Possession: A Little Harmless Military Romance

by Melissa Schroeder

  For a second or two, the comment didn't register. He had been waiting for a cancer diagnosis or something else.

  “Pregnant?” he asked, the word seeming weird against his lips. He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the idea that she was carrying a child. Deke was known for his quick thinking, but for once his brain seemed to stop dead in its tracks.

  “Yes.”

  "Ours, of course."

  She looked relieved and that angered him. He frowned.

  "You can't think that I would think it was someone else's?"

  She shrugged, and he hated the defeated attitude. She was a lot of things but his Samantha wasn’t someone who accepted defeat. And he didn’t like it, not one bit.

  "I've been with other men before."

  "Yeah, but you wouldn't have slept with me this time if you had been involved with someone else. It’s the same for both of us."

  "You're right."

  "Why didn't you call me? This is a serious situation that I should have known about. Or were you not planning on telling me?"

  She looked at him as if he had grown another head. Her face flushed with anger, and he knew he had stepped over the bounds.

  "I did call, you jackass. I cannot believe you just accused me of not telling you—like I was hiding it. Maybe if you hadn’t been acting like a scared little girl for two weeks and avoiding my calls, you would have known. But, no, Deacon Berg has another of his master plans and he decides he shouldn’t tell me. You know, all the calls I've been trying for almost two weeks?"

  Usually, this is where she started throwing things. He’d gotten brained with the remote control once for something he said. Instead, she did something very un-Sam-like and started to cry.

  He didn’t know what to do. He’d dealt with women who cried, but not Sam. Samantha just didn’t cry big fat tears, and she definitely didn’t sob openly. She was the stereotypical military brat with the stiff upper lip. That woman was apparently gone.

  "I called and called and called. When you didn’t answer, I thought you might have gone on a mission. I thought about calling your mom, but then I thought she would worry about you, too, or wonder just why I was trying to get ahold of you. And I didn't want to explain, not until I talked to you."

  By now, the tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she was sobbing openly. He finally gained his wits and pulled her into his arms. She tried to struggle once or twice, but she settled against him, her head on his chest. Feeling her slight body against his caused some of the tension to ease out of his shoulders. He was still worried, but with her there in his arms, it didn’t seem to matter as much.

  "I'm sorry, babe. I thought it best I just show up."

  She punched his chest half-heartedly. "Well, it wasn't."

  He chuckled. "I can see that. First you throw up on me, and then you cry all over me."

  She pulled back and looked up at him. Her eyes were still damp, what little makeup she had on was now streaked down her cheeks, and her nose was red. She was a God-awful mess—and the most beautiful woman in the world.

  "Tell you what. Why don’t you go freshen up and put on some PJs? It might make you feel better. I’ll call around and try to find a place for the night.”

  She shook her head. "You can stay here."

  Her immediate offer made him feel a little better. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. I can't kick the father of my baby out on the streets of Hawaii."

  He smiled and gave her a kiss on the nose. “Go on.”

  Once he was alone, he allowed the words she’d said to sink in. The father of her baby. Damn, he was hoping for that, had made the decision that he was going to get her to marry him again, but he had planned on that complication after the ceremony.

  But now that he knew the situation, he was sure of one damned thing.

  The woman was going to have to accept him. There was just no way around it. He sat down at the breakfast bar realizing the ramifications of the news—and what it meant.

  His mother was going to flip. She’d been pining for babies, and as every Berg, including Deke’s sister, were pretty much married to the military, no one had done anything to that end. Now she would have one, and she would be thrilled. He could call her, but it was a little late, and he figured he needed to get his ducks in a line. If his mother didn’t know for a while, it wouldn’t hurt. Deke had a plan. It just meant he had to speed it up.

  He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. This wasn’t going the way he had planned, but it never had. From the moment they met, they had never been able to do what normal people would do. It was a hot and fast attraction, marriage, divorce, and there was their inability to keep their hands off each other. He knew her, but he wasn’t sure that they knew each other well enough. His plan was to go slowly…

  Now, though, he was on a time schedule. He had a baby on the way, and he had to make sure everything was straightened away before the little one came.

  Just that thought brought images of a baby, and while most people would think he would want a little boy, a little girl would do him just fine. Especially one with curly blonde hair and big violet eyes like her mama.

  He saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned to face her. She was wearing an old T-shirt that hit her mid-thigh. God, how could a woman who looked so horrible look good enough to eat?

  In a flash, the answer came to him. She was his other half. It was as simple as that. It had to be why his mouth was dry and his palms damp, not to mention the telltale humming of arousal in his body.

  He pushed those needs down and tried to tell himself it was the right thing to do.

  “Do you have some blankets for me?”

  She shook her head. “I have a queen. Come on, let’s go to bed.”

  He hesitated and she made a face.

  “I promise not to throw up on you. Or cry.”

  He smiled and took her hand. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it. You need some rest.”

  She led him into the bedroom he hadn’t paid much attention to. It wasn’t girly with lots of flowers. That wasn’t Samantha. She was as feminine as could be, but she didn’t like things like that. The room was plain, simple, colored with blues and grays, along with all her little knickknacks from all over the world. Her life as a military brat was easy to follow if you paid attention to the various things she had in her bedroom.

