The Hopeful Heart: (Accidental Connection #1) (Forever Safe Romance Book 8)

by Haven Rose

  “Tristan is parking the car. Can you show him where I am?” I ask Brant, wanting to give him something to focus on. His expression tells me he knows what I’m doing, but doesn’t call me on it, instead walking toward the front once more. Stepping behind the curtain, my heart clenches when I see a few drops of blood on the floor. As I look around, Tristan joins me and I let him handle things officially as I can no longer deny my personal involvement with the…nope, I’m not calling her a victim.

  “Dane,” he says, getting my attention and pointing at a folder. “I’m gonna find a staff member, just to cover our asses as this is protected information.” Knowing he’s right, and hating it, I think of Aurora and how she looked in our bed this morning.

  He returns, a doctor in tow, and we proceed to read through the paperwork. When I notice Aurora’s writing, my hands itch to rip it away from them and run my fingers over it, as if needing that connection. Turning, unable to look at it any longer, I do an about face when Tristan nudges me, indicating a note at the bottom of the last page.

  HELP!

  He said something about starting over.

  Dane and Brant, I’m sorry.

  I love you,

  Aurora

  Starting over? What could that mean?

  “Tristan, remember the profiler that helped on that case last year?” He nods. “What was he saying about perps and the lengths they’ll go to?”

  He thinks, then snaps his fingers. “If something goes wrong, or they’re interrupted, that they need to see it through, even at their own detriment. It’s a driving force they can’t resist.”

  “I know where he’s taking her.” Calling for backup, I tell them where to go, praying I’m right. When we arrive, I see her vehicle, which had been at our place after the forensics team had finished processing it, surrounded by squad cars. They’re just sitting there, Aurora behind the wheel, the man fitting John Smith’s description in the back.

  After what seems to take forever, her door opens and she walks directly to me, tear stains on her cheeks. She’s been crying, but she appears calm, considering.

  “Baby?”

  Her arms around me, she sniffles against my neck, and her next words shock me. “He let me go.”

  “What?” Before she can respond, the rear driver’s side eases open and he steps out, hands in the air, getting on the ground as directed.

  “He apologized,” she tells me, surprise evident in her voice. “Said he shouldn’t have taken me. That he wanted a redo.” With a deep breath she continues, “I thought for sure…Well, you know. But no, he wanted to come back here, say he was sorry, then get out and leave.”

  “Yeah, that last part isn’t happening,” I state, then take a few steps to the right, making our profiles visible to the other responding officers, and let her see Smith in handcuffs. It’s unreal how easily it was to subdue him, he didn’t even put up a fight. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’d think it was a lie. But it’s not. He went quietly and did so with a smile reminiscent of relief on his face, like this is exactly what he wanted.

  I didn’t take part in the arrest, not wanting it insinuated that evidence might be skewed because of my connection with Aurora, so Tristan took lead. Later that night, he informs me Smith did in fact want a do over, as he called it. He said things started going wrong shortly after he met Aurora and he had to fix them. To do that, he needed to not take her.

  If I hadn’t met the profiler and heard the extremes perps will go to in order to correct what they perceive as mistakes or to follow their own superstitions, I’d never have believed it.

  Chapter Nine

  Aurora

  July 13th…

  “I can’t believe it’s all over,” I say for probably the tenth time. Dane hugs me tighter, his breath tickling my ear as he gives the same response.

  “It is. He confessed to everything.”

  “Did he say why he was sending the flowers?”

  “Apparently, yellow roses are for apologies. He was trying to say he was sorry for what he did.”

  Not touching that, I focus on the good news. “It’s weird him robbing Donald, a man I know, was a coincidence. I’m happy you were able to recover the majority of the stolen items.”

  “So were the owners,” he says with a grin.

  “Hey, can we squash the lovey dovey stuff? Big brother doesn’t need to see that,” Brant grumbles from the recliner where he’s stretched out as if preparing for a nap.

  “You know the best way not to?” I ask, throwing a pillow at him. He merely pops open an eye and peers at me. “Go home.” Dane laughs and Brant complains about not getting any respect.

  He’s been here since last night after we finished at the police station, saying he wasn’t ready to let me out of his sight. Dane, apparently understanding, just nodded. Now that I think about it, both have been a little antsy the last hour, Brant throwing furtive glances Dane’s way.

  “Rory,” Dane starts, “I don’t want you to go back to your place.”

  “Are you asking me to move in?” I want to know, getting excited. I’d been dreading the thought of living by myself again.

  “No,” he answers and I try not to cry.

  “Asshole,” Brant chimes in. “You suck at this.”

  Dane runs his fingers through his hair, throwing an apologetic look my way. “I’m doing this wrong.” I don’t disagree. “I meant to say, I want more than for you to move in.” Then he slides to one knee in front of me and pulls something out of his pocket. He opens the little black box, a silver band with a solitaire in the middle and the surrounding gems reminding me of a sunrise. “A wrong number brought you into my life, but I’m hoping you’ll agree that you and I becoming one is the right number.” He gets quiet, then I swear I hear him whisper, “That sounded so much better in my head.”

