Book Title: The Beautiful Moment
Author and Publisher: Kristoffer Gair
Cover Artist: Kris Norris
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Paranormal M/M Romance
Tropes: Destined to be together
Themes: Grief, healing, true love
Length: 76 000 words/366 pages
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords
Destiny offers the possibility of love and, for Wesley, the one thing that has eluded him his entire life: a beautiful moment.
Blurb
The decade from hell.
First, Wesley Traylor lost his father and grandmother, then COVID took his mother. His sole remaining family member will stop at nothing to steal his inheritance. In desperation, Wesley escapes to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where no one knows him and he can exist without fear of his uncle’s brutality.
Circumstances force Wesley to the emergency room and face to face with the beguiling Dr. Clark Matsuda. The last thing Wesley needs—between dealing with strange occurrences at his new house and emergency surgery—is a doctor who’s made it his personal mission to get to know Wesley.
Destiny offers the possibility of love and, for Wesley, the one thing that has eluded him his entire life: a beautiful moment.
The lights around him began to dim, no longer sensing movement. How long had he been standing there? Too long. His hands felt like ice and holding the metal handles didn’t help. Wesley trudged forward, only the lights didn’t turn back on, and he could barely see any lights from the house.
Wonderful. Or, as one of his former co-workers used to mutter instead of using a situationally-called-for obscenity, super.
The recent snow, combined with what had fallen previously, offered enough illumination to the road that Wesley didn’t sweat it. Actually, sweating might be preferable to freezing. He finally set the can down by the side of the road, blew warm air onto his hands, and turned around. He also made a second mental note. Aside from getting a new trash can, he’d also have to look at the instruction book for the lights and find out what the deal was. A sensor setting he hadn’t been aware of? A loose connection with the solar charger, thereby causing a more reserved functionality?
Wait. A reserved functionality? That sounded like an impressive explanation for a damn loose wire or weird setting.
Wessssssssssssssslyyyyyyyyyyy…
Okay. Not funny at all.
Hearing his name once could be dismissed as a strange coincidence, but twice? What were the odds of having another gust of air come through and produce the same exact noise that just happened to sound like his name?
“Who’s there?” he shouted and realized he’d just done exactly what every potential victim in nearly every horror movie ever did. The situation didn’t bode well.
Wesley stood as still as he could, tried not to shiver, and instead listen. Nothing moved. Nothing he could hear at least. He should be able to hear someone in the wooded area nearby, even if they’d concealed themselves. Nothing. If somebody actually was there, it stood to reason they could see him. What was their end game then? Scare him? Something worse? They hadn’t gotten close enough to set off a camera earlier, so they were keeping their distance.
He took a tentative step forward, then another. At least he’d had the foresight to wear boots. He could run.
Still no noise to the left or right. Still no help from any lights coming from the house.
Another step.
No sounds of movement from either side of the driveway. No deer. No rabbits. No chipmunks. No people. Was his uncle so devious? Would the man really go to such an extent to terrify Wesley? Yes. Yes, he would.
Another step.
Two lights in that zone of the driveway activated.
Blessing? New problem? The next few seconds would tell.
Wesley closed his eyes and stood completely still. He continued to listen for any noise betraying movement. And he stood ready to bolt. Bolt in any direction opposite a noise.
Nothing. A few seconds ticked by. Still nothing. A few more. Nothing.
Okay then.
He opened his eyes and lifted his foot to take a step.
Wesley froze.
Another set of footprints. Coming down the driveway towards the street. A set that followed him step for step. Just behind and inside his own. Smaller feet than his, yet distinct. Distinctly human. Shoe prints. Someone walked with him. Walked right behind him the entire way and he hadn’t heard. How was that possible? How could he not know?
A noise sounded to his left. A soft pelting sound. He tried to locate anything moving, or what it might be, then the sound expanded exponentially. Exploded all around him now.
Snow fell. A few flakes at first, then a squall. Everything around him found itself blanketed in a sheet of white.
Wesley ran. He raced towards the house while the lights turned on all around him, detecting his movement, and that of the storm. He opened the front door, rushed through, and slammed it shut behind him.
“Okay, Sylvia. Lockdown!”
Kristoffer Gair grew up in Fraser, MI and is a graduate of Grand Valley State University. He is the author of 8 novels—some written under the pseudonum Kage Alan—been a part of 6 anthologies, and currently lives in a suburb of Detroit.
Author Links
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This sounds wonderful, heart wrenching, emotional… just as much of life. I can’t wait to read it.