“Good Lord,” his mother prayed out loud. “Please tell me where I went wrong.”
“Mama Steele,” Jace snickered. “I think we better leave these two alone.”
“I think you’re right. Besides, Miss Inez and Mr. Curtis are on their way back. We can give these two some privacy while updating the others on everything.” His mom’s face hovered over his. “Behave yourself, Logan Steele,” she said again, brushing a kiss to his forehead. “I really like her.”
Weslee pulled up a chair next to the bed, still holding his hand while she did it. It was just the two of them now. “So,” he said, giving her a wry grin, “do you want to have babies with me?”
Her smile was a slow lift of the lips. “Are you tellin’ me out of everything I said to you that’s the only part you remember?”
“Uh, yeah,” he said, accidentally slipping in a mild curse word. He was a guy. Of course, that’s the part he’d recall first. “Sorry about swearing. I swear I’ll work on cleaning up my language.”
That made her laugh. He loved her laugh. Oh, man, he loved her.
“I love you, Weslee,” he said, his voice husky with emotion. He’d always been so afraid to utter those words to any woman, which was kind of ironic for a former Navy SEAL whose job description required courage and bravery as a prerequisite. At least the girl he’d fallen in love with was fearless enough to tell him first. Only right now she looked completely astounded by his declaration. “You still love me, right?” he asked, lifting one eyebrow.
She answered him with a soft kiss that, once again, didn’t last long enough. “I love you, too, Logan,” she said, pulling back before he could lift his hand to keep her close.
His eyes skimmed over her face. A face he loved and wanted to see every night before he went to sleep and first thing in the morning. He’d almost died, and his second chance at life wasn’t going to be spent worrying about things he couldn’t control. Time was a precious thing, and he didn’t want to waste one second away from Weslee.
He wished he had some piece of jewelry he could give her because he wanted to ask her to marry him right now. Then he remembered his bracelets. He looked at his wrist, but they weren’t there.
“They had to cut them off in the helicopter. You needed more fluids, and they had to start another IV.” She squeezed his hand and then let go and stood up. “The nurse gave them to me to keep safe for you.” She rummaged around in her purse and found what she’d been looking for.
“May I see them?” he asked. “Please?”
“Yes.” She walked back to the chair and sat down. “But first you need to chew on this, soldier.” She placed a square piece of gum against his lips and then slipped it in with her fingers.
Dang, he had no idea how hot it could be to have a girl feed him. He definitely needed to put a ring on her finger. “Wow, thank you,” he said, chewing the gum in hopes of getting the much better kiss she’d promised sooner than later.
“Oh, it’s gonna be my pleasure,” she teased with a sultry wink that spiked Logan’s core body temperature to the point of spontaneous combustion. “Don’t you dare tell your mama I said that,” Weslee said with a laugh. “I couldn’t help it. After spending so much time with Jace I think his sense of humor has rubbed off on me.”
Logan narrowed his eyes. “He didn’t try to steal you away, did he?”
“Several times, but I told him I have eyes for only one Hot Navy Guy.”
“You think he’s hot?”
“Goodness, Logan, did you hear anything else I said?”
“You have eyes only for me?”
“Exactly.” She sobered a bit as she handed him the two string bracelets. “They were careful and cut them in a way you can re-tie them if you want.”
He rubbed the two strings with his thumb and finger, feeling the familiar edge. “I do want to re-tie them.” He shifted on the bed. “Does this bed raise up a little?”
She pushed a button that raised the head of the bed up so he was no longer staring up at her. “Better?” she asked.
“Much.” He held her gaze for a heartbeat before focusing on one of the bracelets, folding it over a few times to shorten the string.
When he was satisfied, he looked at her and held out his hand with his palm up. She placed her left hand in his, which was the one he wanted. Bringing her hand to his mouth, he kissed her fingers, saving her ring finger for last. Letting go, he picked up the shortened string and carefully tied it around her left ring finger.
“Logan,” she said in a shaky voice. “What’re you doin’?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I promise I’ll get you a better ring, but this one will have to do for now.”
“A better ring?” she asked as her lower lip started to quiver.
“Weslee Anne Campbell.” He winked at her. “Learned your middle name when I ordered my stuff from Ground Zero.” He’d forgotten all about the order and hoped it was still on his doorstep. “Weslee Anne Campbell,” he said again. “I think I fell in love with you that day on the beach when you ran into me.”
She captured her quivering lip with her upper teeth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She seemed to cry easily, but if she could put up with him then he could tolerate her tears.
“I was too stupid to ask for your name and number.”
“I wouldn’t have given it to you, anyway,” she teased.
He grinned. Being married to her was going to be a lot of fun. She better say yes.
“I did come back a few times, hoping to run into you again. And then I walked into Sutton’s conference room and saw you sitting there.”
He knew she could razz him about thinking Jon was the one he was supposed to protect, but she didn’t.
“Let’s just say I knew that my life was about to change forever.” He swallowed and ran his thumb over the string on her finger. “That is if you’ll have mercy on me and be my wife?”
