Blurb:
She wanted to make a withdrawal from a sperm bank. He would give all he has to make a direct deposit.
Synopsis:
INVESTING IT ALL
Family law attorney Maddie Prescott is driven to succeed. A pawn in her parentsâ messy divorce, she devoted her career to representing children in court, and when her husbandâs early death makes it seem like she canât have it all, sheâs ready to beat the odds by going to a sperm bank. One advantage to single parenthood is that her child will never be a pawn. That, and sheâll never have to deal with sarcastic ladiesâ men or liars.
Jack Worth promised to look out for his dying best friendâs wife: a small repayment for someone who once helped an irredeemable bad boy find the path to happiness. So, while Maddie Prescottâs baby plans are questionable, duty and loyalty prompt Jack first to volunteer as the sperm donorâ¦and then to propose a marriage of convenience. And the more he gets to know her, the more this onetime player will see that Maddie is the woman of his dreams, and that the child they will make deserves to be from a direct deposit.
Excerpt:
Itâs time to move on, Jack,â she told him. âAnd I think itâs time we stopped these monthly pity parties. We struggle to carry on polite conversation. I choke on every bite of food. You sit there feeling sorry for me. Iâve made some decisions in the last few weeks that will move my life in a new direction. I only hope youâre able to do the same.â
âIs that what the sperm canister is all about?â
Water spewed everywhere.
âHow...â Her cheeks burned from embarrassment.
âThe letter behind your phone. You arenât seriously considering going to a sperm bank are you?â
Maddie pushed away from the table and picked up her plate, heading toward the kitchen. âAnd if I am, what makes it your business?â Chagrin replaced the previous awkwardness.
Jack followed, juggling his plate in one hand as he nudged open the door to the kitchen with his elbow.
âWhat the hell are you thinking? Youâre going to get yourself knocked up by some total stranger so you can play Mommy?â He took her plate and scraped it into the sink.
âNo one is knocking me up as you so charmingly put it.â She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. âThe procedure is done in an office by a doctor andââ
âI know how the hell itâs done.â
âOh? I wasnât aware The Playboy Channel televised medical documentaries.â
âI watch The Learning Channel, too. Surprised?â He loaded the dishwasher while she looked on in amazement. âWhat? Iâm housebroken. Iâm not Emeril, but I cook a mean meatloaf and mashed potatoes.â He squirted dish gel in the dispenser. âFrom scratch,â he added.
âQuite honestly, nothing about you would surprise me, Jack. What did surprise me was my husband being in business with you. You were as different as⦠asâ¦â
âChampagne and beer?â he suggested as he rinsed the sink. âCaviar and hot dogs? You and me?â
âYou got that right.â Maddie lifted her chin defiantly.
Author Bio:
In 2001, Marilyn discovered Romance novels quite by accident, which led to a renewed interest in writing. She started out by writing fanfiction about Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Superman, which developed into a desire to write about her own characters. Sheâs had over forty short stories published in the confessions and Romance magazines.
Also, she has taught a class in how to effectively write for this genre and worked as a researcher and copy editor for several Romance authors. All this combined to give her a great love of the Romance genre and helped develop a multitude of friendships in the Romance community.
Sheâs a member of Romance Writers ofAmerica, as well as her local chapter, Heart of Dixie. In addition to reading, Marilyn loves to knit (as long as itâs only a scarf), cook (in the crockpot), garden (in a couple of pots on her patio), and her motto is âHave passport, will travel.â Sheâd love to add to the list of 32 states and 21 foreign countries sheâs already visited.
After raising two great sons, she loves to spoil... er... dote on her two granddaughters.
Media Links:
Website: www.marilynbaxter.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marilyn.baxter.372
Twitter: twitter.com/marilyn_baxter
FIVE STAR REVIEW
This was such a sweet romance. Maddie Prescott is a successful lawyer and is trying to move on with her life after the death of her husband Alex. Maddie would like to have a child and begins to look into the possibility of making that dream come true. Jack Worth is Alexâs friend and made a promise to him that Jack would take care of Maddie. Jack tries to discourage Maddie from the idea of children but eventually volunteers to be her sperm donor. Only Jack wants to do this the old fashioned way. Even offering to marry Maddie to help her achieve her goal and to keep his promise to Alex. They both agree to this arrangement but eventually their hearts get involved and they both struggle with guilt over Alex and being honest with each other over their feelings. I loved this story and thought it was just the sweetest romance I have read.