Kia Ora....

The past week has been an interesting one.

First there was the release of Runway Riot (House of Bolton 4) under my MJ Green pen name... then my youngest daughter attended her final prizegiving and walked with an award for all-around excellence in Science... then there was sorting out stressful banking things that involved phones - which was even more stressful - plus getting my middle daughter ready to shift out (today)... and then my son came down with a case of Chickenpox...

Fingers crossed this coming will be less...eventful.

Updates

MJ Green

• Until Death (House of Bolton Prequel) is currently sitting at 20k words which should've placed it over the halfway mark...except the characters, Gio and Albie, have decided a novella won't be long enough to tell their story.

Mandy Greenwood

• O Deadly Night: Charity Anthology releases in 10 DAYS!! You can pre-order it now for the special price of $3.99
• I have finalised the print covers for The Moutrams books 1-3 and I will try to find time this week to hit publish on them.
• I should have the epub for Welcome to Greertown sorted by the next newsletter as well!

Naomi Aoki

• Nothing new to update for this pen name, focusing on promoting the series' currently written.

Don't forget you can also keep up to date with everything I'm working on by following me on my socials. You can find the links here.

Bookfunnel Promotions - November

• All Flavors of MM Romance - Sales Promo
• Celebrating Bi/Pan Main Characters - Sales Promo
• Friends/Enemies to Lovers - Sales Promo

O Deadly Night Giveaway

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Runway Riot (House of Bolton 4)

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Running For Home (Switch Hitters 1)

Chapter Two

Hunter stared at his friend, speechless. He didn’t recognise this man who wore a defeated expression like it was an old familiar coat, or the air of resignation that slipped from him with every exhale. Mike had always been the confident one in their friendship, always racing ahead and never letting the critical words of the media drag him down. And there’d been plenty of those, critics that was, in the early years of his career. Plucked straight out of high school and starting in his first game for the Switch Hitters as a relief catcher before he’d even walked the stage at graduation had annoyed a lot of people. The media had been only too happy to pick every game he played to pieces, looking for any fault they could find that would prove Mike had been too young for the role.

Except Mike hadn’t faltered, hadn’t collapsed under the pressure of the professional game, and instead had thrived… right up until he hadn’t.

Hell, Mike hadn’t even paused to think whether pursuing his best friend’s younger brother had been a smart idea…especially with all the media attention he garnered. But at the time, Hunter had had no issues with it, supported them even when they’d announced publicly that they were dating…and had been ecstatic when Mike had proposed two years later when Jordan finally nabbed a contract with the Switch Hitters as their starting pitcher.

And the media had loved them.

Darlings of the press and poster boys for inclusivity within the league.

Their love had been so…perfect, for want of a better word. It was why Hunter struggled to understand why Mike had turned his back on their marriage and dismissed Jordan’s feelings without an ounce of guilt.

Why couldn’t his friend see that everyone who cared for him, who’d worried about him when he’d disappeared, valued him for more than his prowess in baseball?

Hunter had hoped that bringing Mike here that it might draw out the happier memories of his time in the sport, and his relationship with Jordan. But it wasn’t working. Mike seemed hell bent on burying those moments under the weight of his tabloid-induced self-doubt.

Games weren’t lost because of one bad play but were won because the team was determined to fight for it. Mike needed to remember that there was a team waiting to work with him, support him…and help him win the battle against his inner demons.

This was going to be a tougher battle than he or Jordan had thought. But Hunter wasn’t prepared to let his friend disappear again. Not from the city of Greertown, or into the drunken haze found at the bottom of a bottle.

If Mike wasn’t ready to fight for himself, then Hunter would have to fight for him.

*

“Where’s Mike, Jordan asked as he stepped into the corporate box after the game. “I thought you were bringing him with you, Hunter.”

Hunter winced as the hopeful expression his brother had worn slipped from his face and was once more replaced with one of despair. It was another remainder why he’d gone in search of his best friend and dragged him back to the city from which he’d fled. Mike wasn’t the only one who’d suffered over the past two years.

“I did…but Mike only lasted until the fifth innings when you were subbed out.”

“Where are you going?” Hunter asked, not bothering to prevent Mike from leaving this time as his friend rose from his seat. The fact that his friend had stayed this long was an achievement in of itself, and he wasn’t going to push him any harder. But that didn’t mean Hunter would let him simply disappear without comment either.

“Home. I’ve watched enough.”

