Today Ashley Erin is stopping by to share her contemporary romance, WHY NOT ME. Check out this fantastic new release and grab your copy today!
Title:
Why Not Me
Author:
Ashley Erin
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
About Why Not Me
He didn’t choose
me, and now he wants his second chance.
Allie Vincent
has a good life. All of her boxes are checked off.
Sweet boyfriend?
Check.
Awesome job?
Check.
Great friends?
Check.
Life is going
according to plan. That is until the man who broke her heart seven years ago
comes crashing back into her life.
Suddenly those
checked boxes no longer seem important.
Her once neat
life is now in turmoil as she’s caught between a past love and a current one.
A choice between
two men.
One is her best
friend and partner for the past six years.
The other makes
her heart race, but he left her shattered.
One is safe,
secure.
The other is a
risk she doesn’t know if she’s willing to take . . . again.
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Excerpt
Allie
Circling
my hips, I spin in a circle as Dawn and I dance together. We’re out celebrating
Dawn’s new job and the fact I aced my marketing exam. Lifting my arms above my
head, I give a little shimmy, jumping when I feel my phone vibrate in the back pocket
of my jeans.
Without
missing a beat, I pull it out and smile when I see the name on the screen of my
cell, I swipe my finger with an eagerness that hasn’t dissipated in the nine
months we’ve been seeing each other. We fell hard and we fell fast, but I’ve
never felt so connected with someone.
“Hey,
babe, one sec,” I yell over the pounding dance music. It’s so loud, I don’t
know if he can hear me, my words probably faint under the vibrating bass. Dawn
smiles as I turn, waving at Blake when she glances at me, I hold my phone up
and point to the patio. She grins with a wink and goes back to dancing with a
giant of a man.
The
patio is lit with twinkle lights, random heaters sit next to the picnic tables
filling the space providing ambient heat for the rare person brave enough to
face the bitter cold. The music sounds through a few speakers along the wall,
but it’s turned down to be background noise. Tucking my free hand under my arm,
I stand under the heater next to the door.
“Sorry
about that. Is everything okay?” It’s unusual for Landon to call when he knows
I’m out with my girlfriends. That must mean things didn’t go well with Melissa.
“Do you need me to come over, we can cuddle on the couch. I know tonight wasn’t
easy for you.”
Snowflakes
start to fall around me, the first snow of the year making today one of my
favorite days. I love the snow. There’s something enchanting about the first
snow. It blankets everything to create a crisp, clean canvas. The air is
fresher, and it’s the sign that mother nature is preparing for new growth. I
think the only season I love more than winter is summer, when everything is in
full bloom. The reward for the months we’ve endured the cold.
The
music shifts to something slow. It’s quieter outside, the soft melody over the
speaker adding to the magic of the night. I feel free of more than just another
exam under my belt. Knowing that we can finally move forward, it makes me tilt
my face up into the crisp flakes and smile. Tonight, everything is perfect.
When
nothing but silence comes from the other end of the line, I can barely hear his
breathing, I check my phone to make sure we didn’t disconnect. “Landon? What’s
going on? You’re worrying me.”
“I
can’t see you anymore, Allie.” His words are cold and detached, almost as
though he’s talking to a stranger, so different from this morning.
I
can’t stop the sharp inhalation at his words, the frigid air burning my lungs
as I stumble to the nearest picnic table. No one is outside, the cold October
night making everyone shy away from spending too much time outdoors—something
I’m grateful for as my eyes fill with tears.
“What
are you talking about? This morning everything was fine. What about everything
you’ve told me, said to me?” My voice cracks as I try to make sense of what’s
going on. Why is his tone so disconnected? My voice lowers, filled with such
confusion and pain that I can’t recognize it. “I’m so confused.”
“There’s
nothing to understand. I’m sorry I let this go on as long as I did, it was a
mistake. I guess hindsight is twenty-twenty.” A whooshing in my ears blocks out
his voice, the tears I’ve been holding at bay begin to fall as I realize this
isn’t some weird, cruel joke. It’s real.
“I
see. I guess there’s nothing to say then.” My voice is faint, barely a whisper,
my head already filling in the blanks. I knew this was a risk, I was stupid
enough to think our connection was strong enough to withstand her. So much so, that I did something I
never thought I would do. Ever.
Wrapping
my arms around myself, I bite back tears of despair. This is what I get for
pushing aside my initial reservations and falling for his pretty words.
“Goodbye,
Allie—I’m sorry.” The last words are whispered, a slight crack in the cold
façade, but the phone clicks silent and that slight crack means nothing as I’m
left sitting on the cold wooden bench in shock.
I
slump against the rough edge of the tabletop, it’s sharp corner digging into my
spine as I stare mindlessly as the snow slowly builds up on the ground, its
beauty now tainted with the quiet breaking of my heart.
About Ashley Erin
Ashley Erin lives in Alberta, Canada where winter and summer compete to take over. She wears flip flops as soon as it’s above freezing, because her hatred of socks outweighs her dislike of snow. Her boyfriend stays with her despite a penchant for adopting rescued cats and dogs without permission. Their two dogs and four cats are spoiled rotten. When Ashley isn’t writing, she is reading or working with horses.
Ashley is a self-published author of contemporary and new adult romance. Follow her on Facebook to keep up with her current and upcoming releases.
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