A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby

by Laura Marie Altom

  Calder took the proffered card. “Thank you, sir. Keep me in mind if you ever need a favor.”

  The commander laughed. “Don’t let my wife hear that.”

  *

  THE FIRST WEEK in May, Pandora grabbed the mail, then climbed the stairs to her apartment, tilting her face to the last of the day’s warm sun.

  It’d been a rough day at work. There’d been a fight in the three-year-old room over a toy truck and she’d noticed a speech therapist had come to see Quinn, who still hadn’t said a formal word beyond uh-oh.

  She’d had Natalie speak to Calder about working with him at night. Dinner or bath times were great for word reinforcement—pointing at specific items and repeating the name at least three times.

  Inside, she set the mail on the counter and made a quick trip to the restroom, then her bedroom to change.

  Back in the kitchen, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. While waiting for her steaming mug of chamomile tea to cool, she finally got around to flipping through the mail.

  An envelope with the return address of Judge B. Thomas Thornton in the top left corner sent her pulse racing. She tore into it, fearing a further setback to her case, only to instead release a squeak.

  How had this happened? What had happened?

  The judge wanted to see her in his chambers to discuss his ruling—in two days!

  She called Natalie to ask if she’d ever heard of anything like this before. She hadn’t.

  Her next call was to Lila, who also reported that the letter sounded odd, but that Pandora should cross her fingers for something positive to happen.

  The next two days, Pandora wasn’t sure what to do with the emotions balling in her stomach. On the one hand, maybe the judge had decided he’d been too hard on her and figured she should regain custody of her daughter. The more realistic view was that he’d discovered a bureaucratic loophole that would assign permanent custody of Julia to her foster family.

  The mere thought made her nauseous.

  More than anything, she wanted to phone Calder. Hear his take on what the judge could possibly want.

  No matter how sad she might sometimes be over losing him, she had only to envision her daughter to realize no sacrifice was too big when it came to bringing Julia home. Calder had become a distraction when every ounce of her energy needed to be focused on her beautiful little girl.

  *

  FOR PANDORA’S NEWEST court date, she’d asked Natalie for the afternoon off. That morning had been never ending, and when the time came to leave, her friend was nowhere to be found.

  Odd. Since Natalie had been with her for most of her legal journey, why now, when anything could happen, would she be MIA?

  She tried Lila, thinking she’d like to have at least one of her friends there for her in case she received even worse news than she had her last day in court, but not even Martin answered their house phone.

  Alone and frightened, Pandora proceeded to court.

  Should something truly awful happen, she’d deal with it then. For now, she had to stay strong. She could not suffer the kind of emotional breakdown she had the last time she’d been here.

  The judge’s chambers were located on a different floor from the courtroom. Pandora found it odd her meeting would be there.

  She announced herself to a secretary who pointed her to a row of wooden chairs. “The judge will be with you momentarily.”

  Dozens of thoughts raced through Pandora’s head. What if she lost permanent custody of Julia? What if she’d broken some arcane law she wasn’t even aware of and was being carted off to prison? What if—

  “Ms. Moore, the judge will see you now.”

  With her pulse racing, her breathing erratic and her palms sweating, Pandora smoothed her dress, then followed the middle-aged woman into a heavily paneled room.

  “Ah, the famous Ms. Moore.” The judge rose, gesturing for her to have a seat. “I’ve been on the bench twenty years and never have I heard such a ruckus.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She sat primly with her hands neatly folded on her lap, praying her galloping pulse could only be heard by her.

  “You’re not spearheading this campaign?” He tapped a file she presumed was hers.

  “No, sir. I honestly don’t know why I’m here.”

  “Humph.” He shook his head. “Might as well get on with it. Ms. Moore, whether you’re aware of it or not, you have quite a few friends in high places. They’ve convinced me to take a second look at your case and I’m ashamed to admit, upon closer inspection, you truly are the kind of woman many in the system should aspire to be.”

  “Th-thank you.” The judge’s praise made Pandora’s chest squeeze with apprehension. He wouldn’t be building her up only to tear her down again, would he?

