A SEAL's Consent (SEALs of Chance Creek Book 4)

by Cora Seton

  Jericho shook his head.

  “What?” Donovan asked.

  “Here I pictured you miserable. Struggling. Hell, you’re way ahead of me. You’ve got a wife, a house, a career…”

  “That’s right. Where’s Savannah? You popped the question yet?” Donovan asked with a grin.

  Jericho froze; how the hell did his cousin know about Savannah?

  Then he remembered the TV show. “Oh, hell—don’t tell me…”

  “We watch Base Camp faithfully every week,” Jackie said with a grin. “I feel like I know you already, but it’s wonderful to meet you in person. We’ve waited for you to show up for a long time.”

  “But—” This was all too much for him to wrap his head around. “If you wanted to get in touch with me, why didn’t you call? And if you’re doing so well, why keep the money—”

  Too late he remembered Kara knew nothing about the monthly payments he’d sent to their cousin. She turned to him. “What money?”

  Donovan raised an eyebrow. “Kara doesn’t know?”

  “No one knows,” Jericho said. “Well, hardly anyone,” he added, realizing soon the world would know because he’d mentioned it to Boone while they were being filmed. Still, he understood that while Donovan hadn’t been paralyzed, he’d still had a difficult childhood—partly because of that fall. So he didn’t begrudge his cousin keeping the money if it had helped him in any way.

  Donovan put his hands on his knees. Leaned forward. “Look, Jericho—when I got your first check, I was…well, I was angry.”

  “He was pissed,” Jackie agreed, but she was smiling.

  “I’d waited all those years to hear from you. I figured sooner or later your family would break down and come after us. Then when you finally reached out—it wasn’t to ask how I was, or to come see me. You just sent a check.”

  “I explained it to him,” Jackie said.

  “She did.” Donovan reached over to tussle her hair. “She said there had to be a misunderstanding. You had to think the damage was worse than it was.”

  “I told you to ask your parents what really happened—why the two sides of the family didn’t talk anymore,” she told Donovan tartly.

  Donovan nodded. “Thing is, I don’t ask my folks a lot of questions. Don’t talk to them much these days.”

  “I don’t talk to my folks much either,” Jericho admitted. “Or, we talk—but we don’t say a whole hell of a lot, if you get my drift. When I was young—”

  “Our parents blame Jericho for what happened,” Kara said baldly. “They think he pushed you.”

  Donovan’s fingers spasmed. “That’s why you sent the cash? It was guilt money?” He hesitated. “Did you push me? I can’t really remember that part.”

  Jericho didn’t know what to say. Donovan’s question felt like a sucker punch to his gut. “If you think I could push you, why did you ever want to see me again?”

  “Like I said, you were my big brother—the only brother I had. I… loved you.”

  Jericho’s hands balled into fists. He struggled to stay in his seat. He wanted to move. Do something. Anything.

  But before he could figure out how to react, Kara suddenly burst out, “I did it. I pushed Jericho. I was mad and I pushed him—hard. He fell into you, the guard rail broke and over the edge you went. I never, ever meant to hurt you—either of you. I’m so sorry—it was an accident.”

  “Of course it was,” Donovan said quickly, looking from one to the other. “Guys, I always knew it had to be an accident. I knew it in my gut. But are you saying your parents don’t know that? They think you did it deliberately?” he asked Jericho.

  Jericho nodded slowly. “They think I was irresponsible. A boy.”

  “Jesus.” Donovan shook his head. “What a mess. What a fucking mess.” He looked like he’d get up and pace again.

  “Baby,” Jackie said.

  “So I was right; this was guilt money. But not for not reaching out to me sooner; because you thought—what did you think? You knew you didn’t push me!”

  “I knew that. But I was in charge. I should have stopped Kara—”

  “Oh, leave it!” Kara exploded. “We were all kids. Just kids! You pissed me off—I wanted your attention, I pushed you, you fell into Donovan, Donovan fell out of the tree house.”

