She’d given in to Aiden’s endless begging and stayed for dinner with Daniel’s parents. They might worry over their son or misunderstand his motives for staying with the PFD, but beneath all of that they loved him.
Even without Daniel, the conversation turned to the construction business. Apparently, Aiden had shared the day’s adventurous search for a flooring solution.
“Remnants.” Matthew forked up another bite of pot roast. Chewing, his gaze locked on Shannon. “I would’ve insisted on a lesser option with same-day delivery. Daniel would’ve paid more or waited for the original order.
Shannon reached for her water glass, pleased when her hand didn’t shake as she raised it to her lips. She wasn’t sure of the ground here or what kind of response he expected.
“Say what you mean, Matthew,” Tess scolded gently, “before she forgets how much she’s enjoying the meal.”
He cocked an eyebrow, the move so reminiscent of his oldest son, Shannon relaxed. She saw so much of both of them reflected in Daniel and wondered if they’d ever realize that was the crux of the conflict. People looked into mirrors and focused on the flaws, rather than admiring the strengths.
“Can I have seconds?” Aiden asked.
At Shannon’s nod, Tess refilled his smaller plate. “I do love having a polite young man at my table.” She smoothed a hand over his pale hair, her eyes a little misty.
“Say what you mean,” she prompted her husband once more.
He helped himself to the green beans, then sighed. “I only meant that you found a better solution. Kept the project on track.”
“Saved half a day,” Aiden mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Matthew paused in the act of stabbing a green bean and gave into a chuckle.
“Chew and swallow first,” Shannon reminded her son.
He did. “You did the happy dance,” Aiden said, daring her to deny it. “I saw it.”
“I bet she did.” Tess grinned at her.
Aiden wouldn’t let it rest. “Time matters, you said.”
“Boy’s right. I wasn’t keen on taking on a pro bono project of that scope, but Daniel insisted.” After a moment, he looked Shannon in the eye. “I appreciate you stepping in when he couldn’t see it through.”
She bit back the automatic urge to defend Daniel by pointing out he had final say and authorizations. Instead, she offered Matthew a sweet smile. “I enjoy solving problems. It’s a great feeling when the solution works for everyone up and down the chain of command.”
He aimed a narrow look at her and his wife blotted her lips. Her eyes, the same startling blue as Daniel’s, were twinkling with amusement.
To Shannon’s relief, he dropped the issue while they finished the meal and the conversation followed Aiden’s favorite topics of trucks and cookies and everything in between.
When she was finally able to make her exit, Matthew walked her home, carrying a dozing Aiden in his arms.
She’d first met Matthew Jennings at the construction office of course, but seeing him at home set her back a little. He was a gruff, no-nonsense person and she respected him as a smart and generous businessman. Now she saw him with new eyes, soaking up all the resemblances between father and son. They shared the same tough, proud framework, the critical eye and problem-solving intelligence that made them both so capable as builders, men and providers.
There was fascinating comfort in that continuity from father to son when a woman was considering the idea of creating a happier future.
“I thought you were trouble,” he said abruptly.
Shannon chose not to be offended. “You wouldn’t have been wrong. I hope you realize I didn’t intentionally drag your son or anyone else into my problems.”
“Got that much by now.” He bounced Aiden gently while she unlocked the door at the top of the steps. “Plan on running off?”
That question sparked a shower of nerves across her skin. “No.” She pushed the door open, followed him inside. “Not anymore.”
Matthew settled Aiden in his bed, closed the door and returned to the front room. “You were thinking of running.” He stared her down.
“As recently as this afternoon,” she admitted.
“What changed your mind?”
“I’m in love with your son, Mr. Jennings.” Saying it aloud made her feel better, stronger. It turned her hope for the future into something solid and real. “More important, I love my son. Running from trouble isn’t the example I want to set for him.
“I can barely remember my parents,” she told him. “Seeing you and your wife reminded me what true love looks like, what a family should look like.”
