SEAL'd Heart

by Alice Ward

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  FREE STORY OFFER

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  EPILOGUE

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  LORDS OF THE CITY - A BONUS

  LURED - PROLOGUE

  TORN - BOOK 1

  SECRETS - BOOK 2

  BURNED - BOOK 3

  FORGIVEN? - EPILOGUE

  A SNEAK PEEK

  MORE BY ALICE WARD

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER

  SEAL’d Heart

  FREE STORY OFFER

  Curious about Cadence’s relationship with Ian? Want to know what makes him so intense? Then enjoy this complimentary short story featuring the couple. (This is NOT the main book, but only an EXTRA). Simply CLICK HERE to Download it Now for FREE!

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  Fate is twisted, and karma’s a bitch. Maybe destiny will give us a second chance.

  I’ve been best friends with Skye since we were ten years old. She was my life. We did nearly everything together.

  Until graduation night. The night I f’cked it all up.

  Escaping to the Navy, I found a new home with the SEALs. Then tragedy struck, and I lost it all, again.

  Now I find myself face-to-face with the woman I’ve tried so hard to forget. But it seems I’ve made it impossible for her to stop thinking about me. I left a brown-haired, brown-eyed reminder.

  Her secret. My son.

  A powerful reminder of how love can overcome all. A reminder that I have someone who needs me. Almost as much as I need him. And Skye.

  I won’t give up. This time I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll protect my new family as fiercely as I protected my country.

  I just didn’t realize I needed to protect them from me.

  *** This is a Full-Length STANDALONE Navy Seal Second Chance Romance novel, with an HEA and NO CLIFFHANGER. For a LIMITED TIME ONLY, this book also includes the COMPLETE Lords of the City Box Set as a FREE BONUS. ***

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jake

  “On your mark…”

  I smiled as I watched the small group of children get ready for a race, big smiles covering their faces. The New York Beasts’ mascot sauntered to his “mark” too, wiggling his big red monster butt to the delight of the crowd.

  Hot dogs. Baseball. All that was missing was apple pie, and this would be the perfect American day. A normal day. I took a long sip of my ice-cold beer. Normal. I hadn’t had one of those in a while.

  “Get set…”

  One little guy jumped his mark and took off toward first base. Everyone laughed as he was chased down by a staff member and brought back to the starting line to “get set” again. Even from where I sat in the plush box seat, I could see his pink tongue jut through the space where his missing front teeth were supposed to be. He looked like a happy jack-o’-lantern and had “little boy” written all over him. I could tell he was a stinker just from the way he wrinkled his nose as he laughed.

  The Beasts’ mascot got in on the fun and plunked a big furry paw on the little boy’s sweaty head, clearly trying to hold him still. The announcer raised the starter pistol in the air while the children waited for their cue to run the bases, and—

  Bam!

  The children took off, and in that same instant, I was transported back to Afghanistan…

  Boom!

  The explosion came out of nowhere, followed by the distinct sound of AK-47s. Within seconds, our hostage rescue had turned into a baptism of fire.

  Diving for cover, I brought up my SCAR to return fire to the enemy high above the alley. The rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire surrounded me from every side.

  “We gotta move,” I yelled as I maneuvered to JTAC Mike, who was huddled in a doorway, manning communications.

  Mike turned to me. “Apache’s in route. ETA six minutes.”

  Shit. We didn’t have six seconds. We were totally screwed.

  I began firing at the dark shadows above us again as my team started falling one by one. I was next, I realized. There was no way out of this alley.

  Whoosh!

  “RPG,” I screamed the warning as I dove for what little cover was available. Pain bit into me as the surrounding world exploded and hell’s fury showed itself on Earth.

  In front of my eyes, the building housing our hostages was annihilated, leaving us nowhere to run. As the burning shrapnel fell around us, I realized we’d been setup. The intel was bad. We were wedged in, essentially trapped.

  Trapped.

  Dying.

  Dead.

  A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I was on my feet in an instant. I reached for my nonexistent gun, and the beer in my cup burst all over my face, the cold liquid and the smell of hops bringing me back to reality.

  It was Rhett Hamilton, the owner of the Beasts, looking at me like I was an out of control animal. Maybe I was.

  He raised his hands, showing me his palms as he took a couple small steps backward. “It’s alright, Jake,” Rhett said in a soothing voice and lowered a hand to push the beautiful woman standing next to him behind his back. Protecting her. From me. “Everyone step back and give him air.”

  I looked back onto the field. The children hadn’t even reached first base yet, so I knew I’d only lost a few seconds of time. But a few seconds was too much. It was all too much.

  I need to get out of here.

  Forcing myself to laugh, I cringed at how brittle it sounded as I took the towel someone handed me to wipe the foam off my face and hands. “Sorry. I…”

  I what?

  How did I explain to these people what just happened? How did I ruin their day explaining how many of my friends died beside me that day? How did I explain how I survived? How I walked away when so many didn’t.

  Was it luck?

  If so, I didn’t know if it was good luck or bad.

