A warm welcome to author J.E Birk visiting Love Bytes today , sharing an exclusive excerpt of new release ,Depending on You !
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Welcome J.E !

 

Blurb:

It all started with a diabetic kid who wouldn’t stop eating cookies. And a best friend who’d just announced his bisexuality and hit on everything that moved. And a kind pediatric nurse with an amazing rack, a lying ex-boyfriend, and a nasty case of the chicken pox.  But mostly, it started at table 42.  When Benjy Moreland almost collapses during his restaurant shift, Dr. Kyle Penners wants nothing more than to take care of him… but if there’s one thing former foster kid Benjy values, it’s his independence. A dying man and a sick little boy force Kyle and Benjy to work together, and both of them have to make some important choices about what it means to depend on someone.

 

 

Excerpt from Depending on You by J.E. Birk

for Love Bytes Reviews

 

He woke up in the dark, not sure at all where he was or what time it was. A quick glance at his cell phone told him it was four o’clock in the morning. He had to pee, and he was thirsty, but he was also sure he couldn’t drink anything.

He toddled out of the room, trying to remember where the bathroom was. The door on the left of the guest room looked right, so he turned the knob.

And walked right into Kyle’s room.

Kyle sat up quickly. “Benjy?” he whispered, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “You okay?”

Benjy’s heart sank. This guy had done nothing but take care of him for the past nine hours (even if he managed to be obnoxious while doing it at times), and now Benjy was waking him up in the middle of the night?

“I’m really sorry,” he rasped. “Bathroom.”

Kyle pulled himself out of bed and came over to rest his hand on Benjy’s forehead. “I think your fever’s up,” he said, sighing. “Time for some aspirin.” He led Benjy to the bathroom, where he mercifully left Benjy alone long enough to do his business before he came back with some aspirin, a bottle of water, and a cup of tea. He settled Benjy back into bed and sat down next to him while Benjy painfully swallowed the aspirin and tried some tea. It soothed his throat a bit, and Benjy sank back down into the blankets.

“Better?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah,” Benjy sighed. “Actually, yes.” It must have been the fever talking, because he couldn’t believe what came out of his mouth next: “I can’t believe how good this feels.”

“Strep throat?” Kyle laughed. “Your fever must be up.”

“Uh-uh,” Benjy murmured, tongue totally loose, body totally relaxed. “Someone doing all this. Bringing me tea. Tucking me in.”

Kyle smiled slightly. “Haven’t had that since you left home, huh?”

Benjy shook his head, burying it a little farther into the blankets. “Uh-uh. Not ever, really. Maybe, like, one foster mom. But I don’t really remember.”

“What?” Kyle studied Benjy closely. “What do you mean, foster mom?”

Benjy shrugged. “Mom kind of… sucked. Didn’t know my dad. I was in foster homes and group homes most of the time I was growing up. Wasn’t bad or anything; everybody was nice. But I don’t remember too many people doing this.” He snuggled into the soft covers surrounding him. “Can you stay here, just for a minute? I like having you here.”

He didn’t even hear Kyle’s response—just felt a hand on his forehead as he fell back into a relaxed sleep.

When he woke up again, his throat felt a little better, and his head wasn’t pounding quite as badly as it had been. He didn’t feel as much like the weak kitten he’d felt like the night before. There was light behind the curtains in the room. He startled a little when he noticed Kyle was asleep on top of the covers on the bed next to him—and then he suddenly remembered spilling his life story to Kyle. Benjy groaned inwardly. Almost nobody knew the story of how Benjy had grown up—he hated the sympathetic stares and wistful looks the story elicited. They were so unnecessary; Benjy hadn’t had some sort of horrible childhood. Nobody had abused or mistreated him. He’d always had plenty to eat and a place to sleep. And now he was in college, nearly ready to graduate, with a great GPA and job opportunities ahead of him. What was there to feel sorry about?

 

 

J.E. Birk has been telling stories since she could talk and writing them since she was introduced to the alphabet. She hails from Colorado, where you can usually find her skiing, training for a 5K she won’t end up running, or trying to figure out why a good strong housecleaning never lasts longer than two days.

Occasionally @jebirkwrites will say something on Twitter.

 

J.E is graciously giving away a digital copy of Depending on You to one Lucky winner!

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