“Are you ready?” I asked.
“Up. Stairs.”
All righty then, I guess that meant he was ready.
I rushed up the stairs with a smile on my face.
Eleven months later, Daphne Emerson was born.
A year after that, we added Madison Violet.
And two years after Madi, we had our boy. And after much debate, arguing, the guys all jockeying to get in there, we decided we’d never make all of the men happy, so we gave him a name that encompassed all of them and we added Jack Valor to our family.
Then I declared I was done having children because I had three horses, seven goats, numerous chickens, a garden, four cats, and three dogs.
That was more normal than any one woman could take.
Epilogue
“Dad,” Daphne whined. “Everyone else is going.”
My eyes sliced from my very beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter to my son who was leaning over the fender of his ’68 Mustang, to see him frowning.
Yeah, boy, one day this will be your life if you have daughters.
That thought made me swallow a groan—I felt old enough as it was. I didn’t need to think about Jack giving me grandchildren.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked.
“Inside helping Madi with her science project.”
Daphne’s lip curled, her dislike for anything not of the hottest trend clear on her face.
Now, my Madi, she loved school, loved to learn and soak up information.
Unfortunately, both of my daughters looked like their mother. In other words, a teenage boy’s wet dream.
That was precisely why I wasn’t giving in.
“Daphne, you know I love you, but the answer is no.”
“Why?” Her hands went to her slender hips and I filled a mental note to speak to Autumn about the shorts my daughter was wearing.
“How many reasons you want, kid?”
At my tone, her hands fell away from her hips and her posture sagged.
“None. I know why,” she relented.
“Right. Why don’t you invite your friends over here? We’ll drag the chairs out and I’ll build you a fire.”
“Really? That’d be cool. Thanks, Daddy.”
My girl’s face beamed and that golden blaze her mother had started all those years ago lit and I took a moment to enjoy the burn.
“One thing, Daph, that punk-ass boyfriend of yours puts his hands on your ass again, he’ll be leaving here ten digits short.”
“You have to stop threatening teenage boys,” Autumn complained as she walked into my shop.
“Baby, I don’t know how many more ways I can explain this, I am not threatening. That boy put his hands on my girl’s ass. My sixteen-year-old girl. I am not threatening shit when I explain I will cut his fingers off and not feel the slightest remorse. And when I’m done with that, I’ll give Jack permission to finish him off. And just because my boy is thirteen and that punk is sixteen don’t mean shit, because Jack’s got something that punk don’t got—love for his sister.”
“Jack can’t beat him up, either,” my wife sighed.
“I will, he touches my sister again,” Jack added and Autumn cut her eyes at me.
One could say, my wife had aged well. She was no less hot at fifty than she was at thirty. But as she aged, she matured in a way that was so beautiful I found myself at least once a day staring at her.
“Are we talking about Score?” my sweet Madi asked.
The Score. Motherfucker punk bitch’s nickname was The Score. And I didn’t care how many times Daphne told me he got his nickname for being the star receiver on the football field, that shit was jacked. It was also bullshit, because that punk boy was getting himself some, and he’d better not try to get some off my daughter or I’d be removing another appendage. One he’d want when he became a man. One I would cut off and throw in the garbage.
“Don’t say that, Madi. Daddy just gets growly when he hears Wyatt’s nickname.”
Autumn’s lips tipped up into a smile and a soft giggle escaped.
“You think this is funny?”
“Nope.” She laughed.
“Then why you laughing, baby?”
“No reason.” She laughed harder and I settled in for the show.
A show that was no less beautiful than the first time she’d given it to me. No less special. Her laughter was never taken for granted. Her smiles cherished. Her love and trust earned.
We’d fought hard to have all that we had.
“I know that look. I’m out,” Jack announced.
“You two are gross,” Daphne complained, which only made Autumn laugh harder.
