Bringing me dreams, p.1
Bringing Me Dreams, page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Synopsis
Bella Books Social Media
Praise for the works of KG MacGregor
Other Bella Books by KG MacGregor
Author’s Note and Dedication
Content Note
Edgar Allen Poe Quote
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
About The Author
Bella Books
Synopsis
Reeling from her brother’s senseless death, Gianna Del Vecchio finds comfort in an online forum from a woman who suffered a similar loss. Theirs is a club no one wants to join—survivors of a loved one’s suicide. Photos posted to the forum of the woman’s cute therapy dog bring cheer when nothing else can, and Gianna is compelled to reach out to say thanks.
After two years, Keenan McEvoy is still fighting her way back from despair after losing her partner, Annabel. She’s surprised when she connects with Gianna, whose kindness and compassion ignite a spark she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel again.
Their fledgling romance is jeopardized by Jaz, Gianna’s ex-girlfriend and current best friend, who’ll stop at nothing to keep them apart.
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Praise for the works of KG MacGregor
Words Unsaid
This is a fantastic read. The storyline is gripping, well-told and perfectly paced. The main characters, unsurprisingly, are lovely as ever. Anna and Lily have always had this charming appeal, and Words Unsaid really spotlights it. They drive this story and its difficult subject matter home in ways that lesser characters would fail. This is a top-notch story and I highly recommend it. If you haven’t read the other four books in the series, I’d suggest that you do. They are all too good to miss.
-The Lesbian Book Blog
The Lucky Ones
This is a story about love, and not just romantic love. It is about the love of family, friends, and yes, even a love of a community. This is also a tale of hope. For me, this is a feel good story, one that made me feel happy at the end. It is well-written, with a vibrant setting, well-developed characters, both main and secondary, and a story that left me with that feeling of hope.
-B. Harmon, NetGalley
A Proper Cuppa Tea
A Proper Cuppa Tea is a smart and sexy romance featuring two professional women. While their relationship first stutters from the distractions of their lives, when they decide to pursue it, the romance develops in a realistic, charming, erotic, and organic manner. These characters are well rounded and fully depicted. They have careers and responsibilities as well as relationships with other people. The blended plotlines and complications are integral to the potential for Lark and Channing’s future together. MacGregor’s newest romance is a marvelous, entertaining, captivating book as complex and full-bodied as that perfect cup of tea. Put the kettle on to boil, find a cozy chair, and settle in to enjoy A Proper Cuppa Tea.
-Lambda Literary Review
The author did a remarkable job of bringing all of the characters to life for me. I was able to form a vivid image of each delightful character in my mind and I felt as though I could hear the witty banter between Channing and Lark. There wasn’t a lag in the storyline or any unnecessary drama and I am very pleased to admit that the author made me fall in love with the charming English landscape. This story entertained me from the first word and I can’t tell you how many times I had to suppress my laughter while I kept sneaking a read when I was at work. I adore British humor and I tend to fall in love (quite deeply, I must say) with quirky and sarcastic British characters who have a wicked sense of humor. If you love books with picturesque landscapes, feisty women, meddling and well-meaning friends coupled with countless cups of delicious tea, then this story is definitely for you!
-The Lesbian Review
Moment of Weakness
Moment of Weakness… is a romance that doesn’t follow the usual track of a les-fic romance. The author’s use of time in this story keeps the pages turning as the reader learns bit by bit how Zann and Marleigh met, what happened to Zann in Afghanistan, and who they are. I loved the story and the way I learned about Zann and Marleigh’s relationship–not in a straight timeline, but moving backward and forward in time. KG MacGregor’s characters are well developed and have flaws. I love that. I loved the romance. I highly recommend this book to KG MacGregor fans.
-The Lesbian Review
MacGregor has written a story that lulls the reader into thinking it will continue along a certain trajectory, then—wham!—we’re thrust in another direction with a startling revelation we never saw coming. Every scene skillfully moves this tale along, adding to the tension. From desperation to longing, anger to disappointment, unconditional love to fear, all those moods and emotions and more are well portrayed. The superb writing, characters, and well-timed plot twists are skillfully done to make for an entertaining and revelatory story. Moment of Weakness explores the often unexamined tragic aspects of war, the power of true love, and gives the reader a thrill ride that lingers long after the last page has been turned.
