"We'll be fine. Seriously." Abby tried not to sound exasperated, but she couldn't stand it when people hovered."You're sure?" Megan pressed.Caleb stood behind Megan. After Abby had arrived at her apartment, she hadn't been home longer than a few hours when Megan had come knocking. "Mark called us," she'd explained. "He wanted you to stay with me and Caleb for now just to be safe."Although the last thing Abby had wanted was to be around other people—and especially Mark's brother—she'd agreed because it was a wise thing to do. Megan had assured her that she'd come by to see to the cats while Abby was at work.Now, though, Caleb and Megan were about to skip out on their date because of her."My mom will be here, and you're just a phone call away," Abby assured them. She started to push them out the door.This made Megan laugh. "Fine! Fine! We'll leave you alone.""I'll have my radio with me," Caleb said. "And you have Gonzalez's number, right?"Officer Gonzalez was Caleb's boss
After finishing her shift for the day, Abby had stopped by her place to feed Darcy and Wentworth before driving to Mark's. Her heart-to-heart with Fiona had shown her that she couldn't let Mark run from her.If he truly loved her—which she hoped and prayed was true—then why should things end like this?Her phone rang as she drove, and she didn't even look at the caller ID when she answered. "Hello?""Abby?"Her breath caught when she heard the voice—not Mark, like she'd hoped.It was Derek.She was about to disconnect the call when Derek said, "If you hang up, your boyfriend is going to pay for it."She gritted her teeth. "You have a lot of nerve to call me when you know I have a restraining order against you. What the hell do you want?""I don't want anything. I mean, I do, but I wanted you to know that I'm here." He let out a nervous laugh, and Abby heard some kind rustling."What are you doing, Derek?" she said very slowly. "Is this worth getting yourself arrested? Put in j
Mark heard shouting, but it was from far away. A searing heat ripped into his shoulder, making him gasp and swear. He couldn't see from the smoke, and his lungs struggled for breath.Abby lay under him, unconscious, and he knew he had to get them out of this damn barn before it was too late.He tried to push away the beam that had fallen on his left shoulder. Groaning with the effort, he didn't want to touch it with his hands and injure them as well. But the combination of smoke inhalation and his own weak left arm rendered him useless."Abby," he muttered, eyes streaming. "Abby, don't leave me. Baby, wake up."She groaned, but otherwise she didn't stir.Mark heaved with all of his might, his body screaming in pain everywhere. The beam finally shifted. Yet it wasn't enough to free them.They were going to die here because he couldn't muster the strength to save the woman he loved."Abby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm an idiot." He didn't know if his eyes were streamin
Seven months later...Abby sneaked out of the room containing the bride and bridesmaids, hoping to find Mark before the ceremony started. Smoothing her bridesmaid's dress down, she did a little preening when she passed a hallway mirror.Sara had been kind enough to ask her to be in the wedding, and Abby had been more than happy to accept. The extended Thornton clan had embraced Abby, and although Lisa Thornton would always be rather terrifying, she'd accepted Abby in her cool way.The rest of the family had been as lovely as Abby could've imagined, and she'd gotten closer to Sara, Megan, and even Lizzie, who'd remained in Fair Haven after the New Year.Abby knew the groomsmen were hiding away in a room somewhere in the palatial Thornton mansion where the ceremony would be held. After Lisa had agreed to keep her involvement in the wedding to a bare minimum, with Harrison exacting a solemn vow that she wouldn't cause Sara even one second of stress, he and Sara had agreed to hold the
Lizzie grimaced when she saw Terry’s number pop up on her phone. She let his call go to voicemail, and she avoided listening to his message the rest of the afternoon. But when he texted her, she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.Lizzie, it’s Terry. The label called me today. They say if you don’t finish at least onesongwithin three months, they’ll drop you from the label. I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, but my hands are tied.Lizzie sank down onto the couch and sighed. She couldn’t blame Terry—he couldn’t force the label to do anything it didn’t want. She hadn’t put out a new album in two years now, although she’d been touring up until last fall. She’d told herself at first that she was just too busy to write, but now she didn’t have that excuse. She couldn’t write. It was like something had literally blocked the words and the notes.She stared at her guitar sitting against the wall of her living room. It looked almost judgmental right then.W
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.If I Can’t Have You (The Thorntons Book 2)Published by Blue Violet Press LLCSeattle, WashingtonCopyright © 2017 by Iris MorlandCover design by Resplendent MediaAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.