 SWIMMING My Way Back to YOU A REELSHORT Original Story Contemporary Romance Featuring: Second Chance Romance Surprise Pregnancy Betrayal Heartbreak and Love Worth Fighting For AMAZON: https://shorturl.at/chzOJ Blurb: It’s time to choose herself for once... too bad fate has other plans. Hazel hoped she’d found her forever with Marcus. Even though their love is a secret, she always held out hope that one day, they'd share something real. But when his ex, Zoe, returns to town, all bets are off. Hazel has no choice but to end things with him, once and for all. As she begins to pick up the pieces of her life, she makes a startling discovery—she's pregnant. What's worse? Marcus reappears with a shocking proposal: marry him in secret. Torn between the man she longs to love and the future she wants for her unborn child and herself, Hazel is swept into a world she neither wanted nor imagined, one where jealousy, betrayal, and scandal reign supreme. Every stolen glance, every confrontation, every heartbreak brings her closer to her truth—and further from the life she once imagined. EXCERPT The day after our first kiss we became friends with benefits, an epic way for things to turn out… or so I thought. When sleeping with him wasn’t enough any longer, I stupidly hoped for more and am still waiting for it. “So, Marcus…” Oscar’s voice sounds from the living room. “Now that Zoe’s coming back— Hold on. Forgot to ask. Is there anyone else in your life? A babe you love?” Fool that I am, I hope for the best and hold my breath as I wait for Marcus’s answer. Marcus takes so long to speak, my lungs burn, wanting air, and my spirits start to sink. Come on, say something… anything… even if it hurts me. I don’t want that, but I’m tired of him playing with my emotions. Someone clears their throat. Marcus? “Don’t you have a lovelife of your own, Oscar? Why are you so interested in mine with Zoe or anyone else?” “I’m not.” Cory jumps in. “I’d like to know. How about you, Dan?” “Sure.” Rafe laughs. “Count me in as one of the curious.” “You’re worse than tween girls.” Marcus belches. “For your information, I’m not in love with anyone. Okay?” I sink to the floor and swallow repeatedly, my face burning, heart pounding. There it is, the truth finally. By keeping me a secret all these years and being casual about things that mattered to me, Marcus was saying without words how he felt. I’m the one at fault for refusing to accept reality. I’ve little choice now except to face what I knew all along. Marcus will never love me. I’ll never be Zoe. Curled in a fetal position on the floor, I tell myself I should at least sleep in Marcus’s bed. I haven’t the strength to walk or crawl that far, nor do I want to smell his scent on the sheets. If I do, I might rationalize what I just heard, telling myself he’ll come to his senses and will love me someday. Sure. He and Zoe will likely have a houseful of kids before that point. I’ll have to wait for her funeral, when she’s in her nineties, before Marcus gives me his undivided attention. But never his love. He’s stingy with that like his parents are when it comes to their tenderness for him. I’m simply experiencing the fallout from his upbringing, even though Zoe doesn’t. With her, I bet he’s attentive, loving, and doesn’t forget anything she says or does, her likes and dislikes the script he lives by. Lucky her. Stupid me. To hell with them both. I’m done.   About Tina:
Tina’s an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – ‘heat with heart’ – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction. On a less serious note: she’s an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, brakes for Mexican restaurants, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally while wolfing down tostadas. She’s flown a single-engine airplane (freaking scary), rewired an old house using an ‘electricity for dummies’ book, and is horribly shy despite the hot romances she writes. MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/tinadonahue Bluesky: @tinadonauthor.bsky.social Website/Blog: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/ Newsletter: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/p/newsletter.html BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-donahue Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/146988.Tina_Donahue Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/tinadonahue Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/1ChWFkO Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas: https://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/ Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/AuthorTinaDonahue
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