“How are we going to tell him she hates bananas and loves apples?” Marie said.
“He will know,” Ted whispered.
“It's not fair,” Marie cried.
“I agree,” Ted replied.
“Jolie is going to be a good mom, and she will have two dads to look after her,” Marie sniffed.
“Gage and David really are stepping up to the plate. I am so glad we talked about this before I left that day,” Ted said.
Marie nodded and pulled a wrinkled letter out of her pocket. “You know I kept a copy with me at all times. It was in my bra that day but I knew they would search me so I placed it in my shoe."
“I know, just like I know that David and Gage will find it when they actually go through our stuff. Gage is going to be so pissed off at us, we had better be prepared,” Ted smirked.
“I remember sitting on the beach, and writing this together. Sammi was kicking in me so hard that day. I thought she was going to come popping out,” Marie laughed.
“I memorized it word for word, in case something happened to us, or God forbid her, I just felt the need to put them down on paper,” Ted whispered.
Dear Samantha Gage Farat,
I am so sorry we are not there with you right now. Your daddy and I wanted to make sure that you know how much we love you. I know you probably have a lot of questions, and trust me, we have left all the answers in this lock box.
I would guess Daddy G is the one who is reading this right now. How do we know you are going to call him that? That is what prompted us to write this letter. I can’t explain, nor can I ignore the feelings we are having. Just knowing you are safe and happy is all we have ever wanted. Of course, we wish we were there, but we have come to peace with the fact we are not.
We have thought long and hard about what we want to tell you. Your daddy and I both dreamed of the day when we would have a baby together and raise a family. We were both so excited when we found out you were being blessed to us. Nothing could have made us feel that kind of joy, except for when you were born.
Your daddy, he wanted to be there, but he was doing a very important mission for our country. You can be proud of him. All of them. We are enclosing a picture of all of the men, your daddy and Daddy G served with, they are all wonderful. Please know this is the hardest letter for us to write, because we know we are saying goodbye to you, until we meet again.
Daddy is rubbing my stomach and talking to you at the same time I am writing this. Just know we love you, and we will always be there if you need us. We know that we will be able to watch you grow up, and we know you are going to be an amazingly brave and wonderful woman. There is nothing you can’t do.
I need you to know, as you become a woman, I don’t want bitterness because we are gone, don’t be mad at anyone. When your daddy and I made the decision to bring a child into the world so we could share our love, we knew what we were getting into. It came with the uniform, the dedication, and promises. Be proud of your heritage, and your beliefs, if nothing else please understand, we would have sacrificed everything to keep you safe, without a thought, because you are our little girl and you always will be.
If by chance you are sitting in the nail salon getting a pedicure, I will be the light that hits your eyes when the door opens. When you are out with your friends and being silly, we will watch over you to make sure you are safe, Daddy G will protect you, but we will be with you. When you throw your cap after you graduate from High School and College, we will be the sun that shines down on you. When you are walking down the aisle at your wedding, we will be in the tear that flows down Daddy G’s face because we will be walking with him. Just know we will be with you always.
Now daddy is insisting I write the following part, I don’t necessarily agree with it, but truthfully, he knows that Daddy G will summarize until you are older.
First, let me tell you something about Daddy G, he has a few issues you are probably going to have to deal with. His commitment issues for one, which I think is because he had to depend on himself too much when he was younger. I can guarantee you are not having to do the same thing. Second, Daddy G has a thing he does when he is freaked out about something. Now don’t worry it has nothing to do with you at all, it has to do with the way he copes with things, but under no circumstances are you to allow him to go out with a woman named Candy again. I have a feeling he is going to meet the woman who will finally bring him to his knees, but just in case it takes a while, I want you to make sure you remind him of the lawn mower. Trust me, he will know. And, Gage, if you skip this part of the letter, you are in trouble. But I understand if you condense it a little.
Lastly, Gage is going to be an amazing father for you, he'll remind you of what we look like and tell you stories about us.
Don’t let him forget that he was our best friend, and our family. They all are.
Love you so much,
Mommy and Daddy
P.S. Gage, give her a hug, then take off this post-it-note and look. There is something in this box to help you figure out this mess. That is all I have been shown, but if Marie and I were killed, the answers are in here.
“Yep, he will be a little pissed about this. But we don’t know what is in here that they want so badly,” Ted said.
“I just hate being so cryptic,” Marie said.
“Those are the rules, I was not about to tell them much either, I wanted to be able to stay until all of this was over. It was the deal we all made,” Frank said.
“Okay, baby girl, we need to let you get some sleep,” Marie said. “We will be here until you wake, then back again at nighttime and every other night until you are completely safe.”
The men nodded and they all kissed her forehead one by one, and then sat on the floor to keep watch, while Marie sat in the rocking chair and began to sing.
“Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to watch you until you stir.
If you stir when we aren’t here,
Mama's gonna make sure that you don’t fear.
If you fear a little too much,
Mama's going to protect you with all her might.
If that might seems a little too weak,
Mama's gonna call in her favorite geek.
If that geek can’t help you fast,
Mama's going to kick him in the ass.
So hush little baby, don't you cry,
Daddy loves you and so do I.
"Nice talk for a mama," Ted said with a smirk.
"Like she will never hear anything worse than 'ass' out of Gage's mouth or any of the guys' mouths for that matter," Marie said smugly.
The guys snorted softly but remained quiet. They could hear Sammi’s soft breathing, letting them know she was asleep.
Epilogue
Mason grumbled and ran a hand over his face, it seemed like months since he had gotten a good night's sleep.
“Wake up,” his mom said and slapped his face. When he opened one eye, he tried to focus. “Why are all these huge sexy men in my kitchen?”
“Huh?” Mason said.
“Look, they just showed up and said they were hungry,” his mom insisted.
Mason sat up in bed and tried to clear his head. Where was Thane? He was supposed to be keeping watch, how could someone have snuck in? However, when he reached under the covers for the gun beside him, he turned and looked at the group of guys sitting in front of him.
“Are you kidding me?!” Mason exploded.
“What? Should I not be making them gumbo?” his mother said.
“Food?!” Mason yelled.
“Brother, we had to tell her something that didn’t freak her out,” Dagwood said.
“Freak who out?" his mother asked. “Me?” She snorted and waved the ladle she had in her hand around. “Of course I know you are ghosts, dumbasses, I just never seen a hungry one before, thought it was something new and original. I was gonna call Bea and let her know from now on she had to stock some cookies in her fridge
.”
Mason groaned and covered his face. “This is such a sucky time to be popping in and out of shit, man. Where is Thane?”
“LC?” his mom said sounding official, she loved to call his teammates by their call sign, made her think she was hip. “He is out front on the steps talking on the phone. Someone called about a chick named Arden.”
Dagwood stood, “There is a lot you don’t know and just a little bit of time, if you don’t find her—they will and kill them both.”
“Arden? Who is ‘them’? Does she have a boyfriend suddenly?” Mason laughed. He knew that she probably did and it burned him to think of her with another man. But the facts were the facts. Mason slept with his best friend's foster sister the night before they left to go on the last mission. He had been crazy for her for so long, and a little beer mixed with her wearing a smoking hot pair of jeans, and finally cornering him in the bathroom, telling him she wanted him turned into a fucking mess.
Her foster brother had died without Mason being able to talk to him like he planned on. It was supposed to be so simple, then Mason was wounded, and his head was screwed up. But he planned on going back to talk to her. With this shit, he didn’t have a choice and if she hated him, as long as she was safe, he would be fine.
“He is coming, you have to move. Go to Thane he will understand,” Dagwood said.
“Fine,” Mason grumbled. “But I am not going to read that damn letter until we are back. It is just gonna have to wait.”
“Go!” Dag yelled as Mason left the room in a huff.
“Now I don’t think you are being a friendly ghost, but before I cast you into the dark abyss I will give you a chance to explain,” Mason’s mother said and the fallen team members laughed.
Books by Jana Leigh
Denver Pack Series
Alpha's Mate
Tey's White Wolf
Devon: The Beta's Double Trouble
Cloe: Two for the Bite of One
Reggie: A Wolf's Changing Heart
Blaine: A Wolf's Second Sight
Lacy: Seeing Double
Jordan's Misunderstanding
Trinity: Heart of the Shifters
Argus: Meeting the Challenge
Trace: Following His Destiny
Shea: The Last Hope
Denver Pack Twelve 1/2
Chosen Wars Series
Cat’s Choice
Dante’s Dream
Finally Home – Taming of a White Wolf
Other books include
Dangerous Series
Dangerous Trio
Dangerous Two
Dangerous Finale
Dangerous: Working Against the Clock
Dangerous: Off Limits
Dangerous: All Bark and No Bite
Cassidy Family Series
Playing With Zack
Killing Jared
Holiday Surprise
Drekinn Series
The Mating Call
Healing Cherri
Mob Moms’ Christmas
Reaching Rissa
Kiki’s story – coming soon
Taming Team Ten
Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats
Raising a Cowgirl
Meridian Warriors by Jana Leigh and Zach Collins
Meridian Warriors: Xander and Des
Meridian Warriors Book Two – Coming soon
Shifter Justice by Jana Leigh and Bryce Evans
Perfect Reflections
Infiltrating the Pack – Coming Soon
I would love to hear from you!
Website: www.janaleighauthor.webs.com
Email:
[email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/janaleigh731
Excerpt from Alpha’s Mate
Denver Pack Book One
By Jana Leigh
Quin went into his office and answered the phone that was blinking at him, “Hello Father.”
