Tucker also spent time with Brawley, who improved so quickly he was released from the clinic. Dorie’s pregnancy was progressing, and Brawley was looking forward to the new little one.
But still unresolved was Brawley’s future on the Teams. Everyone held their breath and waited.
Chapter 22
Tucker was at the Scupper with several of the other teammates when he got a call from Brawley.
“They tossed me,” Brawley said.
“No way.”
“Yup. Got the letter when we got home tonight. I’m to get a medical discharge.”
“But your pension. You get that?”
“Yes, but I’m a secretary or some shit until I get my twenty years in. I’m a desk jockey.”
“No harm in that, Brawley.”
The more he thought about it, the more relieved he was. The Navy had taken away the possibility Brawley could go out and get himself killed, or worse, get someone else killed. He remembered what Dr. Saunders had told him.
This was actually good news.
“You could go become a BUD/S instructor, Brawley.”
“I was thinking about that.”
“Take all your frustrations out on those froglets. Would you have the heart to do that?”
“The way I look at it, if they’d have me, I’d be saving their lives. Those brothers would be solid, kick ass.”
“Well then, let’s work on it tomorrow. We’ll get Collins on it. With Kyle’s recommendation, I think you’d be a shoe-in.”
Tucker didn’t want to push, but he sensed there was something else Brawley wasn’t telling him. “Dorie’s got to be relieved, man.”
“She’s in shock. But yea, I think she’s pretty cool with it. As long as I am. Tucker, I can’t be pushing papers around.”
“Why not? It’s all support. You’d still be helping Teams operate. It’s just that you wouldn’t be stuck in the jungle, getting shot at, getting sick, or walking into a trap.”
“I wanted to get those motherfuckers who took out Ollie.”
“How many Team guys retire and feel like they’ve gotten all the bad guys?”
“Nobody does.”
“Exactly, Brawley. And it wasn’t your fault.”
Again, there was a pause. Tucker got annoyed.
“You’re not drinking, are you?”
“Nope. No more of that. I’m on my meds regular, too.”
“You tell your father yet?”
“Nope. I’m going to bring you along when we do that.”
Tucker completely understood. “I’ll be there for you.” He kept listening for something more but finally gave up. “Well, if there isn’t anything else, I gotta get home to the wife.” He tried one more time. “Brawley, are you sure there isn’t anything else?”
Tucker heard him exhale. “Well, we got another piece of news today as well.”
“At last! I knew there was something. Spill it.”
“We had a fun visit at the doctor’s. Dorie and I are having twins.”
A week later, Tucker took Brawley to his interview with the Commander on base. Kyle stood up for Brawley, he said. They’d asked that he retain his SEAL rank, and do his last two years as a BUD/S instructor.
“I was surprised, because you know, he’s a bit on their shit list.”
“That’s totally misplaced, in my opinion,” Tucker said.
They were watching the BUD/S class running drills on the beach. The pickup with the DOR, Drop On Request, bell was slowly making its way in front of a crowd of about twenty young men, running in sand with their combat boots on. And it was a race. One of the instructors, who sat on the tailgate was yelling something with his bullhorn.
Tucker punched Brawley. “You gotta think that would be fun.”
“Yea, well, we’ll see what they say. I might be processing DORs too.”
“Even that wouldn’t be too hard. You did it. You made it and served, stuck out eighteen years.”
“Don’t remind me. That’s two short of my dad.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t care about that. He wants you alive, and whole.”
“He does. We had a good talk.”
“Excellent. So what do they think about the twins?”
“Biggest smile I’ve seen my mom sport in about three years. She was almost giddy, Tucker.”
“No shit?”
“Honest. Even my old mam mentioned it. Said she looked ten years younger.”
“Holy smoke. Happy for you, Brawley.”
“How about you guys. Still looking for a house?”
“Yup. Brandy has been busy with all that. Christy has been helping her look. Soon. I think it will be very soon now.”
“Don’t you have a say?” Brawley asked.
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me? I had one friend who picked out the house for their family when they moved east, and they fuckin’ got a divorce. I’m not that stupid, Brawley. A house is a house. I’ve lived in a bunch of them. If she’s happy, then I’m happy.”
“Tucker, you’re a smart man.”
He chuckled. “It’s because of all the mistakes I’ve made.”
They spent the rest of the evening over at the Scupper, meeting several of the Team. It was still Tucker’s job to keep Brawley connected, and that was the best way to do it. He had to cut out early, because Brandy said she was trying out something new, some kind of special dinner.
Tucker was looking forward to it.
Chapter 23
Brandy had prepared this special evening in her mind for months. She’d had several close calls, but at last, she confirmed with the doctor that she was pregnant. She’d been worried, since she was certain she’d been pregnant a couple of other times but wound up with a late period, dashing her hopes. He estimated she was nearly four months along. She had no symptoms whatsoever, except for her expanding chest.
The two of them hadn’t discussed the timing of having a child, but they weren’t using protection, either. Now they’d have to start looking in earnest for a new home. She was tired of living in the tiny studio, looking for things in boxes nearly every day.
