“It all happened exactly the way I’d planned,” I said with a smile, incredibly satisfied with that statement. “I got the job and took just enough with me to get by. You got the job, and now, we can unpack together.”

“How about, when it involves our family, you plan with me?”

“When we try to make plans together, nothing happens the way it’s supposed to,” I teased, nudging him with my elbow.

He put his arm around me and pulled me close to his side, placing his free hand on my round stomach. He held me for a long time as we watched the fire and enjoyed the quiet, our new home, and the end of a case that we had both worked on for a few years shy of a decade.

“Don’t you know by now?” Thomas said, touching his lips to my hair. “It’s somewhere in the unforeseen when the best, most important moments of our lives seem to happen.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Kristy Weiberg, for not only being one of my biggest cheerleaders, but for also introducing me to Amy Thomure who is married to FBI Agent Andrew Thomure.

Andrew, I appreciate your patience as I asked what you probably thought were odd questions, but you never made me feel that way. Thank you for all your help!

As always, thank you to my incredible husband, Jeff. I couldn’t list everything you do on a daily basis to keep the house running, to get the kids to various places they need to be—on time—and on top of everything else you do behind the scenes. You are my savior, and I would not be able to keep the hours I do without you.

Thank you to my children for understanding my strange hours and for their forgiveness when Mommy says for the hundredth time, “I can’t. I’m working.”

Thank you to Autumn Hull of Wordsmith Publicity, Jovana Shirley of Unforeseen Editing, Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations, and Deanna Pyles. You are all such valuable members of my team, and I appreciate the tremendous effort you put into helping me complete this novel.

To authors Teresa Mummert, Abbi Glines, and Colleen Hoover, who allow me to vent and celebrate, be random, and ask silly questions—You are my home base, and I would be lost in this life without you.

Thank you to Selena Lee, Amanda Medlock, and Kelli Smith for being a constant source of encouragement and laughter. Kelli, thanks for allowing me to borrow your husband’s name! I can’t wait until we’re all together again. Your company (with Deanna) truly makes up some of the best days of my life.