Unveiling Ghosts (Unveiling Series, Book 3)

by Jeannine Allison

  “The beginning of what?” she asked with a grin.

  I smiled back before whispering the word against her mouth. “Forever.”

  Eight years later…

  “SHHH! YOU’LL WAKE THEM up.” I barely heard the whisper as I lay wrapped around Sherry in our king-sized bed.

  “Yeah, toad!” Maria yelled.

  “I’m not a toad!” Adam screamed back.

  “Guys, please keep your voices down,” Elizabeth begged, a little louder this time but still the quietest in the bunch.

  “Where’s da baby?” Maria asked loudly.

  “Why do I bother?” our eldest daughter muttered. I buried my face in my wife’s hair to keep from laughing.

  Elizabeth was unplanned. We never called her an “accident” because that made it sound like she was something we hadn’t wanted—and that was the furthest thing from the truth. She was the best kind of surprise. And the only reason we started being extra careful after her was because Sherry wanted to finish medical school and her residency before having any more children. I couldn’t blame her. Elizabeth ran us both ragged those first few years.

  But despite her boisterous nature as an infant and toddler, the minute her brother Adam was born, she transformed from the hurricane to the eye of the storm. She was always looking out for him, and later on, her sisters. She became their leader and champion.

  Sherry and I couldn’t have been more grateful. We’d always wanted a big family, and once she finished her schooling, all bets were off. We started trying for another baby six months before the end of her residency and a year later our son, Adam, was born.

  Two years later we had Maria, followed by our now six-month-old daughter Tara, a year and a half after that.

  Sherry stirred, mumbling softly about our typical Saturday morning alarm clocks. It was true. When you were a parent your weekends were no longer about sleeping in, your weekends were no longer your own. Your life was no longer your own. Everything became about your kids.

  When I was a kid, I’d thought maybe I did something wrong, that somehow I deserved the neglect my parents treated me with. But the second Elizabeth was born I knew that wasn’t true. The second her tiny cries rang out in that hospital room, I was done for. I gladly gave my life over to my children. Even in the difficult times, they were the best part of me.

  And I swore to myself that they’d always know it.

  In fact, I spent most of my time as a stay-at-home father. I still went on a few freelance jobs when I could or when we needed extra cash, but for the most part I was here. And boy, anyone who said being a stay-at-home parent wasn’t a job, clearly had never done it. It was more work than any job I’d ever had, and it was never-ending… there was no clocking out or vacation days.

  But I loved it. And I loved that it meant Sherry could do whatever she wanted. She was currently working as a pediatrician, always on the lookout for any indication of child abuse. And she volunteered twice a week at a center for domestic violence. When Lizzy told us she wanted to go with her and help when she was older, I cried.

  It still amazed me that I had this kind of family.

  I never tried to track down my mother, and she never came looking for me. It was a sad truth that sometimes the parents who gave birth to you weren’t the ones who were meant to raise you. That was Sherry’s parents, and even Sherry to some extent. They made me who I was, for better or worse. But nothing short of death would keep me from my kids.

  “BROWNIE!” Adam yelled when I heard our one-year-old chocolate lab bound into the room. That was the name you got when your two-year-old son got to pick the name.

  Sherry shook as she chuckled. I kissed the back of her neck before rolling away and sitting up, my eyes going to our three children standing near the foot of our bed.

  “Daddy!” Adam launched himself at me and we fell back against the headboard just as Sherry turned over and sat up. Luckily, she’d been mindful enough last night to make me put on boxers while she threw on a T-shirt after we had sex; I definitely hadn’t been mindful of anything.

  “Hey, kiddo. Whatcha guys up to?”

  He leaned in and put his mouth directly on my ear. “It’s a special day,” he whispered. Laughing, I pulled him away and settled him on the bed between my wife and me.

  “It was supposed to be a surprise,” Elizabeth mumbled, looking sad.