  “Do you mind if I jump in the shower? That trip was a bad one.”

  “No problem.”

  Deke grabbed his gear. “I’ll be right out.”

  He didn’t take long in the shower because he didn’t want to leave her by herself for too long. He wasn’t sure what he could do if she got sick again, but he figured he would at least be there to help.

  By the time he slipped out of the bathroom, she was sleeping. He leaned against the doorjamb and just looked at her. She still looked exhausted, but now she appeared serene.

  The thought that she was pregnant, carrying a child he knew both of them would love and cherish, had his chest warming. He padded over on bare feet and tried his best not to disturb her. He slipped into bed. The moment he pulled the sheet over him, she rolled over into his arms. Deke looked down and was going to apologize, but he realized she was still sleeping.

  He settled against the pillows, the weight of Samantha on his chest, and felt his body relax. Now he was home.

  * * * *

  Samantha woke the next morning and lay in bed. She realized that she felt rested for the first time in weeks. It had been almost a month since she’d slept through the night. She opened her eyes and noticed she was alone in bed. Knowing from experience to take things slowly, she lay there for a few minutes trying to forget the night before. She covered her eyes. Lord, she couldn’t believe she threw up on Deke. The fact that he was still there was a testament to how much he loved her—or, at least, loved this child. She slipped her hands down to her belly. It was hard to believe that in seven months there was going to be a child in
her life. Well, other than her brother. And Zoe.

  When she thought that her stomach had finally settled enough, she sat up and then slid out of bed. She could hear voices in the kitchen, but she decided to clean up first. Once that was done, she headed out to the kitchen. She needed some toast and a little water. For once it seemed her stomach was behaving.

  She found Deke in the kitchen. He was cooking breakfast, and her roommates were sitting at the breakfast bar, soaking in whatever he was talking about. They both were actually drooling. Sam wasn’t sure if it was because of the food that she smelled or the man who was preparing it.

  “So, she’s convinced that she can ride that damned bull.”

  Oh, God, he was telling that story. She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to tell it again. Every time he wanted to embarrass her, he started in on it.

  "And she isn't taking no for an answer. Granted, most people who get on the bull are drunk, and you know Sam, she doesn't drink much. So, she gets on up there and bets that asshole fifty dollars she can stay on all eight seconds. She didn't last two."

  "I lasted four, if I remember correctly."

  He was laughing when he turned to her, his dimples in full force and his expression so light and carefree. Her heart squeezed tight right then and there, just like it had done the first night she had seen him.

  He walked over to her. "How are you feeling this morning? We didn't wake you up, did we?"

  She shook her head. "In fact, this is the latest I’ve slept in weeks."

  "Is that medicine working?" Zoe asked. "Dr. Wilcox swears by it."

  "Yeah, I think it might be. Waking up and not gagging is a big step."

  Deke kissed her forehead. "You want anything? I cooked some eggs, but I wasn't sure if you would be interested in them."

  She shook her head.

  "Then some toast?" he offered.

  "Oh, and I bought some of that tea my friend recommended," Zoe said as she got up and started the kettle. "She's an ob/gyn nurse, so she says it's safe."

  Sam sat next to Fiona, who smiled at her. "You missed some fun last night."

  "I'm sure I did."

  Fiona sipped her tea, then said, "Your brother showed up."

  Sam rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, Zoe and he got in a fight."

  "Well, everything was fine until this guy started hitting on Zoe."

  She looked at Zoe, who was pretending to ignore the conversation, but there was a light pink to her cheeks.

  "Really?" Sam asked.

  Fiona’s hazel eyes danced with undisguised mirth. "Yeah, he was a jerk. Some mainlander here on vacation. You know, the kind who thinks everyone is here for a price? That he paid a huge chunk of money so he gets to dance with the pretty girls. The pretty girl he picked out was Zoe, of course. Your brother let him know otherwise."

  She laughed. "Please tell me no fighting. It wouldn't look good on his record."

  "Naw, the mainlander took one look at those muscles and he decided Zoe wasn't that much of a catch. And then your brother and one of your best friends got in a fight."

  She glanced at Zoe. "Really? How shocking."

  She shook her head, her blonde hair sliding over her shoulders. "Your brother needs to learn we aren't all his little sister."

  Deke set the plate down in front of Sam. "Eat."

  She glanced at him. “Who are you and what did you do with my ex-husband?"

  He smiled. "Does your brother know about the baby?"

  "Couldn't help it," Zoe said as she handed Sam her tea over the counter. "She was talking to him and started gagging."

  "I’m assuming you reserved the throwing up on men for your husband?”

  There was a beat of silence, then Fiona asked, "She threw up on you?"

  She felt her face heat. "First of all, you’re my ex-husband. And you wouldn't listen to me, and then the fact that you decided to just show up…"

  "I wouldn't have just shown up if I had known."

  "You would have known if you had picked up your phone the last few weeks."

  "Are you sure you two are divorced?" Zoe asked.

  "I signed the papers, so I know it's true."

  Deke said nothing but got the oddest look in his eyes while he stared at Sam. She had to resist the urge to fidget.

