Guess what? I'm an official advocate for this year's NA Crush Tourney over at NA Alley! And, who am I advocating for? None other than the amazingly sexy and awesome Emerson Ray from
Melody Grace's Beachwood Bay series.
If you’re not familiar with the incredible Melody Grace’s Beachwood Bay series, I promise you will be adding it to your TBR list by the end of this post. Because, this series starts off with the story of Juliet and… EMERSON (FYI – the prequel novella that starts their story –
UNTOUCHED – is… wait for it… FREE.), and this couple will bring on a serious case of the swoons. If you’ll allow me some liberties, I’d like to tell you about the beautiful and complex Emerson in my own way.
So, my family and I just vacationed at Beachwood Bay, and while I was enjoying a little time away from the kids (and a monster ice cream float) at Mrs. Olsen’s diner on Main Street, I was sucked into an article in the Beachwood Bay Breeze, the local weekly rag. It was a puff piece on fleeting summer romances – not everyone’s cup of tea, but this girl’s bread and butter. In it, the reporter interviewed a local couple, and I was so captivated by their story, I was late to meet my family for a bonfire on the beach.
Lana Lane, Reporter for the Beachwood Bay Breeze: So, Juliet… Emerson… was it love at first sight?
Juliet: *snort* Not exactly. Emerson was mad at me for nearly running him off the road when the car my mom and I were driving in blew a tire right in front of him. It was raining, and I was stressed and maybe a little cranky.
Emerson: A little?
Juliet: Whatever. But, the point is, I was not at my best the first time we met. But, I remember the first time I really looked at him in the rain that day – his dark hair and blue eyes and sexy tattoo peeking out from under his black t-shirt as he stepped out of his truck – I just knew that my life was going to never be the same.
Lana Lane: – Awwww! You two are just so cute all wrapped up in each other. Emerson, is that true? Has your life totally changed since meeting Juliet?
Emerson: It has – in more ways than one. For awhile I was lost. My mom… well, she wasn’t doing too good, and I had to take care of her, my little sister Brit and my younger brother Ray Jay. I take care of the people I love and I honor my commitments, even if that means I don’t get to do everything I want to do. But, meeting Juliet – it made me want more. All of a sudden, I wanted to go to the city and have a real career. Those are dangerous dreams when you’re living in a small town with people depending on you.
Juliet: Emerson has always sacrificed himself for others. He did it for me four years ago, and it nearly killed both of us. But now, both of us are doing what we want, and I don’t think we would be where we are now if we hadn’t taken a chance on each other again.
Lana Lane: Again? I know there’s a good story there. You mean, your summer romance really didn’t last?
Emerson: That tire blew four summers ago, and Juliet and I were together every moment possible the next three months. It was fu--- I mean, freaking amazing. But yeah – we broke up at the end of the summer and I spent the next four years in hell. I missed her so much, but I was sure she was better off without my toxic life polluting all her potential. Then, last year, I walked into my bar and there she was. My Juliet. It was like a sign that we were meant to be together. There were a few… complications… but as usual, we overcame them, and here we are.
Juliet: Yeah – Emerson and I have both made some mistakes in the past, but the important thing is, he realizes now that I’m in charge, and he can’t live without me.
Emerson: *rolls eyes* In charge? Um, no. But, Jules was right about the other part. I definitely can’t live without her.
Lana Lane: So, Juliet – tell me a few things about Emerson that Beachwood Bay doesn’t already know.
Juliet: Let’s see… Emerson is a horrible cook. Like, he can’t even make toast. But, I still let him try because he likes to cook naked, so –
Emerson: Jules!
Juliet: What?! It’s totally worth having to throw away all that food. Okay – what else? Oh! The only thing he loves more than me is Eastwood.
Lana Lane: Eastwood?
Juliet: His Labrador Retriever. He rescued him from the side of the highway after his owners abandoned him.
Emerson: For the record – there is nothing and no one on this Earth that I love more than you, Jules.
Juliet: Emerson would give the shirt off his back if you asked for it. He loves his family fiercely. He has an amazing work ethic, and he always encourages and supports me in my photography. We may have had some problems communicating in the past, but Emerson and I learn from our mistakes. We talk all the time now about everything. I love him with everything that I am. He’s my hurricane.
Lana Lane: Your hurricane?
Emerson: It’s kind of our thing. Hurricanes are reckless, unpredictable and have a tendency to mow everything down in its path. Kind of like us. Do summer romances last? Sometimes yeah and sometimes no. It doesn’t matter when you meet or how you meet or even where you meet. It’s about not letting any of those things get in the way when you find someone you can’t live without. You mow everything down and destroy all the roadblocks to get to her.
Juliet: I’m so glad we learned from our mistakes.
Please vote for Emerson today at
NA Alley – he needs your love!
Synopsis:
Melody Grace is the New York Times bestselling author of the Beachwood Bay series. A small-town girl turned SoCal beach lover, after spending her life with her nose in a book, she decided it was time she wrote one herself. She loves steamy romance novels, happily-ever-afters, and lusting after fictional menfolk. She lives in LA with her two kittens, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers.
