by Amy Brent
I held my breath for a moment while I sorted through that thought. “So is that what you're doing, or...?”
“That depends a lot on you,” he said. “I feel like things have been going really well between us. And I'd like our relationship to grow into something more. But I need to know if you're in the same place I am. That you want the same things I do.”
“And what is it that you want?”
He reached up and cupped a hand against my cheek. “I want you.”
I leaned my face against his hand and closed my eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“And if I ask you to stay...?”
“Then I'll stay,” he said. “As long as I know what we have is something serious. I'm not asking you for marriage or something. Not yet at least. But I need to know this is a real commitment.”
I opened my eyes and looked down at him. My heart raced in my chest. “Before you decide,” I said, “I think I should share my news with you.”
“Of course,” he said. He got up and sat in his chair, scooting it closer to me. He took my hands in his and squeezed them. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to find the right way to share my news. In the end, I decided there was only one way to do it. I had to be direct.
“I'm pregnant.”
He froze in place, staring at me. His hands went limp in mine. My mind raced, imagining the worst possibilities. That he'd take the job overseas after all. That he'd leave me to raise this baby alone. Sure, he'd pay child support, and he was wealthy enough that the baby would be well-provided for. But that wasn't the same as having a father. A real family.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes.” I sighed and lowered my head. I braced myself for what was coming.
Then he laughed.
I looked up at him and saw that he had a huge, goofy grin on his face. “Really? I'm...I'm going to be a father?”
He laughed again, but it was a laugh of joy. He grabbed my face and kissed me. Tears of relief slid down my cheeks.
He pulled back and brushed a thumb across my cheek, wiping away my tears. “What's wrong?”
I shook my head. “I thought you would leave me.”
“Are you kidding?” he asked. “Now I've got even more reason to stay. I'll put in my resignation tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I'm sure,” he said. “I was ready to stay when it was just for you. Now, I've got even more reason to stay. We can do this. It'll be great.”
I let out a shuddering breath of relief and leaned against him, putting my arms around him. He held me close and stroked my hair. My fears started to fade away. There was still a lot to worry about. I'd never had a baby before, and I wasn't sure if I was ready. But at least now I knew I wouldn't be doing it alone.
I took Rick's hands and stood up, then led him to the bedroom.
“What about dinner?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
“It can wait,” I said. I pulled him onto the bed and pushed him over onto his back. I pulled down my panties, pulled up my skirt, and straddled him, leaning down over him to kiss his sweet lips. He reached up and massaged my breasts, then slid his hands lower and grabbed my hips. He pulled me against him and started grinding up against me before I even had his pants off. I could feel him through his pants, and I ached in that moment to have him inside of me.
I pulled his pants down and lowered myself onto him. He moaned in pleasure and thrust up into me, holding my hips as I moved in time with his motions. I ached for this man, needed him, craved him. And now I knew he would really be mine.
In all of the excitement, it didn't take long for Rick's eager thrusting to bring him to climax. I coaxed him onward, stroking his face and whispering sweet nothings to him. I let him fill me, giving me what I craved, what I needed. Then I collapsed atop him and planted little kisses all over his face and lips.
When it was done, we laid there in bed, holding each other. I knew there were a lot of details to work out. I'd have to talk to Rick about whether he wanted to move into my place, or if we'd be getting someplace new together. I could offer him a full-time job at the bar. Not that he needed the money, but it would give him something to do now that he wouldn't be in the service any longer. And we had to make plans for the baby, getting ready to be a family.
But all of that could wait for another day. For tonight, I laid there, holding my man in my arms, at peace with the world. And I couldn't have asked for anything more.
THE SEAL’S SECRET BABY
CHAPTER ONE
Deacon Cameron left the range with his best friend Trevor James, walking back to his Range Rover to head out to lunch. They did this on Wednesday mornings when Trevor was home in Washington D.C. and enjoyed the time together since Deacon was no longer a Seal due to a knee injury received on the job three years ago. He missed the job more than he cared to admit, hiding that behind the interest he showed in Trevor’s stories as he pushed down his pain.
One thing that hadn’t changed in his life was a schedule. Deacon had been smart enough to invest what he’d earned well along with the inheritance from his grandfather so that he could live well now without worry. He helped out with his brother’s security company part time just to keep busy, working long days whenever James needed the assistance as well as Thursdays and Fridays on a regular basis. He still woke early, something that would never change, using that time to hit the gym and keep himself fit and healthy with a regular trainer. After the gym, he’d run a short distance if he was still feeling restless near his house where there was a nice nature trail.
Today, he’d done all of that early and his knee was hurting a bit as he started the engine of his car. He drove into the city, automatically heading to the diner that they always had lunch at as Trevor pulled a ball cap over his cropped blonde hair and laughed at him.
“What’s your problem?” Deacon asked him, slipping on his sunglasses as the bright spring sunshine nearly blinded him.
“We don’t always have to go to this place, D. I love it and everything but anytime you want to change up, it’s fine with me.” Trevor teased him, knowing how rigid his best friend was to his habits. “Shit, this place has been around for thirty years already.”
