He squeezed her against his side. “It’s good news… I think.”
“Tell me now. I hate waiting.”
He laughed. “No.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I actually have some news of my own to share, but maybe I’ll make you wait a little longer.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yep.” She emphasized the p.
He laughed. “Then let’s go.”
They stopped off at her favorite deli to grab dinner. When they arrived home, the basement was, thankfully, empty. Cole put the dinner in the fridge and then took a seat next to Mia.
“Well,” she said impatiently. “Hurry up. The suspense is killing me.”
“I didn’t want to mention anything until I was certain it was going to work out.” He took a breath. “I’ve been promoted to detective.”
A beaming smile spread across her face, and she threw herself into his lap, almost strangling him in her exuberance.
“Oh my God, Cole. That’s fantastic! I’m so proud of you.” And then she hit him in the shoulder with the palm of her hand. “You little sneak. You didn’t mention a thing.”
He rubbed his shoulder. She hadn’t hurt him, but he liked to tease her. “I mightn’t have been successful, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up. Or mine for that matter. But yeah”—he shrugged—“Detective Brook from first of the month.”
“Does this mean you have to give back the uniform?” She trailed her fingertip over his chest. “Coz I’m not sure I’m down with that.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I’m sure I can figure something out.”
“Good. My eyes only, though, right? No more turning up to college looking so hot.”
He winked. “You got it, beautiful. Okay, your turn. Shoot.”
She climbed off his lap, which fired up his concern. That, and the fact she was chewing on her lip. She opened her purse, took out an envelope, and passed it to him.
“This arrived today.”
He opened the flap and removed the papers. He unfolded them and scanned the first page. He didn’t need to read any further.
“It’s final?” he asked. “This is it. You’re actually divorced?”
She nodded. “Tanner Fuckhead is no more.”
He chuckled. When he’d told her Draven’s nickname for her now ex-husband, she’d thought it hilarious and had proceeded to call him that ever since. She’d even told her counselor who had studiously responded that if Millie needed to refer to her tormentor in that way, it was fine by her.
“How do you feel?”
She pulled her lips to one side. “Relieved. A little sad and a lot annoyed that I let him control me for so many years. Time I could have spent with you.”
Cole wagged his finger. “Uh-uh. We’re not going there.” He lifted her arm and kissed the inside of her wrist. “Now is all that matters.” He pressed her into the couch, his arms either side of her head. “And I’ve got you all to myself.”
He went to kiss her, but she stopped him. “There’s one more thing I need to tell you before I demand you take me into the bedroom and devour me.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. He sat up, pulling her with him. “Get on with it then. Devouring waits for no man, or woman.”
“Wait there.” She got up and disappeared into her bedroom. She was back a few moments later holding an oblong box. She handed it to him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
“I’m really nervous about giving this to you. I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”
“You worry too much. I love presents.”
He weighed up the box in his hand. It was light as a feather. He removed the top part. It took a few seconds for his eyes to compute what he was seeing. Nestled inside the box was a pair of baby’s booties, and a white stick showing two distinct vertical lines. His head came up, and his mouth fell open.
“Please tell me this isn’t a joke.”
She offered him an uncertain smile. “Definitely not a joke. I’m nine weeks along, according to the doctor I went to see during a free period today.”
An overwhelming surge of happiness rushed through him, taking his breath away. He caught her face between his hands and kissed her. He kissed the ever-loving life out of her. The woman he thought he’d lost forever was his, and she’d given him the best gift possible. A family. A future. An amazing life to look forward to.
“You’re okay about it then?” she asked tentatively. “I know we briefly talked about having kids one day, but the timing isn’t great. It’ll be difficult juggling everything, what with school, my job at the college, your promotion, and all the other things we’ve got going on. But I—”
He kissed her again, because it was the only way he could stop her rambling. When he drew back a second time, he placed a finger over her lips in case she set off chattering once more.
“I couldn’t be any happier. It’s not possible. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, and a family of our own will only enhance the love I have for you. Whatever obstacles are thrown in our way, we’ll work them out.”
