Hunter's Heart (26 page)

He tore the plastic from the twelve-pack of bottles and took two. Then paused to give a large white plastic container on the counter another look.
A hard look
. He read it once and then again. It read the same both times:
“Pre-Natal Vitamins. Complete nutrition for mom and baby.”
His chest sizzled and the large muscles in his arms and legs jerked like he’d been tased.

Get control man. Control is the primary rule of life
.
Fucking. Get control.

He went to her. Without a word, he handed her the bottle then returned to the sofa.

She drank deeply, keeping her gaze on him. Her eyes flitted from him to the kitchen and back again.

“You saw the vitamins.” She closed her eyes and rested her head back on the chair to stare at the ceiling. “God, could I have messed this up any more?”

“I’d like to know you’re okay. I mean health-wise everything is okay with you.” His voice sounded a lot calmer than he felt.

She nodded.

“Geezus.” He shot to his feet. “The accident.”

She jumped and juggled the bottle, splashing water on her pants. “I told you I saw a doctor. I need to be careful for a couple of days. Monday afternoon I see my OBGYN.”

He took the handkerchief from his back pocket and held it out. She took it and dabbed at her pants then looked up.

“Please sit and don’t jump up like that again.”

He perched on the edge of the chair like a house on the edge of a sinkhole. “I’m not doing so good here.” The idea she’d withheld so much from him was bad enough. But, being with another man? The thought turned him inside out.

“Yes, I’m all the terrible things you’re thinking about me. I’m pregnant. I’m sorry. I was on birth control. It didn’t work.
Obviously
. I’d never had unprotected sex before you. My doctor says it happens. “

“Were you…? Were you pregnant before you left?”

“Yes. I didn’t realize.”

“When?”

“When did I get pregnant? I’m not sure. Sometime the first month. Could have been that first morning or,” she shrugged, “any of the times.” I
really
was on birth control. I did
not
do this on purpose. I know I’ve been less than truthful and you have no reason to believe me.”

Whoa.
She was saying this was
his
child. That couldn’t be. He always used a condom.
Except
for that one morning.
And,
that night in his truck at the beach, on the boat and…
and…. Holy muther fork lifting shit
.

Forget the tased feeling. He’d been hit by lightning. His heart went to warp speed. He took a couple of breaths, trying to slow it but that was a no go. He resisted the urge to put a hand on the top of his head to keep it from blowing off.
She was pregnant
with
his
child. His child. Before he got up and did a happy dance, he needed to find out where she was in this.

Stay calm.
Finding the right words to say here was the most important thing he’d ever done.
Take it easy. Go slow.
He could do this. He was a Navy SEAL and still in the fight. She used the handkerchief to swipe at tears dripping down her cheeks. “I planned to contact you after I decided what to do.”

No.
No. NO.
He swallowed hard and worked at keeping what he felt from creeping into his expression.
“Do?”

“This is what I wanted to talk to you about.” She looked down at her hands then back at him with a piercing gaze filled with determination. “I talked to an agency about placing it for adoption. Before I could do that, you’d have to agree to terminate parental rights.”

He stared, relieved she wasn’t considering terminating the pregnancy. Bug’s words about the fighting machine no longer having any fucking idea came to mind. Not this time. “No. I won’t do that. Why would you even?” He lips wouldn’t form the words
give her up
.

“I already said it. I couldn’t put it in danger. Live in fear my father could appear and do something. I decided it would be best to give it to someone who could not only protect it but knows about children.” She swiped furiously at the tears tracking down her face. “Damn it. I never cry.”

“I think it has something to do with pregnancy hormones.” He’d heard guys talk about how weepy their wives were when pregnant.

She gave him a ray-of-death look. “Just be quiet and let me talk.”

He nodded and clamped his lips together.

“When I saw you today….” More tears tracked down her flushed cheeks. “What you did for me…. You changed everything. Sitting in your truck waiting, I knew. Her mouth opened and closed. She blinked several times. “You gave me my life back. I don’t have to be afraid of what my father can do anymore. I can keep it.” She took another drink.

He used the silence to formulate a plan.

Celia cleared her throat. “You now know my father was a criminal. He killed my mother. I tried to kill him and I’ve stolen a lot of money. I understand that makes it impossible for us to have a life together. But, the baby. I don’t know about children. Maybe you can come around sometimes. I won’t make any demands on you.” The desperate tone to her voice hurt his heart.

He left the chair and went to crouch in front of her. “Celia.” He took her trembling hands, holding them to his lips. His throat tightened, making it difficult to speak. “You want to know how I feel about this?”

She nodded. “Yes.” Caution filled her voice and she looked like she was about to crumble.

“You are a smart, beautiful woman and you deserve respect. Deserve to be treated well, held and made love to, often. I want to be the man to do that for you. I said I
loved
you. That was wrong. I
love
you.” It felt so right to say it, he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “The way we are together. How I feel when I’m with you, is special. I’ve missed you so much it hurt.” He shook his head and attempted to rein in his emotions. “You are my heart. Your face, your scent, your feel, everything about you is etched there. I know, even if I’d never met you, I’d miss you. I’d feel something was missing in my life.”

“Oh.” She pinched her eyes closed, opened them and locked on his. “But everything I’ve done—”

“Is in the past.”

“I want you to know I didn’t get pregnant on purpose.” Her voice caught.

“Stop. I believe you. No more looking in the rearview. Only what’s ahead.”

She nodded. For the first time since he’d come in, she looked calm. He sure as hell wasn’t. He was so freaking excited he might explode.

“What now?” she asked.

“First, I want you to know I was never ashamed of you.” She gave him a quizzical look.

