Afterward
Dear reader,
Where do I even begin?
I introduced Gabriel Parker way back in Cody and Clover’s story. He meets Clover, samples her cooking, and ultimately offers her a job. We see him again in book four (Hunter and Emma’s story). He’s Emma’s older brother, and offers her a place to stay while she gets back on her feet.
I’d always intended for Gabe to be a hero in a Jetty Beach romance. How could I not give this guy his HEA? In fact, I started a book about him right after I finished book four. Let me just say, it’s better that I stopped. The story wasn’t right, and I knew it. Gabe needed something special, and that wasn’t it.
When I started planning the next Jetty Beach book, my intent was to begin with Gabe. After all, Jetty Beach fans already knew him. You’d been bugging me to write his story for a while. It made sense to begin with him and segue into the other two heroes in the series.
But Finn had other plans, and let’s be honest, how could I deny Finn anything?
So it took me a little longer to get to Gabe than originally anticipated, so I knew he would need to be worth the wait.
When we begin the book, Gabe has become the odd guy out. He knows everyone in Jetty Beach; in one way or another, he’s connected to all the previous couples. So he’s been through all the weddings, watched his friends and loved ones have babies, and he’s the last remaining single guy of the bunch. And he’s not particularly happy about that. He’s not man whoring his way around town, living up his post-shitty-marriage existence. He’s pouring himself into his work, and his personal life leaves a lot to be desired.
Sadie begins in a very different place. She’s suffered a devastating sexual assault at the hands of someone close to her family—her brother’s childhood best friend. She chose to cut ties with her family and move where she hopes her abuser won’t find her.
She is struggling with the effects of the trauma, and working very hard to begin a new life. But moving on from such a devastating experience isn’t easy.
But who better to gently help her through that than Gabriel Parker.
I joked to a friend once or twice that Gabe is a literal angel—and I didn’t even make the connection to his name at first. He’s patient, loving, gentle, and protective of the woman he loves. Once he understands the full truth of what Sadie went through, he’s willing to do anything for her. Anything to make her happy and whole again.
If you’ve been reading the Jetty Beach books, or any CK novels, you know I have a soft spot for good men. I don’t try to make my characters perfect (that would be boring), so they are flawed. But we’re all flawed, and even an imperfect person can be a good one. And Gabs is a good man, through and through.
I admired Sadie’s strength in making hard choices. She was intensely vulnerable, especially in some of her more poignant moments with Gabe, but through it all, she was a survivor. Through Sadie, it was my intention to treat the issue of sexual assault with respect. The choices I made with regard to her character, her reactions and responses, and the way her physical relationship with Gabe unfolded, were designed to acknowledge the reality of what a sexual assault victim must live through—because the trauma doesn’t end when the assault is over.
I hope you enjoyed Gabe and Sadie’s story. It’s been an absolute pleasure to write these Jetty Beach romances. It’s possible this is the last. But I don’t like to talk in absolutes. You never know what the future holds.
Thanks for reading,
CK
Also by Claire Kingsley
For a full and up-to-date listing of Claire Kingsley books visit www.clairekingsleybooks.com
The Bailey Brothers
Steamy, small-town family series. Five unruly brothers. Epic pranks. A quirky, feuding town. Big HEAs.
Protecting You: Series Origin Story
Fighting For Us
Unraveling Him
More Bailey Brothers coming soon!
The Miles Family
Sexy, sweet, funny, and heartfelt family series. Messy family. Epic bromance. Super romantic.
Broken Miles
Forbidden Miles
Reckless Miles
Hidden Miles
Gaining Miles: A Miles Family Novella
Dirty Martini Running Club
Sexy, fun stand-alone romantic comedies with huge… hearts.
Everly Dalton’s Dating Disasters
Free Faking Ms. Right prequel
Faking Ms. Right
A hot fake relationship romantic comedy
Love According to Science
A hot enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy
Bluewater Billionaires
Hot, stand-alone romantic comedies. Lady billionaire BFFs and the badass heroes who love them.
The Mogul and the Muscle
A billionaire and her bodyguard hot romantic comedy.
The Price of Scandal, Wild Open Hearts, and Crazy for Loving You
More Bluewater Billionaire shared-world stand-alone romantic comedies by Lucy Score, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant
Bootleg Springs
by Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score
Hot and hilarious small-town romcom series with a dash of mystery and suspense. Best read in order.
Whiskey Chaser
Sidecar Crush
Moonshine Kiss
Bourbon Bliss
Gin Fling
Highball Rush
Book Boyfriends
Hot, stand-alone romcoms that will make you laugh and make you swoon.
Book Boyfriend
Cocky Roommate
Hot Single Dad
Remembering Ivy
A unique contemporary romance with a hint of mystery.
His Heart
A poignant and emotionally intense story about grief, loss, and the transcendent power of love.
The Always Series
Smoking hot, dirty talking bad boys with some angsty intensity.
Always Have
Always Will
Always Ever After
The Jetty Beach Series
Sexy small-town romance series with swoony heroes, romantic HEAs, and lots of big feels.
Behind His Eyes
One Crazy Week
Messy Perfect Love
Operation Get Her Back
Weekend Fling
Good Girl Next Door
The Path to You
The Jetty Beach Box Set Books 1-4
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About the Author
Claire Kingsley is a Top 5 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance and romantic comedies. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.
She can’t imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She’s living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.
www.clairekingsleybooks.com
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The Path to You: A Steamy Small-Town Romance (Jetty Beach Book 7) Page 19
