Excerpt: The Switched Baby Scandal by Theresa Meyers

The Switched Baby Scandal
(A Scandals of San Sebastian, #1)
By: Theresa Meyers
Publisher: Bliss
Published: June 10, 2013
Genre: Romance

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His child. Her daughter. One monumental mix-up.
Single mom Taylor Lawrence just discovered that the hospital sent her home with the wrong infant five years ago. Now the headstrong and handsome biological father wants his child back. But Emily has always been her daughter, and Taylor won’t give her up without a fight.

Widower Reece Wallace believed his life was over when a drunk driver killed his wife and daughter. So when he learns of the baby switch, he sees this child as his ultimate salvation. But he never anticipated the fiery woman on the other side of this custody battle—or how she’d stir feelings in him long dormant.

As the media storm surrounding the hospital’s mistake intensifies, Taylor and Reece find there’s more to sort out than custody of Emily—they must work together to protect her while grappling with their growing attraction. Can they pick up the pieces of two broken families and meld them into something new?

Resentment and anger prickled to the surface of Taylor’s skin.

Reece squeezed his hands together. “This is my natural child we are talking about. I know that down in my gut and any test isn’t going to tell us differently. All I want is what you want, to reconnect with the part of me that is missing and perhaps have the opportunity to be part of her life. Is that so hard to understand?”

Taylor crossed her arms. She realized that posturing was going to get them nowhere quickly. If Emily were indeed his natural child, she would have to allow him access and ultimately attempt to forge a relationship of some kind with Reece. But she needed to know how high the cost was going to be.

“I’m not denying you access to Emily. I’m simply trying to determine what is best for her.” She took a deep breath. “I am assuming that is what you want as well.”

“It is.” He sat back, his gaze confident and unwavering.

“Good, just so we’re clear that Emily’s welfare is our ultimate goal.”

He nodded in agreement. “So what are we going to do when the tests come back positive?”

“I can give you a chance to get to know Emily under the right circumstances, but what do you have to offer me? I get nothing. My natural child is gone, Mr. Wallace.”

“And we’re back to Mr. Wallace already.” He looked down at his hands and twisted the gold band around his finger. Reece lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye.

“I can’t bring Alyssa back. I wish to God that I could. But I can give you something no one else on this planet can. I can make Alyssa real for you.”

Taylor gasped, her heart slamming against her ribs as he kept talking.

“I’m the only one with the memories, with the knowledge of what it took to put her to sleep at night, when her first tooth came in, and her first word. All her baby pictures. I’ll gladly share that with you, Taylor, if you’ll just give me the chance.”

 

 

 Raised by a bibliophile who made the dining room into a library, Theresa has always been a lover of books and stories despite dyslexia that made it difficult for her to write and read until the fourth grade. First a writer for newspapers, then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school, eventually enrolling in aWriter’s Digest course and putting the book under the bed until she joined Romance Writers of America in 1993. In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists for the American Title II contest, theAmerican Idol of books.

She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom), who she knew was hero material when he suffered through having to let her parents drive, and her brother sit between them in the backseat of the car. They currently live in a Victorian house on a mini farm in the Pacific Northwest with their two children, two cats, an old chestnut Arabian gelding, an energetic mini-Aussie shepherd dog, a parakeet and an out-of-control herb garden.

She collects teapots, teddy bears and steampunk gadgetry, and when not writing can be found sewing, painting, canning, baking, or hiding out in a comfy chair reading a wonderful book. On occasion, you might find her scuba diving or riding her white quad with hot pink flames on the sand dunes. Her favorite television shows are Supernatural (Dean Girl), The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time and Grimm (is it any wonder she writes fiction?).

 

4 Thoughts on “Excerpt: The Switched Baby Scandal by Theresa Meyers

  1. I like when kids are involved in a romance. It shows a very tender and patient side we don’t always get to see in books.

  2. Oh, this looks interesting! Thanks for sharing with us. I love finding new books by new authors! I also love this genre and I always wonder what made the author choose to write for this genre? Did they just fall into it or was it a planned and calculated move?
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    mestith at gmail dot com

  3. I’d like to read this because it sounds like a very interesting dynamic–coming together over a baby mixup.

  4. It looks like a unique story and I do like stories about people who overcome tragedies.

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