War Games_Valiant Knox
Page 27
Alpha pulled to a stop, a grin splitting over his face when he saw her. Cam tugged her forward, and next thing she knew, she was surrounded by her family, all hugging and kissing and exclaiming over her huge surprise.
Neve was already wrangling the kids, handing out gifts, and taking Alpha’s little girl, who was the youngest at eighteen months old.
“Twins!” Seb hollered, the last one to offer his congratulations. He hugged her and then turned to slap Cam on the back. “You two always did have to go one up on everyone else.”
“Like I got pregnant with twins on purpose,” she muttered in return, but couldn’t help returning his grin. “You know how hard it is being this big? I can’t even get out of bed by myself. And I stopped being able to see my feet about two months ago.”
“You just need to tell those kids who’s boss, CAFF.” Seb winked at her, but the effect was lost when his son, Zach, barreled into his legs, waving around the toy jet Neve had picked out for him.
“Uh-huh,” Cam drawled. “How’s that working out for you?”
“Whatever.” Seb leaned down and picked up his squirming three-year-old. “We have a mutual understanding of controlled chaos.”
“We should get moving,” Cam announced loud enough for everyone to hear. “I organized a shuttle bus for all of us. We’ve got a celebration to get to.”
The attention turned from her to Commander Yang, who tried to downplay what was a very important accolade.
“Yeah, yeah. They’re going to pin another medal on my chest. I’m more interested in taking Ellie and Huan to the children’s farm.” His two oldest children immediately started in with please, please, please can we go now at his suggestion.
The children’s farm had started as a way to help orphans and traumatized kids—working with animals and getting out in the country being psychologically beneficial to them. But in the last two years, it’d become Ilari’s first tourist attraction, with people coming from out of system to visit. And considering Commander Yang’s kids lived on a giant space ship, going to a real farm would be a huge novelty.
Once everyone had double-checked all kids were present and accounted for, they moved off as a group, leaving the terminal.
Cam set an arm gently across her shoulders as they walked, keeping with her slower pace.
“You know, I imagined a lot of ways my life would play out when I first left my home planet and signed up to join the UEF military,” he commented, tone thoughtful. “But I never thought I’d end up here.”
“You didn’t think the war would end?” She thought of the people who hadn’t made it. There would always be a dull ache within her, especially over Jordie, but it wasn’t a pain that impacted her life any longer. “I never imagined anything beyond it, either.”
“I hoped the war would end. I don’t know if I ever fully believed until the day it happened,” he answered, tightening his hold on her slightly. “But it’s more than that. I mean all of this.”
He waved a hand to indicate everyone walking ahead of them, chatting and laughing between themselves, seemingly without a care in the world.
“These people, this family we’ve made. I never expected so much happiness.”
He glanced away, and she could have sworn she’d seen a sheen in his eyes before he’d blinked. She pulled him to a stop and turned to face him.
“You’re right. Some days I feel like I’m living a dream.”
“But in a good way?” He reached up and smoothed his hand through her hair.
“In the best way.”
A smile spread over his lips before he leaned in to kiss her.
And though she hadn’t realized it, she’d still been holding on to a tiny piece of the past, living with a small worry in the back of her mind that somehow the CSS would regain power, take the planet back, and plunge them into a new war. But now it released and flitted away. She and Cam had made their home on Ilari, and she was finally ready to put the past firmly behind her.
A new life was starting for all of them, one brimming with endless, happy possibility.
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Author’s Note
I’ve finished this book with a sense of satisfaction I’ve never experienced before, because this is my first complete series. When I wrote the first book in the series, Escape Velocity, it was originally a novella, a quarter of the length it is now, without any of the characters who later made up the series.
But I was lucky, because an editor named Robin found me on the slushpile and saw something in my writing. After taking on her suggestion that I make the novella longer, I added in some more plot lines and along came Leigh, aka Alpha, giving me the immediate sense that he would be the hero of the second book, and that a series was forming before my eyes. Alpha was soon followed by our other heroes and heroines, and the Valiant Knox took on a life of its own.
Early on, I did think about writing many more books in the series, but after Seb’s book was done, many readers were hoping for Bren’s story next. It only seemed natural that she would end up with Cam, and though I loved spending time in this universe, discovering its characters and stories, it felt right to finish at four books with Bren and Cam as the final note. Plus, I had many other ideas and books I wanted to write and only twenty-four-hour in a day, eight of which I definitely need to spend sleeping, because sleep-deprived me is not a person anyone wants to be around.
I also have to admit, the idea of finally being able to claim a compete series was too tempting to pass on, as it wasn’t something I’d been able to achieve before for various reasons.
So, with this book, I’ve been able to notch another mark in my writing journey, and I can’t say how grateful and humble I am at the readers and reviewers who’ve taken this journey with me. I’m looking forward to discovering many more characters, universes and stories with you all.
Until then, happy reading!
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank my editor, Robin Haseltine, because without her, this series simply wouldn’t have happened. Any bigger and better things I go on to in the future, know that you played a huge part in them. Not just for believing in my writing, for seeing something in that novella and deciding to take a chance, for helping to improve my writing, expanding my mind to understand plot and character motivations in a different way than I had before. But also for becoming a friend, for supporting me in things beyond just the books we’ve worked on together. Robin, you are an amazing person, and I know that my life would be much duller if I’d never met you. Saying “thanks” will never be enough.
Second to this, I want to thank Liz Pelletier and the team at Entangled who’ve given this series a home, given me wonderful, amazing covers, and a million other little things behind the scenes that makes books like these happen. Most of all, thank you for seeing this through, leaving me with my first complete series.
A huge thanks to my agent, Nicole Resciniti. You jumped on board halfway through this series and didn’t bat an eyelid. I still spend most days wondering what I did to end up with an agent as awesome as you.
As always, thanks to my family for your ongoing and unending support. For putting up with the crazy, random hours I work. For coming to terms with my chocolate addiction and understanding that if you eat my writing chocolate, I will turn into a sociopath and plot some kind of revenge you won’t see coming. For simply making room in the cupboard for all my various flavors of tea and accepting all the other quirks that make me who I am. I know I seem strange to you all a lot of the time, like I’m living on a different planet. Well, that’s because I kind of do. But thank you for being there whenever I come down to Earth.
Last thanks for anyone else I’ve forgotten. You know I have a terrible memory, so if I didn’t mention you here, then it’s not because I don’t appreciate everything you do, it’s
just because when it comes to some details in life, I’m like a goldfish with a three second memory.
And now, on this last book in my Valiant Knox series, I will finish up with a very definite THE END.
About the Author
Jess has been making up stories ever since she can remember. Though her messy handwriting made it hard for anyone else to read them, she wasn’t deterred, and now she gets to make up stories for a living. She loves loud music and a good book on a rainy day and probably spends too much time watching too many TV shows. Jess lives in regional Victoria, Australia, with her very supportive husband, three daughters, two hyperactive border collie dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s one of the kids.
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Escape Velocity
Damage Control
Cover Fire
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Quantum
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