Welcome to the book blitz for TRUST ME, the first book in the adult contemporary romance series, Manhattan Marriage, by Candace Hutton. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
TRUST ME (Manhattan Marriage Series #1) by Candace Hutton
About the Book
Title: TRUST ME
Series: Manhattan Marriage Series #1
Author: Candace Hutton
Release Date: January 22, 2021
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR
Synopsis
Brooke Anderson never pictured herself as a divorcee at twenty-eight. But when she mentions getting a post-nup to her husband Garrett after one deliciously sex-filled year, he promptly serves her with divorce papers. Admittedly, she could’ve told him about how her father left her and her mother homeless when she was young, and how she’s never been wired to trust anyone. Especially those closest to her. Now, all she wants to do is avoid anywhere he might be so she won’t have to face him again.
But she’s not the only one who can’t seem to trust.
Garrett Call grew up with parents who married for money and wants no part of a life that puts material possessions above love. He reinvented himself in college, complete with a new last name so he couldn’t be tied to his family’s lucrative business. He never even told Brooke the truth. Admittedly, he could’ve handled the issue of a post-nup better with his ex-wife. Maybe he didn’t count on how much he was going to miss having her in his life.
When their best friends’ wedding forces the exes to see each other again, a dangerous man from Garrett’s world threatens Brooke’s life. And they realize the only way to save themselves is to finally learn to trust each other.
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Excerpt
Brooke Anderson was one hundred percent completely over her ex-husband. She didn’t even care that he was updating his social media sites with #single or that he had some blonde beauty hanging off his arm in a couple of his more recent photos.
She hated that even in her office in the middle of this godforsaken Monday, she was staring at her ex’s social media account.
She didn’t want to think about where they would head after dining at Le Bernardin, or if he would take her to his new apartment and do all the things with her that he used to do with Brooke. Like drinking a glass of wine before bed because it helped her to relax, or ducking his head between her thighs because he liked to see her come first.
No. She wouldn’t go there. The first rule of singledom was to not think about your ex. Or his fingers. Or his tongue. Or how good his stubble felt on smooth skin.
Brooke crossed her legs in the hopes of relieving the ache between them. She had done the right thing. Her year-long marriage to Garrett had been nice. Sexy. But a divorce was the right idea. Even if it hadn’t been her idea.
She could admit that she’d panicked. When her co-worker, who was on the fast track to becoming partner at the firm, was fired suddenly and with no warning, Brooke realized the same thing could happen to her.
She and Garrett were both fiercely independent, and the thought of losing that, having to depend on someone else… She couldn’t do it. And worse, what if Garrett didn’t want to take care of her while she searched for another job? He would leave her, just like her father had left her and her mother when finances got too bad.
To her, a post-nup seemed like the perfect solution. That way, if she lost her job, Garrett would still feel financially secure and wouldn’t feel like he had to help her out. Money didn’t have to be an issue between them.
Unfortunately, Garrett hadn’t agreed.
The minute she had brought up signing a post-nup, Garrett had balked. He’d walked right out of their Manhattan apartment and reappeared hours later to tell her they should get a divorce right then because there was no way in hell he would ever sign a post-nup, not for anyone. Post-nups were for people who weren’t really in love, and if she felt that way, they should end it.
It was the first time Brooke could remember seeing literal red. It still stung to think he’d said it, that he thought she didn’t love him just because she wanted to make a smart financial decision. She would’ve talked with him about it if he’d let her, but he was so arrogant and cold about it all. So opposite from how he normally was.
And yeah, maybe she could’ve relinquished a bit of her pride, but it still wouldn’t have fixed it. She was on track to start making seven figures a year by the end of the year, and she didn’t want to end up like her mother: abandoned by her husband and raising a child on welfare.
Maybe she’d never told any of that to Garrett, but it shouldn’t matter. He should be willing to bend a little. If he really loved her, wouldn’t he have signed it? She knew she should’ve asked about a pre-nup before they were actually married. Though, their wedding hadn’t exactly been orthodox. They’d been in Atlantic City for the weekend with their friends Chad and Noah, and Garrett had just asked her. She could still remember the sea breeze whipping her hair back as she looked down at him on one knee. The Boardwalk had been the perfect place to propose. Intoxicated by the sights and the way Garrett made her feel, she’d said yes.
They’d gotten married in a small chapel an hour later.
It wasn’t fair to bring up a post-nup after a year of marriage, and she’d thought she could handle it, but it had grown to the point where she was having trouble sleeping at night, imagining what would happen if Garrett suddenly decided he wanted a divorce and she had no legal paperwork to protect her.
And what if they’d had children? What if he walked out and she couldn’t take care of them? She couldn’t bear the thought of being homeless again, especially with a child. The whole experience had reopened her eyes. She’d been foolish to get married in the first place. She would rather be alone than end up like her mom, always forgiving a man who did nothing but take.
Brooke sighed and leaned forward in her desk chair, allowing the afternoon sun streaming through the window to slant across the back of her neck, warming the skin there. She needed to get her mind off Garrett, needed to stop wondering what he was doing and who he was doing it with.
Keeping her gaze averted from her computer screen, she pulled a stack of files closer. Her job at Whitman and Lyon was standard for a lawyer, but her favorite part about it was making sure newly-single moms like her own nailed their husbands for alimony and child support. Not that she didn’t do it for newly-single dads too. If someone was trying to wheedle out of paying to help their kid grow up in a safe environment, she’d take care of it, no matter the gender of the good parent.
