He rolled his eyes. “She’s never gonna get that right,” he drawled.
“Oh, she’s got it right,” Cobbs said, grinning behind him. “Go get her, Captain.”
A sharp, very loud “Hooyah,” rose from the entire squad, and it merged with the well wishes from the people on the street.
“Breakfast, men?” she called down.
“Breakfast, did she say breakfast?” Mace chorused, his eyes popping with hunger. “I’m starving.”
In a nanosecond, the men climbed to the balcony, and launched themselves over the rail. The Captain already had her in his arms and was kissing her, when she heard pots and pans being yanked from her cupboards.
Thane smiled down at her. “Don’t worry sweetheart, they’ll clean up after themselves.”
“They’d better,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“You’re going to make one hell of a good Admiral’s wife,” he said, taking his hat and placing it on her head.
“Admiral?” she exclaimed, taking a step back in surprise.
“That’s right. This afternoon I’m handing over my command.”
“Thane, no, you can’t,” she said. They’d talked about this at least a dozen times. She didn’t want him to change his position because of her. At least that’s what she told him, but any woman who loves a SEAL dreams of something entirely different. She glanced into the kitchen where the guys were making a racket, doing their best to ignore them.
“Done deal.” He turned her chin to gaze into her eyes. “They’ll be fine on their own,” he said. “So—”
“Bonjour, Canada,” a woman’s voice said from below them.
Two beautiful young women looked up at them, both somewhere in their late twenties, standing in ultra short-shorts, their long, shapely legs plugged into a pair of rollerblades each. One was a blonde and the other a dark brunette.
“Bonjour, comment vas-tu, Mademoiselles?” she called down.
“Where are you from?” the blonde asked with a heavy Quebecois accent.
“The West Coast, are you from Canada too?”
“Mais, oui, I’m Rene, and I’m from Quebec City, and Kelsey is from Winnipeg. We just moved here. We live a block that way,” she said, placing her hand on her hip.
“I’m Kayla, and this is my,” She paused looking up at him, and he gave her a grin, patiently waiting for her to finish. “My fiancée, Admiral Austen.”
“It’s not every day you see a bunch of gorgeous men climbing a building,” the brunette said laughing.
“Who’s that?” Tony piped up, hearing the brunette’s voice.
“Most of them are married, but I have two left that are bachelors.” The newest member of the squad, a tall, lean machine from Detroit, named Ed Saxton, had joined the squad only three weeks ago, about the same time Mace passed his PTs and received the thumbs-up to return to Alpha squad and combat duty. Within one breath both Ed and Tony busted between her and Thane.
“For the love of God,” Thane moaned. “Tinman do you mind? I’m trying to ask this woman if she’ll marry me.”
“You already did that, Captain. She said yes.” His head swung around. “The brunette, O Canada,” he drawled. “Where’s she from?”
“Winnipeg,” she said, grinning at the hopeful and lusty look in his eyes.
“I love French food,” Ed muttered.
A laugh burst from her lips as she gave Thane a shrug.
“Do you know if they’ve had breakfast yet?” Kelsey asked grinning, seeing the guys beside her.
Both men practically launched themselves over her railing, climbed a short distance, and then dropped from eight feet to the ground. Straightening their uniforms, they strode toward the women. Tony had found himself a new wingman, now that Mace had pulled himself from the availability sheet.
Thane laughed and shook his head, pulling her into his arms. “I am positive it was Canadian women who fought the War of 1812,” he growled good-naturedly. “Anyway, as I was trying to say…” His palm brushed her stomach gently, and cupped her hands within his. “This afternoon I want my soon-to-be wife by my side for the change of command.” From his pocket he pulled the ring he’d bought for her in the tiny jewelry store they’d visited.
“Where?”
“I went back to the store before I left town that day.”
“You’ve had it all this time?”
He nodded, and his eyes squinted seeing her shock. “It was yours from the moment you put it on, sweetheart.”
“Pretty sure of yourself there, SEAL.”
He grinned.
“Admiral….” she purred. “What’s that look about?”
