Saving the Seal 2: A BWWM Navy Seal Interracial Romance (3 page)

Finishing his beer, Owen made his way into the bathroom to start the shower. On the way, he checked his phone for messages. His lips curved upwards in amusement when he found a picture of Gina rubbing Eddie’s belly in Sean and her backyard. He had left the Rottweiler with his commanding officer and his wife, knowing that he’d be in good hands.

Gina hadn’t let the fact that she was expecting stop her from running around after the dog. She loved pets, and swore that she would get one as soon as her baby was a year old. Of course, expecting had turned Sean into a nervous wreck. Gina, an already volatile woman, was now all over the place with hormones, which had the Captain out of his mind when he was home on leave.

As much as he complained, however, Owen knew that he would give anything to be present for his son’s birth. There was no guarantee, as the schedule of a SEAL’s deployment could be unpredictable, but he had promised his friend that he and Genny would be there for Gina if he couldn’t be.

The prospect seemed to mollify Sean somewhat – enough for him to agree to care for Eddie in Owen’s absence, at least.

As he stepped into the shower, letting the hot water sluice over him, Owen exhaled a long breath. So much had changed for him in the past two years. He’d gone from believing he’d never be a SEAL again to being determined to make it back to active duty; from seeking the next sexual encounter almost robotically to craving one woman more than anything else in the entire cosmos. Hell, he was even starting to get in touch with his deepest emotions.

Whatever the hell that meant.

Emotions were, of course, more Genny’s line of expertise. He wondered, vaguely, if she missed working at the hospital. Though she would, of course, find another job eventually, he knew that Riperton had been her heart and soul. He couldn’t imagine it how much it must have hurt her to leave.

When the case was over, he’d see if he couldn’t get Captain Ryce to pull some strings and get her a job on base. He knew she wouldn’t feel complete unless she was helping troubled veterans find their feet again.

And as long as Genny wasn’t happy, he sure as hell wasn’t.

Chapter Two: A New Beginning

One month later

He still couldn’t believe it.

Sitting in Genevieve’s car outside the courthouse, Owen hardly noticed all the reporters clamoring to get a statement from him. The windows were rolled up and he was waiting for Genny herself to return – but while he did, the SEAL took a moment to catch his breath.

They’d won.

The trial had taken an astonishingly short five days from inception to completion. While Owen knew they had a substantial amount of hard evidence against the Admiral and Doctor Kant, he hadn’t realized how much until their lawyer had actually started tearing into the two officials’ defense. To both Owen and Genny’s surprise, it hadn’t taken long to lay bare the foundation of what Kant and Trace had been trying to do.

They had made a joint deal with several large pharmaceutical companies who agreed to give them a cut of whatever drugs they sold over the normal hospital quota. As a result, the men had conspired to funnel more veterans back into service with the aid of drugs, bringing up the hospitals success rate, providing Trace with more soldiers and both of them with a payday that amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

The jury had deliberated for only a few hours before finding both the Admiral and Kant guilty of embezzlement, grand larceny, forgery, and murder in the second degree. At the last charge, Owen watched Genny burst into tears. She had long told him about Staff Sergeant Spencer McAvoy, who had wrongly been prescribed drugs by Kant and ultimately committed suicide. The conclusion of the trial had left the entire nation in upheaval. Some insisted that the entire thing had been fixed while others rejoiced that two men exploiting a broken system had gotten their due.

Regardless of how anyone felt, the sentences stood: Kant had twenty years without the possibility of Parole, Admiral Trace twenty five. Both men were formally removed from their places of power and marched out of the courtroom to a state penitentiary.

And just like that, it was over. Owen thought he might still be reeling for days.

At a rising commotion outside the car, he returned to the present to see Genny and Matilda Brown, their attorney, making their way through the swarm towards the vehicle. Immediately, Owen pressed the door open, pushing through the reporters to tug the two women over to him. They didn’t answer any questions or even pause for the barest moment, quickly shutting the car doors the moment they were inside.

