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    The 13th Month
    The 13th Month
    The 13th Month
    Ebook141 pages

    The 13th Month

    By Bailey Bradford

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    About this ebook

    Marco's ex destroyed him, but one man won't let him give up on life.

    Marco was the original photographer from the Calendar series. He's almost died more than once thanks to his ex-wife, Evan. It's been a struggle to survive, but Ezra, his best friend, has been by his side and isn't disgusted by his scars.

    And maybe it's time Marco stopped fighting the feelings he's had for his friend all along.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPride Publishing
    Release dateJan 8, 2019
    ISBN9781786517012
    The 13th Month
    Author

    Bailey Bradford

    A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn't happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey's brain demanding to be let out. Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey's office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey's presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

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      Book preview

      The 13th Month - Bailey Bradford

      Pride Publishing books by Bailey Bradford

      Single Titles

      Breaking the Devil

      Dark Nights and Headlights

      Texas and Tarantulas

      Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots

      Something Shattered

      Yes, Forever

      Southwestern Shifters

      Rescued

      Relentless

      Reckless

      Rendered

      Resilience

      Reverence

      Revolution

      Revenge

      Reluctance

      Renounced

      Retrograde

      Southern Spirits

      A Subtle Breeze

      When the Dead Speak

      All of the Voices

      Wait Until Dawn

      Aftermath

      What Remains

      Ascension

      Whirlwind

      Love in Xxchange

      Rory’s Last Chance

      Miles To Go

      Bend

      What Matters Most

      Ex’s and O’s

      A Bit of Me

      A Bit of You

      In My Arms Tonight

      Where There’s a Will

      My Heart to Keep

      Leopard’s Spots

      Levi

      Oscar

      Timothy

      Isaiah

      Gilbert

      Esau

      Sullivan

      Wesley

      Nischal

      Justice

      Sabin

      Cliff

      Mossy Glenn Ranch

      Chaps and Hope

      Ropes and Dreams

      Saddles and Memories

      Fences and Freedom

      Riding and Regrets

      Broncs and Bullies

      Hay and Heartbreak

      Vaqueros and Vigilance

      Spotless

      Hide

      Hunt

      Home

      Heart

      Coyote’s Call

      Off Course

      In from the Cold

      Blue Moon Rising

      Valen’s Pack

      Run with the Moon

      Exodus

      The Vamp for Me

      My Life Without Garlic

      Don’t Stake My Life on It

      Sunshine is Overrated

      Don’t Drink the Holy Water

      The Trouble with Mirrors

      That’s One Cross Vamp

      City Shifters

      Bearly There

      Harey Situation

      Mystic Tattoos

      One Too Many

      Power

      Exchange

      Submit

      Dominate

      Calendar Men

      Mr. January

      Mr. February

      Mr. March

      Mr. April

      Mr. May

      Mr. June

      Mr. July

      Mr. August

      Mr September

      Mr. October

      Mr. November

      Mr. December

      Yes, Forever

      Yes, Forever: Part One

      Yes, Forever: Part Two

      Yes, Forever: Part Three

      Yes, Forever: Part Four

      Yes, Forever: Part Five

      Mossy Glenn Ranch

      Chaps and Hope

      Ropes and Dreams

      Saddles and Memories

      Fences and Freedom

      Riding and Regrets

      Broncs and Bullies

      Hay and Heartbreak

      Vaqueros and Vigilance

      Antholgies

      What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Places

      What’s his Passion?: Unexpected Moments

      Racing Hearts: The Lonely Ones

      Calendar Men

      THE 13TH MONTH

      BAILEY BRADFORD

      The 13th Month

      ISBN # 978-1-78651-701-2

      ©Copyright Bailey Bradford 2019

      Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright January 2019

      Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

      Pride Publishing

      This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

      Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

      The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

      Published in 2019 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

      Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

      If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

      Book thirteen in the Calendar Men series

      Marco’s ex destroyed him, but one man won’t let him give up on life.

      Marco was the original photographer from the Calendar series. He’s almost died more than once thanks to his ex-wife, Evan. It’s been a struggle to survive, but Ezra, his best friend, has been by his side and isn’t disgusted by his scars.

      And maybe it’s time Marco stopped fighting the feelings he’s had for his friend all along.

      Dedication

      To Cherri, may all our tears be ones of joy.

      Trademark Acknowledgements

      The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

      The Princess Bride: Act III Communications

      Google: Google, Inc.

      Starbucks: Starbucks Corporation

      Chapter One

      Quantum, Inc. was bustling, the employees excited about all the new contracts and projects in various stages of development. As the owner of the company, Ezra Harrington should have been just as excited, should have been celebrating along with his employees and enjoying the catered lunch he’d had brought in.