“Just imagining what you’d look like in that hat and those navy blue boots of yours,” He paused. “…and nothing else.”
“Something resembling big bird, without the feathers,” she laughed, looking down at her stomach. “I can’t wait to see my feet again.” Smelling the bacon already sizzling in the pans she glanced at his men. “Tell them to get the lead out,” she ordered in the dulcet tones she knew he loved. The Admiral folded her in his arms for a passionate kiss. One she was sure would never end.
* * * *
The first thing Kayla understood standing among a sea of white uniforms, and almost every single person from Coronado and their families, was that her husband-to-be was extremely popular and so was the Change of Command ceremony. The mid-September sun was warm on their shoulders, and the sea breeze brought a welcome breath of coolness.
A couple weeks after Thane and the team pulled her from the chain locker, she still refused to see a shrink. One evening they sat enjoying the ebbing light on his patio after work when the team quietly filtered in. It had been like an intervention. Each one of them, starting with Caleb, told her what it had been like to watch her go through her episodes. She’d finally cracked when it was Mace’s turn, Nina sitting close by his side. She knew Thane was behind it, but it also told her how much they all cared.
It was in that moment, she realized she had a family. This brotherhood of brave, fierce men had accepted her in spite of all her broken parts. The Captain even started training in how to become a specialist in dealing with the disorder.
Glancing around, she saw every high-ranking officer from the base attended. She stood beside Lieutenant Cobbs, and behind Thane on a large platform erected for the event. She flinched. The false contractions were annoying, not to mention god-awful painful, but she hid them the best she could. Hopefully, this wasn’t going to take a long time. “Are we waiting for someone?” she asked Lieutenant Cobbs quietly.
His lips tightened and he nodded. “Actually, yes.”
“Who?” Appearing overhead, cutting the air with its large blades, a VH-3D SeaKing helicopter hovered, and began its descent onto a cleared area close to the park. Kayla spotted the insignia on the back, but didn’t recognize it.
“That’s the current Admiral of the West Coast chain.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why’s he here?” Thane gave a quick look over his shoulder, but there was something very disturbing about his expression. It looked—apologetic.
“Well, he’s coming to witness Thane turning over his position to Captain Harrington.”
She screwed her brow together. “I thought this was about Thane assuming command of his new position.” Holy heck, she tilted forward with a long sharp pain.
“Kayla, are you all right?”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off, but clutched the bottom of her stomach, stroking it.
He eyed her, saying, “Not exactly. That’s going to take place somewhere else.”
Her eyes widened. “Somewhere…else?” she said slowly. “Like where—somewhere?” She knew Thane was listening, she could tell by the way his shoulders tightened. He didn’t say anything about leaving California. “It better not be Alaska, because you’re on your own, mister,” she warned, just loud enough for him to hear, then let out a long deep breath with another spasm, almost doubling her over.
; Cobbs tilted his head at her. “Kayla, it’s a little warmer than that. Are you sure you’re all right?” The helicopter landed its runners on the ground, and several officers moved toward it to greet the ranking dignitaries. “Thane has accepted command of the West Coast Chain. That means you’ll be moving to Hawaii.”
Her eyes popped open. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No ma’am.”
Two marines in dress uniform pushed a set of stairs against the helicopter, and the door swung open. A man in full dress uniform exited the craft, and helped a woman who she presumed to be his wife, out the door.
“Yeah, it’s, ah—something like this Kayla…”
She swiveled full on to look at Cobbs. “What?” she said, her voice dropping dangerously low.
“Ah…” Cobbs put his hand to his collar and straightened it. “Well, do you like politics?” he asked, pursing his lips together.
“I hate politics,” she ground out, and snapped her head around. If Thane’s stance wasn’t taut with unease, she’d call herself a pygmy and move to the jungle.
“The President has wanted Thane to move forward for a while now.”
“What president?”
Cobbs stuck his tongue in his cheek. “Of the United States.”
Her cheeks went slack. “You’re kidding. He really knows him? Move forward where?” The Admiral and the dignitaries approached the dais.
“Kind of like,” He paused. “Well, a leadership role, actually.”