  “We were just about to refill. How about another beer?” Rhett asked, navigating me around the need to explain. I nodded, thankful for the diversion. He smiled down at the lovely woman next to him, and she smiled back, love shining in her eyes.

  She turned those unique hazel eyes on me. “I’ll go grab them. Be right back.”

  Before I could stop her, she was heading toward the bar.

  “You alright?” Rhett asked with a lowered voice when we were alone again.

  “Yeah. Sorry. Just had a moment there.”

  “Completely understandable. I heard from Ace that your unit went through hell.”

  Hell.

  It was an understatement, but I only nodded, appreciating the older man’s attempt at understanding and not throwing the crazy man — me — out on his ear. This was why I avoided crowds now. Avoided everything. I wasn’t a man who could be trusted anymore.

  I glanced around to find everyone’s attention was back on the field. Except for an elderly lady heading straight in my direction.

  Rhett groaned, then hid the sound with another sip of his drink. When I shot him a questioning look, he just winked.

  “I don’t believe we’ve b
een introduced,” the older woman said, sticking a bejeweled hand out at me. I couldn’t help but smile into her twinkling eyes. Or at the jewel-encrusted Beasts’ baseball cap that sat sparkling atop her white head like a crown.

  Rhett cleared his voice and draped an affectionate arm over the woman’s shoulders. “Jake Truman, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Evelyn Steele, grandmother of our first baseman, Kane Steele. Nana Steele, Jake is Ace Newman’s guest today and is interested in supporting Ace’s housing initiative for veterans.”

  I enclosed Mrs. Steele’s frail hand in mine, but then she wouldn’t let go. Instead, she stepped closer and gazed up at me with bright blue eyes, the lines on her face all pulled up with her bright smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Jake,” she said. “Are you married?”

  Rhett Hamilton laughed and quickly raised his own cup of beer and drained it to stifle the sound. Mrs. Steele narrowed her eyes at him, gave a hmph sound, and turned back to me as she awaited my answer.

  “No, ma’am. I’m—”

  “Engaged?”

  I cleared my throat. “No, ma’am.”

  “In a relationship?”

  I would have felt like prey being stalked by a lioness if those blue eyes hadn’t held such kindness. I liked Evelyn Steele right away and found myself wishing she was fifty years younger. “No, ma’am, but…” I winked and held out my arm to her, “I’m open to suggestions.”

  She giggled, and it was such a soft, musical sound that I found myself relaxing even more, the horror of the flashback sinking even further into the dark depths of my mind. She took my offered arm and tucked her hand through it. “You are a scoundrel, Jake Truman. I can see that right away. I’ll need to introduce you to my granddaughters…”

  Oh. Hell. No.

  “…they are both such lovely creatures, I’m sure you’ll agree.”

  I looked at Rhett Hamilton for help, but the fellow billionaire just raised both hands. He’d clearly surrendered to this tiny woman’s machinations long ago.

  “If they’re anything like their grandmother, I’m sure they’re both lovely, but I—”

  “Wonderful…” she interrupted, looking up at me. The lights caught one of the jewels in her bedazzled cap, nearly blinding me. Were those real diamonds? Surely not. “Hand me your phone.”

  “Huh?”

  She hmphed again and held out her hand. I meekly handed it to the old woman.

  “Unlock the screen, young man.”

  I felt like I was fourteen again, a decade slapped away with her withering look. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I swiped and watched her wrinkled thumbs get to work adding her name and phone number. With the speed of a teenager on crack, Evelyn “Nana” Steele was in my contacts. She tapped the call button, and the Chanel purse sitting on the table beside us began to ring. “Now, we’re connected. I’ll be calling you soon with details. You will answer when I call, won’t you?”

  Had anyone ever told this woman no?

  “Mrs. Steele, I—”

  Her eyes held mine, and she patted my hand. “You shall call me Nana.”

  I swallowed hard. “Nana—”

  “Nana Steele, there you are…” A gorgeous strawberry blonde wrapped her arm around Nana Steele’s shoulders and gave me a conspiratorial wink. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Nana’s arm snaked around the young woman’s waist. “Jake, this beautiful creature is my granddaughter-in-law, Eliana. She’s off the market, so don’t even think about it.”

  I raised my hands in surrender. “I wouldn’t dare.”

  Eliana cut in. “I was hoping to get your opinion on colors for the nursery, Nana.”

  Evelyn Steele brightened and patted Eliana’s flat stomach. “Of course, my darling. I’ve already had several ideas.” Eliana began walking, steering the elderly woman over to a group of waiting women. The younger woman looked back at me and mouthed, Run.

  Rhett Hamilton elbowed me with a grin and handed me a cup of beer. “Wise advice. I’ll text you when it’s all clear.”

  He didn’t need to tell me twice.

  Bursting out of the luxurious private box and into the crowd of people heading to the concession stands, I took in a deep breath as I began to walk the upper deck. Chugging the beer, I tossed the cup and kept walking, needing to get the pent-up energy out of me. The hot July air struck my face as I headed down the concrete steps. Below, the Beasts were taking the field. At another time and place, I might have been interested in watching the game, but today, I felt unsettled, even more than usual.