  “And all of us wasted twenty years feeling bad about it. All of us,” Donovan said again. “And not just us—our parents, too. They’re still together? Your folks?”

  “Yeah,” Jericho said. “They’re together, but—”

  “But it’s never been the same,” Kara finished.

  “My parents act like…like…” Donovan struggled for words.

  “Like they could be hauled in for a crime at any time,” Jackie exclaimed. “Like they’re hiding something. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Ours, too,” Jericho said, leaning forward.

  “That’s because they are,” Kara blurted. She clapped her hands over her mouth and shook her head.

  “What do you mean?” When Kara didn’t answer, Jericho asked her again. “Kara? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, fuck.” At first Jericho thought she’d refuse to say any more. She dropped her head into her hands and stayed silent for a long moment. “I never told anyone.” Her voice was muffled by her hands until she straightened. “Mom told me never to tell—and I think she thought I was so young I would forget what I saw, because she never mentioned it again after that night—”

  “Mentioned what?” Jericho couldn’t stand not knowing.

  “When Donovan fell—” Her voice cracked. “We knew it was bad. You ran so fast to get help. Then they sent you back to the house with me, remember?”

  Jericho nodded. He remembered all too well. “That’s when they got you to the hospital,” he told Donovan. “You were unconscious.”

  “No,” Kara said. “You’re wrong.” A tear slipped silently down her cheek. “They didn’t take him to the hospital. Not until the following morning. I saw—I saw from my room.”

  Jericho pictured her room at the rear of the house. One window faced the backyard. The other their aunt and uncle’s place.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” Kara went on. “I could never sleep in those days and that night I was terrified. I was in bed and I heard something; all the windows were open—it was summer, remember? I looked out and saw Aunt Patty and Uncle Chris in their house moving around Donovan’s room. The light was on. They were bending over Donovan’s bed; I could tell he was still there. I thought he was better and I wanted to go see him. Mom caught me in the hall. She told me it was just a dream, and not to tell anyone.”

  “Why—why would they wait?” Jericho asked. He didn’t understand that at all. Donovan had been unconscious. Obviously hurt. Possibly badly—

  “They were drunk,” Donovan said slowly. “They were drunk when it happened, weren’t they?”

  Kara nodded.

  Jericho’s head reeled. “But—even so—” He couldn’t fathom it.

  “Donovan could have died. I know,” Kara said. “I’ve thought about that so many times. They took that chance in order to save themselves.”

  “No wonder they can’t look each other in the eye—any of them,” Jackie said.

  Jericho’s gaze stayed on Donovan. His cousin’s features were slack. His eyes glassy.

  “I hate them,” Kara burst out. “I hate them for doing it—and for making me a party to it. I hate them for never talking about it—never making amends!”

  He watched his cousin struggle with the new knowledge. Finally, Donovan shook his head. “You know what? I’m tired of being angry. I just feel…sorry for them.”

  “They could have killed you,” Kara cried out. “I could have killed you. Why don’t you hate me? I hate me!”

  Donovan lurched across the space between them and caught Jericho’s sobbing sister in his arms. “Hating you wouldn’t do me any good. It wouldn’t make me feel like I’ve found a family. It wouldn’t
give me hope for the future.”

  Kara couldn’t stop crying. “I don’t know how it all got this bad,” she sobbed. “I kept hoping the problem would go away, and instead it got bigger and bigger. It’s taken over everything. I can’t stop drinking. I’m a terrible mother—”

  Donovan held her until Kara had sobbed herself out on his shoulder. When she finally pulled back, he turned to include Jericho in his gaze. “Here’s the thing. The three of us—no,” he broke off, gesturing for Jackie to join them. “The four of us can stop this right now. We can change the course of the future—the future of this entire family. We can forgive each other, and our parents, and each other’s parents. We can erase the slate and start over. Then maybe our children will have a chance.”

  “Our children—?” Jericho interrupted. “Do you two have kids?”

