SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) (35 page)

  
I turned and ran into the bathroom adjoining my bedroom and
slammed the door on Dylan and the whole conversation. I sobbed uncontrollably
for a while until my body had calmed down slightly. I was aware that Dylan was
standing right outside the bathroom door but I had no intention of letting him
in.

“Lizzie?” his voice was
soft and imploring. “Lizzie … will you please come out here?”

I said nothing.

  
“Lizzie … I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Dylan went on.
“I wasn’t clear back there. I want to explain to you what I mean and I would
prefer to do it face to face. Can you please come out?”

“No,” I said, hearing the
watery crack in my voice.

“Ok,” Dylan said with a
sigh in his voice. “Ok then I’ll have to tell you like this.”

  
Unable to stop myself, I inched towards the closed door and leaned
against it, with my ear pressed against the wood. I could almost sense Dylan
leaning towards me in the same way on the opposite side.

  
“Lizzie …when I said I wanted to spend the night with you … I
wasn’t talking about just one night,” Dylan said, his voice was gentle and
serious. “I was talking about every night after this. And yes, I understand
you’re pregnant with another man’s child but like I said … I don’t care. I
guess I realized that what I want for my future doesn’t revolve around a place
or a career: it revolves around you.

  
“I want to be with you, Lizzie … I’ve loved you since I was twelve
years old and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped. I think we have a real chance of
making it work this time. I’ve grown up since then and I know what is most
important in life and I’m never going to take it for granted again. I want to
stay with you, I want to raise this child with you, and I want to build a life
with you. I love you, Lizzie Miller; I’ve always loved you and I’m never going
to stop.”

  
I listened intently but I could barely believe the words that were
coming out of his mouth. It seemed unbelievable to me.

“Lizzie,” his voice was
tainted with uncertainty.

  
I took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. He smiled but I
could tell he was still not sure what to do. He wasn’t sure how I had taken his
speech.

“You want to raise this
child with me?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said without
missing a beat.

“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated.

  
“Is it because you feel … honor bound in some way to protect me; is
this just a case of ‘I’ll marry you because the man who knocked you up
wouldn’t?’”

  
“Of course not,” he said passionately. “I’m not trying to protect
your honor or save you in any way. I want to be with you for purely selfish
reasons. I want to be with you because I’ve realized that it is the only way I
can be happy.”

  
“You told me you weren’t ready to get married just yet,” I
reminded him. “You told me you weren’t ready to have children.”

  
“What the hell do I know?” Dylan said. “I’ve made so many mistakes
I can’t even keep count of them anymore. But I won’t let you get away again. I
love you and that means I love the child you’re carrying. I’m not saying I’m
going to be a perfect father, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.”

  
I felt my face break out into an uncontrollable smile. “You really
want to be with me despite everything?”

“Of course,” Dylan said
breathlessly. “Of course—”

I jumped into his arms mid-sentence and he grabbed me
just in time. I hugged him hard and he kissed the top of my head. I pulled back
a little to look at his face. “You’re serious,” I said in amazement.

“I am a thousand percent
serious,” Dylan laughed.

  
“I love you, Dylan,” I cried and instantly I felt a hundred pounds
lighter. It felt almost as though I was floating.

  
“I love you,” he replied, looking me in the eye. “You’re going to
have to help me, I don’t know how the process of adoption works; do we need to
wait till the baby is born or can I apply for adoption right now?”

“You … want to adopt my
baby?” I asked.

  
“I don’t want to be the step-father,” Dylan said passionately. “As
far as I’m concerned, that child is mine.”

I smiled at him and shook
my head in amazement.

“What?” he asked looking
puzzled.

  
I felt my eyes watering up but I swallowed hard and powered
through. “I have something to tell you, Dylan,” I started slowly.

“Go ahead,” he nodded
without letting go of me.

“You don’t have to file
for adoption,” I said.

“You don’t want me to?”
Dylan asked and I saw the crease of hurt in his brows.

  
“No it’s not that,” I assured him. “You don’t have to file for
adoption because … the baby is yours. There was no other guy … there was no one-night
stand. I lied.”

Dylan took a shocked step
back. “I’m… the father?”

“Yes,” I said. “You’re
the father. There was never anyone but you.”

“Why …”

  
“I didn’t want you to feel trapped,” I said trying to keep my
tears in check. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay in Bastrop and
marry me because of the baby. I wanted you to have the choice. I wanted you to
be with me for me.”

  
Dylan looked shell-shocked. He stared at me for a long time and
for a moment I thought he was angry. But then he took a step towards me and
placed his hand on my small protruding belly. “You’re carrying my baby?”

I nodded.

  
His face split open in a wide smile that was pure, unadulterated
joy. “I knew it,” he said and I laughed out loud. He grabbed me again and
kissed me hard on the lips. I felt myself melt into him, ready to feel him
inside me again. I felt his hands slip underneath my blouse as he gently pushed
me back onto the bed.

  
He pulled off my blouse and unhooked my bra. I felt a moment of self-consciousness
and then it melted away as I looked into his clear, blue eyes. He explored my
new body, cupping my fuller breasts gently and running his fingers over the
small bump of my belly. He pulled my pants off slowly, deliberately, and then
undressed as I lay in bed waiting for him.

