She waited a heartbeat, then shifted to get up. Despite how much she wanted to stay how they were, it was time she untangled herself from him, physically and emotionally.
“Don’t go yet,” he said, sitting with his back against the headrest. “We need to talk about what’s next.”
Here was the moment she’d been dreading, the official parting of the ways. She felt sick just thinking about it, but she forced herself to lay out a logical plan for their separation. “I guess we’ll have to travel together until we retrieve your car. Rogers gave me permission to take the one we’ve been using home until I can make other arrangements.”
“We’ll need two cars to get home?” he asked, his eyes roaming over her face.
“Well… yeah. I don’t live close to you.” She realized that he didn’t even know what city she lived in. She’d met him at his house when this all began. If traffic was good, it was a two-hour drive from there to her home. “I assume you’re going to Hartsville, and I’m…” She trailed off. Was he suggesting they stay together? She touched his chest, her fingers sliding over the hard muscles, before she could stop herself. “Wait, what are you…”
“I want us to live together. I mean, if that’s what you want.” His expression was serious, maybe even a little worried. “I just don’t know which house is best to live at. What do you think? I love Hartsville, and I think it’s a safe place to live. On the other hand, my house isn’t set up for a baby. You’ve probably got everything you need at your place, and it’s closer to your work, I assume. Maybe you should work up some projections based on the data, so we can make an informed decision.”
He kept talking, trying to reason it all out, but she couldn’t get past the fact that he wanted to be with her. Did that mean he loved her and Nate? Was he willing to be a family with them?
“We should probably factor crime rates,” he continued, “access to medical care, and the quality of school districts into the analysis.”
“Anderson, slow down,” she managed to say.
“Too soon to worry about schools?”
“Yes, and you’ve leaped over some data points. Points that I need to make a proper projection.”
“Such as?” He grinned at her. Was he teasing her? She couldn’t tell.
Nate started babbling in his bed. “Wait here. Don’t go anywhere. Please.” She touched Anderson’s cheek, wanting desperately to kiss him but afraid to trust what he seemed to be saying. “When I come back, we need to backtrack in this conversation, because I’m very interested in gathering the missing data.” She got out of bed and yanked on her robe.
In his bedroom, Nate greeted her with a toothy grin. “A tooth,” she exclaimed. “Daddy’ll be happy to see that finally came through.” She quickly changed his diaper and fed him before bringing him back with her to her bedroom. She was a little surprised to find Anderson waiting just as she’d left him. He wasn’t the kind to sit around… but she’d given him specific directions and he’d followed them. She smiled.
“Let me.” He held out his arms for Nate and settled the baby against his chest. “Now, you.” He patted the bed next to him. When she sat, he drew her close to his other side. She felt a soft kiss on her temple and sighed, her body tingling with anticipation. Something very good was about to happen. All the data pointed to it.
“Now, tell me why we’re deciding between my house and yours?” she asked.
“Because we have to be together, Violet.” Another kiss touched her hair. “I can’t live without you.”
She tilted her head back to see his face. “That’s a big change in your position.”
He grimaced. “I was a damn fool. Yesterday morning, I was rushing back here to tell you something important, something I managed to figure out. I hope you’ll forgive me for being slow to—” He broke off. “This is all new to me.”
“Anderson, I need you to name what this is. That’s a really valuable piece of information to me.”
“I can do that. I love you, Violet.” He leaned closer to place one perfect kiss on her lips before continuing. “Like with you, I think it started in Russia, but I shut it down. I’ve never let myself believe in love or family. Those were things other people had. When you suggested that we could have them, when you wanted them with me, it shook me. I didn’t know how to respond.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “So I did it badly. I thought you’d be better off if I pushed you and Nate away from me.”
“Never,” she said, her heart melting at his every word.
“I’m glad you think that, because I can’t be without you both,” he said. “I’m still not convinced I know how to be a father or that I’ll be a decent one, but I’m going to try.”
She pointed to where Nate was snuggled against him, thumb in his mouth. “You think that’s not proof of your ability to be a dad? Look at him.”
“He’s beautiful.” Anderson’s tone was almost reverent. “And so are you. I’m scared that I’m going to screw this up or disappoint you, but I love you too much to do anything but be with you. Can we be together?”
“We can.” She put one arm around Anderson and another around their son, feeling that they were truly a family now. “I love you, too, Anderson. You already know that, because I couldn’t keep it in even when I should have.”
“No, you were right to say it. It was what I needed to hear. You’re brave and brilliant and beautiful, and I don’t deserve you.”
“Stop that kind of talk.” She shifted to face him more fully. His expression was so serious that she couldn’t resist touching the worry lines across his forehead. “We already know we make a great team. There’s no reason to doubt… anything.” She smiled at him, enjoying the moment. She kissed him then, letting the kiss communicate her feelings.
