Fay Lamb – Real Life Romance – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Romantic suspense author, Fay Lamb shares a glimpse of her real life romance. Every time you comment on any post dated Feb 27 – March 1,  your name goes in the drawing for a copy of Rodeo Dust. And I’m adding a 2nd drawing for a copy of Rodeo Hero, my latest release. One snag, I don’t have my author copies yet, but whoever wins will get the book as soon as I do. Here’s Fay:

Our first Christmas together, my husband, Marc, asked if the boys and I would like to go look at Christmas lights. My sons were excited as we traveled through Sherwood Park, a neighborhood known for its hospitable Holiday spirit. Most houses were lit up with mechanical decorations, their sidewalks were lined with luminaries, music played outside, and the residents waved and called, “Merry Christmas” to the long line of cars weaving through their streets to take it all in.
My husband reached for my hand and smiled back at the two little boys, six and four, that I’d brought into our relationship. “Wouldn’t it be nice to live here one day?”
I still can feel the warmth in my heart as I think about his words. As a once confirmed bachelor, I knew Marc never gave much thought to where he would live, but things had changed for him. He had two sons who needed a good school, and where we lived then was not in the best of districts. We were running out of ploys to keep them in the school nearest to Sherwood Park.
Fast forward a couple of months. Marc and I found ourselves looking at house after house to purchase on a limited budget, but we couldn’t find the one we wanted. Finally, the real estate agent pulled up in front of a house on Ayshire Drive in Sherwood Park. From the outside, the house was beautiful, but we were a little doubtful that we could afford it.
When our oldest son jumped out of the car, he noticed friends from school playing in the streets around us. His excitement grew, and I was afraid that we would have to disappoint him.
Then I went through the house. It was open and spacious. The bathrooms were larger than any I’d seen in a house that size. The boys could share a room or each have their own, although, I knew what that decision would be. I fell in love with the place.
The house was a little more than we’d expected, but the real estate agent had some good news for us. The mortgage had a rare, “assumable without qualifying” tag on it, which meant as long as we stayed within our budget, we didn’t have to qualify for a larger loan.
While the boys chattered about the new house in the neighborhood where their friends lived, Marc, in his quiet unassuming way, studied our options. He was getting ready to head out of town, and we hadn’t made a decision—or so I thought.
The day he had to leave, I was late getting home and picking up the boys from daycare. We rushed to our apartment, and I was disappointed. Marc’s car was gone. He’d already left for the airport. Deflated, I gathered our belongings and ushered the kids toward the door where I found a note taped to the door. “Your new home is located on Ayshire Drive. I love you, Marc.” He’d signed the contract to purchase the house as a surprise for us.
I cried as I read this love note to me. You see, it wasn’t about the house. Any home would have done for me. In those few little words, my husband showed not only the depth of his love for his wife, he also showed me how much he loved the sons I brought into the marriage.
We lived  on Ayshire Drive for seventeen years, making precious family memories there. And each Christmas our family would decorate our home to the hilt, place the luminaries along the drive, and we’d stand outside waving to all the visitors driving through our neighborhood, and I still never cease counting the man blessings that came when God brought Marc Lamb into my life.
About Fay: Fay Lamb works as an acquisition/copyeditor for Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing and Harbourlight Books), offers her services as a freelance editor, and is an author of Christian romance and romantic suspense. Her emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. Because of Me, her debut romantic suspense novel is soon to be released by Treble Heart Books/Mountainview Publishing.
Fay has a passion for working with and encouraging fellow writers. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she co-moderates the large Scribes’ Critique Group and manages the smaller Scribes’ critique groups. For her efforts, she was the recipient of the ACFW Members Service Award in 2010.
In 2012, Fay was also elected to serve as secretary on ACFW’s Operating Board.
Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida, where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and five grandchildren.
About the book:  Issie Putnam’s life took a detour the night she was raped at gunpoint in front of her fiancé, Michael Hayes. Instead of marrying Michael, a promising young investigative reporter, Michael, along with the man who attacked her, and the man who held the gun on Michael, are imprisoned for conspiracy to assassinate the local district attorney—a crime Michael was trying to expose but had no intention of committing. Issie’s name is ruined, she lost her perfectly-planned future, but she gained Cole, her son—born of that rape.
On the eve of her attacker’s parole, Michael, already released from prison, follows through on his plan to return to the small town of Amazing Grace and protect Issie from the madman who promised to seek revenge. There, he meets Issie’s seven-year-old son for the first time.
Can Michael learn to love the child Issie holds so close to her heart? Will Michael be able to protect the woman he loves from the man who will stop at nothing to destroy them all?
Purchase the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Because-of-Me-ebook/dp/B00722KIME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327670357&sr=8-1
Come back March 2nd for a preview of my latest release, Rodeo Hero.