You Can Go Home

by Hayley Wescott

When Jamie-Leigh and Hank divorced, everything fell apart. Hank had changed so much from the loving husband he'd once been, she felt like she'd been married to a stranger. When she found out about the affair, suddenly everything made sense. Jamie-Leigh wasn't able to stay married to a cheater. She kicked him out and that was that. Sort of.

Now they were all trying to find their way. A new path. It was hard on all of them, but there wasn't another choice but to forge ahead and trust God to help them through. At least that was Jamie-Leigh's way. Trusting God. But trusting others was the hard part. Life in their sleepy little beach town when she had been the last to know what her husband was up to didn't go back to normal for Jamie-Leigh.

When Hank realizes what a fool he's been, will they be able to go back? Is a second chance God's answer to prayer?

Genres: Second Chance, Christian, Contemporary, Second Chance Romance

90 pages, ebook

Published January 16, 2018

About the author

Hayley Wescott loves a sweet love story with the emphasis on the sweet. As a Christian author, she’s happy and fulfilled to write stories about real life that don’t include cringe-worthy moments or details a reader doesn’t really want.

Some of Hayley’s stories are about real life. Contemporary stories about flawed people and people who have issues. But each of these stories is resolved in a positive way and the good guy always gets the girl.

Find all Hayley’s books on Amazon – all are available in Kindle Unlimited if you prefer to read with your subscription.

Hayley is happy to be part of Sweet River Publishing, a small press for sweet and Christian romance authors.

Everyone who joins Hayley’s Reader Group gets a copy of Mysterious Ways as a thank you gift! Join here to get your free book!

Reviews

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
================
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
.

She’d been the last to know of Hank’s affair, and she felt betrayed by the women who had claimed to be her friends. Not one of them had even so much as hinted to her that he might be straying, but now they were all experts on his peccadilloes.

Casey was such a Daddy’s girl, and she was still struggling to forgive Jamie-Leigh for his absence in their daily lives. In her eldest’s eyes, it was all her fault. Hank had gotten away with no scars or crosses to bear. It made Jamie-Leigh’s blood boil. She’d done nothing wrong, yet she was the one being made to pay for his indiscretions over, and over again.

She didn’t know why Hank had needed to have an affair, and would never understand why she and the girls hadn’t been enough for him.

“That is disdain. I have to talk to you for the girls’ sake, but don’t expect me to be happy to hear your voice. You ruined that, the moment you decided to have an affair with Amelia Haines.”

He had become so self-centered, and could be almost spiteful at times. Though it hurt her when he behaved that way, it hurt the girls even more. Why couldn’t he see that?

She could kill him for having brought so much pain to their little family – and for what? A quick and sordid affair, with a woman half the town had slept with before she had even left high school. It was so… so ridiculous, that she still couldn’t believe that Hank could have been taken in by such a woman.

Merv was fond of both the girls, and had reamed him out for being such a fool as to cheat on Jamie-Leigh.

Without Jamie he would never have become a firefighter, without her he wouldn’t have his wonderful children – and without her, he wasn’t even half the man he’d been with her.

He still didn’t know why he had done what he’d done. He loved Jamie, always had. Yet, he had let himself get into an affair with Amelia Haines. He knew her reputation and he still wasn’t sure what bearing that had on his ill-advised decision to sleep with her.

Not that he had any kind of an excuse, but she should have let him apologize. She had thrown away everything they had ever had, because he had made a mistake.

Sunday morning meant church for most of the town’s residents. Not for Hank, not anymore. He’d lost his faith, too. It had once meant so much to him.

Understandably, Jamie had been devastated when she found out about his affair. But, she’d stood up tall, staring him down and had told him to get out of the house, and to never come back. He’d heard her sobbing from behind the closed front door of their family home, as he reluctantly made his way down the path. The sound had ripped his heart out of his chest, as he realized just what he had done, and just what he had lost.

“Well, if nothing else, I heard on the grapevine that Amelia Haines is leaving town,” Maddy said conspiratorially. “Hear she’s sick of being called a scarlet woman. She said she’s tired of being blamed for breaking up your marriage, and others, so she’s heading for Dallas.”
“Good riddance,” Jamie-Leigh said spitefully then sighed.

But, Hank. Well, he’s the one who lied to me, cheated on me, and then made me feel like somehow it was all my fault. I’ve spent months questioning myself about what I did wrong. I’ve wondered over and over what on Earth I could possibly have done to deserve his betrayal. I still don’t have answers.”

