“Yeah. I’ll have your parents on board as fast. I guarantee it. Pick up some champagne on your way out, okay?”
“Okay. I love you, Levi. Please remember that.”
“Honey, nothing else matters. I love you. And I already love your parents.”
“You barely even know them yet.”
“Ah, babe. Just think about how much they’re worrying over this, too. They probably were up most of the night strategizing for this convo. Hell, I bet they got up early hoping to sneak out of your place without you knowing and getting all stirred up. But you had to be a good hostess and got up early with them.”
Zaida giggled. “I did hear them talking late last night. And they were a little disgruntled this morning.”
“So, tell me…there anything you want out of this negotiation? Privacy rights? Freedom to choose when our kids will be born…?”
Zaida gasped. “They cannot dictate any of that to me.”
“Do you want kids?”
“Yes. Do you?”
“Sure. I’m settled enough now. Wouldn’t mind breeding a few laborers to help me on the farm.”
“Levi. Jones. You will not speak of our children that way. And don’t let my parents make demands in that corner. My mother’s an ob/gyn. She could absolutely do it.”
He laughed. “Fine. They stay out of our bedroom.”
“Oh, yes they do.”
“What about religion? Want me to convert?”
“I don’t care what you do. That’s a personal decision, and it isn’t required to marry me. Don’t let them bully you on that front. I told you we don’t even practice our religion.”
“When do you want to get married?”
“I feel awful. I just wanted this to progress in its own natural way.”
Levi’s nerves caught on edge. “You do want to get married, no?”
“Of course, I do. I just don’t want to rush you. I feel like your freedom’s cornered now between my parents and me. That’s not fair to you.”
“Baby, you are my freedom. I’d marry you this afternoon.”
“I have no intention of rushing our wedding, Levi Jones. I have certain standards, and I’m only going to do this once. I want the whole experience—picking a dress, sending invitations, the shower, sampling wedding cakes, pouring over vacation spots for our honeymoon, picking your tux.”
“Then I will defer that negotiating point to you.”
“Okay. Are we really doing this?”
“Yes. But I haven’t proposed yet. That you must leave to me. We aren’t officially engaged yet until I do.”
“Can I pick my ring?”
“Oh, fuck yes. It would give me hives trying to choose a ring for you. Hey, I gotta go. I need to get some cooking done before your folks get here. C’mon out when you can. We’ll wait brunch for you, but you should know—I’m already starving.”
“Right. I will. Love you!”
Levi grinned. The warmth of her words went all the way through him. “Love you, too.” He dropped the call. His whole body tingled with joy—something he’d never felt before. He couldn’t get the grin off his face as he started prepping for a big celebration brunch.
Levi was alerted when a car pulled onto his property about an hour later. The dust trail showed its progress. He went outside and watched as the elder Hussans parked their Escalade in front of his house. He held his coffee in one hand and waved with his free hand.
It was a hot, still morning. He knew the day was going to be a scorcher—just the way his sunflowers liked it. The Hussans got out of their air-conditioned vehicle. He could tell the exact moment the heat hit them from their expressions. Though it was a mid-week day, they were dressed for an elegant picnic. Zaida’s dad wore a Cubavera shirt over khakis and loafers. Her mom wore a beautiful loose aqua blue silk tunic over white capris with a pair of blinged-out flip-flops. Both also wore matching straw hats.
“Good morning,” he called to them.
“Good morning,” Darim said, nodding to him and giving a friendly smile, though his eyes briefly looked apologetic. “Sorry to stop by so early and unannounced. I was taking Mother for a drive before the day got too hot. Before we knew it, we were right here, so we thought we’d stop. If it’s not a convenient time, just tell us to be on our way.”
“It’s a perfect time. I have a quiche about to come out of the oven and a fresh pot of coffee about to go on. Will you join me?” He shook hands with Darim, then took Rayna’s hand and kissed her cheeks.
Zaida’s mom frowned. “Hello, Levi. Who’s here cooking for you?”
Ah, that was why she was put out. “I cook for myself, Dr. Hussan. I long ago figured out if I wanted to eat, I’d better learn my way around a kitchen.”
“Yes, I would like to join you,” Rayna said. She turned and faced her husband, who met her look with raised eyebrows.
Darim coughed, covering his momentary lapse. “Levi, I find I have an extreme urge to wander about your greenhouses. May I do that?”
