Page 49 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)
Deke stepped into the hangar ahead of Jade and stopped dead.
In the four hours since he’d left, Knight Tactical Headquarters had undergone a full-scale transformation.
The helo and the Pilatus had been rolled into Kelli Reese’s family hangar, replaced by a two-story, glitter-covered unicorn bounce house that gleamed under flashing disco lights. Streamers dangled from the exposed beams, and pulsing music reverberated through speakers he didn’t even know they had.
But most of all? Glitter. Everywhere.
Jade let out a breathy laugh. “Wow. Impressive.”
“What in the ...” Deke muttered, unable to finish the thought.
Across the room, Izzy, dusted in gold and silver sparkles, waved cheerfully. She broke away from Zara, Kenji, and a very pregnant Lauren Daggett to greet them. “?Bienvenidos, amigos ! We might have gone a little overboard.”
Deke raised an eyebrow. “A little?”
“It was DJ’s idea,” Izzy said, not looking remotely apologetic. “He said we needed ‘maximum festiveness.’”
Hard to argue with that. He brushed at the legs of his jeans. “How long until we finally get rid of all this glitter?”
Izzy laughed. “Based on what happened after Chantal’s birthday party? Approximately never. We’ll be finding it in equipment cases for the next decade.”
Jade laughed beside him, her eyes bright with amusement. “I’m guessing this isn’t standard protocol for mission completion?”
“Oh, it absolutely is,” Kenji called, approaching with two cups of punch. “Knight Tactical rule number seventeen: Always celebrate with excessive glitter.”
Deke accepted the offered drink. “I don’t remember voting on that rule.”
“It was a unanimous vote while you were ... not there,” Kenji replied with a straight face.
Across the room, Ronan and Maya were sharing a quiet moment near the refreshment table. Ronan gently brushed glitter off Maya’s cheek, leaning in for a tender, lingering kiss.
Which, naturally, was met with immediate team-wide reaction.
“Get a room!” Kenji hollered.
“Gross,” Austin muttered, making a face.
Ronan? Unapologetic. Kissed her again.
Deke grinned, genuinely pleased to see Ronan happy. The team had always been close, but the bond was stronger than ever now—not just as operatives, but as family.
His gaze automatically searched for DJ.
Found him mid-laser-tag battle, darting between tables as Griff, Christian, Izzy, and a handful of team kids gave chase.
DJ’s laughter rang out, bright and carefree, his eyes glowing with joy.
Deke exhaled, feeling something deep and unfamiliar settle in his chest.
This. This was everything.
The hangar doors slid open, drawing the room’s attention.
Jack Reese led the way, followed by Ethan, Star, Seely, and Blair—fresh off a three-day mission in South America, looking exhausted but amused.
Jack scanned the scene, his weathered face cracking into a grin. “I see we missed another glitter explosion. Who authorized this?”
Kenji shrugged innocently. “After Chantal’s birthday—it’s tradition now!”
Ethan groaned dramatically, running a hand through his short blond hair. “This stuff multiplies. We’ll never get it off our gear.”
Star playfully smacked his shoulder. “You need a little sparkle in your life, husband.”
“What I need is a shower and about twelve hours of sleep,” he retorted, but his smile betrayed him.
Jack approached Deke, shaking his hand firmly. “Heard you had some excitement. Everyone okay?”
“We are now,” Deke confirmed. “Thanks for sending reinforcements.”
Jack nodded, his gaze shifting to Jade. “I’ve heard impressive things.”
Jade smiled, shaking his hand. “Nothing special. Just did what needed doing.”
Jack’s lips twitched. “That’s exactly what makes it special.” He turned to Deke. “She’s a keeper.”
Deke’s fingers found Jade’s hand without thought. “I know.”
Suddenly, Lauren let out a sharp breath.
Everyone turned.
Austin’s head snapped toward her. “Babe?”
Lauren grimaced, one hand going to her belly. “Uh … so ... I think my contractions just started.”
Silence.
Then:
Austin. Full-blown SEAL panic mode. “WHAT? NOW? Should we—do we—SOMEONE GET A BAG.”
“We already packed the bag, sweetheart,” Lauren said patiently.
Austin’s eyes darted to the team. “SOMEONE GET THE PLAN. WE HAD A PLAN.”
Izzy, completely unfazed, reached for a clipboard off a nearby table. “Birth Op. Operation Tiny Daggett. Step one: Get Lauren to the SUV.”
“Step two,” Zara added, taking the clipboard, “make sure Austin doesn’t drive, because his adrenaline levels are off the charts.”
Austin was already attempting to scoop Lauren into his arms.
Lauren swatted at him. “I can walk!”
Deke, barely containing a smirk, turned to Ronan. “You’re driving.”
Ronan nodded once, already moving to grab the keys.
Kenji threw his arms wide. “Alright, people! Operation Tiny Daggett is a go!”
As the SUV pulled away, Zara turned to Izzy. “You had an actual clipboard for this?”
Izzy shrugged. “It’s Knight Tactical. We plan for everything.”
Kenji threw his arms wide. “Now, back to the Glitter Op!”
The music swelled. The chaos resumed.
Deke caught Jade’s gaze, her eyes warm, her smile soft.
He extended his hand. “Dance?”
Jade’s lips twitched. “Only if you promise to protect me from more glitter attacks.”
“Always.”
He guided her to the makeshift dance floor, holding her close.
“I’m never letting you get away again,” he murmured.
Jade’s eyes sparkled with quiet amusement. “Who said I was going anywhere?”
“You better not,” he growled playfully, holding her tighter.
As the team laughed, as DJ whooped in the background, as glitter floated through the air like confetti, Deke offered a silent, heartfelt prayer.
Lord, thank You. For all of this. For faith, purpose, family. For the woman in my arms and the son I nearly lost.
He closed his eyes, soaking in the moment.
He had everything he needed.
And for the first time ever, he had everything he wanted.
Thanks for reading! Writing Fierce Hope tapped deeply into my old skillset as a family therapist. Working with teens was a privilege…and one of the highlights of my life. Probably why DJ stole the show here :)