  “In light of this, and my earlier mistake, please accept my heartfelt apology and know your pain has at least filled one purpose—I’ll now be taking a more common-sense approach to all my hearings. You really are a wonder. Ms. Pandora Moore, I hereby grant you full and permanent custody of one minor child, Miss Julia Elizabeth Moore.” He lightly slammed his desk with his gavel. “Case dismissed.” Rising, he pointed toward a door. “You might want to greet the lot hiding out in there.”

  Dazed, unsure if she could be dreaming, Pandora asked, “Really? I’m done? Julia’s mine?”

  “She’s really and truly yours.” After patting her back, he opened the door to a secondary waiting area for her. “Job well done, Ms. Moore.”

  “Mommy!” Julia was first into her arms, then Natalie and Anna, Lila and Martin, even her caseworker, Fran. Everyone was laughing and talking and Pandora couldn’t stop happy tears.

  “Sweetie,” Pandora said while hugging her daughter, “I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Once the initial excitement wore down and they all left the judge’s chambers, Pandora caught sight of two familiar, dear faces. Calder and Quinn.

  They’d reached the lobby where Julia said her goodbyes to teary Mom Cindy.

  Pandora said to Calder, “You did this, didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “I helped, but so did everyone else. We all love you. When you told me the judge denied you custody, I refused to believe for one second we couldn’t turn this around.”

  “We?” She was almost afraid to ask.

  “Woman, if you’re going to be in a relationship with a SEAL, there’s one thing you need to learn up front.”

  “What’s that?” As much as she’d tried telling herself she no longer wanted him, she did. Being near him brought on a fierce longing she was no longer capable of denying.

  “We never quit. We’re like human bulldozers—mowing down anything—anyone—in our way to make the seemingly impossible happen.”

  “Mommy?” Julia asked, hopping up and down. “May I please hold Quinn?”

  “You know my son?” Calder asked Julia.

  Her daughter nodded. “Mommy brought him to see me. He’s cute. I love babies. My foster mom, Cindy, just had a baby girl and I helped her a lot.”

  “That’s nice of you.” He extended his hand. “I’m Calder. I’ve heard an awful lot of nice things about you.”

  She giggled. “Mommy says you’re nice, too.”

  “Really?” He raised his eyebrows, glancing Pandora’s way.

  “Yep!” Julia gave an exaggerated nod.

  Pandora gathered their group together as she stood with Julia’s backside against her, hugging her arms around her daughter’s chest. “I’m not sure what part each of you played in making this miracle happen, but I don’t know how to begin to thank you.” She was crying again, but happy tears sure beat the heck out of her usual despondency. “For as long as I live, I’ll never forget what you’ve done.”

  Her speech was ended by more tears and hugs and smiles.

  An impromptu party popped up at Pandora’s apartment, making her glad she’d long since finished Julia’s room.

&n
bsp; While Natalie and Anna ran out for burger fixings and Lila and Martin went briefly home to let out a vacationing neighbor’s dog, Pandora showed Julia her new room. “Do you like it?”

  “It’s so pretty! I love the stuffed animals!”

  “We still have to find a place for the nice things your foster family bought, but I’m sure we’ll manage.”

  Julia explored the rest of the apartment, ending in the kitchen, where she spotted her coloring page on the fridge. “Hey! I made that!”

  “You sure did, angel. Think you can make more?”

  “Yeah! Want me to start now?”

  Pandora laughed. “If you’d like. But don’t forget it’s a school night. Do you have any homework from missing today?”

  She sighed. “A little. Do I have to do it now?”

  Pandora hated jumping right into the least fun part of parenting, but she’d worked a long time to be in this position and she wasn’t about to ruin it now. “Yes, I really think it’d be best to get it out of the way. Come on—” she patted the table “—I’ll help. Then you’ll have it over with and can enjoy your party.”

  “Okay.” While Julia ran to her room to gather books and supplies, Pandora fixed a small snack tray of apple slices and peanut butter.

