In the dramatic conclusion to author Mia Kerick’s If I Fellseries, lovers Timmy Hale and Cole Ledger meet with danger when they attempt to mend broken family bonds.
Timmy and Cole faced brutal obstacles to their union from the moment they fell in love. It nearly drove them apart for good, but they overcame hostility, distance, and the deceptively alluring escape of alcohol. Now they’re ready to settle into the future as a married couple. With their spirited dog, Blackbird, and a close circle of friends, they’ve made a home and a happy life. But they don’t want to step into marriage until they’ve put complicated family problems behind them.
Cole’s son, Robbie, has turned bitter, refusing to accept his father’s engagement to the much younger man. His cold rejection threatens to destroy Cole. Meanwhile, Timmy’s dysfunctional family turns more treacherous than ever after the couple takes in his abandoned teenage niece, Lucy.
Soon, mysterious, threatening messages begin to appear.
When Cole leaves town on a trip to rebuild the severed bond with his son, the threats become real. Timmy’s brother—Lucy’s missing father—reappears. Addicted, violent, and homophobic he’s determined to either coax Lucy away from the shelter of the couple’s home…or destroy it.
Will the two families come together in an explosive collision or in reconciliation? The journey to marriage takes Cole and Timmy on one more wild ride. Through it all, can they hold on tight to their love and its promised happily-ever-after?
Come Together by Mia Kerick
SERIES If I Fell | GENRE Adult LGBTQ+ Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER Independent | PUBLICATION DATE January 24, 2022
KEEP READING TO SEE AN EXCERT AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
COME TOGETHER
An If I Fell Novel
© 2022 Mia Kerick
Cole wades to the shore, but he doesn’t approach me. My mental picture of my fiancé is of a proud strong giant of a man—which is not what I see. At this moment, on this vast dark beach, he’s shrunken into himself…His wide shoulders curve inward, wilted and vulnerable.
“What’s going on?” I ask, staring at him as he shivers in nothing but his drenched flannel boxer shorts.
Cole is close enough now for me to see him shrug.
“We promised to be honest with each other,” I remind him sharply. “And you ran away instead of talking to me.” This is more of an accusation than a reminder.
“I’m s-sorry.” He hangs his head. “Didn’t mean to break my promise.”
“Why?” I pull in a deep breath of the salty air for stamina. “Why don’t you trust me with what happened between Robbie and you?” It hits me that I should be doing something more than interrogating him. I need to ease his discomfort, so I pull off my shirt, intending to dry him with it.
At my question, Cole seems to come alive. He rushes to stand in front of me and takes my face between cold, wet palms. “I trust you, Timmy.”
“But you ran away from me—you went and hid in the fucking ocean, of all places!”
“That isn’t why I came here.”
“Then why the hell are you swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, all alone in the middle of the night?” A fair question.
CONTINUE READING
MIA KERICK is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about: Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.
Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.
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Thanks so much for sharing everything about IF I FELL Series’ newest release, Come Together!
You’re most welcome! Congrats on the new release! 🙂
Sounds like a good read.