  “I’m surprised,” Sherry said, and our daughter looked up tentatively. “I’m surprised that after all these years, I still thought I’d be sleeping in today.” Elizabeth smiled before shuffling forward and gently getting on the bed, a complete contradiction to her younger brother.

  “Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks, Lizbiz,” Sherry said affectionately. Naomi started calling our eldest that so much it eventually became a nickname that the entire family used.

  “HEY! What ‘bout me?” Maria asked a second before I felt her tiny fist hit my leg dangling off the bed. Looking down to my right, I saw her dragging her pink elephant and staring up at me with an expectant expression. When I didn’t move fast enough, she lifted her arms and shrieked, “UP! UP!”

  I picked her up and set her in the center of the bed, and she immediately started crawling to her mother. “Happy birfday, Mama.” Sherry blew a raspberry on her cheek, causing her boisterous giggles to fill the entire room.

  “Thanks, sweet girl.”

  “Where’s da baby?” Maria asked, quickly looking around. She never stayed on one subject for very long, unless it was about our youngest daughter, Tara. Maria had become obsessed with her.

  “I’ll go get her.” My wife handed Maria to me before shuffling off the bed and leaving the room. Maria immediately started climbing me like I was a tree while Adam moved to the foot of the bed to rub Brownie’s belly. Elizabeth was sitting up and looking between her two siblings, making sure everything was in order. Always the watcher.

  “Baby! Baby!” I cringed as Maria’s chants grew louder, and directly in my ear, until finally Sherry appeared in the doorway, swaddling Tara. “BABY!”

  “Shh…” Sherry called out. “She’s still waking up, Maria.”

  “Baaaaabbbbby.” We all chuckled at our toddler’s “whisper.”

  When Sherry sat down on the bed, Maria was there immediately, staring intently at her sister.

  “We wanted to make you guys breakfast for Mom’s birthday, and your anniversary,” Elizabeth explained, nodding toward the door.

  Sherry’s panicked eyes flew to mine. The kids knew they weren’t allowed to touch the stove without either one of us present, even Elizabeth.

  “It’s ceweal!” My wife and I both let out a sigh of relief as Adam jumped down and grabbed the bowls they’d apparently set on the server in the hallway.

  “Hey, Daddy?”

  “Yeah, buddy?” I asked, taking both bowls from him and putting Sherry’s on the nightstand until she was done rocking Tara.

  “What’s an annibersary?” Adam asked.

  “It’s the day when your mom and I got married.” I smiled over at my wife, who returned my affectionate grin.

  “Why do people get married?” he continued.

  “Because they love each other.”

  “What’s wove?” Maria chimed in as she bounced toward her big sister’s side.

  “It’s like Daddy kissing Mommy even when she’s sick,” Adam immediately chimed in. “Or when Mommy watches Daddy’s boring TV shows that she hates.”

  I looked over at Sherry’s guilty expression and busted out laughing. “It’s okay, dear. That’s not a terribly well-kept secret.” Leaning over, I placed a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth.

  “Sooo… like when we’re colowing and I leave the blue cwayon for Adam because it’s his favorite even though I really want it?”

  The sun could explode right now, and Sherry’s smile would still be able to keep the Earth warm and bright. “That’s exactly right, Maria.”

  “Oh.” Maria and Adam nodded, satisfied with the respon
ses. “Can we gived the presents now?”

  “Give,” Elizabeth corrected Maria. “And sure, let’s go get them.”

  We leaned against the headboard, watching Maria and Adam dash out of the room, all while our eldest cautioned them to slow down as she followed.

  I wrapped my arm around Sherry, our eyes both on our baby. Laughter drifted up from downstairs as Tara’s tired eyes fluttered open.

  “Some people don’t get this, you know?

  Brushing some of her bedhead hair from her forehead, I smiled sadly. “There were some touch and go moments, weren’t there?”

  “Just a few.”

  “They never defined us. Truthfully, I don’t think our happy moments define us either. Love, like life, isn’t a tragedy or a fairy tale—it’s both.” I picked up her hand and laid a light kiss on her knuckles. Looking up at her through my lashes, I said, “And I’m honored to share it with you.”