“Son, what progress have you made with the Rogues?” A gruff voice responded to him. His father, never a man for long discussions, was always quick and to the point. When he was growing up, his mother was the one who dispensed the hugs. His father, though Quin knew he loved him, was more serious. His father also believed the Alpha of every Pack had a greater responsibility than even to his own family. This is where they differed. When Quin finally found his mate, he was going to make sure she knew exactly how important she was to him. His children would know the same love his mother had shown him.
“We had a skirmish last night in a suburb, but so far we can’t seem to find their lair. I hope they will show themselves soon. We have heard their Alpha is a wolf named Roark, but we haven’t been able to find him,” Quin said turning in his chair so he could watch the last of the sun setting.
“You may have to send out more patrols. I heard from Roan in Northern Ireland, and his Alpha in the States is having problems too. He has lost three females and one Enforcer in the last week. You need to watch the Pack,” his father warned.
“I know what is at stake here, father. I will talk to my Beta and the Enforcers. We are planning a retreat next week, but I do not want to leave the Pack unguarded. We may have to postpone, at least while this mess remains. They will understand, even if they are itching to run,” Quin said.
“I agree. Do you need any more people? I could send your brother and a few others to help,” his father asked.
Quin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was the Alpha of this Pack. He loved his father, but he was still set in the old ways.
“Let me talk it over with the others, I will let you know. I may have to have some more help if they try to take one of our females,” Quin replied.
They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Quin hung up the phone, hoping he would be able to give his father a better report the next time he spoke to him. He didn’t want his brothers to come here unless the need arose for that particular action. They were all working on settling their own Packs. All except for his youngest brother Adrian, who was just concluding his training. He hoped to offer the young wolf a place in his Pack. It had been too long since he had seen his family, and he wanted to have that connection again.
He had no clue what the Rogue wolves were trying to do. Taking female wolves was an act of war, soon he would have no choice but to hunt and kill the Rogues if they could not get them under control.
He could hear loud voices in the outer office and sighed again. What else could happen today? It had been a long day already, and he wanted to have a nice quiet dinner and go to bed.
Just before he reached the door, it burst open and his Beta fell in the room. Devon was larger than most of his wolves, so he nearly took up the entire space when he sprawled on the floor. Being the Beta of the Pack, Devon was the strongest wolf. Quin never wanted to find out who would win if they fought for Alpha, he suspected it would be a close fight.
“Get your ass out of my way,” he heard a female growl come from just outside the room.
Quin laughed when Devon jumped up and looked at him with red cheeks. “She caught me off guard.”
“Right, we’ll go with that, if it’s how you want to spin it.” Quin agreed and poked his head out of his office to see who had thrown his Beta through the door. It must have been a large female wolf to do this kind of damage.
He laughed even harder when he saw the small sprite before him. A small blonde woman stood there tapping her foot with impatience. Wow, she was beautiful. Long flowing hair pulled back into a high ponytail and voluptuous curves, the woman stood a good foot below him. It made him feel like he was a giant. Quin grinned and looked at the woman with more interest. He wondered why she was here. He knew every member of his Pack, and she definitely did not belong.
“Listen buster, I have been sitting out here for the last two hours, waiting patiently for the head dog to come and meet with me. I no longer have the time, or the inclination to sit here. Tell your overly important man when he makes an appointment; he should have the courtesy
to show up.” The woman fumed, turned on her heel, and stomped to the elevators.
Excerpt from Cat’s Choice
The Chosen’s War Book One
By Jana Leigh
“You will not keep me from her, wolf,” Diavolo snarled, as he twisted Adolfo’s arm back further. “She is mine and will always be mine.”
Suddenly, Adolfo turned on Diavolo and somehow got the Vampire under him again.
“She is not yours, Vampire.” Adolfo growled into his ear, “I will kill you before I allow you to take her.”
Adolfo started to change into his wolf. His face elongated, and his claws came out. He pushed the Vampire further into the carpeted floor.
Then his eyes met hers. “Caterina, run. Go to where we planned, as we have talked about doing. Go there and they will keep you safe. Run now, Caterina, and never look back.”
At first, her legs couldn't move, but then she found herself flying down the stairs. She picked up her purse, car keys, the plane tickets that were sitting on the table next to the front door, and then she opened the door to run out.
She looked back at her long-time friend and guardian to see that he had now fully changed and was holding the Vampire down by his teeth around Diavolo’s throat. Adolfo looked up at her, and their eyes met. She saw then something she had never seen in his eyes before. She looked at his side and saw the blood that was matted in his fur and dripping from his side. She knew at that moment that Adolfo knew he would not survive this fight, that he would not be able to go with her and protect her anymore.