Saving the Seal 2: A BWWM Navy Seal Interracial Romance (21 page)

Owen smirked. “Potty mouth.”

“Well I
wonder
where I got it from,” she shot back just as quickly, making him chuckle before her expression sobered. “But really, Owen…what if they don’t agree? What if I have to start over from scratch?”

“Gen, I doubt that will be the case.” Owen leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands as he spoke to her. “You’re trying to raise money for a good cause. If there’s anything the board must have learned by now it’s the importance of caution. There won’t be any more corners cut. Everyone should be watching their asses. If the hospital has the slightest sense of self preservation, they’ll be begging to fund you.”

When he put it that way, the dark-skinned woman felt a lot better.

Since the incident with Jonas Kant the year before, she had been pushing for better safety measures in the psychiatry department. For fail safes and water tight background checks so Riperton would never again be faced with such danger. They had let a wolf in sheep’s clothing into their program, and even though the damage Jonas did had been undone, the process hadn’t been easy.

Stella had been in an intensive psychiatric program for almost seven months before she began to recover from whatever Jonas did to break her mind. Genny hated to see her former friend so lost, but Owen told her that it was better if she didn’t see her until she was more stable. It was enough, the SEAL argued, that she had the courts rescind her fellow doctor’s jail sentence in favor of two years of intense rehabilitation. Genevieve could only hope that one day she and Stella might be able to be close again – but that day was far in the future.

Already, the few times the redhead had seen her had ended in Stella begging for forgiveness as she realized exactly how much damage Jonas had inflicted.

And that damage ran deep.

Genevieve would carry the scars of her injuries for the rest of her life. She’d been in the hospital for a week and, altogether, accrued one hundred and seven stitches. She was hardly able to walk for a month, and the scar on the right side of her face was still pretty prominent. Though she’d never been a terribly vain person, she was self-conscious of the marks. Whenever Owen noticed her unease, he merely told her that they were badges of bravery –but Genny knew from the haunted look in his eyes that a part of him still blamed himself for letting her be harmed.

Owen’s kneecap was completely shattered. He was in a wheelchair for three months before the reconstructive surgery, and then endured six additional months of grueling physical therapy. He told her that it still felt uncomfortable to walk on, but to watch the way the man got through an obstacle course, no one would ever know. He’d certainly passed the exam for his SEAL recommission with flying colors.

Though Owen had been happy to be accepted back into his old unit, it had taken him a long time to recover mentally from that night. So much so that he even ventured to ask her if going back was the right decision for him. He’d taken Eddie’s loss hard, and even now, it was hard for him to speak of the departed pup. Just before he shipped out on his first deployment in two years, she had surprised him with a pit bull puppy. The little brown fuzz ball was a bundle of energy, and she supposed she hadn’t considered that
she
would have to care for him in Owen’s absence.

Every day brought a new adventure – usually one involving puppy poo or pee; but those slightly off-putting elements aside, Genny could say she was thoroughly in love with the little thing. They named him Bullseye, or BB for short, which Owen had come up with and Genevieve found hilarious, to say the least.

He couldn’t replace Eddie, but he could help them start to heal the wound his loss had left behind.

Sean bounced back the quickest of course. He cited that he’d had worse injuries during his last tour, and went home to Gina and Luis the same night he’d been injured. His wife had, of course, laid into him like there was no tomorrow, calling him an idiot for putting his life in danger and bursting into tears when she found out what had happened to Owen and Genevieve.

As it turned out, Owen’s father had called him to chew him out for leaving his hunting cabin a mess. They hadn’t exactly cleaned up after Stella broke in, and so Eli Sinclair had been more than a little upset. Owen, however, hadn’t answered his phone. He had, in fact, left it in the car in his rush to get to Genevieve after returning home from his trip to get champagne glasses. When his son hadn’t answered, Eli had immediately called Sean to bitch.

Sean, in turn, came over to tell Owen to call his damn father back.

Which was how he stumbled upon Jonas Kant preparing to end both Owen and Genevieve’s lives.

