The Commitment

By Lorhainne Eckhart

As far as Marcus O’Connell is concerned, his situation is perfect. He’s now living with the love of his life, Charlotte, and they’re serving as guardians for Eva, a little girl he rescued whose mother is serving time in prison for a crime of which, in Marcus’s mind, she was unfairly convicted.

But Charlotte isn’t on board with Marcus’s way of thinking. Because her divorce is now final, she wants—no, expects Marcus to want the same things she does. One of those things is a committed relationship, which, to Charlotte, means marriage. For Marcus, though, marriage is only a piece of paper, and it doesn’t have anything to do with commitment.

However, when circumstances change for Eva, whom they both love deeply, Marcus is forced to make some hard decisions to keep both Eva and Charlotte, and he questions his reasons for not wanting marriage. What will he need to do to keep the child he and Charlotte now consider theirs?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorhainne Eckhart
• Release date: May 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781989698211

Lorhainne Eckhart

"Lorhainne Eckhart is one of my go to authors when I want a guaranteed good book. So many twists and turns, but also so much love and such a strong sense of family." (Lora W., Reviewer)New York Times & USA Today bestseller Lorhainne Eckhart writes Raw Relatable Real Romance is best known for writing big family romances series, where “Morals and family are running themes. Danger, romance, and a drive to do what is right will see you glued to the page.” As one fan calls her, she is the “Queen of the family saga.” (aherman) writing “the ups and downs of what goes on within a family but also with some suspense, angst and of course a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.” Follow Lorhainne on Bookbub to receive alerts on New Releases and Sales and join her mailing list at LorhainneEckhart.com for her Monday Blog, books news, giveaways and FREE reads. With over 120 books, audiobooks, and multiple series published and available at all retailers now translated into multiple languages. She is a multiple recipient of the Readers’ Favorite Award for Suspense and Romance, and lives in the Pacific Northwest on an island, is the mother of three, her oldest has autism and she is an advocate for never giving up on your dreams."Lorhainne Eckhart has this uncanny way of just hitting the spot every time with her books.” ★★★★★ Caroline L., ReviewerThe O’Connells: The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana are not your typical family. A riveting collection of stories surrounding the ups and downs of what goes on within a family but also with some suspense, angst and of course a bit of romance thrown in for good measure “I thought I loved the Friessens, but I absolutely adore the O’Connell’s. Each and every book has totally different genres of stories but the one thing in common is how she is able to wrap it around the family which is the heart of each story.” C. LogueThe Friessens: An emotional big family romance series, the Friessen family siblings find their relationships tested, lay their hearts on the line, and discover lasting love! “Lorhainne Eckhart is one of my go to authors when I want a guaranteed good book. So many twists and turns, but also so much love and such a strong sense of family.” Lora W., ReviewerThe Parker Sisters: The Parker Sisters are a close-knit family, and like any other family they have their ups and downs. “Eckhart has crafted another intense family drama...The character development is outstanding, and the emotional investment is high..." Aherman, ReviewerThe McCabe Brothers: Join the five McCabe siblings on their journeys to the dark and dangerous side of love! An intense, exhilarating collection of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss. — “Eckhart has a new series that is definitely worth the read. The queen of the family saga started this series with a spin-off of her wildly successful Friessen series.” From a Readers’ Favorite award—winning author and “queen of the family saga” (Aherman)

Book preview

The Commitment

The Commitment

The O’Connells

COPYRIGHT © Lorhainne Ekelund, 2020, All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Editor: Talia Leduc

The Commitment

The O’Connells

Lorhainne Eckhart

www.LorhainneEckhart.com

Contents

Keep in touch with Lorhainne

About the O’Connells

About The Commitment

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Please Leave a Review

Next in The O’Connells

The Missing Father, Chapter 1

Other works available

Vanished Chapter 1

About the Author

Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist

Keep in touch with Lorhainne

Sign-up for Lorhainne’s Newsletter & Monday Blog

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About the O’Connells

The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss. Raised by a single mother after their father’s mysterious disappearance eighteen years ago, the six grown siblings live in a small town with all kinds of hidden secrets, lies, and deception. Much like the contemporary family romance series focusing on the Friessens, this romantic suspense series follows the lives of the O’Connell family as each of the siblings searches for love.

The O’Connells

The Neighbor

The Third Call

The Secret Husband

The Quiet Day

The Commitment, An O’Connell Novella

The Missing Father

The Hometown Hero

Justice

The Family Secret

The Fallen O’Connell

The Return of the O’Connells

And The She Was Gone

The Stalker

The O’Connells Box Set Collections

The O’Connells Books 1 - 3

The O’Connells Books 4 - 6

About The Commitment

The O’Connells Novella

As far as Marcus O’Connell is concerned, his situation is perfect. He’s now living with the love of his life, Charlotte, and they’re serving as guardians for Eva, a little girl he rescued whose mother is serving time in prison for a crime of which, in Marcus’s mind, she was unfairly convicted.

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But Charlotte isn’t on board with Marcus’s way of thinking. Because her divorce is now final, she wants—no, expects Marcus to want the same things she does. One of those things is a committed relationship, which, to Charlotte, means marriage. For Marcus, though, marriage is only a piece of paper, and it doesn’t have anything to do with commitment.

---

However, when circumstances change for Eva, whom they both love deeply, Marcus is forced to make some hard decisions to keep both Eva and Charlotte, and he questions his reasons for not wanting marriage. What will he need to do to keep the child he and Charlotte now consider theirs?

Chapter One

You know my divorce is now final, Charlotte said as Marcus tucked his revolver in the gun safe on the top shelf of their small closet, which was packed with clothes. Charlotte’s took up more than three quarters, so his meagre shirts were crammed in at one end.

He turned the dial of the safe and put his duty belt on the dresser, taking in Charlotte, who was in faded blue jeans and one of his old T-shirts, lingering in the doorway with a dishtowel over her shoulder. Her hair was hanging long and loose, and something about the way she was looking at him told him there was more.

That’s good, isn’t it? he said as he unbuttoned his uniform shirt and pulled it from his trousers before sitting on the queen-size bed that filled the master bedroom in their small older two-bedroom house, where it seemed as if everything they had was squeezed in. As he pulled off his shirt, he realized she hadn’t responded from where she leaned in the doorway.

There was something about Charlotte. He swore the woman could’ve made a grain sack look sexy, and yet, as he took her in, he could see she had something more on her mind.

Charlotte… he finally prompted.

She glanced over her shoulder into the narrow hallway before pulling in a breath and then giving him everything. Well, of course, considering it took the full ninety days to clear a court even when my lawyer said it shouldn’t take that long. She was holding up her bare hands now, fiddling with her fingers, as he leaned over and untied his tactical boots.

He slipped them off as he glanced up, waiting for her to finish. Well, he said, it’s done now, so how long it took is kind of a moot point. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?

She seemed to stiffen. The way