Holiday Terminal, page 15
It’s the best feeling in the world. I never thought I could be so happy. The only darkness in the sea of light my life has become is what my decision has done to Archimedes.
“What about you, Arch? How are things going now that you are the heir apparent?”
He laughs, but the humor doesn’t reach his eyes. “It's a lot of work, but I like it. Father and Mother are trying to rope me in and keep me on a tight leash, but I'm not so easily wrangled.”
I snort and shake my head. “Of that, I have no doubt. You know, if the shit hits the fan, you can always come work with me.”
“Momma, Daddy said a bad word.” Max runs to Penelope, and Larry scoops him up and carries him into the house.
Archie barks out a laugh. “I hate to break it to you, Art, but your son is a snitch.”
I laugh and grin at him. “He's just honest.”
That’s something I can never fault him for. It’s an excellent quality to have. One the Warrens seem to lack. At least it’s not genetic.
Baby bro tosses me a grin. “So, how is your firm doing?”
I sigh and lean back on the swing, setting it in motion. “Decent, considering the clientele in Cape Harmony isn’t exactly what it was in New York.”
Handling everyday issues for the residents of our town is a nice change of pace from the constant stress of Warren Enterprises and juggling Father’s political career, too, but there are times I miss it. Though, I’ll never admit that to Archie.
“You need anything else, Artie?” Penelope approaches and drapes her arm over my shoulder.
I take a deep breath, grab her hand, and I slide off the swing. “Pen, I need to tell you something.”
This wasn’t exactly how I had planned it. Candles on the beach at dusk with the waves lapping at our feet is more what I had in mind. But the waiting has been killing me. I can’t go another minute.
I drop to one knee, right in front of the woman who is everything good in my world.
Her eyes widen, and she presses her hand over her mouth. “Artemis, what… what are you doing?”
I dig in my pocket, pull out the red heart-shaped origami box, and hold it up to her. “Giving you my heart.”
Tears glisten in her gaze, and I press the sides to expose the ring inside.
“Penelope Barnes, you are the love of my life. I was nothing, no one until I met you. You are everything in my world that is good, beautiful, and true. You pushed me to be a better person, to break away from the things and people who were dragging me down and making me become someone I hated. You've given me everything, and now, I want to give you something, my last name. Penelope, will you please marry me?”
The second of silence and shock on her face almost make me nervous.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” she shouts and flings herself into my arms.
The force of her slamming into me almost knocks us both to the ground, but I manage to keep us upright.
“I love you, Pen. You couldn't make me any happier at this moment.”
She kisses me softly, her hands cupping my face. “I bet I can. I'm pregnant.”
Pregnant? Did she say pregnant?
“We're having a baby? Are you serious?”
She nods, and tears of happiness stream down her face.
I push up from my squatted position, lift her off the ground, and twirl her in my arms. Then, I kiss her, my heart so full, it almost hurts.
I'm going to be a daddy...again!
I set Pen back on her feet and stare at the woman who has held my heart from the very beginning.
This…this is how it should have been all those years ago.
Just a city boy who fell in love with the beautiful summer girl and lived happily ever after.
We hope you enjoyed Holiday Terminal.
* * *
Want more from the Warren family?
* * *
You can preorder book two, Holiday Bridal Wave, Archimedes’ story, coming in November 2020:
www.books2read.com/HolidayBridalWave
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Gwyn McNamee
Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.
When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels).
Gwyn loves to hear from her readers.
Here is where you can find her:
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OTHER WORKS BY GWYN MCNAMEE
The Inland Seas Series (Romantic Suspense)
Squall Line (Book One)
* * *
WAR
Out on the water, I’m in control.
I don’t make mistakes.
But the fiery redhead destroyed my plans and
left me no choice.
I had to take her.
Now I’m fighting for my life while battling my growing attraction for my hostage.
Grace may have started my downfall, but she could also be my salvation.
* * *
GRACE
The moment he stepped foot on my ship, I knew he was trouble.
He took me, and now, my life is in his hands.
