The SEAL's Stolen Child

by Laura Marie Altom

  “Hey.” He made a stab at tenderness, taking her hand. “Everything’s going to be all right. Yeah, I’d be lying if I said a selfish part of me didn’t want to find him in a lovingly run orphanage where we’d charge in to rescue him and shower him with toys, but in the grand scheme of things, the current scenario of him already being part of a happy family is probably best.” He gave her fingers a squeeze. “Lord knows, we’re in no shape to give the kid a stable home, right?”

  Eyes watering, she nodded.

  “Okay, so let’s— Whoa. See that?”

  The front door on the immaculately groomed ranch-style home opened and out walked a redhead dressed in warm-ups, carrying an iPod. Once clear of the drive, she jogged in their direction.

  Hands over her mouth, Eve said, “Th-that’s her.”

  “Who?”

  “Tina Northridge—or, Dawn Henry—whoever she really is. I didn’t connect it before, but that’s her car parked in front of the house.”

  Garrett climbed out of his Mustang.

  “What’re you doing?” Eve asked in a loud whisper.

  “What do you think? Asking her flat out if she has our son.”

  Garrett didn’t want to startle the woman, but in the same respect, he needed answers only she could give. Approaching her with his hands in his pockets, he called from a good thirty feet, “Tina Northridge? Or is it really, Dawn Henry?”

  She stopped and paled. Glancing toward her house as if contemplating a charge in that direction, she then spotted Eve exiting the car and burst into tears. “I—I’m sorry. I—I never would’ve taken him had I known…”

  Eve asked, “You’re admitting you have our son?”

  Gaze darting, the woman said, “C-can we do this inside? I’d prefer the neighbors not see.”

  * * *

  FOR EVE, SURREAL DIDN’T begin to describe the feeling of sitting in Dawn Henry’s neat-as-a-pin living room, surrounded by photos of a little boy who had Garrett’s striking gray eyes. After all their searching, they’d finally found their son.

  “Can I get either of you something to eat or drink?”

  “No, thank you.” Deeply ingrained manners were the only thing keeping Eve from a verbal assault. “If you wouldn’t mind, please just let us know how you came to have our son.”

  The woman cleared her throat. “I—I used to be your father’s secretary.”

  “No.” Eve shook her head. “Gladys has been—was—his secretary for years. She’s practically family.”

  Seated ramrod straight in a side chair, hands pressed on her knees, Dawn forced a breath. “Remember when Gladys had back surgery? I filled in for her. Personally, it was a horrible time. My husband, Steve, and I were desperate for a baby, but nothing worked. Our third stab at in vitro had just failed and Steve and I were hardly speaking. Your father was so kind and work became my haven. One thing led to another and…” She flopped her hands.

  “Yeah, yeah, we get it.” Garrett folded his arms.

  Seated beside him on a sofa, Eve felt his tension through the rigidity of his pose.

  “Anyway, Hal and I—well, we had I guess what you’d call a fling. It didn’t mean anything. Just two lonely people passing time. Steve traveled a lot and without children, I…” She stood, plucking a photo of their son from the mantel, tracing his features. “Look, I never stopped loving my husband, and Hal knew Steve was the love of my life. Hal also knew I couldn’t have my own children and when he offered me your baby, he told me I would be doing you two a huge favor. Helping you fix a ‘problem.’ My best friend is Coral Ridge’s librarian and when she told me what you two were doing, launching a search to find your son, I wanted to tell you. That’s why I’ve been following you, Eve. It’s become an obsession, but I haven’t been able to admit the truth. Never, for one second, would Steve and I have taken your son if we’d known Hal told you—” She stopped as if her love for Boyd was so great she couldn’t even bear contemplating his death. “Please…” She hugged the photo. “At least for the time being, I’m begging you to keep this between us. I know you have every legal right to take back your son, but until he’s a little older, I don’t see the need to destroy his happiness. Steve and I have never gotten along better and he didn’t know about my affair with Hal.”

  Garrett scoffed. “He wasn’t curious how you suddenly ended up with a baby?”

  “Hal spoke to him, told him we’d be doing all of you a huge favor. Eve, your father begged us for discretion, set up a generous trust for Boyd’s future education and that was that. Steve and I both believed we’d not only had our prayers answered, but in turn, answered yours.”

  Eve glanced at Garrett to find his lips pressed tight and hands fisted. What was going through his head? Never had she wished they were closer. That she knew him enough to read his every thought just from his body language.

  “Please.” Dawn was again crying. “I’m begging you to at least temporarily leave everything alone. Your son is happy and healthy and—”

  Garrett said, “I need to meet him.” Turning to her, he said, “Eve, I suspect you feel the same?”

  She nodded.

  “I don’t give a damn what you tell your husband.” Garrett’s voice lacked a trace of compassion. “I get that if your story’s on the up-and-up, just like us, you also fell victim to Hal’s lies. But that doesn’t change the fact that you essentially stole our son. So in exchange for our current silence, I’m gonna need you to arrange a party or whatever scenario you choose, but within the next couple days, I have to talk to my son.”

  “D-do you feel the same?” Dawn asked Eve.