“In the truck, that night, you implied I hadn’t told my family about you because you weren’t good enough for them.”

She reddened. “I was angry.”

“For whatever reason you said it, you felt it. Maybe only a little, but it was eating at you. I want you to know that isn’t the case. From the moment you talked to me after the interview I’ve felt like I was the luckiest man on the planet.” He paused to get his breath. “I was also selfish and wanted you to myself. Didn’t want to share you with anyone, including my family.” He clenched his jaw and blinked, fighting back tears. “I’m sorry. So sorry I hurt you.” He kissed her hands and held her gaze, wanting her to see in his eyes he meant what he said.

“Next is, I’m going to stay with you for a few days and make sure you’re okay. I’ll sleep down here,” he added hastily, glancing at the sofa. “I’ll take you to the doctor.”

“For now,” he reached behind him and picked up the ring. “Will you wear this?” He took her hand. She nodded and he put the ring on that all-important third finger.

She held up her hand. “It’s beautiful,” she said, the corner of her mouth quirking up.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “In a few days, when you’re ready, we’ll talk, get things worked out.” He stretched up and laid a kiss on her cheek. “Okay?”

Her head bobbed, then went side to side, the tiny smile gone. “You didn’t say anything about the baby. Do you want it?”

Sweet mother of God
. He stood then scooped her into his arms. “Put me down and stop laughing at me.” She wriggled in a half-hearted attempt to escape.

“You’re down,” he said, settling onto the chair with her in his lap. “And I’m not laughing Celia. I’m smiling because I have my arms around you again.”

She stared up, eyes narrowed to slits in silent exasperation.

“Celia, you may not make demands on me but I will on you. I
want
you. I
want
our child. I want us to be a family.” He bent his head and gave her a kiss that went on a very long time and left no question he meant what he said. Feeling her tears on his face, he broke the kiss.

“Tell me,” he said using the pad of his thumb to brush away the tears.

She took his hand in both of hers and pressed it to her still-flat stomach. He spread his fingers protectively.

“Santino.” She put a hand to his cheek. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “Yes, I will. I love you Celia.”

He knew life wasn’t perfect, but this moment was.

THE END

Epilogue
 

A note from Celia.

Hunter and I were married two weeks later by his brother. The ceremony was simple, in a small church filled with family. Darla wasn’t the flower girl, she was my maid of honor. Bambi walked me down the aisle. Remembering Sienna’s story about what they did to her husband, I was worried what I would find when I reached Hunter. I was stunned. For the first time I saw him clean-shaven and in uniform with his gold SEAL pin over rows of ribbons. He stole my breath. After, there was a wonderful party at his parents’ home for family. All of them. I moved back to Virginia Beach into his house. Fifteen days after we were married, he deployed. This time I knew where he was. We emailed every day and sometimes he called. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t worried. I was freaking scared out of my mind. Especially after a SEAL on his sister team was killed.

I emailed him a sonogram with a pink boarder. He couldn’t figure out the sonogram but he knew what the pink meant. He said all along we would have a daughter. Hunter was still on deployment, scheduled to rotate home on Sophia’s due date. He didn’t want to take chances he wouldn’t be there for her birth and wheedled permission to leave a week early. I believe those two have a physic connection because the moment we were together she decided it was time to be born. Hunter may be a big deal Navy SEAL who can do all that macho stuff, but labor and delivery? He had a rough time. Our beautiful daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Alicia Lozano—yes, LOL, those are her initials—will be eight months old by the time you read this. The memory of Hunter meeting his daughter still makes me a little teary. The moment our baby girl was in his arms, she gave him a smile and snuggled against him like they were old friends. She rewarded us all with smiles. Hunter’s mother says newborns never smile, but our girl sure did, and still does. To this day, I’ve never heard her really cry. She makes a sound and puckers her cupid lips then waits for someone to attend her. When they come, she arches her back to be picked up. Truly a princess.

Her eyes flash with the same intensity I see in her father. He carries her around strapped to his chest and explains what to expect from life and everything he does. Sophia watches, listens and jabbers back as if she understands it all. Truth be told I suspect she does understand.

Hunter is still with the teams but he thinks more and more of moving on. At times, he seems to be at war within himself. Please don’t tell him I told you that. I honestly can’t see him doing anything else. Can you? He talks about instructing at BUD/S, the SEAL training school. Or, training young men to get in shape before they go to BUD/S. He’s a natural teacher. Right now, he’s helping a young man from the Naval Academy, Scott Hendrickson, whom he’d met before. He already has a nickname, Mouse. I don’t think I want to know where that came from.

Whatever my brave husband does, I only want him to be happy. I do my best to support and honor him the way he honors his job and country. He told me it takes courage to love and even more courage to allow someone to love you. It does, but I tell you, the reward is beyond measure. I cannot imagine my life without him. He is everything I ever wanted without knowing I wanted it.

As for me, I work part time, conducting interviews once or twice a week. When I do, someone in my huge newfound family gladly cares for Sophia. I’m excited to report I have my own interview with an international company, Thorn Enterprises, in a few days. I have no idea how my talents can be used there, but it’s thrilling to be recruited.

I have moments when my past flares and fills my head with unsettling childhood memories. Hunter says they will always be there and it will be my challenge. He reminds me it isn’t what happened in the past but how I deal in the present. I think he and my shrink talk.

As for the future, I don’t know what it will bring. I am happy in this moment. Proud beyond any words of my husband. Perhaps Hunter and I will see you in the next book.

Celia

A note from Hunter.

That day in DC my life’s reset button was pushed and my head is still spinning. I can’t even begin to get my head around how Celia feels. It takes courage to love and even more courage to let someone love you. I thank God every day Celia has the courage of a lion.