“It has, and we’ve been eating here since high school.” Deacon replied, feeling a little contemplative as he pulled into the lot and parked the car. It was one thing that he could still hold onto since losing his job, his memories going back to friends and family as he ran a hand through his own cropped hair. Some of the guys he knew had let theirs grow out as well as growing beards, but Deacon still kept himself clean-shaven at all times. It was what he knew and what he’d seen the men in the family do before him. “I don’t know, Trev. It just means something to me to go here.”
“I hear that. We have a lot of memories here.” The guys left the truck and went inside, sitting at their regular table and ordering the burgers before Deacon sat back and looked around. “How’s Tina doing?”
“She started seeing her ex last week. I started seeing this girl Lorna now. Man, dating is fucking crazy.” Trevor shook his head as Deacon smirked. “When are you going to give it a go? You’re retired now, buddy.
“Like I want a part of that crazy.” Deacon responded, shaking his head. “Ever since James got a divorce, I’ve watched him go through it. It’s insane.”
“Don’t you want to settle down and have a family? I mean, now that things have calmed down a bit?” Trevor watched a stubborn look cross Deacon’s face as he shook his head, longing for it himself as he dated girl after girl to see if she’d be a good fit. Being a Seal made it difficult to work for his friends that were married with kids, but they were all happy and made it work.
Something was holding his best friend back. Trevor looked up as their lunch was brought over, taking a bite of the ultimate comfort food as he smiled to himself. Someday Deacon would meet a woman that turned his whole world upside down.
They
parted ways after that, since Trevor had to meet up with his parents and Deacon headed to the large house that he’d bought himself five years ago. It was in one of the best areas of the city, offering a quick drive to most anywhere that he went and it was secure. The house was a two story brick structure that offered everything he wanted despite living in it alone. Deacon parked his car in the five car garage next to his red McLaren 650s and the Harley that he’d bought the first year he’d left the Navy to take a long road trip on. He glanced at both of them with a yearning in his eyes to take off again as he headed through the garage door into his kitchen. Deacon grinned as he heard his husky barking in his crate, going to unlock it as Tasha jumped up to greet him. “Down, girl!” Deacon told her, looking down at the pup that he’d brought home from Kuwait when he’d gotten hurt. “Want to go out for a while?”
Deacon let her out into the yard and walked out to look over the large expanse of grass as he crossed his arms, considering building a pool now that he was home more. The summers got hot in D.C. and it would make things more bearable, though his mind wandered to other places in his job that had been much more intense as he stared forward blankly. He glanced at Tasha to see that she was playing with one of her toys on the lawn, wandering back inside for some water from the fridge.
Once he’d let her back in, Deacon wandered to the office to check on CM Security using his laptop as Tasha came in to lay down on the floor with him. James had worked hard on building the company, using his part of the inheritance to start it and keep it strong and now his soon to be ex-wife Susan was going after him for part of the company. Deacon shook his head angrily, remembering the look on his little brother’s face when he’d confessed that she was cheating on him with a lawyer from her own job. Nobody was perfect and he knew that James had his issues, but he worked hard to make their life enjoyable and Susan had ripped his heart open.
They’d hired a lawyer to protect him in court and Deacon watched as he started to date girls that were younger than his age of thirty. Finding someone to warm the sheets was understandable but James was taking it further than that, getting emotionally involved despite Deacon’s warnings.
He sent a message to his brother via the messenger app they used, seeing how things were as he sipped his water again. James replied with the news that they would be hooking up a new business with their top package the next day, making Deacon grin. He also asked Deacon if he’d like to hit the local BBQ joint up for some dinner since a date had fallen through and neither brother cooked too much.
CHAPTER TWO
Deacon pulled on a button up shirt that matched the gray in his eyes, tucking it into worn jeans before he left his large bedroom. He slipped his feet into some chucks by the door and decided to take the sports car tonight for a change, heading into the garage to start it with a grin as he slid the garage door open. The two brothers were close since their parents were both gone following a robbery in their home town of Denver. Wrong place at the completely wrong time. The boys were only twenty-five and twenty at that time and Deacon was already in the military with the Seals, so James stayed with their Grandpa and went to the local community college. Once he died a couple of years later, James joined his brother on the east coast and they were both doing well, apart from the divorce issues and Deacon’s current state of unemployment from what he loved.
Deacon pulled out onto the quiet street, keeping the speed safe as he headed towards the main road. The sun was setting and he looked ahead of him intently as he noticed the red light, hitting his brakes carefully. It was a gorgeous night out and he lowered the windows as he drove, paying no mind to the stares that he received as he passed the other cars.
He and James were both good-looking guys with dark hair and the same eyes that could be bluer or grayer, depending on a few factors. They’d had their fair share of women over the years until James had gotten married and Deacon got involved in his military service, always keeping things casual and very short lived at that point. His job was his life and he didn’t want to settle down with the instability of where he’d be at any given time.
