Following the death of their baby during a difficult birth, Brandy and Weston Chambers are grief-stricken and withdraw from each other, both seeking solace outside of their marriage; however, they vow to work through their painful disloyalty. But when the man Brandy slept with moves back to their hometown, three lives are forever changed by his return.
EXCERPT:
Three days later we were standing at the edge of a hole in the ground at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Hayward, the silence so thick, the insides of my ears buzzed like a distant swarm of angry bees. Mr. Peralta and another gentleman stood off to the side while Weston and I held hands next to a tiny casket.
Weston had chosen a simple mahogany box with gold handles, a bouquet of white lilies graced the top of the small box. I knelt down and laid a kiss on the smooth wood then wiped off the tears that had fallen on top. Weston joined me, placing a single red rose in the middle of the lilies.
He helped me up and we stood side-by-side in silence, my guilt over her death like a stone in my empty belly. I missed everything I’d dreamed would be happening right now, yearned for all that could have been.
Weston nodded at the man standing next to Mr. Peralta and our baby was slowly lowered into the gaping maw. She reached the bottom, and a bird landed on the rich brown dirt piled next to the grave. It pecked around, chirping a little song then flew off - as if saying goodbye. My heart squeezed inside my chest.
I picked up a small handful of soft dirt. “Goodbye, Christine,” I whispered, throwing it on top of her casket.
Weston wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close to his side. Why her? Why my baby? Was this supposed to make sense? And, if so, to whom?
We drove home in silence. No words existed to express my grief.
BUY LINKS
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Learn more about Patricia Yager Delagrange on her website and blog. Stay connected on facebook and Twitter.
7 comments:
What an agonizing scene! The story can only go up from here. Right?
Congratulations. Sounds like a powerful story Patricia. The excerpt certainly pulls at the heart strings.
Susan
I've read this excerpt a couple of times before—it still chokes me up.
I've read this excerpt a couple of times before—it still chokes me up.
Strong and really well crafted, Patti. Have downloaded but not yet read. Best of luck with sales - it deserves to sell really well. Make sure you keep your name out there.
Thank you Joan, Susan, Jane, and Vonnie for commenting on this blog. I appreciate that you took the time to read it.
What a great post! Enjoyed hearing about your inspiration, and as always, about your books. I see First Frost been getting lots of lovely reviews, too.
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