A small laugh bubbled out of her. “Yes! Yes, I’ll be your wife.” She sniffed. “And I don’t want a better ring. I love this one.” She held it up and admired it like it was a two-carat diamond. “I’m never taking it off.”
“Um, you’ve met my mother. I will buy you another ring.” He motioned for her to come closer. “I think we should kiss now, don’t you?”
Her enthusiastic yes was preceded with a mild curse word a preacher might use in a Sunday sermon. “And don’t you dare tell your mother I said that either,” she whispered with a teasing glint in her eyes.
His laughter was silenced when her mouth met his in a kiss that burned through him. He loved this girl so much, and he couldn’t wait to marry her. “We’re having a short engagement,” he said against her mouth.
“A very short one,” she said before giving him another kiss that was bound to set off his heart monitor.
Feeling his strength as well as a clearer mind return, Logan took over and kissed her long and slow, savoring the taste of her. He hadn’t planned on this happening to him—falling in love—ever. But nothing had ever felt more right.
Their lips parted, and she edged back to gaze into his eyes. Shoot, courage and bravery had nothing to do with loving this girl. Having babies with her? That didn’t scare him either, not with this beautiful woman by his side.
Epilogue
Six Weeks Later
Turning around, Weslee faced the full-length mirror and stared at her image. The bride gazing back at her looked as radiant as she felt inside. She smoothed a hand over the lacy white material of the floor-length skirt. She had fallen in love with the dress the moment she saw it. The lacy bodice had a high neckline and cap sleeves with a teardrop-shaped cutout in the back. The dress was seamless and hugged her body perfectly, making her feel like a princess.
“Oh, Weslee,” Julia Steele said with a slight wobble in her voice. “You are the most beautiful bride.” Logan’s mother dabbed the corner of her eyes with a white hankie. “I don’t know how my son found you, but I thank the Lord he did.”
“Amen to that,” Inez said, handing Weslee her wedding bouquet made up of yellow roses, tiny white daisies, and vibrant green leaves. “You truly are beautiful, baby girl. Logan won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”
Weslee gave them a watery smile, willing herself not to cry. Her makeup was perfect. The dress was perfect. This day was perfect because in approximately five minutes Uncle Jon would walk her down the aisle and give her away to Logan. The only thing that would make this better would be to have her parents here. Still, she felt them close by and knew they were happy for her.
“Thank you, ma’am,” she said, giving Julia’s hand a squeeze. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be marrying him.”
Tears formed in Julia’s eyes that were similar to the color of her son’s. “Remember I want you to call me mom,” she said. “Because I already think of you like the daughter I’ve always wanted.”
“You two need to stop this,” Inez said wiping at the corner of her eye. “You’ll mess up your makeup, Weslee, and delay the wedding.” Inez handed her a clean tissue. “And we all know that groom of yours will not be happy about a delay.”
“No, he won’t,” Weslee said with a laugh.
Her soon-to-be-husband hadn’t been kidding about having a short engagement. He’d wanted to get married the day after he was released from the hospital. His mother insisted on two months. Inez voted for three months. Jon voted on a year, which everyone shot down quite vehemently. Especially Logan, who hadn’t had a problem with bad language since the effects of the IV pain meds had worn off while he was in the hospital. However, he’d had a slight relapse when Jon suggested the year-long wait. It was already torturing enough for them to say goodbye each night. She couldn’t imagine postponing much longer.
In the end, Weslee convinced Logan to give her at least six weeks. It wasn’t easy and required a lot of promises she intended to keep—just as soon as they were husband and wife.
Glancing at the wall clock, Weslee was suddenly hit with a bout of nerves. “Logan is here, right?” she asked, placing a hand over her stomach.
Looking at one another, Inez and Julia both started laughing.
“Honey, that boy couldn’t possibly get cold feet,” Inez said a moment later. “He’s like a walking inferno, especially when y’all are together.”
“He’s here, sweetheart,” Julia said tenderly. “And still grumbling about having to wait until this evening.”
“I know.” Weslee smiled, thinking about the text message she’d received from him at 0500 asking her why they couldn’t be married during a sunrise instead of waiting for the sun to set. “But he knows why this time is important to me.”
Truthfully, the timing was just as important to Logan. They’d chosen to be married on the beach in San Diego where they’d first run into each other, keeping the same timeframe too, which was just before sunset. All of his former SEAL team had arrived hours ago to help the wedding planner set up chairs for the guests as well as the pretty archway she and Logan would stand under while they pledged their lives together.
The wedding party wasn’t large. They’d wanted the ceremony to be simple, but she’d quickly learned just how tight Logan and his SEAL team were. She now felt like she had five older brothers. Annoying brothers sometimes, but oh so loyal. They’d do anything for Logan and for her now.
Jace was Logan’s best man. Creed, Baron, Maddox, and Blaine were all groomsmen. Weslee had asked Kate to be her maid of honor. The two of them had become good friends, continuing to go to the spa together at least twice a week after Weslee had relocated to San Diego. She’d taken up residence in her parent’s oceanfront house when Logan had been released from the hospital. Only now she was in the large master bedroom on the first floor, anxiously waiting for Logan to move in with her.
