“He’s asleep, don’t disturb him.” He brushed his fingertips over the baby’s head.
His pale blue gaze snagged on her. “You know I’m crazy about you, don’t you?”
She started to tear up.
“I lived for those phone calls while I was deployed.”
“I did too. My father’s never going to interfere, ever again, I promise.”
“He’s an asshole.”
“Yeah, he is. But I think he’s coming around.”
“When I’m back on my feet, I want you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“I want you to marry me, Rylie. Not because of the baby, but because we love each other.”
Tears streamed down her face. “You need to ask me again when you’re not under the influence.”
He laughed, then swore as he gripped his side.
She looked toward the doorway at the sound of feet approaching. What if something happened to him during surgery? Panic shook her and her mouth and throat went dry.
“You have to be okay, Eric. I love you so much.” She touched the carrier where Reed lay against her. “We love you.” She gripped his hand. “We’ll be here waiting for you.”
“It’s going to be okay, honey. I’ll be right back.”
Two male nurses entered the room, and in a sort of synchronized routine unlocked the wheels of the bed and maneuvered it out the door. One of them said, “If you’ll return to the waiting room, Dr. Russo will be out as soon as they’ve finished.”
She stood in the hall and watched their progress until they turned the corner.
She should have said yes. She wished she had. But she needed to be certain it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction to the baby and…everything else.
She went back out the door and paused at the entrance to the waiting room. Where it had been nearly empty before, every seat was filled.
As she looked around the room, she saw Tucker…and Pretty Boy…and every other member of Eric’s team. Tucker and Nick came to greet her. “Viking called me from the emergency room. He didn’t want you to be alone while he’s in surgery,” Nick said. “We thought we’d come keep you company and meet little Viking.”
He’d called his family to comfort her. Their easy manner made it easier, but she still struggled not to wail. “Th-Thank you so much for coming.”
CHAPTER 23
‡
Rylie sauntered out of the shower on a wisp of steam, her shoulders and arms glowing with the fine mist left on her smooth, creamy skin. She released the clip that held her thick hair atop her head, allowing the long, dark strands to fall over her shoulders and back.
The fold in the towel that covered her from breasts to the tops of her thighs teased and taunted him with a glimpse of the promised land while she moved around the room, collecting the tiny scrap of lace she called panties and a lacy nursing bra that no nursing mother should ever wear.
Her long legs stretched smooth and tempting leading right up to…
“Earth to Eric. Did you hear what I said?” She paused next to the bed, her fingers busy slipping one of the pair of earrings she laid out on the dresser into her ear and pushing on the back.
“What?”
“I’ve left a bottle in the refrigerator for Reed. He’s sleeping right now.”
“I promise not to let him starve while you’re gone. Besides, we plan to hang out together and watch cartoons.”
She laughed.
The sound, like everything she did these days, rocketed straight to his groin.
After his four weeks of sick leave, the closeness between them was cemented. He’d spent those four weeks trying to do things that would prove to her she was loved.
He encouraged her to get out with the girls while he babysat Reed.
He put together the crib they chose and took down the bed in the guest room to make room for it.
He massaged her feet and cuddled her every night, though it had damn near killed him not being able to do more.
It had been eleven long months since they made love. He wanted to rectify that, but she had to go in for her six-week checkup first. Which was—thank you, Jesus—today.
He watched her bustle from the dresser to the closet, where she took out a lightweight dress and tossed it on the bed, then turned her back to slip on the skimpy panties. She wiggled them up beneath the towel and then let it fall. She picked up the bra, slipped the straps over her shoulders, then held it in place as she came to him. “Will you hook me?”
He threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up to do it. In the six weeks since giving birth, she’d lost most of baby weight. The little bit that was left gave her a soft, womanly roundness he found disturbing…to his libido.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
She slipped the dress over her head and let it fall into place.
When a vision of peeling her lacy panties back down her legs and taking her on the dresser popped into his head, he decided he needed a distraction. Double-checking to make certain his plans were still a go was the only thing he could think of right now.
Before he left the bedroom, he looped an arm around her waist, molded her tight against him, and kissed her like he hadn’t kissed her in the past six weeks. After all, a guy couldn’t kiss his wife like he wanted to rip her clothes off right after she gave birth. But the waiting period was coming to an end and he could get away with it now. “Just so you know, that little reverse striptease was very…affecting.”
Her breathless laugh was satisfying enough.
He came to a halt just outside the bedroom door. He’d begun thinking of her as his wife since that night at the hospital, and he was more than ready to put a ring on her finger as soon as he could.
But first she had to say yes to his proposal.
He proposed to her while she was distraught about his injury and he was high as a kite, and she’d been right to opt for clearer heads. He had to do it right this time.
He tugged out his cell phone and looked for the number.
Rylie wandered through the living room and paused long enough to loop an arm around his neck and kiss him goodbye. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Take your time. Reed and I will be fine.”
The phone rang two minutes after she left.
“Petty Officer Anderson. This is Lieutenant Commander Yazzie’s admin. He would like to see you in an hour, sir.”
