New Release & Excerpt – The Accidental Sisterhood by Julie Edelman
Synopsis
Jules Malone has sworn off love after two failed relationships: one with an abusive fiancé she calls her white knight-mare, and the other with a nice-but-boring ex with whom she co-parents their son, Max. But then one fateful Christmas Eve, Jules meets Sean, a twinkly-eyed charmer with a captivating smile and an unexpected invitation. Despite Jules’s efforts to stay guarded, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him.
As their relationship deepens, so does Sean’s unpredictable behavior. He misses Jules’s calls, changes plans abruptly, and hangs up quickly when she enters the room. One night after returning home from a charity meeting, she finds Sean missing and blood everywhere. Panicked, she’s about to call 911 when she hears a phone ringing on her patio. It is Sean’s. By the time she gets to it, the caller has hung up. Multiple texts follow—as does Jules’s journey of shocking discoveries. The first? That she is one of four women sharing full lives with Sean.
But it is the devastating secret these women uncover together that leads to a resolution none of them could ever have imagined… and to the power of sisterhood.
Amazon * B&N * Bookshop
Read for Free via Kindle Unlimited
Excerpt
The Gumball Ring Promise
I decided to take Tess’s advice and test the waters. Sean had just returned from his bike ride. Usually, I would have mimosas waiting. But I didn’t want to have a buzz. I wanted to limit any possibility for him to dickmatize me before I told him what I was thinking.
Sean was taken back by my idea.
“What about us, J? You know I can’t move there. My kids and business are here. We’ll be seeing each other even less then we are now.” He pleaded, “You can’t go, I’ll be lost without you!”
I responded with a coy smile, “You know what they say, hon, absence makes the heart grow fonder and the sex even better!”
I tried to read his face.
Before I could move, he came over to me. He lifted me off the couch and carried me into the bedroom. Once again putting his dickmatism into play and our conversation on hold.
A few days later we were sitting on my deck sipping champagne. Neither of us had mentioned anything about my moving idea since the other night.
Suddenly Sean got up from his chair and got down on one knee.
“J, I have been doing a lot of thinking about your wanting to move and why. I think you should. It would be selfish of me to stop or tell you not to after all you’ve been through with Max and with your health. I’ll talk to my colleagues and see how we can tweak my schedule. You are the love of my life. I will do anything to be with you. Just give me a little time to figure it out.”
“Sean, you saying that means everything to me, but I am…”
Before I could finish my sentence, I noticed that he was holding a small black velvet box in his hand.
“Here open it, J!” he said excitedly.
My heart started pounding.
Inside the box was a small pearl ring. It looked like something you would get from a gumball arcade machine.
“J, with this ring, I promise you that I am forever yours and that someday soon we will get married.”
I kept my head down, pretending to look at the ring as he put it on my finger.
He then kissed me passionately. I kissed him back and said nothing, though my thoughts were talking non-stop. They were asking myself: What did someday soon we’ll get married even mean? Was that before or after he’d make it official? And, Jesus, what a cheap f* ring!”
About the Author
JULIE EDELMAN is the bestselling author of the how-to book, The Accidental Housewife. She is a well-known lifestyle expert and has appeared on The Today Show, The View, Rachael Ray, Fox & Friends, The Doctors, ABC Audio Networks and iHeart Radio. She lives in Florida, close to her son, who is her heart and testament to a blessed life lived fully.
