe Lambert can only assume that the remark which cut her to the bone was for him simply a casual aside. Park Delafield, however, at once struck down for his savagery by a friend of Chloe’s, is visited in his humiliation by the insight that only the love of the woman he has offended can redeem the despicable individual he has become. He sets out to win Chloe but she, bewildered by his attentions and repelled by his egotism, wants no part in his quest. Until his tireless persistence, combined with her own curiosity about his true personality and motives, soften her distrust of his sincerity. Warily she allows him into her life, thus seeding hurricanes of self-discovery, reckless commitment, and searing betrayal through which all involved journey toward disaster . . . or liberation and redemption.
The Matching Love Game : Blind Dates by Serene Kwan
Blind dates? You would have to be crazy in this day and age, to trust something as important as a relationship to chance! What a preposterous proposal? But for Phoebe Spiros – the most eligible girl at Kent University – her love life leaves much to be desired, and she is at her wit’s end, as to who she can approach for relationship advice. The notion of romantic relationships totally fazes her – she is clueless about how to get a boy to like her – and her mom’s dating advice for her is to secure more blind dates – the more the merrier. When in fact, all Phoebe wants, is to come home from a date, without a story more entertaining and ludicrous than her string of would-be suitors. What will it take for this hopeful chick in her twenties to find her one true love amongst the single men or bachelors available? And how many frog princes must she date before she chances upon a meeting with an authentic Prince Charming? Read more for many good laughs and a fantastic, rocking experience as Phoebe fumbles over her attempts to hook up with guys from different walks of life!
Wander and Roam by Anna Kyss
In the last year, Abby Bentley has failed out of college and lost her high school sweetheart. Unwilling to return home, Abby signs up to volunteer on an Australian farm, where she can hide away from her family and isolate to her heart’s desire. Best of all, no one will care about her past. Abby soon discovers she’ll be sharing most of her daylight hours–as well as a very small yurt–with the farm’s other volunteer: sexy, flirtatious Sage.
The more hours they spend together, the more conflicted Abby becomes. Torn between a growing attraction to Sage and faltering loyalty to her old boyfriend, Abby escapes to her refuge of writing letters she will never send. When Abby finally reveals her past, Sage’s secret about his future threatens their bond. With Abby running from her past and Sage trying to escape his future, can they build a relationship in the here and now?
Climbing The Walls (Hart & Cole Book 1) by Sacha T. Y. Fortuné
Kris fell, head over heels over hormones, for the damaged b*tch who became his power-woman sex-goddess wife.
All Nicole wants is to be a better mother, and a wife more worthy of the husband she loves with every fibre of her body, but she is constantly yanked away by her job and her overbearing boss Darren Hart.
But Darren has marital problems of his own – and, when he confides in her, Nicole realises just how easily a happy marriage can crumble.
…Can she keep her own from doing the same?
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.