Cover Photography & Design by Sara Eirew
Catch and Release
Book 2 in The Catch Series
Darby & Trace’s story
Spring 2015 Release
Excerpt (Please note that this is unedited and subject to changes)
PROLOGUE:
I was four years old when I met Trace Chamberlain. If I were to write an autobiography, there would be two sections. The first part, the before, would likely be addressed in one or two chapters.
The second part, the after, could fill an entire library.
Trace is my most important person. My life, my memories, my heart- none of it would be worth anything if I didn’t know him. Everything that I am, and all that I’ll ever be, can be linked directly back to that first moment in my backyard.
The term soul mate is glorified and romanticized. People will tell you that real love should never hurt. That’s not possible, and anyone that thinks that has never loved with every part of themselves. We’re all made up of things that are good and bad. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Some people are good at hiding them. Trace and I—we never hid from one another. The good, the bad, and the horrifically ugly—it’s always been out on display.
Real love is sometimes painful. It isn’t just the highest of the high—it’s also the lowest of the low. It’s being on that bottom rung, holding on with half a finger as you struggle to breathe through the pain. There have been times that I hated the things that Trace did almost as much as I loved him.
Even in those dark moments, a small spark of hope always existed. True love can’t be extinguished. You can ignore or avoid it, but the spark remains. Love is not perfect. How could it be? Perfection doesn’t exist. Even the most beautiful things have a flaw. Deep and abiding love sees the flaw—and continues to love in spite of that. Perhaps the love grows more because of it.
Love is pleasure and pain. You can find yourself going under because the pain is so bad. It’s only when you hit rock bottom that you’re able to launch yourself back up. The feeling, just before you break the surface— right at that moment when you’re sure that you can’t go any farther? If you’re lucky, the hand of the one you love will grasp onto yours and pull you the rest of the way.
That first breath when you break the surface and inhale for the first time changes everything. What seemed so difficult before, is suddenly crystal-clear.
Why?
Because that’s the moment that you know that your love is strong enough to survive. When you’ve gone through hell and your love endures, it’s a gift.
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