Family By Choice Series

How long can you run before your past comes back to haunt you? How much good can you do when you have so much to make up for? Can a lifetime of good make up for the sins of the past? What if those sins aren’t yours? What is they come from those who raised you? Bill always knew his father was a terrible man. He had grown up with the sting of beatings most of his life. His childhood was full of pain and anger and disappointment. He vowed to break the cycle. He joined the Army. He did everything right. He met and married his true love. He had two beautiful children. He found a sister he never knew. He overcame his past. Or did he? When Bill begins to uncover the secrets of his father’s life, all he thought and all he knew to be true turns out to be a lie. Everyone has their breaking point, and for Bill, finding out the truth about his father is more than he can take. Not to mention what happens to his wife...

Bill and Brittany. Brother and sister. They grew up so close, yet so far apart and it was a mix of luck and fate that brought them together. Suddenly, in a flash, in a moment of heroism, both of their lives are forever changed. It isn’t the event as much as our reaction that defines who we are as people. Brittany has always reacted with grace and dignity when confronted with trauma. Sometimes, everyone has their breaking point, and for her, what happens to Bill causes a response no one saw coming.

Tommy and Brittany have been through everything. They have survived problems that would level the strongest of couples. They continue to rely on each other and their love to get through every struggle and up until now, they have made it. When Brittany goes into labor, everything they know to be true about their love and faith in each other is tested. Tommy can’t bear to lose his daughter, but his wife’s life is on the line. Can he make the ultimate choice? Heaven’s Tiny Tears shows us the lengths people will go for those they love, and how simply powerful we can become when faced with the unthinkable. Like every book in the series, this family knows what they are capable of, and what power they have. It is up to them to call upon those strengths. Tommy needs to find it in his heart to do right by his girls. Jack and Stephanie try to help, as does Bill and Julie, but another secret is uncovered about someone’s past that throws ever bit of calm they may have into chaos. This just might be the one obstacle they simply cannot overcome.

Jack and Stephanie. When they found each other, their lives were empty and their hearts were as well. It took love and strength and passion for them to come together and create the bond that helped form their family of choice. Now, in an instant, it all fell apart. Jack and Stephanie were solid. They were the anchors. They were the couple who were strong and who everyone else leaned on. They had a beautiful and spunky daughter and a son on the way. They had survived the trials and tribulations a new marriage can bring and they were the epitome of strength and love. Their future was shining the brightest. When they went to the bank that morning to support their family, they could never have imagined the horror they would face. The gunshot, the blood, and the moment everything changed. Who is Jack without his heart and soul? How can Sabrina grow up without a mother? How will this family survive? And just what was in the safe deposit box? For Jack and Tommy and Bill, it’s about protecting those they love. It’s about ending the threats once and for all. It’s time to settle the score.

Their friends are missing. They all missed the signs. When Jack and Bill race to find Tommy, they have no idea the extent of the damage they are about to find. A cryptic message is delivered from the mastermind behind the terror. Jack is told he can only save one. Tommy is his brother, but Brittany is everything. How does he choose who to save?

One final kiss. Sometimes we don’t get a chance to say what we need to say, or do what we need to do. Sometimes all we get is one final kiss. Brittany has always been the epitome of strength and courage. For those lucky enough to be close to her, their lives have been forever changed for the better. Her biggest fear, for so long, was not being able to be the wife and mother her husband and daughter deserve. The challenges she has dealt with would level the strongest of people, but she continues to fight and she has always come out on top. Until now. Nobody saw this coming. Nobody could have imagined what was waiting for this family. When the fight comes at you from those you trusted, it does more than hurt. It destroys. Bill can’t stop it. Jack can’t fix it. Stephanie can’t help it. Julie can’t fight it. Tommy can’t comprehend it. And Brittany... One final kiss.