  Sherry’s eyes were on mine as she nodded. Tara started wiggling in her lap, drawing our attention to her. She pumped her legs and gave us a toothless grin. I looked at my wife to see her smiling down at our beautiful daughter.

  Her gaze came to mine, a smirk on her lips. “Even if it’s not a fairy tale… can we still have a happily ever after?”

  “Oh, hell yeah. Look around.” I waved my hand over our messy bedroom before leaning down and sniffing Tara. “We have a shitty diaper.” Sherry burst out laughing just as something shattered on the floor downstairs.

  “Maria did it!” Adam shouted.

  “NOOOO, it was Adam!” Maria called back.

  “And two children who are the human equivalent of a tornado currently destroying—”

  “DAD!” Elizabeth yelled. “Adam gave Brownie too many bones and now he’s throwing up. EWW… he got some on my socks.” Her whine faded to the background as Tara started wailing.

  “So to recap, we have shit, vomit, broken glass, and banshee-like crying. Did I miss anything?” I asked Sherry, raising my voice over our daughter’s cries.

  Sherry was smiling wide as she shook her head.

  “So…”

  “Sounds like a happily ever after to me.”

  “Me too.” I leaned forward, capturing her lips with mine.

  I watched her walk out of the room, bouncing our youngest, and I thought about her vows.

  Fairy tales aren’t about the prince who rides in on a horse, the princess who needs saving, the dragon who needs slaying, or even the happily ever after. It’s only about love, and how worth it it is. Fairy tales don’t teach us that love is easy, they teach us that love is worth it.

  Sherry was right, which wasn’t really a surprise—she usually was.

  Our love certainly hadn’t been easy, but it was always—and forever would be—worth it.

  “Everything Has Changed” - Ed Sheeran

  “Lucky Ones” - Lana Del Rey

  “Broken” - Lifehouse

  “Here Without You” - 3 Doors Down

  “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” - The Script

  “Far From Home” - Five Finger Death Punch

  “The Scientist” - Coldplay

  “All This Time” - One Republic

  “A Thousand Years” - Christina Perri

  “Forever” - Papa Roach

  “Family Tree” - Matthew West

  “What Would I Do Without You” - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

  “Come To Me” - Goo Goo Dolls

  I know this is only my third novel, but it has never felt so good to finish a book. Unveiling Ghosts was hard to write; I can’t pinpoint why but it physically and emotionally drained me. So I need to start by thanking my beta readers. Jenny, Robin, and Briana… this book exists because of you guys. You were awesome! Before you three swooped in and saved it, I was tempted to kill everyone off in an alien invasion and call it a day—that’s how frustrated I was. I can’t even begin to explain how helpful you guys were. Not just with the initial feedback, but also by allowing me to annoy you with random questions and show you scene revisions. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! <3 <3

  Thank you to my awesome editor, Stephanie Parent, who is always so accommodating and quick in her turn around :)

  To Sarah at Okay Creations… your work is unparalleled. Thank you for this gorgeous cover! And thanks for putting up with all my random tweaks to it ;)

  Thank you to my new formatter, Stacey Blake at Champagne Formats. I’ve loved working with you so far, and I can’t wait to continue!

  And like always, thank you, the readers! None of this would be possible without you. I am forever grateful to those who have taken a chance on me. Thank you! xoxo

  Jeannine Allison is an author of contemporary and New Adult romance. After waffling between many degrees in college, she finally graduated with a BA in English Literature from Arizona State University. She loves writing and reading—obviously :)—but when she’s not, she enjoys playing with her two dogs, watching her favorite YouTube beauty bloggers, drinking coffee, googling new tattoos, and pretty much anything else that allows her to wear yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

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  The Unveiling Series

  Unveiling the Sky

  Unveiling Chaos

  Unveiling Ghosts

  Unveiling Fate (Coming Fall 2017)