Levi looked from one conniving parent to the other. Coward. Apparently, Rayna was in charge of this negotiation. Geez, they had this whole thing rehearsed.
“Of course.” Levi held a hand out toward the greenhouses. “Help yourself. Later, we can walk through them together so I can explain what I grow. And perhaps your wife would like to see as well.”
Levi led Rayna up the steps to his front door, which he held for her. Levi knew he had one shot to win their approval. He didn’t mind the game. Rayna was a formidable but fair matriarch who kept her husband and daughter in line; it would be nice to have her on his side.
The cold air from his swamp cooler offered welcome relief from the heat building outside. The oven timer went off. Levi took the quiche out of the oven, then got the fresh pot of coffee brewing. Rayna came around to his side of the counter and inspected it.
“What type of quiche is it?” she asked.
“A simple cheese one.”
“What did you put in it?”
“Chives, green onions, garlic, and parsley—all from my garden. The eggs come from a neighbor whose wife keeps chickens. The Gruyère’s from a cheese shop in Fort Collins.” He had puff pastry egg soufflés warming in the lower oven. In fact, he’d just finished whipping together their brunch, most of which he’d hidden in the fridge. He’d made a fresh garden salad, a bowl of cut fruit, and olive tapenade bruschetta bites. He hoped the quiche would throw Rayna off guard, as if he’d made breakfast just for himself.
“Hmm.” She nodded. “It smells delicious.”
Levi smiled at her. “Would you like coffee or shall I make some tea?”
“Coffee, thank you,” Rayna said. “I expected not to like you.”
“I can understand that. We’ve both seen the worst humanity has to offer. It’s better to expect it than be blindsided by it.”
Rayna nodded.
“Zaida’s not like us,” Levi said. “She’s been sheltered—”
“Protected,” Rayna inserted.
Levi nodded. “She’s never had to develop that hardened skin we have. She loves everyone and they love her back. She reminds me of my sunflowers.” He poured a mug of coffee and handed it to her, then set out utensils, napkins, and cream and sugar.
Rayna lifted a brow. “How so?”
“They are so full of joy that it pops out of them in a burst of yellow color, mimicking as best they can the thing they love the most—the sun. Love explodes from Zaida in her smiles and her eyes. It would be a special thing if she could be that way her whole life.”
Rayna nodded, a little sadly. “You see it too.”
“I do.”
“You’ll take her away from us,” Rayna said.
Levi gave a slow shake of his head, feeling as if he’d made a giant leap forward in having his relationship with Zaida acknowledged. “Where would I go? My life is here. Her life is here. You two are here.”
Zaida’s mom frowned. “You don’t have to go anywhere to close the door on
us.”
“That’s something I feared from you,” Levi said. “You are her world. She tries very hard to please you.”
Rayna gave him a baleful glare. “I wouldn’t have picked you for her.”
That hurt, even though it was a fact he already knew. He started to speak, but Rayna held up her hand.
“I realize that what I thought I knew about my daughter…maybe I didn’t.”
That put Levi on alert. He’d never meant to drive a wedge between Zaida and her Mom. He was on tenterhooks for her next words. God, if Rayna asked him to back off, he didn’t know if he could. And the worst of it was, if that happened, he’d never be able to tell Zaida why because he could never bring discord between her and her family.
Rayna jerked her head toward the rest of his house. “This place is too little to raise a family.”
Levi’s brows lifted. “Are you giving me your blessing?”
Rayna’s chin trembled. “All this time wasted. She could have been married long ago and had a half-dozen children by now.”
Levi shook his head. “She couldn’t have because I wasn’t here. I was out fighting the world. And she was becoming the woman she is now.”
Rayna sipped her coffee. “Her father and I tried for years to have children. We’d given up when she came along. She was our everything.”
“You have to let her decide for herself whether she wants children—and if so, how many.” Levi cut into the quiche and dished out two slices.
Rayna nodded. “Would you give her that choice?”
Levi passed a plate to Zaida’s mom. “I would give her anything. I want what she wants.”
“And see, that is what has always been missing from the men I tried to send her way,” Rayna said. “Yes, Levi, I give my blessing to you and Zaida. Her choice was perfect. So much better than any of mine.” She reached over to squeeze his hand.
Levi had to blink away a wash of moisture that hit his eyes. He came around the counter and hugged Rayna.
“But this house is too small for a family,” she persisted.
