Blurb:
Behind every
simple man is an unsung hero waiting for love...
Months after Shane Martin’s sister vanishes, life
crashes down and he finds himself the guardian of a nephew he never knew
existed. Blissfully ignorant, Shane trades in his musician status, full of late
nights and fast women, for midnight feedings and lullabies. But when Kate
McAlister, his prissy, stuck up caseworker, arrives unexpectedly, he realizes
he could lose everything.
Kate isn’t impressed by Shane’s messy bachelor pad,
rocker image, or sexy tattoos. As a matter of fact she finds it all very sophomoric.
The sooner she’s off the case the better. Everything from his long hair to his
sarcastic attitude threatens her professionalism. But when he lowers his guard
and asks for help, she discovers a side to this tattooed musician she can’t
resist.
Buy Links:
Amazon:
iBooks:
Kobo:
Website:
Excerpt
When
Duce left, Shane sifted through the bag. There were tiny diapers, wipes, some
sort of yoga mat thing, a bunch of creams. He laughed when he saw something
called Butt Paste. That was self-explanatory.
There
was something resembling a miniature turkey baster. He found clothes,
itty-bitty socks, a knit cap, a few rattles, two containers of formula, some
bottles, and a small booklet with doctor’s visits listed in it. He recognized
the writing as his sister’s and a strange, sad nostalgia settled over him.
Was
she here watching him now? “He’s beautiful, Noel,” he whispered. “I’m gonna do
this. Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out and I’ll take good care of him for you.
You’ll see.”
By
the time Duce returned Shane was reading the bottle of formula. “What’s that?”
his friend asked as he plopped down the paper takeout bag of food.
“Formula.
I didn’t find any food. Do you think I should wake him to eat?”
“Uh,
isn’t there some rule about never waking a sleeping baby?”
Shane
shrugged. “Maybe I should make up a bottle so it’s ready when he does wake.
He’s been sleeping for two hours. He’s gotta be hungry.”
Shane
wished he had Internet. He wasn’t really computer savvy, but people were always
talking about finding shit online. Duce was staring at him with a peculiar
look. “What?”
“I
think you should give him back.”
“Give
him back? There is no back. I’m it.”
“He’s
just all perfect and small. What if you fuck him up?”
“Hey,
don’t curse in front of him. And I’m not going to mess him up. I just need some
practice. I’ll figure it out.”
“Maybe
you should ask someone who has kids what to do.”
Shane
reached for an egg roll. “I don’t know anyone with kids. I have to take a class
and I have a crap load of reading material.”
“When
do you take the class? Maybe that was something you should have done
beforehand.”
“It
starts tomorrow night. I’ll be fine.”
They
ate and zoned out to some reality TV. Baby Shane was so quiet they’d almost
forgotten about him. Then Duce’s face began to twitch. “Dude, what’s that
smell?”
Shane
sniffed and choked. Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to make his eyes
water. “Aw man, did you fart?”
“Wasn’t
me.”
In
unison, they slowly turned to the baby who still slept soundly. He leaned over
and sniffed, almost gagging as he jerked back. “Holy crap! How could something
so pintsize smell that bad?”
Duce
covered his mouth and went to the window, quickly opening it to let some air
in. The little guy made a tiny nook-nook sound and his miniature fist curled up
by his chin in a dainty stretch. He looked like the fighting Irish.
“It’s
moving,” Duce whispered as though the baby were a bomb about to detonate. And
suddenly an explosion happened.
Baby
Shane’s face screwed up tight, turning an unnatural shade of red. His mouth
opened wide, showing nothing but pink gums, and an unholy squawk roared out of
him.
They
jumped and stared as the baby screamed, his little chest working in quick
breaths as he drew in only enough air to force out another shrill, squawking
cry.
“Do
something!” Duce demanded.
Shane
panicked. He reached for the book and began to thumb through, not sure what he
was looking for.
“Don’t
fucking read! Pick it up!” Duce snapped.
Shane
tossed the book on the couch and quickly kneeled in front of the angry baby. He
wailed and Shane began to freak. Was he in pain? Ugh, the smell coming off of
him was burning the back of his throat. “Sweet Jesus, he stinks!”
He
quickly removed the soft blanket. Shane was strapped down with some sort of
five-point harness a person needed a degree in engineering to figure out. He
pressed buttons and undid latches, shaking with the urgent need to make him
stop screaming.
Sweat
seeped through the baby’s tiny cotton jumper. The closer he got the worse the
stench became.
“I
thought babies were supposed to smell good?” Duce said, fanning the front door
to let some air in.
“So
did I. I can’t figure out how to unbuckle him!”
“Hit
the red buttons on the side. You gotta get the handle out of the way.”
Sweat
trickled into his eyes as he tried to dismantle the carrier. Finally he had the
harness undone. “Now what?”
“Pick
it up!”
“He
stinks!”
Duce
scowled. “So, my ear drums are about to burst. You gotta get in there. Tough it
out. Take one for the team!”
Shane
carefully picked up the screaming baby. He held him in front of his chest like
a potted plant. He was so incredibly light. “What now?”
“I
don’t know. You’re the one who’s supposed to be Mr. Mom. Comfort it. Pat its
back. Sing or something!”
Shane
stood and awkwardly turned, swaying slightly. He didn’t want to shake him and
break him. He sang the first song that came to his mind, wincing at the lyrics
about loaded guns.
Duce’s
mouth fell open. “Teen Spirit?
Really? How about Rock-a-bye Baby?”
“I
don’t know Rock-a-bye Baby. Nirvana’s
the first thing that popped into my head.”
“It’s
not really appropriate, Shane,” Duce said coolly as if he were suddenly more
qualified than him with babies.
“You
wanna try?”
“No,
I’m set.”
He
continued to sing Teen Spirit and
eventually Baby Shane quieted. Blue eyes stared back at him and slowly the
world began to settle.
Shane
was sweating and Duce looked petrified.
“Hi,”
Shane said. The baby blinked. “I’m your Uncle Shane.”
“I
don’t think he can talk.”
“No
shit, Sherlock.”
Author Bio:
Award winning and bestselling author, Lydia Michaels,
writes all forms of hot romance. She presses the bounds of love and surprises
readers just when they assume they have her stories figured out. From Amish
vampyres, to wild Irishmen, to broken heroes, and heroines no man can match,
Lydia takes readers on an emotional journey of the heart, mind, and soul with
every story she pens. Her books are intellectual, erotic, haunting, always
centered on love.
Social Links
Lydia
Michaels loves to hear from readers!
Facebook:
Twitter Handle: @Lydia_Michaels
#SIMPLEMAN
Webpage:
Other
Titles by LYDIA MICHAELS
Falling In
Breaking Out
Coming Home
Sacred Waters
Chaste
Forsaking Truth
As Tears Go By
Hold Me Fast
Simple Man
Breaking Perfect
First Comes Love
If I Fall
Something Borrowed
Remember Me
Called to Order
Calling for a Miracle
Destiny Calls
Call Her Mine
Why We Go
Protégé
Blind
La Vie en Rose
No comments:
Post a Comment