  “Yes.” Eve’s throat was tight as Garrett and Dawn exchanged numbers, and she was profoundly grateful to him for yet again tackling a situation she couldn’t.

  * * *

  “COULD YOU USE A DRINK?” Garrett asked Eve on the short trek back to her home.

  “Love one, but my stomach’s too upset.”

  “Mind tagging along with me to Schmitty’s? Honestly, I’m not up to being alone.” Admitting his vulnerability had never been a strong suit, but this was one time when his need for comfort and mutual understanding far outweighed pride.

  He glanced her way to find her struggling for an answer and tightened his grip on the wheel. “Dammit, Eve, has whatever friendship we had dwindled to the point you can’t even bear sitting across a table from me?”

  “It’s not that,” she assured him. “I just can’t handle a bar right now. Anywhere else will be fine. If you want, Juanita’s visiting Miami relatives, so we can hang out at my house. Maybe go for a swim—if you promise to wear trunks.” When she smiled briefly, curving her delicate hand over his forearm, he regretted snapping. Why was everything regarding her such a big deal? Ordinarily, he had the patience of a saint, but with Eve he was always on guard. She made him crazy—not in a good way.

  While he grilled steaks by the pool, she made a salad and asparagus. They eventually met up, seated across from each other at one of the poolside tables, neither saying a word. The night was balmy without a breath of wind. Somewhere on the vast estate, a whip-poor-will sang a lonely song.

  “This is good.” He finally broke the silence. “Thanks.”

  “Thank you. My steak’s perfect.”

  “We ever going to talk about this afternoon?” He’d hoped to broach the topic of their son in a more organic way, but had tired of waiting. Whether she needed to, or not, he had to get things off his chest.

  “
I’d like to—” she forked a bite of salad “—but what is there to say? Pretty much the whole thing played out just like we figured. Part of me is angry—like I want to storm over there right now and take what’s rightfully ours. But this is a boy we’re talking about, not a necklace or stolen car.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed, dredging a piece of steak through some A.1. sauce. “Even worse, any contact we do manage to make is going to have to be done as family friends. Right off the bat, if we so much as hint at the fact we’re Boyd’s true parents, the poor kid’s going to freak. Then any chance we might’ve had at getting to know him slowly is shot.”

  “Right. So, where we’re concerned, it’s a lose-lose scenario.”

  Garrett growled. “Don’t say stuff like that. SEALs don’t lose.”

  “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re a man first, Garrett. And in this case, we’ve both lost twice—at least for the time being. As for what our future with Boyd may hold, let’s hope for the best.”

  At the moment, the best didn’t seem anywhere near good enough, which only frustrated Garrett all the more. “Ever feel like your dad’s still pulling our strings from beyond the grave?”

  “Every day…” She stared beyond the pool, to where a light fog hovered over grass so flawless it didn’t look real. What was the point? How many thousands had Hal thrown away each year on his lawn? Just one more issue he and Eve’s father hadn’t seen eye to eye on.

  “What’re we going to do?” Garrett wasn’t accustomed to feeling adrift. As if every move he made toward their son could be a land mine.

  “Wait for a call.”

  “I don’t like waiting.”

  “I know.” When she smiled, her sweet, simple beauty stole his breath away. More than anything, he wanted to take her into his arms, but considering he’d soon be leaving, the last thing either of them needed was one more action clouding where they stood. “Wanna take that swim?”

  He couldn’t resist teasing, “Do I have to wear a suit?”

  She pitched her napkin at him, which he easily dodged.

  “There are plenty in the guesthouse. Help me clear the table and then we’ll change and meet back up.”

  “Since when are you such a demanding wench?”

  Laughing while grabbing a plate, she said, “Feels good for a change. I’ve been such a wet noodle lately. Emotionally wobbling. For me, at least knowing where our son is and that he’s safe, happy and healthy feels better than the wondering.”

  Trailing her into the kitchen, Garrett wished he could be as at peace with their situation. Not that she was any happier than he was, but at least she was capable of putting words to her feelings.

  He made it in the pool before she did, which afforded him a painfully good view of Eve striding toward him in a white bikini. Though thinner than he’d like, she still had curves in all the right places. And damn if her breasts didn’t seem bigger—never a bad thing.

  “I already grabbed a couple towels.” He nodded toward a chaise near the steps.

  “Thanks.” She kicked off her sandals, groaning with pleasure when she stepped in to find the water bathtub warm. The pool lights must’ve been set on a timer as they came on, surrounding Eve in an ethereal blue glow. “The water’s perfect.”

  “I’d hate to see your utility bills.”

  She winced. “You know, this is embarrassing to admit, but I’ve never even seen the figures for what it takes to maintain this place. Guess I should probably think of selling.”

  He floated on his back. “You need the money?”

  “I don’t think so, but this place is a little much for two people. I keep telling Juanita to invite her family for visits, but she tells me, ‘Meester Hal, he no like rowdee keedz in pool.’”

  Laughing, Garrett said, “Guess she’s not the only one having a tough time remembering he’s gone?”

