I IM’d my friend Heather at 4am when I know she typically gets up to let her know that I FINISHED! Eden and Andrew have a new story, and I’m very pleased with it. I need to allow my CPs time to read through as much as they can get through and I need to go through it once more to look for typos and points to fine tune before sending it off to my editor, but I love how this story turned out. Well, what I can remember of it as I was up all night. :)

In addition to a lack of sleep and not watching any of the shows I love with CIS, I discovered another side effect of this story. I’m not sure if I was just in “that” place or if it really is the story, but I bawled like a baby several times in this book. I cried so much last night that my allergies/sinuses are now a huge wad of nastiness. LOL

So, while I catch up on other work today and sleep tonight cross your fingers for me that those emotions that messed me up, messes up my test readers too. :)

Now before I go, here’s a taste of why I love Andrew so much:

Andrew stood and looked around. He spotted a little boy no older than two, maybe a small three, coming toward them. Brown, almost black, hair covered his head in a tousled mess.

“Mommy lost.”

Andrew walked to the boy and kneeled down. “I’m Andrew. What’s your name?”

“J-Josiah.” Tears filled his bright blue eyes and streaked down his chubby face. Hiccups shook his chest.

“Well, Josiah.” Andrew offered his hand and smiled. “How about I help you find your mom?”

“’K-kay.”

He wiped Josiah’s tears away and swallowed the chunk of emotion at the thought of what a child of Eden’s might look like. He’d wanted kids with her, but the time had never seemed right. “Can you show me where you saw her last?”

Josiah nodded.

“How about you ride on my shoulders? That way you’ll be up high and maybe your mom will see you easier.”

The boy swiped at more tears and smiled timidly. “’Kay.”

Andrew led Josiah to Eden. “This is Eden. Let’s have her help you up.”

“’Kay.”

“E?” He grinned at her. “Can you help Josiah on my shoulders? We’re going to go find his mom.”

She sat her papers aside and brushed a tear off Josiah’s cheek. Smiling warmly, the wattage zapping the core of Andrew’s heart, she lifted the boy onto his shoulders. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“Josiah, don’t choke Mr. Andrew.” She moved Josiah’s hands from Andrew’s throat to his forehead. “And stay with your mom when you find her. Hold her hand.”

“Yes, Miss Eden.”

Andrew brushed his thumb across her cheek, wishing he could banish the sadness and concern clouding her azure gaze, and walked away with a heavy heart. If circumstances had been different, Josiah could have been their child. She could have been helping their son onto his shoulders and making sure he wasn’t strangled and telling them to be safe.