Twilight Dreams: Lost and Found

By J.M. Madden

It's Christmas, and the Lost and Found crew and the Dogs of War are coming together for a very special weekend.

Zeke Foster has been with Ember for years now, and it's past time to tie the knot. Can he pull off her dream wedding under her nose?

John and Shannon are getting ready for baby number three in the midst of helping Zeke. She has at least a couple of weeks before Baby Palmer arrives…

Aiden dotes over his daughter, but he worries about introducing her to the world. Outside forces are testing their boundaries, putting them all on edge, and Aiden is frustrated. 

Fortunately, Haven has traveled with them to provide extra security. Unfortunately, he may be busier than expected…

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.M. Madden
• Release date: Feb 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215116968

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

September 30, 2022

Willow shook her dark head, giving him a critical look. It’s only three months to Christmas and you want to do this now? Can you even get an event space?

Zeke shrugged, glancing around the bar. It j-just occurred to me. I thought since we would all be together anyway… And y-y-yes, I have the event space. I knew that would be the biggest part. I got the B-b-black O-orchid place over off of H-Harrison Avenue.

Both women’s mouths dropped open, and Zeke grinned. Yeah, that had been a hell of a coup. It was only available because a woman had dumped her fiancé, and had literally called to cancel just moments before Zeke had called. The cost of the space was enough to make him shudder, but he’d gotten a discount for paying cash up front and on such short notice. Plus, Christmas time wasn’t a big wedding date, normally.

That place is dreamy, Shannon sighed, propping her chin on her hand on the bar. I’ve never been inside, but I can imagine it’s beautiful with all those wood beams and stuff.

I’ve been inside, Willow murmured, and it’s stunning. That’s all they do there is weddings, and they have a good team. Don’t you get an event planner with the cost of the venue?

Zeke waffled a hand. K-k-k-kind of. There are packages. I took one of the p-p-planner packages, but if they have to rent more stuff that comes out of my pocket.

Shannon nodded. And what are you thinking?

He smiled slightly, his conviction firm. I’m going to give her the ice princess wedding she wants. Drew isn’t the only reason that damn F-f-f-rozen is on the TV all the time at our house.

The women laughed, and nodded. She’ll love that, Willow said. Raven will be jealous.

W-w-well, she can be one of the flower girls. I thought M-mercy could be as well. The tw-t-t…, Gunny’s boys can b-b-be ring bearers. I thought it would be the ideal time for a wedding with everyone coming in for the C-christmas p-p-party.

Shannon heaved a sigh. He does have a point, she said softly to Willow, glancing down the bar. It’s hard to get the entire group together at once. We’re so busy now. And the kids will love that! Although herding the boys may be a challenge, she laughed.

Ember was talking to a group of women, obviously there for a bachelorette party. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a Frog Dog t-shirt, and she had a sassy look on her face. Zeke had been serving them, but the group was a little wild. They’d been bar hopping all day, and imbibing in the other recreational pursuits Denver had to offer. She tossed him a look from under her bangs, shaking her head slightly. Zeke grinned at her and shrugged.

When the maid of honor had gotten a little free with her hands, Ember had stepped in, just like Zeke would have stepped in if it had been a group of rowdy men.

They watched out for each other, and it had gotten to be a seemless transition. She was his other half, his kindred soul. 

Zeke had never envisioned himself as half of a relationship, let alone a father. But Ember had worked her way into his defenses. And as soon as he’d seen Drew, he’d been in love. The kid was awesome. Their love had given him more courage and self-confidence than anything else he’d done. Three years ago, he was taking night jobs and research gigs for Lost and Found, and having surgeries in the hopes of making his face more palatable to people. Ember had convinced him, though, that she loved his face. Man, she’d been pissed when he’d had that surgery without telling her. He only had two since then, and they had been functional more than cosmetic, to release some scar tissue along his lip and forehead. Ember had been beside him the entire way for both procedures.

Zeke knew he was no prize. Yeah, the body wasn’t bad. It did everything it was supposed to. The face, though, would never be pretty. He’d gotten used to the stares and the chatter when he walked into a room, but the look in Ember’s eyes was very different than anyone else. She didn’t see the scars, as crazy as that was to think. She saw the man beneath the marks, and he was so thankful for that.

Hank, Ember’s dad, was semi-retired now since he’d gotten with Karen, and he’d left the day to day running of Frog Dog to Ember. She was taking care of everything anyway, because Hank had been dealing with his own demons over the past two years. The weight of the operation had fallen to the two of them.

Zeke had never envisioned himself a bar owner, but the longer he did it, the more he enjoyed it. Frog Dog wasn’t his, but it felt like home. They’d renovated this year, doing a deep clean and clearing out the cobwebs. A bunch of the banquettes had needed reupholstered, and the tables refinished. Hank, Ember’s dad and the owner of the Frog Dog, had balked a little at the changes, but they made sure to keep the heart of the Frog Dog front and center. They’d moved a bunch of the memorabilia into cases to keep it protected, and gotten rid of several things that had been falling apart. Overall, they’d updated and refreshed, giving it a sleeker, more sophisticated look. 

Clientele had responded, and Denver had nominated them as up and coming. It didn’t hurt that the food leaving the kitchen was amazing. Whether Ember was cooking or their head chef Alberto, the food was delectable.

Zeke still took cases at the agency, but he loved working with Ember. It felt so right, coming around the bar and seeing her standing there. They belonged together.

He wanted her in his life forever.

So, they needed to continue their journey together. Yes, he’d given her an engagement ring, but they’d never settled on a date. They’d just kind of drifted along. But Drew had asked him the other day if he was ever going to marry his mom, and it had set Zeke back on his heels a little. He hadn’t realized it bothered the boy.

Do you think I need to? he’d asked.

Drew had given him a lopsided smile and looked him in the eye. Yeah, I think you do. She would love that, because I think she wants a baby. And I want you to be my dad officially.

Zeke had walked around that day in a bit of a haze, rocked at the bombs Drew had unknowingly dropped. Ember wanted a baby. He looked at her now, wondering what her body would look like, rounded with his child. The thought sent a bolt of need through his lower half, and he shifted to conceal more of himself. Shannon and Willow didn’t need to know what he was thinking.

It also terrified him. He was a big guy, and he’d been a big baby. The thought of