  
He eased himself on top of me so that his whole weight was not
resting on my body and kissed me until I was wet and ready for him. Our hands
were entwined together over my head as he slid inside me. He was gentle, careful,
and thoughtful but there was urgency in the way he kissed me and squeezed my
hand that told me the depth of his desire for me.

  
He made love to me twice that night in several different positions
and each time I felt our bond solidify, as though we were finally cementing our
commitment to one another. We were agreeing to do it right this time, not just
for ourselves but also for our child. It wasn’t just the two of us anymore. We
were a family now.

 
 
For the
first time in over a decade, I felt whole.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Elizabeth

One Month Later

  
I had just finished organizing the last catalogue of books when
Jenna walked in. “You’re really starting to show,” she said as she glanced at
my swelling belly.

“Yeah,” I nodded patting
my stomach. “It really popped out this past month.”

  
“I can’t believe I’m not going to see the little cutie,” Jenna
said as she eyed my fingers searching for a ring. “You must send me pictures.”

“I’ll try,” I smiled
politely even though I knew that our friendship was not built to last.

“Is your hunky baby daddy
coming to pick you up today?” Jenna asked.

“No, Maddie’s my date
today,” I said. “She’s helping me pack up.”

“Speaking of dates,”
Jenna said making a random connection. “Do you have one set up yet?”

“A date?” I asked
pretending to be oblivious even though I knew where she was going.

“For the wedding,” Jenna
said with a wink.

“Ah, right,” I nodded.
“Well, when we get engaged we’ll have to figure that out.”

“Oh,” Jenna said and her
eyes went wide. “You’re not engaged yet?”

  
“No,” I said with a shrug. “And we don’t feel the pressure to get
engaged either. It’ll happen when it’s meant to.”

Jenna was about to say
something when Maddie walked in. “Hi,” I greeted. “You’re right on time.”

“You’re finished?” Maddie
asked giving Jenna a polite nod.

“Yup,” I said with gusto.
I gave Jenna a hug and Maddie and I walked back to the parking lot.

“How was your last day of
work?” Maddie asked as she turned on the engine.

  
“I guess it didn’t feel like my last day of work,” I said. “It’ll
feel weird tomorrow when I get up and there’s no place to go.”

Maddie laughed. “Don’t
worry, the packing will keep you busy.”

“Oh, guess what?” I said
with excitement.

“What?”

“I got an acceptance
letter today from the University of San Diego!”

“No way!” Maddie
screamed. “That was your first choice wasn’t it?”

“Second,” I replied. “But
I’m not griping. I’m happy with that choice.”

“Does that mean …?”

  
“That’s my pick,” I nodded. “Dylan was with me when I opened the
letter. We did a happy dance around all the boxes and crates.”

Maddie laughed. “Lizzie,
that is really great. Are you excited?”

  
“Unbelievably excited,” I nodded. “I’m only doing a few summer
courses to begin with, though. Once the baby is born, I’ll see about going half
time. By then we’ll be settled in California too.”

  
“I still can’t quite believe that you’re leaving though,” Maddie
said shaking her head. “I mean, we’ve lived together our whole lives.”

  
“I know,” I nodded. “It’s going to be weird for me too. But moving
is the right thing for us; we need a fresh start in a new city. And Cali is so
beautiful.”

“I don’t get why you’re
leaving so soon though,” Maddie said. “Why not wait till the baby is born?”

  
“We just want to start on this new adventure as soon as possible,”
I tried to explain. “And the sooner we get there, the sooner Dylan can start
setting the groundwork for the rehab center. I don’t know … we just want to
dive right in, I guess. We’ve both wasted enough time.”

Maddie smiled with
understanding.

“You’re going to visit
right?” Maddie asked.

  
“Of course we’re going to visit,” I promised. “We’re going to be down
in Bastrop every Christmas. And we want the baby to know its family.”

“It,” Maddie said shaking
her head.

I laughed. “We don’t know
if it’s a girl or a boy yet.”

“Well find out,” Maddie
said impatiently and I knew how curious she was to find out the baby’s sex.

“Sorry,” I said shaking
my head. “Dylan and I want to wait.”

“Urgh,” Maddie said
impatiently. “When I have a baby, I’m going to find out the moment I can.”

I raised my eyebrows
teasingly. “This baby is going to be with whom exactly?”

Maddie rolled her eyes
but I noticed the slight blush on her cheeks. “We’re not there yet,” she said
firmly.

“But you’re thinking
about it?”

“We’re thinking about
moving in together,” Maddie said. “But that’s about it for now.”

“Slow and steady,” I
nodded approvingly.

“You know that’s not
advice you have to listen to at this point, right?” Maddie pointed out.

“Meaning?”

“Why aren’t you guys
getting engaged?”

  
“We’re moving to California!” I said. “I’m going back to school
and Dylan’s trying to start up the center, not to mention we’re going to have
this baby … we don’t have time to plan a wedding right now.”

“Fair enough,” Maddie
nodded. “But it will happen, won’t it?”

“For sure,” I nodded.
“Maybe not right away though.”