Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) (41 page)

“Have you got any idea
what would have happened to you if I’d shown up with a fucking bullet in
my ass at my own wedding?”

“Uncle Thane,” Gabbs
spoke up before he could answer.

Ghost turned his
attention to her. “What, Little Red?”

“You shouldn’t swear
so much.”

Mace stuck his tongue
in his cheek and his brows rose. The guys chuckled, and Nina gave
Ghost a mother’s disapproving glare.

Ghost’s expression
melted and he looked more than sheepish. “You’re right, Gabbs. I shouldn’t.” He
cleared his throat. “Ya wanna ride up front with Uncle Thane?”

“Yeah!” she shrilled.

Gabbs was passed from
war-torn hand
s to war-torn hands until Ghost heaved
her onto his lap and cuddled her in his arms.

Nina twisted in what
little room there was between the men and crawled onto Mace’s lap. The guys all
grinned and looked away. Her lips brushed Mace’s ear, and his arms cir
cled her waist. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
she said next to his ear.

Mace’s brilliant eyes
stared into hers. “Probably not near as much as I love you. Forever, baby.
You, Gabbs and me.
Forever.”

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. Mace k
issed her tears away, and his wet lips pressed against
hers.
Forever
.

Epilogue

With eleven men on a
hotel suite balcony, there wasn’t much room to spare. Every chirpin’ gecko made
Mace’s head want to split open, and he’d had a day to recuperate from
the stag. The SEALs thought they knew how to party, but his
Mexican relatives had them drooling like babies within an hour.

He straightened his
tie in the mirror and walked out onto the balcony to join the men who made a
difference in his life. Admiral Aus
ten, Captain
Redding, Commander Cobbs, Stitch, Ditz, Tadpole, Fox, and their newest
addition, Cracker. Nina’s and his father sat amongst them, and of course his
best man, Tony Bale. Admiral Austen and Commander Cobbs were his groomsmen.
Nina had chosen Kay
la as her Maid of Honor. Her
sister Dawn and Marg would be her bridesmaids. Gabbs and Kelsey were flower
girls, and Mace had seen them with their hair all done up with little white
flowers when the guys had rallied for lunch.

“You look a little
scared ther
e, son,” Captain Redding said, sitting
back in his chair with a shot of tequila.

“Here.” Tony shoved a
shot into his hand and they all raised their glasses. “To my swim buddy, best
friend and the best god damn sniper in the country. Today is officially you
r last day as a bachelor, and I don’t imagine you’ll want
to be one again after you see Nina walking up the aisle. Here’s to a lifetime
of happiness.
A looong lifetime.
Hooyah!”

“Hooyah!” echoed the
men.

The tequila fired down
Mace’s throat and hit his sto
mach like an IED
detonating. “Thanks, T-man. It means everything to me that you all came.” He
cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we should do this.”

The guys clapped their
hands and everyone on the team leaped over the edge of the balcony
,
leaving Nina’s f
ather and his
father with arched brows. “SEALs, they always take the shortcut.” He shrugged
good-naturedly and followed. Nina’s dad and his father weren’t gonna use a door
and brought up the rear.

The wind had
thankfully died down to a brisk breeze. Nina a
nd her
girls had made sure everything was in
place,
including a raked beach, white silk dripping from the dark
timbers of the gazebo where they would be married. Each chair had been wrapped
in white and tied with navy blue bows. A boardwalk took the place
of an aisle, and he mounted the stairs to the gazebo and
nodded at the Justice of the Peace. Tony, Ghost, with Adam in his arms, and
Cobbs stood with him for a few minutes.

Cobbs leaned over to
grab Adam’s finger. “Do you ever put that kid down, Ghost?” he
teased.

Ghost cocked his head
and a lopsided grin crossed his jaw. “Not unless I have to.”

Tinman tucked in his
shirt and straightened his tie. “I can’t wait to see her,” he said quietly
beside him.

“She’s marrying me,
not you, asshole.”

“I know that, but
a guy can dream.” Tony cranked his head and got a
questioning look from Ghost and Cobbs.

Mace and Tony said at
the same time, “Never mind.”

Cobbs and Ghost jerked
their heads and sported a smile. War wasn’t the only thing that repeated
itself.

“Let’s go g
et Mace’s bride, shall we?” Ghost suggested, and the guys
followed. He stopped and handed Adam to his grandmother, who cradled him with a
big smile.

Ten minutes passed as
all the guests took their seats. Mace tilted his head to peer into the blue
heavens.
The sound of the ocean only feet behind them
lent a hand to the music as it began to play, announcing the girls’ arrival.

Kelsey and Gabbs were
adorable with little tangerine dresses and white flowers in their hair. A
basket hung on both their arms and the
y had fun
throwing the petals into the wind. When Gabbs reached him, Mace bent down and
picked her up into his arms. He had a weakness all right. He had two. A mother
and daughter with fiery red curls, brilliant green eyes, and smiles that would
always dra
w him home, no matter where in the world
his profession took him.

“Mommy’s really,
really pretty,” Gabbs whispered in his ear.

“So are you, Little
Red.”

She wrapped her arms
around his neck and rested her head against his. “Love you, Daddy.”

The lump in his throat
grew and so did his heart. Gabbs had never called him that before. He told her
she could, but never pushed her. Cayson’s death and what he had done had left
her confused at first, but she’d resolved it in her young mind and moved on.
Calling him Dad was the best present he could receive
today. “I love you too, baby girl.” He kissed her soft curls.
 

Tony met Kayla at the
bottom of the stairs and wrapped her arm around his. Ghost literally gaped at
his wife, and Mace had to admit that
there was still
a small part of his heart that would always belong to Kayla. He loved her like
a sister, and because of her, Nina had followed to San Diego and into his life.
Kayla kissed both him and Gabbs and took her place.

Dawn flushed when she
saw Gho
st, but she’d been doing that for the last
three days. Ghost said something to her, and her flush deepened even more when
he guided her up the stairs. Cobbs met Marg, and for a moment they stopped to
gaze at one another. Mace couldn’t help but smile when h
e saw Cobbs mouth, “Forever and ever” and Marg replied, “Amen.” They’d
been saying that to one another ever since he’d known them. He didn’t know why,
but he knew it meant something very important to them.

Nina had chosen to
play a traditional Mexican song
to pay tribute to
that part of his family when she was escorted up the aisle by both her parents.
Everyone stood. Nothing on earth or heaven could have prepared him as he
watched the woman he would get to spend the rest of his life with approach him.
She
wasn’t beautiful, she was breathtaking, but it
was an oxymoron because he couldn’t breathe. Nina smiled and glanced at their
guests, then set her gaze on him. It never wavered and neither did his.

He half-expected a
remark from Tony, but he was dumbstruck.
Nina’s dress
was made of fine satin that fit her as if it had been sewn to every amazing
curve of her body. Her curls were piled on the top of her head and rained down
her back. He shook his head in disbelief, and being Nina, she simply winked at
him. Thi
s beautiful creature full of fire and
sweetness was his forever.

* * * *

Gabbs crawled onto
Mace’s lap. “Can I have a shoulder ride, Dad?”

He gave her a gentle
head butt and she gave him one back. “Sure, but let me finish putting this on
Mom,” he said.

T
he team, their families and his relatives had taken over an
entire pool
at
the resort. The kids
lived in the water, and would only get out for lunch and dinner.

“Thane, it’s time for
Adam to come out of the water,” Kayla said.

Thane floated on his
back wit
h Adam on his chest. He loved using his dad
as a canoe and he laughed and splashed at the water. “He loves it, sweetheart.
He’s a natural born SEAL”

“Bite your tongue,
Admiral. I need to put more sunblock on him.”

“Already did.”

Kayla flipped the
sunblock
in the air and it landed with a plop on the
ground. She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why I bother. The man has figured
out how to think two steps ahead of me all the time.”

“He’s got you cased,”
Nina laughed, stretching out on the lounger while Mace rubb
ed sunscreen on her back.

“This was a great idea
coming to this all-inclusive, Nina,” Marg said, checking that Cobbs had Kelsey,
and then rolling onto her back. “We should definitely do this every year.”

“Agreed,” Tony said.

Tony lay back with his
arms beh
ind his head, shades on and his head
swiveling like an owl to catch every pretty girl that walked by. Sometimes he
even managed to stop one or two with a full-out smile. Tinman had gotten over
his brief pause with women. They’d been in Mexico for five nigh
ts and he never went to bed alone.

Tony’s cell rang.
“This better not be a call to duty, because I’m reporting MIA.” His head jerked
back when he reviewed the number before answering. “It’s the base. Petty
Officer Bale.” Tony reached for his shades and pul
led
them off, his expression confused. “Sure, put them through.”

Nina propped herself
on her elbows and Mace put his attention on Tony as well.

“Lumin?”
He sat straight up in his chair.
“What’s going on?” Tony waved away a waiter when he approached him to
take a drink order. “I’m here, sweetheart, what kind of
trouble?” he asked, his voice hardening. “Is it Pedro? Did he find out you
helped
us?”

Pedro’s name drew
everyone’s eyes and talking ceased from the squad.

“In
Mexico.
Nina and Mace just got married.
Are you in Las
Vegas?” Tony jumped to his feet. “Don’t hang up,” Tony commanded. “You can tell
me, sweetheart. I can hear you’re scared, but don’t be. Whatever it is you’re
not alone, okay.” Tony held the phone tight to his ear, and then his eyes shot
to M
ace.
“The
Bubonic Plague?”

*The End*

About the Author

Natasza Waters
is
an officer,
author, and reviewer with InD’Tale Magazine. She debuted her first romance novel,
“Too Grand
For
Words” in 2011. Issued in E-pub and
paperback, the novel found its way to book clubs where women enjoy a cup of
romance with a twist of steam.

After majoring in English in her early years, Natasza’s life
altered course. A lifelong working relationship with the marine industry began
when she became an officer with the Coast Guard. Crafting stories with pieces
snipped from real life and the sea—particularly the West Coast and those who
respect it as much as they love it, find their way into plots puddled in action
and suspense, with unsung heroes and heroines aplenty
.

A
twenty-four hour day finds Natasza drafting her next novel, blogging, working,
and reviewing other author’s voices. Sleep you say? Not so much! Visit her
websites at
http://nataszawaters.com/
or
http://voicebetweenthelines.com/
or drop a review or a word at
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6086142.Natasza_Waters

Other Books by Natasza

Code Name: Ghost

Code
Name :
Kayla’s Fire