Two flags of color stained his cheeks and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “You expect Daniel to step in as that boy’s daddy?”
“I expect Daniel and I will work out what we need and what happens next.”
The bushy eyebrows pulled together once more and she knew what he was about to say. “I would never ask Daniel to be something he’s not. Mr. Jennings, you have a phenomenal son with many skills and a heart that calls him to service as a firefighter.”
Matthew swiveled away from her and stalked to the door. “He got that adrenaline-loving hero complex from his mother’s side. Her dad and her brothers.”
Not to mention the eyes, she thought, hiding a smile. “Plus another dose directly from you.” She marveled that Matthew couldn’t see it.
He turned on his heel, his eyes hard and suspiciously bright as he stared her down once more. “I taught him how to measure, cut and build.”
“Has your business always run well? Did you never take a risk?”
“Of course there were lean times,” he answered with a huff. “Everyone has them.”
“Still, you provided, raised your boys with more options than you had. It’s what we want as parents.”
“Of course.” He relaxed a fraction and the anger in his face gave way to bafflement. “How’d you get to be an expert so fast?”
She smiled, wishing she could hug him. He looked like he could use it and yet she thought it would get awkward. “Not an expert as much as an outside perspective. Could you walk away from the business you love?”
“I’d sure as hell like to retire,” he said, gruffly.
“Daniel knows you want to retire and he knows you want him to take over. He’s an excellent project leader and a fair boss. Maybe there’s a way to hire someone to bridge the gap as you ease back before he’s ready to step completely into that role.”
“If ever.”
“A thousand things could happen on any given shift,” she said. “Thanks to you, Daniel has the firm footing to fall back on.”
“Unless he dies on the job.”
He was pushing her, testing her. “A thousand things could happen on any given day on a job site,” she countered. The hitch in her pulse had far more to do with Daniel being attacked by a madman while doing his job, but she wasn’t about to mention that.
“A father wants the best for his children,” he said, dropping his gaze to the floor. “Is it so wrong to wish him—”
He dropped to the floor and Shannon panicked. “Matthew?”
“Floor’s hot,” he said, pressing his palms flat.
“What?”
The small window over the kitchen sink cracked and shattered in answer. She ducked down, watching in horror as wicked flames licked up and around the frame and caught on the curtains inside.
Smoke followed, swiftly fogging over the ceiling. The light fixture over the sink crackled and went out.
“Get to the door. I’ll get the boy,” Matthew said, turning toward the bedroom on his hands and knees.
“I’ll call 911.” Her phone was in her purse by the door. Keeping low under the smoke, Shannon crawled toward the front door, the floor hot under her hands and knees. The sounds of the fire eating away at the roof pushed her closer to panic. She found her phone and called 911, hoping the dispatcher understood her through the spate of coughing as she gave the address and reported the fire. “There are three of us in here,” she said between more coughing.
The dispatcher asked her to stay on the line as another light overhead zapped and went out. The flames cast eerie shadows over what had been a cozy and familiar space. The heat and fumes were disorienting, the smoke stinging her mouth and nose. Through it all, she heard Aiden cry out for her. She dropped the phone and started toward his room.
“I’m here, baby!” she shouted over the fire raging across the far wall. A moment later, she saw a shadow of her son scrambling into view. “Where’s Pop?”
“Stuck,” Aiden wailed with tears in his eyes. “He said come to you. He said leave.”
She couldn’t go back to help Matthew until Aiden was clear. Clutching him close, she tugged his shirt up over his nose as her mind sorted what needed to be done. She put a hand on the doorknob and snatched it back, her palm scalded. Terror and panic knotted her stomach. With one hand locked with Aiden’s, she peered through the window to see the landing engulfed by flames.
They were trapped. She’d been prepared to send Aiden down to safety and now her mind wheeled. What now? How to save her son? Herself? Daniel’s father?
She squinted against the fire closing in around them. Looking back toward the kitchen window, she judged her chances of getting Aiden safely through the window and down the trellis. The fire department was on the way. She just needed to buy them time.