  Being a mom again made Pandora feel as close to being whole as she had in a while. The only thing missing she wasn’t even sure could be replaced. One thing was for certain. Now that her primary dream had come true, it was time to start on another....

  That is, assuming Calder and Quinn were amenable.

  *

  CALDER MOUNTED THE stairs to Pandora’s apartment, not quite sure why he was even there. The last time he’d visited her in her home she’d pushed him away. He’d understood her reasoning, but that hadn’t lessened the hurt embedded by her words. The doubt that’d always been with him now dogged him even more.

  “Remember what we practiced?” he asked his son, who’d insisted on climbing the stairs on his own. “Pan-door-rah?”

  “Eee-boo!” Quinn called.

  Calder held his hand, reminding Quinn on each new step of the word he was supposed to say. Each night there were also many other words—boat, soap, peas, pig, dog—the list went on and on.

  The screen door shot open and Julia popped out. “Mommy! Quinn’s here and his dad!” She bolted down the stairs. “Hi!”

  “Hey. I sure am glad to see you here. Having fun with your mom?”

  Quinn grunted his way up the last few steps.

  “Uh-huh. But I had to do my math for tomorrow. But she helped, so it wasn’t too bad.”

  “I used to hate homework. But then I figured out the faster I got it done, the faster I got to play.”

  She laughed. “I never thought of it like that! Can I play with Quinn?”

  “Sure. But let’s get him inside first.”

  “Okay!”

  Calder found Pandora at the sink, peeling potatoes.

  “Hey.” To keep from pulling her into a hug, he rammed his hands into his pockets.

  “May I play with Quinn now?” Julia asked.

  “You certainly may,” Calder answered. “Be careful with him, though.”

  “I will. Come on—” she took Quinn by the hand “—come see my room. It’s really cool.”

  Alone with Pandora, Calder felt tongue-tied.

  “I’m making potato salad,” she said. “Would you mind grabbing a couple pots—one big and one little—and filling them with water to boil?”

  “Have you always been this bossy?” he couldn’t resist teasing. It’d be so easy falling into their old comfortable routine. He’d missed that closeness. The sense of having someone who knew him inside and out—only, that was the funny thing about him and Pandora. On the surface, they hardly knew each other, but deep down he felt as if he’d known her a lifetime.

  “Probably not.” She shyly ducked her gaze, in the process spilling her hair forward, baring the spot on her neck he used to love to nuzzle.

  There was an awkward shuffle as he did her bidding, trying not to touch her but wanting to so badly.

  “Calder?” She lifted her glasses, resting them atop her head.

  “Yes?”

  She blew out a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I said horrible things to you, but I was so afraid.” She bowed her head again, but then looked up, dazzling him with her sweet, unaffected smile. “I told you I didn’t blame you—us—for my court hearing going wrong, but deep inside, part of me did. That was wrong. Bottom line—I wasn’t thinking. All I can say is being without Julia made me temporarily insane.”

  “And now?”

  There she went again with that smile. “I once asked you for a second chance...” She flopped her hands at her sides. “Here I am again. Y-you asked me to marry you, and I’m not ready for that—it wouldn’t be fair to my daughter—but breathing one more second without you and Quinn in my life isn’t fair to me. Today at the courthouse, when I saw you and realized what you’d done, it hit me how stupid it was of me to ever think I wanted to live the rest of my life alone. Why, you know? When it’s so much better with friends.”

  Calder pulled her into the hug he’d craved since that morning, and then he slid his hands into her hair, kissing her with an urgency he didn’t bother trying to hide.

  “I love you,” she said. “I think I’ve loved you from the day you rescued me at the grocery store.”

  He kissed her again. “I’ve loved you since you saved my baby from choking on that grape.”

  “Quinn choked on a grape?” Julia wandered in with Quinn in tow. “Is he okay?”

  Sniffling from still more happy tears, Pandora said, “He’s amazing.”

  “When we were in my room,” Julia said, “Quinn was trying to talk. Has he said any words yet?”

