Can Her Marriage Survive the Heat of an Old Flame?

My First Novella…

by Anna Kristell

I normally write novels but someone suggested one day that I write a novella, or two, or three…for the readers who like a quick, short read. Well, I did write three of them! If You Love Me was released by Rebel Ink Press on October 2 and it will be followed by a sequel featuring the secondary characters, Amy and Dillon, on December 17 in A Woman Like Her.

I also wrote a holiday romance, A Holiday Hideaway, which will be released on December 3 by Rebel Ink Press.

If You Love Me was my tenth release in ten months! Whew! It’s been a very busy year for me…and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. I now have a street team, Anna’s Fab Friends, and we are always doing something! I’ve been doing book signings and am attending The Indie Mashup in Springdale, AR the end of the month.

I’ve included the blurb and an excerpt from the first chapter of If You Love Me. This is one of those “the one who got away” stories, but will the heroine choose the one who got away…or someone else?????

Blurb for If You Love Me

Ashley Brant often wondered what might have been. If the one who got away hadn’t gotten away. Now, she may have a chance to find out. After a horrendous argument with her handsome husband, Adam, he tells her to do just that, find the one who got away.

Realizing finally, she has all she’s ever wanted with Adam, Ashley plans to tell him and make things right with him. But Adam’s left her, giving her the space he thinks she needs. And to make matters worse, Ross, her ex, is back in town and making it known he’d like a second chance with her.

When Adam files for a divorce after seeing Ashley and Ross together, things begin to unravel for Ashley. Ross always seems to show up at the wrong time, fueling Adam’s belief he’s lost his wife.

Can Ashley convince her husband he’s the only man she wants in her life or will Ross succeed in tearing the lovers apart forever?

 

EXCERPT

 Ashley Brant’s green eyes flashed with anger as she glared at her husband, Adam, from across the room. “What is your problem?”

Adam ran his hand through his thick, reddish-brown hair and sighed. Finally he moved closer until he stood in front of her. He replied angrily, “My problem, Ash? I think you’re the one with the problem. You find fault with everything I do lately. There’s no pleasing you.”

“If you tried a little harder, maybe I wouldn’t have so much to find fault with,” she answered sarcastically.

“Maybe my little brother was right after all. He always said we rushed this marriage. He couldn’t believe we got engaged three months after we met. I always scoffed at him, but now I don’t know.”

“Are you saying you regret marrying me?”

“No, Ash. I don’t know. Things were great between us until these past few months. I don’t understand what’s happening to us. We can’t seem to agree on anything these days. We fight about everything, from who’s going to take out the trash to whether or not we’re going to start a family. Is that the problem? You aren’t ready for kids and you don’t want to tell me?”

 “That’s not it and you know it, Adam. I want a baby as much as you do. But I refuse to bring a child into this world with things the way they are between us. Something’s got to change.”

“And it’s got to be me, is that what you’re saying?”

“Think about it. Lately, you’re, well, just different. You’re not the fun-loving, hot-blooded man I fell in love with. You’re distant. You never want to go out and when we stay in, you ignore me. You’re either glued to the television or the computer. That’s not what I signed up for. I miss our good times together.”

“Is that what you think? Well, lady, I’ve got news for you. You’re way off base. You’re the one who’s changed. That sweet, crazy, happy-go-lucky gal I fell in love with has left the building.”

“Adam, we’re not two kids dating. We’re married. We’re grown-ups with real, everyday problems. We have responsibilities. Life isn’t always fun and games in the real world. We have jobs, housework, bills to pay. Do you see where I’m going with this? Add a baby or two to the mix and our lives will be even busier. Until we can learn to balance the rest of it and still manage to love each other like crazy, we can’t move forward and have a baby.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to move forward with me now? Are you saying you want out?”

Ashley sighed deeply as the tears threatened to flow. “I’m not saying that at all. What I’m saying is we need to grow up. We should be able to handle the responsibility and still have fun. We don’t seem to be able to do that.”

“So what you’re really saying is marriage to Adam Brant isn’t what you thought it would be. I don’t measure up to your idea of the perfect husband. News flash, baby, no husband is perfect just like no wife is perfect. You’re going to have to learn to accept my faults or move on.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” She turned to go.

“Everyone tried to tell me I was just your rebound guy. I guess I should’ve listened. I let my heart rule my head when it came to you. I was so crazy in love with you I didn’t care. I wanted you, and I was determined to have you at all costs. I thought we could make it work.”

Ashley turned to face him. “I can’t believe you just said that to me. I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t love you, Adam. I still love you. I just think we need to work out our differences and stop talking about having a baby until we do. I don’t find fault with everything you do. You just infuriate me at times, when you don’t help out around here, or when you think just because we’re married we have to stay home every weekend.”

“Is that what this is really about, Ash? Because I can assure you, your darling Ross wouldn’t have been perfect either. Hell, he wouldn’t even stick around when you started talking marriage.”

Smack! Ashley slapped him hard across the face. “You’re a son-of-a-bitch, Adam. To bring up what happened between Ross and me when you know how hurt I was about it. I told you about our break-up because I wanted you to know what happened, not because I wanted you to throw it in my face every time we argue. I was being honest with you. When I met you, I was still afraid to let myself fall in love again. By telling you why I was afraid, I thought you’d understand my hesitancy to start a relationship with you. Once you convinced me you weren’t going anywhere, I fell and I fell hard, Adam. For you, not Ross. Apparently you don’t believe that.”

Adam rubbed his cheek. “Go find the one that got away, Ash. That’s what you really want. That’s what this is all about. You’re still in love with Ross Canter. You can’t stand the fact he walked out on you. If it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be so angry with me for bringing his name up. I really thought I could make you forget the guy. But I guess I was wrong and everyone else was right. So, no, I don’t believe you when you say it’s me you want. Because everything about you tells me you’re still not over him. You may love me in some way but not the way I want you to. You’ve never fully given yourself to me. I know he’s still in the back of your mind and in your heart. So go find him. See what you’re missing out on. See if he’s changed his mind. Maybe the two of you will be ecstatically happy together.”

AMAZON Buy Link  

Barnes&Noble buy link

AUTHOR BIO

 Anna Kristell is a small town gal from southern Indiana with a passion for romance. She has

lived in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas, but returned to Indiana in 2005, where she resides with her husband. An avid romance reader since her teen years, it has always been her dream to create love stories of her own.

Anna is the author of the Fab Five series from LazyDay Publishing, a continuing dramatic romance series depicting the lives of five women and their families and friends.

She is also the author of several books not in the series, published by Rebel Ink Press, including Unlikely Lovers, Sunny’s Love, and Remember Our Promise, which is the first in the Promises Trilogy.

When she is not writing, she can be found at her day job in the billing department of a local community mental health center, reading, traveling, or spending time with family and friends. Anna has a grown daughter and son and three grandchildren.

You may contact her at:

http://www.annakristellromance.com and check out her weekly blog articles at http://www.annakristell6.wordpress.com. Anna can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.