She gripped Aiden’s shoulders. “All three of us will get out of here,” she told him, the words scraping against her raw throat. Grabbing two coats, she tucked her son next to her and they crawled back to the sink. She soaked the coats with water, purposely ignoring the flames sliding over the ceiling. She draped one coat over Aiden and hurried on hands and knees down the hall to find Matthew. The smoke was thicker here, the flames louder.
“Pop!” she called through the closed door.
“Get out of here!” he hollered back, his voice rough.
Shannon pushed open the door, shocked to see the corner of the roof missing and Matthew pinned under a beam. Grateful for the miracle that he was still alive, she and Aiden crawled closer. She tossed the wet coat over him, ignoring his orders to leave him.
“Stay with Pop,” she told Aiden. She moved to where he was pinned, searching for a way to free him. “Fire department is on the way,” she told him.
“Just leave me,” he pleaded.
“How bad is it?” she asked, shoving at the beam and getting nowhere.
“Go!”
“We can’t.” She sat down and put her feet to the beam, hoping her legs were strong enough, while she squinted through tears to find something for leverage. “Stairs are blocked.”
“You can’t die here.”
“Same goes.”
Something underneath them groaned and rocked. She turned and covered her face as sparks fell from the dissolving ceiling, cinders steaming on the wet coats.
“Forget me,” he barked. “Use the access stairs under the closet in your room.”
She didn’t know those existed. Before she could argue about him coming with them, the glorious sounds of sirens and truck horns blasted over the destructive roar of the fire.
Moments later, a truck ladder appeared in the open corner and relief flooded through her as she lifted Aiden into the care of the firefighter. When he reached for her, she stepped back, signaling to Matthew still stuck under the beam. He relayed the message on his radio and the following pause felt like an eternity.
“You first,” the firefighter said.
“He’s Daniel’s father.”
“We know. We won’t leave him.”
* * *
Stuck on the ground away from the action, Daniel’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched his crew work the fire. The chief had him sidelined with his weeping mother when all he wanted was to get in there and get them out. Shannon, Aiden and his dad were stuck near the center of the fire. It looked as if the whole building would crumble in on itself any second.
“Let me go,” he begged the chief. “I know that place inside and out.” Hell, he’d helped build it.
“Stay right there. Child coming down the ladder.”
Daniel’s heart skipped erratically as Aiden was handed down the ladder extended over what had been his room. Daniel could just make out the iron frame of the daybed in the light from the flames.
He and his mother moved to the ambulance waiting across the street, ready to see for themselves that Aiden was okay.
Aiden scrambled away from the paramedics and ran for Daniel, clinging like a burr. Other than a dirty face and smoke-infused clothing, he didn’t look any worse for the ordeal. His brown eyes were bloodshot and his voice raspy. “Pop and Mommy are still inside,” he said. “Go get them!”
Gently, Daniel sat Aiden on the gurney and put the oxygen mask over his small face. “Working on it,” he said. “Look there.” He shifted the gurney around so Aiden could watch. “Here comes Mommy now.”
Tess kissed Aiden and returned to her place by the chief, a stoic silhouette with her hands to her mouth as she watched every moment of Shannon’s descent. With every muscle in his body tense, Daniel felt much the same as he and Aiden waited for Shannon to reach the ground.
“What about Pop?” Aiden asked, his voice muffled under the oxygen mask.
“They’re working on it,” Daniel said. His crew was working swiftly, and he knew they were more than capable. But playing the bystander with the lives of his family on the line, Daniel understood how slowly time could move when you didn’t have any control.
“See that flat yellow thing?” Daniel pointed to the firefighters on the ladder. “It’s called a backboard.” It kept him calm, explaining the process of the rescue to Aiden. He knew from the radio chatter his father was pinned under a beam. He could see for himself, the way they were fighting the fire on two fronts, that time was running out.