But things aren’t what they seem, and Warwick isn’t
who he appears.
The man who holds me hostage is slowly working his way into my heart even as greater dangers loom on the horizon.
* * *
War and Grace.
Dark and light.
Love and hate.
This storm may destroy them both...
* * *
AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/SquallLine
* * *
Rogue Wave (Book Two)
* * *
CUTTER
Complete the mission.
It’s what I was trained to do—no matter what.
But when things go to shit right in front of me, my objective gets compromised by a set of fathomless amber eyes.
This isn’t a woman’s world.
Yet, Valentina refuses to see how dangerous the course she’s plotted really is.
How dangerous I am.
* * *
VALENTINA
The man who saved my life is just as lethal as the one trying to take it.
Maybe even more.
While he may have rescued me, in the end,
Cutter is my enemy.
The one intent on destroying everything I’ve striven for.
But the scars of his past draw me closer even though I know I should move away.
Cutter and Valentina.
Anger and desire.
Fight and surrender.
This wave may drag them both under…
* * *
AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/RogueWave
* * *
Safe Harbor (Book Three)
* * *
PREACHER
When it comes to firewalls, no one gets
through my defenses.
For the past five years, protecting this band of f-ed up brothers has been my mission.
But Everly pulls me from my cave and does the one thing no one else ever has...
She makes me believe there’s a life outside the world
on my screens.
Too bad actions have consequences, ones that threaten everything and everyone around me.
Including the beautiful tattoo artist who has managed to etch herself onto my heart.
EVERLY
The emotional upheaval of the last six months would be enough to break anyone.
And I can already feel myself cracking.
A tall, sexy, tattooed bad boy is the last thing I need thrown into the mix.
All I want is to keep my head down and pour my pain
into my art.
But Preacher walks into my life and offers me safety in a world where I thought there was none.
Until our pasts finally catch up with us…
Preacher and Everly.
Fear and loss.
Hope and heartbreak.
This harbor may be their salvation.
* * *
AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/SafeHarbor
* * *
Anchor Point (Book Four)
ELIJAH
Life outside the walls of my prison cell is far harder than the time I did inside.
There, I had my misery to keep me company.
Out here, I’m forced to face the reality of
everything I’ve lost.
Nothing can repair the gaping hole in my chest.
Yet, a broken woman wrapped in chains threatens to unravel the tangle of excuses I use to keep everyone
at arm’s length.
But letting Evangeline into my world means exposing her to the real threat.
Me.
And all the terrible things that come along with that.
* * *
EVANGELINE
Taken.
Enslaved.
To be sold to the highest bidder.
The monsters who stole me away from my life
have no conscience.
I’m not so sure the man who rescues me is any different.
He’s an ex-con and a pirate— not to be trusted.
But the dark veil of anguish that shrouds him can’t hide the truth of who he is at his core.
Elijah isn’t the enemy.
He may be broken and tormented…
And exactly what I need.
Elijah and Evangeline.
Agony and regret.
Faith and acceptance.
This anchor may pull them both down...
* * *
AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/AnchorPoint
* * *
Dark Tide (Book Five)
RION
There is no black and white in this life.
The line between right and wrong blurs.
I’m constantly crossing it.
Saving a life is just as easy as taking one.
And I’m damn good at both.
Finding a woman who can survive in this world was never on the radar.
But Gabriella pulls me from the bottom of a bottle and touches me in a way no one else can.
Too bad secrets and lies have a way of catching up with everyone.
* * *
GABRIELLA
How did I end up here, slinging drinks at a dive bar in the middle of nowhere?
The choices that brought me to this were never even a glimmer of possibility only a few years ago.
How things can change so fast…
And now, my path puts me on a collision course
with Orion Gates.
His bigger-than-life size and personality should
be a warning.
The profession he’s chosen should be the ultimate
final straw.
But instead, I find myself unable to resist his pull.
A decision that could lead to the end of all of us.
* * *
Rion and Gabriella.
Lust and lies.
