Somebody To Love
Mariah Ankenman
(Jackson Family Distillery, #2)
Publication date: September 19th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Penny Williams is a lot of things; intelligent, shy, socially awkward, but the one thing she wants to be most is a mother. Unfortunately, sheโs never been very lucky in the dating world. Men rarely go for quiet nerds, but that wonโt stop her. Being an independent woman of the 21st century, she decides to forgo traditional methods of baby making and try for a medical option. Only, she doesnโt want a random donation. She knows the perfect candidate. The only problem? Itโs her best friend.
Bravo โBJโ Jackson would do anything for his best friend, but her latest request has him stumped. He knows Penny would make a great mom. Problem is, he never imagined himself as a dad. She says she wants nothing from him except his little swimmers. The real question is can he step away from a child who would technically be a part of him?
She promises nothing between them will change. But life gets complicated when they discover hidden feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. This deal could destroy what they have. Or it could reveal that what they really want has been in front of them the whole time.
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EXCERPT:
โHey, BJ.โ
โHey, BJ. You send me a 911 text, took forever to answer your door and all I get is a Hey BJ?โ
Her brow furrowed. Nose wrinkling. The small, upturned tip rising even higher. โI didnโt take forever.โ
Felt like it to him. Every damn second had stretched into an eternity as he hauled ass over here. The worst of the worst running through his mind. Placing a hand on the door, he pushed slightly. Penny automatically stepped back, allowing him entrance. Once inside her house, he headed straight for the living room. The sound of the door closing, and her soft footsteps followed him.
Normally heโd sit on her couch, make himself at home, maybe turn on the TV. Tonight, he didnโt do any of those things. He stood in the middle of her living room and turned to face her. โPenny, what is going on?โ
Long, thin fingers tapped against her thigh. โUmโฆwell, you see, the thing isโฆdo you want to sit?โ
No, he didnโt want to fucking sit. He wanted to know what the hell was wrong with his best friend. Crossing his arms over his chest, he remained where he was.
โRight, okay, no sitting. Um, Iโฆkind of needโฆoh! How rude of me. I havenโt offered you a drink, or are you hungry? I bet youโre hungry. I can make you a sandwich. I got those bread and butter pickles you like andโโ
โPenny!โ The woman was killing him. He reached out, grabbing her wrist in a firm, yet soft grip before she could turn tail and run off to the kitchen. Tugging on her arm, he gently pulled her to him. โI donโt need anything except for you to tell me whatโs wrong.โ
She tucked her chin into her chest, refusing to look him in the eye. โNothing is wrong.โ
โBullshit.โ
At that, her face rose. He rarely swore around her, but he was done playing or whatever the hell they were doing. Something had been bothering her for days. He knew it, knew her. Heโd tried to let it go, allow her to come to him in her own time, but he was tired of waiting. Tired of her almost coming out with it, then retreating into herself. They were friends, dammit, best friends. She didnโt get to hide her problems. Not from him. Not when he could help.
โPlease.โ He brought his hands up, cupping her face, stroking the soft skin in a soothing manner. โTell me what you need.โ
โI need your sperm.โ
His hands fell from her face. Shock dropping his hold. Hazel eyes grew impossibly wide as she blurted out words heโd never imagined coming from her lips. His brain tried to come up with something, anything, but surely, heโd misheard her. Penny couldnโt have possibly asked him for his sperm. Had she?
โIโฆwhat?โ
A loud groan left her pink lips. Stepping out of his touch, she brought up her own hands to cover her face. He thought he heard her let out a muffled scream, but he couldnโt be sure of anything his ears were hearing tonight.
Dropping her hands, she turned and paced back and forth across the living room floor. โOkay, remember a while ago when we were talking about me wanting to be a mom, but being too socially awkward to attract any kind of decent manโโ
โYou mean you being awesome and the entire male species being too stupid to realize it?โ Ableists fucks. He knew a lot of Pennyโs relationship woes came from her partners not bothering to understand autism or even trying to learn more about it.
She waved away his sentiment, continuing, โAnyway, I was remembering your offer andโโ
โWait, wait, what offer?โ
She stopped pacing and turned to face him. โRemember, we were talking about how adoption wouldnโt work, and you suggested I use, um, some guyโs stuff and then said I could even have yours?โ
His jaw literally dropped. He would even swear he heard it crack. โPennyโฆI wasโฆI didnโt meanโฆI didnโt realize you were serious about it.โ
She lifted her chin. โWell, I am, and I really want the second set of DNA to come from you.โ
Heโd sampled too much of the latest gin batch and was currently passed out in the office having a wild, booze induced dream. That could be the only explanation for what was currently going on because there was no way he stood here, in the middle of Pennyโs apartment, talking about her need for his sperm. Nope. No way in hell. This was all some weird, messed up gin fever, and heโd be paying for it in the morning with a hangover from hell.
๐ปReview๐ป
Penny has decided that romantic love isnโt part of her future but that doesnโt mean she doesnโt want a baby. She decides to approach the man who has always been there for her and whom she trusts the most, her best friend BJ.
BJ has also decided that romantic love isnโt part of his future but there isnโt anything he wouldnโt do for his best friend Penny. He has never considered crossing the line with Penny but now he begins to wonder if the reason he hasnโt committed to another woman is that Penny has always owned his heart.
BJ and Penny have always played a starring role in each otherโs life and were destined to be more than friends. Not only have they always been there for each other, but they put each other first which makes their relationship even more special.
Author Bio:
Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her.
Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someoneโs day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books visit her website http://www.mariahankenman.com.
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