  Jackie placed a hand on her belly. “I’m three months along,” she said with a smile.

  “That’s right; I’m going to be a daddy,” Donovan announced with such pride Jericho’s heart flip-flopped in a funny way. He wanted to feel that kind of pride—to know his family would continue on—

  But that wasn’t his path. Maybe Donovan was okay, but Akram wasn’t. He would never heal from the bombs Jericho hadn’t been able to save him from. “I’d like that,” he managed to say. “To put the past behind us and move forward—as a family.”

  It was a start.

  “I’d like that, too,” Kara said. “If you’re sure it’s possible.” She could barely look at Donovan.

  “It’s already done,” Donovan assured her. “My body healed a long time ago. I’ve made a good life for myself. The only thing I could wish for was my parents to stop hating themselves long enough to heal, too.” He nodded again, as if to himself. “Now that I know what really happened, I think there’s hope for that.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Jericho said. “I know Mom and Dad still miss your folks.”

  “Then let’s do whatever it takes to get them together again, all right?” Donovan asked.

  “Deal,” Jericho said.

  “Tell him what you did with the money,” Jackie urged her husband.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Jericho rushed to assure them.

  “Sure it does. I donated it in your name, anyway,” Donovan said. “To a foundation that helps wounded veterans. I have a lot of respect for your service,” he added. “That’s the one thing I’ve always regretted about my injuries; they kept me from being able to join up. So I did what I could.”

  “How did you even know…?”

  “There’s this little thing called the Internet. Ever heard of it?” Donovan challenged him.

  “Yeah. Guess I should have used it, too.” He and Donovan could have mended fences years ago. He’d really been an ass.

  “We’ve matched every penny you ever sent,” Jackie said proudly. “We were happy to do it.”

  “It’s a good cause,” Donovan said.

  “You’re a good man. I’m proud to be your cousin,” Jericho told him.

  “Don’t you go turning on the waterworks, too,” Donovan chided him. “Come on. Who wants barbecue for dinner?”

  “Savannah. Can I have a word?”

  Here it was—the moment Savannah had dreaded for months. She’d hoped she could slip away after the concert, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. She’d made it down the hall after leaving her mother behind, but Charles had caught up with her. She turned to face him and did her best to compose herself.

  “You played—wonderfully,” he said. “I’m sorry I ever doubted your ability.”

  “Funny how you made up your mind without ever really listening to me play,” she couldn’t help say. Charles’s lack of interest in her passion had hurt her a lot back when they were together.

  “You’re right; I was—so caught up in making money, I lost sight of everything. I lost sight of you.” He took her hand. “When you left, I had to do a lot of soul-searching. At first I was angry. Embarrassed. People kept asking why you’d gone. I finally had to ask myself that. I realized it was because I’d behaved so badly. I’m sorry for that. Can you forgive me, Savannah?”

  She didn’t have to forgive him, Savannah realized. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. She knew now she’d never loved him in the way a wife should love a husband.

  Jericho was the one for her.

  “Of course I forgive you,” she said. And meant it. She wanted to free Charles from the past, too, so he could move on and enjoy his life.

  “I knew it!” Her mother was on them before Savannah even saw her coming again. “I knew if you two had a moment together you’d patch things up. You’re made for each other! Oh, I’m so happy!”

  “Mom—”

  “Let’s make the announcement right now. Everyone’s waiting for you. This is so exciting!”

  “Mom!”

  “I’m game if you are.” Charles hugged Savannah roughly. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from me for long; what we’ve got is special. As soon as I heard you play our song, I knew you were coming back to me. This is perfect. Don’t you think?” he said to Savannah’s mother. “We can announce the new partnership between our families, too.” He urged Savannah farther down the hall. She tried to wriggle away, conscious of her pregnancy—conscious she’d inadvertently given him the wrong impression.

  “Charles—”

  They rounded a corner into the lobby, and came face-to-face with a crowd far larger than Savannah could have expected.

