“But, by finding out about my daddy, you proved that wrong. You showed me that I was worthy. I love you, Alex. Not like the besotted little girl who followed you around like the nuisance I was, but as a grown woman who knows her own mind. And her heart.” She paused, then continued shyly, her head bent. “And I hope you love me, too.”
Alex tipped her head up to him, and Macy’s heart swelled at the tender smile on his face and the love radiating from his eyes. He took both her hands in his and brought them to his face and kissed them. “You know I do, Macy. I might not have said it yet, but I do. I love you. It might have taken nearly losing you to make me come to that realization, but I do.”
He loosened his hold on her hands and, sliding his hands down her fingers, sank to his knees.
“I love you, Macy Jackson. I know this seems like it’s come on pretty fast, but I think I’ve been half in love with you for most of my life, even if it took almost losing you to make me realize it. I’m so sorry I didn’t keep in touch with you after…you know. But I didn’t think a lowly sergeant was equal to a doctor. And when you didn’t call me, that thought seemed to have been confirmed. I am so sorry I missed all these years with you and our son.” He took a deep breath and swallowed.
“I don’t have anything like a ring to give you to cement my promise, but I want you to spend the rest of your life with me.” Alex reached into his pocket and pulled something out that he pressed into her hand. “Will you marry me, Macy?”
Weak-kneed and giddy with happiness, Macy sank to the floor in front of him. “Yes, Alex. Yes, I’ll marry you, and I’ll love you for all the rest of my days.”
Only then did Macy think about the thing that Alex had pressed into her hands. Her fingers closed around it. The object was heavy and round and warm with the heat of Alex’s body. She opened her fingers and examined what appeared to be a large commemorative coin the size of a silver dollar. “What is this?”
“It’s a coin,” he told her. “Every combat controller has at least one. It’s part of the tradition.”
“Tradition?” Macy asked, running a finger over the bas-relief design.
“Yeah. Silly when you come to think about it. Every guy’s supposed to have one. Anyone with a coin can call a coin check at any time, and anyone who doesn’t have one on him will have to pay the price.”
“What kind of price?” Macy asked, an idea growing in her mind.
Alex grinned and shrugged. “Usually it’s just to buy a round of drinks for the house or something like that.”
“But it doesn’t have to be?” Macy clarified.
“No. I guess not,” Alex replied, a puzzled look on his handsome dark face.
“Do you have another?”
“Not on me. Why?”
“I’m calling a—what did you call it?—a coin check,” she said, barely containing a triumphant grin. “Do you have a coin to show me?”
Alex held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry, ma’am. Don’t have one with me right now.”
“Then you’ll have to pay the price.”
“And what would that be?”
“Do you remember what we were doing hours and hours ago that was so rudely interrupted?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alex said, saluting.
“I’d like you to do it again.”
“Hoo-ah,” Alex cheered, as he got to his feet. Macy took his hand and tugged him in the direction of her bedroom.
“This time, Alex Blocker, I want you to take it slow and easy. Do you think you can do that?”
“Hoo-ah,” Alex replied with a broad grin. “Yeah, but I’m not so sure you can.”
“Hoo-ah,” Macy replied as she drew him impatiently onward.
Then there was no more time for talking.
Epilogue
Christmas
Macy Jackson Blocker snuggled deeper into Alex’s arms as they watched Cory playing with his Christmas toys amid piles of colored wrapping and empty gift boxes. The colored lights on the Christmas tree twinkled and blinked, brightening the early-morning gray. Macy sighed with contentment.
Alex nuzzled her neck and whispered, his warm breath sending delightful shivers dancing up and down Macy’s spine, “Happy, Macy?”
“Ecstatic. I could stay like this forever. I never thought I could feel so much peace.”
Alex chuckled, his deep baritone voice rumbling against her as she nestled in the crook of his arm. “We’d best drink it all in now,” he said. “It’ll be a zoo later when we go over to Gramma’s for Christmas dinner.”
“I love that zoo,” Macy murmured softly. “After so many years of handling everything by myself and feeling so alone, it is so wonderful to be a part of such a big, loving family.”
“Speaking of families…” Alex growled, with a definite gleam in his eye. “Don’t you think it’s time we gave Cory a baby brother or sister?”
“I don’t know,” Macy teased, stretching up to peck him on the lips. “I think our little man enjoys being the center of attention.”
Cory looked up from his pile of new action figures and grinned. “Hey? You two talking ’bout another surprise?”
Macy laughed. “What makes you think we’re talking about a surprise?”
Giving an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, Cory replied, “You two was allatimes whispering afore Christmas, then you would say it was a surprise and to be patient till Christmas.” He sighed again and rolled his big brown eyes. “It’s Christmas now,” he said, breathing deep, his skinny chest puffing out and his shoulders rising and falling. “You’re still whispering.”
“No, we weren’t talking about a surprise,” Alex said. “We just didn’t want to keep you from enjoying all your new Christmas toys.”
Macy supposed the topic of their conversation did involve a surprise, but it would be at least nine months before it came to be. In the meantime, she guessed she’d have to change the subject to the here and now. “Did you have a nice Christmas, Cory?” Cory nodded enthusiastically. Then he sighed and grew pensive for a moment.
“Something wrong, son?” Alex asked.
“No.” Cory smiled, then broke into a wide grin. “You know what was the bestest present of all?”
Alex shook his head.
“It was when I got a new last name and got to be Cory Jackson Blocker. I like having a daddy like alla other kids.”
Macy blinked tears from her eyes, and she felt Alex draw a deep, long breath beside her.
“I love having you for a son, too” Alex said, his voice definitely thick with emotion.
Cory scrambled to his feet and climbed up into Alex’s lap and tried to gather them into a big hug. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too,” Macy murmured back.
“I love you and your mom,” Alex said, squeezing back.
“You’re the best things that have ever happened to me.”
“Don’t forget Gramma,” Cory reminded them.
Alex laughed. “How could I ever forget her?”
“And if we don’t get moving this morning, we won’t be ready for dinner at Gramma’s house. You know she always serves dinner at noon on the dot,” Macy said to lighten the subject.
“Aw, Mom. You know Gramma would wait for us. She loves us,” Cory said.
“And we love her,” Macy agreed, smiling. What a change from that terrible time just a few months ago when she had felt alone in the world.
Everything was so different, yet so much the same. And it had only taken a tornado to make it all happen.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-6859-6
THE SERGEANT’S SECRET SON
Copyright © 2003 by Bonnie Gardner.
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