Twisted

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Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is hard. In this heart-pounding follow-up to Tangled by New York Times bestseller Emma Chase, Kate reveals that there is trouble in paradise, when unexpected circumstances force her and Drew to "renegotiate" their relationship. There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself—and of me. But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice; the most important of my life. Drew already made his — in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville, Ohio, alone. Well, sort of alone... What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead. ** About the Author By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who lives in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she toils away bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. Writing has always been her passion, and the release of her debut romantic comedy Tangled was nothing less than a dream come true. The subsequent books in her delightful, beloved series include Twisted, Tamed, and Tied. She is also the author of Sustained from her sexy new Legal Briefs series. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Twisted Chapter 1 In high school, biology was my favorite subject. What fascinated me most were species that transform into a whole new being. Like pollywogs. Or butterflies. They start out as one thing, but end up something else entirely. Unrecognizable. Everyone always looks at butterflies and thinks, “How lovely.” But no one ever thinks about what they had to go through to become what they are. When the caterpillar builds its cocoon, it doesn’t know what’s happening. It doesn’t understand that it’s changing. It thinks it’s dying. That its world is ending. The metamorphosis is painful. Terrifying and unknown. It’s only afterward that the caterpillar realizes it was all worth it. Because now it gets to fly. And that’s what I feel like right now. I’m more than I was before. Stronger. Did you think I was tough before? Fooled you. Some of it was just bravado. A façade. Dealing with Drew Evans is like swimming into one of those rogue waves at the beach. He’s overwhelming. And either you kick hard to keep up, or he rolls over you and leaves you behind with a face full of sand. So I had to pretend to be a hard-ass. I don’t need to pretend anymore, because now I’m granite. Impenetrable, all the way through. Ask anyone who’s survived an earthquake at midnight, or a house fire that wipes out everything that matters. Unexpected devastation changes you. And I mourn the old me. And my old life. The one that I had planned to share with Drew forever. You seem confused. Sorry—let’s start again. See that woman over there? On the swing, in this empty playground? That’s me—Kate Brooks. But not really. Not the Kate you remember, anyway. Like I said, I’m different now. You’re probably wondering why I’m here, back in Greenville, Ohio, all alone. Technically speaking, I’m not alone. But we’ll get to that later. The reason I’m in Greenville is simple. I couldn’t bear to stay in New York. Not for another day. Not after everything. Drew? He’s still in New York. Probably nursing a vicious hangover. Or maybe he’s still drunk. Who knows? Let’s not concern ourselves with him too much. He has an attractive stripper to take care of him. Yep—I said a stripper. At least I hope she was a stripper. She could’ve been a prostitute. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Live happily ever after? Join the club. Apparently happily ever after only lasts two years. Don’t check the title. You’re in the rig