  I’d come to the ballpark strictly out of a need to talk business with Ace Newman, the team’s infamous short stop. I didn’t normally like crowds. Maybe that was why I felt so anxious. That, and the flashback that had already regressed me back to a time I didn’t want to remember — I wasn’t exactly feeling jovial. It would have been better if I’d insisted that Ace meet me before the game, or even after, but I thought I’d be able to handle the owner’s private box.

  Apparently not.

  I didn’t think I would ever be able to handle anything ever again.

  As I wound my way up and down the steps, going nowhere in particular, I ran over the questions I planned on asking Ace. I needed to have some prepared, but I honestly didn’t know what to talk about. I knew very little about the short stop, but what I had heard was impressive. I liked how much work he did with veterans and wanted to do something useful with my life. All I’d had to do was mention this desire to one of my old platoon buddies, and a day later I was connected, an email from Ace asking me to come and meet with him in my inbox.

  Two months out of the SEALs, with no job or real hobbies, and more than a billion dollars in my pocket meant I had not only a lot of free time, but too many thoughts in my head. Mostly bad ones. I needed to do something with my days. Sitting around and being useless never suited me. Besides, if I stayed still too long, the demons were bound to catch up with me sooner or later. Correction, they’d already caught up with me. Now, I just needed to stop them from consuming me completely.

  Yeah, I have it rough.

  Poor little rich boy.

  I know. I know.

  But I wasn’t looking for sympathy or understanding from anyone. Hell, I wasn’t looking for anything from anyone. I just wished the world would leave me alone.

  A horn blew, and I jumped, adrenaline dumping into my system again. This was a bad idea. I never should have come. I needed to get the out of here. I could always contact Ace later, set up a private meeting, or better yet, a conference call.

  Hell, instead of trying to do my own thing, I could just do as I originally planned and donate a couple hundred million to Ace and let his team do all the work. After the kind of shit I’d seen, using my money to help out veterans seemed like a no-brainer. God knew, they needed more helping hands than they were getting. But that didn’t mean I had to personally oversee every detail. Or any detail at all.

  A ball cracked off a bat, and adrenaline flooded me again.

  Yeah. I needed out of there.

  Looking around for the best escape, I threaded my way through the crowd of people on the upper deck with huge drinks and popcorn bags in their hands. Turning to the left, I found a back stairwell and headed that way, hitting the steps at a jog. The sound of a crying child made me skid to a halt and nearly trip over my own feet.

  Just like that, another memory hit me. A hot, dusty road. A small child crying in the doorway to a house. I shook my head, desperately trying to dislodge the vision.

  No, I told myself. This wasn’t a kid strapped to a suicide vest. I wasn’t in the desert. I was in New York City. At a damn baseball game for fuck’s sakes.

  My heart slowed its hammering as I continued to reason with the monster hiding inside my brain. This was probably just a kid crying because his mom wouldn’t let him have cotton candy. That was all it was.

  I kept walking, but then stopped after two more steps. On the landing below me, a little brown-haired boy was hud
dled, just a couple yards down the stairs. He couldn’t be more than six or seven years old, not that I was any good at guessing ages. His face was scrunched up, thick tears rolling down his cheeks. He clung onto the railing like it was his lifeline as he cried. When I looked harder, I recognized him as the little boy from the race.

  The pain that ripped through my stomach was enough to make me want to throw up as I eyed the crying child, remembering other children in a world far from this one. I surveyed the area around the boy, looking for signs of a parent. But no one seemed to notice the kid. Everyone was too busy watching the game or texting on their phones to notice his distress.

  I slowly walked toward the boy. In front of him, I got down on one knee so that we were at the same level. “Hey there,” I said softly. “Where’s your mom and dad?”

  He sniffled and wiped his eye with the back of his hand. “I… I… I don’t know,” he heaved.

  I took in a breath that felt like fire. I couldn’t stand to see kids cry, even when it was over something trivial. It triggered something inside of me, made me feel crazy and helpless. “All right. Did they bring you here?”

  “Yeah. My m-mom did, but I c-can’t find her.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to find her for you. I promise.”

  His lower lip trembled. “But what if she left?”

  My heart cracked a little. “She wouldn’t leave you here. Trust me. If she’s your mom, she loves you and would never leave you.” I ducked my head lower and looked into his big brown eyes. “Do you believe that?”

  He blinked away his tears and smiled just enough to show me the jack-o’-lantern teeth I noticed when he was racing the bases. “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, listen. My name is Jake, and I’m going to help you find your mom. What’s your name?”

  “Jagger.”

  A shiver ran through me. That’s what I always said I’d name my own kid if I ever had one. “All right, Jagger. Do you know what direction you last saw your mom in?”

  He looked to the left and the right, his face growing pale as he did so. “No,” he whispered. “I got my name chosen to run the race, and I ran it, and then I won and got my picture taken with the Beasts’ mascot because I came in first because I’m very fast because I really like to run a lot and then… then…”