Book Blurb
Sometimes love doesn’t work out the first time or the second.
Now in her third marriage, Angelia is hoping for her happily-ever-after with
former pro-football player Darren Holley. But soon after they move into their
sprawling mini-mansion, Darren’s new job as a high school football coach in a
trophy-hungry Texas town consumes him, leaving Angelia feeling like a single
mother to her two children as well as Darren’s twin diva-daughters. Not to
mention the drama from Darren’s mother, who can’t get over the fact that her
son has married a woman with so much baggage.
When Angelia confides in a few ladies from the local church,
their nice, sweet, holy-wife advice may prove ineffective and too burdensome.
Should Angelia cut her losses and get out before the ink settles on their
marriage certificate, or will she finally learn the true meaning of marriage as
she and Darren attempt to blend two very different backgrounds in the face of
adversity and nosy church folk?
Excerpt
I closed my eyes and
opened them again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I wanted to be sure that this
beautiful 2 story, 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half bath house was really mine.
Darren had told me that he was ready for us to get settled in a house, but
never in a million years did I think it would be like this. I’d seen gated
communities on TV and even joked with Darren about living next door to Tyler
Perry or even owning a home similar to T.I. and Tiny’s. I never expected
Lancing Springs, Texas to have houses this beautiful.
“Angelia, do you like
it?”
“Oh my God, Darren,
are you kidding me? I love it, honey and I love you too.” I ran into his arms
and planted a big kiss on his lips. “I can’t wait to decorate every room.”
“Come on, baby let’s
get unpacked; we can worry about decorating later. Amber, Marcus, come on,
let’s get these boxes in the house.”
I stood there watching Darren unload the
U-Haul truck. I took out my cell phone and decided to take a few selfies with
our new house in the background. I couldn’t wait to for all of my family and
friends to see that I was finally getting it right. After two failed marriages,
I finally understood that the good guy really is the best choice.
The first time
around, I was married to my daughter, Amber’s dad, Javar Norell. Javar and I
were only together for three years. I honestly thought that we would be
together forever, that is, until he started drinking. Javar was a very
spontaneous guy. He loved to hang out, take road trips and loved spoiling me
with gifts, but I never knew how he was able to afford those gifts. I was so
far gone that if Javar told me to jump, I asked how high. My mind was just
gone, but that’s what happens when you’re young and in love.
Javar worked for a
pest control company for a living, but after being with him for about a year I
heard rumors about him being involved with drugs. One night Javar and his
brother, Leo were at a party and the police raided the place and Javar got into
a shootout with officers. He severely injured one and was shot by another. He
survived the gunshot wound, but he might as well have been dead to me, because
he’s serving a life sentence without a chance for parole.
Witnesses said that
Javar was about to surrender when the police started shooting at him. I was
devastated and wanted some answers from the police but wasn’t successful in
getting them. When I gave birth to Amber several months later, I filed for
divorce and moved on with my life.
That was seventeen
years ago. Amber’s a college-bound senior. She’s the quiet, nervous type and
she’s a loner and that’s probably because she was the only child for such a
long time. Needless to say she’s never given me any trouble and she helps me
out a lot with Demarcus.
After Javar came
Marcus or should I say Mr. America. Marcus is good looking, a Tyrese look alike
and he knows it. I’ve never in my life met a man who stayed in the mirror more
than me. Marcus was a great provider and he fulfilled all my needs—and the
needs of every other woman he met too. The funny thing about Marcus is that I
would catch him cheating and he would lie and sweet talk me into staying with
him. The final straw for me was when I found out he had a baby on the way.
There I was all in la la land in love with him and so was Trisha; we were
pregnant at the same time. Our children were born two days apart. My son
Demarcus is eight years old now.
I made up my mind
that I was done with love. I had planned to raise my children and be by myself
until I met Darren. I remember going to Wal-Mart on an ice cream run. I
absolutely love pecan pralines and cream ice cream and was having a serious
craving. I threw on some sweats, a t-shirt and my baseball cap and went to the
store. I went straight to the ice cream aisle and was livid when I realized
they were out of my favorite ice cream. I guess Darren noticed the disgusted
look on my face and it prompted him to come see what was going on.
“Is there something I
can help you with? You seem to be upset?”
“Well unless you work
for Bluebell, ain’t a thing you can do for me.”
I was truly irritated
by him.
“Well you might be in
luck.” Darren reached in his basket and gave me his ice cream, my favorite,
pecan pralines and cream.
I stood there with a
huge smile on my face and I thanked him. He asked me for my number. At first I
was a little hesitant but then thought, Sure … why not. Darren called me that
night and we talked for hours. We even slept on the phone. I was so taken by
him, I loved how we were able to share so much in just one night.