In the year that had passed, Genevieve thanked her father-in-law who knew how many times. Though unintentional, he had saved their lives. Eli Sinclair only waved her off with the same gruffness as his son, insisting that even if Sean hadn’t arrived, Owen would have “ripped that upstart Kant bastard a new one”.

Like father, like son.

Genevieve found herself very fond of the old bear. He was terse, grumpy, and awkward when it came to expressing his love for his son, but it was obvious that he and Owen were very close. When he came to visit Owen in the hospital, he had warned him that he would be fixing up the cabin as soon as he was on his feet.

In actuality, Owen never got around to the cabin.

They had been too busy planning a wedding on the fly.

Owen and Genevieve were married at the town courthouse, with her mother, her stepfather, Eli, Sean, Gina, and little Luis in attendance. Detective Miller sent his felicitations from upstate, where he personally journeyed to question the incarcerated Kant about his recently deceased son.

Apparently, Daniel had known nothing of Jonas’ intentions. When he found out his son was dead, the Doctor barely batted an eye. Miller said he’d never seen a more cold-hearted man. Genevieve thought he should count himself lucky he’d never met the younger Kant. Jonas outdid his father spectacularly in pure viciousness.

Even though recovering from her injuries had been a long, hard process, even harder was watching Owen leave for his six month deployment. Thanks to Captain Ryce, he was on a short rotation, and the elder man promised to keep a special eye on Owen. Sean personally swore to Genevieve that he would watch his friend’s back, as long as she kept Gina from browbeating him too badly via Skype.

In the psychiatrist’s mind, it was a pretty good trade.

“So, how’s little Owen doing?” At her husband’s inquiry, Genevieve made a face, standing up carefully before the camera so that the roundness of her belly was visible beneath her pale maternity dress.

“
Mariah
is doing fine, thank you.” There was a running bet between them about the sex of their first child. They had declined to be told the sex of the baby just so they could banter for the six months remaining until its birth. If it was a boy, Owen had to take a year’s leave from his unit. If it was a girl, Genevieve had to take a leave of absence from her job and come live on base with him at
Incirlik
.

Personally, the young woman had no intention of moving to Turkey. She was almost certain their child would be a girl.

Either way, the winner would be determined in just two short months, hopefully
after
Owen returned from the Middle East.

“Whatever you say, Gen. Just start packing.”

Genevieve laughed confidently, shaking her head as she stroked over the swell of her tummy. “As soon as you
unpack
.”

Just then, the doctor’s intercom buzzed. “Hold on one second, Owen.” Genny turned from the camera to take the call and frowned. Apparently her three thirty had arrived early and asked if her appointment could be moved up. The middle-aged woman was dealing with the loss of her youngest son, who had been killed in action, and Genny knew accommodating her would go a long way. When she turned back to the camera, Owen read her long face. He arched a brow, his smile fond. “Gotta go, babe?”

She sighed. “Duty calls.” Inescapable, it seemed.

“I’ll just call you back tonight, no biggie. You can tell me about how the board threw millions of dollars at your feet the moment the proposal left your lips.”

Genny grinned. “Hopefully.” Reaching, out, she touched the screen as her expression softened. It had been four long months since she’d held him. Since she’d felt his arms around her and had him inside her. Genevieve knew this was what she’d signed up for, but that didn’t keep her from counting down the days until she saw him gain. “Miss you.”

Owen reached out so that his fingers lay against hers and they touched, even though they were half a world away from one another. “Miss you too. Both of you. I’ll be home soon, Gen. I promise.”

Genevieve’s heart was filled with love for him. This man had given her everything. Compared to the lifetime she would spend with him, eight weeks was nothing. “I know, Owen. And I’ll be waiting.”

About the Author

Hello,
So this is the part where I'm supposed to talk about myself. I write so many stories but I often I have a hard time telling my own. Funny how that works.
My name is Cristina Grenier and I have been writing stories for as long as I could remember . I'm a sucker for romance. I draw from past experiences and from others around me when I write. I enjoy creating characters that everyone can relate to.
Besides writing, I also enjoy painting and figure drawing. I'm a bit of a homebody, my ideal night consists of a chilled bottle of wine, some pasta and Netflix. I really hope you enjoy the stories I create. 
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Love & Peace,

Cristina

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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