The SEAL’s Accidental Pregnancy

by Katie Knight

  “Hey, take this,” Franklin said, handing her a handkerchief and slipping his arm around her shoulders to squeeze her again. “If you need anything, I’m here for you. All the guys are.”

  Diana shrugged off his embrace. “I’m fine. I don’t need anyone.”

  From the other side of her echoed a sarcastic snort. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I’d be a rich woman.”

  Demetri’s aunt Rebecca nudged Diana with her shoulder. “Would you like to some tea after this, honey? I know I, for one, could use a cuppa.”

  She wanted to say no, but the woman had been so nice to her since Demetri’s passing had hit the news, along with the bombshell that she was pregnant with their baby. Not to mention that Aunt Rebecca’s grief was real. She didn’t know Demetri was faking it all. Diana reached over and patted the woman’s hand, nodding. “I’d love to have tea with you.”

  Twenty-Five

  “Still so hard to believe that Demetri’s gone,” Rebecca said once she and Diana were in the funeral parlour’s limousine and headed back to the house. After the funeral, Franklin had gone off to meet with the guys from Bratton Security and, she supposed, Demetri. Fresh anger burned in Diana’s blood at the memory of how he’d frozen her out at the hospital, but she did her best to squash it and concentrated on the other woman as Rebecca continued. “I knew his job was dangerous and always knew there was a chance for him to be killed, but I expected it to happen on some far-off battlefield, never at home, in his own yard. And there I was, cooped up in a safe house, thinking danger might come at any minute—and all along, danger was right here. If only I’d known—if only I could have been here. At least to say goodbye.”

  “No, no,” Diana said. “Please don’t blame yourself. The safe house was exactly where Demetri wanted you to be. I’m sure it was a comfort to him, knowing you were secure and out of harm’s way.”

  The older woman sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a tissue and Diana’s heart broke all over again. Demetri’s aunt deserved to know the truth, but to say it now would risk everything they’d worked so hard to gain where Rivers was concerned. And no matter how angry and hurt she was over the way things had ended with Demetri, she wouldn’t do that to him. Despite the fact if he were sitting in that limo with them right now, Diana might wring his neck herself since she felt so frustrated with it all.

  Instead, she reached over and took Rebecca’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “And I for yours,” Rebecca said, looking over at Diana with tear-filled eyes. “You and the baby know that you can always depend on me to help in any way I can. Demetri was like a son to me and if it’s all right with you, I’d like to be able to think of this baby as my grandchild. In fact, remind me when we get to the house that I’ve got something for you. A baby blanket that belonged to Demetri. His mother knitted it for him while she was pregnant. I’m sure he’d want you and his child to have it.”

  “Thank you,” Diana said, glad they were heading to Demetri’s old home, considering it was well-protected. But then she remembered that Rivers wasn’t after her anymore. As far as the world knew, Demetri Lewis was dead. Rivers had gotten his vengeance. It was all over. No need to worry anymore, right? Especially since the guys would be tracking Trent Rivers down and neutralizing any remaining threat soon enough. She shivered at the thought of what “neutralizing” meant, but whatever it was, Rivers deserved it. He’d stalked, and killed, and committed arson, and had tried to take Diana and her baby out too. If that didn’t make someone a bad person, she didn’t know what did.

  Rebecca must’ve felt her shiver and interpreted it as distress over Demetri’s death, because the next thing Diana knew, the older woman had wrapped an arm around Diana’s shoulders and pulled her into her side. “My dear, you must be exhausted, going through all this alone. Isn’t there anyone I can call for you? Your parents? Your brother?”

  “No,” Diana said, frowning down at her hands. “I’m fine. My mom’s home right now, recovering from hip surgery, and I hate to bother her. And my father left when I was little, so I’d have no way to contact him now. Besides, no one knew Demetri was the father. No sense telling them now. And Peter’s stuck halfway around the world somewhere on a mission. That’s why he wasn’t at the funeral today.” She hoped that last lie was convincing. The guys from Bratton had assured her earlier that they’d gotten word to Peter about the deception so he wouldn’t worry when he heard the news about Demetri’s “death.”

