I start cutting out slices of cake when my mother comes up beside me. “Here, let me help.” I smile warmly at her and hand her a knife and grab some more plates. Things between us are great and she’s still in remission.

“You want some cake?” I ask my dad as I hold a plate out to him.

“Sure, thanks.” He takes it from my hand. “Kids had a nice party today.” My dad is a man of few words. He hates crowds and is a homebody, but he makes sure he’s at every party and spends as much time as he can with the kids. Now that he’s retired, I think he’s trying to make up for all the things he missed with me growing up because he was constantly working.

“They sure did. Thanks for coming.” I bend over and give him a hug.

“You know I wouldn’t miss it.” He smiles and takes a huge bite of cake. I leave him to it and continue to help my mom.

After cake, the kids all run back outside to play. I sit on the back porch and take it all in with a glass of water in my hand. Watching my husband run after our children is a sight I’ll never tire of seeing. Time has been good to him and he’s just as sexy now as he was ten years ago. He has a little graying at the temples, but I like it. And he can still disarm me with one look from those piercing blue eyes. He’s been the most incredible husband and an even better father. He loves the three of us fiercely, and that’s all I could really ask for.

Bryce picks up Matt, kicking and screaming, and throws him over his shoulder as he runs after the other kids while growling. A soft smile touches my face. When he catches me watching him, he sets Matt down and comes toward me.

“Hey, sweetheart. Whatcha doing up here by yourself? Want me to chase you, too?” he jokes as he sits down next to me.

“I’m just watching you guys play. They’re getting so big now.” I sigh, a little depressed that they’re growing up so fast. Soon enough they’ll be graduating high school and heading off to college. The thought alone makes me want to replace this water with some wine.

“You’re telling me. You weren’t the one running with one of them on your back. I’m getting too old for this stuff.”

I laugh as he rubs his back pretending that it hurts. “They’re perfect.”

“Yeah, they are.” I hear the admiration in his voice, and when I look at him my heart melts. There it is again.

Love.

“Mom! Dad!” Alex shouts as she approaches us.

“Uh oh, here it comes. Wanna take bets on what they’re fighting about this time?” he asks me quietly.

“I say one of them is tattle-taling,” I guess.

“I say they’re fighting over a game,” he replies.

“Winner gets a back rub,” I say quickly since she’s almost in front of us.

“Deal.” And we shake on it.

“Mom!” she shouts again.

“Yes, Alexandria.”

“Matt won’t let me be the agent. He said I have to be the criminal because girls can’t be undercover.” Matt comes up and stands beside her with his arms crossed over his chest. Every day he looks more and more like his dad. He’s going to break some hearts when he gets older.

“Did you say that, Matthew?” Bryce asks him sternly.

“Yeah,” he responds as he looks down at his feet.

“Eyes up, buddy.” When he looks up, he continues, “What have I told you about that?”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me, tell your sister.”

“I’m sorry, Alex.” He flashes her the same puppy dog eyes I’ve become all too familiar with. It’s the Daniels signature look, and I hate that I can’t tell him—or his father—no when he gives them to me.

“Good, now why don’t you both be agents and go investigate Papa Walt?” They give each other a look, nod, and run off in Walter’s direction.

“At least we still have a couple of undercover agents in the family,” he teases. After the whole situation with Cal went down, it was hard for Bryce to keep his anonymity. Everyone involved thought it was best not to send him in anymore. He still does investigative work, just from the outside. Personally, I like this a lot better. He’s home more and I feel like the risks are lower. We both lean back, his arm draped over my shoulder, and supervise the chaos that’s in our backyard.

The trial took a long time, but verdicts and sentencing was finally handed down a year and a half after the arrests were made. I didn’t watch the trial. Honestly, I didn’t care about the details. That part of my life was in the past and I wanted to keep it that way. I did hear that Henry Williams was found guilty on the long list of charges and will spend the rest of his life in prison. I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. There are a few things that I would change if I could, but I think I’m exactly where I should be. Sometimes you lose yourself and get buried in the lies, only to be uncovered and saved by the truth. Just like my childhood shaped the person I would become, this reshaped me into who I am today. And I can honestly say that I love who I am and where I’m at in my life.

After everyone leaves, the house is cleaned up, and the kids are in bed, Bryce and I go upstairs to our bedroom. He immediately flops down on the bed and smiles salaciously at me.

“I do believe I owe you a massage, Mr. Daniels.”

“Oh, I’ve got something you can massage.” He thrusts his hips a few times and I roll my eyes. “Come over here, you had a long day.” I walk to the bed and he grabs my arm, pulling me down toward him. His thumbs kneed my shoulders, getting rid of the exhaustion from today.

“Mmmm, that feels good,” I moan.

“Did you enjoy yourself today?” he asks.

“I did. Days like today make me so thankful.”

“What do you mean?” His hands travel lower, moving down my back.

“I was really close to never having any of this. To never knowing what it was like to be loved unconditionally and feel the same in return. To feel such pride and joy when I look at our kids. It just takes me back sometimes.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me back against his chest. “You deserve all of this. You deserve to be happy. And you’re not the only one that came close to missing out. You saved me, remember?”

“No, we saved each other.”

AS ALWAYS, I have to thank my family first and foremost. My wonderful husband and two beautiful girls are my motivation, always pushing me to follow my dreams. I love you guys more than anything and just know that the sacrifices you make don’t go unnoticed.

To my girls Laura, Judy, Alexis, Jody, and Ena. You are seriously the greatest group of girls, and I’m so blessed to call you my friends. I’ve had more laughs with you than I can count. A simple thank you just doesn’t seem like enough for everything you do for me. You guys rock and I love ya!

I want to thank Nichole Strauss and Christine Borgford with Perfectly Publishable. Nichole, for working with me to perfect Alex/Bryce’s story when I lost it a little bit. And Christine, for creating another beautifully formatted book. Thank you for your flexibility and attention to detail.

Marisa-rose Shor with Cover Me, Darling made an amazing cover. This is the second time she has worked her magic for me, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

Thanks to Enticing Journey Book Promotions for hosting another flawless cover reveal and blog tour. Ena and Amanda, you take the stress out of these events for me. I know I’m in good hands when you’re running things, and I can’t thank you enough for that.

I want to also thank Ali Gordon who was kind enough to appear on my cover. I saw this photo a while ago and knew this was the one. This was the exact look I pictured when I started writing Alex. Thank you so much for working with me again. Like last time, you were a pleasure to work with and gave a face to my character. You brought him to life and I sincerely appreciate it.