Hi dear friends,

I am extremely excited and happy today to host Chloe Walsh on the blog!

She was what we call in French a real “coup de coeur” or crush if you prefer. A friend from our Facebook group recommended reading Binding 13 and I tried it and …fell instantly in love with Shannon and Johnny’s story! So much that I then read Keeping 13 the second book of the duet and ended reading more than 1800 pages in less than one week!

Chloe Walsh had become a new “go to” author for me!

I just had to contact her and propose to participate in my Romance and Love Celebration and …she said yes! 😀 

Chloe just made my day/week/month when she sent me …. a love letter written by Johnny to Shannon!

How cool is it right?

Now Chloe (or rather Johnny) the floor is yours!

Hi Sophie, thank you so much for inviting me to participate in your Valentine’s blog post for your website. I decided to write a love letter from Johnny to Shannon (Boys of Tommen books) because this is how we came to know each other. Thank you so much again for reaching out to me. Lots of love, Chloe xx.

February 10th 2006

Dear Shannon,

It’s me – Johnny. If you’re reading this, then the necklace and flowers I sent you for Valentine’s Day have arrived home in time. I hope you liked them. I felt like a right eejit asking the lady in the shop to send daisies when all the lads in camp were sending roses to their wives and girlfriends back home. My teammates gave me a right slagging for being a cheapskate, but you said they were your favorite kind of flower, and I know why. It’s because of that day, isn’t it? The one we spent down the back field of my house with our friends after the funeral…

You were so quiet that day, Shan, so lost in your thoughts. I didn’t blame you for not wanting to speak to anyone. I knew you were grieving for your family…worried about your brothers and your future. But I just was glad to be there with you. To just be in your life. To be the one to comfort you… and maybe even take care of you?

 I remember watching you make those daisy chains over and over again. You were resting between my legs, with your back pressed to my chest, and you were concentrating so hard on making the perfect chain. I could feel how rigid your body was, your fingers a blur of movement, as you contemplated how much weight the world had suddenly dropped on your shoulders.

 Every once and a while, when you perfected one of those chains, I saw you smile. It was this tiny fleeting smile that barely ghosted your lips, but it was so fucking humbling. I know I’ve never told you any of this, but I thought that was incredible. How you could still find the good in the bad? You were going through a horrendous time in your life, and you still managed to smile. I was in awe watching you cope and just…keep living.

The sun was splitting the stones that same day, shining down on all of us, making your hair turn an almost reddish brown against your porcelain skin, and all I could think was; if this is all I get, if I go no further with the rugby, then I’ll be okay. As long as I get to keep this girl, I’ll make this life work. Of course, in typical Gibsie fashion, my best friend ruined the moment by stripping off naked and scarring everyone for life with his bleeding ‘Jacob’s ladder’, but that’s what I took away from that day; to learn how to find the good in the bad, and to know that we would be okay if we stuck together.

I heard a song on the radio yesterday and I instantly thought of you – nothing new there. The singer’s name is Declan Ó Rourke and the song’s called ‘Whatever Else Happens’. Listening to that song made me think about how thick and stubborn I was when we first met. How bleeding stupid I was about delaying the inevitable. My only excuse is that it was my first time falling in love and it scared the bejesus out of me – no, you scared the bejesus out of me. You still do.

I’m sorry, Shan… for this crazy life I’ve dragged you into. I know it’s not an easy one. Obviously, I’m not nearly sorry enough to give you up – you can never say that I didn’t warn you – but I just want you to know that I’d give anything to be back home in Ireland with you. No cameras, no screaming fans, no floodlights. Just you.

I know the girls at school are spending Valentine’s Day with their fellas while you’re watching me play in the Six Nations Championship on the television, but just know that I plan on making it up to you. How, I’m not entirely sure of yet, but I suppose I have a lifetime of February fourteenths with you to figure it out. Maybe I’ll get one of those right.

I’m playing in Twickenham on Saturday, Shan, to a packed-out stadium, and all I can think about is that I should be at home in Cork with you, sneaking you into the Valentine’s disco at Biddies with me, and kissing the face off you in the back room behind the toilets. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? How one person can come into your life and change your entire thought process? That’s what you did to me Shannon Like The River and I haven’t been the same since.  

Can I tell you a secret? It’s pretty bad, but after everything we’ve been through, I need to get it off my chest, so just bear with me, baby…

I lied to you when I said that I hit you with that ball by accident. I don’t have a bad aim, Shan. I’ve a fucking epic aim – just check my stats. I kicked that ball on purpose. Gibs knew it, Feely and Hughie knew it…hell, I think even Coach knew it. I convinced myself that I kicked that ball by accident – that I mistakenly knocked you out – but that was a lie. 

I saw you on the pitch that day, and I was completely thrown off kilter. I was arguing with my teammates, distracted and in pain, and there you were; this tiny scrap of a girl, who had my undivided attention without even trying. And when you started to climb the hill of the pitch and slip out of sight, I panicked. My immediate reaction was to just stop you. I didn’t know who you were, where you’d come from, or if I’d even see you again, so I kicked the ball to stop you from leaving me – to just buy myself some time to figure out why my heart was racing so hard.

I still wince at the damage I caused you, Shan. I swear to god, I never meant to hurt you. I just needed you to stay… I was so ashamed that I lied to myself, made myself believe that it was an accident, but now we both know the truth. You had me from that very first day. You won that bet, baby. I was always your binding 13, and you’ll always be keeping 13. You’re stuck with me. 😉

Anyway, it’s 02:30 as I write this and Mick is bitching at me to turn the lights off, so I better wrap this piss poor attempt of a love letter up. Yeah, I’m roomed up with Mick Flanagan again. At first, I thought it was fucking epic to be the new kid on the team and get buddied up with our captain, but now I’m starting to realize why no one else complained. The man sounds like a bleeding train when he sleeps. No one wants the snoring bear in their room.

Can you do me a favor and give my Ma a kiss for me – and tell her to stop worrying. My head’s harder than she thinks and it’ll take a lot more than a few knocks on a pitch to break me.

I’ll see you in March, baby – hopefully with a grand slam medal around my neck.

I love you a crazy fucking amount,

Johnny x.

P.S: sleep well with the absolute certainty that my dick has been, is now, and always will be securely in my pants. 😉

Johnny and Shannon’s Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/215l6ymtg7ulpype2otbeseji/playlist/29Dv3fmYYTOWLZSRXpyPQ2?si=l6QbXuAURwmAgKRoT6DsHg

AUTHOR BIO:

Chloe Walsh is an international bestselling romance author of more than twenty novels, including the hugely successful broken series, a four book romantic suspense series.
Although she is a hopeless romantic at heart, Chloe likes to make her characters work for their happy endings, penning real life issues mixed with emotion and lovable characters. 
Born in Cork, Ireland, Chloe currently resides there with her two children.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chloe-Walsh/e/B00IH4LJSI/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1534174481&sr=8-2-ent

Chloe’s Newsletter Sign-up: https://chloewalshauthor.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5c386615b108b7b960836ea24&id=0ecd0798a0

Read the other posts:

Beware Of The Reader Day 1

Tijan Day 2

Tanya Day 3

Aleatha Romig Day 4

Alexandra Wolfe Day 5

Leylah Attar Day 6

Trisy Day 7

Kate Stewart Day 8

Angelica Day 9

Emma Scott Day 10

Pam Nelson Day 11

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more to come tomorrow!

Sophie