“You’re not going to stick around to see Jordan? You know that man you married…my brother,” he sniped. “He wants to see you, Mike… wants to talk.”

“No. I-I can’t,” Mike replied, body trembling as though encountering the man he’d once professed to love ‘till death did they part, would tear him apart. “But you can pass a message on to Jordan for me”—pausing to breathe deep and flex his hands— “tell Jordan he pitched a good game…but that his shoulder looked a bit stiff, and he needs to get it checked out.”

Hunter arched an eyebrow in surprise. He’d not thought Mike had paid all that much attention to the game… and for a man who claimed he wanted a divorce, Mike still appeared to care greatly for Jordan. And that pissed Hunter off.

“So, you do fucking care about my brother… your damn husband!” A bitterness swept through his voice that Hunter couldn’t keep contained. Couldn’t help it either. As much as he wanted to be the supportive, understanding friend…Jordan was his brother, and Hunter had been the one to pick up the pieces when Mike had pulled his disappearing act.

“I never said I didn’t.” Mike shot back before disappearing out the door.”

“Mike said that you pitched a good game…and something about getting your shoulder checked.” Hunter relayed the message, not sure whether to be pleased at the glimmer of hope that had returned to his brother’s eyes. “And that you shouldn’t wait too long before getting it seen to.”

Jordan sighed and rubbed the shoulder of his pitching arm before dropping onto the seat next Hunter. “You look…surprised. Did you not expect Mike to notice something like that? Or was it more that you were surprised that he cared enough to mention it?”

“Do you blame me! He disappeared for two damn years without a fucking word…walked out on your marriage…on our friendship as though we meant nothing to him.” Hunter’s shoulders slumped and he shoved his hands through his hair. “And yeah, I get that it’s not that simple… that he wasn’t in the right frame mind, but fuck, Jordan…the whole time he sat up here Mike looked either five seconds away from bolting again or tossing up his lunch in the nearest rubbish bin.” He took a deep breath. “And then he dropped that bit of information as though it was still his job to damn notice.”

*

Jordan didn’t blame Hunter for feeling frustrated with Mike, he’d felt plenty of it himself over the last two years along with regret, grief, and anger. He missed seeing his husband standing in their kitchen preparing whatever healthy meal the team’s dietician suggested… missed seeing him crouched behind the plate ready to catch his pitches. Hated not knowing where Mike had gone, whether he was safe…or even still alive. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the man whose leaving had almost destroyed him.

And he’d never doubted that Mike still loved him.

His husband was lost in a world where Jordan couldn’t reach him, but that didn’t mean he gave up trying. Mike didn’t need to suffer through the devastation that came with losing his sporting career years to soon, alone.

Hunter huffed out a sigh. “Seriously, though, did no one on the team notice there was an issue with your shoulder?”

“No.” Rubbing at the shoulder of his pitching arm and silently agreeing with his husband’s assessment. Jordan had suspected for weeks that something wasn’t quite right with his shoulder, a stiffness to it that he’d chosen to ignore and with none of the trainers picking up on it…pretending nothing was wrong was easy to do. “They’ve not suggested anything is wrong with my action.” And yet the more Jordan moved his shoulder, the more noticeable the issue became.

“You’ll get it checked then?”

Jordan snorted. “Of course. I don’t plan on being side lined for the season or longer because I willingly chose to ignore an injury.” Though if Mike hadn’t mentioned it, and the trainers had continued not to see it…that’s exactly what Jordan would’ve done. Another reason why he missed Mike’s presence in the bullpen, the bastard was a stickler for making sure none of the pitchers practiced or even played with even the minor of injuries. “I’ll speak to the head coach about it later.”

Hunter shook his head. “You still trust him? After everything that happened, you still trust his word about this?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure if I can.” Hunter leaned forward and clasped his hands tight while turning to stare at his brother. “And Mike’s my best friend.”

“Well, thank heavens then that I’m not you,” Jordan retorted, wincing as he folded his arms over his chest. “But even if you can’t trust his word in a matter like this… you haven’t give up on Mike either. You never stopped searching for him…and I’ll before forever grateful for that, Hunter, because it might have taken you two years, but you’ve brought Mike home.”

His brother shook his head slowly and dismissed the praise with a wave of his hand. “Mike’s family… and we don’t give up on each other. Ever.”

Jordan sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I know that… and deep down under all that doubt and bitterness at his situation, the sense of loss and grief that Mike’s drowning in…he knows that too.”

********

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