As firefighters escorted Shannon to the ambulance, she waved them back to help his dad, then rushed ahead to check on Aiden. It was all Daniel could do not to pull her into his arms and kiss her until he was sure she was real and safe and not a figment of his imagination.
“You’re safe,” he said, wiping soot from her cheek.
She caught his hand and held it to her face a moment. “Your dad is okay,” she told him over Aiden’s head. “I don’t think anything was broken.”
“You’re safe,” he repeated, his relief palpable. “The call came in and I—” He stopped as his mother joined them.
“Matthew is okay,” Shannon told her as they hugged. “I told Daniel I don’t think anything is broken.”
“He’s too grumpy to go down easy,” Tess said. “You two stayed with him?” she asked, stroking Aiden’s hair. “Such a brave boy.” She looked to Shannon, tears spilling down her face. “Brave mama, too.”
A second ambulance rolled up and she hurried over to meet her husband as they carried him over. “Damn girl wouldn’t leave,” Matthew said.
Daniel rolled his eyes and Shannon laughed, with a few tears of relief mixed in.
He gave the paramedics room to examine her for injury and gave her a few minutes on the oxygen before he tried to put the emotions rolling through him into words.
“The call came in...” His voice failed him. I love you. Too soon for that. Giving in to the need, he pulled her into his arms and just held on. “What happened?” How had they all wound up in the apartment? “Was Dad grilling you again?”
Holding her and reaching out to the little boy who had become so vital to him, Daniel discovered it was possible to be relieved and angry all at once. Through it all was a swell of gratitude that she and her son and his dad were alive and well under the layers of smoke and singed clothing.
“No. Aiden made sure your mom invited us to dinner,” she began.
Daniel groaned even as he smiled a little at the image. That wouldn’t have been a challenge.
“It was fine.” She smiled, leaning into him a little. “Aiden had a blast.”
The boy nodded.
“He was worn out and your dad carried him up to the apartment, tucked him into bed.”
“And?” Daniel prompted when her gaze drifted to the decimated garage.
Her golden eyebrows knitted into a frown. “We were talking when he realized the floor was hot.”
Daniel listened, amazed by her bravery and still terrified for the near miss. He cupped her chin and laid his lips on hers for a brief, gentle kiss. “I love you.” Though he said it in barely more than a whisper, he knew by the stunned expression on her face she’d heard him.
She laid a hand over his heart, her brown gaze a bit starstruck. “I love you, too,” she said, her lips tilting into a smile. “I meant to say that first. The moment I saw you.”
“Say it whenever you like.” He kissed her. “I can take it.” Maybe not the best time for such a declaration, but now that the words were out, he wanted to shout them for everyone to hear. “I love you, Shannon.”
“Are we married now?” Aiden asked.
They laughed, together, as he hoped they’d do everything from this point forward. Before either of them could explain, shouting erupted from the neighbors gathered to watch the crew put out the blaze.
A gunshot parted the screaming crowd. Stanwood, his features distorted by the flashing emergency lights, looked like a madman in the midst of utter chaos.
He leveled the weapon at Shannon. “You ruined me!”
Shannon leaped in front of Aiden, and Daniel sheltered her as Stanwood pulled the trigger. He counted two, three shots and saw a corner of the gurney mattress explode in a puff of plastic and foam. His turnout gear wasn’t remotely bulletproof, but it was big enough to hide Aiden and most of Shannon while he shoved them into the back of the ambulance. He slammed the doors closed, counting on the paramedics to get them away safely. He turned on Stanwood, almost disappointed to see two policemen had drawn their weapons and were ordering him to cooperate.
Daniel knew he wouldn’t.
“Put it down,” he added his voice to the chorus of those giving orders. He held out his hands. “You don’t want to do this, man. It’s over.”
As Daniel had hoped, Stanwood fixed on him, the long, black barrel of the gun tracking his movements away from the ambulance.
