AFTER THE BLASTAnnabelle McKay thought the hardest part of loving a soldier was saying goodbye every time he deployed. She was wrong.
When her husband Bradley dies in an IED blast overseas, Annabelle is left with a secret only the two of them shared—she's eight weeks pregnant with their miracle baby, conceived through IVF after years of private struggle. Grief-stricken and barely holding herself together, she clings to the one piece of normal she has left: her nephew Braden's first birthday party.
But at the party, her younger sister Sally drops a bomb of her own. She claims Bradley fathered Braden and produces documents to prove it—documents that would strip Annabelle of everything: the house, the cars, Bradley's half of the real estate business, and his military survivor benefits.
The only person who stands up for Annabelle is Winston Proctor, Bradley's best friend and former Army Ranger. Winston knows things about Bradley that no one else does—including why Sally's claim is impossible. As the truth unravels and Sally's lies lead to federal fraud charges, Winston becomes Annabelle's anchor in the storm.
But grief has a way of reshaping everything. And as Annabelle and Winston navigate DNA tests, will readings, courtrooms, and the birth of Bradley's son, they discover that honoring the past doesn't mean they can't build a future—together.
A story of betrayal, resilience, and the kind of love that doesn't erase what came before—it makes room for it.
Please, Check the Trigger Warnings. Your health matters most!This book contains material that may be difficult for some readers, including: Graphic on-page death of a major character (IED blast, military combat injury), Detailed grief and mourning, Infertility and IVF treatment (discussed), Family betrayal and manipulation, Explicit sexual content (consensual, between adults), Pregnancy and childbirth (on-page), Mentions of prior spinal injury and sexual dysfunction
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Poe Emerson's After the Blast