She bought Tucker’s favorite red wine and a ribeye from the specialty meat market that had just opened up on the island. She was making his favorite garlic mashed potatoes. She hoped he’d still be hungry and made him promise to be home early.
The table was set. She lit candles around the kitchen and living room, plus one in the bedroom. The salad mix was chilling, and the wine had been opened. Tucker was fussy about his meat, so that part would fall to him, but the lean steak was peppered just the way he liked it, waiting on the grill.
She had just a few things to finish before he was due home. She picked up a load from the laundry and sat on the bed, folding. She hung up two of his shirts and discovered a jacket he’d misplaced during their move had fallen on the floor of the closet and somehow had gotten shoved to the back corner.
She shook it out, gave it a smell, and decided it didn’t pass the test. There was no question the last time he’d worn it was at the Scupper. There was only one place that had that aroma in all of San Diego County.
She checked his pockets because Tucker was forgetful, often leaving cough drops or pieces of gum which made a mess in the dryer. In his front pocket was a slip of paper, which she removed.
She thought perhaps her eyes were deceiving her. Her body began to shake, and so she sat down on the bed. Between her fingers, someone had written in blue pen the name Shayla and included a phone number. It wasn’t Tucker’s handwriting.
Brandy felt she might become sick, so she put her head between her knees and took several deep breaths.
How did I miss this? Is that where he’s been going lately? How could I have been so blind?
This wasn’t going to be the happy evening she’d planned. Could Shayla have come into their life during those weeks when he was so aloof? Did this woman swoop in and steal her husband back from her at his most vulnerable time?
Or, and this
was worse, was Tucker pretending to be the loyal husband, while he fooled around and played the field. Except he’d made a mistake. A grave mistake.
There was a tiny voice in the back of her head trying to tell her something, but she hit it with a baseball bat. Except for her heartbeat pounding in her ears, the chatter was gone.
Think! Think! Should I pack? Should I lock the door and make him go away? Or should I listen to his explanation, even if it was a lie?
She heard Tucker’s truck pull up. She checked her face then brought the jacket into the living room, to wait for him to walk through the door. She left all the lights out and the candles on as she heard his footsteps, and, at last, the door handle turning.
“Whoa! This is nice,” he said, turning around to find her. He dropped his keys by the door and removed his shoes. “Something smells heavenly with lots of garlic.” He paused and then called out again, “Brandy? Are you here?”
“I’m here, Tucker,” she said.
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
He came over to her and bent down. She turned away.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said as he sat beside her. “You found my jacket, I see.”
When she looked at him, he suddenly recognized what kind of an emotional state she was in. Brandy wondered if he knew yet that he’d been caught. His forehead wrinkled as he frowned.
“You’re upset. Tell me.” He reached for her hand, and she withdrew it.
“I found your jacket. Inside one of your pockets, I found this.” She held the slip of paper up in front of his eyes.
“May I?” he asked politely.
She gave him Shayla’s note. His eyes were angry as he stared at the note and then searched her face. “You don’t think—?”
“I don’t know what to think, Tucker. How about you explain this to me?”
“I’ve never seen it in my life.”
“It was in your jacket. Why would you have her phone number, and I’m thinking she wrote it there for you. Isn’t that her handwriting—?”
“I have no idea. Honest, Brandy, I’ve never seen it. You certainly don’t think I’ve been seeing her? Is that what you think?”
“Give me a better explanation, Tucker. I’m all ears.”
“I can’t stand the bitch. I don’t know how—” He stopped, leaned back into the sofa, and hit his forehead with his palm. “My first night out at the Scupper after we got back, she was there with her little witches’ harem. I bumped into her in the bar.”
“You were flirting with her.”
“I was trying to get out of her way. I had four beers I was trying to take out to the table. She practically slammed into me and—” He stopped again. “She reached out, but I pushed her away. She must have slipped this into my pocket. I never saw it, Brandy. Honest. Since we’ve been together, I’ve never called her. I don’t want to ever see her again.”
Brandy heard all the laughter of her childhood years, when the kids at school teased her for being larger than the rest of the girls. She remembered the bridesmaids and how they gossiped at the wedding, how they treated her at the gym. Her defenses were strong, her reaction hard to the suspicion that perhaps she couldn’t trust Tucker, that perhaps he too was a part of that crowd.
Her perfect life had gone up in smoke. She wasn’t even hearing what Tucker was telling her, until she felt his hands on her arms as he turned her to look at him. He was asking her to look into his eyes.
“I swear to you, Brandy. There has never been anyone else since we met. I’ve not even considered this.”
She blinked, watching him in slow motion say words she couldn’t understand.
“You’ve imagined something that never happened, Brandy. I would never do this to you. Please, honey, trust me.”
At last she heard him. Her body began to thaw. His pained expression broke her heart.
No, I’ve broken my own heart.
“You’ve never called her once?”
“Not once. I didn’t know this was in my jacket. I’d lost my jacket, remember?”