  "So, you're here working at PACOM? I work over at Tripler,” Zoe said. “Do you know where you're looking for a place to live?"

  It took him a second to answer Zoe. He tore his gaze from Sam, and she could finally breathe again.

  "Not sure yet. I reported in last night, but I will probably head on down today to meet my supervisor in person."

  Which wasn’t an answer.

  Zoe nodded. "That isn't too bad of a drive from here. You just get right on H-3 and drive down. Wouldn’t be hard to live over here."

  Sam shot Zoe a warning look. She smiled at Sam.

  "Do you mind if I use the shower?" he asked.

  "No, go ahead."

  He walked toward her room but paused by her chair.

  "Eat." He softened the order with a kiss on the top of her head.

  Once he shut the door, Zoe sighed. "Oh man, oh man. Okay, if you don't want him, I want him. I call dibs on him before Fiona."

  Sam sighed. "It isn't a matter of wanting him. That is never a problem. The problem is getting along during the other times."

  "If I were you, I would figure out a way. Damn, he is so sweet I want to eat him up." Zoe made smacking noises with her mouth.

  "Wait, he will get on your nerves. At some point, he will start barking orders like you're an E-1 who just got in. That was never fun. Think of the way my brother acts."

  Zoe's dreamy look dissolved. "Your brother is opinionated."

  "And Deke is, too. You just aren't seeing it."

  "Does he have a brother?" Fiona asked.

  "Two. Jacob and Jonah. Jonah is sort of a black sheep of the family."

  "Yeah, what does he do?" Zoe asked.

  "Since the family is Navy, being a Marine is bad. They give him crap about it."

  Zoe closed her eyes. "Okay, wait, does he look like Deke?"

  "Yeah, a little. He has brown eyes, though, like milk chocolate."

  "Oh, God. Now, put the two of them together..."

  "Ew, I see Jonah as a brother. That is just...ew, no."

  Zoe laughed and opened her eyes. "I will happily keep that fantasy to myself."

  "What are you going to do, Sam?" Fiona asked.

  "Not sure. I think for the most part, I will just play it by ear."

  "Wait. You are Samantha Walters, right? The woman who always has a plan? You didn't body snatch her, did you?" Zoe asked.

  She smiled and shrugged. "I really don't have a choice, do I?"

  "What do you mean by that?" Fiona asked.

  "I didn't really plan on getting pregnant."

  "No. But there is a bit to that in my way of thinking."

  She glanced at Fiona. The most flighty of the three of them, Fiona always seemed to know things before they would happen.

  "Well, maybe somewhere in your self-conscious, you wanted to get pregnant. Don't even think of telling us that you didn't want him back here with you."

  She sighed. "There was always a part of me that wanted him back with me. Wanted him here, to be married again. I just didn't want it to be like this."

  “Is Mitchell still mad at you?" Fiona asked.

  "No. Well, sort of. This is not going to go over well."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Mitch didn't want me to tell him. Which I completely disagreed with, of course. But he thought that maybe Deke could be left out of the picture."

  "That doesn't sound like your brother," Zoe said.

  Sam and Fiona looked at their friend. Zoe didn't usually worry about defending Mitchell.

  "No, don't read anything into it,” Zoe continued. “Mitch irritates me on some level I cannot even explain right now. But, that being said, he is a pretty decent guy."

  "
He always thought that Deke and I should never see each other again. I can't say that I disagreed with that at the time."

  "And like a big brother, he wants to protect you," Fiona said. She had a soft heart for brothers since she had lost her own only two years earlier in Iraq.

  "So, I have to figure out a way to tell my brother that my ex is here to live. But maybe I don't have to tell him any time soon."

  As soon as she said the words, the front doorbell rang.

  Sam looked at the door. "No. Karma doesn’t hate me this much."

  Zoe shook her head. "You knew he was going to get worse with you pregnant."

  "Today is a Friday."

  "And you should have expected him to be off. He doesn’t go out to clubs when he has to work the next day," Zoe said. "You better figure out a way to tell your brother that your ex is here and naked in your bathroom."

  Chapter Eight

  Deke was shaving when his phone rang. Mal's face popped up to the sound of the Jersey Shore theme song.

  "Hey, Chief. Recovered from the trip?"

  He shaved the last bit of cream off his face. "A bit. Could probably do with a few hours of sleep, though."

  "You'll get used to it, and guys your age need extra rebound time.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Are you going into Honolulu today?”

  “Might. Not sure. I figured today I would go meet the O-6 I’ll be working for. Let him know I have to find a place to live.”

  “So, you aren’t in Honolulu right now?”

  He rolled his eyes as he used a towel to scrub the rest of his face free of any traces of shaving cream.

  “No.” Mal was pussyfooting around the issue.

  “Did your lady-love kick you out?"

  "Now why would she kick out the father of her child?"

  There was a beat of silence.

  "Father of her child?"

  "Yeah. All those phone calls were because she was trying to tell me."

  "Holy shit."

  He heard a mumbled voice in the background, and he knew Kade was there. Deke rolled his eyes again. Kade and Mal were getting to be like little old ladies.