Mike was finally ready for happiness. After everything he had been through with Rebecca, he was finally ready to turn the page and start a life with the only woman who ever held his heart. He and Jade were getting married. They were going to have twins. No matter what, nothing was going to mess this up. Nothing and no one. Mike wakes up on his wedding day to find himself in a fight for survival. The plans he had were about to be lost forever. He has two choices. Fight or die. Meanwhile, Brittany begins her own fight for survival. The medical crisis she had been avoiding for months rears its ugly head and there is little time to prepare. Tommy can’t help her. Naomi can’t help her. Her body is shutting down and it isn’t a fight they can attack. This just might be her breaking point.

Julie was the glue. That’s what everyone said. She was the reason Tommy and Jack became a family. She was the reason the bond was formed and stayed strong. She found the greatest love with Bill and showed him his worth as a man and a father. They were truly soul mates. She brought two beautiful children into the world. Children who needed their mother. She kept her family grounded and she reminded them all that they had a reason for being here. Now she is gone and the family is heartbroken. It’s not something that can be fixed or changed. It’s not something any of them can understand. Bill is destroyed Can anyone help him before it’s too late? Meanwhile, Jack’s heart is breaking. His wife and daughter are fighting for their lives and he can’t even begin to comprehend the loss of Julie. Everything and everyone is falling apart. Without Julie, they are all lost. And there is still the question of who was behind it all?

Tommy and Brittany were healing. After being near the brink of death, they weren’t taking anything for granted. Their little daughter was the light of their lives and their growing baby was a sign that good prevailed. They should have known it was too good to be true. They should have known that life wasn’t always fair. They had been through it before, but never like this. Jade was an easy target, or at least that’s what they thought. A girl with no past and no connections to anyone. Someone that wouldn’t fight back. They were wrong. Jade’s life has taken a dramatic turn and it isn’t an option to stay in the shadows anymore. She has always allowed other people to push her around and she never wanted to draw attention to herself. Her reasons are personal and her scars are deep, but when someone comes after her, she has no choice but to fight back. Mike adores her. His life is in pieces and his future looks nothing like it used to, but when he looks at Jade, nothing matters except making her smile. She is everything he ever could have wanted, and he never expected to feel anything for another woman after his heart was stomped on. He didn’t think he deserved to be happy. Jade changed that.

Mike has made a lifetime of bad choices. He stayed in a relationship that meant nothing and allowed his heart to be trampled because he never believed he deserved any better. He learned, when he met Jade, just how wrong he had been. She was everything he ever wanted but was afraid to go after. The way she looked at him simply made him happy to be alive. He fell in love for the first time in his life. But his demons were right there, scratching and clawing their way back to the surface. He was on a path of self destruction. He felt it was what he deserved. He never thought he would hurt anyone but himself. He was so wrong. Jade tried to help him, but she never saw it coming. Until it was too late. Until the unthinkable happened.

It began with a meeting in a random conference room. Two people existing, but not living. That meeting started a journey of love, laughter and hope. It has been anything but easy and there have been more tears than either ever wanted to shed. But there has always been love. That’s always been the bottom line. Tommy and Brittany have seen it all and survived. They have been a constant source of inspiration to their families and they truly appreciate the miracles they have been given. Brittany has worked incredibly hard to survive the horrors of her past, despite how they resurfaced and in spite of so many trying to bring her down. Being HIV positive has never been easy, but Brittany has always tried to make her life about so much more than what a group of monsters did to her. Things were going well, until someone tried to use her disease as a weapon; a weapon against someone she loves. Her husband reached his limit. Her daughter was seriously ill. Jack was dealing with the possibility of being infected. A person can only take so much before they break. Tommy might be the only one who can reach her. He has to. He can’t live without his “Red”.

Sometimes a moment happens that comes out of nowhere. A family gathering and wounds are healed. Suddenly a car speeds and a child runs and in an instant; everything changes. Bill and Julie have been through so much. They survived two tours in Iraq and threats from people they never imagined would hurt them. This latest trauma will test the bond they have with those they love and those they never thought would have let them down. Meanwhile, a sinister plot has been taking place under the radar and the next victim is soon to be revealed. It’s someone they all adore and someone who has everything to lose. Mike is blindsided and he finds himself in a race against time to save his wife. He must confront an unthinkable possibility. He will come face to face with an evil he couldn’t comprehend. But first; he must find her before it’s too late.