  “Who are all these people?” she gasped.

  “The ones who didn’t get into the concert. You’re famous, darling! You’re a TV star, remember?” her mother said, a smile plastered on her face. “Now get up there and start talking. Everyone’s dying to know what you plan to do next. Tell them about Charles. Tell them about us, for heaven’s sake. We could use a little publicity.”

  “But—”

  Before she could protest, her mother pushed her forward, and the crowd erupted into cheers. To Savannah’s consternation, there were press people in the crowd along with spectators. Her mother was right; there was no way this many people could have squeezed into the little concert hall earlier. The thought that they’d waited for her here—simply to hear her make an announcement—struck her dumb as Charles tugged her to a lectern where several microphones had been set up. The small crew Renata had sent along with her came around the corner, too. Afer a quick look at the crowded hall, Ed elbowed his way in front of the lectern and began to film.

  “Wait!” Savannah realized what was happening. Knew she had to stop it, but even as she tried to pull away, Charles gripped her wrist and leaned toward the microphones. “Everyone, we have a wonderful announcement.”

  “We love you, Savannah,” someone yelled from the back of the crowd. Cheers and whistles erupted from several areas.

  “Isn’t she wonderful?” Charles said, his amplified voice ringing around the hall. “I love her, too.”

  More cheers erupted.

  “And I have wonderful news,” he went on. “Savannah and I—”

  Savannah wanted to run, but it was far too late for that. Running wouldn’t solve this—it hadn’t solved anything so far. If she wanted to take control of her life, she needed to try something different.

  She surged forward and nearly knocked Charles away from the lectern. “Hello, everybody!” It was weird to hear her voice so loud. Weirder still to wait while the crowd cheered her on.

  “Savannah. What are you—?”

  Savannah blocked Charles and leaned forward again. “I came here today to do a concert to raise funds for the San Mateo Radiology Center. It makes me so proud to know so many people care about this important cause.”

  The sudden silence in the lobby confirmed her belief that very few people had come to support the cause she’d mentioned. They’d come for the chance to be near someone they’d seen on TV. Savannah’s resolve stiffened. “As most of you know, back home I’m involved in another important cause—an exper
iment in sustainable living dedicated to show ways we can all have a good life without consuming resources unnecessarily.”

  Charles shifted beside her. She knew he didn’t like the reference to Chance Creek as home. He muscled in on her space, leaned in and said into the microphone, “And I know wherever she goes, Savannah will always be determined to help others out. That’s one of the things I love about her so much.”

  An expectant hush filled the lobby, before several voices called out at once.

  “You two getting married?”

  “That true, Savannah?”

  “What about Base Camp? Have you told your friends?”

  “Are you leaving the show?”

  “What about Jericho?”

  When Charles leaned in again to answer, Savannah lost her patience and elbowed him hard. No one got to call the shots for her anymore. Not Charles. Not her parents. Not even Jericho, as much as she loved him.

  She gripped both sides of the stand to make sure she could keep possession of the microphone. “Charles and I are not engaged. We will not be married.” She rushed on despite his muttered exclamation. “Nor am I engaged to Jericho Cook. I am single. I am returning to Chance Creek tomorrow. I want to thank you all again for coming out today.”

  She pushed her way through the crowd as quickly as she could, leaving Charles sputtering behind her at the microphone. As if she’d dropped a load of bricks from her shoulders, she felt lighter and surer of herself than she’d felt in years. A smile tugged at her mouth as she pushed through the throng of people still trying to ask her questions. For the first time, she faced her future unencumbered by the past.

  She had no obligations to her parents or Charles. Nothing to prove to anyone but herself.

  She wanted to be with her friends, play her music, have her baby and then set up concerts within easy reach. She wanted to look into all the other ways she could use music to brighten the lives of the people who mattered, the people close to her. If she ended up some day at Carnegie Hall, so much the better, but she’d play for her own enjoyment, not to prove something to her parents.