Laura Murchison:
When I fell in love with Max, I knew what I was getting. He was straightforward, honest, and passionate about everything. Despite his good points, he was a hard man to pin down on the subject of commitment, though I knew he loved me. He simply didn’t see the need to talk about forever, or at least that’s what he said. I thought I was fine with that, but the more time we spent together, the more I wanted the fairy tale. You know, marriage, kids, white picket fence… the whole shebang!
My mother taught me to be kind, and I’ve tried to live up to her teachings. Kindness means considering the other person’s feelings before my own. Always do the right thing. Avoid anything that may cause harm to someone else. Max never wanted anything for the long haul. So, when he told me he was taking a job with his brother… a job that required travel across the country for months at a time, I let him go. I gave up my own dreams so he could pursue his.
After he left and I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to tell him. But I knew if I did, he’d come back to live a life he didn’t want. Be a man he didn’t want to be. I couldn’t do that to him, so I said nothing. I was being kind.
Max Kershaw:
Laura meant everything to me, but I was only kidding myself. I knew one day she’d realize I wasn’t good enough for her. She lived by a code, and her kindness wouldn’t allow her to tell me what we both knew: she was out of my league.
Because my childhood was filled with loss, I’ve never been able to bring myself to look past the moment. If I could, I’d lay the world at her feet, but I knew I couldn’t do that until I could prove my worth. I thought going to work for my brother’s nonprofit would get me there. The organization was born out of our grief, and I’d hoped it would make me the man she deserved.
I knew she’d lived her own life while I was out trying to find mine. Things wouldn’t, no couldn’t, be the same as before. But if I could convince her to let me explain, I’d have a chance.
But now I’m staring at the face of the little boy who looks just like me, and I didn’t know he existed before today., I think maybe we both have some explaining to do.
*You first met Max and Laura in Juke Move (part of the Gridiron Love series.) Find out what happened after the big game!
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Virtue—sincere, wholesome living as the remedy and atonement for sin. Vice—freedom to lose all your inhibitions and give in to your wildest desires. Two sides of the same wicked coin.
Some of your favorite romance authors have come together to treat you to a steamy selection of carnal temptations. Whether you’re steeped in sin or pervaded in purity… fall victim to the Vices & Virtues.
