“Must be a new technique.”
“Brand-new. They heat the ligaments surgically, then tighten them so my shoulder won't go out of place again.” Sam ran his thumb gently over her cheek. “Except for that, I'm tough as nails. The truth is, I've never felt so strong, and I owe that all to you.”
He looked strong, she thought. In fact he looked overwhelming. And if he kept doing that thing to her cheek, she'd forget how to breathe. Right now she had to keep her head and do what was right for both of them.
Even if it hurt terribly.
She turned away as the Renwick Gallery and the Old Executive Office Building flashed by. They passed a sweeping lawn, a fountain, dignified white columns, and then the limousine slowed.
Annie's breath caught.
She whirled, staring at Sam. “The White House? You wouldn't possibly arrange that without telling me.”
“Not the White House. He was there last month.” Izzy didn't bother to conceal his pride. “I hear he made quite an impression.”
“You were?”
The SEAL shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “It was no big deal. I wasn't going to make a fuss about it. A lot of people were there.”
Behind him Izzy raised five fingers.
Annie tried to digest this new piece of information as the Ellipse faded behind them. “So where are we going?”
“You'll see. It's right around the corner.”
Annie watched ghouls and goblins race along the sidewalks, waving bags that would soon be heavy with treats. If they weren't headed to the White House, then where? What could be more important than an official reception at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
A Navy function? A press conference?
She knew Sam hated protocol and formality almost as much as he hated trying to take things easy. He'd never look forward to an evening of fuss and forced politeness.
She frowned as the limo slowed. The chauffeur opened the door.
Taylor was waiting, flanked by a distinguished, white-haired man in a uniform with even more medals than Sam had.
Leave it to Taylor to arrive on the arm of an admiral.
Taylor swung her omnipresent Louis Vuitton bag across the seat, then slid in, elegant as ever in spike heels and a little black suit. “I hope we didn't keep you waiting,” she said breathlessly. “Admiral Howe was just pointing out a possible plot complication for my next book, and we totally forgot the time.” She studied Annie with a critical eye, then nodded. “You look just right.”
“Just right for what?” Annie muttered. “Sam won't tell me a thing.”
Taylor smiled faintly. “You'll see.” She flicked the glittering silver charms, slanting a glance at Sam. “What did she say?”
Sam's frown was answer enough.
“I was just speaking with Admiral Howe about how nice it would be for you to have the ceremony at the White House.”
Annie felt her face go pale.
On the other side of the spacious interior, the admiral took a seat and looked at Sam, raising an eyebrow.
“Annie, I'd like you to meet my commanding officer, Admiral Ulysses Howe. Admiral, I'm pleased to introduce Annie O'Toole.”
The admiral took Annie's hand in a firm grip. “I feel like I know you already. Your sister told me about that prank you played on the senior girls' gym class.”
“What prank?” Sam looked interested.
Annie ignored the question. “Maybe you can tell me where we're going, Admiral Howe. It seems to be top secret.”
“I'm afraid my lips are sealed. This is Sam's event, and he's calling the shots.”
The limousine cruised into a turn, passing Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Napoleon, and an adult in a gorilla suit. “Washington as usual,” Admiral Howe murmured. “Evil, egotism, and monkey business wherever you look.” He smiled at Annie. “But we won't talk about that. I hope you're enjoying your accommodations, Ms. O'Toole.”
“Everything is lovely. If the hotel keeps sending me roses, I might never leave.”
Izzy cleared his throat.
Admiral Howe fought a smile.
“What?” Annie looked from one man to the other.
“The roses aren't from the hotel,” the admiral said carefully.
“But I thought—” Annie glanced at Sam. “Why didn't you tell me?”
Sam looked at her, his heart in his eyes. “I was getting around to it, but we kept getting interrupted.”
“You sweet idiot,” she said lovingly.
“Macho idiot hero,” Izzy corrected as Annie touched Sam's cheek tenderly.
Admiral Howe nodded. “Did you ask her yet?”
Sam looked up, blinking. “I, uh—”
“Speak up, son.”
“I was trying to,” Sam said grimly. “Then things started getting crowded in here.”
The admiral's eyes narrowed. “Why wait until you were in the car?”
“Only way I could be sure she wouldn't run away.”
Annie felt her face flush. Did everyone know that Sam was pushing her to marry him—and that she couldn't come up with an answer?
“Forgive me, Ms. O'Toole,” the admiral said gruffly. “I'm old, rude, and stubborn. Sometimes I forget that people need to live their own lives.” His gaze drifted for a moment, fixed through the windows on a place that seemed far away from Washington and their polished limousine.
Thanks to Sam and Izzy, Annie now knew something about the events leading up to the attack at the Navy's safe house in the mountains. That explained the sadness she saw in the ad-miral's eyes.
After a long silence, he seemed to pull himself back. “It's good to have you back, Commander.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Have you given any thought to that matter we discussed?”
“I'm considering it, sir.”
“Take as long as you need.” The admiral's eyes narrowed. “Which means you have three more days to make up your mind.”
“I'll keep the matter in mind, sir.”
Annie frowned. Why did Sam look so thoughtful?