That would give him just enough time to get Reed up, feed him his bottle and take off for the base. “I’ll be there.”
*
There was a spring in Rylie’s step as she left the doctor’s office and caught the elevator down to the ground floor.
Eric had telegraphed his intentions in big, bold moves before she left the apartment. Just as she had while she was dressing.
But it had been nearly eleven months for them both. She started a low-dose birth control pill right after delivery just in case, and she noticed the box of condoms he had waiting and ready in the drawer on his side of the bed. They were both prepared.
But what if it wasn’t as good as it had been before Reed’s birth? Their sex life played such a huge part in their relationship before. She wanted it back. But nerves jumped in her stomach too. Because it was so incredibly good…it put a lot of pressure on them both.
But this was Eric. And he wasn’t going to rush her. He was her Navy SEAL with the real talent between the sheets. It had been months, but everyone said it was like riding a bicycle. And they had ridden this particular bike really well together.
When she entered the apartment, the scent of freshly cut flowers wafted to her from a large glass vase holding a bouquet of large pink lilies blended with purple dwarf irises, sea holly, baby’s breath and greenery. She picked up the note resting on the counter next to the flowers and read. Meet us at Mama Rashda’s house. We’ve been invited for dinner. Call when you get home and Abby will pick you up on
the way.
She’d been looking forward to an evening at home with him, and what might follow once they got Reed down for three or four hours.
But they had plenty of time. They’d get around to it.
She made the call, freshened her makeup, combed her hair, grabbed her keys and purse, and sauntered out to meet Abby.
Mama Rashda’s street looked as packed as a pre-game parking lot, and Abby had to drive to the end of the block to park, and they chatted as they walked from Abby’s car to her parents’ home.
Rylie heard music coming from the backyard. Was it someone’s birthday? Had she forgotten some other special occasion?
They walked right through the front door without ringing the bell.
Indira, Abby’s sister, met them in the entrance foyer and practically yanked Rylie inside. “Reed smiled! He smiled at Mom!!”
Rylie laughed. Just in the past few days he’d been smiling at her and Eric. “Who can help but smile at Mama?”
“That’s so true. She’s so crazy about him.”
“He’s irresistible. And brilliant.”
Abby laughed. “She’s upstairs in my old room, if you want to go check on him. She’s already got the baby bed set up and ready for him. I need to take a tray of drinks outside on the patio. The whole family is here, plus a few other guests, and food will be up in about fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be out to help as soon as I run up to check on him and say hi to Mama.”
“Okay.”
Rylie climbed the stairs hurried past two bedrooms before stopping at the third. She peeked in to watch Mama Rashda as she rocked Reed and hummed to him softly. Her round face had such a sweet pleasantness about it, her features as beautiful as her three daughters’. Reed’s blue eyes focused on her as though he found her fascinating.
Rashda looked up and smiled at Rylie. Her voice had a musical cadence to it as she spoke in a whisper. “It has been some time since I had a little one to rock and cuddle. They are all busy little people now and do not wish to stay still long enough to be rocked.”
“I could give you a call about three tomorrow morning, and you can come over and rock him as much as you like,” Rylie teased.
Rashda chuckled. “I do not miss that part of raising my babies. Luckily, it only lasts a short time. But he seems a good baby. A happy baby.”
“He is.”
Reed’s eyes closed. Rashda eased out of the rocker and placed him in the center of the baby bed. “I am so glad you will allow me to babysit for you for the first few weeks when you go back to work. Now I have an empty nest, the house is very quiet.” She picked up the baby monitor sitting on a chest by the door.
“I don’t think I could go back to work if I didn’t have someone I trust absolutely to watch him.”
They stepped out into the hall, and Rashda slipped an arm around her, giving her a hug. “We are keeping the others waiting.”
Downstairs they walked through the combined kitchen and dining room to the sliding door leading out to the backyard, but it wasn’t until they stepped outside that Rylie saw the white balloons and lights strung around the back covered patio. Though it was still daylight, they twinkled. Tables crammed with food stretched nearly the length of the patio.
Abby’s father Sean came to greet her with a hug. “Rashda is in her element again, mothering another baby. You have made her very happy, and if Mama is happy, everyone is happy.”
Rylie laughed at the saying they’d repeated all the way through high school. “I’m thrilled she wants to keep him for me. I can go back to work without worrying.”
She scanned the backyard, looking for Eric, and in among the crowd of Rashda’s family, she was surprised to see Pretty Boy and his girlfriend Dani. And there was the new guy, Harvard, talking to Abby’s younger sister, Indira.
She looked some more, and realized the whole team was here with their girlfriends. And—holy shit!—her father was sitting at one of the umbrella-shaded tables with Melissa, Cowboy, Ringer, and their girlfriends. “I was worried I’d forgotten someone’s birthday. What’s—”
She broke off as Eric stepped out from behind the wall of teammates.
His dress white uniform stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. The right side of his jacket was layered with medals, ribbons, and his SEAL Trident. She never dwelled on the many deployments he’d done. But those medals and ribbons represented the deployments and his acts of bravery and selflessness. They provided concrete proof of what and who he was. Tears streamed down her face.
He tucked his cover under his arm and strode toward her. His sun streaked blond hair gleamed, and he’d shaved and sculpted his beard so it lay close against his cheeks.
Abby had called him a Greek god, and he was certainly handsome enough to take Rylie’s breath away. But it was the man inside the uniform she loved. The man who cuddled Reed and held her at night. The man who forgave with as much ease as he loved.
She couldn’t stem the flow of tears and was grateful when Sean handed her a napkin to wipe her face. Everyone moved in close to the patio and silence reigned.
She hastily tucked the napkin in her pocket when Eric reached for her hand. “I’ve been waiting until we were both recovered and adjusted to this new adventure we’ve been on together. At the hospital, I asked you a question, and you told me to ask you again when I wasn’t under the influence.”
The rest of the group laughed, and he and Rylie laughed with them.
“I’m not under the influence now, Rylie.” His pale blue eyes looked piercingly clear. “I love you. I love Reed. We may not have taken the traditional route to get to where we are right now, but I wouldn’t change any of it.” He pulled a ring box from his pocket. “I want us to build a life and a family together. Will you marry me?” He wiped away the single tear that rolled down her cheek.
She stepped close and toyed with one of the buttons on his jacket. “I love you more than I can say. But…can I see the ring first?”
Everyone laughed again.
She looped her arms around his neck. “Screw the ring. I’d wear it if it was a piece of scrap from your motorcycle. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
He was still laughing when he kissed her.
“You make me so happy, Eric.”
“That’s the plan, honey.” He opened the ring box, extracted the ring. “Just to make it official,” he said as he slipped it on her finger.
She studied the beautifully looped art deco setting created in rose gold with a generous diamond in the center and tiny chips embedded in the loops that wove around it. “Oh! It’s perfect. Just beautiful.”
Abby grabbed her and squealed like a girl when she caught sight of the ring. And they all laughed again.
They were surrounded by friends and family, the men shaking his hand and the women wanting to see the ring.
Her father and Melissa came to congratulate them. Melissa embraced them both while Jack kissed her cheek, and if he didn’t smile, he at least wished them happiness and shook Eric’s hand.
While her father was in conversation with a couple of the men, Melissa moved in close. “I don’t know what kind of service you want for the wedding, but my house and garden are available,” Melissa offered.
“Oh!” Rylie was overwhelmed. “That would be…so perfect. Are you certain?”
“There’s a symmetry to the idea. You made the house what it is, and it would give me an opportunity to show my appreciation for all the fantastic work you did.”
“We’d be thrilled. Thank you so much.” She scanned the crowd. “I want something not much more formal than this. Just close friends and family.” She squeezed Melissa’s hand.
“Why did you give me your father’s number?” she asked.
Rylie chuckled. “I was hoping you’d take him down a peg or two and I knew you wouldn’t put up with any of his shit.”
Melissa laughed. “I’m enjoying the challenge.”
“I’m sure he is too.”
The party
spun on with plenty of food and a cooler full of beer. It was dark when it started to break up, and everyone pitched in to clean up.
Rylie slipped upstairs to feed Reed and strap him into his car seat carrier for the short ride home, and Eric came up to carry the baby down while she followed.
She paused in the entrance foyer to hug Abby. “I love you, sister.”
“Back atcha, lady. Love you, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Rylie turned to Rashda. “Thank you so much for letting us have this gathering here, Mama. You and Sean are the best.”
“We are as much your family as Jack is, and Eric recognizes that.” Rashda said.
“Yes, you are.” She kissed Sean on the cheek and murmured her thanks.
As soon as she closed the door and Eric pulled away from the curb, her thoughts turned to what lay ahead. Engagement sex. And she was so ready for it. Her anxiety had been swept away by everything Eric said during his proposal.
They were meant to be.
*
Rylie was quiet on the ride home. While she got the baby settled, he shucked his dress uniform, put on a pair of sleep pants, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and give her time to get ready for bed.
When he came out, she lay in the center of the bed, the jacket of his dress whites wrapped around her and her bare legs curled to one side.
“You got your promotion,” she said, touching the insignia on his collar.
“Yeah.” He crawled up the bed from the foot. God, he wanted her. “It’s been a day of surprises. After you left for your appointment, Lt. Commander Yazzie called me into his office to congratulate me and pinned the insignia to my uniform. I transferred them to my dress whites when I got home.”
“Good surprises,” she said, stretching one shapely leg out to touch his right hip, then bracketing him with the other.
His mouth went dry with anticipation. “Yes, they are.” He kissed her knee, then the inside of her thigh as he folded back the fabric.
Her hand unfurled on the bed next to him where she laid a condom. “And did Jack have anything to do with stalling it, or the rest?” Her eyes had darkened to almost black, and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips in a way that robbed him of breath.
Hot SEAL, Taking The Plunge (SEALS IN PARADISE) Page 16
