by Zoe Dawson
She hadn’t died. Oh, God. She’d been living like she had. Until Dex. Until he’d come blazing into her life and showed her what heat was, what need was, what it was like to be a part of something…explosive and substantive.
Her hand went to the locket and with a deliberate move she unclasped it and set it on her dresser, then she pulled off her wedding band. The locket had given her what she needed to get her husband justice and the ring was part of Brad. She was ready to put that vow to rest and pledge herself to another man. What was now hidden in her heart was revealed.
There was no going back.
And she knew in her heart that even when Dex was deployed, he would be with her every day.
Naval Base Coronado, Coronado, California
Dex slammed the door to his car as he made his way to his meeting with his commanding officer.
He had just spent the last four weeks recuperating and getting back into shape. Doing a lot of swimming, running and lifting. He felt he was ready for active duty.
His heart was still raw over Piper and he thought about her, dreamed about her.
Before he left DC, he went to Arlington Cemetery and visited each grave of the fine men he’d lost.
Then he’d left DC with Rock, who had supported him every step of the way. He went first to Philly to pay his condolences to Peter “Slim Jim” Camden’s widow and their newborn son. Then to Cleveland, Ohio, to Jerry “DJ” Sanders’s family and his beautiful, heartbroken widow. Then lastly to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he visited Mike “Spaceman” Carver’s widow and his two adult sons and three grandchildren. He broke down. He’d never forget how Mike’s widow was the one to comfort him.
He reached into his front breast pocket to take out his ID and stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something soft against his fingers. He frowned and clipped the ID to his uniform. Then he reached in and pulled out a pair of pink baby booties.
His heart stalled and his throat closed up. Piper must have put them in his pocket when she’d visited him in the hospital. He closed his eyes, overcome with his love for Piper. He wished things could have been different.
Tucking the booties back in his pocket, he gouged at his eyes. He would carry them with him always to remind him what he was fighting for.
He reported to the commander’s assistant, who told him to go in.
Entering the office, he walked to the desk and stood at attention.
“At ease,” Commander Hodges said.
Dex went into parade rest and waited.
“What you did in Afghanistan was above and beyond the call of duty. SECNAV called me personally and sang your praises. Not only did you protect a US senator from harm, but you solved several crimes along with vindicating those six men who died. Thank you for your exemplary service.”
“Sir, are you giving me…?”
“Another medal? I’m afraid so.”
“Is it necessary?”
“Also, I’m afraid so.”
Suddenly there were loud voices outside the door. A woman’s voice was raised in argument. Then the door flew open and Piper marched through with the commander’s assistant protesting all the way.
“You can’t court-martial him! I won’t stand for it. I’ll get the best lawyer on the planet to defend him.” Her eyes were blazing, and she was so angry her fists clenched at her sides. She looked delectable, mussed and elegant at the same time, her mascara smudged. She was dressed in a cute navy dress with epaulets. He figured she was subtly showing her support and solidarity with the Navy.
“But…” Commander Hodges said.
She talked right over him. “If it wasn’t for him, I would be dead. He saved my life so many times. Figured out this whole conspiracy and put some very bad people behind bars. That has to count for something.” She leaned on the desk and got right in Commander Hodges’s face.
He reared back and his mouth twitched. He looked at Dex, then back at Piper. “It does. We’re not court-martialing him. We’re giving him another medal.”
It was her turn to sputter.
She reached out her hand. “Senator Piper Jones, with my big foot in my big mouth.” Dex couldn’t hold back the snicker and she gave him a wry look.
Commander Hodges chuckled. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He stepped out of his office and closed the door.
“What are you doing here, Bulldozer?”
She smiled and stepped closer to him. “Making a fool of myself because Ty told me they were court-martialing you. Now, I realize it was a ruse to get me here. I owe my brother a punch in the nose and a kiss on the cheek. Of course, I had to come.”
“Why?”
Her eyes welled. “Because I love you, Lieutenant Dexter Kaczewski. You came into my life to save it. And you did. You made me see that I’m so alive and I have so much to give. I am the woman you need, the woman who will stand by you no matter what. Be a SEAL. Be whatever you want, and I will be with you because I can’t be without you.”
“What do you want to do with your life besides be with me?”
Her eyes glowed. “It’s important to you?” She reached up and held his face, and the look in her eyes almost undid him.
“Hell, yes. I want you to find what you want to do that will fulfill you.”
“I don’t know what that is right now, but thank you for saying that. It means everything.”
“I want to be with you, but Piper, you understand I’m gone two hundred and twenty days out of the year. I’ve got a dangerous job and I don’t want you to just say you can be with me, but be with me, stand by me. I’m putting my heart on the line for you. I love you beyond measure.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his chest, breathing him in. “I’m not scared anymore.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I know. You are so damned brave, babe, so brave.” She let go of him and he cupped her face, kissing her mouth so softly. “This…this is my unbreakable woman.”
She smiled into his eyes. “We’re unbreakable together.”
