A Special Summer (Love Conquers All)
Read A Special Summer (Love Conquers All) Online
Authors: Victoria Wells
A Special Summer
A Novel
Heart 2 Heart Publishing, LLC
A Special Summer
Copyright ©2006, 2008, 2011 by Victoria Wells
A Special Summer
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. For information contact Heart 2 Heart Publishing Rights Department, P.O. Box 48186, Philadelphia, PA 19144
Other Titles by
Victoria Wells
♥♥♥
When Love Comes Around
Key To My Heart
Dedications
My first novel is dedicated to the memories of my beloved maternal grandmother, Bertha Lee Bunn and my beloved brother, Billy Riddick. Missing you, loving you, wishing you were here with me.
Acknowledgments
I want to give thanks to my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ for loving me just the way I am. I thank Him for His mercies that are new with each morning. I thank Him for blessing me with wonderful parents, Leroy and Mildred Riddick. Mommy and daddy, I love you so much for always directing me to all that is good. Thank you for always telling and showing me how proud you are of me.
To my family, I love you all with everything that I have. Mardi, I know I don’t say it all the time, but I appreciate all that you are to me. Thank you, my love so much for always supporting me in all of my endeavors. Martia, Leroy, & Melanie, I am so proud of all of you. I am truly blessed each and every time you call me “Mommy.”
Although I thank and love all of my siblings for their support, I must follow my heart and give special shot outs. Robin, thank you for believing in me from the very first moment I told you about writing my book. Sandra (Bertie) thanks for spreading the word about my book in Virginia and selling copies for me. I’m looking for you to do the same with the re-release of A Special Summer! Omar and Cindy, it meant so much to me that you came down to my release party and went back home selling copies for me! I know y’all got my back.
To my spiritual parents, Dr. Reverend Wilbert Richardson and Gwendolyn (Aunt Dolly) Richardson, you both mean the world to me. Thank you for all of your love and support over the years. Pastor, thank you for being a true Sheppard and knowing my heart and not judging me. ‘Cause Lord knows I was terrified to tell you I was writing a romance novel. I still remember that day in your office! I can’t express the joy I felt when you and Aunt Dolly told me how proud you were of my story.
Victoria Reese and Esther Wells, what would I do without your friendship? Vicky, who would have guessed that meeting as freshmen at Saul H.S. we would still be tight and best friends? And Esther isn’t it strange how the deaths of our brothers created an unbreakable bond between us? I thank both of you for loving me and being true friends, even when you tell me my stuff stinks!
I can’t forget all my peeps at Jefferson! Thanks to all of my sickle cell patients for showing me much love over the years. Your strength and determination to live with such an agonizing disease keeps me in check more than you’ll ever know. I love you! To all the nurses, doctors, clerks, transportation, dietary, registration, Jeff Bookstore, and anyone else I may have forgotten, thank you for supporting me the first time around and asking, “When is your next book coming out?”
To my fairy godmother, Gayle Jackson Sloan, I still don’t think you believe how much of a blessing you have been in my life. I could never thank you enough for mentoring me and sharing your experiences with me about the business.
If I’ve forgotten to acknowledge anyone, please charge it to me head and not my heart.
Peace and Blessings,
Victoria
Victoria Wells
resides in Philadelphia with her husband and three children. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing and works as an adult nurse practitioner caring for adults with sickle cell disease. Victoria enjoys reading, writing, knitting, volunteering, and hanging out with family and friends. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at
[email protected]
. Please take a moment to visit her website at
www.victoria-wells.com
where you can join Victoria’s Yahoo and Facebook groups and subscribe to her newsletter.
Table of Contents
Even though it was a brilliant July morning with birds singing their melodies, the sweet smell of honeysuckle drawing bees to their nectar, Summer’s eyes stung from the tears threatening to escape as she peered out of her bathroom window.
“Oh, no, this can’t be true. It’s not true.” Summer whispered to herself as her hand shook uncontrollably. Trying to convince herself she was hallucinating, Summer closed her eyes tight then reopened them again focusing on the bathroom vanity. There was no mistaking, the home pregnancy test strip screamed in her face a big, fat, pink, positive sign. It was confirmed. Summer Jackson was pregnant.
A baby. What am I going to do?