Mike was a Soldier. His father was a Soldier. His grandfather was a Soldier. It was his legacy, his lifeblood, and his greatest honor. After serving two tours in Iraq and suffering one horrific injury, he figured his time in the service was over. He had a wife and twin girls who he adored. He had a life he always dreamed of having. But he was a Soldier and when the call comes, you take it. He didn’t want to leave. His wife was in poor health and he was terrified of what this would do to her. But he had to go. It was his duty. Bill struggled with watching Mike go. They had never served without the other. He worried about all of the dangers and he worried about Mike being there without him. And now the worst was happening. Mike was missing and Bill had to face what he couldn’t imagine. Mike was left behind. Soon everything the adults had tried so hard to hide from their children had to come out in the open. People long buried in the past began to resurface. Secrets were uncovered and truths were revealed. It was soon apparent that Mike wasn’t going to be the only one left behind.

Sometimes it’s simply too much. How much fight does a person have inside them? How many times can someone be tested? Tommy and Brittany had survived everything life threw at them. They were strongest together and everyone around them knew that. Their pride and joy was their beautiful daughter and watching her thrive was the most important job they could imagine. The threats were all resolved and it was time to simply enjoy life. The trouble begins when life throws them a curve. Suddenly, nothing is certain and the hopes and dreams they had for their future are in question. Brittany is ready to tackle everything and prove, once again, that she and her husband are soulmates. The problem comes when Tommy decides that maybe, he’s simply had enough. They have never had to deal with someone giving up. They have never had to look at each other and wonder if the love was still there. Brittany has to face a future where her husband decides he can’t do it anymore. And that’s just the beginning.

Josie is missing. Bill and Julie are frantic. Jack and Stephanie are worried this is the start of something worse. The kids need to be told about the past in order to be protected from harm. Everything is a mess and nobody knows where the danger is coming from. Then everything changes. A silent threat strikes out of nowhere and the entire family is caught off guard. It is a fight for survival for one member of the family, and this is a battle unlike any they have faced. Nobody saw it coming. There was no way to prepare. What happens next will change the course of everyone’s lives.

A school dance. A new romance beginning to grow. A moment in time that can never be changed. The results are tragic. The happiness is gone. Their lives are shattered. Now it’s time to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move forward. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, the past begins to rear its ugly head and questions nobody wanted to answer are asked. It’s not simply a matter of talking about it. For David and Bill, it’s a conversation a lifetime in the making. For Sabrina and David, it’s a rift that might never be healed. For Tommy and Brittany, it’s a wound that has finally healed. Now it is ripped open again, with no warning. Ian is destroyed. Cassie comes home. How can the family help each other heal when everything has been Shattered.

We all wait for the moment in our lives where our purpose is explained. The moment when we realize why we're here and what we're meant to become. Sometimes our dreams are fulfilled. Sometimes we discover that what we had planned, is not the life we will live. And sometimes our moment comes in a way we could never have imagined. How do we handle those surprises? How do we move forward when our lives take an unexpected turn? How do we survive our defining moment?

It seemed unexpected, yet it wasn’t. Tramp. How does this story move on without one of its founding members? Tramp is as much a part of this family by choice as any member and when the time comes for him to say goodbye, it is a loss nobody saw coming. Tommy is healing. Jack is healing. Tessa is recovering. Things are looking up, at least physically. The emotional scars of the past few months will take much longer to heal, but with time, hopefully they can. Time is something they all don’t have. Tramp brought Tommy and Brittany together. He took a bullet for Julie. He has protected his family as bravely as anyone could. He did everything for his family and they adored him. But time moves on. Life moves on. Sometimes, despite how big our hearts may seem, the plan is bigger than we are. Tommy can’t face it. Brittany is heartbroken. And then there’s Naomi...