Epilogue
Safid Darreh, Pawan Province, Afghanistan
The dust kicked up by the six goats traveling the road into the entrance to Safid Darreh blew into the face of the man dressed in traditional desert garb who herded them. He kept them moving as they bleated, catching the attention of several of the villagers. Several small children ran along with them as the man traveled to the end of the street and stopped at the red door of the last house.
He knocked and Afsana Jamal answered the door, her face frowning at the unfamiliar visitor.
“These goats are for you.” His voice was deep, and he spoke the language like a native, but there was something about this man.
She petted one as it curiously snuffled her skirt. “Oh, my, they are beautiful. But why are you giving me goats?”
The man pulled the keffiyeh away from his face and Afsana smiled broadly.
“Dexter.”
He returned her smile. “Well, Piper wanted you to have these as a way of saying thank you. They’re excellent milk producers. Also, I was instructed to get your recipes for these dishes.” He dipped under the tunic into his camo pocket, his hand brushing against the soft yarn of the pink booties for the piece of paper. He handed her a list. He wouldn’t dare go back to California after this mission without them. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have Piper.
He’d been deployed only two weeks after she’d moved to California. This current two-week mission was complete, but he’d taken a short leave to make this delivery to Raffi and Afsana. He would be heading back to Coronado tomorrow. He couldn’t wait to see Piper.
“You came all this way to give us goats.”
“Yeah.” He winked as she invited him inside. “Seems FedEx doesn’t deliver.”
She laughed as the door closed behind him.
Ocean Beach, California
Piper was all finished making this beach house she was going to share with Dex as much a part of him
as it was of her. She’d moved all his stuff in and replaced all the furniture. She’d loved his Moroccan headboard and a lot of his possessions that he’d picked up during his travels.
She didn’t know where he was or when he was coming home, but he was right here with her. She could feel him, and she knew he could feel her, the bond traveling across distance and time. She bolstered him every day with her thoughts, knowing that the soft pink talisman he carried protected him.
Her term had expired a month ago and she should have been feeling elated, but she was having a hard time keeping things down and she’d wake up in the morning all queasy. She hoped she wasn’t getting the flu. She’d been feeling run-down and achy for days.
She was due to start her new job as a fundraiser for the International Humanity Foundation, an organization that worked to educate and feed children in Africa and Asia. Dex had suggested she try something like this with her background in raising money for Brad’s campaign, and it had all just clicked together with very little effort. She was so excited to use her skills to help people.
She picked up the headscarf that she’d had framed and hung it over the bed, Dex’s bars still pinned to the cloth. As soon as she stepped away, her stomach twisted, and she ran for the bathroom.
She used the toilet, giving a sigh of resignation when she saw the dime-size stain in her panties. No wonder she was feeling so moody. She didn’t have anything here and decided she’d have to run to the store. While she was walking to the register, she passed the pregnancy tests and felt wistful for a second, then she went stock-still, a fizzling sensation coursing through her. She counted back in her head, then closed her eyes, the fizzling sensation turning into a cold rush. Tired. Tears.
She couldn’t be.
It was impossible. The scarring.
The complications.
She numbly stood in the aisle, suddenly so shaky she wasn’t sure her legs were going to hold her.
She grabbed two pregnancy tests, eager to get home, trying not to get her hopes up too high.
As soon as she got in the door, she was back in the bathroom and it was an excruciating five minutes until the test showed her the double pink lines.
She was pregnant. Suddenly too shaky to stand, she sat down on the edge of the tub, trying to remain rational. She hadn’t bothered with birth control because her doctor had told her she couldn’t get pregnant.
But by some miracle she was going to have Lieutenant Dexter Kaczewski’s baby. Elation washed through her in one fantastic rush, and she started to cry and tremble all over. Sliding to the floor, she drew up her knees and rested her forehead against them, so weak from shock that she felt light-headed. A baby. She couldn’t be more thrilled—or more scared.
So many emotions were cartwheeling through her that she couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Babe,” he said softly, and she opened her eyes to find Dex bending over her with an anxious expression on his oh-so-handsome face. A perfect time for him to return from deployment. “I hope these are tears of joy and not oh-crap-I-made-a-mistake tears.”
“They are. Tears of joy.”
“Good, that’s all I need to know.” He hauled her up against him, making a choking sound and crushing her roughly against him, holding on to her as if she were his next breath. God, she loved him so much. He’d given her life, a future.
His chest heaved, and he clutched her tighter, his voice raw and shaking. “Ah, God, Piper,” he whispered raggedly. “I love you, babe.”
“Welcome home, Dex.”
Night sounds filtered in through the open windows, and the clock on the bedside table said it was late. Piper shifted her head on Dex’s shoulder, then slowly smoothed her hand up the thick wall of his chest. He trapped her wandering hand beneath his, and she smiled, finding it incongruous that someone as big and as male as Dex should be ticklish. He caressed her hand, then raised it to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. “What are you smiling about?”