“Say what?” she said far too loudly. Her mind was on double-time and so was the next contraction. This time she looked longingly for somewhere to sit because her legs wanted to give out on her. “For...?”
Cobbs dipped his head. “The White House.” He gave her a quick nervous smile. “Kayla, do you want to sit down?”
Just the thought of trying to pretend she was some kind of lady, and pasting a fake smile on her face at haughty dinners, and who knew what else was involved in rubbing shoulders, made her groan. “I hate politics.” A second groan escaped from the wave of knee-trembling pain.
* * * *
He was going to owe Cobbs big time for this. Dwelling on telling Kayla the whole truth about his new position, and where it might lead made his stomach churn. She would have let him have it with both barrels, but Cobbs said he’d pull him out of the hot coals. There was no doubt he was still going to do a lot of ass kissing with his fiancée, but that he was prepared to do, literally.
Cobbs and Marg had earned a change, just as much as Kayla and he did. Cobbs had a new posting as well; in his office. Marg’s relief was so profound she burst into tears. She was one wife he would never hand a folded flag.
He turned, and Kayla almost severed one of his arteries searing him with her stare. Reaching out his hand, she took it. “Admiral Michaels and his wife want to meet you, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her next to him.
“You are done like dinner, Captain” she hissed.
“It’s Admiral, dear.” If she could have hauled off and belted him, he was pretty sure she would have, but the best she could do was practically grind his fingers to pulp. He figured he’d get it all out now while she couldn’t attack him, but she had his baby finger at the breaking point. He and the President had talked about options. Not that he would ever go after the White House, but Kayla didn’t know that. Tormenting her into a fiery rage was one of his favorite pastimes, because she always tried to get even, and the chase always ended up in bed, his second favorite pastime. Proving that he loved her more than life itself was his first.
He looked down at her with his brow rippling in amusement. “First Lady Kayla Austen, sounds pretty good, huh? I think it has a nice ring to it.” Her eyes flashed, and she bit down on whatever was about to come hurtling out of her mouth. Kayla’s hands flew to her stomach and she leaned over, a gust of air escaping. “Sweetheart?” He turned sharply and gripped her shoulders. This morning he’d seen her do the same thing, she’d said it was nothing, but this time the pain hit her too hard.
“I’m okay,” she said squeezing her eyes together tightly.
“Ahhh, ahhh,” He looked to Pat.
Admiral Timmons was greeting Admiral Michaels and his wife, then stopped mid-handshake as they all looked in their direction.
“Just a goddamn minute,” he said sharply. “Kayla—” Drops of liquid tinged with red, spotted the platform beneath her dress. “Sweetheart, I think your water just broke.”
Kayla groaned. “No shit, Sherlock,” and her fingers dug into his forearms. “Oh damn, that smarts.”
“Okay, sweetheart…ahhhh.” Christ, he couldn’t think straight.
Kayla straightened up and blew out a big breath. “I gotta get off this dais. I’m not having this baby in front of the entire base.”
Admiral Michaels’ wife stepped up to them, her husband following suit. “Thane, I think someone better get moving,” Admiral Michaels said with a grin. “That look of terror on your face, says it’s your first time.”
“Ahhh.”
Nina pushed her way onto the podium with Mace close behind. “Well, don’t just stand there,” she said, her eyes sharpening. “I thought SEALs moved quick and thought quicker. Kayla, how long have you been in labor?”
Another groan left her mouth and Kayla’s knees gave out. Thane caught her in his arms before she fell. “I should have known, dammit.” Kayla was a master at hiding pain. “It’s been happening since last night. Kayla, why the hell didn’t you say something?”
The contraction ended, and Kayla’s head fell back against his arm. “I…I thought it was just a false alarm. It’s a little early.”
Caleb appeared out of nowhere with Dr. Plymouth beside him. They’d kept in touch and the doc had taken the opportunity to visit his cousin and come for the ceremony. He didn’t stall and checked Kayla. “We’re not going to make it to the hospital, but I need an ambulance here yesterday. Kayla needs an episiotomy. Crown is pushing out, and she’s not fully dilated.”
