Page 57 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

Lucas nodded. “Sometimes it can be dangerous to be the king. Any idea who’s in line to take over after he sent his son back to Italy?”

“The son, Victor Russo, came back to our fair city two days before the old man croaked, and yesterday he installed himself as the head of the family.”

“Convenient timing,” Winston said with a huff.

“I just thought you’d want to know,” Wellbourne added.

Lucas shook his head, his countenance darkening. “Thanks.”

Terry joined the head-shakers.

“That’s not good,” Duke said.

I leaned close Terry. “Why?”

“Because it was a complaint from us that got Victor punished by the old man. These guys have long memories.”

Lucas obviously heard Terry’s comments. “At least for a while, he’ll have his hands full getting control of the organization.”

To me, that didn’t sound very reassuring. “Do you think Victor killed his father?” I asked Wellbourne.

The cop twisted his water glass. “Nobody’s talking. Even if the autopsy indicates poisoning, there’s no way we’ll get any information out of them to prosecute anybody in either the organization or the household.”

After dessert and coffee, I was ready for a nap. “Can we lie on the beach for a bit while I digest all this food?”

Terry shrugged. “You’re the birthday girl. You get whatever you want.”

“Really?” I whispered into his ear exactly the naughty thing I wanted when we got back home.

An honest to God blush came over my man as he smiled.

“Happy birthday to you…” Serena started the birthday song, with everyone joining in as a server carried a large chocolate cake to my place with a lit candle on top.

“You have to make a wish,” Serena reminded me after the song finished.

I blew the candle out with a quick puff. After the last few weeks, my wish was for some peace and quiet.

The cake was delicious, and I ate as slowly as I could to put off the inevitable.

“Come on,” Serena urged me. As soon as my fork hit the table, she took over, bringing me the first two presents to open. Of course they were from Duke and her.

I opened Serena’s first. “Wow.” I hugged her and said thanks for the set of silk pajamas I’d have to wait until Terry’s out-of-town assignment to have a chance to wear.

“So cool,” I exclaimed when I opened Duke’s to find tickets for two to Medieval Times. “I’ve never been.” Knights on horseback sounded fun.

“A little birdie mentioned that,” Duke said .

I continued opening present after present.

Constance got me a spa day certificate. Cool candlesticks with a base of a cat jumping for a ball came from Peyton.

“Yes, I’ll go with you,” Terry assured me when Winston’s present was shooting lessons.

Lucas was very uncomfortable accepting my hug when I opened his gift and found a certificate for a week in Hawaii, of all things. “You’re part of the family,” was his explanation.

Old Joe’s box was the biggest, and contained a cat tree. Clyde would probably love it.

It seemed everybody knew of my fondness for cats. Lt. Wellbourne’s box contained a set of cat coffee mugs.

Peyton gave Zane the side-eye when the envelope from him contained a gift certificate for Victoria’s Secret.

“What?” he complained. “Every girl should pamper herself with nice lingerie.”

Peyton rolled her eyes.

“How are we doing on timing?” Terry asked Lucas.

The bossman checked his phone. “Right on schedule.”

I put the gift certificate in my pile. “What?”

Terry ignored me, and Serena put another box in front of me.

This one was from Jordy. I rattled it.

“I heard you had a sleep problem,” Jordy said as I pulled the wrapping off. “Keep it upright and open it from the top,” he added taking out his phone.

“Probably a pillow,” Winston guessed.

“Or sleep socks,” Duke tried.

“Definitely bigger,” Joe argued. “Probably like a comforter or something.”

I jumped back when I opened the top and a shrill squawk came from the box.

“It’s alive,” Serena squealed.

“Quick, shoot it,” Lucas ordered.

Everybody laughed, obviously in on the joke.

Cautiously, I approached the box again and pulled back the crumpled paper on top. Beady eyes looked back at me, and it squawked again. This time, I caught Jordy fingering his phone. It looked so real.

“The battery should be good for a few months,” the tech guru said. “It’s a redtail hawk.”

I pulled the model hawk from the box. It was covered in feathers. The head rotated left and right, and beak opened when it squawked again .

Jordy held up his phone. “You can control it from your phone, and it’s guaranteed to scare the shit out of any songbirds in the area.”

I rushed to hug the nerd. “This is so cool.”

“Now you can fix the problem,” Terry said. “And we can still have fresh air.”

I hugged Jordy a second time. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“It was Lucas’s idea,” he told me.

How many people knew about our sleeping issues?