-Lambda Literary Review
The Touch of a Woman
What makes this an interesting read beyond the standard plotline are unusual back-histories. The characters are well drawn, complex women, who will resonate with many. And their tender attraction is a reminder that real life isn’t always about the grand passion, but a gentle falling.
-Lesbian Reading Room
Anyone But You
More than a sizzling romance, a well researched and well written eco-thriller… I loved the way the story was written: fast-paced, with great punch lines, a tidy, well thought-out and thought-provoking plot, at times witty, at times dramatic. Dating the archenemy added zest to the romance and both heroines were very believable and easy to like.
-Curve Magazine
Etched in Shadows
Well written, well edited, thoroughly enjoyable read… The loss of memory and feelings she once had gives Ms. MacGregor the opportunity to show a woman before and after a life changing event, and to explore how starting from scratch as an adult might allow us to make different choices… Johnelle and Alice are strong characters, well drawn and developed.
-The Lesbian Reading Room
Other Bella Books by KG MacGregor
Anyone But You
Etched in Shadows
The House on Sandstone
Just This Once
Life After Love
The Lucky Ones
Malicious Pursuit
Moment of Weakness
Mulligan
Out of Love
Photographs of Claudia
Playing with Fuego
A Proper Cuppa Tea
Rhapsody
Sea Legs
Secrets So Deep
Sumter Point
T-Minus Two
The Touch of a Woman
Trial by Fury
Undercover Tales
West of Nowhere
Worth Every Step
Shaken Series
Without Warning
Aftershock
Small Packages
Mother Load
Words Unsaid
Copyright © 2022 by KG MacGregor
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Edition - 2022
Editor: Katherine V. Forrest
Cover Designer: Kayla Mancuso
ISBN: 978-1-64247-406-0
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized print or electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted mater
Author’s Note and Dedication
When I was twelve years old and ready to start junior high, my father was stationed to three years of Marine Corps recruiting duty near Pittsburgh. Until then, I’d lived my whole life in the South—North Carolina and Kentucky—and I had the Southern drawl to prove it. I’m not sure there’s any age when it’s easier to integrate accents and traditions, but I found junior high especially stressful. The first time I said y’all, my classmates howled with laughter and mocked me without mercy. I never said it again. You see, across most of western Pennsylvania, second-person plural is yinz, short for “you ones” or “you’uns.” The Southerner in me thought that sounded ridiculous, and I cringed inside every time I had to use it. Also every time I said crick instead of creek, or gum bands instead of rubber bands. However, I rather liked their name for obnoxious jerks: jagoffs.
This book is set in Pittsburgh, so in the interest of authenticity, I’ve written my characters as yinzers. If they move away, they’ll have to drop that dialect or face humiliation—just as I did when I moved back to North Carolina.
Lastly, I have the special honor of dedicating this book to a remarkable woman, JJ Crabb. Her kindness and generosity are an inspiration, and I’m grateful that she supports not only my work but also the causes I hold dear. Thank you, JJ—again.
Content Note
This book deals with subject matter some readers might find disturbing. Both main characters have lost loved ones to suicide, one of which is graphically depicted in a well-marked flashback located in the second scene of Chapter Two. Skipping that scene should not impact the understanding of this book, as the story centers on the characters’ paths to healing.
If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, help is available right away. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
-From “Annabel Lee”
Edgar Allan Poe, 1849
Chapter One
Within minutes of posting the tranquil image to the online forum, Keenan McEvoy had garnered a dozen “hearts” and several cheerful replies. She’d taken the photo only hours ago at Oakberry Court, a nursing home she visited once a month with her dog, Bennie, who was racking up points toward advanced certification as a therapy pet. In the photo, he was resting in the arms of an elderly resident whose face was cropped to preserve his privacy. She hoped the photo would comfort people on the forum.
“Didn’t I tell you this would happen? Everyone says you’re adorable.”
The languid cockapoo—a cross between a cocker spaniel and a toy poodle—lifted his head from her lap and wiggled his docked tail, an instinctive show of affection whenever he heard her voice. Anyone’s voice, actually.
A few nights a week, Keenan logged on to the forum just before bedtime to check in with her “friends” and offer words of consolation and encouragement. She had no special training in grief counseling, but she knew as well as anyone their unique despair. Theirs was a club no one wanted to join—survivors of a loved one’s suicide.
