Navy Rules
Page 24
“Maeve, my baby girl!” Max swung Maeve up into his arms and gave her a smacking kiss before raising her above his head. She giggled with pure childish joy, oblivious to the life-altering event that had just occurred.
Sheer gratitude overwhelmed Winnie as she watched Krista stand next to Max, her arm around his waist, while he held Maeve on his hip and smiled at his baby daughter.
He’s their father. And the man I love.
As if he read her thoughts, he finally met her glance.
If it were possible to share everything that had ever passed between them in that one glance, they did. Winnie saw the naked love she felt for Max reflected right back at her. Their youthful days of friendship. Max’s unrelenting support of her and Krista when Tom died. Max’s suffering from his war experience. His shock and then joy at discovering he was Maeve’s father. Her betrayal and his forgiveness. Their mutual discovery of how much they meant to each other…
“It seems that you’re done with your therapy. You handled that perfectly.”
“Here, honey, go to Krista for a minute.” Max handed Maeve to her older sister, who eagerly took the toddler in her arms.
Max turned toward Winnie but she was already there. She’d narrowed their separation to less than a foot. He stepped closer and put his hands on either side of her head, his fingers under her hair, and pulled her to him.
Their lips met in mutual relief, love and acceptance. Just when the kiss would have sparked their passion to the “inappropriate in front of the girls” stage, Max leaned back and looked into Winnie’s eyes.
“Yes, Max. I’ve been a fool. Can you forgive me? Will you marry us?”
Max’s grin lit up his face and he turned to the girls. “What do you think, girls? Should we get married?”
Krista screamed, “Yeah!” and Maeve clapped.
Max looked back at Winnie.
“Yes.”
EPILOGUE
Three months later
THE FRIDAY OF LABOR Day weekend brought its usual perfection to Whidbey Island as the sun shone on one of the warmest days of the year.
A sizable audience was gathered to watch Commander Max Ford retire after twenty years of service to the United States Navy.
Winnie noticed Robyn and her parents, also seated in the front row. Unfortunately, her brothers hadn’t been able to get time off from their medical training. Her gaze continued along the second row, behind her. She saw the two men, Jimmy and Ross, who’d survived the B-17 crash landing with Max, and farther down the second row was Roanna. She wondered if Ro and Miles ever met up again.
Winnie relaxed as she held Maeve on her lap, feeling a profound sense of peace. She’d found a man to love, a man who loved her for the woman she was. Max supported her wholeheartedly with her fiber company and she’d overcome her fears to support him with his commuter air business. Winnie reflected that they weren’t entering into their relationship with the naiveté of youth, which made it somehow deeper and even more special to her.
A huge, billowing flag hung from the rafters of the aircraft hangar and served as the backdrop for a stage on which Max stood alone at the podium. His guest speaker, Chief Warrant Officer Miles Mikowski, had just finished a short speech.
Winnie was proud of Max. He’d shown his true humility and sense of duty when he’d asked Miles to be his guest of honor. Usually officers of Max’s stature invited a more senior officer, often an Admiral, to be the guest of honor at their retirements. Miles and Max had bonded as they healed. Max’s deep respect for Miles made him the perfect choice.
Miles saluted Max and Max returned the salute. Winnie knew that this moment, with the two Navy men in their Service Dress Whites, Max wearing a sword at his side, would stay in her memory forever. She didn’t have to turn around to know there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the hangar.
Max was saying goodbye to the Navy.
He looked out over the audience and his gaze sought out Winnie’s. She sat in the front row with Maeve and Krista on either side. She knew they were all that mattered to him. They were his world.
“I want to thank everyone for coming out on this beautiful day. I’m not going to speak for long—I had my chance to do that at my Change of Command ceremony a couple of years ago. My career has meant everything to me. I’ve never been prouder than when I’ve served the U.S. Navy. Until…” He paused. “Until I found out I was a father.”
He smiled.
“All great things come to an end. My time in the Navy is over. But my life is just beginning. A new life, a great life, with my new family. Winnie, I can’t thank you enough for finally agreeing to marry me. Krista, you’re a daughter to me and I know your dad would be so proud of you. Maeve, you’ll never remember this day or my time in the Navy, but we’ll raise you with the knowledge that others are sacrificing every day so you can enjoy the good life we’ll do our best to give you.”
The audience murmured its approval and Winnie didn’t bother to wipe her tears away. Let them fall—she’d earned them. Tears of joy.
“I’ll now read my orders.”
Max proceeded to read his official orders, at the end of which he stood back from the podium. It was silent in the hangar. He walked to the red carpet that ran between two rows of sailors, side boys, who stood at attention. The announcer stated, “Commander, United States Navy, departing.”
The sailors all held their salutes while the ship’s whistle piped Max “ashore” as he walked through the side boys. He left the stage and went to Winnie and the girls.
The crowd stayed silent.
“Are you ready, Winnie?”
“Yes.”
“Girls?”
“Let’s go, Dad!”
“Daddy!”
The four of them walked onto the stage. They took their place, as a family, at the head of the red carpet.
Max looked at Winnie and smiled. “To our new family.”
She smiled back at him.
“And our new life.”
They’d moved his furniture down to her house the week before and hired a contractor to build an addition so Max would have a place to escape all the women in his life.
Max nodded at the announcer. “Navy Commander, retired.”
Max, Winnie, Krista and Maeve walked through the line of sailors together and were greeted by thunderous applause from their guests.
Max kept Winnie’s arm linked in his and smiled at her. “How does it feel to be Mrs. Ford, wife of a retired Navy man?”
She answered him with a kiss.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Superromance.
You want more than just romance! Harlequin Superromance stories are filled with intense relationships, real-life drama and the kinds of unexpected events that change women’s lives—for the better—forever.
Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
ISBN: 9781459230866
Copyright © 2012 by Geri Krotow
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously,
and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com