      Instead he was sitting at his desk, wondering how long he needed to stay before he could leave without causing too much of a fuss. He was the boss, after all, and he used to be at Quantum, Inc. more often than anywhere else. His company had been his home, but all that had changed when his friend Marco Chacon had almost died.

      Ezra?

      Ezra blinked, coming back to himself. He’d been staring out of the wall of windows behind his desk, though he hadn’t seen anything. His mind had been elsewhere. Turning around, he plastered on a smile he hoped looked sincere. When he saw Albert Washington standing in the doorway, Ezra didn’t have to fake happiness. Albert was one of his favorite employees. Albert, come in and have a seat.

      Albert entered the office. His suspenders were a pale lavender, and he wore a matching bow tie. The baby blue color of his shirt went well with both. Maggie said you wanted to see me?

      Ezra waited until Albert sat in the chair closest to the desk before replying. Yes. As you know, the motherboard you designed has put Quantum, Inc. at the top of the field. We have more contracts than we can handle, though HR is handling that issue, and financially, Quantum, Inc. is projected to be one of the most profitable companies in the United States next year. A lot of that is due to your contribution, so I wanted to offer you a promotion to development manager, and you’re getting a nice raise whether or not you want to accept the promotion. Merry Christmas.

      Albert’s eyes were wide behind the lenses of his glasses. "A p-promotion? And a raise?"

      Yes, Ezra said, feeling something that made him light up inside. It took him a moment to realize it was happiness. It had been a long time since he’d experienced that particular emotion without some trepidation attached to it. Yes, indeed. Thanks to you, this company is one of the most sought-after techs around. A ten percent raise is in order, and not unfair. You’ll also earn two percent of net sales on the motherboard you designed. If you accept the management position, there will be additional perks, including financial. I want you to take some time to think about the offer, though. You’ve got a week off with Lance. If you can give me an answer after that?

      Albert bobbed his head. Yes, yes, I can do that. It’d be more hours?

      Ezra winced. Well, yes, but you’d have more paid vacation days. I would do my best to balance that out for you.

      Okay, I’ll talk it over with Lance and get back with you the first week of January. Thank you, Ezra, for everything. Albert cleared his throat then tugged at his bow tie. Um, how is Marco? I heard he had pneumonia again—but that came from someone in the office, and I wanted to ask you myself. You know how gossip goes.

      Often wrong. Ezra leaned back in his chair. Not this time, however. Marco was in the hospital briefly. He came home six days ago and is still recovering, though he’s doing much better. It wasn’t pneumonia this time, but some bacterial infection that the doctors feared would lead to sepsis. Luckily, he’s going to be fine. I hope. God, please let him finally get to recover. It had been one health crisis after another for Marco for almost a year.

      Good, good. You know, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I didn’t want to call Perry and ask about the rumor I’d heard, didn’t want to upset her, especially while she’s on that fashion shoot in Versailles. Albert smiled. She’s got contract offers coming in daily now that the charity calendar has been such a hit. Some of the guys have been contacted by talent agencies, too. The calendar itself has raised so much money for the children’s cancer fund, there are already plans to do another one. Well. Anyway. Thank you, Ezra.

      You’re welcome. I hope you decide to do whatever is best for you, and if that happens to be what’s best for Quantum, Inc. that’d be great, but if not, we’ll be all right. Ezra stood and walked out from behind his desk as Albert got up. Thanks for asking about Marco and not just running wild with a rumor. He’s had a traumatic year, what with Evan trying to murder him twice, the skin graft surgeries then all the health complications from those surgeries and such. I hate that he’s the subject of gossip.

      Any time I can be of help, let me know. Albert shook his hand, then left the office.

      Ezra watched through the inside window, waiting until Daria got up and stood at a makeshift podium to start announcing the winners of the raffle drawings. The company holiday party was always fun to attend, but Ezra just couldn’t hang around this year. He slipped away without anyone noticing and drove home a little faster than he should have. This wasn’t the first time he’d been away from Marco—it wasn’t like he could stay by the man’s side twenty-four-seven—but the latest health scare had terrified Ezra. He felt like he’d been living on the edge of a deadly precipice for almost a year, and he was worn down in a way he couldn’t describe.

      Except that there was no security or certainty anymore. He used to think he knew how his life would go—very successful businessman, good boss, good person, adventures few people got to take and, eventually, a love that would last through thick and thin—but now he knew nothing was set in stone.

      Ezra focused on driving. One car in

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