Thunder Island
Page 32
At last.
Kyle scooted upright and looked around the dark room. What could he say to change her mind about their relationship? He’d had months to come up with something, but he hadn’t been able to think of anything that he hadn’t already told her.
He lay on Jennifer’s bed wondering what he could possibly do, when he heard a noise downstairs. He vaulted to his feet, his SEAL training still kicking-in. Scanning the shadowy room, he realized no one had gotten the drop on him.
He descended the stairs, thinking he was imagining sounds from the past when Thunder Island had been a hive of noise and activity. At the bottom of the shadowy staircase stood a solitary figure.
“Jenny? Is that you?”
“Who else were you expecting in this tomb?” she called from the bottom of the stairs.
“I knew your flight was delayed.” He raced down the stairs, squinting, trying to see her in the shadowy darkness. He made out her petite form clad in white shorts and navy shirt. “I wasn’t sure when you would arrive.”
“The Navy transport just landed.”
Resisting the urge to kiss her, he guided her out the door onto the verandah. “Let’s sit here,” he said when they came to the swing.
Jennifer smiled over her shoulder as she sat down and the swing creaked. She’d cut her hair into a chin length bob that had just a hint of a natural wave to it. Otherwise, she looked exactly the way he’d remembered her.
Bright blue eyes. Sexy smile.
His Jenny.
An image seared into his brain from his youth.
“I’ve been thinking … a lot,” she said.
Uh-oh.
“Before you say anything,” he told her. “I want you to know nothing’s changed for me.”
“Everything’s changed for me,” she told him, her voice low. “I’ve spent months in antiterrorist training. I’ve seen unimaginable horror. Land mines. Maimed children. People living for years in tent cities.”
He nodded slowly, afraid to say a word.
“What do you mean when you say nothing has changed?” she asked.
“I still love you. I understand how you feel after losing Chloe. Even if we don’t have children, I want to marry you.” He looked at her, trying to communicate with his eyes, how deeply he loved her. “I love you enough to forget having children.”
She gazed up at him and shook her head. “I love you too much to allow you to make such a sacrifice.”
Fear tightened in his chest. This was the same argument she’d thrown at him before, and he still didn’t have an answer. She had to forgive herself. “Jenny, please—”
“I asked you to meet me for a reason,” she said, cutting him off.
He nodded slowly, wondering where this was going. And not liking what his gut instinct told him. Time and experience had toughened Jennifer. Her career was going to take the place of a family.
“I’ve spent a good deal of time in Bosnia. You can’t imagine how those children have suffered. Every time I saw a child who had been ripped apart—by senseless acts of terrorism—I remembered Chloe.
“A senseless mistake on my part caused her to lose her life. What the children over there are enduring is something entirely different. Seeing them and thinking about the meaning of life and the joy that can come from a child …” She paused and gazed up at him.
He held his breath, afraid to allow himself to hope.
“I’m willing to risk having another baby … babies. I’ll do my level best to be a good mother, I promise.”
It took a full second for her words to sink in. As it did a wellspring of tenderness and happiness surged through him. Thank you, God.
“You won’t be sorry, Jenny. We were meant to be together. We knew it years ago. We’re older, but in our hearts nothing has changed. I love you so much more than you can imagine.”
Tears glistened in her blue eyes, making them even brighter. “Thank you for waiting.”
“I’d wait forever, if that’s what it took.”
He pulled her into his arms, hardly able to comprehend her change of heart. He kissed the top of her head, then whispered, “What about Kesseldorf?”
“You’re more important than learning how to train dogs. Sadie’s still in London working with New Scotland Yard. When she finishes next week, I plan to bring her home.”
“Jen, where is home?”
She shrugged. “Wherever you are.”
“I’m in Miami, remember? I’m a partner in a private security firm now.”
“Is there a problem? I can go back to my S&R unit with Sadie.”