The kiss ended when Nate made a gurgling noise and reached out a little fist to grab a lock of her hair.
“I think he’s ready for the day,” she said, gently untangling herself.
“Then let’s take him home.”
Epilogue
Ten months later
“That’s it,” Anderson said as he hung the toddler swing from the play structure in his backyard. It was an elaborate fort with a kid-size climbing wall, rope ladder, and slide. Violet had teasingly complained that it was a mini SEAL training ground. Anderson couldn’t disagree with her assessment, and he was looking forward to teaching his son some skills.
“Not bad work for a weekend,” Patrick commented as he gathered up his tools.
“I appreciate your help.” Anderson shook hands with Patrick and Kenton. The three of them had returned from a mission two weeks earlier and were slated to deploy again in a month, so they were all making the most of their time in Hartsville. “One day we’ll return the favor, Kenton.”
Kenton shook his head. “Not likely, but I’m always happy to help you guys out.”
Anderson walked with them to their trucks, thanking them again. After they’d driven away, Anderson went back into the yard by himself. He and Violet had purchased this larger house in Hartsville a few months earlier. After plenty of discussion, they’d chosen Anderson’s hometown to raise Nate. Violet had arranged with her agency to work from home, and so far it was pretty damn perfect.
The neighborhood was far nicer than the one Anderson grew up in, and he loved it. Loved the friendly atmosphere, the sense that people looked out for each other. That eased his mind when he was gone on missions and had to leave his family behind.
His family. The expression still surprised him sometimes, but he was ready for the next step, which he planned to take that day. He patted his pocket, assuring himself that the small box was still there. So many times in the past weeks he’d come close to proposing to her, but he’d wanted the timing to be just right.
He eyed his backyard. He’d made sure the setting was perfect for the occasion. Flowers were blooming in riots of white, yellow, and pink. A soft scent perfumed the spring air, which was warmed by mellow late-afternoon sunshine. The only t
hings missing were Violet and Nate.
As if on cue, they appeared on the back deck. Nate had short toddler legs, but that didn’t slow him down. When Violet put him down in the grass, the boy ran toward Anderson and his new play structure.
“Do you want to try out the swing?” Anderson asked, scooping his son up and swinging him in a circle. After he’d let himself be a dad, it was like bands had been released from his heart. He didn’t always get things right with Nate, but he was trying.
“Yeah,” Nate squealed.
“Here you go.” Anderson lowered Nate into the bucket-type swing and gave it a push, setting it in motion. Nate’s smile was wide, which was more thanks than Anderson needed for the work he’d put into the structure.
“I think he likes it,” Violet said, coming to stand next to Anderson. She still took his breath away with her bright, soulful eyes and the way her hair swung loose around her shoulders. “What a treat to have this in his own backyard. He doesn’t know to thank you, but I do.”
“He’s my son. Isn’t this what dads do for their kids?” Anderson asked. Nate was a constant source of fascination for him. What always mystified Anderson was how much Nate changed while he was away on missions, even short ones.
“See, I knew you’d figure it out. As a matter of fact, I was so confident that I started making a change to an important document,” she said, smiling.
“Oh, what?”
She pulled an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. “Nate’s birth certificate. I want him to legally be Nathan Anderson DiPaula Park.”
Anderson unfolded the paper and stared at it, speechless. All the details about Nate’s birth were there. Date, time, place, mother, and now father.
“It’s not a hundred percent official yet,” she said. “You have to sign the paperwork, and it has to be returned to the courthouse. But I thought…”
“I’m honored,” Anderson managed to get out, so pleased. He knew that Violet trusted him to care for their son, but this felt like a larger declaration of her faith in him as a father.
“I’m glad,” she said and gave Nate a push in the swing. “What a perfect day. I love the spring sunshine, and I love having my boys both with me.”
Her words jolted him, reminding him that he had a surprise of his own, which he hoped would make the day even more perfect for her.
“I have something for you, too,” he said, pulling the box from his pocket and dropping to one knee. She gasped, and when he reached out to her, she willingly put her hands in his. “Violet, you’ve given me so much. Nate, a life that I never expected, understanding, and so much love. I never want to be without you. So I hope you’ll marry me. Will you?”
“Is there really any doubt?” She bent closer, brushing her lips against his. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
He’d been almost certain of her answer, but he still felt relief flood through him. “Would you like to see the ring?”
She nodded, and he released her hands to open the box. The oval-cut diamond was set in platinum with smaller diamonds encircling it. He’d looked at hundreds of rings before finding this one. Something about it called to him, and he knew it was the one. By the look on her face, he’d been right.