Betrayal and ruin.
This tide may drown everyone…
* * *
AVAILABLE AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/DarkTide
The Hawke Family Series
Savage Collision (The Hawke Family - Book One)
He’s everything she didn’t know she wanted. She’s everything he thought he could never have.
* * *
The last thing I expect when I walk into The Hawkeye Club is to fall head over heels in lust. It’s supposed to be a rescue mission. I have to get my baby sister off the pole, into some clothes, and out of the grasp of the pussy peddler who somehow manipulated her into stripping. But the moment I see Savage Hawke and verbally spar with him, my ability to remain rational flies out the window and my libido takes center stage. I’ve never wanted a relationship—my time is better spent focusing on taking down the scum running this city—but what I want and what I need are apparently two different things.
* * *
Danika Eriksson storms into my office in her high heels and on her high horse. Her holier-than-thou attitude and accusations should offend me, but instead, I can’t get her out of my head or my heart. Her incomparable drive, take-no prisoners attitude, and blatant honesty captivate me and hold me prisoner. I should steer clear, but my self-preservation instinct is apparently dead—which is exactly what our relationship will be once she knows everything. It’s only a matter of time.
* * *
The truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes, it just royally screws you.
AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/SavageCollision
* * *
Tortured Skye (The Hawke Family - Book Two)
She’s always been off-limits. He’s always just out of reach.
* * *
Falling in love with Gabe Anderson was as easy as breathing. Fighting my feelings for my brother’s best friend was agonizingly hard. I never imagined giving in to my desire for him would cause such a destructive ripple effect. That kiss was my grasp at a lifeline—something, anything to hold me steady in my crumbling life. Now, I have to suffer with the fallout while trying to convince him it’s all worth the consequences.
* * *
Guilt overwhelms me—over what I’ve done, the lives I’ve taken, and more than anything, over my feelings for Skye Hawke. Craving my best friend’s little sister is insanely self-destructive. It never should have happened, but since the moment she kissed me, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind. If I take what I want, I risk losing everything. If I don’t, I’ll lose her and a piece of myself. The raging storm threatening to rain down on the city is nothing compared to the one that will come from my decision.
* * *
Love can be torture, but sometimes, love is the only thing that can save you.
AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL RETAILERS:
Books2read.com/Tortured-Skye
Stone Sober (The Hawke Family - Book Three)
She’s innocent and sweet. He’s dark and depraved.
* * *
Stone Hawke is precisely the kind of man women are warned about— handsome, intelligent, arrogant, and intricately entangled with some dangerous people. I should stay away, but he manages to strip my soul bare with just a look and dominates my thoughts. Bad decisions are in my past. My life is (mostly) on track, even if it is no longer the one to medical school. I can’t allow myself to cave to the fierce pull and ardent attraction I feel toward the youngest Hawke.
* * *
Nora Eriksson is off-limits, and not just because she’s my brother’s employee and sister-in-law. Despite the fact she’s stripping at The Hawkeye Club, she has an innocent and pure heart. Normally, the only thing that appeals to me about innocence is the opportunity to taint it. But not when it comes to Nora. I can’t expose her to the filth permeating my life. There are too many things I can’t control, things completely out of my hands. She doesn’t deserve any of it, but the power she holds over me is stronger than any addiction.
* * *
The hardest battles we fight are often with ourselves, but only through defeating our own demons can we find true peace.
AVAILABLE NOW AT ALL RETAILERS:
books2read.com/StoneSober
Building Storm (The Hawke Family - Book Four)
She hasn’t been living. He’s looking for a way to forget it all.
* * *
My life went up in flames. All I’m left with is my daughter and ashes. The simple act of breathing is so excruciating, there are days I wish I could stop altogether. So I have no business being at the party, and I definitely shouldn’t be in the arms of the handsome stranger. When his lips meet mine, he breathes life into me for the first time since the day the inferno disintegrated my world. But loving again isn’t in the cards, and there are even greater dangers to face than trying to keep Landon McCabe out of my heart.