“The hospital is only three minutes away,” Mace said.
“Thane, get behind her.” Dr. Plymouth ordered. “Kayla, don’t push.”
“But…” she growled out another contraction.
“Not yet,” Dr. Plymouth said sternly.
With quaking legs, Thane knelt down, and drew Kayla against his chest. “Now, our son’s coming now?” he said, air sticking like lint in his throat, his tongue dry. His heart stopped when Kayla’s lungs let go of a healthy scream. “Oh Christ, it must be awful.”
Nina punched him hard in the shoulder. “Get a grip, SEAL.”
“Right,” shaking his head he remembered the videos and the Lamaze classes and…and…
Everyone backed away accept the Admiral’s wife, Nina, Mace and Dr. Plymouth. The women prompted Kayla, giving her reassurance, coaching her.
Mace kneeled down beside him. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing something, sir?” He bit his lip, and shook his head at him. “I sure as hell hope I’m not a lost cause like you.”
“What?” he said blinking. “You too?”
“Not yet, but I won’t be far behind, and I sure as hell ain’t asking you for any pointers, sir.”
The ambulance arrived, and he sighed with relief, but it was short-lived when Kayla howled in pain, sending his heart nearly crashing through his chest. Something kicked over in his mind, and he gripped his nerves, and took command. “Doc?”
Dr. Plymouth, assisted by the paramedics, snipped Kayla. “Okay, Marie,” he said grinning at her. “It’s time to push.”
Kayla laughed, but an agonizing cry trailed behind. Was it just him or did the doc get a glint in his eye every friggin’ time he looked at her. Jesus Christ, he had to marry this woman and quick.
It didn’t take long. In the next few minutes, his son slipped into the world. Tinman and Ed leaped onto the podium at the pivotal moment. “Ho,” Tinman groaned, and covered his face with his hands. “That’s not something I needed to see.”
E
d laughed at him, and slapped him on the back. “Never known a SEAL squeamish of blood.”
“Not the blood, man, that’s, that’s, Snow White, and that area’s not supposed to look like…damn.” Tinman paled, and slapped his hand across his eyes again, and shuffled beside Mace.
The doc cleaned their son, suctioning his mouth and nostrils. Then his son let go of his first command to the world, and it wasn’t meek. “Whoa, sweetheart, he’s perfect,” he whispered into her ear. Kayla’s hand wrapped around his neck, and he kissed her deeply. Any doubt that he was the father or that Kayla was the love of his life was now gone for the hundreds of people milling around.
The doc wrapped their son in a blanket and gently laid him on Kayla’s stomach. “Your son, Mr. and Mrs. Adams,” teasing them with the false name they’d used the first time they’d seen him.
“Hi there, little SEAL pup,” she said weakly, cradling his body.
His son’s eyes were open, and although Thane knew he couldn’t smile yet, he looked like he was. Big blue eyes stared up at them, and the earth stood still. It was instant love, deep, unmovable—fathomless. The crowd mumbled in conversation, turning to look toward the stage, wondering what was going on. “Be right back, sweetheart.” He nodded to Mace who took his place and gave Kayla a big hug.
Taking a couple steps toward the mic, he tapped on it, and every head turned. “Snow White is fine, and my son, Adam, has ten fingers, ten toes, and he’s one helluva good-lookin’ boy. I’m a father! Hooyah,” he roared. No man had a right to feel this good, and he held onto it, because today was the best damn day of his life.
The paramedics transferred Kayla and their son to the stretcher. The crowd was still calling out to them as Kayla waved. He followed, forgetting all about why they were there, then remembered at the last second and grabbed the mic again. “Captain Harrington, job’s yours. Good luck,” and then he jumped to the ground and caught up to Kayla who had an entourage of SEALs, wives and girlfriends surrounding her.
Epilogue
The wedding ceremony was over, and the party was in full swing. They’d both agreed there was nowhere more apropos to be married than the base. Everyone who wanted to come—could. Service personnel and officers mingled with friends and family. Captain Redding didn’t hesitate when she asked him to give her away.
Code Name: Kayla's Fire Page 40
