Hey, book bae!
Tomorrow, Her Only Choyce releases! If you’re already ready, you can preorder the novella here. Otherwise, check out the synopsis + an unedited sneak peek below!
His mother named him Choyce because when it came to his father, she didn’t have one. As midnight strikes, she tries to warn Choyce of joining the family business. Dismissive of his mother’s warning, Choyce joins his family for his eighteenth birthday party, where his grandfather gives him the terms of his rite of passage. When Choyce rejects the terms, the act is seen as a rejection of his family and their rules, and the events that follow make two things very clear to Choyce: his mother was right… and things will never be the same again.
Ten years later, things have changed drastically for Choyce, his family, and the business. While there are a few things he regrets, saving Lavender the night of his eighteenth birthday isn’t on that list. Though a decade has passed, the day they spent together has been permanently seared into his memory. He’s changed now... hardened in some places and softened in others. But one thing that will never change is his loyalty and fierce need to protect and possess Lavender every time she’s in his presence.
To commemorate the day that changed them both, Lavender returns to Memphis, TN. Will she finally return Choyce’s heart to him, or will she leave with even more of his love than when she came?
Unedited
Choyce
Her eyes were slightly yellow and glossy. Years of drinking had turned the once beautiful woman into a shell of herself. Her skin had darkened, and weight dropped, yet her abdomen swelled. Choyce didn’t have medical proof, but he was sure his mother’s liver was failing her.
When Heather was done tying his tie, she patted his chest and sighed. The smell of vodka immediately invaded his nostrils, but Choyce had grown used to it by now. Her hands slid down his arms, being sure to not wrinkle his black blazer. His father wanted him in a tuxedo, but Choyce refused to wear one to enter his eighteenth year of life.
It was hard enough being the center of attention as it was. Jerome family tradition stated every male child have a rite of passage as soon as the clock struck midnight on the day they were born. Whether Choyce wanted to be in the family association or not, in a few minutes, he would have no choice. Unlike with his older brother, Mercy, Choyce hadn’t been groomed to join the association at birth. Instead, they waited until he was sixteen. Sure, his father and uncles made Choyce privy to some things and taught him a few others, but his true training wouldn’t start until after he officially became a man in their eyes. For a moment, Choyce wished he could have moved with his older sister, Grace. She had been granted release from the family to live her life as she saw fit, and a part of Choyce was envious because of that.
Grace had been able to carve her own path, meanwhile his had been decided for him. Worse—it had been decided by a father Choyce wasn’t even sure liked him. Did Sonny love his son? There was no denying that. But did he actually like him? Choyce couldn’t say. Sonny naturally favored his oldest child Mercy, but with Choyce, it went deeper than that. There were moments where he felt his father intentionally kept his distance. Maybe it was because Choyce was closer to his mother, but what other choice did he have?
As the youngest child, she was the one who took Choyce under her wing. Mama’s boy or not, there was nothing weak or soft about him. Choyce was still just as lethal as the rest of his family and would only become more dangerous as he aged.
“Can we talk before you go down?” Heather asked.
He checked the time on his Rolex. “Can it wait? Pops told me not to be late.”
Sighing, Heather squeezed the back of her neck. Her eyes shifted, landing on Choyce’s desk. Walking over to it, she grabbed a letter that he hadn’t realized she’d placed there. She motioned for him to be seated at the desk, but as Choyce walked over to her, he decided to remain standing. He didn’t want to put a crease in his slacks just in case they were expected to take pictures.
“I wrote everything in this letter, but I think this is something you need to hear from me directly.”
She opened the envelope and glanced at the letter before setting it on the desk.
“Whatever you have to say, Ma, just say it. I really can’t be late.”
“Do you even want to go through with this?” she confirmed, lightly caressing his cheek with her palm.
“You’re asking that like I have a choice.”
Heather scoffed. “That’s why I named you Choyce… because I didn’t have one. I knew when this day came, you would feel as if you didn’t have one either, but you do.”
Choyce’s head shook as he took a step back. All his life, he was told this moment was what he’d been born for. Every man in the Jerome family had two options—join the assassin association or be disowned. This wasn’t a path Choyce would have chosen for himself, but at this point, it was all he knew. During school hours, college and career options weren’t his focus like his small circle of friends. When he graduated high school two months ago, Choyce knew exactly what he would be doing next.
It was the first time in his life he was glad his birthday came late in the summer. It provided the opportunity for him to feel like a normal teenager. Going to prom and graduation, his friends and games, the parties… they were all memories he’d cherish forever. All that shit would feel like distant memories in a matter of minutes. Becoming an assassin would be the start of a life that revolved around murders, money, and minimizing mayhem.
“How, Ma? If I don’t join them, they will disown me. Even if I was cool with never speaking to my family again, I would become a target. Their enemies would come after me to get to them. I would have to leave and probably change my name too to stay safe. I don’t have a choice.”
He didn’t want to tell her that she’d taken away his choice when she married and had kids with Sonny Jerome, but that was exactly how he felt. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed those words back down.
“I never wanted any of this,” she whispered. “For me and certainly not for my children.”
“Then why did you stay with him? Why did you marry him? When you realized who they were and what they did, why did you continue to have children with him?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” she whispered loudly, distress covering her face. “Wake up, Choyce. And think.” Her fingers snapped, as if that would cause clarity. “I was forced to marry your father because of a debt that my father couldn’t pay. I never wanted to be a part of this family, but I had no choice. They literally own me. If I would have run, everyone in my family would have died.”
—
Are you ready for more?