“Think it through.” Daniel drew his attention when Stanwood fidgeted in search of Shannon. “Take it easy.” He watched as the chief and others moved the crowd back as they flanked Stanwood. Another few seconds and they could have him under control. “Don’t make this worse, man.”
“Worse?” Stanwood shrieked. “I’m ruined!” he screamed. He waved the gun wildly. “She ruined me! I’m not going to prison. Not for any of it.”
Not if he kept ignoring the orders to stand down, Daniel thought. “You have teams of lawyers. Think this through,” he said again.
The ambulance hiding Shannon and Aiden eased forward, away from the danger. With another desperate scream Stanwood opened fire, breaking into a run. Daniel braced, holding his ground against the man’s rush, determined to keep Shannon and Aiden safe from every threat.
Daniel heard more gunshots and a crack and hiss. He spun around to check on Shannon and Aiden and realized a bullet had hit one of the emergency lights on the back of the escaping ambulance. Inside, they would be fine.
He turned back to see Stanwood stumble and crumple in a strange disjointed manner. His arm was sluggish as he tried to pull the trigger again, aiming for Daniel. Then he went limp and as the police closed in, Daniel realized Stanwood was dead.
Daniel swiveled in time to see the ambulance disappear around the corner. Grateful Shannon and Aiden hadn’t seen Stanwood’s demise, he jogged over to the chief.
“Go,” the chief said before Daniel could ask. “I’ll radio for them to wait for you at the end of the street.”
With a hearty thank-you, Daniel broke into a run to catch up with the ambulance.
* * *
Shannon pleaded with the driver to stop, to go back, to wait and he’d refused. The paramedic in the back with them, a man named Carson, offered her reassurances that rang hollow.
Daniel had covered her and Aiden and turned to face her crazy ex. She could appreciate the gesture and still be furious that he’d ushered her out of danger. She’d finally discovered true love. Heart, mind and soul were all in agreement on that point. Daniel was the real deal. She wasn’t confused or worried about her intuition when it came to him. Her time with him had restored that sense of wonder and hope. He’d unearthed her inherent belief in happiness that she’d buried after Bradley.
If her ex-husband destroyed that hope, if he managed to hurt a single hair on Daniel’s head, she would not stop until he was behind bars for life.
“Mommy?”
“Hmm?” Her gaze was on the rear window, while her ears strained to make sense of the voices crossing on the radio.
“Are you mad at Daniel?”
“What?” She gave her son her full attention. “No. No, sweetie.” How could she explain without scarring her son? “I’m mad at the man who shot the gun.”
“He’s a bad guy, right?”
“Yes, he is.” She pulled him onto her lap now that he wasn’t on the oxygen anymore. “The good guys will take care of him.”
“Good guys like Daniel?”
“That’s exactly right,” she said with more confidence than she felt. She hugged her baby close and said a prayer the man she loved was still in one piece.
As they approached the neighborhood entrance, the ambulance slowed down. “What now?”
“Picking up a passenger,” Carson said.
The rear doors opened and her fury at her ex evaporated when she saw Daniel’s face. “Chief said I could ride along with you to the hospital.”
“You beat the bad guy!” Aiden bounced out of her lap and into Daniel’s arms. Shannon wasn’t far behind.
“I’ll just move up front.” Carson hopped out, slapping Daniel on the shoulder as he gave them a little room for the embraces. Once they were back in the ambulance, Carson shut the doors and moved up front for the ride to the hospital.
His arms felt so right around her and she couldn’t stop touching him in kind. He was really safe. Aiden, caught between them, squirmed and giggled until they broke apart when he started coughing.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Not a scratch. Well, not any new ones,” Daniel amended.
“I worried,” she confessed, feeling guilty for it.
“She was mad,” Aiden added, mimicking his mother’s angry face.
Shannon felt her cheeks heat, but she didn’t care. “Not mad at you,” she explained.
Daniel chuckled, holding them steady as they turned a corner. “Admit it, you were a little mad at me.”