  “Nope.” Calder slipped his arm around Pandora’s waist.

  “What did he say?”

  “It sounded like pan. Does he like playing with pots and pans?” She ran to a cupboard and pulled out a pan and its lid. Clanging it, she asked Quinn, “Pan? Were you trying to say pan?”

  Calder crossed his fingers. Kid, if you ever wanted to wow a crowd, now would be the time.

  “Well, mister?” Pandora knelt in front of him, taking his hands. “Do you finally have something to say?”

  “Pan! Pand!”

  “He did say it!” Julia gave her pans another clang. “Do it again!”

  “Pando!”

  Puzzled, Pandora asked, “Is he trying to say panda? Calder, he doesn’t have a stuffed panda, does he?”

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “Pandor! Pando!”

  Julia clapped. “He’s so cute!”

  “Calder?” Pandora asked. “Can you make out what he’s saying?”

  He shrugged. Come on, little guy. Say it. Say it. “Beats me. Wouldn’t have a clue.”

  Quinn ran from Julia to Pandora, then he held up his hands, pinching his fingers. “Pan-door-ah! Pan-door-ah!”

  She covered her mouth with her hands and tears shone in her eyes. “No way. How would he ever have learned my name?” She looked to Calder, who couldn’t hide his smile. “Have you been coaching him all this time?”

  “Pan-door-rah!”

  She lifted him, spinning around and hugging him. “You’re such a brilliant boy!”

  “Takes after his father,” Calder noted.

  “Yes, he does.” Pandora, with Quinn still in her arms, leaned close to Calder to kiss his cheek. “You’ve already given me one amazing gift today. Now two? How am I ever going to repay you?”

  “That’s the thing about gifts—” he pulled Pandora, Julia and Quinn into his arms “—there’s no need to ever repay them. But if you’d want to be my girl, I am accepting applications.”

  “In that case...” She winked. “I’d better grab a pen.”

  Epilogue

  “Three, two, one! Happy New Year!” Pandora danced and cheered and hugged with Julia and Quinn, but she saved her kiss for her husb
and.

  “I love you, Mr. Remington.”

  “I love you, Mrs. Remington.” Because of her bulging baby bump, Pandora struggled to reach her arms all the way around Calder. At the end of her six-month lease, they’d moved back into Calder’s home, but because of their still-growing family, they were in the process of selling that house and looking for something larger.

  All their friends had squeezed inside for the night. Natalie and Anna, Lila and Martin, Gloria and Harold, Patricia and Heath, Cooper and Mason, along with many of the other men on Calder’s SEAL team, as well as their wives.

  The biggest surprise of all was realizing what a small world it was when encountering her former counselor Ellie, who’d married Calder’s friend, Deacon. She and Ellie hugged it out, with Pandora apologizing for having given her such a hard time. Ellie warmed Pandora’s heart by thanking her for proving her volunteer work really did make an eventual difference by touching lives.

  “Where are you?” Calder asked as they danced to “Auld Lang Syne.”

  “Just thinking what an amazing life we’ve built in such a short time. I feel reborn.” She kissed him. “All thanks to you.”

  “You’ve done a lot for me, too, you know.” With his hands low on her hips, she wouldn’t be too sad when the party was over. If the kids cooperated, they’d finally be alone.

  “Oh, yeah?” she teased. “Like what?”

  “Let’s see.” He stopped dancing to touch his finger to his lips as if feigning deep thought. “I’ll always be grateful for your meat loaf....”

  That earned him a swat. “I’m trying to be serious.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Remington, I’m very serious. And to prove it, look what I found under your snowflake ice sculpture—it chipped off.” He slipped a sparkling square-cut gold-and-diamond solitaire onto her left-hand ring finger, nestling it alongside her gold wedding band.

  “Calder?” She released him to put her hands over her mouth. “You’re crazy! I don’t need this. We talked about how all our savings needed to go into the new house.”

  “Unless you’re planning on leaving your hand behind, by that definition, the ring will move right along with us.”