Penny Wilmot leads a simple life. Together with her widowed father and best friend Boone they run a small U-Pick farm. She never asked for much, and certainly wasn't looking for him...
Jackson Hawkes lives his life at one steady speed: fast. On a mission to find his father, he takes a road trip and ends up finding himself with a new band, a new job and a new dream.
The two meet by accident and begin a romantic adventure in the summer heat of Alabama. But what happens when the pair find out that they have the one thing in common that took their whole worlds away from them?
Death. It takes things away, but can it bring the two together?
Join Penny and her sons of Alabama in a turbulent journey of love and loss...
Title: Alabama Sons
Author: E. A. Whitehead
Publish Date: January 2014
Genre: New Adult
EXCERPT
SHE TOLD ME to meet her at the pickup truck in the field behind her house. I wanted to tell her that I couldn’t stop thinking about her: that tiny dimple just above her lip? I never wanted to stop kissing it. I knew I loved her. I had to tell her tonight.
I was at the bar with Owen and Anders, drinking with them tonight would give me enough bravado to tell her. I held onto my keys, hesitating. Maybe Anders could drive me? “Anders, hey Anders,” I stumbled toward him, “drive me to Penny’s!” Am I shouting? I shook his shoulder lightly.
He held up one finger in response. His lips stitched to someone who I didn’t recognize. Such is the case with Anders. Such used to be my case.
Penny.
I snarled, “I want some too, c’mon man.” I tugged on his shirt sleeve.
He stretched his neck back, with a grin, “From who, me or her?” The blonde’s cheeks flushed with a soft giggle. Could she seriously have been turned on by the thought of that?
“We could have some fun!” She brushed a finger slowly up my shirt buttons, my eyes followed as she went over each.
I grabbed her hand and slowly returned it to her. “I have a woman, a damn respectable woman, at home, waiting for me. Anders, c’mon you guys can leave, just drop me off first.”
Anders looked at me for a second, looking madder than hell, before turning to a smile. “You’ll owe me, Hawkes.”
I nodded, swallowing slowly, my mouth dry from my inebriation. “I’ll owe you.”
“I want a night with that lead singer of yours.”
I shook my head. I love him, but he’s terrible with women. “You don’t even like brunettes.”
“Well, I like that brunette!”
“Hey!” Naturally the blonde tartlet would have an annoying high pitch to her voice.
“What?” Anders’s face snarled.
“I’m right here?” She retorted, her face mimicking Anders’s snarl.
“And…” He questioned. She turned into his side harder, rubbing his chest. I wanted to be disgusted but I couldn’t. It made me feel good, I imagined that’s what Penny and I looked like when she held me tight and ran her hand over my chest.
Penny.
“Anders c’mon man, what’s the deal?” I was getting restless and losing my liquid courage.
“Yeah, look Becky,” Anders started pulling himself free from Becky.
“Bethany.” She interjected. Correction, from Bethany.
“This wasn’t gonna be a thing, I mean it’d be a thing… a good thing…for tonight.” He removed himself completely, and turned to me, nodding toward the door and moving his feet quickly.
“Whatever, your other friend is somewhere still.” She made no sign of defeat whatsoever. Poor Owen, she’d probably make him bear the pain.
I texted him, well I tried to anyway, “w e ar e leavnge you god?”
His response made me guffaw as I climbed into Anders overly jacked up Bronco. “Am I god, yes. I’m also, good, no worries, Becky just found me ;)”.
“Bethany!” I texted back with a laugh, as I also shouted her name out loud.
“Yeah, that one was crazy. Sorry about that.” Anders thought I was yelling at him.
“What?” I looked at him with brows pinched together, was there four of him?“There are four of you.”
“No just one. Tall, dark and handsome.”
I laughed. He was indeed tall, dark and handsome and since we’d been friends over the last year and some change I’d seen him use that to his advantage more than once.
“Yeah, yeah,” I fidgeted with my phone, thinking about how I’d tell her that the last two months of my life had been the most perfect.
I started replaying all the moments where I’d tried to tell her before. Like last Tuesday, the week before the show in Nashville, she came over the apartment and cleaned before I got home and then made brownies. I had tried to convince her to sleep with me then and she wouldn’t. She said I’d know when the time was right. “Well, fuck, Penny that’s always.” I’d said to her. She laughed and force fed me a brownie. I loved that brownie, and I knew I’d loved her then, and I almost said it.
The Alabama Sons Playlist
It is no coincidence that Penny is named Penny. E.A. Whitehead is a huge Hanson fan, so the name is based on the song and also it is Taylor Hanson's first daughter's name.
This playlist is in order of scenes in the book.
The Author
E.A. Whitehead is the author of Alabama Sons, book one of The Sons Trilogy. She spends an unhealthy amount of time ‘pinning’ things and getting lost in a fantasy world where everything is DIY and she owns a 12-room house to decorate. She obsesses over hockey (go Bruins!), all things Harry Potter, and her cats Little Bear and Baby Girl. She also believes that Wanderlust will cure your soul, live your dreams passionately!
Connect with E.A. Whitehead:
**GIVEAWAY**
