seriously romantic: the wedding planner's baby by amanda ashby

bec watson never thought she'd find herself back on her aunt's farm. since turning eighteen she'd made it a point to be anywhere but there. but when she is heartbroken while backpacking in italy all she wants to do is come home. and wishing bridge farm is the closest thing she's got to call home. the wedding planner's baby is the second book in the series, and though i have read falling for the best man it's not necessary to read it first in order to understand the plot of this book.

lincoln matthews, aka the earl of ashford, might not have been completely honest about his background when he first met up with bec. but for once he was happy to be free of responsibility. his ancestral home, snowden manor is on the verge of being lost to the family, and the last thing he wants is to be the one who lost it all for everyone. but he also wants to be the free-wheeling artist he is with bec. but first he has to make amends, because she is so upset that he withheld the truth.

and this is maybe what i found frustrating about bec, she's the kind of "free-spirited" that uses her itchy feet as an excuse to avoid the truth. her itchy feet are less about wanderlust and more about running from the hard stuff. at every turn she tries her hardest to avoid the hard stuff with lincoln. even trying to get out of telling him that she's pregnant with his baby. and then refusing to talk about how her having this baby is going to work, especially given that he seems to want to be a part of the baby's life.

lincoln has the patience of a saint. even when bec tries to cut him out of her life he reduses to go away. and it doesn't come off as stalkerish or unreasonable. he simply knows that he's found what he's looking for with bec and he's not going to let her itchy, runaway feet get in the way of a good thing. but he has his work cut out for him, because bec has gotten so good at running that she has no idea what it means to face the hard stuff. even though it can be really, really worth it to let someone love you. she's too familiar with loss to see it, but her family and friends can, and they help lincoln out by not letting bec run. and when he finally gives her a reason to stay, it is totally worth it.

beyond the bec and lincoln drama, we also got a hint of something brewing between pepper and cooper. those two are hiding some secrets, and i can't wait to see what those are as the series concludes.

**the wedding planner's baby will publish on april 10, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (bliss) in exchange for my honest review.