The limousine slowed in front of an old three-story brick building. Beyond the small circular drive, Annie saw broad steps packed with children in navy uniforms.
“I don't understand.” She leaned closer to the window. “This looks like a school. Who are those children smiling and waving?”
“They're my kids,” Sam said gruffly.
As the children rushed toward the car, Annie's amazement grew. She watched Sam's whole face light up, wreathed in the broadest of smiles. These were the children whose lives he'd saved on the school bus, she realized. They were more important than a Navy press conference or a private dinner at the White House.
His kids.
Emotion left her throat knotted as she stared at him, fiercely proud.
She trusted this man completely. But how could she trust herself? The things she felt were too new, full of racing highs and jittery lows. Annie's life had always been scheduled, planned, with her resort taking all her focus. Now Sam had turned that careful core inside out.
Annie stifled a sigh.
Every time she looked at Sam, her heart skittered painfully.
Giving him up was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done.
SURROUNDED BY SCREAMING CHILDREN, SAM ESCORTED ANNIE UP the steps. He stopped often to grip a hand or press a shoulder. Twice he stopped to wipe away tears of a crying, overwrought child.
Annie felt her own eyes start to blur. He could be a politician, she thought, except campaigning would be sheer torture for him.
Inside the school more children surged out of classrooms, followed by their beaming teachers. The building was old, with high ceilings and small windows, but every inch was scrubbed and gleaming. Sam's discomfort seemed to vanish as he moved purposefully through the rows of clapping schoolchildren.
Admiral Howe chuckled as he moved beside Annie. “I do believe that man could be president if he wanted. I've been told his appeal to female audiences has gone right
through the roof.”
Annie frowned.
“Of course, we both know that running for political office is the last thing Commander McKade would ever consider.”
Annie's frown eased just a little.
“I think he'd prefer having a few broken bones.” The admiral paused. “Of course, with an attractive physiotherapist like you to keep him in line …” He stepped in front of Annie, bringing her to a halt. “So are you going to marry the man or not?”
Annie felt her face fill with heat. “I haven't—that is, we both need more time. It's not something to rush into.”
“Don't take too long, my dear. I know you've got two careers to deal with, and no, it won't be easy. You're two smart, stubborn people and there are bound to be sparks.” He looked off into the sunlight for a long time. “When you lose someone close, you understand how precious time is and why it's a crime to waste it. So do us all a favor and marry the man. If you don't put him out of his misery, he'll be no use to me,” he said gruffly. “You'll laugh and you'll fight. You'll hurt when he's gone and you'll worry that he's in danger.” His voice hardened. “But that man over there will make it worthwhile, Ms. O'Toole. Men just don't come any finer than that.”
Annie turned, following his eyes. Sam was on one knee, gravely accepting a bouquet of misshapen paper roses from a little girl with gapped teeth and crooked pigtails.
The children began to clap. Through a blur of sound, Annie heard the admiral's echoing words.
Do us all a favor and marry the man.
Heaven knows, part of her wanted to.
But another part of her was huddled weak-kneed in a corner, frozen with fear. Marriages didn't last today, not even those with perfect odds. And Annie didn't want to fail, not with something as precious as Sam's love.
Why couldn't they just go on as they had, exchanging silly notes, talking too long on the phone, meeting whenever they could? That way was safer. That way no one could get hurt.
Marriage was too big, too permanent, and a good way to get hurt.
The clapping grew thunderous as the school principal escorted Sam into a classroom where pictures covered every available surface.
In crayons, paint, and markers, the children had captured the SEAL as he'd looked when he'd been publicly released from the hospital in Bethesda. Other pictures showed Sam receiving a medal from Admiral Howe, Sam on Good Morning America, Sam on Oprah.
Annie swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. Put him out of his misery or he'll be no use to me.
She watched Sam sit down in the middle of a big rug, ringed with children who stared up at him in awed silence. He blinked, just a little, as a teacher handed him the pile of getwell cards they had made right after the accident but been unable to send, not knowing where he was.
“They're still frightened, you know.”
Annie looked up at Izzy. “Why? He's fine. Thanks to the surgery, he might even be stronger than he was before the accident.”
“You and I know that, but these kids still aren't sure. He almost died saving them and they saw every brutal second. Their teacher tells me they thought he was dead, and nothing anyone said would change that. They thought the grown-ups were hiding the truth to protect them, so now they just want to see him up close, to touch him and be sure he's really okay.” His mouth worked for a moment. “Lots of them still have nightmares about that bus ride.”
Annie understood that. She still had some nightmares of her own after that firefight on the mountain. How much worse for a child who didn't understand. Fair or not, these kids felt responsible for Sam's injuries and needed to know he was safe.
Her throat tightened as Sam bent down and tugged a small boy with untied sneakers onto his lap. Another boy wriggled up beside them, pressing a stuffed lion into Sam's hands. They were joined by two little girls with a plateful of homemade cookies.
“He's as good as they get,” Annie whispered. “Those kids know that.” So do I.
“But you meet everyone in your line of work.” Izzy shrugged.
