Title: Still Human (Just Human #2)
Author: Kerry Heavens
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Expected Release: October 2013
Hosted By: Romance Addict Book Blog
Synopsis:
Danny and Liv are back...
Danny loves Liv. He knows he loves her more than she loves him because she ran without a word when she saw their future mapped out before her. He knows he will never love anyone like he loved her and this time he doesn’t think he can move on.
Liv loves Danny. She knows she loves him more than he loves her because he broke her heart in the worst possible way, right when things were falling into place. She knows she will never love anyone like she loves him and this time she doesn’t think she can move on.
They needed a second chance because they just weren’t ready for their first, but when events changed everything between them, they discovered they were just human after all. Now Liv and Danny have to find a way to survive being hurt by each other.
They doubted, they underestimated and they did believe the worst, but only because they were too young the first time and too vulnerable the second time. But now they have changed and if they are not the same, surely things can only turn out differently?
Prologue
Liv
“Please Liv, you
have to eat something,” begs Max.
I tighten the
covers around me. I’m not hungry, but I keep quiet. If I speak, even about
food, he’ll think I’m ready to talk. There’s nothing else to say. I poured it
all out when I got home and there’s nothing left. He stayed with me all night,
held me tight while I cried and now he is fussing around. He wanted to call
everyone to tell them I was safe. But I warned him not to call Danny. I said he
could let Mum know I was okay but that was it. No details and under no
circumstances were any of them to make any contact with Danny either. I can
just imagine Mum and Grace as vigilantes and, while I want him to hurt, he
isn’t worth it.
“I’m going down
to check on things, I’ll bring you something up anyway.” He says quietly. I
don’t respond.
In the silence of
my flat, my ears ring. I hate silence, I always have and without thinking I get
out of bed, wrapping myself in a blanket, and sit in front of the TV. I find a
film on a movie channel I’ve seen before and sit and ignore it. It’s better
than the deafening silence. Now that I’m upright, I ponder what to do next. I
know I have to pull myself together today, Connie is flying home. Ugh! She
won’t let me just wallow, she’ll make me talk. I need to get up, shower and go
to work. Keeping busy is my only option, it'll keep people off my back.
As I adjust the
temperature of the shower, I examine my options. I don't really have any. It's
not like life was going well before I allowed Danny to walk in and screw me
over. I have to just try my hardest to get back to normal as quickly as
possible. I should have trusted my instincts. Danny was just human after all,
hurting me was almost inevitable. Sadly, I knew that but the naive teenager in
me just got sucked in for old time’s sake. I knew this would happen, I was
safer with Mark, at least I could take that on the chin.
Max is waiting
when I come out of the bedroom dressed for work.
“I brought you
some coffee and…” He starts as he turns to me. His face falls as he sees me.
“Liv, you’re not going to work?”
I walk across to
where he is sitting and pick up my coffee. Taking a sip, I smile a tiny smile
and sit beside him.
“What should I do
then?” I ask softly.
“We have it all
covered downstairs. You need to sort your head out.”
“I’m not going to
do that here, trust me. I need the distraction.” I put my hand on his knee.
“Thank you for looking after me, but I have to get back down there before I
drive myself insane.”
He sighs. “Well,
you aren’t going anywhere until you eat something.” He holds up a muffin on a
plate.
I smile sweetly
and dutifully take the muffin. Then, with some physical effort, I force some
down. I may as well start now, Connie will be much harder to deal with.
Satisfied, Max
sits back and seems to relax slightly. I can hear his cogs turning though and I
know he wants to talk. So when he parts his lips to say whatever it is I know I
don’t want to hear, I say “I don’t want to talk about it.” Then, getting to my
feet, I take the coffee and the muffin and go to the door.
“Coming?” I ask
innocently as I head down to the diner.
Danny
Jen places a
coffee on my nightstand and sits on the edge of the bed. “If they know any
more, they’re not saying,” she says softly.
She was just on
the phone with Liv’s sister, trying to get more information. But I know all I
need to know. They found the note last night when they got back; it said she
was going home.
It didn’t say
why, but I know.
She doesn’t love
me.
She found out I
was going to propose and she ran.
Again.
Last night after
the dust settled, Jen found the ring bag screwed up in the trash. I’d left it
out on the counter when I went to go meet Liv at the party and it doesn’t take
a genius to see what happened. Liv came back just after I left, saw the bag, figured
it out, freaked and then packed her things and left.
Scott and Jen
left me alone last night, but only after I insisted. Jen came back first thing
this morning though, to make sure I was okay. She wants me to get up and go
over to Grace’s to find out what they know, but I don’t want to hear it. I
can’t face their pity and I’m too angry to see Connie. This is all her fault.
Liv and I were getting on with our lives quite happily until she interfered.
Now I’m left with that old open wound and I have to start getting over her
again. Except this time, I don’t think I can.
“Danny, come on,
drink your coffee,” Jen urges. Reluctantly, I sit up and take a sip.
“Thanks,” I say
distantly.
“So what are you
going to do now?”
“Nothing,” I tell
her.
She watches me as
I drink, until I can’t take it any longer. I throw the covers off and get up.
“Are you going
over there?” she asks hopefully.
I turn and see
her optimistic face. “No,” I say firmly. “I have unpacking to do.”
“Danny! You can’t
just give up.”
“Why not?” I
scoff. “She has.”
About the Author
Terrible wife
Mediocre mother
Appalling housewife
Fashion graduate
Wedding coordinator
Sex toy salesperson
Shop manager
Designer
Font collector
Romance addict
Fancier of nice men
Ok, fancier of almost all men
Awesome cupcake baker
Incessant singer
Film buff
Friend
Writer
Connect with Kerry
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