Forever: A Lobster Kind Of Love (28 page)

Second Chance
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I rolled to the end of the pier and smashed the champagne bottle against the stern and it exploded into a flume of foam.

“Hey, take it easy on the paint job there, buddy,” Dougie chided.

He pulled ramps that resembled the kind used to roll motorcycles onto truck beds and propped it against the hull. He gave a running start and pushed me up the steep ramps and down the similar ramps on the other side. The ladies joined us on deck as Dougie took his rightful place at the helm.

We sailed out to international waters and had our lunch on deck, bundled in blankets. Dougie recalled countless stories from our fishing days.

Dougie showed me all the renovations he had done to the boat and as the sun began to set, we headed back to port before the temperatures dipped below freezing. I found Lydia on the port side of the boat; she was holding a small marble urn with an angel on top of it.

“Hey Lyds, what are you doing out here with no blanket? You're going to freeze.”

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I need you to help me.”

“Sure baby, what can I do?” She looked down at the urn and handed it to me.

“It’s time, but I can’t get it open.” I read the inscription: “Mason & Braxton, Beloved Husband, Precious Son.”

Their ashes. She wanted me to help
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I gently tapped the urn against the side of the railing to break the seal revealing the plastic liner filled with the ashes of her husband and son. I handed the urn back to Lydia, and she kissed me before removing the bag, ripping it open and spreading the ashes into the ocean waters below.

I hugged her to my side before she climbed into my lap and laid her head on my shoulder. The sun disappeared into the horizon and the moon took its nightly duty.

“Thank you,” she whispered against my shoulder.

“For what?” I asked as I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Everything.”

I sent a silent thank you to Mason for passing the torch and warm contentment filled my heart as I held Lydia in the moonlight.

From both of us:

To our Amazing Betas! Our trusted Betas, we love you and thank you for all your feedback and inspirations along this journey. You have been there since the beginning and cheered us on when we had doubts. For that, we are grateful, as we continued to write, and you guys gave us the extra push to bring you the rest of Ryan and Lydia’s story.

To Shelton Cole of SC Photo AZ- Thank you for the amazing images and taking on our project from across the country. You have become an awesome friend and confidant. We were awed by your work and blessed to have you capture our vision.

To our cover models, Craig Gierish and Jami Watts- We knew it was a different type of book and we were happy you wanted to be a part of this project. We hope you enjoy the story and see parts of yourselves in it. We wanted you guys to be far more than just pretty faces on the cover, but to be proud of the work you represented.

To our cover designers at Ready, Set, Edit- Justin Temporado you are awesome sauce. Even if you don’t like to pick up your phone, the work you produce speaks for itself. So, I enjoy speaking to Wendi Lynn and yes she sends me behind the scenes pictures of you working your magic.

From Jennifer Tocheny:

When you believe, Dreams come true! It is a surreal feeling to me and will be for a long time!

I will be forever grateful to my family and friends for their support and guidance during this amazing journey! Each one of you holds a special spot in my heart!

My husband Chris Tocheny, my rock in life, the man that has always been there no matter what...to love me, to support me, to hold me and keep my crazy ass in line! Chris you are my soulmate! I may not express my love for you as much or as often as

I should, but I fall more in love with you every day! To many years of growing old together!

Oh my baby blessing of a boy, Logan, the most unique, inquisitive, loving and caring boy! It is a privilege to call you my son. You teach me life lessons every day. The biggest one I have learned from you is." No matter what struggle, keep trying, and never give up!" Your daily hugs and kisses mean the world to me; never stop giving them to me! Most of all hearing you say, " I love you Mom!" Logan you are my baby boy forever. Never stop fighting, just be you!

There are not enough words to write will be a good enough to say “Thank You” to my partner in crime, Jody Pardo, to the woman who didn’t think I was crazy when approached her with this idea! You have guided me through this entire journey and our baby was born! We will be bonded forever as family and an everlasting sisterhood!

