His Baby Secret - A Second Chance SEAL Romance (Once a SEAL, Always a SEAL Book 1)

by Layla Valentine

  “Have, um, you seen my brother?”

  “No, not yet.” Dominic looked a little sheepish. “I thought it would be best to keep my distance. Let things cool down.”

  “Probably for the best.” Hannah cleared her throat. Anything to get her body back under her control. “So, you’re a cop.”

  “I think the term we prefer is police officer,” Dominic said, “but yes. And I’m renting a little place just a few blocks from here. You know that apartment complex behind the supermarket?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Hannah said. “Those places are pretty nice.”

  “Plus, I’m within walking distance if I have a late-night snack attack,” Dominic said. “And there’s a pool on premises, if you ever want to come over and bring Kira. It’s really convenient.”

  “That’s really nice of you to offer,” Hannah said. “Kira loves swimming. Well, she doesn’t exactly swim, yet. She loves to bounce around in the shallow end and float in the deep end.”

  “I’ll teach her to swim,” Dominic said eagerly. “A Navy SEAL’s the best teacher for that. You wouldn’t imagine what some of my training entailed.”

  “Go easy on Kira, please.”

  “Of course. I’m just saying. Don’t spend money on any swim lessons when you have me here.”

  “Dom, I’m just still not sure why you’re here.”

  Hannah was so confused, certain that her brain was struggling to keep up with what was happening, not too terribly sure that this wasn’t a dream. She could completely imagine herself taking a seat on the porch after weeding and sweeping and falling asleep out of pure exhaustion.

  “I’m here for you,” he said simply. “To be here for you and Kira. That’s what I want. It’s why I retired from the Navy, why I got a job with the police, why I got an apartment five minutes’ drive from you.”

  “Why didn’t you reach out to me before now?”

  “I’m sorry,” Dominic said. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up before I could prove to you that I was going to step up and take responsibility for this family. I needed you to understand that I was committed.”

  Words had completely deserted Hannah. She just stood there and gaped at him, not sure what she was supposed to do or say to any of that.

  “I hope you believe me when I say that I’m willing to do anything and everything it takes to be in your life,” Dominic added. “Your life and Kira’s life. I want us to be a family.”

  Overwhelmed was an understatement. Hannah tried to muster the ability to speak.

  “Do you want to stay for dinner?” she squeaked out, which hadn’t been what she’d planned to say in the least. “I mean, you’re probably on duty. Of course you are. You’re in uniform. Driving a cruiser. And I don’t even know what’s in my fridge. I know what’s in my freezer. My freezer’s stocked with pizza. Chicken nuggets.”

  “Do you have eggs?” Dominic asked, gently ignoring the fact that Hannah had started babbling again.

  “Yeah, probably. Pretty sure.”

  He smiled. “I make a mean omelet.”

  She blinked, too surprised to be nervous. “Really?”

  “Yeah. One of the first recipes I mastered, and one of the most adaptable there is. You can make it as simple or as fancy as you want, depending on what else is in the fridge.”

  “Wait, you cook?”

  “I’ve been learning,” he said, completely nonchalant. “Man, though, what did we ever do without the internet? I’ve been following these video tutorials online. I don’t think I’d be very good at making a recipe just from a cookbook.”

  “Well, come on in,” Hannah said, turning and looking over her shoulder. Kira had apparently been doing her best to eavesdrop from inside the house, her face pressed against the glass of the window in grotesque hilarity. “I’m sure Kira’s looking forward to dinner.”

  Dominic laughed. “She has a lot of personality.”

  “Gets it from her dad, I think,” Hannah said as lightly as she could manage, aware that this was the first time they’d casually spoken about their daughter together. Them yelling at each other and panicking didn’t count.

  “I think she has a wonderful blend of attributes from both her parents,” Dominic said. “You want to wash up? I’ll get everything started.”

