I Love You Today
The Trading Heartbeats Trilogy Book 2
by Julie Navickas
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Because when you least expect it… and when you’re least ready for it… love happens.
Casey McDaniels lacked direction, spending the better part of her youth boyfriend hopping, partying, and bartending – her dreams, career ambitions, and education put on the backburner in favor of a social life and steady paycheck… that is, until a new lawyer moves into town.
When sexy, smart, and brokenhearted Austin Templeton relocates from Los Angeles to Chicago, Casey can’t help but put her former lifestyle aside in favor of the sweet romance that erupts between them. Finding more than just her heart set ablaze, Austin’s own professional ambition ignites a fire beneath her – pushing her forward into uncharted territory.
But one thing’s for sure… his career will always come first. When an unexpected promotion threatens to take him back to California, Casey reels, forced to choose between the man who captured her heart and the newfound path to success he led her down.
With her heart torn down the middle, Casey leaves the choice in Austin’s hands. After all, what’s more important? A job… or love?
“Well, you’re not a true Chicagoan until you’ve seen a game at Wrigley.” She flicked the brim of his hat and smiled. “And don’t even ask about that other team to the South,” she added.
Austin wracked his brain, digging deep into his limited knowledge of baseball. Why can’t you like basketball? “Oh, umm… the White Sox, right?”
“Shh! You can’t say that out loud here!” She pressed her index finger over his lips.
He pecked the tip of her finger with a kiss. “Sorry,” he breathed. “I’m a Dodgers fan, remember?”
“And it’s the worst thing about you, Mr. Templeton.”
A chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” boomed throughout the park, the seventh-inning-stretch celebrations interrupting their spirited disagreement.
“When did that happen?” Casey wrinkled her nose and scanned the ball field. “You distract me too much.”
An elbow to his right side jabbed him in the gut. Ouch! Austin turned as the woman beside him pointed toward the field at the gigantic screen above the scoreboard. His eyes widened as his and Casey’s image stared back, squarely tucked within the shape of a pink heart, the words KISS CAM emblazoned in bold.
Casey roared with laughter and yanked his hat from his head. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in the stadium lights, her gaze hovering over his mouth. Leaning in, Austin pressed his lips to hers as the fans erupted in cheers, their claps freezing the moment. The lights faded. The cold bleachers melted away, and all that existed was the quirky girl in his arms, the girl who had unknowingly mended his soul with the stitch of a baseball. He deepened the kiss, bathing in the sweet contentment consuming his heart.
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I Loved You Yesterday
The Trading Heartbeats Trilogy Book 1
Secrets always have a way of coming out.
Mavis Benson made a huge mistake. Scratch that—colossal mistake. Twice. Sleeping with her high school sweetheart’s twin brother definitely wasn’t part of the plan… nor was falling in love with him.
But that wasn’t the only complication Mavis faced. When an unplanned pregnancy upends her life at seventeen, Mavis skips town to spare her boyfriend, Josh Templeton, from the fallout. With only a letter of apology, she disappears, but not before confiding her secret to Josh’s brother, Austin.
When Austin resurfaces in her life years later, he brings the past to Mavis’s doorstep. Josh wants her back, Austin isn’t willing to surrender, and the path to happiness isn’t clear. Caught between both men, Mavis must choose between the brother for whom she broke her own heart, and the brother who picked up the pieces.
I LOVED YOU YESTERDAY is a heart-pounding reveal of best kept secrets. The truth is never easy, and neither is putting down this page turner. Fans of Nora Roberts and K.G. Fletcher will want to get a copy of I LOVED YOU YESTERDAY.
~Winner of the ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS CLARION AWARD.~
“Duchess…” he called into the pillow.
The silent room held no response, her name fading into the air, lost to the solitude. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and the land of dreams called to his psyche. His eyes closed, and darkness took him.
In his dreams, she danced among the poppies, each bubble of laughter falling from her lips, careless and free. Weightless and swirling, her youth and innocence clung to his soul, each heartbeat an echo of his own.
She called his name, love stitching a thread through her words, woven with strings of passion and profound connection. The gentle breeze ruffled her dress as she fell into his arms, caught in his grasp for each day they’d been afforded life together, until the day mortality would separate them.
As the flowers of the meadow wilted with age, her edges faded too, her body translucent, falling from his arms as her soul left the earth—and left him alone in the dying grass. Her voice sang to him as she drifted away, the last words on her lips his very name.
Cold sweat coated his skin, dampening the sheets as his name called forth his waking consciousness. His heart pounded, and his eyes shot open. Josh pulled his body from the bed, desperate to leave the nightmare. He staggered to the bathroom and splashed water on his pale face, the water dripping from his cheeks to the sink. Ragged breaths fell from his mouth as his heart worked to regain a steady rhythm.
“I can’t lose you.” It can’t be over. I won’t let it be over. You’re my forever, Mavs, no matter what’s happened.
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Julie Navickas is an award-winning, nationally recognized contemporary romance novelist, known for her keen ability to tell heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories through relatable characters with humility, humor, and heroism. She is also an award-winning university instructor and serves as the executive director of The Writing Champions Project. Julie earned master’s degrees in both organizational communication and English studies with an emphasis in book history, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public relations, graduating cum laude from Illinois State University.
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