by Beth Rhodes
She smiled, watching the current group of guys jostle and talk their way up the beach.
“Hey babe,” Jamie said, coming up the stairs two-at-a-time, a huge grin on his face. He grabbed her and lifted her up into a hug, burying his face against her neck. She pulled back at the feel of sweaty man against her.
When he refused to let her go, she pinched his side with a laugh. “Sweat!”
He affectionately smacked her rear end.
“Go see Diego. Hawk might want a break.”
He stopped her, though, cupped her face, and made her heart overflow from the love in his eyes.
He pressed his forehead to hers, and took a deep breath as if to inhale her into his very being. He glanced up with regret towards the kitchen. “I’ll go…check on Hawk and Diego.”
She took a moment to compose herself, patting her chest before re-entering the kitchen.
Stacy wasn’t there anymore, but a hot plate of food sat on the table. She’d meant to photograph Hawk and Diego. Seeing how Jamie had scooped up their little bundle, she set the Nikon down.
It was more than just a camera. It was her old life resolved and intricately woven into the strands of her new direction.
Photojournalist.
Freelance Photographer and teacher—she couldn’t just desert her students!
Lover of Jamie.
Mother to Diego Nash.
Her life had come full circle…
The End
Let’s be Real
I’ve been married for twenty-one years to the man of my dreams—good ones and bad ones. Life isn’t all roses and diamonds. We have six children and couldn’t love them more [unless they actually did what we told them to do, every time]. We’re nomads, living the military life and moving every two to four years. Sometimes, the transitions are hell, but always, we are blessed by the people we meet. God mows a path in front of us that we can’t see until we turn around and look back. So, we just keep trusting and following that spirit and loving the people in our lives.
Beth is a published romance novelist, both self-published and traditional, with nine books to her name. She is a T1D health nut and kickboxer, weightlifter and crossfit enthusiast. Right now, she’s loving doing a cross stitch in her “spare” time. But her favorite place to be is outside in the fresh air, on her patio or porch swing, watching the traffic go by.
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Other books by Beth Rhodes
Love Beyond Reason Series
Letters From Home
Outside the Lines
Hawk Elite Security Series
Strike Back
Strike Fear
Strike Zone
Strike Force
Novellas
For Love or Duty
The Perfect Confidence
Acknowledgements
It’s the year 2020, and nothing is as expected. Our lives have been turned upside down, by a pandemic reminiscent of the 1918 Spanish Influenza. Social media has played an even bigger role, causing fear and the dissemination of questionable information. Who do we trust? Where do we turn? Disappointments are a standard of living…
But one thing remains: Love.
Get off social media and find your tribe. Visit your neighbors. Reconnect with family in a more meaningful way. Reach out to those in need. Show forgiveness. Pray for the sick and dying.
This book has sat too long on my desktop. When I realized that book four, Strike Force, was released in 2017, I almost had a heart attack. How is that possible? Thank you to my Passionate Critters, who have pushed me to keep going. I think without them, Counter Strike would still be sitting—half finished.
