We’re so pleased to have author Leta Blake dropping in today with Will & Patrick (whom I adore) from the Wake Up Married serial (which I love). We’ve got an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter—available exclusively to Leta’s Patreon supporters right now, but releasing to everyone on a date TBD–and our lovably prickly Patrick does his version of an interview with his hubby, Will. There’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out the details for that below.

Welcome, Leta!

Thank you to Lisa for hosting me here today! I’m happy to have brought along Will & Patrick from the Wake Up Married serial to do a little interview for you guys. Patrick is going to be interviewing Will today and, last week, Will interviewed Patrick on Joyfully Jay’s site. So be sure to look for that!

Let’s not waste any time! I’ll turn the mic over to Will & Patrick!

Patrick: I’ve been told that I’m supposed to ask Will questions for the entertainment of the masses. It seems absurd to me, but let’s get on with it. I’ve got patients to see.

Will: You don’t have to sound so grumpy about it.

Patrick: Oh, but I do. First question: why did you eat the last of the mint chocolate chip ice cream?

Will: I think you’re supposed to ask me meaningful questions, Patrick. Like when I fell in love with you, or how I knew you were the one for me.

Patrick: This is meaningful, and, more than that, it’s important. Answer the question.

Will: Okay, fine. I wanted something sweet and we didn’t have anything else in the house.

Patrick: But you don’t even like mint chocolate chip. That’s why I buy it, so I don’t have to share it with you. That’s why I buy you the banana popsicles, because they’re disgusting, but you love them. I never eat those.

Will: I don’t hate mint chocolate chip. I just prefer it one way or the other. Mint or chocolate chip. Not both.

Patrick: You ate the last of it.

Will: I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were saving it. I thought because it was in our freezer it was our food.

Patrick: Let me clear this up for you. It was my food. Next question: why do you want to go on a honeymoon?

Will: Because we never did. I want to experience one. And we can’t work all the time. I know you’re obsessed with brains and cutting into people’s heads, but we deserve some downtime, just the two of us.

Patrick: ‘Just the two of us’ being the real motivation. You want to get away from your family.

Will: Can you blame me?

Patrick: No. I want to get away from them too. Preferably forever. But a honeymoon will have to do.  Next question: who the hell thought it was a good idea to name you Guglielmo?

Will: It’s a family name. It’s Italian for William.

Patrick: It’s Italian for Elmo. Next question: can we be done with this interview now?

Will: I guess. I mean, well, no. There’s one thing more we need to do.

Patrick: Then do it. I need to get back to the hospital.

Will: Okay, so, we’re supposed to tell the readers about Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon! Chapters will be posted on Leta Blake’s Patreon for $1+ patrons starting June 9^th, 2017. It will follow Patrick and me on our much belated honeymoon. Feel free to come along for the ride.

Patrick: And we’re done. Brains, here I come.

Will: I’ll pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream on the way home.

Patrick: Aw, now you’re just sweet talking me. You want in my pants, puddin’-pop? Is that what you’re going for?

Will: There are still people reading this, Patrick.

Patrick: What? You’ve never been shy letting them read all about our sex lives before.

Will: That’s different. This is supposed to be an interview. And it’s supposed to be done now.

Patrick: You’re right. It’s done. Goodbye. Now come get in my pants. Brains can wait.

And that’s the end of that!

As Will mentioned, I’ll be posting an unedited weekly chapter of Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon to my Patreon account as a giant thank you to all my $1+ patrons for the support they’ve given me this year.

Due to their amazing generosity, I was able to fund a Training Season audiobook, start the process of the Wake Up Married serial audiobooks, and fund the release of my last book, Slow Heat. If you’re interested in participating at Patreon, you can click THROUGH HERE to learn more.

I’m so excited to share more Will & Patrick with the world! And I’m grateful to everyone who has made writing books and stories possible, especially my patrons.

Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon will be available for purchase outside of my Patreon account sometime in the next 18 months. I’ll do a promotional tour for the book when that happens. In the meantime, if you’d like to join us at Patreon, we’d love to have you.

In addition, to celebrate I’m providing exclusively to The Novel Approach readers, access to the second half of the first chapter of Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon. (The first half of the first chapter was posted last week at Joyfully Jay’s blog! Do check that out!) Thank you to all The Novel Approach readers!

Chapter 1.5

Back in the bedroom, Patrick grabs Will’s insulin pump from the bedside table, uncaps the infusion site cap, and reattaches the lines. “Test,” he says, handing Will the kit. “Make sure you don’t need an additional bolus.”

Will rolls his eyes but gamely pricks his finger and shrugs at the results. “All good.”

Patrick grabs the monitor to check for himself. Nodding at the readings, he hands the monitor back to Will, climbs into bed, and tugs Will into their favorite position. Then he nestles against his favorite furry pillow again, and closes his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep for a few hours before he’ll need to be up early for surgery.

He’s beyond content. He’s what he’d call happy even. He and Will are just over two years into this life together, but happiness is still a moderately new emotion for him. So he wallows in it aggressively every chance he gets, indulging in moony feelings for Will and feeling grateful, of all things. Most of the time, he’s glad that no one else can hear his gross, ooey-gooey thoughts.

“I love you,” Will whispers.

Patrick’s heart clenches with joy and he nuzzles his face against Will’s chest hair. “Good.”

“Just ‘good’? You don’t want to, I don’t know, reciprocate the declaration?”

“You already know how I feel.” Patrick huffs. “I married you, didn’t I? Twice. Just to prove I meant it the first time.”

Will laughs.

The sound is intimate in their warm, soft cocoon of a bed, lit only by the soft yellow light from the nightstands. Patrick’s not an overly sentimental man, but he reaches out to finger the Medical ID bracelet on Will’s wrist, the one he’d gotten him that first Christmas, and smiles softly. “Fine. I love you,” he whispers. “Even if you should already know.”

