by D. L. Wood
He bent his head and kissed her, his whole being awash with pure joy that this beautiful, kind creature had chosen him. He pulled back and stroked her cheek. “I know it’ll be all right. I’m certain of it.”
And he was. Because even though he knew this robbery was wrong, that they were committing a crime and would be frightening people, they were doing it for a good reason. They had tried everything else first. But they couldn’t wait any longer to help people in need, and this was the only way to make that happen. Besides, no one was going to get hurt. His gun would only have one bullet in it, destined for show only. Just to scare people into complying. Sure, the people at the party would lose a little money, but they all had plenty to spare. Will and Lily’s plan would feed people. Clothe people. Provide shelter. The ends did justify the means.
If they didn’t detour from their plan—if they followed it to the letter—they would succeed. It was foolproof, and it would work.
And then he and this gorgeous, loving, precious woman would live happily ever after.
52
CHLOE
Summer was nearly at an end in Atlanta. On this Saturday, the humidity wasn’t drowning them yet, but at two in the afternoon the locusts were chirping, the sun was beating down, and the thick scent of cut grass filled the air.
Chloe reclined in the chaise lounge by their backyard pool, admiring the deep French blue of the hydrangeas that lined the concrete pad and the pots of impatiens, vinca, and verbena in a myriad of pinks, oranges, whites, and purples that created a kaleidoscope of living color.
A squeal sounded from the water, and she turned to watch Jack, Molly, and Ben as they played a game of keep-away with a striped beach ball. Jack snatched Ben up and tossed him into the air across the deep end, eliciting shouts of laughter from Molly, who high-fived him as Ben splashed down, sending water everywhere.
Ben surfaced, grinning broadly, pointing a finger at Jack. “You’re gonna get it!”
“Oh yeah?” Jack teased, stepping back just out of Ben’s reach as the boy swam toward him until finally letting Ben catch and dunk him in revenge.
Chloe laughed, her heart full, watching these three people who had become the family she’d always wanted, always needed, and had never seen coming. It had taken almost six months to finalize Molly and Ben’s adoption. They’d been with them two months now, and it couldn’t have gone smoother. It did take Ben about a week to completely come out of his shell, but after that, any reservations he had brought with him from New York were gone. Molly hadn’t needed any time at all. She was all hugs and kisses and I-love-you’s from day one.
“I think Mom looks too dry over there,” Ben yelled, wading through the shallow end toward Chloe’s chair.
“Mom is just fine, thank you!” she shouted, chuckling and preparing to jump out of the way of the splash she knew was coming.
“I’ll save you, Mommy,” Molly yelled, swimming underwater to her brother, her feet kicking furiously to catch him before he reached the edge. She popped up right as Ben was pulling an arm back to send a wave of water at Chloe and splashed him frenziedly, causing him to turn, his features set hard in determination.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Ben cackled and shot after her.
“Daddy!” Molly shouted, giggling. “Daddy! He’s coming for me.”
Jack rushed in, swooped his daughter out of Ben’s reach, and tossed her into the deep end. She came up laughing, just like her brother.
“Ben, how about a game of basketball?” Jack said, nodding to one of the two nets on either side of the pool deck.
“Yeah!” the boy replied enthusiastically.
Jack looked at her. “Mom? What about it?”
There was no reason she should feel teary, but tiny droplets collected in the corners of her eyes all the same. There was just something about the word “Mom,” and the way Jack looked at her when he said it, like he was bestowing a crown on her head with its mere utterance.
Mother. Wife. Beloved daughter.
These were not titles Chloe had ever truly believed she would know in her lifetime. And now she was all of those and more. She was even a sister again—to Emma and Tyler, her half-siblings in Tennessee.
I know I did nothing to deserve this love, Lord, and I am so grateful for it. For the gifts of all these sweet people, and for you. Thank you for the life you’ve given me.
None of it had been her plan. None of it had been her design. Had she been charting her journey, it would have looked much different. The straight line she had hoped for, even begged for, wasn’t the one she got.
What she got was a more complicated design. A grander design. One with unintended detours and stops and starts. With heartache and hope and now, with faith in a God who she knew, no matter what, would make a way. Would never leave her. Would and could and did make all things new.
Because she was one of those things.
