Holding their son in his arms, Coop smiled at her. “Yes, sweetheart, I am ready. When it comes to you, I will always be ready.”
* * *
“Thanks for inviting me, Bristol.”
She smiled up at Colin Kusac. They had exchanged phone numbers that night at the gallery when she’d reunited with Coop. When Mr. Kusac had called to check up on her a few days later, she’d learned that just as she’d suspected, he was the person carrying out her father’s wishes to make sure she got flowers every year on her birthday. He had explained that Randall had asked that of him before he’d died and Mr. Kusac had promised he would do so.
He’d also told her that he’d promised her father he would check on her from time to time. He confided that he knew how she’d been while living in Paris; and that when she returned to the United States to have her baby, he’d known about that, as well. He’d seen that night at the gallery as an opportunity to talk to her himself. She had discovered that Mr. Kusac—Colin—was one of the wealthiest men in New York and had come from old money.
“Thanks for standing in for Dad and giving me away.”
“Thanks for asking me. I was honored to do so. Randall would have been proud of you today.”
“Thank you.”
They talked for a while longer and then the wives of Coop’s teammates came up to say hello. She liked all the wives—Crystal, who was married to Bane, Layla, who was married to Viper, and Teri, who had been married to Mac from the start. They assured Bristol that she wasn’t the only one with fears—that was part of being a SEAL wife. They would be part of her support team and would be there whenever she needed them. They even invited her to visit them at their homes. Everyone was excited when Viper and Layla announced they would be having a baby come early summer. They exchanged numbers with her and she knew they were women she would get to know as friends.
No sooner had the women walked off than Margie appeared, all smiles. Bristol knew why.
“I can’t believe your husband is connected to so much wealth. Who would have thought his parents would be those Coopers. And that he’s their heir.”
“Yes, who would have thought?” Bristol smiled, knowing how Margie’s mind worked.
“You did good, choosing him over Steven.”
Bristol decided not to say that Steven hadn’t even been in the running. When Margie left, Coop appeared at Bristol’s side. “A car will be picking us up in a few minutes for the airport.”
His parents’ jet would fly them to Texas, where they would stay for a week on a short vacation with Laramie. After Coop had told Laramie about the horses, their son had been bubbling over with excitement to visit the ranch.
Not caring that they had an audience, Coop pulled his wife into his arms and whispered, “I love you.”
She smiled up at him. “And I love you, too.”
And she meant that from the bottom of her heart.
* * * * *
Brenda Jackson
This navy SEAL is on a top-secret mission of seduction...
David Holloway is used to hard assignments. Now he faces his most difficult yet: cozying up to the soft curves of Swan Jamison. He wants to know the island beauty...in every way. But romancing Swan as part of his SEAL team’s mission tests his honor, even as his feelings become increasingly real. Soon he must make a choice: duty...or desire?
A Westmoreland Legacy Novel
To the man who will forever be the love of my life,
Gerald Jackson, Sr.
To all of my readers who asked for Flipper’s story.
This one is for you!
To the Brenda Jackson Book Club/Facebook fans.
Over 4,000 strong and after fourteen years,
you guys still rock!
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
——Song of Solomon 8:7
The Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, San Diego, California
“What kind of trouble have you gotten into?”
David Holloway, known to his Navy SEAL teammates as Flipper, glanced at the four men surrounding him. They were like brothers to him. More than once they’d risked their lives for each other and they would continue to have each other’s backs, on duty or off. That bond was what accounted for the concerned looks on their faces. He wondered how they’d known he’d been summoned to the admiral’s office.
“Let’s hope I’m not in any trouble, Mac,” Flipper said, rubbing a hand down his face.
He had to admit he was wondering what was going on, just like they were. Usually, you were only summoned to a meeting with the admiral when you were getting reprimanded for some reason, and he never got into trouble. At least he rarely did. As the son of a retired SEALs commanding officer and the youngest of five brothers—all Navy SEALs—he knew better.
“Maybe there’s an event on the base and he wants you to escort his daughter now that you’re the single one among us,” Coop said, grinning.
Flipper didn’t grin back. They’d seen Georgianna Martin, the admiral’s twenty-three-year-old daughter. She was beautiful, but they’d heard the horror stories from other teammates who’d been ordered to take her out on dates. According to them, those evenings had been the dates from hell. The young woman was spoiled rotten, selfish as sin and had an attitude that sucked. That’s why Flipper didn’t find Coop’s comment at all amusing. He hoped that wasn’t why the admiral wanted to see him.
It didn’t surprise Flipper that it was Mac who’d asked if Flipper had gotten into trouble. Thurston McRoy—code name Mac—was older than the other four men on the team, who had all started their careers as SEALs around the same time. Mac had been a SEAL five years before the rest of them. Mac seemed to like to think he was the big brother looking out for them, almost like he figured they couldn’t take care of themselves. He was forever giving them advice—even when they didn’t ask for it.
In addition to Mac and Flipper, their SEAL team included Brisbane Westmoreland, code name Bane; Gavin Blake, whose code name was Viper; and Laramie Cooper, whose code name was Coop.
Flipper checked his watch. “Since I have a couple of hours to spare before meeting with the admiral, let’s grab something to eat,” he suggested.
