“Hello, Blake,” I whispered as I traced the contour of his nose with the tip of my finger. “We’re so glad you’re here, little guy.” I was a mess, a complete and total mess as I looked at our son, and suddenly he was lost in my tears. My vision blurred as I pulled him in closer and pressed my lips to his forehead.
Just when I thought I would be able to pull myself together, I felt Rhett lean in and press his forehead to my own as his own tears dripped onto my cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely, “for loving me and for giving me my son.”
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“I looked at him and saw a friend, until I realized it was so much more. Until I knew that I truly loved him.”
~ Author Unknown
Prologue
Mike
Two years earlier
I hugged my mother to my chest a little harder as her body shook with an overflow of emotions. My shirt was stained with her tears, the moisture already seeping through the material and onto my chest beneath.
Knowing that she was sad, knowing I couldn’t stay with her and make it all better, was heartbreaking. No man, a real man, at least, liked to know that his mother was hurting.
A few feet away, leaning against the porch, stood my father and my brother, watching the exchange with solemn looks upon their faces. We’d done this before; we’d been here before. It may have been a different time, but the feelings were the same. It was never easy.
I’d just finished my leave of coming home to see my family, and in two-and-a-half weeks, I would be deploying once more to do what I was trained to do: protect our country and the people I loved. Twenty-four hours from now, I had to be back on post. I knew I had to go. If I didn’t leave soon, I’d miss my flight. But it was impossible to deny Maria, my mom, this time she needed to say goodbye. So, instead, I let her hug me, and in return, I hugged her too, rocking from side to side, telling her I’d be back.
“You’d better,” she said again as she always did, whether I’d said it face to face or over the phone, “without a scratch.” I smiled at her protective nature toward me, though I was a grown man now. I knew her need to keep me unharmed, as well as her need to protect me from my father, would always be a thing for us. There weren’t two people anywhere I was more thankful for than Gavin and Maria. They gave me a life when the one I’d been born to fell apart so quickly. And in turn, they'd done their best to ensure that my biological parents remained a part of my life, even if only in spirit.
“You be safe,” she whispered, and I closed my eyes, taking in one last deep breath to hold back my own tears that had been threatening to spill over.
“Always.” At least I tried to be.
Stepping back, I offered her a forced smile when I saw the red puffiness of her eyes. It tugged at me deep inside, because all I ever wanted was to see her smile.
My dad stepped forward, placing his arm around her waist to pull her body back against his, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They’d always been that way—at least as far back as I could remember—loving and affectionate. It was one of the many things I’d admired about them both.
My little brother stood back and offered me a nod. He was already trying to act so grown up, and I knew the next time I returned, most likely, he would be. Visiting had grown harder over the years, and I’d missed so much already. I didn’t want to miss any more, which was why this would probably be my last deployment. I wasn’t planning on reenlisting when the time came. I hadn’t shared this with my family yet, but I knew they’d be happy to know I’d be coming home soon to stay.
I stepped back a little further and offered my father a nod, getting the same in return, before turning around to find my two best friends waiting for me.
Rhett and Maddison. My people. My family.
We were and had been a trio for as long as I could remember, riding horses and ATVs through the fields and swimming down by the lake behind Reed and Kori’s house. We’d tease Mad with worms while fishing in that same lake, and after a while, she no longer feared them. Hell, she’d pick up a snake now out of the field, as long as it wasn’t a poisonous kind, and hold it out for us to see. The girl was a trooper.
Rhett climbed up into the front seat of his truck, and I threw my arm over Maddison’s shoulder and dragged her around to the opposite side with me. I didn’t try to help her when she climbed up through the passenger side because Mad didn’t like to be treated like a girl. The thing was, she was a woman now, and, yeah, I’d noticed the changes in her.
She’d grown into her own, finding it harder to blend in with the guys because she was a beauty. Men noticed—damn, I noticed—and it felt wrong but also right. The long, dark hair, killer dark brown eyes,