  “It was perfect,” I reassure him, touching his cheek.

  “I’m nervous,” he admits, showing his vulnerability where I’m concerned without hesitation. “This,” he tells me, taking my hand and placing it on his chest, “is the hopeful heart of the man that loves you. Become my wife. Have children with me. Grow old with me.”

  “I love you too, Dane,” I say. Then he waits, his eyes never leaving my face, and I realize he’s waiting for my answer. “You didn’t exactly ask a question.”

  He laughs, as does Brant who pipes in with, “She’s got you there.”

  “The peanut gallery agreed to be quiet if they were allowed to stay,” Dane throws out.

  “I had my fingers crossed when I said it,” Brant confesses smugly.

  “You get him too. We’re a package deal,” I remind Dane.

  “The things I do for love,” he adds, giving an exaggerated long-suffering sigh. “And no, I didn’t ask because your only option is yes. I can’t live without you. Don’t make me.”

  “Why would I? I want forever with you.”

  Dane leans up, our mouths almost touching, and warns my brother, “If you don’t want to see this, you better turn your head,” then he kisses me and I swear I can taste the love.

  And later that night, long after Brant has gone home after telling us how happy he is we found each other, Dane carries me to our room and lays me in the middle of the bed.

  “I can’t wait to see all your stuff mixed with mine,” he admits, placing a kiss on my heart as he pulls my shirt over my head. “You’ve made this apartment a home.” He removes my shorts and panties, his lips skimming every inch of skin he reveals. By the time they clear my feet and he throws them on the floor, I’m already moaning, close to begging him to take me.

  He takes pity on me, fusing his mouth to my pussy and sucking on my clit, my body arching from the pleasure. Dane brings me to two climaxes before moving up, the friction from the coarse hairs on his thighs scraping my smooth skin making him groan. Spreading my legs, I encircle his waist, my heels digging into his ass as he slides inside.

  Flipping so I straddle him, his cock going deeper from the position
and my excitement, I cup my breasts and throw my head back.

  “Ride me, fiancée,” he commands and I speed up, rising onto my feet so I’m poised just above him, the tip barely inside, before dropping and taking him in. “Fuck!” His hands grab me, but not to stop me, no, he pulls me closer, making it so he can bite my right nipple. The pleasure pain has me clenching, my hips pumping up and down, careful not to dislodge his mouth. When we come together, his warmth bathing my walls, I settle against his chest, my pulse matching his.

  Epilogue One - Dane

  Seven years later…

  Life has never been better. With my wife by my side, we watch our five-year-old son, Gavin, play in the yard with his younger brother, Daniel, who is three, and their puppy, Biscuit.

  Rubbing her belly, I feel our third child, a daughter, kick. “She knows her daddy is saying hi,” Aurora states, making me smile. I hope so. I already love her beyond belief, just as I do her mom and big brothers.

  We moved into a house not long after meeting, both wanting the space it would provide for the family we knew we wanted to have. And it has the added benefit of being next door to Brant. She and his wife, Macie, have grown very close.

  “Hey, what’d I tell you about doing that stuff where I can see you?” Brant asks, standing at one of the fences that separates our yards to keep our respective kids, and dogs, in.

  “I think I hear Macie calling you,” Aurora says with a giggle as she sets her phone beside her.

  He cocks his head, then throws a glare at her. “It doesn’t count when you text her to retrieve me.” Macie steps onto the porch, her pregnant belly showing. She and Aurora are only a month apart, though this is their second.

  “Honey, would you leave your sister alone?” Macie questions him with an affectionate smile.

  “I don’t want to,” he responds, looking at Aurora and mouthing, “Party pooper.”

  Brant and Macie are perfect together, their love for one another obvious. It was rough when they first met, but Brant was determined to win her over, and he did.

  But that’s their story to tell.

  Epilogue Two - Dane

  Fifteen years after meeting…

  “Yes!” My wife screams as I drive inside her still tight pussy. Covering her mouth with my hand, I do it again, bringing her against me, her back to my chest as I rest on my heels. Pumping my hips up, I push her down at the same time, bottoming out. We’re trying for another baby, our fourth, and have been having sex almost constantly. Thank god we can send them next door to their Uncle Brant and Aunt Macie’s. Hell, our kids are there almost as much as they are here. Then again, they adore their uncle and aunt and playing with their cousins. My sister-in-law has been good about keeping them occupied when Aurora is ovulating, knowing we’ve been trying for a while without success.

  A few thrusts later, I spill into my Rory, then lay so we’re on our sides, cuddling her.

  We both have the next seven days off and are taking the kids camping, along with my in-laws and nieces and nephews, and my best friend. Tristan and his wife, Daphne, and their children.

  Tristan and I have moved up at the department, both having positions of authority, while Aurora has gone into management at her job.

  Life has been great. That’s not to say we haven’t had our ups and downs, that’s just reality, but we’ve weathered it all, knowing we can get through anything as long as we’re together.

  “I love you, Aurora. I’m so thankful we made an accidental connection that day.”

  “I love you, Dane. And fate guided my fingers to call exactly who I was meant to.”