She got to her feet and held out her hand. “You owe me a devouring, Detective Brook. Better take advantage before two becomes three.”
He took her hand and grinned cheekily. “And that’s what uncles are for.”
THE END
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FROM MY HEART
Thank you so much for reading His To Protect
This was a difficult book to write, but Millie’s story was such an important one to be told. Sadly, a huge number of us know a Millie, and unfortunately, not everyone’s story ends as happily as hers did. Some will say that fiction should be fun, enjoyable, an escape from real life, and they’re right. Equally, though, as writers, I believe we owe it to ourselves and to others to make our stories believable and real, even if the subject matter is sometimes hard to read.
My thanks and gratitude goes to a wonderful lady who selflessly shared her story with me, and to all the women survivors out there as well as charities like Women’s Aid who do such wonderful work.
I’d love to hear what you thought of Cole and Millie’s journey to their HEA. Please feel free to get in touch via email, Facebook, Twitter or by signing up to my reader group
Next up is Nate and Dex. I absolutely adore these two. I promise their story is much lighter. Dex is a perfect match for Nate, and you’ll definitely see a different side to him from the one shown in the series so far.
Web of Lies will release on March 4th, 2019.
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Books by Tracie Delaney
The Winning Ace Series
Winning Ace
Losing Game
Grand Slam
Winning Ace Boxset
Mismatch
Break Point - A Winning Ace Novella
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My Gift To You
The Brook Brothers Series
The Blame Game
Against All Odds
His To Protect
Web of Lies
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Acknowledgments
I am so lucky to have an amazing team around me. Really, you guys, I couldn’t do this without you.
To my wonderful hubs for your unending support and for knowing exactly when I need you to make me laugh. You deliver every single time!
To my content editor, Emmy. Your insight is invaluable. I appreciate you more than I can say. This wasn’t an easy read, but my goodness, you helped me do Cole and Millie’s story justice.
To my line editor, Del. That scene! You know the one. Talk about forcing me to work and work and work - and what an amazing result we achieved in the end. The work you do on all of my books is outstanding, but the time you put into His To Protect is something I will be forever grateful for. Top Notch, lady <3
To my critique partner, Incy—thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You really made me dig deep into the emotion of this one, and although this book gave me a lot of sleepless nights, you were so right, as always.
To Louise. My Rock. You’ve been there since the very beginning and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for everything you do. Love you so very much.
To my alpha reader, Allison. Every single time we work together is a joy to me. The suggestions you gave helped help Cole and Millie’s story sing. Thank you for being so uncompromising and hard on me. You know that’s when I excel!
To Lexi. Thank you for carving out the time to read this when I had a major wobble. Thank goodness for plane journey’s and business trips!
To my ARC readers. You guys are amazing! You’re my final eyes and ears before my baby is released into the world and I appreciate each and every one of you for giving up your time to read—and point out the odd errors that slip through the net!
And last but most certainly not least, to you, the readers. Thank you for being on this journey with me. It still humbles me to think that my words are being read all over the world.
If you have a couple of minutes, would you consider leaving a short review on Amazon? Reviews really help readers discover new books, and they’re particularly important for up and coming authors. You’d be helping more than you know
About the Author
Tracie Delaney realized she was destined to write when, at aged five, she crafted little notes to her parents, each one finished with "The End."
Tracie loves to write steamy contemporary romance books that center around hot men, strong women, and then watch with glee as they battle through real life problems. Of course, there's always a perfect Happy Ever After ending (eventually).
When she isn’t writing or sitting around with her head stuck in a book, she can often be found watching The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones or any tennis match involving Roger Federer. Coffee is a regular savior.
You can find Tracie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or, for the latest news, exclusive excerpts and competitions, why not join her reader group.
Tracie currently resides in the North West of England with her amazingly supportive husband and her two crazy Westie puppies, Cooper and Murphy.
Tracie loves to hear from readers. She can be contacted through the following platforms
www.traciedelaneyauthor.com
[email protected]
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