  “Anyway, it’s fine. I’m fine, really. Or I will be, once all this settles down.”

  The baby kicked hard again and she placed her hand over her stomach. They’d get through this. Get through this and thrive, just to spite stupid Demetri. He didn’t want them? Fine. They didn’t need him either. Her eyes stung again, but no tears came. Considering how much she’d cried at the funeral, it wasn’t surprising. She was probably dehydrated from all the sobbing.

  “I suppose you’ll be staying here then, to raise the baby?” Rebecca said as they pulled up in front of the house a short time later. Memories rushed Diana and stole her breath away. The first night here, sleeping with Demetri in the big master bedroom, exploring his old space to learn more about him, the way he smiled, the sound of his voice, the scent of soap and sandalwood from his skin. Man, even mad at him as she was, she’d loved every infuriating inch of him. She’d believed in him, believed he was more than his past, more than the cold-hearted soldier others believed him to be. He’d opened up, shown her another side of him—and then shoved her back out and locked the door.

  Argh. Diana clenched her jaw and took a deep breath to ease the tightness in her muscles. Things were what they were now, and she didn’t want to upset Aunt Rebecca any further by telling her she was going to sell the house as soon as she could and move on with her life elsewhere, so she told a half-lie. “I’ll be staying there for the time being, yes.”

  “Good to know,” Rebecca said, getting out of the car while the driver held the door for her, then waiting on the sidewalk for Diana to exit as well. The overcast sky grew darker and a light drizzle started. Perfect weather for Diana’s crappy mood. Still, Rebecca’s smile was warm as she linked arms with Diana and led her up to the porch. “That will give us a chance to get to know each other better.”

  Once inside, both ladies removed their coats, then Diana gave Rebecca a tour around the place. Since Demetri’s “demise” she’d spent almost all of her time stuck in here, so she’d taken advantage. Going through the garage, she’d found lots of stuff boxed up from back when Demetri had been a kid. That 80s style was making a revival, so it fit right in and made the old house look contemporary and chic again. Diana was rather proud of herself with the redecorating, in fact, for channelling her anger and pain into something productive. It felt good.

  They stopped outside Demetri’s old room, which Diana had refashioned as the nursery she’d first envisioned here, complete with Demetri’s old crib and bassinette, cleaned up and carefully arranged.

  “Wow,” Rebecca said, her eyes welling again. “This looks amazing. I remember back when Demetri was first born. He looked so tiny in that crib. No idea he’d grow up to be a giant.”

  Diana laughed. “He was tall, wasn’t he?” And broad and muscled and handsome. Her rebellious mind continued the litany against her wishes. And kind and considerate and wonderful.

  When he wasn’t being a secretive, brooding bastard.

  Sighing, she steered Rebecca away from the nursery door and toward the kitchen. Useless to rehash all that again since Demetri was gone and he wasn’t coming back. Ever. Her chest squeezed and her steps faltered before she caught herself. “How about I make us a nice pot of tea?”

  “How about you sit down and I make us a nice pot of tea?” Rebecca said, giving Diana a concerned look. “You look ready to drop, dear.”

  Honestly, somewhere between the cemetery and the house, her energy had fled and now she felt completed drained.
Diana gave a small nod and took a seat at the kitchen table while directing Rebecca where to find the supplies since she’d moved them all around during her decorating phase.

  While Rebecca filled the kettle with water to boil, she chatted on about Demetri’s parents, which was nice, since Diana still had so many blanks to fill about them. She wanted to know as much as she could so she could tell her child about their history.

  “Funny you redecorated the place—and so quickly! Demetri’s mother used to do that all the time too. She was so creative, and she needed an outlet for that.” Rebecca smiled at Diana over her shoulder as she set the kettle on the stove and fired up the gas burner. “Jaime could make any house a home. I always tried to talk her into opening her own interior design business, freelance. Figured it would give her something to do besides raising Demetri, but my brother, Neal, could be a stubborn ass sometimes.”

  Diana snorted. “The way Demetri talked about them, they sounded perfect.”

  “Hardly.” Rebecca chuckled. “They had their faults like anyone else, but Jaime and Neal loved each other and they adored Demetri. That’s about all you can ask for in life, right? A loving family that will stand by you no matter what?”

  “Yeah.” Diana’s heart pinched at that. She’d had that growing up, even if it was just the three of them. Her mom had done the best she could under the circumstances. She hadn’t always been able to give them her time, but they’d always known they had her love. That’s what a child needed most, and that was just what Diana would give her baby now. The realization that she and her mother weren’t so different after all and that that was okay—more than okay, really—lifted a burden off her shoulders and suddenly Diana could breathe again. The space opening up around her allowed the sadness in as well. Sadness that the dreams she’d had for her and Demetri and their baby, however fanciful they might have been, were dead now too, just like Demetri was pretending to be. They could’ve had that loving family, could’ve had it all. But it was gone.

  All gone.

  The kettle whistled, startling Diana, which in turn made the baby jump. She stood and walked over to the cupboard. “Let me get mugs for us and—”

  The keening of the kettle was overtaken by a loud bang near the front of the house. Rebecca froze, eyes wide, and Diana’s blood turned to ice. That sound. It was the same sound she’d heard the night Demetri had been shot.

  Oh God! Was it Rivers? Had he learned that Demetri wasn’t dead, and come to take his revenge?

  Adrenaline surging, she grabbed Rebecca’s arm and tugged her down to the floor behind the kitchen table, reaching up to turn off the stove. If someone was lurking outside the house, best not to give away what room she and Rebecca were in.

  “What’s happening?” Rebecca whispered, her voice edged with terror. “Are we in danger?”

  “I don’t know,” Diana replied, truthfully. Then she crawled over to a nearby drawer and grabbed a lethal-looking butcher knife. Rebecca’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head and Diana did her best to reassure the older woman that everything would be all right, even if it she wasn’t at all sure that it would. If Rivers got in the house, that would be bad. Really, really bad. But Diana had to protect herself now and she damned sure would. Protect her and her baby and Aunt Rebecca against any and all attackers. Nothing was fiercer than a mother’s love, and at this point she’d love nothing more than to prove that to Trent Rivers and send him back to hell where he came from, once and for all.

  More shots were fired outside and she gripped the hilt of the knife tighter in her sweaty palm. The guys from Bratton must be out there, since she hadn’t heard any sirens. Or maybe it was just Demetri. She could have sworn she’d felt his eyes on her at the funeral, and she wouldn’t have put it past him to attend just to keep an eye on all of them.

  Another shot and a yell reverberated through the walls of the house and her heart rate tripled. The baby was twirling like a Ferris wheel inside her and she had to pee again something awful, but that would all have to wait. She had bigger battles to fight now.

  There was a knock on the front door, followed by more muffled shouts. She couldn’t pick out the words or place the voice, but if Rivers tried to get in the house she’d take him down. Diana looked over at Rebecca and placed a finger on her lips in the universal sign for silence, then gave the older woman a pointed look to stay put before she slowly crawled around the table toward the living room. Once there, she hid behind the sofa and scanned the room. Surprise would be her best advantage, given that Rivers had training to rival a cadre of Navy SEALs. She’d need to get somewhere and hide, then jump out at him when he didn’t expect it. It was her only chance to win the day.

  What would Demetri do?

  Behind the front door. That seemed the most logical spot. Diana snorted as she quickly made her way over to that exact spot, heart in her throat and pulse pounding like a jackhammer. She’d raked Demetri over the coals for his logical coldness in situations like this, but damn, his way worked. For a moment her anger at him eased, replaced by love and longing—but she pushed them back. Those feelings had no place in this moment. If she and Rebecca made it out of this, she’d honour his memory and his wishes by getting on with her life and living it as best she could, moving on from him.