  “Yeah…” Eyes watering, Eve swooshed the water in front of her, lips pressed tight as if fighting the need to cry. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. One minute I’m okay, then the enormity of missing him weighs me down like one of those lead X-ray aprons they put on you at the dentist. I’m so mad at him, but I can’t stop loving him. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Doesn’t have to.” Should he go to her? Though he knew being anywhere near her was a bad idea, he gravitated closer. “When I lost Dad, there were times I didn’t think I’d survive it. Like I couldn’t catch my breath. To this day, I’ll have something quirky happen and think, I need to call Dad. Everyone says, he’s always here. You can talk to him anytime you like, but…” He shrugged. “It just isn’t the same.”

  She wiped tears and nodded. “Does a part of you feel like we’ve essentially been told our son died all over again, too?”

  Honestly, yes. But he hadn’t wanted to go there. Not with her still so sensitive over losing Hal.

  Not giving a damn what he should do, Garrett flowed through the water to her, wrapping her snug against him. She fit just right, just as she always had. Years faded until holding her felt like a natural extension of himself. As much as he’d tried compartmentalizing her away, she’d never left his soul. His time with her was forever etched inside like an image burned into a TV screen. Ghostly. There, but not really. Not in a tangible, meaningful way.

  He drew back to look at her, brushing tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. Did she have any idea how much she meant to him? Would she even care?

  He gravitated closer and closer until he kissed her without reason. There were some things in life that couldn’t be labeled and his physical attraction for her certainly fit that bill.

  Warm water lapping ultrasensitized skin, he lifted her, urging her legs around him as he walked backward into the deep, not wanting her to catch a chill. As night fell around them, he fell deeper under her spell. Her soft mews told him he wasn’t the only one overtaken by raw physical need.

  He removed her top, only to leave it bobbing alongside them. The weight of her breasts felt heavy and good in his hands—even better mounded against his chest when he kissed her again.

  Off came his trunks.

  The bottom to her string bikini was all too easily undone.

  With her legs and arms back around him, entering her came as natural as breathing. She clung to him, thrusting to meet him, nipping his ear.

  He lasted just long enough to feel a subtle change inside her, just long enough to hold her close as she arched her head back and moaned.

  Finished, guilt should’ve consumed him, but he refused to feel anything other than hard-won pleasure. Together, they’d been to hell and back. Who’s to say they weren’t entitled to a sliver of heaven?

  * * *

  “AGAIN? AND IN THE POOL?” Darcie made quite a show of fanning herself on the sofa in Eve’s office. “My, my, aren’t we becoming quite the little hussy?”

  “Oh, stop.” Eve didn’t look up from her report. “You’re making me regret even telling you.”

  “I’m just teasing. So what happened after? Any wild love admissions or at least a marriage proposal?”

  “Would you please be serious?” Eve begged.

  “I am.” Darcie bit into the banana she’d brought with her. The smell made Eve the tiniest bit nauseous. The further along in her pregnancy she grew, the more sensitive her nose became. “He’s gorgeous, smart, funny, you’re having his baby—why wouldn’t you marry him?”

  “It’s complicated.” Abandoning her pencil, Eve pressed the heels of he
r hands to her forehead. “Not only is there soon-to-be physical distance between us, but emotionally, we’re not even on the same page. He’s all strong and tough and gung ho. I’m a marshmallow. Around a campfire, he’d be the stick that stabs through me, then douses me in fire.”

  Rolling her eyes, Darcie asked, “When have you, Princess Eve, ever been camping?”

  “You know what I mean. In layman’s terms, we’re not good for each other. Oil and water.”

  “But sometimes opposites can be good together. Spicy salsa chased with an ice-cold margarita.”

  Eve sighed, flipping through a trade magazine. “You’re missing my point. And anyway, if it hadn’t been for us finally finding our son, we wouldn’t have even been together. Trust me, it was strictly a one-time thing.”

  Wrinkling her nose, Darcie asked, “Isn’t that what you said the last time?”

  * * *

  ON HIS WAY TO PICK UP EVE, Garrett called Tristan. Used to be he’d have talked over woman issues with Deacon, but now that his old pal was happily married, he’d turned a little too Pollyanna for Garrett’s tastes. Ask him, all that domestication had stolen Deacon’s objectivity.

  After having been debriefed on Garrett’s most recent life events, Tristan whistled. “You’re in a little too deep down there for my liking. Time to extract yourself ASAP.”

  “See? That’s what I think, too. The more I’m with Eve, the more I want to be with her, but there’s the whole distance thing, and I honestly can’t say I’ve ever gotten over the way she hurt me so bad before. I like her, but I don’t trust her. What kind of foundation is that?”

  “None at all, my friend. In the short term, your son is a lost cause. Don’t let yourself fall victim, too. We need you back here, man.”

  Garrett agreed to return to base as early as possible, but upon ending the call was consumed with guilt. Last night, he and Eve had shared a remarkable moment in time. But if pressed, he had to concede that one moment didn’t make for more. In all fairness to himself, Eve had once hurt him to an unfathomable degree. It’d taken him years to recover and he still couldn’t sustain a decent relationship. She’d taught him at an early age not to trust, and he carried that lesson with him to this day.