  Hannah realized that it had been seven-some years since someone had cooked for her that wasn’t a fast food restaurant. She tried not to take Kira out to eat too terribly often. It wasn’t exactly healthy, nor did it help Hannah stick to her often-precarious monthly budget. Hannah couldn’t pretend that a heavy diet of frozen meals was particularly healthy, but she did what she could.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and get started on your homework?” Hannah suggested to Kira after she had got out of the shower and changed into fresh clothes. “Do you have a lot tonight?”

  “Some,” Kira said, evasively.

  “Some?” Hannah couldn’t help but smile. “Let me guess. Spelling?”

  “Ugh, yeah.” Kira did an elaborate roll of her eyes that Hannah was going to blame on some classmate she hadn’t met yet.

  “Well, the sooner you get it done, the sooner you don’t have to do it all,” Hannah said, wondering, with a maudlin little stab to her gut, what age Kira would be when she saw right through the wisdom of that advice. Hopefully long after her spelling homework days were over.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked, stepping into the kitchen, realizing that Dominic had everything well in hand. She should’ve stayed down here with him to tell him where all the different pans and spices and oils were, but he seemed to have managed on his own.

  “You can sit and relax and let me cook for you,” Dominic said, glancing at her.

  Hannah heaved a sigh and sank into one of the chairs around the table. “I’d argue with you to try to be polite, but I am pretty tired.”

  “You’ve been working hard?” He’d taken off the shirt of his uniform and duty belt and stashed them on top of the fridge, well out of Kira’s reach. It was something Hannah was thankful he’d thought of.

  “Yeah, all the time, in general, but especially lately,” she said. “Just trying to stay busy, really.”

  “I have to say, the house looks nice.”

  She laughed. “Well, that’s what happens when I work too hard trying to keep it that way. Thank you, though.”

  “It’s hard to fit everything into 24 hours,” Dominic agreed. “Especially when you’re by yourself.”

  “Pretty much.”

  He smiled at her over his shoulder, expertly flipping the omelet he was working on. Not a stray ingredient flew out of the pan. That move was decidedly sexy. He was either fibbing about only just now learning how to cook, or he’d been practicing that flip to impress her. She wasn’t sure which option was more endearing.

  “You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Dominic said. “You’re going to have all the help you need, now.”

  Hannah huffed a little laugh. “What, are you going to be over here scrubbing floors after your patrols are over?”

  “If that’s what you need,” he said. “Or I’ll arrange for a cleaning service to do it.”

  “What? Really?”

  “Whatever you need,” he repeated, carefully enunciating every syllable. “I’m serious, Hannah. You’re going to get help. I’m not backing down from that.”

  She discovered that she really, really liked that, someone else telling her that she could take the backseat on some of the essential things in her life like cooking and cleaning. She liked watching Dominic move around the kitchen, completely capable, minimizing his mess by cleaning as he went.

  “Dinner’s ready,” he said, far too soon. “Want to call Kira?”

  Dominic had really gone all out, using onions, bell peppers, sliced ham, cheese, and plenty of salt and pepper in the omelets. He found some ketchup to tempt Kira’s palate and they all sat down together to eat.

  “Huh,” Hannah said, washing down the bite of omelet with a glass of or
ange juice.

  “What’s that?” Dominic asked, looking up from his plate.

  “The omelet’s really good,” she said, smiling. “What do you think, Kira?”

  “Really, really good,” Kira confirmed, busily sawing away at her omelet.

  “I’m glad you like them,” Dominic said. “Maybe I’ll get the chance to try out new recipes on you two as I learn them. How does that sound?”

  “Yummy,” Kira said.

  The omelet was good. And better than whatever frozen offering Hannah was going to heat in the oven. But her “huh” of discovery had been that this was their first meal together as a family.

  She hoped there would be many more to come.

  Chapter 24

  Dominic

  “You really don’t have to do that,” Hannah said, resting her chin on her fist as she watched Dominic plunge his hands into the hot, soapy water. “We can leave the dishes for later. It’s easier that way, too. They’ll get a chance to soak.”