Rising up on one elbow, she looked down at him, glad that she could see his face in the muted illumination from the streetlights. “I’m smiling because I’m happy, and I’m smiling because I’m so glad to be here with you. And I’m smiling because I’m done with politics.” She leaned down and kissed him on the mouth, running her free hand back up his rib cage. “And I’m smiling because you are so darn cute,” she whispered against his mouth.
He gave a huff of laughter and caught her hand again, holding it secure against his chest. “Stop it, or I’ll throw you in the pool.”
Shaking back her hair, she grinned down at him.
“You’re on,” she said, and then she leaned over and kissed him, settling her mouth on his while he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close—and Piper was in heaven.
She never would have guessed life could get as perfect as it had been since the night she’d first cradled a mourning SEAL in her arms. The missions he went on with his team were full of risks. The SEALs operated on the cutting edge of special ops. She knew that, but she wouldn’t have him be anything other than what he was: a soldier, a warrior and hers.
The kiss was sweetly luxurious and led to the inevitable need they had for each other, for the intimacy they created and shared. His body was so hard to the touch, so strong.
She loved being with him, making love with him, being his woman—and she was all his. He slid down more fully beside her, and she intertwined her legs with his, feeling the heat rise between them. Dexter Kaczewski, the most dangerous man she’d ever met, made her feel safer than she’d ever been. She snuggled in as close as she could get, loving the smell of him and the way he felt, like a slab of granite, except warm and vital. His hair was longer now, dark and starting to curl around the back of his neck. She loved the curve of his muscles and the strength in his arms and the stubble along his jaw. After endless minutes of tasting his mouth and holding him close, she broke off the kiss and met his gaze.
“Afsana loved the goats.”
“I’m so glad. Thank you for doing that.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a goat herder, but it was a thoughtful gift, Piper.”
“She saved us. There is no price on that. The goats will help her family to prosper.” She bit her lip. “Did you see her oldest son?”
“Yeah,” Dex said. “If NCIS agent Derrick Gunn isn’t that kid’s father, I’m no SEAL.”
“Exactly.”
“I have something for you. It’s not a goat…”
“I’m so disappointed. I had ‘Nanny’ picked out as the name.”
He laughed, and it sounded…a little nervous.
“What’s going on there, sailor?”
He turned away and rummaged around on the floor, then he came back to her. He extended his hand and in the palm was a velvet ring box.
Her breath caught. “Dex.”
He opened it. “Piper Jones, my unbreakable, tough little angel. Will you marry me? I love you and I can’t imagine my life without you. I’ve never been willing to fight for the relationship I wanted, but now I’ve found a woman that I would die for. So, being a SEAL is my passion, but you are my life.”
Tears welled in her eyes and she reached out her hand as Dex pulled the beautiful diamond out.
“Yes, you gorgeous man.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. They kissed and that led to more, until they had made love three times in three hours.
“How do you feel about being a father, Dex?” she asked quietly.
He smoothed back her hair, then met her gaze, his expression interested and open. “I think it’s one of the most important things I could ever do in my life. I would tackle it like a SEAL. Why?”
“Well, you might be tackling it, oh, say, around six months from now.”
He didn’t move a muscle. He stared up at her, and when she smiled, he closed his eyes and hugged her fiercely against him. She felt his chest expand, and he tightened his arms even more. “Are you sure? How is that possible?”
She
chuckled. “Dead sure. I’ve been having three months of morning sickness and no period.”
He didn’t say anything; he just held her like that, and Piper could feel his heart hammering beneath her hand. She knew he needed time to assimilate the news, to digest it. She gave him a few moments, then she kissed the curve of his neck, and Dex inhaled deeply. Catching her under the chin, he lifted her head and stared into her eyes. “Babe, I can’t believe it. How do you feel?”
She smiled, running her thumb over his mouth. “Blessed. So, so blessed.”
He closed his eyes and drew her head back down against his shoulder, his fingers tangled in her hair. She felt him swallow, then he pressed a kiss against her forehead. “So do I,” he whispered huskily. “God, so do I.” His chest expanded again, and he tightened his hold on her. He held her for a long, long time—just holding her, as if he couldn’t let go, as if he needed to hold her more than he needed anything.
Finally, he eased away and raised her face, giving her a soft, searching kiss. Releasing a breath in a long sigh, he looked up at her, the expression in his eyes making her heart roll over.
“I love you, Piper,” he whispered, his voice uneven.
Piper held his beautiful blue gaze for a moment, her heart so full that it was almost too much to contain. The last knot of uncertainty unfolded in her in a joyous rush. Closing her eyes against the sudden swell of emotion, she hugged him hard, her happiness absolute and complete. Swallowing against the ache in her throat, she cradled his head tightly against her.
“God, but I love you, Dexter. So much.”
He hugged her back, his hand buried deep in the tangle of her hair. He didn’t say anything for the longest time; then he raised his head and looked at her, his eyes dark with emotion. “We’re going to have a blast, babe,” he said, his voice uneven. “And you know SEALs never go back on their word.”
