Okay, time for my other excerpt. I hope that you all liked the last one, the little peek into Charlie and Gideon’s life.

I had a hard time whittling down which two excerpts to provide here. I wanted to introduce some of the other key characters like Gideon’s brother, Tyson or their mother who like all mother’s has to learn to let her boys go, but don’t want to give too much of the story away…I’m kind of evil that way.

I decided to go with a (slightly altered to make sure we kept it PG-13!) glimpse of Gideon and what he is dealing with now that he has a wife at home to think about…

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As soon as they were airborne, Walker unstrapped, and as he was getting up, he looked directly in Gideon’s eyes. His head jerked toward the rear of the aircraft where huge crates of equipment were stacked. Gideon knew immediately what he wanted. It was time to pay for yesterday’s distraction with a little piece of his ass. But when he conjured up the image of Charlie in that pink number, he decided it was more than worth the verbal ass-kicking he was about to take.

Reluctantly, Gideon unhooked his straps and got up to follow. Glancing over at the other members of the team, he was suddenly in a hurry. At least three of the new guys were turning an alarming shade of green. Walking to the rear of the plane and laughing to himself about the newbies, Gideon remembered his first time, and he cringed at what was to come. Fortunately, the noise inside the plane was loud enough that he wouldn’t have to hear the rounds of retching that were sure to be coming soon. And as a bonus, the others wouldn’t hear the dressing-down he was about to get.

Gideon stepped around a crate to face his waiting team leader.

“Lieutenant.” Gideon addressed him formally with a salute, trying to redeem himself.

“Cut the crap, Coop.” The set of Walker’s jaw was hard, but there was a twinkle in his eye. “You know I have to get on you for the little stunt yesterday.”

“Yeah, I was kinda expecting it.” Gideon held his superior’s gaze, letting him know he’d accept whatever was due him.

“Look, I get it. First long deployment since you tied the knot. Been there.” Gideon nodded and waited for him to continue. “Now I got a kid””a kid, Cooper.”

Gideon instantly pictured Charlie, her belly huge with his baby. Just the thought had his blood rushing south, only to do an about face when he then imagined having to say good-bye to Charlie with a baby in her arms.

“This is it for me. I’m getting out when we get home. So you, my friend, need to get your self together, ’cause you’re going to be it, man. These guys need to respect you and be able to trust you with their lives. Playing on your phone during a briefing isn’t how to get that done.”

“I’m sorry about that. It will never happen again.” Gideon was truly ashamed, and knowing this was his last mission with a man he liked and respected made him feel even worse. Lieutenant Walker was completely right, Gideon had to grow up.

A clap on the shoulder let Gideon know that was the end of the lecture””not as bad as he’d thought it was going to be.

“So, how’s daddyhood treating you?” Gideon had completely forgotten Walker and his wife had a new baby. Again, he felt his heart clench when he thought of leaving Charlie and his child.

“Good, good. Of course, Ginger does all the work. I get to do the fun stuff.” His eyes glazed over for a brief second, and Gideon wondered where his thoughts went. “When I get home, she might be walking. That’s what made me realize I was done. I don’t want to miss any of her other firsts if I can help it.”

He turned and walked away, leaving Gideon alone to contemplate his future for a few moments. He wondered if he could survive a civilian job. Would he be happy knowing someone else was doing this job? Did he trust someone else to do this job?

When Gideon finally returned to his seat, he tried to sleep, but the sounds of the new guys puking were not exactly conducive to that goal. Only after a few hours of letting his mind wander, thinking about the future and what it held for his family, was Gideon able to block out the sounds and drift off.

His dreams were vivid and disturbing. He saw Charlie crying, holding his dog tags in one hand while the other ran circles over her pregnant belly. She fell to her knees, her body trembling. His parents stood in the background. Evelyn was held up by Peter, who had a tear rolling down his cheek. Behind them were Tyson, Chance, and Gabby, all with tears in their eyes. Waking with a start, Gideon’s heart raced, and tears threatened to make him look like a total wussy in front of his team.

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Thank you all for checking this out, and if you haven’t already, check out my blog, Life Happened, for some more excerpts and more Charlie and Gideon.

And don’t forget, comments or questions get you in the running for a signed copy and pretties of Indivisible – available January 25 from Omnific Publishing!