“I’m over it. Mostly. You’re a firefighter, not a cop. You weren’t even armed.” She forced another wave of worst-case scenarios from her mind. “He’s out of his mind.”
“He was. He won’t bother anyone again,” Daniel said.
She caught the full meaning of that statement in his eyes and felt no shame in the relief coursing through her.
“How’d you win without a gun?” Aiden asked.
Shannon winced. He’d seen too much violence in recent days and she had to hope that those memories would fade with time and examples of better, more honorable behavior. Examples she hoped Daniel would enjoy providing.
“Same way I saved you with only a brick.” He kissed Aiden’s head. “I had the best weapon ever made on my side,” Daniel replied.
“A laser gun?” Aiden asked, peeking under the open panels of Daniel’s coat.
“No.” He tapped Aiden’s nose and rubbed a hand over his hair, his gaze locked with hers. “Love.”
Shannon’s heart stuttered in her chest.
Aiden didn’t seem too impressed. “How’s that beat bad guys with guns?”
“Love gives you an edge over the bad guys every time.”
Aiden leaned forward. “How?”
“Love is right here.” He tapped his heart, then Aiden’s. “It gives you something to fight for, a special reason to win no matter what happens. And when someone loves you back, it’s better than any laser gun.”
“You did beat him fast.”
“I had some help out there,” he allowed. “It’s a team effort. But we were fast. Know why?”
Aiden shook his head.
“Because I have two people, you and your mom, to love and fight for. It’s like a power boost.”
Aiden’s eyes were wide as his gaze traveled from Daniel to her and back. “You love me, too?”
“With all my heart, Aiden.”
“With us loving you, you’ll always beat the bad guys.” Aiden climbed into Daniel’s lap and burrowed under the coat while Shannon swiped at the happy tears spilling down her cheeks.
The hospital exams were a formality and the doctors quickly confirmed none of them needed to be admitted for treatment. The late hour was catching up with Aiden and he was half asleep on Daniel’s shoulder as they went upstairs to visit Matthew. The doctors were holding him for observation due to a concussion and a broken rib.
Tess waved them in. “You’re all well?”
“Absolutely,” Shannon said, giving her a hug. “You’re well here, too?”
She nodded. “I’m glad you came by. He’s been insisting on speaking to you tonight.”
“Dad,” Daniel began with a sigh. “Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. We need to get this little guy home to bed.”
Shannon shot him a look. Until now, she hadn’t let herself think about where to go, where she could go. With her ex out of the picture, they could all go back to her place without worry. Would Daniel want that too? Aiden could sleep in his own bed again. Of course the prized truck collection was lost. As was the blue rabbit. But those were problems easily remedied.
“Not you,” Matthew snapped. “Shannon.” He waved her over and adjusted the bed to sit up.
She bit back the admonishment that he should rest. If he needed to finish their earlier conversation, she’d deal with it.
“Thank you.” To her surprise, he clasped her hand between his. “They didn’t have to tell me I would’ve been in far worse shape without your quick thinking with the wet coat.”
She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Thank you for getting Aiden out of harm’s way.”
He snorted and looked over to Daniel. “They know it’s arson, right? No other answer for it.”
“Dad, it’s under control.” He swayed side to side with the sleeping boy on his shoulder. “The investigators think it’s the same arsonist for hire who set the warehouse fire at the pier. They’ll find him.”
“Good. You’re back on a full-time firefighter schedule right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I’m outta commission for a few days at least.” He looked up at Shannon. “Tess keeps telling me to dial it back more. I’m inclined to start agreeing with her.”
“That’s good news.” Shannon squeezed his hand.
“This trouble of yours, is it over?”
“Dad...” Daniel’s voice had dropped to a warning, but Shannon halted any argument with a raised finger.
“It’s a fair question.” She glanced back, confirmed Aiden was asleep. “I’m told my ex-husband is dead, thanks to Daniel and police at the scene of the fire. There is no reason for anyone else who knew him to come after me.”
