A smile crossed his face. He was a father, in every sense of the word. That was something he never thought would happen during the past eight years. Each morning, as he was surrounded by his family at the breakfast table, he thanked God things had turned out the way they had. While a part of him would always regret what he’d put Blair through following his alleged death, when he looked at Michael and Regan, he knew he wouldn’t have changed a thing. This was how their family was meant to be.
“Pa! Look!” Regan cried out with a giggle as Parker’s huge bullmastiff, Spanky, and Sawyer’s lab/pit mix, Beau, sat in front of her, somewhat patiently waiting for the treats she’d been allowed to give them. They were both well trained, but their butts were wiggling in anticipation.
Grant stepped over to her as each dog gently took a bone-shaped biscuit from her outstretched hands. As the dogs hurried away with their prizes, Grant picked Regan up in his arms, and she gave him a smile and kiss on the cheek. As it always did now, his heart swelled with love for the little girl who he now called his daughter. Drake had asked a lawyer friend of his to draw up official documents that gave Grant guardianship over all three children if anything happened to him or Blair. While Grant couldn’t legally adopt them or marry Blair, they’d made sure everyone would be well taken care of if tragedy struck.
“Having fun, pipsqueak?” he asked her.
“Uh-huh. Spanky’s even funnier than Goofy.”
Grant chuckled. “He sure is.”
“But I miss Roscoe.”
“I’m sure he misses you too, but Uncle Shane promised they’d take good care of him while we’re gone.”
She seemed to ponder that for a moment. “Can we call Uncle Shane so I can talk to Roscoe on the phone? I don’t want him to forget us.”
Grant gave her a squeeze. “You’re unforgettable, pipsqueak, but, yeah, we can give them a call when we get back to the hotel later, okay?”
“Okay.”
Drake returned, carrying Michael, whose eyes were almost completely shut in exhaustion, while Blair steered Trevor in their direction. It looked like it was time to say goodbye to the people who’d come to mean a lot to Grant over the past year and a half. He’d be forever grateful to each and every one of them.
Going up on her tippy-toes, Blair kissed Grant and then Drake, clearly at ease with public displays of affection toward both men now. The first few times the three of them had gone out together, Blair had obviously been shy and worried about reactions from the residents of Hazard Falls. But thanks to Paige, Shane, and Tucker, it wasn’t anything most of them hadn’t seen before. Yeah, there were comments and looks of disdain from the bigots and bible-thumpers in town, but for the most part, the new threesome had been accepted.
Glancing down to Blair’s left hand, Grant once again admired the wedding ring he’d presented to her before they’d left for Orlando. He and Drake had gone back to the jeweler who’d designed the one Drake had given her on their second anniversary, to replace the simple band they’d purchased when their marriage had only been one of convenience. The jeweler had created a new ring that complimented the other one perfectly, and now Blair wore both her men’s symbols of love.
“Time to get going?” Blair asked as she eyed her children.
Drake nodded. “Yup. Michael will sleep the entire ride back, I’m sure.”
It’d been a long and wonderful day, but Grant was looking forward to spending the evening alone with just his family. Then, after the kids were tucked into their beds in the two-bedroom suite Grant had splurged on, he and Drake would take their woman and, once again, prove to her how much they loved her. It was something Grant planned on doing for the rest of his life.
I hope you enjoyed Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Hazard Falls Book 2. Please take a moment to leave a review on your favorite book site!
Other Books By Samantha A. Cole
The Trident Security Series
Leather & Lace: Book 1
His Angel: Book 2
Waiting For Him: Book 3
Not Negotiable: A Novella Book 3.5
Topping The Alpha: Book 4
Watching From the Shadows: Book 5
Whiskey Tribute: A Novella Book 5.5
Tickle His Fancy: Book 6
No Way in Hell: A Steel Corp/Trident Security Crossover: Books 1 & 2
Absolving His Sins: Book 7
Option Number Three: A Novella Book 7.5
Salvaging His Soul: Book 8
Trident Security Field Manual
Torn In Half
* * *
The Deimos Series
Handling Haven: Special Forces: Operation Alpha:
Deimos Book 1
Cheating the Devil: Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Deimos Book 2
* * *
The Trident Security Omega Team Series
Mountain of Evil: TS Omega Team Prequel
A Dead Man’s Pulse: TS Omega Team Book 1
Forty Days & One Knight: Book 2
* * *
The Doms of The Covenant Series
Double Down & Dirty Book 1
Entertaining Distraction: Book 2
* * *
The Malone Brothers Series
Take the Money and Run: Book 1
The Devil's Spare Change: Book 2
* * *
The Blackhawk Security Series
Tuff Enough: Book 1
* * *
Hazard Falls Series
Don’t Fight It: Book 1
Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Book 2
* * *
Stand Alone Novels
The Road to Solace
Scattered Moments in Time: A Collection of Short Stories & More
* * *
The Bid on Love Series (With 7 other authors!)
Going , Going, Gone: Book 2
* * *
The Collective: Season Two (with 7 other authors!)
Angst: Book 7
* * *
Special Projects
First Chapters: Foreplay Volume One
First Chapters: Foreplay Volume Two
First Chapters: Foreplay Volume Three
Word Search For Warriors: Authors For a Cause
Word Search For Warriors: Volume II
Trident Security Coloring Book
Shaded with Love Volume 5: Coloring Book for a Cause
Cooking with Love: Shaded with Love Volume 6
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Author Samantha A. Cole is a retired police officer and paramedic. She's lived her entire life in the suburbs of New York City and is looking forward to becoming a snow-bird between New York and Florida someday. Her two fur-babies, Jinx and Bella, keep her company and remind their mom to take a break from writing every once in a while to go for a walk, which is the best way to deal with a stubborn case of writer’s block.
An avid reader since childhood, Samantha was often found with a book in hand and sometimes one in each. After being gifted with a stack of romance novels from her grandmother, her love affair with the genre began in her teens. Many years later, she discovered her love for writing stories was just as strong. Using her life experiences and training, she strives to find the perfect mix of suspense and romance for her readers to enjoy.
Her standalone novel, The Friar, won the silver medal in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards in the Contemporary Romance genre.
While the original planned stories for the Trident Security series have been completed, they have brought many opportunities for Samantha to spread her wings and bring her readers more characters and stories to love.
Sexy Six-Pack’s Sirens Group on Facebook
Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
All Author
ookFrom.Net
Don't Shoot the Messenger: Hazard Falls Book 2 Page 19
