Deal Sharing Aunt: The Better Man by Amy Vastine Giveaway & Excerpt

Monday, September 22, 2014

The Better Man by Amy Vastine Giveaway & Excerpt

A Themed Tour through Prism Book Tours.

The Better Man

by Amy Vastine

Adult Romance

Harlequin Heartwarming

January 1st 2014

Kendall Montgomery's six-year-old son has barely spoken in the past year, locked in his world of silent grief. Then one day, he spots his dead father across a crowded street.

Max Jordan moved to Chicago to be closer to his own son and prove he can be a better father than his deadbeat dad. His striking resemblance to Kendall's husband and his track record with fatherhood make her determined to keep her distance…until Max helps her little boy come out of his shell. But can she trust him with their future? How can she be sure he won't take off just when they need him most?

Excerpt:

The three of them got busy painting and embellishing the costume. Their collective laughter created a lightness Kendall hadn’t felt in a long time. Seeing Simon act like a normal six-year-old freed her from the year’s worth of guilt and worry she’d been carrying around. This wasn’t like having Trevor around. It was better.

Max came up with the idea of using a Frisbee as the steering wheel. He cut a hole in it and attached it to a paper towel tube that Simon had way too much fun unrolling. Max painted Simon’s nose red and Simon returned the favor by painting a white smiley face on Max’s knee.

With the help of a lot of duct tape and some imagination, they created the coolest red sports car, complete with white flames on the sides. Kendall took pictures with her phone until Simon couldn’t stand still another minute.

“We rocked that thing. My mother would be proud,” Max said, grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Kendall agreed as they watched Simon run up and down the sidewalk, pretending he was in the Daytona 500.

Max looked at his paint-covered hands. “Can I use your bathroom to wash up?”

Although she’d been prepared for him to ask, the request still racked her nerves. Her shoulders stiffened. “Sure, we can all go in for a minute.” She called Simon over and they left the car on the porch to finish drying.

Kendall let Simon show Max where he could clean up so she could scan the main floor for any other pictures of Trevor. Her heart raced. This was more stressful than presenting a design to a room full of her toughest clients. She climbed up on the couch and took down the photo collage that hung above it, hiding it behind the cushions. She sat down and held her head in her hands. Hiding all evidence of Trevor’s existence was ridiculous and she knew it.

“Mom, can Max stay for dinner?” Simon skipped around the room, too excited for his own good.

“No, honey. Max probably needs to go home.”

“He doesn’t. His son lives with his mommy and Max doesn’t have a wife. He’s all alone. We should let him stay here for dinner. No one likes to eat dinner by themselves. I hate being by myself.”

He was so sweet, and she appreciated his empathy, but there was no way she could ask Max to stay. She’d have a heart attack before the night was over from the stress of it all. Plus, Simon didn’t need to get too attached. Once the job at Sato’s was finished, it was unlikely they’d have anything to do with Max again. She had to protect her son from being disappointed later.

“Not tonight, Simon.”

“But—”

“No buts. No. It’s my final answer.”

Simon glared at her. Her tenderhearted boy disappeared. “You’re mean, Mommy.”

“Hey, be nice to your mom. She helped make you the best costume in town.” Max strolled down the hallway toward the family room. It felt strange to have him in this house. Trevor had never lived here, even though the ghost of his memory haunted it daily.

Amazon - Harlequin

Amy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily ever afters for all to read.

Amy lives outside Chicago with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, three fun-loving children, and their sweet but mischievous puppy dog.

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