I woke with a start. My heart was racing, and I gasped for air.

My eyes darted around the room. I was in Yarmouth, in Gabriel’s bed. Everything was okay.

Fortunately, I hadn’t woken him with this particular nightmare, but the night before, I had. I pulled my nightgown away from my chest. It was drenched with sweat.

My body was slowly recovering, but my mind was another story. I needed answers, and soon.

I glanced at my Fitbit; it was five o’clock. We were sending the SOS Security team home today, and I wanted to cook a big send-off breakfast.

I eased toward the edge of the bed, moving in sync with Gabriel’s breathing so I wouldn’t wake him, then padded out of the room.

I’d placed my clothing for the day in the guest bath at the end of the hall. I wanted to surprise everyone with breakfast, but Gabriel was a light sleeper and inevitably woke with the slightest noise.

I felt good about the fact that I’d escaped our bedroom without waking him. He needed the sleep.

I heard a noise downstairs and jumped, but then heard Cox’s voice. He and Fran were early risers, and if I wanted to surprise them with breakfast, I needed to hurry.

I quickly closed the bathroom door and locked it, pausing at the mirror after tossing my nightgown into the hamper. My face was pale, and I’d lost weight. My eyes moved to my breasts; they were small but pert, and my nipples were a deep pink. Had they always been that way, or was it a result of Gabriel’s attention?

They pebbled and hardened, just from the memory. I brushed my fingertips over them, closing my eyes. Damn, they were sensitive.

Gabriel loved my breasts, and I bit my lower lip remembering the orgasm he’d brought me to just two nights ago—simply from focusing on my breasts. He didn’t even have to touch my clit. The man was a master, and I was the lucky recipient.

I turned the shower on, waiting for the water to warm, and rested a leg on the rim of the tub, fingering myself. I was soaking wet—all it took was thinking about Gabriel’s touch and my pussy creamed. I dipped a finger inside and my pussy clenched around it. Mackenzie had school today and the SOS crew was leaving… maybe I could convince Gabriel to spend the day in bed.

I walked down the stairs greeted by the smell of coffee and bacon.

I paused at my office but it was empty and moved toward the kitchen.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Thea greeted me. I moved to her and kissed her head.

“You have a seat at the head of the table. Sit, and I’ll bring your plate over.”

I turned, then froze. The entire SOS crew was sitting at the table with Mackenzie in the middle between Fran and Cox—the table where Allessandra and I used to sit with Mackenzie when she was little. The vision took me by surprise.

“You okay?” Thea asked, her head tilted toward me curiously.

“Yea, I’m okay.” I moved to the table and joined the small team that had become like family to us.

Thea put a plate heaped with bacon and pancakes in front of me. The top pancake had her signature chocolate chip smile embedded in it.

Mackenzie squealed, “I got one of those, too, daddy!”

“We all did,” Cox laughed.

I grabbed Thea’s arm when she turned to walk away. “What about you? Aren’t you eating?”

“I’ve been nibbling all morning, and that’s the reason you only have two pieces of bacon instead of four.” She giggled, kissed my cheek and moved away.

“There are mupins, too, Daddy. Those have chocolate chips, too.” Mackenzie’s eyes sparkled with joy. It was good to see her happy.

“Muffins? Really? Why don’t I have one of those?”

“You had to be up early to get one of those,” Thea explained as she grabbed a glass of OJ, sitting at the opposite end of the table with a smirk that quickly turned serious.

She cleared her throat. “It’s hard to find the words to adequately thank all of you—“ Thea glanced around at each SOS team member sitting at the table.

“Thank you isn’t necessary,” Cox assured her.

“It is necessary,” Thea countered. “You’ve become like family to us, and we’re grateful that you’re exceptionally good—at what you do.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she smiled through them.

“I don’t want them to go,” Mackenzie announced with a pout.

“Zee, you know how your Dad’s job takes him away sometimes?”

“Yes, I don’t like that, either.”

Thea tilted her head and smiled. “I’m with you on that one, sweet girl, but sometimes jobs take us away from the ones we love for a little while. Fran and Cox have to travel with their job, and today they leave to go help someone else.”

“We don’t need them anymore?” Mackenzie’s eyes were wide and worried.

“We don’t,” Thea assured her. “We will always need them as friends, but we don’t need them for their job anymore.”

“Okay. Can I stay home from school today?”

“What?” Fran interjected. “This is my last day to take you to school, little Zee, and there’s no way I’m missing out on that!”

Zee clapped her hands. “Do we get to… “</p>

Fran winked at her. “Yep, but only if we leave really soon.”

Thea looked at me, and I looked at her. Clearly our daughter and Fran had their own little secret. I looked down at my hands. I’d just thought of Mackenzie as our daughter—Thea’s and mine.

Somehow I knew Allessandra would approve and be happy that Mackenzie had someone in her life that would love her as though she were her own.