by Jill Cooper
Jenna took her kids’ hands. First little Wendy and then Travis. He was almost five and his eyes shone with the intelligence of his father Jake Monroe. “Let’s go greet Daddy and Uncle Dirk!” They hurried to the road, as much as they could with Wendy picking up every rock and snail she found along the way.
By the time they made it to the driveway, the sun was hot on their skin and Jenna saw Dirk. His bag was slung across his chest and his hiking boots and jeans looked worn, but when their eyes locked, his face glowed like his spirit was renewed.
Jenna and the kids took off running toward him and their guests. Jake, in a trim beard was on one side, while Jake’s second in command; Chase was on the right, beside Ginny. The young man had grown on Jenna in the last year and she finally approved of someone as sweet and innocent as Ginny, marrying such a stubborn hothead.
Each of them wore brown jackets, displaying the emblem of the New American Order on their sleeves.
“I missed you,” Dirk murmured and gave Jenna a long, drawn out kiss, while his daughter clung to his leg.
“We’ve missed you too. I hope your trip wasn’t too bad.”
Dirk hoisted little Wendy up on his hip and the little girl buried her face in his shoulder. Dirk too, hugged her tight and clung to the little girl. “Not too bad. Things are coming along.”
“I have something to tell you,” Jenna said happily with a smile. She watched as Jake swung Travis along and gave him a big squeeze.
“Your old man’s been gone too long. Look how big you’ve gotten!” Jake said.
“It’s good to see you, Jake,” Jenna said with a twinkle in her eye. “And how is the newly elected leader of the New America Order?”
“Ugh,” Jake rolled his eyes. “As good, as can be expected. Most glistenings have been given into the cure, but the ones that refuse, are on the move. It’s only a small resistance, but not much of one. You know, I could use two former New Haven agents—.”
“No,” Jenna and Dirk answered in unison.
Jake grinned. “All right, all right. You can’t blame a guy for trying.” He took a big sniff. “Is your mom making pie again? Man, she makes the best apple pie this side of the Atlantic Ocean.”
Jenna watched him and Travis head up to the house. She was glad to give them a few minutes alone. Jake, with all his responsibilities and travel—well he was rarely able to spend time with Travis. The infrastructure of the country needed to be rebuilt, reestablished, and turned back on. There were still those that would take advantage of the situation and those people needed to be found and stopped.
Jake was there to lead, if not do the job himself and it didn’t lend to him being home much. Jenna didn’t mind raising Travis until the situation stabilized. She loved it and volunteered for the job, but she was glad for father and son to have a little down time.
“What about you two?” Jenna cast a suspicious look at Chase and Ginny in their relaxed t-shirts and cargo pants. Each of them had weapons swung over their shoulder. “You ready to settle down?”
“We still have a few fights left in us,” Ginny said with a gleam in her eye. “But we will take a break for some pie.”
Chase shook his head. “This woman keeps me on my toes, I’ll have you know. We freed what was left of the concentration camps, cured the glistenings who were holding humans captive, and she still won’t let us take a vacation.”
“We’re here, aren’t we?” Ginny headed toward the house, flicking her long braid back.
Jenna chuckled as she watched Chase hurry after her. Dirk was mostly oblivious, talking to Wendy and swinging her around. He missed being home, Jenna knew that, but he had work to do, too. He was one of Jake’s most trusted advisers and friends. Right then, Jake needed Dirk almost as much as Jenna and the kids did.
So maybe Jenna shouldn’t tell him she was pregnant again. The state of the world was still in turmoil, but it was getting better. Did Jenna have any right to try to hog him for herself when the country still needed solid, dependable men like him?
“You said you had something you wanted to tell me.”
Jenna and Dirk walked side by side up toward the house. “What would you say to having another mouth to feed; another brother or sister for Wendy?”
Dirk slid his arm around her shoulders and Jenna squished in close automatically, right where she belonged. “I think it would depend.”
“Depend?” Jenna asked and her heart thumped unexpectedly.
“Depends on who is doing the cooking.”