“What? I think it’s sweet when Daddy looks at Mom that way.” Madi sighed in a way that told me I was in big trouble with her—she was our dreamer. Daphne was just a normal teenage girl wanting to go to parties with her friends. My Madi believed in fairy tales. This was because my wife had convinced her children that she was living one. “Just don’t start kissing until I leave,” Madi added, and hightailed it out of my shop.
Perfect. Alone time with my wife.
“Come here, baby.”
“Why am I always coming to you?”
“Because I like watching your face get soft and your eyes get hungry when you know I’m gonna kiss the fuck outta you.”
Autumn moved to me. Then I kissed the fuck out of my wife.
Other Books by Riley Edwards
Available on Amazon
The Red Team
Nightstalker
Protecting Olivia
Redeeming Violet
Recovering Ivy
Rescuing Erin
The Gold Team
Brooks
Thaddeus
Kyle
Maximus
Declan
Delta Team Three
Hope’s Delta
Gemini Group
Nixon’s Promise
Jameson’s Salvation
Weston’s Treasure
Alec’s Dream
Chasin’s Surrender
Holden’s Resurrection
The 707 Freedom Series
Free
Freeing Jasper
Finally Free
Freedom
The Next Generation
Saving Meadow
Chasing Honor
Finding Mercy
Claiming Tuesday
Adoring Delaney
Keeping Quinn
Taking Liberty
Triple Canopy
Damaged
The Masters Collection
The Awakening
The Collective
Unbroken 1 & 2 – Season One
Trust – Season Two
Standalone
Romancing Rayne
About the Author
Riley Edwards is a bestselling multi-genre author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley's favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
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There are many more books in this fan fiction world than listed here, for an up-to-date list go to www.AcesPress.com
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Special Forces: Operation Alpha World
Christie Adams: Charity’s Heart
Denise Agnew: Dangerous to Hold
Shauna Allen: Awakening Aubrey
Brynne Asher: Blackburn
Linzi Baxter: Unlocking Dreams
Jennifer Becker: Hiding Catherine
Alice Bello: Shadowing Milly
Hea
ther Blair: Rescue Me
Anna Blakely: Rescuing Gracelynn
Julia Bright: Saving Lorelei
Cara Carnes: Protecting Mari
Kendra Mei Chailyn: Beast
Melissa Kay Clarke: Rescuing Annabeth
Samantha A. Cole: Handling Haven
Sue Coletta: Hacked
Melissa Combs: Gallant
Anne Conley: Redemption for Misty
KaLyn Cooper: Rescuing Melina
Liz Crowe: Marking Mariah
Sarah Curtis: Securing the Odds
Jordan Dane: Redemption for Avery
Tarina Deaton: Found in the Lost
Aspen Drake, Intense
KL Donn: Unraveling Love
Riley Edwards: Protecting Olivia
PJ Fiala: Defending Sophie
Nicole Flockton: Protecting Maria
Michele Gwynn: Rescuing Emma
Casey Hagen: Shielding Nebraska
Desiree Holt: Protecting Maddie
Kathy Ivan: Saving Sarah
Kris Jacen, Be With Me
Jesse Jacobson: Protecting Honor
Silver James: Rescue Moon
Becca Jameson: Saving Sofia
Kate Kinsley: Protecting Ava
Heather Long: Securing Arizona
Gennita Low: No Protection
Kirsten Lynn: Joining Forces for Jesse
Margaret Madigan: Bang for the Buck
Kimberly McGath: The Predecessor
Rachel McNeely: The SEAL’s Surprise Baby
KD Michaels: Saving Laura
Lynn Michaels, Rescuing Kyle
Wren Michaels: The Fox & The Hound
Kat Mizera: Protecting Bobbi
Keira Montclair, Wolf and the Wild Scots
Mary B Moore: Force Protection
LeTeisha Newton: Protecting Butterfly
Angela Nicole: Protecting the Donna