She and Logan had decided to make their home in San Diego for now. She would commute to North Carolina as needed until the new CEO Jon had hired took over Ground Zero. While she would maintain her shares in the company, she wanted her focus to be more on running the charities her parents had devoted most of their time to. Then, once she and Logan started a family, she could pick and choose how her time was spent.
Moving to California didn’t mean she was ready to sever her ties with North Carolina. She loved the memories she had with her parents and didn’t want them tainted by what had happened on Emerald Isle. After talking it over with Logan, she decided to sell the beach house as well as her parent’s mansion outside of Raleigh. They wanted a fresh start and a chance to create new memories in their own beach house. Eventually, they planned on building a vacation home somewhere on the East Coast. As much as she loved Emerald Isle, she couldn’t imagine going back. The community was small, and she knew returning there would make the Whitakers uncomfortable. They were already suffering enough from the events that nearly took Logan’s life.
Hopefully, staying away would also give Robbie and Josh a chance to mend their relationship as Josh received the mental health care he needed while serving out his sentence in juvenile detention. Since he was still a minor and Logan hadn’t died, the kid had been given a break. Both Weslee and Logan hoped the young man could make something of his life. They also hoped Robbie would get the help he needed too. It turned out that he did have a drinking problem. The whole incident with Josh’s girlfriend had happened when he was drunk, and he claimed he didn’t remember much about it or that Josh had known.
“Miss Inez?” Kate called from the large walk-in closet. “Could you help me get the zipper?”
“I knew she’d need help,” Inez whispered.
“I heard that,” Kate said. “And I’m not opposed to asking for help if I need it.”
Inez rolled her eyes and hurried to help the maid of honor. Kate was fiercely independent and didn’t rely on anyone if she didn’t have to. Raised in foster care, Kate had learned that if she wanted something out of life then she had to do it for herself. She’d had a hard time letting go of the belief that trusting someone and asking for help didn’t mean she was weak.
A knock sounded at the door, sending a rush of adrenaline through Weslee. That had to be Jon because Logan wouldn’t have knocked, just barged right in.
“Hello, Jon,” Julia said when she opened the door. “You look very handsome.”
“Thank you, Julia,” he said as color infused his face. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
Weslee bit back a smile as she watched the couple with tenderness. The two of them had become good friends when Logan was in the hospital, but something had shifted in their relationship the past few weeks. There was definitely a spark between them.
Logan hadn’t liked it at first, but after seeing his mom with adult eyes rather than his boyhood perspective, he had changed his mind. He and his mom had finally openly talked about his father’s death and how it had affected both of their lives. His mom admitted that her grief had been so overwhelming that she never wanted to marry again. She felt bad that she hadn’t adequately followed up with Logan as her heart had healed. She wasn’t opposed to marrying again, she’d just never found anyone to fall in love with again. To be fair, Logan hadn’t made talking about it easy. The two of them had fallen into a pattern of avoiding the subject.
Jon’s gaze landed on Weslee. “What a beautiful bride you are, Weslee my girl,” he said, walking over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Are you ready for this?”
“More than ready,” she said. It was past time she married her Hot Navy Guy.
“Good, because I’ve got six Navy SEALs breathing down my neck to come and get the bride or they are going to do it their way.” He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “I don’t even want to know what their way entails.”
“Probably not,” Weslee said with a giggle. Logan had told her at least five different ways he could get in and out of the house with her and no one would even know he’d been there.
She believed him. Last week, he and Jace had gone on a special ops mission they’
d said was confidential. However, a few days later, Jon miraculously found a file sitting on his desk with information about Dax Hamilton stealing company secrets, as well as proof that he’d altered his contract with Ground Zero by removing the non-compete clause.
Weslee had known exactly where the file had come from, but when she confronted Logan about it, he’d just grinned and told her that the information was classified and that she didn’t have the proper security clearance.
It had only taken a few persuasive kisses to get him to admit he and Jace had let themselves into Dax’s house to look for incriminating evidence. They claimed it wasn’t breaking and entering since technically they didn’t break anything.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Kate said as she and Inez entered the room. She looked beautiful in the ice-blue dress Weslee had picked out for her friend. “Wow,” Kate said, stopping in front of Weslee. “You look so gorgeous I might consider doing this someday.”
Her comment was progress. Kate vehemently swore that marriage wasn’t for her. Weslee was just waiting for the day when her friend met her match.
“Thank you.” Weslee handed her maid of honor a small bouquet of white and yellow daisies. “You look beautiful, Kate. The single guys Logan invited are going to be fighting over you.”
“Oh please,” Kate said. “That’s funny considering I could probably kick all of their butts.”
“Ladies,” Jon said. “Logan is going to break down this door if we don’t get going.”
That got everyone moving. Inez and Julia left to find their seats. Then the music started and Kate preceded Weslee down the pathway that was lined with rows of flickering lanterns on both sides. As soon as Weslee stepped onto the start of the makeshift path, the wedding coordinator cued the music for the bride. An acoustic instrumental version of Ed Sheeran’s Perfect started playing. It was the song Weslee and Logan had danced to at the charity ball and shared their first kiss to.
The Rogue Warrior: Navy SEAL Romances 2.0 Page 17