Her phone dinged with a new text message, but she ignored it. It had been ten days since the divorce was finalized, and she still hadn’t been able to bring herself to change the background photo on her phone—a picture of her and Garrett wrapped in each other’s arms. Every time she looked at it, she got a sick feeling in her stomach and heart. Just because a divorce had been the right move didn’t mean she wanted to do it. A knock sounded on her open door, and then Kai Goodman leaned into her office, flashing a dimpled smile.
“Hey,” Brooke said, closing her current file. “What’s up?”
“I made a coffee run and they had your favorite out.”
Brooke’s heart lifted. Kai was new in the office, working as a paralegal. He’d only been there about three weeks and already knew her favorite coffee—white chocolate mocha with chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream.
“They tried to use rainbow sprinkles, and I wouldn’t let them,” Kai said, moving into her office to set the cup on her desk.
She laughed and wrapped her hand around the warm cup, not caring that it was July and still way too hot for this drink. “Thanks. I need this.”
“Everything okay?” he asked, taking a sip from his own cup. A cell phone number was scrawled on the side. Most likely the barista’s.
She smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Is this about the wedding?” Kai asked, perching on the edge of the chair in front of her desk.
“Wedding?” Yeah, Noah and Chad’s wedding was the coming weekend, but she didn’t realize her going was the subject of office water cooler talk.
“Yeah. Giselle mentioned you were worried about going because your ex would be there.”
“Oh for god’s sake. Is that all anyone around here can talk about?” Her coworkers knew Noah because he was there frequently. They’d met when she’d gotten a case of a young father who was trying to win custody of his six-year-old son after finding out his wife had been abusing their child. Noah was the boy’s therapist at the time, and she’d called him as a witness.
Kai flashed his dimples again. “For the record, I think they’re just jealous. Noah has a lot of friends here, apparently, and you’re the only one from the office they invited.” She didn’t really think that was it since her coworkers really loved to gossip, but he was trying to make her feel better, and that was sweet.
“I guess,” she finally said, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. “It’s just… This is the first time I’ll see him since we signed the divorce papers. I just know he’s going to look amazing and have some model hanging off his arm.”
“You could do the same,” Kai said with a shrug. “Get yourself a hot date and show him up. I guarantee you, you will be sexier than any other woman he could possibly bring.” The blush spread a little more on her face. It was pretty inappropriate workplace talk, but she was comfortable. And he was now slouched back in the chair and sipping from his coffee like he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I don’t know. I haven’t dated in so long.”
“Neither has your husband,” Kai pointed out. Then he frowned. “Unless he has been, and that’s the reason for your divorce.”
“Oh, no. No, Garrett wasn’t like that.” She never once worried that Garrett was seeing another woman.
“Then what’s the problem? It’s not like it’d have to be a real date or anything. You just need someone to go with you to a wedding.” He turned the cup around and studied the barista’s phone number. “I don’t want to sound forward when I say this, but I’d go with you.”
Brooke looked up at him, surprise flooding through her. Kai had flirted with her a bit, but nothing too overt. She liked the attention but didn’t think he’d ever ask her out for real. He was shyer than Garrett and she knew Kai had been on at least three dates since he’d started working at the office because he’d told her about them.
“As friends,” he quickly amended when he caught her watching him. “I just know you’re probably not ready to jump into the dating pool, and we’re friends, so why not?” She turned the thought over in her mind. She liked Kai. He was thoughtful and strong, and he was gorgeous in a boy-next-door kind of way with his square glasses and curly hair. It would be nice not to go to the wedding alone. It’d be even nicer if she showed up with a hot date in front of Garrett.
“Are you sure?” she asked Kai. “I don’t want to ruin any plans you had for the weekend.” He waved his free hand. “I don’t consider spending time with you as ‘ruined plans.’ What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“Oh, the courthouse they’re getting married at is only a block up from my apartment. I’m just going to walk there.” She wasn’t really looking forward to that trek in heels. Maybe she’d do the old flats-first, heels-later thing.
Kai grinned. “Then I’ll go to your place and walk there with you.”
“Okay.” She gave him her address and he tucked the slip of paper into the front of his shirt pocket.
“I’ll be the one in the suit,” he said with a wink.
“I appreciate you doing this,” she said. It had been so long since she’d gone on a date with someone other than Garrett, she’d almost forgotten how to act about it. “No appreciation needed. Going as friends, but it’s never a burden to spend a day with a beautiful woman.” He stood and shifted the coffee cup to his other hand. “I’ll see you Saturday.” She gave him one more smile, then watched his form retreat down the hall. She wanted to feel attracted to someone else, anyone that wasn’t Garrett, but it just wasn’t coming. Kai was nice and smart and knew his way around a law book, but he wasn’t Garrett. He never would be. And she really hated how much she wished it was her ex taking her to the wedding instead.
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About the Author
Candace Hutton was born and raised on books. She spent a great deal of her teenage years in libraries and bookstores and still tries to sneak off to them as often as possible. Some of her other favorite things are coffee, puppies, and the smell of rain. You can connect with her on Twitter @authorcandace
Where to Find Candace Hutton
Goodreads | Twitter
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Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway