The SEAL’s Accidental Pregnancy

by Katie Knight

  And that scared Demetri most of all.

  Dammit. This was exactly why he didn’t get involved with people on any level beyond the superficial. There were too many things that could go wrong, too many variables that could cause damage and pain and wounds that might never heal.

  Speaking of damage, if their stalker really had traced them here, then they were all in danger, including the men in this room. Whoever had set fire to Diana’s house had no qualms about hurting or even killing people, so it was best that they leave again, before anyone got hurt.

  “Right. We need to go. John, can you get us reservations at another hotel outside of Atlanta? I don’t care where, just text me the details when you have them. Eric, can you write down directions for how to get to the nearest used car lot so I can get another car for us? If this guy knows where we’re staying, he’s probably traced the SUV too. We’ll need to leave it behind to throw him off track.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Go off alone again?” John asked. “We’ve got your back, man.”

  “I don’t want to put you guys at risk too.”

  “Risk is what we do,” John said. Eric and Craig nodded. “You’re not alone in this. We keep people safe. All of us. You don’t have to do this by yourself, Deme.”

  “I work better on my own, at least for now.” He handed the guys his phone and grabbed two burners from the stash at the security office—one for him and one for Diana—then gave John the new numbers once he’d gotten them set up. He’d have Diana leave her phone here, too—turned off, with the SIM card removed. There was no reason to believe the guy was capable of hacking into the system to track them by their phones…but it would be careless to assume he couldn’t. Better safe than sorry. And on that note, there wouldn’t be time to go back to the hotel for anything they’d left behind. They’d have to buy new whenever they got where they were going. Good thing he’d stopped at an ATM two nights before and taken out a bunch of “just in case” cash. They could avoid using traceable credit cards for now. “Trust me.”

  “Fine,” John agreed reluctantly. “I’ll wait a few hours, then drive it to a parking lot where it won’t be disturbed. But I could say the same to you. Trust us. If you need us, we’re here for you. Any time, any place.”

  “Thanks.” Demetri walked over to get Diana, calling over his shoulder. “Can you email me the results of the facial recognition software?”

  “Will do,” Eric said. “Shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

  “Are we leaving?” Diana asked, looking up at him. There were shadows beneath her eyes despite a good night’s sleep and he knew he was pushing her harder than any pregnant woman should be pushed physically, but they had to stay one step ahead of this guy, whoever he was, in order to stay safe.

  “Yeah, we need to go.” He explained the need to leave her phone behind and she grimaced, but complied, leaving it on the coffee table in front of her. He took her hand to help her up, then kept a hold of her, just because it felt good to touch her again. “Can you walk for a bit?”

  “Of course.” She grinned, but he could see the exhaustion in her pretty blue eyes. He swore to get her a place to sleep for a week undisturbed. “Ready when you are.”

  “Good.” Demetri gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Let’s go. We have a new ride to pick up.”

  Eleven

  After walking for what seemed like days to Diana, but was probably only an hour, they finally came to a small used car lot on the corner of a busy intersection. They went inside and Demetri haggled a bit with the guy behind the counter before walking out with the keys to a forest green sedan. The interior had seen better days and the AC was broken, but at least she’d gotten into the back where she could stretch out and give her poor feet a rest.

  “Any chance we could stop for supplies?” she asked, toeing off her sneakers and rubbing her swollen ankles. “I could use some snacks and some acetaminophen too—not to mention some clothes, since we left ours behind.”

  “Is that stuff safe to take when you’re pregnant?” Demetri asked, giving her a side glance before pulling out into traffic.

  “It is.” She winced as she rubbed her sore toes.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She wasn’t. Not really. But she didn’t want to be a bother either. Yes, she was pregnant, but that didn’t mean she needed to whine about it. Honestly, she’d always been like that, never one to draw attention to herself, no matter how uncomfortable she was. It had gotten worse when she was with Brad, thanks to the way he’d always made her personal concerns seem petty and unimportant. Still she’d always believed in love and had desperately wanted to try for her own happily ever after. But it wasn’t to be. Not with Brad anyway. He was the reason she felt the need to apologize whenever her sadness or her troubles got in anyone else’s way. Well, that and the fact her dad had walked out on them when Diana was little.

  She’d grown up watching her mom working part-time as a dentist’s receptionist, arranging her hours so that she was always there when her kids needed her, working two jobs as the sole breadwinner to keep their little family afloat. Peter had been eleven—old enough to look after himself and to try, clumsily, to look after her, but Diana had quickly learned not to complain because she didn’t want to add to her mom’s burdens. So she learned to do things for herself. Fix her own hair. Make her own sandwiches to take to school for lunch. Tidy the kitchen and her bedroom. Gradually, she’d taken over most of the housekeeping. By the time she was ten, she and Peter would cook dinner together every night. By age twelve, when he graduated high school and went to naval academy, she did it all herself. And little things like her own hurts and sorrows, things she would have once gone to her mother to soothe…well, taking care of them herself had been the only option. Her mother had needed her to be strong. But wouldn’t it be nice to have a knight in shining armour? Not a man to fix things for her, but a guy to stand by her side when things got tough? And didn’t that sound like a forever kind of happy?

  “Where’s our new hotel?” she asked, as they turned down the same street they’d been on the night before. “It’s close to the old one?”

  “Yes, unfortunately.” Demetri handed her his phone with the text from John. “I was hoping they’d find something farther away, but with that soccer game in town, everything’s booked.”

  “Well, at least we have a bed for the night.” She clicked off the device and stuck it in the cup holder between them for safekeeping. “I’ll take it. Tell me about what the guys found out about my stalker.”

  While Demetri relayed the facts he’d learned, Diana stared out the window to distract herself from the rumble of her stomach and the ache in her joints. The baby was sitting on her bladder too, which didn’t help. Whatever she was having was going to be a gymnast, apparently, given the amount of flipping around the baby was doing in there. She did her best to follow what Demetri was saying, but the longer she sat there the sleepier she got, and soon she closed her eyes for just a second and drifted off to the comforting sound of Demetri’s deep voice.

  Demetri wasn’t thrilled with their new accommodations. He’d been spoiled by the previous night’s suite and now they were in a two-star dump at best. The neighbourhood was a step down too, and he took extra time doing his perimeter walk to make sure their room was as secure as it could be under the circumstances. Diana had been right, though. They had to take what they could get with the crowds in town that weekend. As he strode around the edge of the property, he noted all the vehicles decorated with team insignia and soap drawings on the windows, cheering on their teams. The motel was two stories, with exterior entrances for all the rooms. Several rooms were full of people who had raucous parties going on, and others were in the parking lot, drinking and laughing. He would’ve preferred a quiet spot without all the sketchy patrons around, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Besides, now that they were on a cash-only budget, it would be smart to economize. They’d already had to spend
a chunk of his cash on the car.

  At least Diana was getting the rest she needed. She’d been so out of it, she’d barely registered when they’d stopped for supplies, not caring one way or another what he bought. Then she’d dozed off again as he’d checked them into their hotel and hadn’t even woken up when he’d carried her into the room. And when he’d left to do his patrol, she’d still been snoozing away on the room’s king-sized bed in their secured room.

  Oh well. She needed to sleep. And he needed to get his head back on straight.

  He had burgers delivered from a nearby restaurant, grateful Diana was up now at least, and in the bathroom, from the sounds of it. He went ahead and got the food laid out on the table so it was ready for her when she returned.

  “Hey,” she said, yawning and stretching before taking a seat across from him. “Where’ve you been?”

  “Perimeter check,” he said around a bite of food. “And I got us some new supplies. Feel better after your nap?”

  “Yes, thanks.” She nibbled on a fry. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You needed your rest.”

  She grinned, then sipped her soda. “This is good. Thanks for the food.”

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled back, wiping the ketchup from his chin with a napkin. “I half expected you to still be sleeping when I came in.”

  “Nah. Some car alarm went off and woke me up.” She looked over at the nightstand. “Can’t believe it’s almost seven o’clock already.”

  “Hmm.” He swallowed another bite of burger. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

  “It really does.” She winked at him and his heart melted a little more. “So, any update from your friends?”

  “Not yet. Eric said they’re still working on finding anything they can use to identify one potential suspect.” He ate a gob of fries. “Tell me more about the baby.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Tell me what it’s been like for you so far.”

  So Diana told him about her first doctor’s appointment and hearing the heartbeat for the first time, about the ultrasounds and the first kick. She left out all the unpleasantness, he noticed, but he didn’t mention it because maybe she didn’t want to remember that. He already knew she had to deal with morning sickness and stuff. Demetri didn’t know squat about babies, but that part didn’t sound fun at all.

  “What about your mom and Peter? Are they happy about the pregnancy?”

  “Peter doesn’t know yet. They tell you not to say anything before the first trimester is over since the chance of miscarriage is so high, and by the time I’d gotten past that point, he was out of contact. I’m sure he’ll be supportive, though. Mom’s thrilled for me, though she’d be happier if I was in a steady relationship. She knows first-hand how tough it can be to be a single mom—and Peter and I were already potty trained by the time she had to take care of everything by herself.” She took another bite of her burger, then pushed the rest aside. “It’s not easy being on my own sometimes, but I handle it.”

  His throat constricted as regret welled inside him. He’d caused this, his absence in her life, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility gripped him tight. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Diana. If I’d known, then…”

  “No. I didn’t say that to make you feel bad.” Her shoulders slumped and she sat back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why do you do that?” he asked, unable to resist any longer.

  “Do what?”

  “Apologize all the time.” He shoved his own trash back in the bag, then grabbed hers too and threw it all in the can near the front door. “You’re allowed to be unhappy. Hell, if anyone has a right to be, it’s you.”

  She seemed to take that in for a minute. “I don’t know. I don’t like to complain.”

  “Shit.” He snorted, sitting back down at the table and stretching out his legs. His feet brushed hers, but neither pulled back. “Complain away. I sure as hell would, in your position.”

  Diana’s laugh seemed to break the tension between them and they both grinned. “I never feel comfortable whining. I always think I should be able to take care of my problems myself. Expecting others to fix whatever’s wrong feels weak. I’ve been like that since I was a kid.”

  “Yeah?” He shrugged. “I’ll tell you what’s weak. Whoever made you feel like you had to say you were sorry for feeling whatever way you do. You got as much right as the next person to speak your mind.”

  “Oh boy.” She gave him a look. “You probably shouldn’t have said that. Now I’m going to dump all over you, mister.”

  They sat side by side at the table, staring across the room at the ugly painting on the wall as the time passed, just chatting and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Being with her felt good and right, not uncomfortable and confining, like Demetri usually felt whenever anyone tried to get to know him. He didn’t stop to consider why that was, wanting to just enjoy the moment instead.

  “What the hell do you think that’s supposed to be anyway?” he asked, squinting at the blobs of colour on the cheap reproduction, thinking that might make some sense of it. Abstract art. A definite no for him. “Looks like a fish swimming in vomit to me.”

  “Well, thanks for that description,” Diana said, nudging his arm with her elbow. They’d both moved their chairs closer and were just inches apart at that point. Both had kicked their shoes off and had their feet balanced on the edge of the mattress in front of them. “I think it’s a Pollack, if I’m not mistaken. Just a print, of course—not a real one. One of those would be worth more than this entire motel combined.”

  “Huh.” He scrunched his nose and tilted his head. “You mean people actually pay big money for something like that?”

  “For the real thing, yes.” She leaned toward him and he lifted his arm, draping it across the back of her chair, his fingertips grazing her shoulder. Sitting like this, with her, felt damned near perfect. It also brought back memories of the previous evening and where putting his arm around her had led. But he wasn’t going there again, just sharing quiet time with her. That was all.

  Diana seemed to feel the same because she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “This is nice.”

  “Agreed.” He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled, tucking her head under his chin. “I’m sorry you had to go through the tough stuff with the baby by yourself.”

  She took a deep breath and relaxed a little more against him. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll try to be better about being there for you in the future.” Love and attachments still made him wary…but surely he could provide her with some support. Company when she had to go to the doctor for tests. Money to get her set up in a new house, and buy the things needed for a nursery. An ear to listen when she needed to vent. And when the baby was born…well, they’d deal with that when it happened.

  “Okay,” she said, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced. He couldn’t really blame her. He was a military man, after all. A SEAL. He could get sent halfway around the world at the drop of a hat when duty called. But then, he was getting older. John and the other guys he’d started with had already called it quits. Maybe Demetri should too. He’d never really thought about retirement before. Had honestly thought he’d be a SEAL until they kicked him out, or he was killed in action, whichever came first. But now, sitting there with Diana, knowing their baby was growing inside her—his baby—changed things a bit. He didn’t want his kid to grow up without a dad in his or her life at all, did he? And he didn’t want Diana to have to tackle everything alone. They’d have to spend more time together, more than just riding in a car or spending the night in a hotel room, to be sure. But perhaps they could make this work. With a little effort on both their parts.

  Of course, she’d never said she wanted him to stick around after this mess was over, and he wasn’t exactly a good bet when it came to relationships, but still. For the first time in forever, Demetri foun
d himself wondering what it might be like to have what other men had—a home, a family, a place to come back to every night where there was someone waiting for him.

  He'd never thought he’d want that. He definitely wasn’t sure he could trust it. But the idea held more appeal than it ever had before.

  With Diana. If she’d have him.

  And if they both made it out of this thing alive.

  Twelve

  The next morning, Demetri was up early and strategizing the best way to get out of the city fast. He didn’t like the idea of the stalker within even ten miles of where they were.

  Eric was still trying to trace the guy. That damned hoodie was giving them more problems than they’d expected, obscuring the person’s face and most of the details of their body. He kept checking his phone what seemed like every two seconds for an update, but still nothing.

  He'd slept like crap the night before too, and not because he’d been on the floor. Everything that had happened over the last few days continued to run though his head on an endless loop, making rest impossible. So he was stiff and cranky and generally just in a piss-poor mood.

  To make matters even worse, that stupid soccer game was today. Meaning the streets of Atlanta would be a gridlocked mess. Demetri had thought maybe getting up extra early would help them beat the crowds, but then he’d watched Diana snoozing so soundly in bed after sitting up with him way too late last night, and didn’t have the heart to wake her. He ought to have sent her to bed at a decent hour, but holding her had been too nice. They’d talked, really talked, about their pasts, their families, their futures, and he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that with someone, if ever.