When I wrote this second installment of Keira and Declan’s story, I wanted to tackle a delicate, but close-to-my-heart issue – Postpartum depression. I was lucky enough not to deal with it. Unfortunately, many dear friends and relatives went through this nightmare. It’s important to discuss mental health in an open, honest way. I’m proud to learn from readers I did justice to this sensitive topic.

Check out what some readers wrote about St. Patrick’s Luck:

“This book takes you through a rough patch in Kiera and Declan’s life after Iris is born, but they struggled and made it through! So close to real life it’s uncanny! Good job Liz Gavin!” – Book Lady Teri

“This was a realistic portrayal of what a couple goes through after a baby is added to the family dynamic. It’s hard and Declan is shaken and not a rock and Keira has been suffering from postpartum depression.” Lisa H.

“Short story that hits your heart as well as your body if you have been through what she has. Takes a strong person to do that. I liked this a lot.” – Cecilia

“I like that this was a good realistic book. You could tell that these two loved each other and their child but just like the rest of us they were struggling. A really great read.” – Poppy

“It deals with a serious topic. There’s still a happily-ever-after. It was able to convey the pain of the couple. The story pulls at your heart.” – Amazon Reviewer

“Awesome novella! Keira and Declan have a bumpy road ahead after Iris is born but their love for each other sees them through. Love this novella!!!” – Miss B. B. Barnes

Here’s a short excerpt from the book:

St. Patrick’s Luck

@2019 Liz Gavin

Pretending to be engrossed in the thick book opened on her lap, Keira stealthily watched Declan play with their daughter. Tiny fingers squeezed Declan’s index finger turning its tip white. The way he laughed and cooed indicated the minuscule nails scraping his skin didn’t hurt him.

Keira didn’t expect them to. Declan was a rock in the proverbial tempest. Her rock. Lately, her rock had shown troubling signs.

She glimpsed the shadow of a painful thought or memory in his green eyes as he gazed into the fireplace. In the past weeks, she had witnessed an array of feelings play on her husband’s expression whenever he thought nobody was paying attention. None of those emotions gave her comfort.

She feared Declan’s old inner demons had surfaced to torment him. She knew hers had lurked in the dark corners of her mind in the last couple of months.

Aware of her inability to fight the ghosts from their past, Keira fidgeted, pulled her legs up on the couch, tucking her feet between the velveteen cushions under her butt. Carrying their asleep daughter, Declan vanished down the corridor toward her room, so Keira dragged her eyes back to the printed page where abundant advice on how to adapt a couple’s life to the arrival of their newborn awaited her. Declan bought the bestselling book on their way home back from their appointment with the doctor when it was confirmed she was pregnant. Although an avid reader, she had started and stopped reading it a few times since that distant afternoon.

“That’s a great read.” His baritone voice brought her back to their living room.

She shrugged. “It seems like it is, but I just can’t get into it.”

“You haven’t finished it yet?” Declan’s wide eyes and puzzled expression almost had her laughing. His reaction was so cute, but she knew better than to poke at a big bear when he was brooding. He shook his head at her and continued, “You’ve been carrying the book around everywhere. I thought you were trying to memorize the thing or something.”

His wink gave her reassurance to banter back. “I carried it around, you say? Maybe. At least, I wasn’t the one hugging the book against my chest as we strolled from the bookstore to our car. Onlookers would have thought the volume was the best Christmas present you had gotten in your life. Never mind it was mid-August.”

“Touché.” He hung his head, not before she caught his grin. “It’s an awesome book, though. I devoured it back then and have reread it a few times. I found many of the tips to be quite helpful.”

“Maybe that’s why you’ve bonded with Iris so quickly and deeply.” She fought to keep the sting of jealousy out of her voice, but its sharp pang to her gut deflated all playfulness. “At times, I wonder if things would have been different had I been able to breastfeed her.”

Declan left his spot by the fireplace and came to kneel in front of the couch. He placed both hands on the side of her thighs. The contrast of his tanned fingers against her pale skin enthralled her, or so she told herself to avoid confessing her cowardice.

“Please, look at me.”

She had missed that caressing quality in his voice. She squinted her eyelids shut for a second before complying with his request. She arched an eyebrow when he took his sweet time speaking.

“What?” She got tired of waiting.

“Please, stop beating yourself up over something beyond your control. You had a relentless breast infection that spread to both your breasts. You kept breastfeeding Iris even when high fever made it difficult for you to hold her still. Doctor Johnson had to threaten you with hospitalization when the first abscess appeared under your nipple to convince you to give up breastfeeding. You did all you could.”  

“Most of the time, I don’t know what I’m doing. It scares the shit out of me,” she whispered, hanging her head down.

“You think I don’t know that? I’ve tried to make it easier for you. I’ve stayed home whenever I could, so you wouldn’t be alone. But truth be told, I don’t know what I’m doing either.”

“That’s not what I see when I observe you and Iris interact,” Keira’s voice broke off and she shook her head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever connect with her the way you do.”

“Hey, quit it.” Declan tilted his head to the left, cocking his eyebrow. “You’re one of the toughest women I know. Strike that. You’re one of the most badass people I know. Hands down, end of discussion. It pains me to hear insecurity or self-doubt in your voice like just now. And it’s happened too damn often lately.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and didn’t bother contradicting him. “I can’t help it. I feel as if I’m flying blind at night in the middle of a polar vortex.”

“I hear you.” He cupped her face between his palms, running his thumb along her lower lip. The contact sparked a lazy fire that spread through her skin, warmed her from inside. “We’ll get through the storm. I promise.”

Keira didn’t know if they were still talking about parenthood.

She didn’t care.

“I’ve missed this,” she muttered under her breath, closing her eyes to enjoy the low flames flickering wherever their skin connected. “I’ve missed us.”

Declan nosed her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve missed us too, so damn much it hurts.”

His lips covered her mouth and Keira snaked her fingers through Declan’s dark hair, as their tongues played. She chuckled when he moaned as a result of her scraping his scalp. His fingers unbuttoned her top and she gasped at the cold touch of his fingertips around her nipple as they rolled the taut nub between them.

And then they were gone.

Keira struggled to make sense of what happened. Declan’s lips and fingers vanished, leaving her heated skin longing for more. She blinked a few times, knitting her eyebrows at the annoying distant sirens. She rearranged her clothes and watched Declan’s wide back grow smaller as he stalked down the corridor that led to the bedrooms.

“Hush, love. I’ve got you.” His soothing words reached her.

They weren’t meant for her, though.

It dawned on her.

She didn’t hear sirens. She heard her daughter crying.

Her heart dropped to her stomach and she threw her head back. When it hit the overstuffed couch, she closed her eyes, sighing.

The damn polar vortex threatened to carry her away with it.

She buried her fingers in the cushions, gritted her teeth, and muffled a frustrated grumble.

Keep reading it here.