  “I don’t mind it,” Dominic said for probably the fifth time. “I like having a clean kitchen after cooking. Makes the meal settle better, in my opinion.”

  “If you insist,” she said with a small sigh. “I don’t know why, but it’s really, really soothing to watch you scour that pan.”

  Dominic grinned. “Then just sit there and enjoy the show. Don’t you think I owe you about seven years of washing up after dinner—and dinners?”

  Hannah laughed lightly. “You don’t have to feel like you owe me anything, Dom. It’s just good to see you again. Glad another seven years didn’t pass.”

  “Never,” he told her.

  “Oh, is that the time?” Hannah asked, looking at the display on the stove, rousing herself from post-dinner torpor, the spell that Dominic washing the dishes had apparently made her fall under. “Kira, it’s time to get ready for bed. Have you finished your homework?”

  “I’m all done,” Kira said, poking her head into the kitchen. “You want to see it? Spelling and math.”

  “Sure, take me through it, then we’ll go get your teeth brushed.”

  It was strange, how comforting this all was. Hannah and Kira going over assignments at the kitchen table. Dominic finishing up cleaning the kitchen after dinner. It wasn’t as exciting as completing missions as a SEAL, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make him as happy. In fact, he was happier right now, in this moment, than he had been in ages.

  “Okay, everything looks good,” Hannah announced. “I’ll sign it and put it in your folder for tomorrow.”

  “Time to brush my teeth!” Kira announced, but Hannah snagged her arm as she tried to sprint from the kitchen.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Hannah asked, a smile playing on her lips.

  Kira mulled that one over. “I don’t think so. I double checked the homework assignment, and I did it all.”

  “I’m not talking about homework,” Hannah said, giving a pointed nod in Dominic’s direction. “Don’t you want to thank Dom for dinner tonight?”

  “Oh, yeah!” Kira shouted, running over to him and giving him a big hug around his legs. “Thanks, Dom! It was a great omelet. Good night!”

  Dominic wasn’t sure his heart was capable of the flutters produced by Kira—his daughter—giving him a hug. Telling him good night.

  “Good night,” he said, ruffling her wild hair. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Was your omelet almost as good as pizza?”

  “Even better than pizza,” Kira whispered, her dark eyes sparkling up at him.

  “All right, you, no more dawdling,” Hannah said, standing up from the kitchen table. “Let’s go get you tucked in. I’ll be back in a little while, Dom.”

  Hannah leaned over Kira and brushed a brief kiss over his lips. For the span of a single gasped breath, Dominic realized he had his entire family with him, everyone close enough to hold.

  That contact was lost all too soon, but the strange feeling in his sternum persisted even as Hannah took Kira up to her room. It was almost as if his chest just wasn’t quite big enough to comfortably house his heart. It was a ridiculous thought. He knew his chest was just fine. It was the love inside it that he was certain was giving him trouble. That there was too much of it to fit.

  Dominic hadn’t been sure of just how badly he wanted this family to work until now. That he needed Kira and Hannah in his life so much. He’d been given another chance to make this work—chance after chance, in fact. And he wasn’t about to squander it.

  It was his most important undertaking. More essential than any of the missions he’d been on. More crucial than the intense training he’d undergone to become a member of the police force. The only mission that was important to him now was making sure he never lost his family again.

  “Hey,” Hannah said, walking back into the kitchen and interrupting his train of thought. “Oh, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” Dominic said, shaking his head quickly to clear his mind. “Just thinking.”

  “About what?” she asked cautiously. “You don’t have to answer that. Let’s just… Can we go back to the part where I’m all zoned out and you’re doing the dishes? I liked that part.”

  “All done with the dishes,” Dominic said apologetically. “I was just thinking about how glad I am to be here. That you could’ve just told me to go to hell when you saw me pull up outside of your house, and you didn’t.”

