Title: Take It All
Author: Emma Grayson
Expected Release Date: August 4, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Judy Garland said it best, ‘For it was not
into my ear you whispered but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed but
my soul.’
If you asked her why she loved him, she
would only be able to tell you it was because he was who he was and well, she
was who she was.
Plain and simple.
All her life Lennox Ward felt incomplete.
That her heart was always searching for that one special thing; that special
someone she had yet to find.
Then Caleb Kingston came strolling back into her life unexpectedly, and little did she
know her world was about to come crashing down around her; forever shattering
it.
Is love enough to conquer all?
Will she be able to lead them out of hell
and off their path of self destruction?
Or will Caleb take it all?
*** This story is based on true, real life events ***
Chapter
One
He bent over and softly placed his lips
on the tip of her nose, just as he had done for as long as she could remember.
“I’ll be back,” he whispered quietly, hesitating before finally pulling away.
Their eyes met, and she knew, she could
see the familiar distance in them just as she saw only a couple months before.
But this time was going to be different. Unlike the last time, she wouldn’t
know where to go or what to do. She wouldn’t be able to search for him and take
him by the hand, and guide him away.
His eyes slowly moved from hers as he
turned and walked towards the door, only to stop a moment, lingering in the
doorway like he was second guessing his decision. She slowly sat up, hoping his
mind had changed, but her hope quickly vanished as he continued out the door
and into the hall.
She watched him through her window,
walking down the brightly lit hall, knowing it would be the last time she ever
saw him. That it would be the last time she’d hear his voice, the last time his
fresh, yet smoky, scent filled her nose. She knew it would be the last time
she’d feel her body come to life, ignited like a flame, from the touch of his
lips on hers while the warmth of his breath delicately canvassed her body.
He didn’t have to say it; she could sense
it, just like she’d done before. Only this time, the gut twisting feeling she
got when he spoke, told her what he couldn’t say, and the unspoken words in his
eyes. His azure colored eyes that still had a way of making her knees weak and
heart slam against her chest, all the while small sparks of electricity soared
through her body, all with a single simple look.
Lennox sat there in her room. Dazed, as
the numbness slowly crept up and through her body, into her heart and soul, as
the voice in her head spoke in loud volumes, telling her over and over, the
things she didn’t want to believe. Her eyes, still fixated on his back,
watching as he became further and further away; almost out of sight.
She swallowed, trying to rid the dryness
that made it hard to breathe. Her mouth finally unfroze and her lips parted.
“Caleb,” she spoke quietly, meaning for it to sound louder, so he could hear
the gut wrenching pain that filled her normally soft voice, and he’d come back
to her. But all that sounded was a whisper ending with a small sob.
He was her all, he’d always be her all,
and she knew it the day he unexpectedly walked back into her life. That moment,
when their eyes met, she knew they were made for one another, that they were
meant to be. They were each other’s missing piece and he found her, in all his
gorgeous gratifying glory, grabbing her by the hand, and her entire heart and
soul.
Together
Lennox and Caleb went places. Places she never, in her life, thought she’d ever
go. The things she saw and witnessed are of things no one should have to see or
speak of again, because once was enough. His path took them on a journey
through hell, right to the burning pit, where, when given the chance to leave,
she stayed and fought for him, and a way back.
She
did things along the way that she’s not proud of. Things she’ll never be able
to forgive herself for, unthinkable things that changed her demeanour and
relationships with the people in her life. Lennox, being the typical girl next
door, would never, in a million years, do what she did but when it came to
Caleb, she’d do anything.
Through
it all Lennox lost a lot along the way, important things. But at the time
nothing was more important than Caleb and her being together. They learned once
that not being together was more toxic then actually being together. So, in her
mind, there wasn’t a doubt, or voice, telling her she made the wrong choice five
months earlier, when he walked through the doors of Fizzy Wigs; a local cafe in
Spruce Hill.
The
scary part was, after knowing everything and going through all they went
through, Lennox, given the chance to do so, would go back and do it all over;
not changing a damn thing.
She
continued to watch him walk away, rounding the corner, and disappearing from
her sight without a glance back. The breath she didn’t know she’d been holding
rushed out, as if someone came up to her, and punched her in the stomach. It
was then she realized it hadn’t been enough, none of it was.
And
even more heartbreakingly so, neither was she.
At
that moment realization hit, and she was on her way back to hell, only this
time she was going alone, and the battle out was a far bigger challenge then
the last.
With
her eyes still on the last place she saw him, silently wishing him to come
back, a man in a white coat obstructed her view. Blinking, she looked up at
him, his face unreadable as he looked down at the clipboard in his somewhat
feminine hands. When he finished flipping through the white sheets of paper,
his eyes lifted and met hers.
He
witnessed, through her eyes, her world crumble and shatter around her, leaving
nothing but an empty, hollow shell in its place.
“Ms Ward....” he said carefully, making note
of how delicate and fragile she looked.
Lennox
sat there looking at nothing but dead air and the small dust particles as they
fluttered around, the room was silent, and she didn’t even hear when the man
spoke. It was as if someone had muted real life.
Her
mind was on only one thing.
Caleb.
When
he left her there in her room, he knew he wasn’t leaving alone, that he was
taking her with him, maybe not physically, but in every other way possible. It
was more than a piece of her he took, it was more than a part of her, it was
every piece.
Every.
Single. Fucking. Piece.
And
she let him.
“Ms
Ward, did you hear what I just said?” the man’s comforting voice echoed through
the room.
Lennox
shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside, as she looked up at him, and
watched his lips move as he repeated the words that not only sent icy waves
through her already numb body, but caused what little was left of her world to
shatter.
And
that’s when it happened, that’s when she began to drown. Drowning in memories,
like a surfer in a wild tidal wave, as the gates opened and everything from the
past five months came flooding back.
Emma Grayson is a Canadian author who
resides outside of Edmonton, Alberta with her family and five year old son.
She is currently working on Take it All,
book one in her new series, Blinded by Love, as well as Unbearable Guilt, book
two in her Breathe Again series.
When she’s not writing she enjoys time with
her son, going to movies, reading, or enjoying Starbucks latte’s with her
girlfriends. She’s the lover of music, television, all things purple, Oilers
hockey and doesn’t leave the house without her iPhone, Kobo, flip flops or a
pack of gum.
When not writing or updating her Into the Night Reviews book blog, you will find Heather curled on the couch reading, surrounded by her children and four dogs. Her cravings for music and books are insatiable. One of her favorite things to do is sing and used to have a dream of becoming a singer. The dream has since changed and is now to become a full time writer. She holds a strong anti-bullying conviction and voices it regularly. This is her second book in the Love Notes series. She resides in Canton, GA with her husband, 3 boys, 4 dogs, 1 cat and 2 ferrets.