“Good news all around.” Matthew sat up a little straighter. “With that cleared up, I’m offering you Daniel’s job at Jennings Construction.”
Those weren’t the words she’d expected to hear. At all. “I beg your pardon?”
“Someone has to run things. Someone reliable who will protect what I’ve built. Full time, steady hours and benefits that were good enough to raise our two boys.”
She floundered for the right words. “You should sleep on this decision. You can’t mean—”
“I’m not handing you a construction business and walking away. I’m asking you to manage it, to help all of us make a better transition. Your mind, your skills are what our company needs. We’ll draw it up legal and take into account what should happen if Daniel or his brother want to change their roles. No one will have the right to kick you out of the boss’s seat because of a last name.”
“You have a concussion.” She sent Tess a pleading look. “This should wait.”
“Take the job, Shannon.” Tess beamed at her. “Aiden will be in school soon and you both need the stability. None of the crews will have a problem answering to you.”
“There are more senior people, more qualified people,” she protested.
“And not one of them had an eye on this job,” Tess said. “They all know we’re a family company and Matthew always planned to keep it that way.”
She was tempted, so tempted. The stability, the salary, the challenge were dangling right there within her reach. She’d been making ends meet as part of the crew, but this...it was too much. She clapped a hand to her mouth, remembering she didn’t even need the money after what Gary had done for them.
Turning toward Daniel, she braced herself for his reaction. He couldn’t be happy about his dad making this move, yet she knew how much the firehouse meant to him. If he convinced her he was okay with this, she’d consider it.
“Look at me.” Holding Aiden in one arm, he tipped up her chin with the other. “Is this what you want?”
“It’s your family business. It should be about what you want, too.”
“That’s an excuse, not an answer. And I want a lot of things,” he said. He stroked a thumb along her cheekbone and the tenderness swamped her. “If nothing else was mixed in and you got this job offer, would you take it?”
She nodded, lips clamped together so she couldn’t add excuses or conditions. Already her mind raced along, eager to discover and learn what would be required to manage a company of this size.
“That’s one issue out of the way.” He lifted his chin toward his dad. “Give him your answer.”
With happiness thrumming through her, she laced her fingers with Daniel’s and accepted Matthew’s offer. “Good. Now go on so I can rest. I’ll start the contracts when I’m out of here.”
Daniel gave her hand a little tug and caught her attention. “I know it’s been crazy and my timing could be better. I have a question for you as well. One that shouldn’t wait.”
She watched, fascinated, as he went down on one knee with Aiden snoring softly on his shoulder.
“I love you, Shannon. More than anything I want to be your husband and Aiden’s dad. Will you marry me?”
“For Pete’s sake. There are more romantic settings,” Matthew muttered.
Tess hushed him.
Overcome, Shannon’s voice failed her when she tried to say yes.
“What was that?” Daniel asked.
She dropped to her knees, too, wrapping her arms around Daniel and her son. “Yes. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since Aiden. I’d be honored to be your wife and I know he wants to call you Daddy. I love you, Daniel. We love you so much.”
“That settles the nonsense of keeping the business in the family, I suppose,” Matthew said with a bit of a sniffle.
They said their goodbyes to his parents and headed home. Home. The word resonated in her heart. Home and a family complete at last with Daniel.
When Aiden was clean and settled in his bed, she stepped out on her porch and looked up at the stars. All those wishes she’d been afraid to make had come true.
“What are you doing?” Daniel asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
“Just what you taught me best.” She leaned back into his strong and warm embrace. “Believing.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss other books in Regan Black’s
ESCAPE CLUB HEROES series
A STRANGER SHE CAN TRUST
SAFE IN HIS SIGHT
Available now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense!
And look out for Regan Black’s novella,
“Special Agent Cowboy” in the
KILLER COLTON CHRISTMAS anthology,
available December 2017!
Keep reading for an excerpt from HER ROCKY MOUNTAIN HERO by Jennifer D. Bokal.
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003