Before Jack, she had been so lost, so alone—a wanderer without purpose. Then Jack had come along—this amazing, beautiful man with a heart of gold and a fierce sense of devotion—and not only brought her love but introduced her to the faith that had made her whole, the faith that had become her North Star.
Chloe didn’t know what would come next. She did know that there would be hardship and that there would be joy. There would be broken things and there would be beauty. Through it all, Jack would be with her. Her God would be with her. And that would be an abundant life indeed.
With her children and her husband chanting her name and her heart brimming, she rose from her lounge chair, took a running leap for the deep end of the pool, and dove in.
HAVE YOU READ BOOKS ONE AND TWO?
If you haven’t read the earlier books in the series, Unintended Target and Unintended Witness, I highly recommend you go back and read the stories that led to Unintended Detour. They are thrilling tales of suspense that begin with an unsuspecting Chloe being hunted by a murderous conspiracy after her computer-hacking brother makes her the only link to stolen information the killers are desperate to recover. You’ll also learn why she is so close to Jack, and why that wasn’t always the case…
Available in ebook, print and audiobook.
NOTE TO MY READERS
I hope you enjoyed UNINTENDED DETOUR. If you did, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and whatever other social media platforms you enjoy. You can also like, follow and share my pages on Facebook and Twitter found at @dlwoodonline. Reviews and word of mouth are what keep a novelist’s work alive, and I would be extremely grateful for yours.
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Visit my website at www.dlwoodonline.com to subscribe to my newsletter, which will keep you updated (usually only twice a month) on free goodies, giveaways, new releases, discounts, advance review team opportunities and more. The short story is my free gift to you for subscribing. While you’re there check out my other CleanCaptivatingFiction™, including The Secrets and Lies Suspense Novels and The Criminal Collection.
Some games weren’t meant to be played.
Since losing her husband, Evie Diaz’s mission has been to keep life rock-steady for her young daughter. Her one reprieve from reality is liaising with a high-stakes poker game at the luxury Manhattan hotel where she works as the night manager—hobnobbing with movie stars, millionaires, and player Kieran Carr, a handsome art dealer who likes flirting with Evie as much as playing poker.
But when trouble erupts at the game, and evidence points to Evie as the culprit, the host comes after her with a vengeance. Aided by Carr and the hotel’s protective driver (who secretly harbors feelings for her) Evie scrambles across the city working to expose the plot against her. Will they succeed before Evie and those she loves pay the ultimate price for a game she never intended to play?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D.L. Wood is a USA TODAY bestselling author who writes thrilling suspense laced with romance and faith. In her novels she
tries to give readers the same thing she wants: a “can’t-put-it-down-stay-up-till-3am” character-driven story, full of heart, believability, and adrenaline. Her award-winning books offer clean, captivating fiction that entertains and uplifts.
D.L. lives in North Alabama, where, if she isn’t writing, you’ll probably catch her curled up with a cup of Earl Grey and her Westies—Frodo and Dobby—bingeing on the latest BBC detective series. If you have one to recommend, please email her immediately, because she’s nearly exhausted the ones she knows about. She loves to hear from readers, and you can reach her at [email protected].
Books By D.L. Wood
The Unintended Series
Unintended Target
Unintended Witness
Unintended Detour
The Criminal Collection
A Criminal Game
BOOK TWO: COMING SOON
The Secrets and Lies Suspense Novels
Secrets She Knew
Liar Like Her
And one last thing . . .
IT'S HARD TO WAIT
In Unintended Detour, Chloe wrestles with the issue of waiting for her heart’s desire. I know I can relate to that and am sure many of you can too. The struggle is real. Waiting on something we are desperate for when we’ve been waiting a while is really difficult. Especially when we know that the ultimate answer may not look like what we truly want in the present moment.
In these times, I’m comforted by the knowledge that God has said, “I know the plans I have for you,” and that his plans are not to harm me, but to give me “hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I don’t know what the future holds here on earth, this promise of hope is powerful when I find myself having to wait.
If you are struggling with a waiting season, if you are asking, “when” and “why not,” please know God has a plan for you. He’s got you. And what’s more, he invites you to know him through his son, Jesus Christ, and experience a deep relationship with him that will carry you through the waiting seasons. Through every season.
For more information, please visit my website at www.dlwoodonline.com and click on the section entitled “FIND HOPE.”
God Bless.