  “Well, you offered to cook,” Hannah said. “I’d let a stranger in the front door if they just promised to cook for us.”

  “Kira in bed already?”

  Hannah smiled faintly. “She was out not thirty seconds after her head hit the pillow. How do kids even do that? It takes me thirty seconds just to get my body in a comfortable position, then another thirty minutes trying to get my mind to shut up long enough for me to go to sleep.”

  “Probably the bike riding,” Dominic said. “And the homework.”

  “And the home-cooked meal,” Hannah added. “Which, seriously, thank you. I know I rely too much on frozen food. I know I need to do better.”

  “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with frozen food. You’re doing just fine. Come here.”

  He couldn’t resist her any longer, pulling Hannah in close and kissing her until they were both breathless with desire.

  “What’s all that for?” she asked, coming up briefly for air, panting faintly. “Trying to prove how much you like frozen food?”

  “No. Just trying to show you how much I love you.”

  Hannah stopped. “I love you, too.”

  Dominic grinned at her. “That settles that, then.” Without giving her fair warning, he swept Hannah into his arms and carried her to her bedroom as she held on to him and shook with silent laughter.

  “I missed you,” he murmured in her ear, gingerly undressing her. “I’ve been waiting for this. For you.”

  “I could’ve stripped that uniform off you the moment you got out of that car,” she informed him quietly, breathing hard. “We have to be quiet, though, Dom…”

  “I know how to control myself,” he said. “The only question is whether you’ll lose control.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” she confessed. “I’ve missed you in a lot of ways.”

  “Show me.”

  He held her thighs, squeezing the muscles lightly, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was strong. She’d always been strong. Dominic just liked his front-row seat to this show. He reached between her legs and was surprised to discover just how wet she already was.

  “I see, now,” he said, beginning to toy with her, his wet finger sliding along her folds. “Know how much I missed you?”

  She bucked her pelvis against him, grinding against his arousal. “Yes. I do.”

  “Just so we’re clear,” he said, with a grin, rolling on a condom and easing slowly into her body.

  This would never get old, Dominic decided. The way her body fit around him like a tight glove. The way it felt like coming home. Th
e particular way Hannah’s breath hitched in her throat, once he was fully sheathed, and all they could do for long moments was breathe together.

  Dominic would never trade this for anything in the world. This was his happy place, his treasure, and he wanted to make sure Hannah knew it.

  This time, it was different. There wasn’t the urgency of their first time in Hannah’s bedroom when they were eighteen, or the explosion of desperate passion in the hotel room after Harvey and Josie’s wedding. This was deliberate, sensual, and loving. This was Dominic getting to know Hannah’s body again after a long absence.

  This was healing.

  They did well at staying quiet until the very end, until Dominic could feel Hannah’s body clenching his entire length, her breaths coming in shudders.

  It was so damn sexy to watch her come apart even as she tried to hold herself together, muffling whatever sounds escaped her mouth into the crook of her elbow. Dominic could only hold on for a handful of stuttering thrusts before he was right there with her, his orgasm long and intense, his mouth sucking on the sensitive skin of her throat to keep from groaning loudly.

  Even after the last of the aftershocks of his climax, well into the languid depths of afterglow, Hannah didn’t let go of him.

  “You okay?” he asked her gently. “Everything good?”

  “Everything’s…perfect,” she said. “Maybe I’m just not ready to let you go again.”

  “Hannah, I’m here to stay.”

  She withdrew a little at that to peer at his face. “For how long?”

  “For good.”

  She gave a strange little huff, maybe of disbelief. Maybe of hope.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “You think that police uniform was just for show?” Dominic traced the line of Hannah’s jaw with his thumb. “I’m gainfully employed. I have my own apartment here. And, as long as you’ll have me here, I’ll be here.”

  “It’s just…” Hannah looked away. It didn’t matter that the room was dark. Dominic could hear the tears in her voice. “It just seems unreal. Like something I’ll wake up from eventually, and I don’t want to.”