She nodded. Her lower lip began to pucker.
“Man, do you have an imagination.” He pressed the hair from her forehead. “I love you, Brandy. I always will. But please, when you think something like this has happened—I don’t care what it is. Just ask me. You wanted me to give you a heads-up when I wanted to be alone. Can I ask you to give me the benefit of the doubt?”
She nodded again. She was ashamed. She placed her palm against his cheek. “Tucker, I’m so sorry I doubted you. I made a fool of myself.”
He held her to his chest. “No worries. I want you to trust me completely. I’m going to work hard to make sure you know you can.” He smiled and then kissed her. “But you do have a wicked imagination!” He followed up his comment with a chuckle.
“I wanted this to be a special night until I found this.”
“I was thinking for a moment I’d married an ax murderer. It was very gothic, Brandy. The whole scene was very dangerous. All these candles, with you sitting there in the dark giving me daggers.”
Brandy found a little humor in this.
“Geez, honey. You kind of gave me a scare.”
“You want some wine?”
“I think I’ll have something stronger. So what’s the special occasion?”
Brandy had really messed up her planned evening. As Tucker ran to the kitchen to get a drink, Brandy came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He stopped, turning around to face her again.
“I’ve got a nice ribeye steak, green salad mix and garlic mashed potatoes.”
“This is unbelievable. You did all this for me? Or was it the ritual you needed to kill me?”
She bowed her head, feeling shy.
“I’m pregnant, Tucker. I went to the doctor today and verified it. You’re going to be a father.”
“Holy crap.”
“That’s not exactly what I was expecting.”
“Well, look at all this. Do you think I was expecting this?”
She gave him a couple of minutes to let it sink in. He poured two glasses of the opened wine, and when she declined, he drank both of them.
“You know that evening we met? I knew right then and there my life would never be the same. I was having a miserable time, wishing I’d not come, and then you waltzed right into my life.” He gave her another hug.
“I won’t do something like this again, Tucker. You can trust me on that.”
“I don’t believe you, Brandy. But whatever it is, I’m going to love the hell out of it.”
The evening was indeed perfect after all. There was so much to live for, so much to look forward to. They celebrated with the wine, the food, and the ice cream afterwards.
They were headed to their bedroom when Tucker’s cell phone rang. He hesitated.
“Should I see who it is?” He winked.
“Up to you. Go ahead, I’ll meet you in bed.”
She removed her clothes and put on the lacy bright red nightgown she’d purchased. Leaving one candle on, she slipped into the lavender-scented sheets and thought about what their child would look like.
A little Tucker?
Tucker’s voice silenced. He stood in the doorway with his cell phone still gripped in his hand.
“That was Kyle. They found the American nurse.”
Did you enjoy SEALed Forever? Want more? You can preorder the 4th book in the Bone Frog Brotherhood, SEAL’s Rescue, here. It’s Sharon’s latest book!
Here’s the blurb:
Navy SEAL Tucker Hudson has barely recovered from his last difficult deployment in Africa, a near-failed operation, when he learns the American hostage they were unable to free that last time, has been found. His team is tasked with going in a second time to complete what was left undone.
Brandy Hudson’s world is changing every day as she devotes herself to their new pregnancy and the purchase of their new home.
But danger from the hostage rescue across the oceans comes h
ome to affect Brandy and Tucker’s family in a desperate plot uncovered in California. Will it be in time to save the happily ever after they both desire?
Or, if you are new to Sharon Hamilton’s SEALs and want to read the original SEAL Brotherhood Series, the books that started it all from the beginning, order your Ultimate SEAL Collection #1 for the first 4 books, and Ultimate SEAL Collection #2 for the second three full length novels.
Want more SEALs? Check out her other SEALs series:
Band of Bachelors
Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3
Silver SEALs (multi-author collaborative)
Sleeper SEALs (multi-author collaborative)
Be sure to sign up for Sharon’s Newsletter, follow her on Amazon or BookBub so you don’t miss a thing!
Because you are one of the early purchases of this novel, I’ve included the novella, SEAL Encounter, which is the prequel for my very first SEAL book, Accidental SEAL. Enjoy!
SEAL Encounter
SEAL Brotherhood
Novella 0.5
Sharon Hamilton
From the Author
This is a short piece written to introduce you to my characters, Kyle and Christy. It is a small investment of time and money on your part, like the first course to a much larger meal.
This is a private glimpse into the hearts and minds of these fictional SEALs, their community, and the women who are lucky enough to be loved by them. Their brotherhood, loyalty and mission to protect and defend, sometimes at great personal cost, is what makes them heroes. They do so quietly, not seeking public recognition.
If you enjoy this piece, I hope that you will continue along the journey in Accidental SEAL, and read how these two get together, and fight dangers that threaten to keep them apart.
Christy and Kyle meet quite by accident in the very first chapter, and not in any way you could predict. But rest assured, they will find themselves together at the end in an intense and passionate relationship on purpose.
I hope you enjoy their story.
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