EPILOGUE

Five years later

I watched my wife swing lazily in our hammock, one foot dragging lightly on the grass as she moved back and forth under the summer sunshine. She twirled a lock of her golden brown hair around one delicate finger, her other hand flipping the pages of the paperback that was propped up on her swollen belly.

Fierce male pride filled me as I gazed at my Bree, the woman who loved me and our children to the very edges of her heart.

Our three year old twin boys, Connor and Charlie, romped in the grass nearby, spinning themselves around until they got dizzy, their laughter spilling joyously out of their mouths as they fell on the grass in fits of giggles. Boys.

We had named them after our fathers, the men who had loved us so fiercely, that when faced with life-threatening danger, their only thought had been to save us. I understood that. After all, I was a father now too.

I walked slowly to Bree and when she saw me, she turned her book over on her belly and laid her head back and smiled dreamily at me. You're home.

I squatted down at the side of the hammock and signed, The meeting wrapped up quickly.

I had been at the bank negotiating the purchase of a piece of land that was just outside the town limits as of now. It'd gone well.

The town had voted down the expansion plans that Victoria Hale had been putting in place five years ago when I took over the land. But as it turned out, the residents weren't against expansion or bringing in a little more business, they were just against the particular type that Tori Hale had in mind. So when I proposed opening up several Bed and Breakfasts, all with the quaint, historic feel the town had always loved, the residents overwhelmingly voted yes.

The fourth one would go up on the land that I had just purchased this morning.

The town was thriving, business was booming, and as it turned out, I was a pretty good businessman. Who knew? I had asked Bree one night, smiling when the first vote had come back in support of my plan.

" I knew, " she said quietly. " I knew. " And she had. She had told me my voice mattered, and her love had made me believe it might be true. And sometimes, that's all it takes–one person who's willing to listen to your heart, to the sound no one else has ever tried to hear.

I plucked a dandelion full of fluff out of the grass beside me and smiled as I offered it to Bree. She tilted her head and her eyes warmed as she took it from my fingers and whispered, " All my wishes have already come true. " She glanced at our boys and said, " This one is for them. " She blew softly and the fluff danced into the air and was carried up to the summer sky.

My eyes met hers again and I put my hand on her belly, feeling our baby move beneath it.

It's a boy, you know, she said, smiling.

Probably. I grinned. I think that's all us Hale men make. You okay with that?

She smiled softly. Yeah, perfectly okay, she said, and then added, As long as there's only one in there, I'm okay if it's a goat. She laughed, looking over at the little duo still spinning on the grass, the ones who hadn't stopped moving since the day they came into the world. Little rabble rousers.

I laughed silently and then clapped my hands three times, getting their attention. Their little heads sprung up and they started yelling, " Daddy, Daddy! " while simultaneously signing the word.

They ran to me and I let them believe they knocked me over, going down on my back on the grass as they tackled me, laughing again, the beautiful sound ringing out through our property.

I sat up, bringing the boys with me. Which one of you men is going to help me with the construction today?

Me! Me! They both signed together.

Okay, good. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to finish this addition by the time your little brother or sister comes. I put my hand out to them and they put their little dimpled hands on top of mine, looking up into my eyes seriously.

I took my hand away and signed, Brothers 'til the end, and they signed along just after me, looking solemn, serious.

That's right, I said. The most important pact there is.

Perhaps someday I'd have more of a relationship with my own brother. It had gotten better since I'd taken over the town and he'd become the Chief of Police, and even I knew that Travis loved his nephews, but we still had a ways to go.

My boys nodded their little heads, their golden brown eyes large in their faces–the two identical faces that looked just like my own. Even I couldn't deny it.

" Okay, you boys run inside. I'll be in to make you lunch while your daddy gets his tools, " Bree said, sitting up in the hammock, laughing at herself when she fell backwards, unable to pull her weighted body up.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms, kissing her lips and falling in love with her, just like I still did a thousand times a day.

That evening four years ago in the Pelion church when Bree had walked down the candlelit aisle toward me on Norm's arm, taking my breath away, I had vowed that I'd love her forever, only her, and I meant it to the depths of my soul.

And even now, even with all of life's craziness and noise, even with my own job and Bree's thriving catering business, each night before I fall asleep, I make it a point to turn to my wife and silently say, Only you, only ever you. And her love slips quietly around me, holding me, anchoring me, reminding me that the loudest words are the ones we live.

Acknowledgements Special, special thanks from the bottom of my heart, once again, to my Executive Editing Committee, Angela Smith and Larissa Kahle. I appreciate you both for making sure my grammar is clean and my words are spelled correctly, but more than anything, I appreciate the fact that two people who know my heart are editing my work. You understand better than anyone what I am trying to say and where I've inserted myself into the story. That is an immeasurable gift, and I'd like to think that my characters are stronger, my story clearer and what I have to offer of myself is conveyed. I am also lucky enough to have an amazing group of beta readers who were not only tough, but were thoughtful and connected to Bree and Archer's story, and gave invaluable advice, commentary and cheerleading when I needed it most; Elena Eckmeyer, Cat Bracht, Kim Parr, and Nikki Larazo–huge gratitude! Love, endless and forever, to my husband–my best friend, my muse, the man who has the biggest heart of anyone I know. Thank you for supporting me through this process and picking up all the slack around our home while I disappeared into my writing cave. You make everything possible.

Excerpt from: FIGHTING REDEMPTION by Kate McCarthy

Available Now

Ryan Kendall is broken. He understands pain. He knows the hand of violence and the ache of loss. He knows what it means to fail those who need you. Being broken doesn’t stop him wanting the one thing he can’t have; Finlay Tanner. Her smile is sweet and her future bright. She’s the girl he grew up with, the girl he loves, the girl he protects from the world, and from himself.

At nineteen, Ryan leaves to join the Australian Army. After years of training he becomes an elite SAS soldier and deploys to the Afghanistan war. His patrol undertakes the most dangerous missions a soldier can face. But no matter how far he runs, or how hard he fights, his need for Finlay won’t let go.

Returning home after six years, one look is all it takes to know he can’t live without her. But sometimes love isn’t enough to heal what hurts. Sometimes people like him can’t be fixed, and sometimes people like Finlay deserve more than what’s left.

This is a story about war and the cost of sacrifice. Where bonds are formed, and friendships found. Where those who are strong, fall hard. Where love is let go, heartache is born, and heroes are made. Where one man learns that the hardest fight of all, is the fight to save himself.

This book is recommended for 18+ due to adult language and themes.

Please note: K McCarthy is an Australian author and Australian spelling, language and slang has been used in this book.