  **Aurora**

  Nine months later…

  We’d gotten to the hospital early this morning, my contractions ten minutes apart. By the time they’d taken me back, that was cut in half. Our fourth child was in a hurry to meet her parents.

  A few pushes and quite some pain later, our baby’s cry heralds her arrival. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins. It’s a little girl.” We’d both wanted to know the sex as soon as we could, so the news isn’t a surprise. Tears run unheeded down my cheeks and Dane’s at the fact she’s here, completing our family. “Have you chosen a name?”

  “Destiny Marie,” we tell her at the same time. We’d chosen it upon learning we were having another daughter, knowing we had destiny to thank for bringing us together all those years ago.

  Every day with him is better than the previous. Fate knew exactly what she was doing.

  Be sure to look for Brant and Macie’s book, The Reluctant Heart, releasing fall/winter 2019.

  If you liked Dane and Aurora’s story, please take a moment to leave a review. Not only do authors love to know they’ve brought enjoyment to someone’s life by providing an escape from reality, even if only for a short amount of time, but they are a way for others to decide if they’d also be interested. The greatest way to share your love for an author’s work is by word of mouth, whether it’s literally, or through your own written word in a review.

  More by Haven Rose

  A Tangled Web Series

  Grave Secrets (books2read.com/u/bzPVA2)

  Lethal Memories (books2read.com/u/38r9pV)

  Final Truth (amzn.to/2LGHZnO)

  Love Found (Spring/Summer 2019)

  Accidental Connection Series

  The Hopeful Heart (July 2019 – Forever Safe)

  The Reluctant Heart (TBD)

  The Patient Heart (TBD)

  Others Titles May be Added

  Holidays in Jasper Series

  Trick or Treat (books2read.com/u/b62Xo6)

  Thankfully Yours (amzn.to/2BR31M5)

  Marry New Year (amzn.to/2F1iehF)

  From the Heart (amzn.to/2GrpkwA)

  Shamrocked (mybook.to/Shamrocked)

  His Firecracker (July 2019)

  Other Titles to be Decided

  Matter of Hart Series

  That Day (books2read.com/u/m0gEnM)

  Getting Lucky (books2read.com/u/bP5oVj)

  Love’s Draw (Spring 2019)

  Something’s Brewing (2019)

  Made to Order (TBD)

  Full Circle (TBD)

  Giving Chase (TBD)

  Deep Desires (TBD)

  The Perfect Position (TBD)

  By Design (TBD)

  Future Series (with more planned):

  Aftereffects Series

  Deadly Acts (TBD)

  Deadly Intentions (TBD)

  Deadly Hope (TBD)

  Change of Plans Series (co-written with May Gordon)

  Titles to be Decided (2020)

  City of Angelis Trilogy (subject to change)

  Titles to be Decided

  Coming Home Series

  Titles to be Decided

  Danger Duet

  Cuts Like a Knife (TBD)

  The Key to His Heart (TBD)

  Love’s Valley Duet (co-written with May Gordon)

  Spark of Love and Lesson in Love (August 2019)

  Perilous Love Series (subject to change)

  Running from Peril (TBD)

  Hidden Peril (TBD)

  Triple Peril (TBD)

  Saints & Sinners MC Series

  Dangerous Curves (TBD)

  Other Titles to be Decided

  Shadow Men Series

  Titles to be Decided

  Stone Siblings Series

  Set in Stone (TBD)

  A Fresh Slate (TBD)

  Other Titles to be Decided

  The Four Seasons Series

  Titles to be Decided

  Weathering the Storm Series

  My Sunshine (TBD)

  A Touch of Frost (TBD)

  Other Titles to be Decided

  Standalones

  Pieces of You (mybook.to/PiecesofYou)

  Upcoming Standalones

  Collateral Damage (Summer 2019)

  Final Countdown (TBD)

  Pardon Me (TBD)

  About the Author

  Haven Rose spends her days high atop the wo
rld in a tower overlooking a beautiful meadow, waiting for her prince to find her. No? That's a different story? Okay. In real life, the author, who prefers to remain a mystery, met her true love at a very young age and the two have been enjoying their lives together ever since. Has it had its ups and downs? Yes, but their love for one another has endured it all and only grown stronger. He is the foundation upon which her Heroes are created. She knows things can never be perfect in a relationship, at least not outside of books, which is why the pen name of Haven Rose was created, allowing readers, such as herself, to escape into a world where problems are easily solved, love is instant and true, and the story is always safe.

  Stay Connected

  You can email the author, if you’d like, at havenroseauthor@gmail.com. Haven has created a Facebook page for those interested in connecting with her or for updates on current works in progress and future books. That link is - https://www.facebook.com/authorhavenrose/. You can also follow her author page or on BookBub (bookbub.com/authors/haven-rose). While she does not currently have a website, she has created a closed reader group on Facebook. If you’re interested in becoming a member, please visit The Rose Garden at facebook.com/groups/227103614772999/.

  Thank you for taking the time to meet this couple, and those near and dear to them, as well as characters you may see in future books.