He had broken the vows he and Jamie-Leigh had made before God, and he had crushed the woman he loved. She seemed so nervous and unsure of herself these days, as if all her confidence had gone. Her belief in herself had been one of the many things he’d adored about her.

“But, there must have been something I wasn’t doing right,” Jamie said. “Otherwise, why did you need her?”
Hank rocked back on his heels, his expression darkening. Jamie knew she shouldn’t have said anything. But, she needed to understand. “What could she give you that I couldn’t?”

But, Jamie-Leigh still found it hard to be around him. Every time she looked into his eyes, she wondered what she had done wrong, why she’d not been enough for him. He’d always been everything she needed, everything she wanted. She couldn’t imagine ever wanting anyone else. Yet, he had chosen to replace her.

Amelia Haines was pretty, had been the head of the cheerleading squad, and was peppy and youthful. She was everything Jamie-Leigh had never been in her high school years.

She’d always felt that everyone had secretly wondered what he’d seen in her anyway. His affair had somehow confirmed all those fears she had kept inside her. She wasn’t pretty enough, or popular enough for a guy like Hank.

“I don’t want the gossip start up again. People talking about me behind my back was unbearable before and it’s only just settled back down. I won’t go back to being everyone’s favorite sap.”

“You can’t go back and undo it and I don’t ever want to run the risk of feeling that horrible again. Your affair made me question everything about myself. I don’t think you realize just how you changed. You actually tried to tell me that I was the one who was wrong. Gosh. I still can’t believe you had the nerve.”

I had a three month detachment from my sanity, and I accept that I should have to pay for that.

Didn’t he deserve a drink on the day he got divorce papers from the only woman he’d ever loved?
He’d never been a drinker. Until he’d started seeing Amelia. That girl liked to drink and he’d fallen into that age old trap. Following her lead, he drank and made some really bad decisions. Decisions that had ruined his life.

When Amelia had started to pursue him, he’d been flattered, and it hadn’t been long before he’d given in to her many charms. One of the most appealing things about her was that she wasn’t his perfect wife.

“I will always love you. I certainly did not love Amelia Haines, and I cannot imagine ever feeling for anyone what I feel for you,” he said fervently.

“You didn’t take away my confidence, but you shattered the façade I’d built to hide my fears and anxieties. It hurt too much to keep being brave.”

“We’ve both been fools, Hank. Maybe we should try again, and really get to know each other properly this time around?”

[Tmstprc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good. Christian cheating husband story, the faith part of their reconciliation isn’t intrusive. The pastor is equal parts counselor and pastor, no guilt about divorce not being Christian—much more about God’s forgiveness and self forgiveness. The husband never makes excuses (though he probably tried to when it first came out, but they’ve been separated a while when the book opens) he owns what he did and counseling helps him understand the why.

[JP]

Disappointed there were no scenes with the OW.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novella. Just not a lot of There there. The h seemed to do a 180 pretty quickly. The H did some good groveling but with a novella, that happens all too quickly. Pretty meh for me.

[Gabriella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good start, but...

The story had great promise. It got off to a good start, but it fizzled out about midway. The author should have delved deeper but instead chose the keep the story at a very superficial level. Nothing about the affair is really discussed, no details given and they didn't talk about it. The husband mentions the wife never even gave him a chance to explain anything and then they never discussed it other than just the husband saying his reason for straying wasn't anything his wife did and it didn't mean anything. We never got details as to how long it lasted, how it started, how it ended, etc. And so the wife never really questions these things either. At the end it all just gets glossed over. The wife does a magical 180, going from "the marriage is over" and sending divorce papers to "I forgive you, and we're back together" in the blink of an eye. So the result is a very fluffy, hallmark version of a marriage in trouble with a cheating husband, and this just doesn't completely gel with me.

[KathyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot of potential, but unfortunately was too short with missed opportunities to flesh out the marriage problems. The good part was the hero's grovel, the heroine's anger, and the decent coparenting. The bad; clean romance and no scenes with ow.

I'd be interesting in picking up another novel by this author, she's talented.

3.25 Stars

[Shannon Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...

There’s hardly has any grovel. I realize Christian romances focus on the church and whatnot, but there still needs to be requisite things included for the second chance to work. This story is too fast paced and the second chance is weird because all it took for them to get back together was him explaining why he did it, and frankly his explanation is just...idiotic.

[Olivia Cortis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christian based story about Jamie-Leigh and Hank about their broken marriage heading towards divorce both kept secrets that lead to pain and heartache to their marriage, with only their children keeping from seeing each other can this be enough. It should be in all cases because the children suffer with the parents.

