by Mel
Walker
Popular girl, Kennedy Myers
made one mistake in high school – she chose the wrong boy. If only her nerdy
friend, Elijah Stevenson would have told her how he felt, maybe things could
have been different. Ten years later, the Spring Hills High School reunion
gives them a chance to face their regrets. Will they get a second chance, or
will it be just another missed connection? Readers who enjoy swoony reads will
love Kiss You Back by Mel Walker, a second chance, friends-to-lovers, small
town romance.
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Love Doesn’t Come
with an Expiration Date
Kennedy Myers was the queen of Spring Hills High School: beauty pageant champ,
head cheerleader, and the most popular girl in school. She only made one
mistake—she said yes to the wrong boy.
Elijah Stevenson was the resident nerd at Spring Hills High. Convention said he
should have never been friends with someone like Kennedy Myers. He hid in the
shadows and avoided the spotlight, which was where she thrived. Not wanting to
risk their friendship, Elijah watched as she ran off with the boy he knew
wouldn't love her the way he did.
The Spring Hills Ten-Year High School reunion gives them both an opportunity to
revisit the point in their life which they both hold with regret. Will the
reunion allow them a second chance or will it be just another missed
connection?
My thoughts:
I love second chance romances. This one was no exception. Kiss You Back is a sweet yet angsty second chance romance involving Elijah and Kennedy. They were secret best friends in high school. Now back at their 10 year reunion, and they are living completely different lives. I did love this couple. I loved the sneak peeks into their high school relationship. I wish I had a guy like that when I was in high school. They were so right for each other. Too bad Kennedy couldn't see it back then. There was some angst in the story, but it wasn't overbearing. I thought Kennedy had a lot of growth. The ending was very sweet. I would definitely recommend this one. I'd love to see Lincoln and Jada each get their own stories.
Copyright 2022
Mel Walker
I climb off the
bike and begin to walk with it toward the edge of the water when movement to my
right causes me to turn. It’s a person, and I nearly jump.
“Kennedy?”
He stares at me
with a surprised look that must match mine. “Elijah? What…” I don’t complete
the sentence. Words aren’t necessary. We both know why. My eyes scan over his
shoulder to his rental car from this afternoon, backed into the woods and
camouflaged by the trees. On the ground in front of it is a blanket, a bottle
of beer, a half-eaten sandwich, and a book. Of course, a book. “I don’t want to
disturb you…” I mutter, feeling like an intruder. There are a thousand hidden
roads outside of town, but only one both Elijah and I claim, and I had to
decide to visit this one the same night he returned to town. What could this
mean?
He hops to his
feet, striding toward me. He’s changed outfits, now sporting a comfortable aqua
polo shirt and khaki shorts. He’s barefoot, his sandals placed to the side of
the blanket. His hazel eyes lock on me, and I feel like I’m in a tractor beam
of a spaceship, unable to move. He reaches me in three long strides, a look of
determination in his body but vulnerability in his voice. “Please. Stay.”
I have no defense
for his words. Before I take another breath, he slips his hands into mine and
doesn’t move. He stares at me like I’m a dream—as if I’m a prize. No one has
looked at me like that in years. Surely this close, he must see the broken
pieces in front of him.
“I thought the
sunset would be the most beautiful thing I hoped to see this evening.” He squeezes
my hand slightly. “Once again, you’ve proven me wrong.” He leans in, and a
woodsy and citrus scent from a recent shower fill my nostrils. His words are so
different, so daring from the quiet boy years ago, yet the look remains the
same. He’s finally able to enunciate the words he’s always held back from me.
I close my eyes
and prepare, hoping he’ll reward me in our own special way. His warm lips land
on the tip of my nose. “Kiss you.” His voice catches as the words stretch to
fill the silence.
I sway on my
heels, his gentle pull the only thing keeping me from falling. My eyes open, no
longer surprised to find his gaze locked on me, examining me. This is no longer
the boy who backs down, who walks away. His gaze lowers to my lips, which part
with a soft exhale. We are too close for the shadows to hide him mouthing the
words oh my god.
Help us both.
I’m not sure how
exactly we fell into this deadly greeting, but nothing in the world gets my
heart beating like this. Every single time. I feel like I’m on a tightrope
walking a thin cable while a storm whips around us. Every single time, I expect
to fall. Every single time I nearly do.
I end this
torture by pressing my lips to the tip of his nose. I linger longer than I ever
have before, only the burn in my calves causing me to lower. The bottom of my
lower lip brushes against the top of his upper one. A spark races through my
body, and another audible sigh escapes my mouth. “Kiss… you back.”
I avoid his gaze,
landing on his Adam’s apple as he takes a long gulp. “Like minds,” he says and
juts his chin toward his blanket. I follow him, our hands still intertwined as
one.
Mason’s Trail was
Elijah’s go-to spot back in high school. At least twice a week, he’d hide out
here away from the world. The first time he brought me here was junior year.
Getting to know Elijah is a process. It takes a long while to earn his trust
and for him to lower his barriers, but once he does, you have a permanent place
in his fortress.
We’ve only been
here together maybe a dozen times in the final two years of high school, but I
always think of this place as our place, not his, not mine.
“I was out for a
ride, and the bike just turned down the road,” I say as we slip down to a large
red-and-black plaid blanket. My visit to the women’s center is just another
secret I keep from him.
He tilts his head
in my direction, a sexy half smirk on his beautiful face. “Did you come for the
sunset or me?”
About Mel Walker
Mel Walker has been
writing fiction most of his adult life. Specializing in Short Stories and
Contemporary fiction and Romance Novels. A native New Yorker and life-long
frustrated NY Mets fan. He loves to write about ordinary people placed in
difficult situations, especially as it relates to their closest relationships.
Mel Walker is a rare bird, the male romance author. Specializing in heartfelt
small town romance, he enjoys telling compelling romances with all the feels. A
native New Yorkers and life-long frustrated NY Mets fan, he enjoys long walks,
bike rides and taking in the energy of the city.
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