Protecting the Future (SEAL of Protection Book 8) (4 page)

Summer took Sam’s hand and led him back to their bedroom. She stripped him of his flannel pants and took her time showing him just how much he was loved.

Later, when they were dozing off—Summer after having come several times, and Mozart after finally allowing himself to release inside the love of his life—he heard her say softly and groggily in his ear, “Rest easy, Sam. I love you.”

C
ookie sat
across from Fiona at the table as they ate. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay while I’m gone?”

Fiona smiled at Hunter, not getting irritated with him, knowing he asked out of love. “For the tenth time, yes, hon, I’ll be fine. I haven’t had a flashback in a couple of months now.”

“I know, but—”

“I understand that you get nervous every time you leave because of what happened two years ago when you were on that mission, but I
swear
I’ve got the tracker on, and I’ll call Caroline or Tex if I start to feel weird. I’m not going to run off like I did before. I’m much better now. You’ve made sure of that.”

Cookie pushed his mostly empty plate away and put his elbows on the table and leaned toward Fiona. “I just worry about you.”

“I know, and I love you for it. You worry about me just like I worry about you. You about done?”

Cookie nodded and watched as Fiona took his plate to the sink. He stood up and opened the dishwasher and took the dishes after Fiona rinsed them, placing them into the machine. They worked in tandem, without words, just as they had many nights before.

The kitchen was clean and the dishes were done. “Want to take a bath?”

Fiona looked at her husband. Something was off about him, but she wasn’t sure what. “Sure. You going to join me?”

He shook his head. “Not tonight. I just want to pamper you.”

Fiona nodded.

“Okay, give me a few minutes, and I’ll go get it started for you.”

“I can do it.”

“I know, but I want to.”

“All right. I’ll find a book to read and join you in a few.”

Fiona watched Hunter walk down the hall to their bedroom. She cocked her head, trying to figure out what his deal was. He was usually protective of her, especially before he left for a mission, but this was new. He’d drawn her a bath before, but tonight it somehow felt different. In the past he’d make love to her as if it would be the last time they’d ever be together,
then
give her the lecture about being safe and asking if she’d be okay. He didn’t usually delay going to bed with a bath for her first.

Fiona grabbed a romance novel off the shelf, one of her favorites, and headed to their bedroom. She could hear the water running into the tub, but didn’t expect the candles when she entered their large bathroom. Hunter had lit as many as he could find, not caring that they were all different scents and the smell would probably give them both a headache later. It was simply beautiful.

He didn’t say much, but watched as she stripped out of her clothes and climbed into the tub.

“Is the temperature okay?”

“Scalding hot…so it’s perfect.”

Hunter smiled at her. “Okay, I’ll be back in twenty minutes or so to check on you.”

Fiona nodded and again worried as she watched him leave. Something was bothering him and she had to get him to fess up before the night was over.

After her bath, and after Hunter had dried every inch of her skin, and after he’d bent her over their mattress and had taken her from behind—quite thoroughly and satisfyingly—and after they’d snuggled down into the soft pillowy mattress, Fiona asked the question that had been nagging at her all night.

“What’s up, Hunter?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve never been quite so…caring—before you’ve left before.”

He was silent so long, Fiona wondered if he was going to answer her at all…indeed if he was still awake.

“I know I’m not supposed to admit it, but this one worries me.”

Trying not to tense up, Fiona asked him why.

“You know I can’t tell you where I’m going, but I could be gone for a while. I’m worried about you. I’m worried about the other women. I’m worried about their kids. I’m just worried in general.”

A little alarmed, as it wasn’t like Hunter to be this concerned about anything—he usually had a kick-butt-and-take-no-prisoners attitude—Fiona tried to reassure him. “I can’t ask you not to be worried. Hell, if you told me not to be concerned about
you
, I’d laugh in your face. But I’ll be okay. The girls will be okay. Everyone will be just fine. We look after each other when you guys are gone, just as you all have each other’s backs when you’re on a mission. Trust in us to keep on keepin’ on while you’re all gone. No matter what, this is our family. We might not have any kids, but I’d do anything for John, Sara, Brinique, Davisa, April and the as-of-yet-unnamed baby Cooper.”

