âIs it almost time, Mommy?â
Olivia looked over at her son. His ruffled blond locks and paint-stained fingers tugged something inside her, and the worry started to knot in her stomach again.
âNot long now, honey. Heâll be here soon.â
She moved over to sit with her son and squeezed his hand.
âWill I like him?â
âYour dad? Of course! Youâll love him, Charlie.â
Her boy nodded and twisted his mouth into a smile. âWill he like me?â
Olivia laughed and gave him a soft play-punch on the arm. âHave you ever met anyone who didnât adore you?â
Charlie jumped up then, his eyes wide. âDid you hear that?â
Oliviaâs eyes fluttered shut for a heartbeat. Yes, sheâd heard it, and if it wasnât for her son she might just have fled the scene. When they opened, she was sitting at the table alone. The Welcome Home Daddy poster lay spread out in front of her, splotches of paint and glitter a blur to her eyes.
This was it.
In less than thirty seconds, if the slam of a car door was anything to go by, her husband would be stepping back into her life. Would be seeing his son for the first time in two years.
Dear Reader,
When I decided to write this book, it was almost reluctantly. The last time I wrote a âmarriage in jeopardyâ story, I found it to be an incredibly challenging task, and this book was no different. Why? Because I was dealing with two characters with a shared and emotional history together, and I wanted to find a way for them to fall in love all over again. That meant dealing with their painful past, allowing them to forgive, and then creating a way for them to have a happy-ever-after again as husband and wife.
In this story, Luke Brown is a successful military man, capable of doing whatever it takes to complete a mission. But at home, he struggles with being the husband he wants to be, and the father that he knows his son deserves. The only thing heâs sure about is that heâd do anything to turn back time and try to make things work with his wife, and to be in his sonâs life ⦠All he has to do is prove it to the woman he left behind two years earlier.
Mission: Soldier to Daddy is part of my HEROES COME HOME series, and if youâve missed any of my military-themed books, be sure to visit my website for details on where to find themâwww.sorayalane.com.
Soraya
Writing for Mills & Boon>® Cheris>⢠is truly a dream come true for SORAYA LANE. An avid reader and writer since her childhood, Soraya describes becoming a published author as âthe best job in the world,â and hopes to be writing heartwarming, emotional romances for many years to come.
Soraya lives with her own real-life hero on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.
For more information about Soraya and her upcoming releases, visit her at her website, www.sorayalane.com, her blog, www.sorayalane.blogspot.com, or follow her on Facebook.
A BUTTERFLY-SOFT SHIVER ran down Olivia Brownâs spine. After all this time, she was scared of seeing her husband again. Scared of being confronted with the reality of the man whoâd left her, and scared of how their son would react. Had she been right not to meet him at the airport?
âIs it almost time, Mommy?â
Olivia looked over at her son. His ruffled blond locks and paint-stained fingers tugged something inside her, and the worry started to knot in her stomach again.
âNot long now, honey. Heâll be here soon.â
She moved over to sit with her son, and squeezed his hand.
âWill I like him?â
âYour dad? Of course! Youâll love him, Charlie.â
Her boy nodded and twisted his mouth into a smile. âWill he like me?â
Olivia laughed and gave him a playful punch on the arm. âHave you ever met anyone who didnât adore you?â
Charlie jumped up then, his eyes wide. âDid you hear that?â
Oliviaâs eyes fluttered shut for a heartbeat. Yes, sheâd heard it, and if it wasnât for her son she might just have fled the scene. When her eyes opened again, she was sitting at the table alone. The Welcome Home Daddy poster lay spread out in front of her, splotches of paint and glitter a blur to her eyes.
This was it.
In less than thirty seconds, if the slam of a car door was anything to go by, her husband would be stepping back into her life. Would be seeing his son for the first time in two years.
âHeâs here!â
Charlieâs excited squeal pulled her out of her daydream and she squared her shoulders, determined to stay strong. There was a knock at the door. She moved out into the hallway just as Charlie lunged forward to open it.
Lieutenant Colonel Luke Brown was officially back home.
Olivia watched Charlie tugging open the door, and wiped her palms over her denim jeans. She might not be looking forward to this, but her son sure was.
Charlie was frozen as he looked at the man on the other side of the threshold. The one whoâd smiled at them from the fridge these past two years. The one in the photo that Charlie kissed every night before bed. Well, the man himself was standing right on their doorstep, all tanned, toned and handsome, just like heâd always been. Only this time he was in uniform, the starched trousers and jacket hugging his frame.