“Not at all,” he assured her. “I just don’t want you to give up Kesseldorf for me. I want to get married, then I’ll go over there and wait while you and Sadie train with the Germans.”
“Really?” She gazed up at him, smiling. “You’d do that for me?”
“Sure. I know how important it is to you.”
The smoldering flame he saw in her eyes startled him. Jenny slid her arms around his neck. He didn’t need any more encouragement. He kissed her, the soft curves of her body molding against his chest.
She pulled back, whispering, “While we’re in Germany, we can work on having a family, right?”
He nodded, lowering his head to kiss her again. He felt the sooner they started a family, the more likely Jenny would be to forgive herself completely and put the past behind her.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” he said with a chuckle. “I love you, Jenny. We’re going to be great parents.”
Sixteen Months Later: Coral Gables, Florida
Jennifer sat up in the chaise lounge and watched Kyle playing in the shallow end of the pool with the twins. Sadie paced the side watching the gleeful giggling and splashing with a wary eye. Jennifer shared the dog’s concern. Although Kyle was cautious to a fault and had both Andrew and Brianna in lifejackets, a thought always hovered in her mind.
Something might happen.
She’d gotten pregnant immediately, probably before they’d arrived in Germany. During the sophisticated canine training program, they’d learned she was carrying twins. She’d tried her best not to worry, and it had worked.
Until the nurses had handed her a little boy, then a little girl.
“Jenny,” Kyle called from the pool as he towed the seven-month-old twins in a circle, “relax and sit back. I’m right here and the star of Kesseldorf canine school is keeping watch.”
She lay back and closed her eyes, letting the warm Florida sun wash over her. Kyle was right. She had to back off and let her children enjoy life, or she’d stifle their emotional growth.
Her family was happy here in the gracious old home that Kyle had bought upon their return from Germany. It was large, big enough for more children, and she wanted a larger family. Kyle had proven to be a remarkable father.
When she opened her eyes again, she realized she must have drifted off. The pool area was deserted. A quick glance at her watch told her that Kyle put the twins down for a nap. Naturally, Sadie had gone with them.
Her first impulse was to jump up and run to the nursery to see if they were okay, but she made herself stay put. Kyle was perfectly capable—more capable actually—of getting the twins to take a nap. She waited, not as anxious as she usually was, until Kyle came out.
“With any luck, we’ll have a couple of hours to ourselves.” He flopped onto the chaise next to hers. “And I thought antiterrorist work was exhausting.”
She reached across the small space separating the two recliners and touched his bare torso. “Thank you for being so patient with me.”
He took her hand and planted a kiss in the center of her palm. “You’re getting better. You’re not as frantic as you were when they were born. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’m here, and fathers worry, too. I’m watching over them all the time.”
“I know. That’s why I love you so much.” She hadn’t realized how terribly alone she’d been until after she’d married Kyle
. His love and understanding filled in a void that she hadn’t realized was there.
“I love you,” he replied, his voice pitched low, “more now than I did before. You’ve shown me how great it feels to be part of a real family. Exhausting sometimes, but fulfilling.”
“You know, I was thinking. Maybe the twins need a brother or a sister. While they’re napping we might give it a try if you’re not too tired.”
“Come on, Jenny. You know me better than that.”
He hopped over to her lounge, and she gazed into his intense green eyes. Desire smoldered in their depths, but there was something else in them as well.
Love.
And tenderness. And understanding. She loved him more than words could possibly express, so she didn’t try. Instead she put her arms around him and pulled him to her.
About the Author
Meryl Sawyer is the New York Times–bestselling author of more than twenty-five romantic suspense novels. Among her accolades are the Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards for Contemporary Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Romantic Suspense, and the Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award for Contemporary Romance. Sawyer grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lives in Newport Beach, California, with her golden retriever.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1999 by M. Sawyer-Unickel
Cover design by Mimi Bark
ISBN: 978-1-5040-2720-5
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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