From Jody Pardo:

Each one of our Betas holds a special place in my heart. Some I have known forever and some only a short time, some I have only met via the internet, but each one of you is special.

Theresa, we have known each other since high school and through thick and thin, good times and bad, you have been there. I’m so happy we have stayed in touch and you are here to share one more joy with me.

Nicole, you are truly the poster child for internet friends that become real time friends. We met completely out of the realm of the book world, but God puts people in our paths for a reason and I am glad you are in mine.

Adrienne and Sandra- my partners in crime, we are bonded and tattooed as sisters forever. I love you girls!

Carla and Tiffany- my Alpha sisters turned Beta girls. Thank you for not only supporting me in fitness, but in life as well.

Jill- I can’t wait to tackle hug you! You have been my rock, keeping our blog going, giving Jenn and I space to write and taking over the reins. You stepped in and have been a blessing!

Cassandra- It’s been a fun ride and you make me smile every day with your posts and inspirational images. Enough said about that.

Shelton- We aren’t done yet, this is just the beginning. Thank you for taking a chance. You have become a great friend and I couldn’t imagine what the path would have been without you by my side. One to the next one, we got this!

Craig- When we met in Phoenix for the first time, I knew it was special. Your drive and charisma are an inspiration. I love bouncing ideas off you and you rebutting with a new challenge. You continue to push me to my goals in both life and in business. Thank you for being our “Ryan” and embracing this story. We hope it is an inspiration for people facing challenges and disabilities. Rise to Alpha is not just a name it’s a movement.

Jami- Thank you for being our Lydia. We hope to have done her justice and put a little of your spunk in her character. Keep smiling, your happy ending is coming soon.

To our awesome editor, Rebecca- Thank you for your wicked editing skills. You make me laugh at your commentary (and nervous in your silence) and we thank you for cleaning up our book and making it beautiful.

To my beautiful daughter Ariel- You are my life and my inspiration every day. You, above all, have had to deal with my crazy travel schedule, long late nights of writing, hushing you because I just needed to keep writing and missing me all the time, even when I was in the next room. I love you forever and always. Everything I do is for you.

To Julie Morgan- I love you woman. Being part of your street team has meant the world to me. You truly embrace your minions and have become a dear friend. You have pushed me, cheered me on, sprinted with me, and helped me in more ways than I can count. I am blessed to have you in my life. Not many people rise to the occasion or give back, but you do, every time, every day and embody the heart of the Indie Community. Never stop being awesome!

Last but certainly not least, my dear friend, my co-author, my sister in arms, Jennifer- Our paths crossed in a most unconventional manner, but something just clicked. Even before we actually met, we were bonded. You have a beautiful soul and I am glad you are a part of my life. You thought I would laugh and call you crazy when you brought this idea to me, but look at us now…we did it! On to Book Two…get writing woman! #familybychoice #wesharethesamecrazy

Jody was born and raised in New York City and is an only child of an English professor. After 9/11/2001 and a line of duty injury, she left her role as an EMT with FDNY-EMS for a quieter life. She pursued Bachelor's degrees in Molecular Biosciences and English. Her love of books and introduction to the Indie book world led to many wonderful friendships, including Jennifer Tocheny, and the drive to write and publish was ignited. Jody loves to travel and meet new people and has lived in four states and has visited 48 out of 50 US states.

Still a resident of New York City, Jody is an Executive Assistant at a design firm and is a single mom to her daughter Ariel Elizabeth and her two cats, Bullet and Oreo.

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Jennifer is a resident of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where this book originates, and works full time as a home care nurse. Jennifer has been a LPN since 1998. She has always been an avid reader and enjoys book signings, flea markets, going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, and road trips. When this crazy idea was born one Saturday afternoon, Jenn switched gears from reader to writer.

Jenn has been married for 11 years to Chris Tocheny and they have a 6-year-old son, Logan who loves moose.

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