Title: Beautiful Ties (The Beautiful Series #4)
Author: Alicia
Rae
Genre: Contemporary Romance
18+
Publication
Date: March 25, 2014
Synopsis
While watching her brothers find their happily ever afters,
Abbey dreams of falling in love. Smart, fun, and sexy, Abbey is also
independent and works hard alongside her brother, Kyle. When Kyle joins his
business ventures with his wife’s cousins, Jason and Damon, Abbey struggles
with keeping things professional.
Jason is instantly enamored with Abbey, and he becomes
determined to win her over. Although she does not want to mix business with
pleasure, he uses his good looks and sweet charm to work his way into her
heart. All the while, Abbey begins building a friendship with a neighborhood
child, Pearl. Abbey’s heart warms to Pearl, and their friendship quickly
blossoms into a loving relationship.
Can Abbey find a way balance her growing feelings for Jason
and her need to take care of Pearl? Or will Abbey need to sacrifice one
relationship for the sake of the other?
Beautiful Ties Excerpt
I swung the door open, and my eyes went wide at seeing Pearl standing on the other side with a backpack clutched to her chest. Her eyes peeked up at me, and at first, they were filled with sadness, then relief, and finally happiness as she seemed to slip her mask into place. Pearl had never been here this early in the morning.
As I noticed her holding her bag so close, I became overwhelmed with concern, and I lowered down to her. “Pearl, sweetie, are you okay?”
She nodded rapidly. Her eyes moistened with tears, but as fast as they had appeared, she blinked them away.
“Yep,” Pearl said in a wavering tone, shifting nervously on her feet. “Um…” she murmured. Her expression turned hopeful. “Do you mind if I hang out with you today?”
“Of course you can,” I answered without hesitation, regarding her.
She was once again dressed in worn clothes that were way too small for her body. Her eyes were slightly puffy as if she had been crying, and her hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days. Her appearance cut me deep. My gut told me something was wrong, really wrong, and I needed to get to the bottom of it, but I knew I needed to tread lightly.
When she didn’t respond, I motioned her inside. “Come on in, sweetie. I’m just about to start breakfast. Do you like pancakes?” I asked, shutting the door behind us.
We walked into the kitchen, and her eyes lit up. “I love pancakes!”
“Okay.” I smiled, wishing I had awesome cooking skills right about now. The pancake mix I had was the kind that only required water to be mixed in, so that would have to make do for today.
I pointed to the stool in front of the kitchen counter. “Why don’t you hop on up there, and you can watch me?”
Jason emerged from around the corner. He was dressed in his clothes from yesterday. His eyes were perplexed, and then they filled with understanding as he glanced back and forth between Pearl and me.
“Good morning,” he politely greeted the two of us.
“Hi!” Pearl said in delight. Then, she frowned. “Um…what’s your name again?”
“Jason,” he said, extending his hand out to her.
Pearl looked down and then back at him again, outstretching her hand to shake his. “Hi, Jason,” she said in a shy voice. “What are you doing here so early?”
Jason nervously met my stare, and then he saw the pancake box and mixing bowl. He returned his attention to Pearl. “I’m going to have pancakes,” he replied smoothly, but I could see that he was stifling his humor.
“Me, too!” Pearl exclaimed with excitement.
Laughing, I pulled out a pan and set it on the burner. Then, I prepared the batter in a bowl, sliced a banana, and peeled a few oranges.
“Would you like some help?” Jason offered.
“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it.” I smiled at him. “You go ahead and have a seat.”
He sat on the stool next to Pearl, and she immediately started firing off questions.
“Do you have a dog?” she asked him.
“No, but I want one,” he answered kindly.
I poured the pancake mix onto the hot pan, and then I started to pull plates, glasses, and silverware out of the cabinets. I peeked glances at the two of them conversing as I set each item on the kitchen counter. It was so cute to watch him interact with her. He had such a soft side.
“What kind?” she asked.
Jason leaned on his elbow, dropping his chin to rest on his palm. He seemed to enjoy talking with her. “Hmm…maybe a Siberian husky or a Great Dane,” he responded.
Pearl’s eyes widened. “Great Danes are huge!” she nearly shouted.
I flipped the pancakes with a spatula.
Then, Jason asked a question. “Do you have a dog?”
She frowned. “No, Diane won’t let me have one. She said they’re expensive and too much work. But when I grow up, I’m going to have three dogs.” She sighed dreamily.
“Three?” Jason chuckled.
“Yep,” Pearl answered. Then, she rested her head on her hand, mimicking Jason. “Maybe four.”
“I hope you have a big yard.” He laughed softly again.
“So, did you have a sleepover last night?” she asked.
Her question caught me off guard. Spatula in hand, I whipped around to face the two of them.
“Uh…” Jason mumbled, stalling for a response.
About the Author
Alicia Rae is a Contemporary Romance Author who lives in Dekalb, Illinois, with her husband and three beautiful boys. Alicia has a passion for reading all types of romance, writing to bring a story to life, and photography.
Thank you to my dear sister, Kels, who showed me a few years ago how much I truly missed reading. And to my loving husband, for not throwing away my Nook, and planting the seed of writing into my mind. I am forever grateful. Xo
Readers, words cannot thank you enough for supporting me along this incredible journey. I hope you enjoy my novels as much as I do writing them. I thank each and every one of you.
Believe in yourself and follow your dreams...
Thank you so much for sharing Michelle!! <3 Alicia Rae
ReplyDelete