Jenna grinned with relief. “Well, my mother, of course. You know I can’t cook to save my life. One of my gelatin molds nearly burned down all of New Haven 57.”
“Then,” Dirk took Jenna by the waist and turned her to face him, “it sounds like music to my ears.” His lips grazed hers.
Jenna felt happy, content—all of the things she never thought she would.
Connect
What happened between the last chapter and the epilogue? Join my newsletter to get the upcoming Ginny & Chase Novellas for FREE. http://ji1086.wix.com/jillcooper#!blank/c234o
Want to be a super fan? Get access to book news, Q&As, and books before they are available by joining my Official Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/738157446330577/
Connect
Glistening Haven
Glistening Rebellion
Glistening Swarm
Connect
Other Books by Jill Cooper
Other Books by Jill Cooper
YA Series Dream Slayer
The Dream Slayer: Book 1
Demon Royale: Book 2
The Uninvited: A Dream Slayer Novella
Dawning Apocalypse: Book 3
Frozen Reverie: Book 4
Sacrifice: A novella
Necromancer’s Kiss: A Novella
Shadow: Book 5
Resolve: Book 6
Fury: Book 7
The Rewind Agency Series
15 Minutes
Plugged
Detached
Adult Dystopian Series
Glistening Haven
Glistening Rebellion
Glistening Swarm
Romance
Devour
Table of Contents
Glistening Haven
Chapter One Susan Monroe
Chapter Two Susan Monroe
Chapter Three Travis Reynolds
Chapter Four Wendy Reynolds
Chapter Five Jenna Morgan
Chapter Six Jenna Morgan
Chapter Seven Susan Monroe
Chapter Eight Travis Reynolds
Chapter Nine Jenna Morgan
Chapter Ten Susan Monroe
Chapter Eleven Jenna
Chapter Twelve Wendy
Chapter Thirteen Susan
Chapter Fourteen Jenna
Chapter Fifteen Jenna
Chapter Sixteen Alistar Humphrey
Chapter Seventeen Susan
Chapter Eighteen Susan
Chapter Nineteen Wendy
Chapter Twenty Jenna
Chapter Twenty-One Jeff Monroe
Chapter Twenty-Two Wendy
Chapter Twenty-three Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Four Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Five Wendy
Chapter Twenty-Six Jeff
Chapter Twenty-Seven Wendy
Chapter Twenty-Eight Wendy
Chapter Twenty-Nine Wendy
Chapter Thirty Alistar
Glistening Rebellion
Chapter One Jake
Chapter Two Jake
Chapter Three Jenna
Chapter Four Jenna
Chapter Five Jake
Chapter Six Jake
Chapter Seven Jenna
Chapter Eight Jake
Chapter Nine Jenna
Chapter Ten Jenna
Chapter Eleven Jake
Chapter Twelve Jenna
Chapter Thirteen Jake
Chapter Fourteen Jake
Chapter Fifteen Marie
<
br /> Chapter Sixteen Liz
Chapter Seventeen Jake
Chapter Eighteen Liz
Chapter Nineteen Jake
Chapter Twenty Jenna
Chapter Twenty-One Victor
Chapter Twenty-Two Dirk
Chapter Twenty-Three Victor
Chapter Twenty-Four Mark
Chapter Twenty-Five Jake
Chapter Twenty-Six Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Seven Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Eight Dirk
Chapter Twenty-Nine Wendy
Chapter Thirty Jenna
Chapter Thirty-One Washington DC
Glistening Swarm
Chapter One Dirk
Chapter Two Dirk
Chapter Three Jenna
Chapter Four Jenna
Chapter Five Dirk
Chapter Six Victor
Chapter Seven Liz
Chapter Eight Victor
Chapter Nine Jenna
Chapter Ten Jenna
Chapter Eleven Dirk
Chapter Twelve Dirk
Chapter Thirteen Chase
Chapter Fourteen Ginny
Chapter Fifteen Chase
Chapter Sixteen Jenna
Chapter Seventeen Dirk
Chapter Eighteen Liz
Chapter Nineteen Liz
Chapter Twenty Chase
Chapter Twenty-One Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Two Jenna
Chapter Twenty-Three Chase