“Just promise me…
promise me
, if I don’t come home, you’ll take care of yourself. I can’t stand to think of you as lost and alone and broken as you were when I found you two years ago when you’d run north.”

Wanting to comment on the “not coming home” part, and break out in tears, Fiona held them back. She needed to be a rock for Hunter. He needed her to be strong. “I promise.”

Cookie nodded because he couldn’t say anything through the knot in his throat, and wrapped his arms around Fiona as tightly as he thought she could stand. He hitched one leg over her hip and surrounded himself in her scent and her body. If this was the last time he’d be able to hold her, as his gut was screaming at him it possibly could be, he wanted to imprint himself onto her.

He felt the second Fiona fell asleep in his arms. They’d both ignored the tears that leaked out of her eyes as they held each other. Cookie didn’t sleep even a minute. He wanted to cherish every last second with the love of his life in his arms.

A
labama and Christopher
sat on the couch next to each other, each with a little girl on their lap, explaining that Daddy was leaving on another trip. Over the last year and a half that Brinique and Davisa been living with them, they’d slowly understood more and more about what it was Daddy did.

“When will you be back?” Brinique asked tearfully.

“I’m not sure, pumpkin,” Abe told his daughter, wiping away the tears that made streaks down her little face. “But I
will
be back.”

“My other daddy left and never came back,” Davisa said matter-of-factly. Alabama knew she’d never known who her real father was, her birth mother probably never knew either, but Davisa had most likely heard the woman complaining that the man had left without a backward glance anyway.

“He might have left, but I’ll do everything in my power to get back,” Christopher promised. “Do you think I’d leave three such beautiful women forever? Not if I can help it. I love you all too much. No matter what happens in your life, you need to know that your mom and I love you very much. We
picked
you. A lot of other mommies and daddies don’t get a choice in their children. We had a choice and we choose you guys. Don’t ever forget it.”

Brinique sat up straight in Christopher’s lap. “Yeah. You picked us. Out of all the little boys and girls who needed a home. You picked
us
.”

Abe nodded and repeated the words Brinique obviously wanted to hear. “That’s right, little one. We chose you. So even though I’m leaving, I’m not leaving because of anything you did. It’s my job. It’s what I do.”

“Mommy said you’re one of the good guys. You go out into the world and put the bad people in jail.”

Abe looked over at Alabama and winked. “Well, yeah, sorta, but that’s the basics.”

“Where’s the world?”

“What do you mean, sweetie?”

“You go out into the world…where’s the world?”

“Ah.” Abe shifted in his seat, snuggling Brinique closer to his chest as he did. “The world is anywhere other than where we are right now.” He tried to keep it simple for his six-year-old.

“So, will you be in another state?”

Alabama knew this was getting trickier now. She knew Abe couldn’t tell anyone where they were going, not even his precocious little girl. She stepped in. “We don’t know where Daddy will be, but Uncle Hunter and all your other uncles will take care of him for us until he can get back home.”

“But Super Tex will know where you are, right? Mommy, you said Uncle Tex always knows where everyone is ‘cos he’s tacking them and that makes him kinda like a super hero…right?”

Alabama tried not to wince. Obviously Davisa was smarter than the average five-year-old. She remembered every single thing she was told. “
Tracking
, not tacking, and yes, Uncle Tex will know.”

“Okay then. As long as Daddy doesn’t get lost and can find his way back home, it’s good. Will you read us a story tonight, Daddy?”

Alabama wished she could turn off her worry as easily as her daughters seemed to be able to. She and Christopher helped the girls get ready for bed and tucked them in. They still slept in the same room, feeling more comfortable being together, even after a year and a half away from their horrible birth mother. Christopher read a bedtime story and the girls were out before he’d reached page six.

They both kissed their cheeks and Abe whispered what he told them every night whether they were asleep or awake. “The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner a new day will come.” They stood in the doorway for a long moment.

