Free Explosive Passion by Marissa Dobson Page B

tears?”
    “The timing. I shouldn’t be happy and celebrating when you just lost your father.” She pulled her hand from his grasp and wiped the tears.
    “No, this is perfect timing. I grieved a long time ago for the family I lost. Tonight we’ll go celebrate and tomorrow afternoon we’ll go back to Virginia. We’ll even be on time for the dinner with Ace and Gwen.”
    “Dinner tonight sounds good, but tomorrow with Ace, maybe we should put it off.”
    “No way, my beautiful fiancée. We’re going to take the bull by the horns and tell Ace of our pending wedding and your newest adventure to New York. Everything is going to be perfect. See, our life is coming together, one step at a time.”
    “You’re amazing, Jared, and I love you.” She wasn’t sure that everything was going to be perfect but she wasn’t going to fight it at the moment. Tomorrow she’d worry about Ace’s reaction and what her parents would think of her branching Roll of the Diamond’s designs out to New York stores, while tonight she’d celebrate with Jared and let the cards fall where they would.
     

 
    T he holiday season was quickly approaching and Wynn was ready for her first holidays with the newest additions: her sister-in-law Gwen, her niece, and most of all her new husband. Thanksgiving was only a week away and her parents would be arriving soon, though she tried not to think about that. Besides her parents still being opposed to her career, maybe now more than ever since she was married, all the other tumbling blocks of life were finally coming together. Finding Jared, Roll of the Diamond was doing better than it ever had, not to mention the expansion to New York being a hit; everything in her life was perfect. Even Ace had accepted her marriage and welcomed Jared into the family with open arms. They’d watch each other’s backs during deployments, making sure they both made it home in one piece.
    Wynn sat at the dining room table, holding her niece, Roulette. She rocked the sweet little girl in her arms, amazed at all the thick blonde hair she had. She looked more like an Angel with her blonde hair and blue eyes but Ace and Gwen had stuck with the family tradition of naming the kids after the Vegas parties the Diamond family used to host.
    “I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re holding her. What happened to her napping?”
    “She woke up and demanded her auntie’s attention. Didn’t you, sweetie?” She looked down at her dozing niece.
    “Sure.” Gwen set the laundry aside and plopped down on a chair across the table from Wynn.
    “Where are our men?”
    “I don’t know, but I can tell you Ace is on baby duty tonight. I haven’t slept more than three hours in the last forty-eight. That beautiful niece of yours has an ear infection and her sleep schedule is off.”
    She took note of the dark circles shadowing Gwen’s eyes. “Jared and I could take her for the night if you want? Then you and Ace can get some sleep.”
    “Oh no, I’m well aware of that deadline you have with New York. I won’t interrupt that with Roulette. You can have her for a long weekend after the newlywed stage, if she isn’t in college by then.” Gwen laughed at her own smart-ass comment. “Seriously though, I know you need to get the designs sent to New York before the holidays and with your parents arriving Saturday time is limited.”
    “Things will settle down after the holidays and I promise I’ll take her. You and Ace need some quality couple time.”
    Before Gwen could comment, the front door swung open. “We’re home!” Ace called.
    “Shhh, my niece is sleeping.” She scolded her brother, before seeing Jared come in behind Ace, looking a little green around the gills. “Hey, sweetie. Everything okay?”
    “We’ve received word of training the week after Thanksgiving.”
    Her heart sank. Training and deployments were part of military life, but since this was their first holiday season today she had hoped he