Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Some loves are forbidden. Some desires are impossible to ignore
Maeve
Ever since my mom died, Thanksgiving has been a somber affair, which has been a tough pill
to swallow since it was one of her favorite holidays of the year.
But when I came home from school this year for the holiday, I found an unexpected surprise waiting for me—my dad’s best friend, Myles Flannigan.
I grew up around “Uncle Myles,” but ever since he retired from the company he and my dad
built, I haven’t seen much of him.
But he was my first crush.
My first love.
And now, as a grown woman, I want him to be so much more.
I know I shouldn’t. It’s taboo. And if my dad finds out, he’ll hit the roof.
But the heart wants what the heart wants, and as my mom always used to tell me, when you
find something you want, chase it.
Chase it and make it yours.
I know what I want. But the question is, will Myles want me?
Myles
Ever since retiring at a very young age, I’ve been bored. Restless. I’ve traveled the world, always searching for something. What?
My travels have brought me to the States, for Thanksgiving. To the home of my best friend
and business partner. It seemed like a nice break from my constant search to fill my emptiness
and a way to reconnect with those people I love most.
But when Maeve walks into the room, freshly home from university, I realize exactly what
that hole inside me has been missing.
Love. Companionship. Her.
My desire for this girl is wrong. I’ve known her since she was a kid. But she has blossomed
into a woman of extraordinary intelligence, passion, and exquisite beauty.
But she’s my best friend’s daughter and I fear giving in to my desires will burn down everything I’ve built with him over the years.
My heart knows what it wants. My body knows what it wants.
I know it’s wrong in every conceivable way. But, I’m drawn to her.
Can I to resist that pull? I know I should.
But I’m not sure I have the strength to resist.
Damn it!
When the heart wants, it dares to break the rules.
She knows what she wants: He knows it, too!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
MAEVE
Driving down the street I grew up on is always a bit of a surreal experience. I mean, I’m only twenty now, but I recall running up and down the street with my friends and playing in the sprinklers on the front during the summer. I remember people who’ve come and gone. Neighbors I’ve lost touch with. But most of all, I remember how much bigger everything seemed when I was a child. Now that I’m a little bit older, everything just seems… smaller. But my love for my neighborhood—my home—hasn’t changed.
I pull into the driveway, parking beside my dad’s Range Rover. Even after five years, it still feels odd to not see my mom’s red BMW sitting next to it. Even after five years, it still fills me with a sharp pang of grief. I get out of my Tiguan—a gift from my dad when I graduated from high school and grab my bags from the back.
“Hello, Maeve! Nice to see you!”
I turn and give a warm smile and a wave to Mrs. Murphy, an elderly woman who lives next door. As always, she’s sitting on her stool, pruning her roses.
“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Murphy,” Maeve said. “Your roses are beautiful.”
“Oh, thank you, dear. Your dad’s been talking about you coming home from school all week. I dare say he’s excited.”
“I’m excited to see him too.”
“Well, don’t keep him waiting on my account, sweetie!”
“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Murphy.”
Hefting my bags, I follow the walk, up the four brick stairs, and onto the porch. I have to set everything down again to open the door, then pick it up again and carry it inside. As I drop my bags in the foyer, booming laughter echoes around the house. I cock my head and listen for a moment, confused and wondering who’s in the living room with him.
Thanksgiving always used to be a fun, lively affair with friends and family coming from all over to celebrate with us. Mom loved Thanksgiving. Loved everything about it. She’d wake up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey and everything else ready, always chasing us out of the kitchen with her wooden spoon. It was her domain, and everything had to be to her exacting standards. Everything had to be just so. And everything was always perfect.
But for the past five years, Dad and I have spent Thanksgiving alone. It just hasn’t felt right to celebrate without her. We always start the day with a trip out to the cemetery to lay some flowers on her grave and talk to her for a bit. After that, we usually go out to dinner. Neither of us are very good in the kitchen anyway, but trying to recreate her dishes just feels disrespectful in a way. Our traditions have been lost to the cruelty of time. And that makes me sad.