Even since he’d stepped away from his career three years’ prior, Deacon still hadn’t really dated. He focused on getting his knee as healthy as possible so he could stay in the shape that he was accustomed to. That had turned into working out several hours a day until he started working with James and soon Deacon found himself with little free time to even consider a relationship. Once James started dealing with his marital issues - that turned into more working hours so that Deacon could support his brother emotionally as well as helping him run his increasingly successful business.
Deacon pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, seeing James standing beside his black Tahoe dressed for work and very similar to himself. They’d always leaned toward the same style and Deacon parked before getting out of the car and ribbing his brother good-natured as they headed inside. Deacon noticed a crowd by the hostess station and stepped forward to look over everyone to see a woman passed out on the floor. “Call 9-1-1.” He told the hostess, who looked terrified as she dialed on the phone. He made his way down to the floor carefully, feeling for a pulse as he took in her dark skin and caramel highlighted curls that framed her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. “What happened?”
“She was picking up a to- go order and just fainted. It just happened,” a customer babbled in his ear as he nodded and realized that she was stable and breathing, still needing to get to a hospital. “She teaches my Art Literature class at the college…I just saw her today. She seemed fine.”
Deacon glanced up to see that his brother was thinning out the curious crowd as sirens sounded over the loud music in the foyer of the restaurant. Flashing red lights filled the room as the door was pushed open and two guys rushed inside with a stretched. “Deacon...what did you do here?” Steven greeted him, taking in the situation. He’d worked with Deacon on a few volunteer shifts after he ended his career with the Navy.
“This woman fainted getting her order. She’s stable but needs to be checked out.” Deacon told the paramedics as they loaded her carefully onto the stretcher and towards the bus as Steven glanced at him with curious brown eyes. Deacon looked at James who stepped forward and clapped his brother on the back.
“You know that you like to see things through as much as I do. We’ll grab some grub after. Got room for two?” James asked Steven, who nodded as the men headed out with them. They knew James as well just from town and Steven moved next to the woman once she was secured inside as they brothers sat beside each other.
“Any idea of what her name is?” Steven asked, checking her over quickly as they both shrugged.
“Someone said she’s a teacher at the school. Maybe American? Art something.” Deacon replied, looking at her as they sped through the streets.
The woman appeared to be in her late twenties or so and was curvy, wearing a loose plum dress that seemed to hide her body from what Deacon could tell. He didn’t mind a little meat on a woman and he looked at her face to see her full lips moving before he took in her tight curls that were spread out onto the canvas. “How is she?”
“Stable, like you said. The docs will have a look at the ER.” Steven replied, letting out a breath as he looked at the brothers. “The call before this was a head on out by the monuments. A family was killed by a drunk driver, so this is a welcome change.”
“Asshole,” James muttered under his breath, both of them hating people that took the lives of others so carelessly. It had started with their parents, who had just been stopping for some milk on the way home. They’d both seen some awful things since then, particularly Deacon.
Little did they know the situation that was right in front of them!
They arrived at the hospital and she was rushed into a small room as James and Deacon stood back by the nurse’s station to observe from a distance. She was moved onto a bed and the staff surrounded her as Deacon watched closely. There would always be a part of him
that wanted to save people, beginning from when he was a kid and saving every animal that he could. His mom had always told him that he had too big of a heart even as she adopted every domestic pet that they could handle as he gave her his wide gaze. Deacon glanced up as he heard someone greeting him, half-smiling at one of the nurses that he’d gotten to know when he was helping out on the bus. “What are you doing here? I thought you chilled out on the volunteer work.”
“Came in with her. We were going to eat but she fainted by the hostess stand and you know me.” Deacon nodded in the direction of the room as Lisa smiled and shook her head. She told them that she would check on the woman and stepped over to look in and talk to the doctor that was looking her over.
“They’re going to take some blood and run some tests. If you guys want to grab something in the cafeteria, I’ll text you when I know something.” Lisa told them, smirking as James rolled his eyes.
“That’s just like Hill Country.” Deacon punched him in the side as he looked at Lisa.
“Headed there.” He shot James a mock glare as they walked away, noticing his brother’s eyes lingering on the lithe strawberry Blondie for a long moment. “Keep it in your pants, Casanova. She’s my friend.”
“Why didn’t you tap that again? She wanted you bad.” James reminded him, watching as Deacon shrugged.
“Timing.” He’d been a mess after he was done with the Navy and dump that on a nice girl like Lisa wasn’t a good plan. He pushed the button for the elevator to head to the ground level cafeteria and stepped onto the empty car as he ran a hand through his hair.
“There’s this thing called casual sex, D. It feels really good.”
“Says the man who keeps getting involved with his rebounds,” Deacon reminded him as James leaned against the carpeted wall of the elevator. They got off and grabbed some coffee and two sandwiches to take to a corner table as Deacon paid with a large bill. James sat back and glanced around the large room where families sat around tables dealing with the bad or the good and a few of the hospital staff tried to have a decent meal.