“Oh, I know.”

Will kisses the top of Patrick’s head and it’s sweet and perfect. Their warm, naked bodies tangle together, and all they need to do is turn off the lights and drift away.

So, of course his phone picks this moment to start vibrating. And worse, playing a very specific ringtone—Drake’s “Bitch Is Crazy”.

Will groans. “I thought I told you to change that.”

“And I ignored you.”

Will grabs his own phone from the nightstand, habitually set to silent after nine at night to try to avoid family drama. Too bad the entire Patterson-Molinaro clan has Patrick’s phone number now, too. None of them are afraid to use it. And Patrick’s a neurosurgeon, so he can’t turn his off on a whim like Will can.

Will groans. “Three missed calls from her. It’s almost midnight. What could she want?”

Patrick rolls away from Will before passing his still vibrating, Drake-playing iPhone over to him. “You answer. She’s your mother.”

Will heaves up to sitting and tugs the blankets up to cover his nakedness like Kimberly is going to somehow see him all flushed and satisfied.

“Mom, it’s late.”

Patrick can hear Kimberly’s voice clear as a bell from his side of the bed. Either she’s talking loudly or he needs to turn the volume down on his phone. Regardless, she’s annoying. He already misses the perfection of just a few seconds ago.

“William Patterson, don’t take that tone with me. This is an emergency!”

Will breath quickens and he sits up even straighter. “Is it Connor? Olivia? Are you at the hospital?”

“It’s Caitlin,” she moans.

“What’s happened?” Will starts to stand up but Patrick jerks him back down to the bed, shaking his head. “Do I need to come?”

Now that she’s roped Will in, Kimberly drops her faux-angst down to mere soap-opera levels.  “She’s leaving for college tomorrow. Tomorrow! What will I do without her?”

Will rubs his eyes. “Mom, we can talk about this over coffee in the morning at Brown Gargle. I’ll meet you at 8:30, all right?”

“No, it is not all right, Will!”

Patrick really hates Kimberly sometimes. She always knows how to get Will wound up. He taps his fingers against the cover and listens as Will does his thing and tries to calm her down.

“I know it’s hard to let go of us kids. But it’s part of the circle of—”

Kimberly interrupts, “It complicates everything, baby. Who’s going to watch Connor after school? Who’s going to take Olivia to her piano lessons?”

Patrick rolls his eyes.

Will takes a long, slow breath in, obviously gathering his patience. “Olivia hates piano, Mom. Let her quit.”

“Olivia needs to learn how to play an instrument.”

“Why?”

“Because she lacks any discipline in her life.”

“Wait, what?” Will’s nostrils flare. “You’re talking about discipline?”

“Yes, I am!” Kimberly’s on fire now. Patrick’s never going to get to sleep. “And why shouldn’t she learn? Patrick plays piano and look where he is in life. He’s a neurosurgeon.”

Patrick rolls his eyes. About time he finally gets some credit from his mother-in-law for being a whiz-bang, mega-awesome, crack-open-the-skull doctor for cripes sake, but this conversation still needs to be nipped in the bud.

Patrick nudges Will’s leg and shakes his head. “Off topic.”

Will sighs and tries a firmer voice. “Mom, we can and will solve these problems, okay? Together. But not right now. Patrick has early surgery in the morning and you woke us up.”

Patrick snorts again.

Kimberly wails. “Will, how am I supposed to get any rest tonight when I’m not sure how I’ll manage—“

Patrick grabs the phone from Will’s hand. “Goodnight, Kimberly. Don’t call back. Your inane crisis can wait.” He disconnects the call and quickly blocks her number. He’ll unblock her again in the morning and they can endure her wrath then.

Endure, ignore. Same difference.

There are many days he wishes he could be done with Kimberly Patterson forever, but, for better or worse, Will and his family are a package deal.

“There. Handled.” Patrick tosses his phone back on the nightstand. “Bedtime now.”

Will’s lips work and Patrick thinks he’s about to be told off for being an asshole, but, instead, Will bursts into laughter. “Seriously, she’s impossible.”

“If only. Alas, she’s entirely possible. Proof is rendered daily.”

Will groans. “I can’t wait for our honeymoon trip next week. We’ve put it off too long. I love my family—I do—but it’ll be good to get away from them. Very far away, hopefully.”

“We could get away from them forever if you just say the word.” Patrick ignores the subtle dig for info on their trip, and guides Will back down in the bed. “I’m tired. Be the pillow.”

Will opens his arms and Patrick snuggles in close. “You’d never leave Healing, Patrick. You love your unit and Jenny and Dylan. And my family.”

“I love the kids. Your mother? Not so much.” Patrick kisses Will’s chest, and closes his eyes. “Now go to sleep.”

Will flips out the light on the nightstand and strokes Patrick’s shoulder lightly. The glug-glug of Will’s steady heartbeat and the susurration of his breath lull Patrick into dreams.

And before he knows it, the alarm is going off and he hits the ground running for another day as Healing, South Dakota’s superhero neurosurgeon, while his sexy sidekick, Will, dresses for his day of dynamic do-gooding.

Their lives are hectic, but, in Patrick’s estimation, great. He wouldn’t change a thing. Much.

The Giveaway

Thank you so much for reading! I look forward to sharing Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon with you! To read more, feel free to join my Patreon! There are already several more chapters available there.

And lastly, today I’m giving away the following: The entire Wake Up Married serial, episodes 1 – 6, to one lucky winner.
*due to unforeseen circumstances, the audiobook production of episode one is on an indefinite delay and no longer available as a prize option*

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

About the Author

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

You can find out more about her by following her: On Patreon || On the web || On Facebook || On Twitter