Hank needs to learn how to forgive himself 1st before he can let anyone forgive him he allows God to heal him if only all marriages can apply to this by letting God into their marriage.

This is a love story about healing and forgiveness, it’s about a second chance, it’s about working out your marriage 1st before you go and get a divorce because divorce isn’t always how it should end as marriage is a life long commitment that shouldn’t be broken. A well written book highly recommend.

[Claudia]

This was a pretty short read centered on a husband and wife navigating the aftermath of infidelity. When the story begins, they’ve already been separated for a couple of months. Hank, the husband, had an affair with a woman from their town—it lasted about three months, and literally everyone knew except his wife. When she finally found out, she kicked him out and started talking to a divorce lawyer.

At first, Hank comes across as a bit of a douche. He’s sorry, but it’s hard to tell if he actually understands what he did or why he did it. There’s not a lot of accountability. It’s labeled as a Christian second-chance romance, so there’s a pastor involved and a heavy focus on forgiveness and healing. I didn’t mind the religious element, but I did feel like the emotional depth was a little surface-level.

We don’t get much backstory either. They were high school sweethearts—he was the football player, she was the geek—but somehow they worked. Then we learn the reason for the affair: she got promoted and started earning more than him. He’d always seen her as this perfect figure, and when she started doing something he didn’t expect, she suddenly became “less perfect” in his eyes. He went out for a drink, and one thing led to another. That’s all we get.

There’s barely any detail about the affair itself—no scenes, no emotional insight into how it progressed. Just that it happened, that the woman he cheated with has since moved away, and that she had a reputation. They also have two daughters, and I wish there’d been more focus on how this impacted the family dynamic.

The rest of the story follows their slow reconnection. Eventually, he books a month-long trip to Europe for them to try again, she cancels the divorce, and he’s moving back in. It all felt very rushed and a little too tidy. Personally, I didn’t feel like he was truly remorseful—I was really craving that gut-punch of angst or emotional reckoning, and it just wasn’t there. But I guess that’s the nature of Christian romance—it leans more toward forgiveness and redemption than digging deep into the pain of betrayal.

[Penny Leidecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Hayley Wescott and I look forward to reading more from her. This is a second chance romance between Jamie-Leigh and Hank. I have to say Jamie is a more forgiving person than I would be. In my experience, once a cheater always a cheater. Hank says he’s sorry and has been having meetings with Pastor Joseph, so I hope going back to church will make him realize that what he did was so very wrong, regardless of what was going on in their married life. I’m not going to tell you how it ends, but I will say I’m glad I read the book.

[Peni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended

Being Christian and divorced this story had me thinking. I liked how it showed the characters in a more realistic way after such a betrayal. How they worked it out and getting assistance from their paster. I was a bit disappointed in the what I consider a fairy tail ending but it is faction after all.

[Paige Whitecotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️.

We forget that the decisions we make don’t just affect us when we have a family. We hurt the people we love the most. That’s what happens with Hank. His destructive selfish actions hurt his Jamie-Leigh and his girls the most. Seeking Gods forgiveness and learning where his own actions came from is the start of healing for him and his family. Great book.

[SamS · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why are all these middle aged Christian authors the ones the first to write a cheating story and try to justify it and “forgive” the cheating bastard husband? Isn’t infidelity a crime in christianity? Why are you forgiving a sinner? What paradox is this? These type of authors are clowns 🤡

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. Just an okay really quick book

[Tricia Hamlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh darn it! This could’ve been so much better if it were longer. Fleshed out. More in depth. More grovel!

[Nerissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

We know her name. You don’t have to repeat it every third sentence. It’s like she is talking about herself in the third person. Terribly annoying and amateur writing.

[Ginny Rodenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short second chance romance, an okay read.

[Martha B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough angst. Mostly reconciliation process.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Gwen|| Bookish Blondie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a novella, so it was very short, but honestly I didn't hate it. I liked that they were able to work through their differences and that Hank actually understood how badly he messed up and that he couldn't be instantly forgiven for cheating on his wife.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story

I really enjoyed this story. This is my first book by Haley Westcott and I really liked it. Looking forward to more from her, I love second chance books.
Hank realized he made a massive mistake in having an affair with a younger woman. Lost the best thing he'll ever have his family. I loved that he didn't blame it all on his wife. It was all his choice to do whatever reason he did it. Jamie was devastated by learning that she was the last to know her husband was stepping out on her. We her to read how Hank lost his faith and way, and how he fights to get them both back. Good short story