“And I saved the best for last,” Serena announced as she plopped the final box in front of me. The card said it was from Terry. Of course I’d only seen him put a card on the table of presents when we came in.

Impatiently, I tore the paper off and opened the box. Inside, was another box. “Like nested Russian dolls?” I asked.

Terry shrugged.

Inside the second box, I found a third, and then a fourth, which was now small. “How many more to go?”

Terry shrugged again. “Close your eyes while you open it.”

That was ominous. I sent him a grimace. He was probably out to embarrass me.

“I’ll help,” Serena offered. “Close your eyes.” She took the box. “Okay,” she said after a moment.

“Holy shit,” I exclaimed when I opened my eyes.

Terry was next to me instead of Serena, holding a small velvet box, and worst of all, he was on one knee.

“Grace, I know you’ve hated me much longer than you’ve liked me.”

I swallowed hard, looking through my tears of joy at the diamond ring and the man who loved me.

“But,” he continued, “I can’t see any future that doesn’t include you in my life. I can’t breathe without thinking of you.”

I sniffled, feeling the same way.

“If you think it’s too soon, you can say so, and I’ll understand. But know you’ll only be putting off the inevitable. I may not be the smartest man alive, but I know you were meant for me, and me for you. I promise to forever?—”

“Stop already,” I sobbed.

His face fell.

“How can I answer if you don’t ask me the damned question?”

His smile returned. “Grace Ellen Brennan, will you marry me?”

“Sure as shit yes.” I offered him my hand.

Applause erupted as he slipped the diamond solitaire on my finger.

What followed were dozens of smiles, hugs, and congratulations .

Terry whispered in my ear. “You’ll be a wonderful mother.”

It should have scared me, but for some reason, picturing my belly swollen with our child warmed my heart.

The money Terry had gotten as the reward for finding the missing briefcase had stabilized my business.

My life had turned completely turned around.

In the last few weeks, I’d survived car chases, gun battles, kidnappings, and found a happiness with Terry that I hadn’t known existed.

As I stood hand in hand with my love, I couldn’t imagine anything better.

Lucas tapped his watch.

Terry leaned over. “You have one more present.”

I hugged his arm. “You’ve given me enough already.”

“No,” he insisted. “The best one yet is coming soon.” He pointed at the door.

A few people nearby turned.

I swung my eyes that way. “What?”

Terry moved behind me, putting his hands over my eyes. “Patience, woman. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“I’m not twelve.”

He gripped me tighter when I fidgeted.

“Very soon,” Lucas said.

None of this made sense.

I heard gasps, a few “holy shits,” and clapping before Terry let me look. When he moved his hands, the sight took my breath away. It wasn’t possible.

Pete had walked in. It was a miracle. He was alive—much thinner than he had been, and he had a scar on his cheek, but my brother was alive.

Hoping I wasn’t hallucinating, I ran to him with happy tears. I crashed into him and gave him the strongest hug I could manage. My heart beat so fast I could barely get the words out. “They told me you died.” I wiped at my tears.

“Omega got me out.”

Terry was right. This was the best present anyone could ever hope for.

Terry

Two days ago, Lucas had passed along the good news that an Omega team had rescued my best friend, and now soon-to-be brother-in-law, Pete.

Lucas was one of the few people who could call the Secretary of Defense to get a delay of the normal debrief scheduled after a hostage was released or rescued.

SECDEF even sent his own plane to give Pete a ride back here from Ramstein after his medical eval.

Seeing Pete walk in and the joy on Grace’s face was now the second-best moment of my entire life, just after the moment tonight that Grace had agreed to become my wife.

Her tears were still flowing when she finally let Pete loose to be welcomed by the crowd.

I held back to give the others a chance to hug it out with him.

He’d survived what were certainly horrible conditions in Syria. But Grace had her brother back—alive. Today rocked.

Grace made her way over. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she half-screamed in my face.

I’d rehearsed this one, and it was the honest truth. “After seeing how it tore you up to hear he was KIA, I couldn’t put you through that a second time by telling you he might be extracted. Then what if he didn’t make it?”

“But you should have?—”

I shut her up with a kiss.

She speared her fingers into my hair, wrapped her legs around me, and gave herself over to the kiss and then some.

I finally let her loose after a wolf whistle from somewhere in the crowd. “Forgive me?”

She nodded as her loving eyes held mine. “I guess. The ring is nice, and beating you up is probably a bad way to start our engagement.”

Setting her down, I stroked a loose hair behind her ear. “I love you, Kitten.” She was special.

“Love ya back, big guy.”