She’d joined the online bereavement group almost two years ago after struggling to move on from Annabel’s senseless death. The group, sponsored by a county mental health initiative, had always met in person at a community center in downtown Pittsburgh until Covid forced it to go virtual, which Keenan preferred. She liked the anonymity and was glad they’d chosen to keep it going even after in-person meetings returned.
Over time her participation had changed from needing comfort and support to helping provide it. Bennie was her main conduit for that, and her buffer too, always keeping her one degree removed from the suffering of others. Watching him work his magic with the elderly and people in distress helped lessen her guilt over not being able to help Annabel.
As the hearts continued to pile up for Bennie’s photo, a chime announced the opening of a private chat window, a forum feature she rarely used.
Half-A-Set: Bennie is precious!!!! Nice to see such a cute face after a really tough day.
She didn’t recognize the screen name, but then not all forum members were active posters.
Half-A-Set: This is going to sound weird but I noticed the stamp on the blanket in the photo — Oakberry Court. Is that the nursing home in Bloomberg?
The startling reference made Keenan mildly uneasy. Until that moment, she’d taken for granted her relative anonymity on the forum, where she posted as Wingèd Seraph, a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s heartsick poem, “Annabel Lee,” which she’d recited often as a declaration of love for Annabel. It was unsettling that someone following her posts knew exactly where she’d been that afternoon. Suddenly all the care she’d taken for privacy was wiped out by a stupid laundry mark on a blanket. Before she could resolve her paranoia, a third note appeared.
Half-A-Set: Just curious is all. :-) My great-gran lived at OC for a while but she passed on about four years ago.
Fine if the others in the group wanted to share their despair in person, but Keenan had no interest in moving beyond the virtual community. She didn’t need a complement of anguished friends in her real life. Half-A-Set could be anyone at all—obnoxious, unstable, needy. Or some guy laying the groundwork to hit on her. Just because they’d suffered a similar loss didn’t mean they ought to be actual friends.
Half-A-Set: Sorry, didn’t mean to butt in. Just wanted to say thanks.
Whoever this was seemed to be reading her wary thoughts, and now was backtracking over the intrusion. She could ignore it. Or she could lie and say it was a different Oakberry Court. Either way she’d feel guilty for brushing off someone who’d paid her an innocent compliment…someone who’d faced a tragic loss and joined the forum looking for support. There was nothing unseemly about the actual note, she conceded. What harm was there in a polite reply?
Wingèd Seraph: That’s the one. I’ve taken Bennie there a few times to visit the residents. They love him.
Surely she could say that much. It wasn’t particularly revealing, since she’d already described to the forum how Bennie had eased her back into the world of the living.
Half-A-Set: That’s got to be the sweetest dog I’ve ever seen. So laid back. He’s on Xanax, right? LOL
Wingèd Seraph: Not a skittish bone in his body.
Indeed, nothing rattled Bennie. While some small breeds were high-strung, loyal to only one human, he was eleven pounds of lively affection with everyone he met. His scruffy coat was mostly apricot with white markings on his face, chest and feet. His ears were more poodle than spaniel—not as long or floppy—while his wide, webbed feet proved his water dog ancestry.
Half-A-Set: Gorgeous little face.
Wingèd Seraph: He knows he’s cute. Here’s it from everyone.
She immediately shuddered at her grammar mistake. Half-A-Set would think her an idiot.
Wingèd Seraph: *Hears*
Half-A-Set: No worries. I sometimes do that two. LOL
The small infusions of humor were admittedly disarming, and Keenan relaxed a bit over her decision to reply. With a click, she collapsed their chat window into a corner of her screen and ticked through the forum tabs to check Half-A-Set’s profile, which held only the basic information required of all members: female, thirty-four years old, lost her brother to suicide. That didn’t mean any of it was true. She’d joined the forum three months ago, but her first public post had come only this morning, shortly after five a.m.
Hi to everyone. Sorry I’ve been lurking so long without posting anything. I can’t tell you how much your stories have meant to me these last few weeks. I lost my twin brother to suicide almost a year ago. A boxed set, they called us. After 33 birthdays together, today’s my first one without him. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel whole again, but you give me hope this will eventually get easier. Thanks for putting yourselves out there to support each other. I’m living proof it really helps.
