Making It (Ringside Romance #3) by Christine d’Abo

Riptide Publishing
Cover art by

Available for Purchase at Riptide Publishing

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Christine d’Abo here sharing the inspiration behind her Ringside Romances and talking about her latest release Making It.  Welcome, Christine!

♥︎

Hello, my name is Christine d’Abo and I’m so happy to be here today.

When I initially came up with the idea for the Ringside Romance series, I wanted to try and hit as many of the traditional romance tropes as possible. This was as much of a personal challenge as it was my desire to see more of these tropes appearing in LGBTQ romance.

So when I thought, hey, why not do a secret baby book, I got both giddy and terrified. How was I going to pull this off without it coming across as too unrealistic? Because a same sex couple needs to plan for a baby, right? Exactly!

I decided that in order for Devan and Eli’s story to work, this also needed to be a reunion romance. A couple that loved one another once, but due to circumstances, parted ways. With hearts broken, these two men had to find their way back to one another, had to deal with their past problems, while making room for a baby in their future.

Can they do it? Well, this is a romance…

The real question is, what will they have to sacrifice for their happily ever after?

I hope you enjoy the book and the trailer that I made!

[Trailer: https://youtu.be/VXJKbHwL7co%5D

About Making It

Devan knows exactly what he wants from life: a good career, a husband who loves him, and a child to call his own. He’s working at the perfect job, and has found the man of his dreams in Eli. That only leaves one box left to tick. When his friend offers to be a surrogate mother for Devan and Eli, he’s convinced all his dreams have come true.

Eli has been fighting his entire life. Fighting to keep his sick mother safe, fighting his frustration, and fighting daily as an up-and-coming MMA star. The one thing he can’t fight is the feeling that he’s made a terrible mistake agreeing to be a father with Devan. On the worst night of their lives, Eli knows Devan is better off without him, and leaves.

When Eli returns three years later, he comes face-to-face with Devan and a son who might be his. Devan has moved on with his life, but seeing Eli once again reignites forgotten passion. Yet if Eli wants to make it work with Devan, he must decide if he’s ready for the biggest fight of his life.

Excerpt

As Eli lifted Devan’s hand up, the weight of the envelope nearly became too much. This had been an unwanted wedge between them for a long time now. It needed to be removed. Eli must have had the same thought. Taking the envelope from Devan, Eli moved in closer. “I fucked up with you.”

“Yes, you did.” Understatement of the goddamned century.

“Come out to supper with me.” When Devan stiffened, Eli shifted his grip so he held Devan’s hand. “We’ll talk and I’ll sign the papers.”

“When?”

“I’m in Toronto for a month, maybe a bit longer depending on . . . well it doesn’t matter. I’m here. I want to have a paternity test. I want to know if Matthew’s mine.”

“You said yourself you never wanted kids. What does it matter if he’s biologically yours or not? I’m not asking you for any support or money. I don’t want you to be this person who drifts in and out of his life.” In and out of my life.

Eli stepped closer, so their mouths were only a few inches apart. “You have a child. A boy who might be mine. I can’t walk away from this. Not without knowing.”

“I should say no.” Devan swallowed. He didn’t know if he wanted to kiss Eli or cry.

“You don’t owe me anything, I know that. But I think I have the right to know if I’m his father. I can’t believe you don’t want to have the truth.” There was a sadness reflected in Eli’s gaze, but Devan knew he would do exactly what Eli said. “Please.”

God, he was a fool for considering this. Eli had not simply broken his heart, he’d shattered it. That wasn’t something that they could recover from. Not easily at any rate. If Matthew turned out to be Eli’s, Devan didn’t know what he’d do with that information. He wouldn’t love his son any less, but would Eli then suddenly want to be a part of their family? Would Devan let him?

Regardless, Eli was right about one thing. He did have the right to know if Matthew was his. “I’ll consider getting a paternity testing kit. I just . . . Give me some time.”

Eli nodded, his gaze back on Matthew. “Okay. Thank you.”

“What if he’s yours?” God, this was so screwed up. “What will you do?”

“I’m not going to take him from you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not.” Shit, he hadn’t considered that. “I . . .”

Eli gave Devan’s hand a squeeze. “I’m not going to take your son from you. I . . . Can you imagine what kind of crap father I’d be? That’s why I never wanted kids to begin with. I barely know how to look after myself.”

Devan had always thought Eli would have made an amazing father. “Just because you didn’t have a dad doesn’t mean you’d make a bad one.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.”

Another old argument Devan wasn’t willing to rehash. “I’ll look into what we have to do for a paternity test.”

Eli nodded. “Thank you.”

They stood there staring at one another as Matthew gurgled away. Normally always one to have a quip or comment, for the life of him, Devan didn’t know what to say.

Eli rubbed his nose and cleared his throat. “So, about supper?”

“I can write everything down—”

“Devan. Please?” There was no arguing with that tone. “Do you still work at the clinic on King?”

Devan had been a phlebotomist for Canadian Blood Services for years. It was strangely the only thing he’d ever wanted to do with his life. “Yeah, still there.”

“Are you working Wednesday night?”

“No.” Devan’s hands were clammy and shaking. He pulled from Eli’s grasp, turning to look at Matthew, who’d fallen asleep in his playpen.

“I’ll pick you up at the clinic. Take you out to supper, sign the papers, and we can talk about what Stephan did.”

“And if I don’t like how our dinner is going?”

“Leave. You don’t need to make up an excuse. You can get up from the table, and I won’t stop you.”

This is such a horrible idea. “Fine. One meal. And this is not a date.”

Available now at Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/making-it

About the Ringside Romance Universe

Deep in the heart of Toronto lies Ringside Gym. Once a safe haven for troubled teens, Ringside has gone derelict, a forgotten memory of past days. Until a group of friends set out to do what they can to bring life back to the ring and create a new home for LGBT youths.

But when their lives threaten to pull down their dreams, each man must turn to others to help make it a reality. Winners take all—but there are no losers in love.

Check out Ringside Romance! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/universe/ringside-romance

About Christine d’Abo

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

You can visit Christine at her website www.christinedabo.com, and chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. Want to keep up with Christine’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!

● Website: christinedabo.com

● Blog: christinedabo.blogspot.ca

● Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorChristinedAbo

● Twitter: @Christine_dAbo

● Tumblr: christinedabo.tumblr.com

● Pintrest: pintrest.com/christinedabo

● Goodreads: goodreads.com/christine_d_abo

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Making It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 12, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!