Tate D’Angelo always thought he knew who his father was: beloved doctor, devoted husband and father ... Everyone at the funeral shared the same glowing stories of a kind soul. So when his father’s old college buddy, Randy, approaches him after the service, Tate expects to hear echoes of the same.<br><br>Instead, he gets a lifetime’s worth of letters that tell a different tale and cause him to view his father -- and his family -- in a whole new light.<br><br>The truth, about a secret romance kept buried for decades, astonishes him. Overwhelmed by grief and confusion, Tate’s unsure if he can bear learning how the lives of two men entwined over the years, but he reads on anyway, discovering more to value, more to respect, and most importantly, more to love about the man who raised him.

Family Obligations

“Sure, and I’m the Queen of Norway.” Smoke snorted. “Come on. We’re stuck with each other and until we figure out a way out of here, we don’t have anyone but each other. We have to be able to trust each other a little bit.”


Smoke jumped into action, barely acknowledging the pang he felt at having to leave the fire. He grabbed Gin under the arms and dragged him back toward the bed.


He considered what to do next. He didn’t want to undress him and violate Gin’s privacy, but if Gin needed help Smoke was the only one who could provide it. And while he had no problem killing in the heat of battle, Smoke wasn’t about to let someone die through neglect.


He hoisted Gin to the bed and stripped off his jacket and shirts. He couldn’t miss the bulge in his ribcage, dark purple and angry skin not withstanding. Gin had broken ribs at least, and with the blood he was coughing he’d probably hurt his lungs too.


Chapter 6