Bringing Emma Home
By: Stella MacLean
Becoming a mother means everything to Grace Fellowes. She and her husband, Aidan, are ready to adopt when they learn that Aidan is a father already. A tragic accident has left five-year-old Emma motherless and Grace with the devastating knowledge that her husband had an affair. Her heart and her trust are broken.
Smart, loving and full of life, redheaded Emma is perfectly charming. She’s everything Grace has longed for—and a constant reminder of Aidan’s infidelity. But Emma needs a family and Aidan can’t abandon his daughter. This child could be the best thing that ever happened to her marriage—if Grace can learn to forgive.
“Grace, Emma is my daughter. I can’t abandon her now that her mother is gone.”
“Aidan, you’re not being fair. How long have I waited to have a baby in my life, to share every bit of the experience with you? And now this…this child that will only serve to remind me every single day of my life that my husband has been unfaithful.” Grace balled her hands into fists. “You should have been honest with me.”
Aidan rushed to the side of the bed and knelt in front of her. “I should have. I know that. And I have no other explanation other than my own stupidity, my need to not have you angry at me. But now there is a child in our lives who just lost her mother, and who will be going through a terrible time. I can’t leave her to deal with that without me. I…I can’t.”
His eyes implored her to understand. “I realize that this is a lot for you to accept, but Emma needs me…needs us.”
Dear Reader,
Writing to you at this moment in time is both pleasant and sad. As some of you may know, the Harlequin Superromance line will be ending June 2018. Working for Harlequin has been a dream come true for me. It’s been a wonderful experience to bring my characters to life with the help of the Harlequin editors in Toronto.
As I wrote this book, I was reminded of how easily life can change and how much of our lives are affected by the actions and thoughts of others. This is particularly true for Grace and Aidan Fellowes, deeply in love and happily married until an event outside their day-to-day lives changes everything. This story is not only about a couple’s commitment to their marriage, but also about the importance of empathy. If Aidan and Grace hadn’t been able to empathize with each other, and with Emma, the little girl who entered their lives, the story would have been over before it began. Empathy, whether for your spouse, a friend or a colleague, is the key ingredient needed to strengthen relationships and the first step in acceptance of a situation beyond our control.
It is with fond memories and an open heart that I offer you Bringing Emma Home.
I love to hear from my readers. I can be reached on Twitter, @Stella_MacLean, on Facebook at Facebook.com/StellaMacleanRomanceAuthor or through my website at StellaMaclean.com.
Sincerely,
Stella MacLean
Bringing Emma Home
STELLA MACLEAN
Stella MacLean loves creating contemporary romances in which the characters find love and fulfillment while learning to live in the moment. She draws her story ideas from her life as a wife, mother, grandmother and friend, and from her professional background as a nurse and accountant. Stella loves to travel and spend time with friends, and she is an avid gardener, taking great pleasure from digging in the dirt and watching seeds she has planted add beauty and grace to her gardens.
Books by Stella MacLean
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
Life in Eden Harbor
The Doctor Returns
To Protect Her Son
Sweet on Peggy
Heart of My Heart
Baby in Her Arms
A Child Changes Everything
The Christmas Inn
Unexpected Attraction
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com
for more titles.
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010002
This book is dedicated to those in a marriage who have faced challenges in their relationship and found the courage and determination to work through those challenges to a deeper, more committed relationship. You are the real heroes.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER ONE
GRACE FELLOWES REMEMBERED the exact moment her life changed forever. She’d been sitting in her high-school math class trying to work on a calculus problem when Aidan Fellowes slid into the desk next to her and smiled that smile of his that made her heart lift and turn over in her chest. She remembered feeling light-headed and dizzy, his smile fueling her breathlessness.