  Then there was no more time to think because a fist crashed through the glass pane on the front door and next thing Diana knew, a man who could only be Rivers rushed in looking frantic and feral. His gaze darted around the room and he spotted Rebecca behind the table in the kitchen. Diana said a tiny prayer for courage and ran out from behind the door, brandishing the knife in front of her at the same time as another figure charged through the doorway and barrelled right into Rivers.

  Both men tumbled to the floor in a mass of limbs and flying fists. It wasn’t until the larger man landed a final hard blow across Rivers’ jaw and knocked him unconscious that Diana realized it was Demetri. He stood and the hood of his black sweatshirt fell back to reveal his handsome face.

  Her heart swelled with joy and wariness. She dropped the knife and rushed to his side.

  “Demetri!” she said, at the same time that Rebecca gasped the name in the kitchen.

  Then Rebecca promptly fainted and Demetri rushed to her side, stepping over Rivers’ body to get there.

  “Aunt Rebecca?” he said, cradling her head in his lap and lightly patting her pale cheek. “Please be okay.”

  Franklin Harris ran in a moment later and took in the scene. Several SWAT team officers filed in behind him. So the police had been there, just with their sirens silent. He moved in beside Diana, who was still in shock. “Everything okay in here?”

  “Yeah,” Diana murmured, watching as Rebecca roused and she and Demetri had their reunion. It was sweet. Way sweeter than Diana and Demetri’s mess of a relationship. He’d saved her life. Again. But she knew that in another minute, he’d walk back out of it again. The fact he’d not said a word to her only proved that she wasn’t as important to him as he was to her. It was good. It was all good. She’d expected this. It shouldn’t hurt. They’d said their goodbyes. This was just Demetri playing hero one last time. He might be back in his aunt’s life again, but that didn’t mean he was back in Diana’s or their baby’s. Her plans hadn’t changed, just because he’d decided to re-join the land of the living. She still planned to move on. Alone.

  “Everything’s fine.”

  Twenty-Six

  “So, what are you going to do now?” Franklin asked as they sat on the sofa in Demetri’s living room.

  “No idea.” Demetri sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “This is the first second I’ve had time to think about it.”

  Three weeks had passed since they’d taken down Trent Rivers at last. Three weeks since Demetri’s miraculous resurrection—and all of that time had been spent dealing with the subsequent red tape of getting his identity and his life back on track again. Three weeks since Diana had packed up her things and walked out of his
life for good.

  Even with all the government pain-in-his-butt bureaucracy he’d had to deal with the past twenty or so days, that last one was the hardest, if he was honest. Which, given the fact he was gifted a second chance, he was trying really hard to be these days. Honest about his past, honest about his future, and most importantly, honest about his feelings.

  Meaning, he was actually trying to feel them now, instead of burying them. Those long-suppressed emotions had brought along a lot of baggage with them and a lot of interesting developments. For the first time in his life, he’d finally really grieved for the loss of his parents, especially his mother. He’d given up the blame and hurt and opened his heart up to the love he’d always had for her and never fully expressed. He visited their graves regularly now and left flowers. It was nice.

  His relationship with Aunt Rebecca was stronger too. She’d come up from Virginia every weekend to spend time with him and help him with all the work that needed to be done to get his life back on track, bureaucratically and emotionally. She was always making him stuff for dinner that he could freeze and heat up later, since cooking was not Demetri’s forte. He finally felt like he had connections, and those bonds didn’t scare him half to death the way they used to. So, yeah, progress had been made.

  Trouble was, all those emotions also brought him a lot of heartache. Mainly because he realized at last how much he’d loved Diana and how much he’d lost when he let her go. The house felt empty without her and each day he seemed to find something else left behind that reminded him of her. Just yesterday he’d walked into his old room and found a box of his old stuff tucked away in a drawer of the bureau she’d moved in there. A long strand of her dark hair was stuck beneath the lid and he’d pulled it out, staring at it for way longer than he should have. The fact she’d set up his old room as the nursery she’d always wanted wasn’t lost on him either.