He told me about his
previous marriage and about his twin daughters, Tyler and Skylar. Darren
explained to me that he played professional football for two years but had to
quit following a terrible knee injury. His ex-wife, Marcy was all for their
marriage until he got hurt. Marcy started straying away from him and things
around the house became tense. Darren is a family man so he tried to stay for
the sake of his girls, but eventually the stress of being unhappy became too
much for him to bear.
“I’m not going to
lie,” he admitted, “I could have been a better husband. But we were both in it
for the wrong reasons to begin with, I think. Just young and stupid.”
Of course, I could
relate.
Darren and Marcy
divorced and she and the girls moved to Lancing Springs. Darren threw himself
into working as a supervisor at UPS. It wasn’t the dream job but it’s what paid
the bills while he earned a teaching certificate and coached league football on
the side. Because he’d been made wise investments with his NFL earnings, he was
still in good shape financially. So while he knew that teaching wasn’t the
highest-paying career, the ongoing dividends from short and long-term
investments would always provide a comfortable lifestyle.
Darren and I started
dating and fell in love real quick.
I wasn’t used to
having a good man, so I had to learn to adjust. Darren is truly one of a kind
so when he asked me to be his wife, there was no doubt in my mind that he was
the one. Darren loves the game of football. Football is his life, which is why
we’re here in Lancing Springs. One of Darren’s coaching friends told him about
an opening for the assistant coach position here at the high school. Darren
interviewed for the job and here we are. Although Lancing Springs is different
from my hometown, Dallas, Texas, I’m sure I’ll adjust. I can always go home to
visit; it’s only an hour away.
“Baby, what are you
doing?” Darren interrupted my thoughts.
“I’m just admiring
the house, still can’t believe it’s ours.”
“Well believe it.” He
pulled me close and hugged me tight. “Mrs. Holley, I love you.”
“I love you too, Mr.
Holley. Or should I say Coach Holley?”
“Coach Holley. Babe,
you don’t know how good it feels to be here. This is a dream come true. I’m
finally getting my chance to be a coach.”
“Honey, you deserve it.
You’re going to help take this team to the playoffs.”
“Babe, thanks for
believing in me and standing by my side. Let’s do a little more unpacking and
then we’ll grab a bite to eat.”
“Okay, sounds good;
I’ll go upstairs and check on the kids.” Darren kissed me again and to my
surprise, swatted my behind.
Demarcus cried,
“Ewwww!” from the top of the staircase. He ran out of sight.
“You shouldn’t have
been spying!” I teased my son, though I was quite glad that he could now
witness healthy affection between a man and a woman. I hoped that someday he
would love his wife as much as I believed Darren loved me.
I was enjoying our
moment until the phone rang.
“Baby, I’ll get the
phone, you go check on the kids.”
“Hello,” I
practically sang into the phone.
“Hey Angelia,
sweetheart, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Mother
Holley we’re trying to get settled in.”
Vivian Holley is my
mother-in-law. She is trying to get used to the fact that I stole her baby
boy’s heart and she also has an issue with this being my third marriage. When
Darren and I married I started out calling her mom, but she insisted that I
call her Mother Holley.
“Okay dear, I was
just checking in with you all. I’m so happy for y’all; God is doing some great
things for you and Darren so hopefully you can find a church for your family to
join.”
I try my best to tune
Mother Holley out; every time I talk to her she shoves the church down my
throat. Mother goes to church every other day and is involved in every ministry
they have, from the Usher board to the Sunshine committee. I grew up in church
but that wasn’t my thing.
“Angelia, I think
it’s a great start and exactly what you need so when Darren gets custody of the
girls you’ll all be one big happy saved family.”
“Custody of the
girls!” I yelled before I knew it. My head was about to explode.
“Yes dear, that’s
part of the reason why Darren accepted the job, so that he can get custody of
Tyler and Skylar.”
I felt my blood
boiling.
“Angelia, surely you
didn’t think that you moved into a house that huge just for your kids,” Mother
Holley said with an evil chuckle.
I was starting to
sweat and needed to get off the phone with her before I said something I
couldn’t take back.
“Angelia, are you
still there, dear? Didn’t Darren talk to you about his plans?”
I could just wring
this woman’s neck; she knew good and well that I was clueless about this. I
took a few deep breaths and replied……..
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Authors Biography
Michelle Stimpson
Michelle Stimpson is
the national bestselling author of more than 25 books and 50 short stories. Her
work includes the highly acclaimed Boaz Brown series, the award-winning Mama B
series, and the Dafina title Falling Into Grace, which has been optioned for a
television movie.
CaSandra McLaughlin
CaSandra McLaughlin
is a local gospel radio show host who has enjoyed reading and writing for as
long as anyone can remember. A native of Marshall, TX, CaSandra loves God, her
family, and Mexican food—in that order! A New Beginning is her first book.
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