Both women couldn’t stop smiling, and Owen felt his heart swell at the sight of Genny’s grin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her like this.

“I can’t believe it.” The psychiatrist breathed, her eyes still red from crying. “It’s over. Just like that, it’s
over
.”

“I told you, you two had it in the bag the whole time.” Matilda’s blue eyes sparkled as she looked from Owen to Genny, her face flushed with pleasure. “At least fifty soldiers will get the justice and treatment they deserve now.” Reaching into the back seat, Matilda squeezed Owen’s shoulder with a slender hand. “I know it’s been hard, but it was worth it.”

“No fucking kidding.” Owen couldn’t repress his own smile, even as Genny’s gaze reprimanded him for his language. “Sorry.”

Matilda only laughed, shaking her head. When the sixth reporter in the past six minutes pounded on the passenger’s side window, begging for a statement, the attorney groaned. “Ugh, let’s get out of here and get the press conference over with so we can relax.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Genny buckled herself in before starting the car. It took a couple of presses on the horn for the media to finally get out of the way, but in short order, they were on their way to a local news station that had agreed to host the post-trial press conference. As she drove, Owen leaned forward to massage his lover’s shoulders gently, whispering in her ear.

“We did it, Gen.
We did it
.” She raised one hand to cover his warmly, and in that moment, Owen felt more at peace than he had in a long while.

The press conference was an absolute shit show, but that, of course, should have been expected. Reporters were too busy speaking over one another to let anyone get a proper word in edgewise. Thusly, they ended up answering far fewer questions than they’d anticipated. What they thought would be a difficult two hours instead ended up being merely a messy hour and a half and, soon, they were on their way out of the building, both of them thoroughly exhausted. At least at the station, the police had erected a barrier so that the reporters couldn’t come within ten feet of them.

Discreetly, Owen tried to pass Matilda a check for her services. She hadn’t charged anywhere near what they’d expected for such a high profile case, and while it was still a formidable amount, the SEAL wished he could afford to give her more. When he extended the envelope, however, Matilda merely smiled, pushing it away as she shook her head.

“This one’s pro-bono, you guys. Don’t worry about it.”

Genny’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Matilda, you can’t! Take it!” But the attorney wasn’t having it. She wouldn’t let Owen pay her in any shape, form, or fashion.

“All I need is to know that the good guys won.” She hugged Genny tightly, and Owen remembered all the late nights this woman had passed with them. She’d believed in their cause more than anyone else and had been one of the only lawyers who’d wanted to take their case when it seemed like everyone was against them. They wouldn’t have been able to do this without Matilda, and now she wasn’t going to take their money.

“There has to be some way we can repay you.” Owen insisted, his gaze intense. In reply, Matilda only hugged him as well.

“Trust me, your happiness is payment enough.” They couldn’t convince her otherwise. No matter what they suggested, Matilda continued to attest that she wouldn’t take payment. After a good five minutes, Genny finally got her to agree to come back to her house for a glass of wine, at the very least.

Owen tried not to be disappointed. As much as he appreciated Matilda’s efforts, he’d really hoped to have Genevieve to himself once they returned home. They might both be tired, but he’d promised himself that as soon as this was all over, he’d take his lover to bed for a few days. This was not a promise he intended to break.

While Matilda slid into the back seat, Genevieve gave him a knowing smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm embrace as she whispered secretly in his ear in an attempt to pacify him. “It’s just a glass of wine, Owen. There will still be plenty of time for what you have planned.”

Damn straight there would be.

The SEAL kissed her as chastely as he could, considering the circumstances, and got into the car, willing away his rising erection. Soon, he knew. He just had to be patient.

However, it turned out that Owen was to be kept waiting longer than he’d anticipated. When the three of them entered Genevieve’s dark apartment, the lights suddenly flickered on as no less than fifteen of their friends appeared to surprise and congratulate them.