“That’s amazing,” she whispered. “So gorgeous.”
He removed it from the box, and she held out her left hand. When he slipped the ring on her trembling finger, he felt complete in a way he never had before. She turned her hand so the sunlight reflected off the stone, obviously pleased with what she saw.
“Come here,” she said in a breathy voice and fisted his shirt front to pull him up.
He put his arms around her, hugging her tight to him. Her hands went to his shoulders, and she tilted her face to his in invitation. He kissed her then, relishing the knowledge that she was his for always.
“When should we get married?” he asked when the kiss ended. He was willing to do the big wedding thing if she wanted it.
“Before you deploy again,” she said without hesitation.
“What? In the next month?” He studied her face. He was due on base soon for a mission that was expected to last the summer. That didn’t leave much time for planning or a honeymoon.
“Yes. The sooner, the better.” She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged him closer for another kiss. “Then, after the wedding, we can get started on a little brother or sister for Nate,” she whispered.
“More kids?” The thought should have made him panic. Instead, he welcomed it. And this time he’d be there for Violet every step of the way.
“It’s a big house.” She tipped her head toward their home. “We should fill it up, and I don’t want Nate to be an only child, and—”
“You don’t have to convince me,” he said. “I’m in.”
She smiled at him, love shining in her eyes. He hadn’t thought he could be any happier than he was already, but this—their plans for the future—gave him confidence that things were only going to get better from here.
End of The SEAL’s Surprise Baby
Hartsville’s SEAL Heroes Book Two
The SEAL’s Convenient Wife, 31 December 2020
The SEAL’s Surprise Baby, 7 January 2021
The SEAL’s Instant Family, 14 January 2021
PS: Do you love hot blooded SEALS? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from The SEAL’s Instant Family and The SEAL’s Surprise Son.
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About Leslie
Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.
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BLURB
Navy SEAL Kenton Fitzpatrick has his life planned out. Retire from the military in a few years, find a lovely woman, get married, have kids. But all that gets thrown off when he comes home from a mission ahead of schedule and finds a beautiful woman with toddler twins and a slobbery dog living in his house. Mia Kingston, who gained custody of her nieces when her sister died, lost her apartment in a fire, so Kenton’s mom thought it would be fine for her to stay in his house while he was deployed. Though having a family living with him isn’t ideal, Kenton agrees to let them stay. With his life plan set in stone, he has no worries that a free spirit like Mia will throw him off track. But when an enemy from Kenton’s past surfaces looking for revenge—and puts Mia and the twins in his sights—Kenton may have to accept a change in plans.
Mia always intended to return to her apartment once repairs were completed. And she never intended to fall for a sexy SEAL. Then again, even with the chaos of the twins, the threats on their lives, and Kenton’s frustrating need to plan everything, Mia’s never been happier. Having lost her parents at a young age, it’s nice to have a family—even if it’s not quite real. While Kenton’s focused like a laser on keeping them all safe, Mia’s struggling to keep her heart safe from falling too hard, too fast.
Will it take nearly losing Mia for Kenton to realize he can’t live without her?
Grab your copy of The SEAL’s Instant Family
Available 14 January 2021
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* * *
EXCERPT
Chapter One:
Kenton Fitzpatrick closed his laptop and eyed the men who sat across from him. Patrick and Anderson were integral members of the SEAL team he
captained—and his two closest friends.
“I’m not satisfied with what happened,” he said with a shake of his head. The higher-ups weren’t pleased with his team’s performance, either, so he’d taken some heat. Not something he was accustomed to. “I want a do-over.”
The mission to North Africa to take down a child-trafficking ring had been at best partially successful. Kenton’s team had managed to disrupt, but not destroy, the network that brought in children from all over the world and sent them back out to fates he didn’t want to contemplate.
“Not likely for us,” Patrick said, leaning back in his chair. “But another team will get assigned to finish what we didn’t.”
“Maybe they’ll have better luck,” Anderson said.
“Luck has nothing to do with this kind of work,” Kenton said flatly. He snatched a pen off the table and clicked it while he thought. It was true that occasionally his SEAL team caught a break, but success came from meticulous planning and flawless execution. He excelled at the former and was well known for it. And he couldn’t fault his men’s actions. They’d done what he’d planned, but the trafficking ring’s leader had slipped through their grasp. Kenton didn’t think it would be long before Marcus Ocampa built another network to prey on innocent children. And that pissed him off.
“I’m still trying to sort out exactly where it went wrong,” Anderson said. His language skills and analytical brain had been invaluable during the mission, but nothing had been enough to get the team to their end goal.
The SEAL’s Surprise Baby: Hartsville’s SEAL Heroes Book Two Page 14