“They’re beautiful kids, Alabama. I’m so proud of you for taking the initiative and pushing me to accept the foster placement. I can’t even imagine our life without them in it, and I don’t want to.”

“Does it bother you when they call us Mom and Dad in public and people look twice?”

“Because we’re white and they’re black? Fuck no. Let people say whatever they want. Those girls are
mine
.”

God, Alabama loved this man.

Abe eased the girls’ door closed, leaving it open a crack so they could hear either of them if they needed them in the night, and they went across the hall to their bedroom. They’d had to be creative and careful whenever they’d made love in the past year. Neither wanted their kids walking in on something they shouldn’t be seeing.

Abe made easy, sweet love to Alabama, making sure they were both quiet as they climaxed. He pulled Alabama on top of him and felt her relax, boneless, into him. He knew they had to get up and put something on, just in case the girls came wandering into their room, but at the moment he didn’t want to move. The feel of Alabama’s smooth skin against his was as close as he’d get to heaven here on earth.

“I’m going to miss you.” Alabama’s voice was muted and heartfelt.

“I’m going to miss you too.”

Alabama knew she couldn’t demand Christopher promise to come back to her, but she wanted to.

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything,” Alabama told her husband honestly.

“Don’t accept any more foster placements until I get back.”

Alabama pushed herself up on Christopher’s chest until she could just see him in the low light of the room. “What?”

“I know you. You’ll get anxious, and you’ll worry while I’m gone. I know you deal with stress better if you’re busy. So I figure if asked, you’d gladly take on another child in need. When we take in another foster, I want to be here. I want to help him or her acclimate. And I can’t do that if you’re here by yourself.”

Alabama relaxed into Christopher. For a second she’d thought he didn’t want to adopt any more kids. Yes, they’d talked about it, and agreed they both wanted a large family of adopted kids, but she’d jumped to conclusions. She loved him all the more for wanting to be a part of every potential foster they had. “Okay, I can do that.”

“If something happens to me—”

“No. Nothing will happen to you,” Alabama butted in.

Abe continued as if she hadn’t interrupted. “If something happens to me, I still want you to have the large family you’ve always dreamed about. Don’t let it stop you.”

Alabama’s breath hitched in her chest. “I won’t,” she got out, and buried her face in the space between his shoulder and his face. She felt Christopher’s hand wrap around the back of her neck.

“I worry about you from the moment I get up in the morning to the second I fall asleep. I might be away on a mission, and I might be a hundred percent focused on that mission, but you’re always there, in the back of my mind. I know you’re here, with our kids, waiting on me, and it makes me more determined than ever to get back to you. I know there’s always a risk that one day that stubbornness on my part might not be enough, and I want you to reach for your dreams, whether I’m standing next to you cheering you on or not. Okay?”

“Okay,” Alabama told him through her watery tears, not able to rebut his comments. They were beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time.

“Sleep now, sweetheart. The sooner you sleep, the sooner I’ll be home.”

C
aroline stood
at the door of the house looking out into the dark yard. Matthew stood behind her with his arms around her waist, holding her against his chest. They stood without talking for a long while. Finally, Caroline broke the silence.

“You’re being sent in to try to rescue that girl, aren’t you?”

Wolf didn’t answer, and Caroline sighed. She turned in her husband’s embrace and looped her arms around his neck as she gazed up at him. He looked down at her with such love and patience, she almost couldn’t stand it.

“I know, you can’t tell me, but in my gut I know that’s where you guys are going. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to the others, but can I just say one thing before I drop it?” Caroline knew Matthew was uncomfortable with the conversation, but he’d never admit it.

“Of course, Ice. Say whatever you need.”

“You’ll get her out. You’ll find her, kill those assholes, and get her home. I
know
it.”

At that, she saw Matthew’s lips quirk upward. “You do, huh?”

“Yeah. You guys wouldn’t rest until I was home and safe, and you didn’t really even know me then either. This woman has
got
to be tough as hell. If she’s been held for as long as the TV reporters say she has, she has to be.”