“Real A-list people. Football heroes. Movie stars. Plastic surgeons and billionaires. Compared to them, Sam's just a regular, average—”
“There's nothing regular or average about Sam,” Annie said fiercely. “Money can't make a man a hero. Those kids know that, too.”
Izzy didn't answer. He was grinning when she turned to glare at him. “You said it, not me.”
“Stop grinning. Just because I like him doesn't mean I'm going to marry him.”
“Like?”
Annie took a deep breath. “Okay, love. Fine, I admit it. But that doesn't change my mind. We need to be careful, to be certain we're not making a mistake.”
“You can't be sure.” Izzy watched Sam take a cookie from a girl with adoring eyes, smiling when another child reached up to hug him tightly. “The only way to know where life's taking you is by living it, Annie.”
“How? This is all too new. I don't know what to think, how to act. I don't even recognize my own feelings anymore.”
“It's called feeling alive. You almost died, so you're bound to go through some changes after that.”
Annie sighed. “I've never been confused in my life, and now suddenly I'm confused by everything.”
“Give it time, Doc.”
There were children all over Sam now, two on his lap, a half dozen at his feet, one on each arm. He had a chalk stripe down the sleeve of his uniform and a battered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shoved in his face. A juice box was tilted toward his chest, perilously close to spilling. Annie's heart skittered as Sam gently removed the Turtle, straightened the juice box, and eased the boy off his shoulder and settled him on his leg, never losing a single beat of the conversation.
Air whooshed out of her chest and all her resistance vanished. She couldn't fight the truth any longer. It would be criminal to lose what she had by worrying about what she might not have.
She knew there would be sleepless nights and juggling of schedules. There would be fights—but there would be lots of making up.
If Sam wanted her, she was his.
In sickness and in health. She'd put him back together again if he needed it, too. She wanted the whole nine yards, with a dozen kids and a few stray dogs and cats thrown in for general chaos.
The thought was still a little frightening, but she couldn't think of any better way to spend the next fifty years.
There was a stir as the door opened. A furry body streaked over the floor, pushing his way onto Sam's already crowded lap.
“I thought Donegal was down in a training program in Virginia.”
“All finished,” Izzy explained. “He'll be with Sam from now on. Admiral Howe likes the idea of a canine program.”
Tail wagging, Donegal settled against Sam and took a bite of a cookie offered by a boy with thick glasses.
Izzy crossed his arms. “So are you going to marry him?”
Annie straightened her dress, then slowly smiled. “Just as soon as I get over being terrified.”
“Terrified of what? It's only your whole future, your commitment to your resort, and the welfare and happiness of your unborn children at stake.” He touched her arm. “Relax. You're going to have an amazing time, I guarantee it. Not easy, not ordinary, but definitely amazing.”
Annie thought about it. Amazing was probably right. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get started.
She crossed the crowded room as the children jumped up to perform a rehearsed musical salute to their hero. Transfixed, Annie listened to drums bang out of rhythm and violins play flat. When the music ended and the children left to put away their instruments, Annie sank down beside Sam.
Leaning close, one hand on his shoulder, she whispered in his ear. “I've thought about it.”
“Annie, you don't have to—”
“The answer is yes.”
“I think you should take more time to—” He blinked. “Yes? You mean—”
“I mean no more worrying o
r bracing for imagined problems. We're going to make this work,” she said fiercely.
His eyes were intent, his focus almost palpable. “I don't want to rush you.”
“I want to marry you, Sam. I couldn't possibly love you more.”
“You're sure? Because if you need more time—”
Annie pulled a tall witch's hat from the nearby table. Holding it in front of them, she leaned down and brushed his lips with her finger. “Stop arguing for once, McKade. Just kiss me, will you?”
“I thought you'd never ask,” Sam muttered hoarsely.
Around her the room, the noise, the whole world faded. His arms tightened, the kiss enveloping her. Beside them, Donegal looked on with interest, tail wagging.
Admiral Howe pulled a cigar from his pocket and smiled, looking immensely satisfied.
Izzy looked smug.
Taylor beamed.
In one corner of the room, a little boy in a crooked bow tie nudged his neighbor. “There he goes again.” He made a sound of disgust. “Heck, he's not going to be good for anything now.” His voice fell. “Next thing you know, they're having sex.”
His friend frowned. “They are?”
“Sure. Last week the kindergarten teacher was kissing the coach and she kept brushing his cheek like he had something on it. Then he kept clearing his throat like he had food stuck.” The boy nodded importantly. “So sex has got something to do with food.”
“Probably chocolate,” his friend said morosely. “No way I would kiss a girl, not for all the chocolate in the world.”
Fortunately, Sam didn't seem to agree. He pulled Annie beside him, locking her hand in his. Even with three squirming children in his lap, he didn't let go of her hand, his eyes intent with promises.
This is as good as it gets, Annie thought, giddily.
“I might be relocating to Monterey,” Sam said quietly. “If this canine unit gets the green light, we'll be working with a breeder out there.” He grinned at Donegal. “I know one dog who can't wait to show his stuff.”
Annie could barely speak. “Monterey? But that's only—”
“Forty minutes away. Funny how it worked, isn't it?”
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