MJ Nightingale: Protecting Beauty
Sarah O’Rourke: Saving Liberty
Victoria Paige: Reclaiming Izabel
Anne L. Parks: Mason
Debra Parmley: Protecting Pippa
Lainey Reese: Protecting New York
TL Reeve and Michele Ryan: Extracting Mateo
Elena M. Reyes: Keeping Ava
Angela Rush: Charlotte
Rose Smith: Saving Satin
Jenika Snow: Protecting Lily
Lynne St. James: SEAL’s Spitfire
Dee Stewart: Conner
Harley Stone: Rescuing Mercy
Jen Talty: Burning Desire
Reina Torres, Rescuing Hi’ilani
Savvi V: Loving Lex
Megan Vernon: Protecting Us
Rachel Young: Because of Marissa
Delta Team Three Series
Lori Ryan: Nori’s Delta
Becca Jameson: Destiny’s Delta
Lynne St James, Gwen’s Delta
Elle James: Ivy’s Delta
Riley Edwards, Hope’s Delta
Police and Fire: Operation Alpha World
Freya Barker: Burning for Autumn
BP Beth: Scott
Julia Bright, Justice for Amber
Anna Brooks, Guarding Georgia
KaLyn Cooper: Justice for Gwen
Aspen Drake: Sheltering Emma
Deanndra Hall: Shelter for Sharla
Barb Han: Kace
EM Hayes: Gambling for Ashleigh
CM Steele: Guarding Hope
Reina Torres: Justice for Sloane
Aubree Valentine, Justice for Danielle
Maddie Wade: Finding English
Stacey Wilk: Stage Fright
Laine Vess: Justice for Lauren
Tarpley VFD Series
Silver James, Fighting for Elena
Deanndra Hall, Fighting for Carly
Haven Rose, Fighting for Calliope
MJ Nightingale, Fighting for Jemma
TL Reeve, Fighting for Brittney
Nicole Flockton, Fighting for Nadia
As you know, this book included at least one character from Susan Stoker’s books. To check out more, see below.
SEAL of Protection: Legacy Series
Securing Caite
Securing Brenae (novella)
Securing Sidney
Securing Piper
Securing Zoey
Securing Avery
Securing Kalee (Sept 2020)
Securing Jane (Feb 2021)
SEAL Team Hawaii Series
Finding Elodie (Apr 2021)
Finding Lexie (Aug 2021)
Finding Kenna (Oct 2021)
Finding Monica (TBA)
Finding Carly (TBA)
Finding Ashlyn (TBA)
Delta Team Two Series
Shielding Gillian
Shielding Kinley (Aug 2020)
Shielding Aspen (Oct 2020)
Shielding Riley (Jan 2021)
Shielding Devyn (May 2021)
Shielding Ember (Sep 2021)
Shielding Sierra (TBA)
Delta Force Heroes Series
Rescuing Rayne (FREE!)
Rescuing Aimee (novella)
Rescuing Emily
Rescuing Harley
Marrying Emily (novella)
Rescuing Kassie
Rescuing Bryn
Rescuing Casey
Rescuing Sadie (novella)
Rescuing Wendy
Rescuing Mary
Rescuing Macie (Novella)
Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series
Justice for Mackenzie (FREE!)
Justice for Mickie
Justice for Corrie
Justice for Laine (novella)
Shelter for Elizabeth
Justice for Boone
Shelter for Adeline
Shelter for Sophie
Justice for Erin
Justice for Milena
Shelter for Blythe
Justice for Hope
Shelter for Quinn
Shelter for Koren
Shelter for Penelope
SEAL of Protection Series
Protecting Caroline (FREE!)
Protecting Alabama
Protecting Fiona
Marrying Caroline (novella)
Protecting Summer
Protecting Cheyenne
Protecting Jessyka
Protecting Julie (novella)
Protecting Melody
Protecting the Future
Protecting Kiera (novella)
Protecting Alabama’s Kids (novella)
Protecting Dakota
New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Tennessee where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, Indiana, and Texas. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.
www.stokeraces.com
www.AcesPress.com
[email protected]
Declan (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Gold Team Book 5) Page 27