Ultimately, Owen was pleased enough to put off ravaging Genevieve for the moment, and enjoy the celebration that Matilda admitted to planning. Eddie greeted them wildly, bolstered by all of the activity, and flitted from person to person in a search for affection. Gina had bought him his own doggy cake made of treats and Owen tried not to lament over her making his dog fat. Eddie certainly didn’t seem to mind.

His commanding officer hugged both Matilda and Gina warmly over her swelling abdomen. She was due in a few months now, but that didn’t stop her from keeping up with Sean. Owen rolled his eyes along with his commanding officer as the woman lamented over not being able to drink wine while she was pregnant. Matilda promised to drink enough for both of them, drawing an amused laugh from Gina.

Captain Ryce soon joined Owen and Sean for their beers. Along with Eddie, they were the only men present, and thusly slightly outnumbered. The women all took the opportunity to ooh and aah over Gina’s swelling stomach before beginning to plan her baby shower. Stella was busy in the kitchen making something heavenly with the assistance of Genevieve’s mother. The elder woman, of course, couldn’t help but fuss over him, as she always did when she visited.

Owen remembered the first time he’d met her. He hadn’t been distinctly nervous, but the way Martha eyed him had made him wonder if he should be. Ultimately, however, the woman had warmed to him and now he had to deal with her making inappropriate comments about his body every time they met.

He was pretty sure the woman was already married, but he found it more endearing than annoying, and so he put up with her pinching his biceps and winking suggestively at him. At least this time she didn’t interrogate him about when he was planning on impregnating her daughter.

Although, Owen had to admit...he’d contemplated the notion more than a few times. Though he and Genny hadn’t spoken about marriage or even considered their future together, he couldn’t deny that the notion of the dark-skinned woman’s belly swelling with his child made him smile secretly. If he had ever felt anything close to warm and fuzzy, this was it.

“What are you grinning about?” At Sean’s question, Owen stuffed a chip with dip into his mouth to save face.

“Besides winning the case, you mean?” Sean winced at his statement, uttered through a mouth full of spinach an artichoke. .

“Is the man not entitled to celebrate his victory?” Captain Ryce took a swallow of his Amstel before chuckling. Owen, who had never seen the man outside of uniform, found it slightly strange to be having beers with a man he knew had seen Genny in diapers and had saved his ass more times than he could count. He didn’t have the rapport with Captain Ryce as he did with Sean, and so, he still found himself nervous around him.

If that wasn’t a sign that SEAL was still strong in his blood, he didn’t know what was.

When Sean hurried off to pacify Gina over some thing or the other, the elder man leaned close to him, finishing his beer before taking up another. “I’m glad to see you doing so well, Sinclair. It looks like Dr. Thomas has been a very good thing for you.”

That was the understatement of the century. “She’s an amazing woman.” Owen managed, hoping an officer wasn’t trying to dupe him into saying something incriminating.

“That she is.” Ryce returned, gazing fondly over at the Genny where she played tug-of-war with Eddie. “You know, her father asked me to look out for her, before he died.” The man sighed, shaking his head. “I should have taken it as a sign. But, you know, we weren’t as aware of veteran mental health back then as we are today.”

Owen didn’t quite know what to say, so he only nodded in agreement, taking another handful of chips. “She wants you to get back to active duty just as much as you do. Only she wants you to do it in the right way.” Ryce nodded. “And I think that day will come sooner rather than later, Owen. You just make sure she’s prepared for it.”

He made a good point. When and if Owen did make it back to active duty, it would mean leaving Genevieve for long stretches of time. Weeks or even months. He wondered if, in her and Gina’s gossip, the women had covered what it was like to be the significant other of a man in the service. Genny would, of course, know more than most, having lost her father to his own personal war. But how would she deal with knowing he might not return to her every time he left? How would he deal with putting her in that position?