Free Long Gone by Marliss Melton, Janie Hawkins Page B

your father’s idea, actually.”
    “My father’s?” Stunned that Connor would do something as humane as help to reunite two lovebirds, Drake didn’t know what else to say. He teased his new, secure cell phone from his pocket, unable to wipe the grin off his face as he looked at Skyler .
    “Hey, Dad,” he said as Connor picked up on the first ring. He met his mother’s gaze and said, “Mom says this was your idea.”
    “Yeah, well, don’t thank me yet,” his father cautioned. “I’m sending you overseas as a precaution. Of course, she can go with you.”
    Drake had thought he’d be working at Headquarters for the next year. “To where?” he asked, dreading the answer.
    “Somewhere in Spain. You’ll be briefed on Monday.”
    He heaved a sigh of relief. Spain was good. No wonder Skyler’s hair had been died black; it would help her fit in better in that Mediterranean region. “ Skyler tells me you’ve nailed all of Milton’s favorites.” 
    “Yes, I have. And every one of them is looking at life in jail,” Connor assured him. “I’ll tell you all about it over supper tomorrow.”   
    But tomorrow was Thanksgiving. “Wait…” Drake glanced at his mother in surprise, but she turned away just then, slipping back into the kitchen. “You’re having Thanksgiving with us?”
    “That’s what your mother wants.”
    “Oh.” He had no idea what this meant, but his parents were old enough to figure out their own lives. “Okay. See you then.”
    “Yep.”
    As he put his phone away and reached for Skyler , he couldn’t fathom ever being estranged from her. But, love, he realized, had many different stages, and he couldn’t wait to go through them all with her and for them to know each other the way his parents did.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked her.
    She drew a shaky breath and let it out again. “Like this is all a dream? I don’t know, I’ve been so excited, so scared that I can’t keep anything down.” She laid a hand on her flat stomach.
    Drake glanced down as a thought skewered his consciousness. But her waist looked as trim and narrow as it always did. Nah, it couldn’t be.   
    Still, anything was possible as evidenced by the fact that she was suddenly in his life again. It was like a shooting star had landed in his lap.
    He shook his head, marveling. “Wow. Thanksgiving might not be here until tomorrow, babe, but I’ve never been more thankful than I am right now.”
    Her wide smile mirrored his sentiment. “I love you,” she said.
    “I love you more.”
    He sealed his assertion with a kiss.  
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
     
    Any kind of publication, even a short one, takes a group effort. Many thanks to my co-author, Janie Hawkins, who helped—not just with this work—but with the whole second half of my Navy SEALs series. At last you get the credit you deserve, lady! Thanks, also, to Sydney Baily-Gould, my developmental and copy editor, and to Rachel Fontana, my associate editor for their time, insight, and devotion. I can’t forget my loyal proofreaders, Marilyn Harper and Don Klein, or my cover artist at Wicked Smart Designs, Dar Albert. Still, this story wouldn’t have been written at all if not for the support and enthusiasm of you, my readers. You’ve begged for years for Skyler and Drake’s own happily-ever-after. Well, here you have it!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    COMING SOON FROM
                 
    MARLISS MELTON
     
     
    LONG GONE , A Novella Based on the Characters from TOO FAR GONE
    (Nov 2012) ISBN: 978-1938732065
     
    It’s been four years since FBI Special Agent Drake Donovan fell in love with the daughter of the mob boss he put behind bars. In spite of his efforts to move on with his life, one desperate phone call from the blue-eyed beauty pulls him right back in to the fight for her future. Drake will assume