“Dr. Hussan, I own a thousand acres. This can become a guesthouse. Zaida can design the home she wants.”
Rayna’s eyes took on a determined look. “Yes.” She nodded. “And you should call me Mother. We have much to do before your wedding next year.”
“Whoa…slow your roll, Mom. I haven’t even proposed yet.”
“She will accept.”
Levi chuckled. “Let’s at least give her the perception of freedom to make her own choice. And you and I will have to accept it—whatever it is.”
She looked wounded. “But, you are already calling me Mother. It can go no other way.”
The front door opened. Darim peeked inside. Rayna waved him forward. His face was shining with joy.
“Levi has asked our permission to marry our daughter,” Rayna said.
Darim nodded solemnly. “And did we grant it?” he asked her.
“Yes. Yes, we have. Say hello to your soon-to-be son.”
Darim laughed and shook hands with Levi. He then pulled him into a hug and kissed both of his cheeks. Pounding him on the shoulder, he said, “Well done. You’ve conquered the dragon.”
Levi grinned, checking to make sure that wasn’t insulting to Rayna. “In this battle, anyway.”
Darim leaned close. “I knew she would love you because our beautiful daughter does. It was only a matter of formalities.”
“It was never only a matter of formalities.” Levi shook his head. “If I didn’t have your blessing, then I would live forever alone, a man robbed of his heart.”
Darim laughed. Keeping a hand on Levi’s shoulder he faced his wife. “You see, Mother, our daughter has made a wise choice. She has learned something from us after all. They will have a long and happy marriage, I believe.”
Levi’s phone buzzed as another car drove onto the property. Levi recognized Zaida’s BMW SUV. Seconds later, she blew through the front door, carrying a bottle of champagne and a bag of treats from the bakery in her atrium.
Levi smiled at her, hoping to ease the panic in her face. She looked from him to her mom and dad.
“Zaida,” her mother admonished her, “we told you to wait at your apartment for us.”
Zaida kissed her mom then her dad. “I know. But I couldn’t.”
“I asked her to come out and celebrate with us,” Levi said, grinning. “You didn’t think you could keep her out of something like this, did you…Mother?”
Zaida looked shocked, then joy poured from her smile. She set her things down on the counter, then ran around to hug him. She laughed as he kissed her.
“We’ve come to an agreement,” Levi told her.
“Already?” She smiled at him.
He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s have brunch. I’ll fill you in while we eat. There may be some finer points you want to tweak.”
“I love you, Levi,” Zaida said.
“I love you, Zaida. My sunshine.”
Other Sleeper SEALs Books
The release order for the series is as follows
(all books are stand-alones and can be read in any order):
1) Protecting Dakota by Susan Stoker
2) Slow Ride by Becky McGraw
3) Michael’s Mercy by Dale Mayer
4) Saving Zola by Becca Jameson
5) Bachelor SEAL by Sharon Hamilton
6) Montana Rescue by Elle James
7) Thin Ice by Maryann Jordan
8) Grinch Reaper by Donna Michaels
9) All In by Lori Ryan
10) Broken SEAL by Geri Foster
11) Freedom Code by Elaine Levine
12) Flat Line by J.M. Madden
Other Books by Elaine Levine
Red Team Series
(This series must be read in order)
1 The Edge of Courage
2 Shattered Valor
3 Honor Unraveled
3.5 Kit & Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
4 Twisted Mercy
4.5 Ty & Eden: A Red Team Wedding Novella
5 Assassin’s Promise
6 War Bringer
6.5 Rocco & Mandy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
7 Razed Glory
8 Deadly Creed
9 Forsaken Duty
Sleeper SEALs
11 Freedom Code
Men of Defiance Series
(This series may be read in any order)
1 Rachel and the Hired Gun
2 Audrey and the Maverick
3 Leah and the Bounty Hunter
4 Logan’s Outlaw
5 Agnes and the Renegade
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected]
Published by Elaine Levine
Copyright © 2018 Elaine Levine
Last Updated: February 2, 2018
Editing by Arran McNicol @ editing720
Proofing by Carol Agnew @ Attention to Detail Proofreading
All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Elaine Levine lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband and a rescued pit bull/bull mastiff mix. In addition to writing the Red Team romantic suspense series, she’s the author of several books in the historical western romance series Men of Defiance.
Be sure to sign up for her new release announcements at http://geni.us/GAlUjx.
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