Secret Dream: Delos Series, 1B1 (15 page)

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Authors: Lindsay McKenna

Tags: #Romance, #military

BOOK: Secret Dream: Delos Series, 1B1

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Right now, to him, Lia looked like a beautiful Madonna wrapped in the vulnerability and innocence that would always be a part of who she was. Every day, she was getting stronger, standing on her own two feet again, regaining that old confidence she’d had before the trauma five years ago. Cav knew he’d played a part in it, supporting her, feeding her with his love. Lia would only get strong if she was allowed to stand on her own. Being a SEAL, he knew the inner workings of a positive relationship. They were a team, as he saw it. And he applied what he’d been taught in BUD/s about teamwork, the kind that made a group stronger, to her, and to them.

In BUD/s, he had seen negative teamwork, saw how it tore a team apart and weakened it. And he’d seen the positive side of it as well. There were times that Lia did need support, either verbally or with his physically holding her, or gently getting her to see that she needed to do something on her own without his being right there. So far, Cav was grateful for his experience because he was helping Lia rebuild and recapture her old self from before the trauma. She was blooming before his very eyes, getting stronger incrementally every day in small but important ways. He would never enable her. His only challenge was being too protective of her, which was easy to do. SEALs protected their loved ones, no question. Chief Jacoby had shown him that fine line, however. He could have smothered his wife and two children by being overprotective. He called it being a “helicopter parent”—hovering over your children, never allowing them to solve their own problems, leaving them weak and unprepared to go into the world at large and survive and thrive in it.

Cav knew those fine lines to walk with Lia. Now, with her carrying their baby, he was feeling super-protective of her and knew he had to monitor himself more closely. He had told her they were a work in progress, and nothing was more realistic than that statement. He smiled to himself, inching along in the traffic. In another two miles, they’d be back at their condo building and out of this human rat race. Glancing over at Lia, he saw that she’d dozed off. He was keeping her up too late at night making love with her. He was going to have to rethink it because now she was eating and sleeping for two. She needed a full eight hours of sleep, not to be kept up for a few hours every night instead. Smiling faintly, he knew Lia was going to have to adjust, too. Her sexual appetite was just as healthy as his; they complemented one another in that way. But now they were going to have to make changes so that she could get the rest she really needed. He’d just get creative. He smiled. Maybe, after being pregnant, Lia would lose her need for sex. Cav didn’t know. That was something else to talk about and explore. And he could discuss it with Rayne, because she was a doctor and dealt with pregnant mothers and was aware of the kinds of changes that occurred in a woman’s body.

No question, he was on a steep learning curve and wanted to get ahead of it for Lia’s sake. He’d have a chat with Rayne, who was easy to talk with. Reaching out, Cav lightly brushed Lia’s cheek. She was truly asleep, and he smiled tenderly, loving her fiercely. Tonight, he’d make sure she got all the sleep she needed. Love, as he had discovered with her, was about more than just sex. It was so much more. A comforting warmth spread throughout his chest, enveloping his heart. Lia was carrying his child. He was going to be a father. His life was changing remarkably, but for once, it was on a happy track, unlike his life before he’d met and fallen in love with her.

Cav didn’t know what would happen as they continued to live and grow together, but from his perspective, they were on an incredibly joyous journey at this time in their lives. Every day, he was going to be grateful. And he was going to love this woman who held his heart so lovingly in her hands.

The End

Don’t miss Lindsay McKenna’s next DELOS series novel,

Hold On

Available from Lindsay McKenna and Blue Turtle Publishing and wherever you buy eBooks!

Turn the page for a sneak peek of
Hold On!

Excerpt from

Hold On

B
y the third
day at the Kabul, Afghanistan orphanage, Army Sergeant Beau Gardner had been pleased to observe that Callie was less grumpy toward him. Between his rounds with Matt inside and outside the orphanage, he’d volunteered to help change diapers at the diaper station. He’d told Maggie, the owner of the charity, that he was good with babies and that if she wanted, he’d feed, bathe and diaper them if she wanted.

Well! She jumped at his offer and he found himself in what they called “the baby room” when he wasn’t on his security walks. And by now, he was used to the rhythm of the busy, overcrowded orphanage.

Beau was dealing with a three-month-old baby girl as her nine-year-old sister, Aliya, stood nearby looking on. She watched as he placed her tiny sister on the soft white blanket spread across the table where diapers were changed. He was busy talking to Aliya in Pashto, drawing her out, making her feel comfortable in his presence as he unpinned the soft cotton diaper from the gurgling baby girl. He smiled down at the little one, her green eyes wide with wonder as he gently removed the dirty diaper, dropping it in a nearby bucket of water and bleach. He’d also volunteered to clean dirty diapers and put them in the aging washing machine at the back of the orphanage, afterward.

Callie McKinley peeked in through the open door, her attention caught by the low, soft conversation between Beau and nine-year-old Aliyah. It seemed impossible that a man of his height and size could move so delicately as he slipped a fresh diaper beneath the baby’s bottom. She had to admit it, just watching him made her heart turn over with emotions she hadn’t felt for a long time.

Beau was truly a sight, she had to admit, with his tall, broad shoulders, his Kevlar vest over his long-sleeved blue tee. His jeans fit his body to perfection and Callie could no longer ignore it. But it was Beau’s low, crooning voice in that southern drawl of his that mesmerized both her and the baby. He was a Delta Force operator, a badass, yet he expertly pinned each side of the infant’s diaper into place with safety pins. He made sure her little crocheted booties were snug on each of her waving feet, brushed her black hair aside from her round face with his spare, calloused fingers.

“Are you done?” she now asked, coming into the room. Callie leaned over, giving Aliya a warm hug.

“Just about,” Beau murmured. He rearranged the baby’s wool pullover. “Cute little thing, isn’t she?” and slid one hand beneath the baby’s tiny neck and the other beneath her buttocks, lifting her up and handing her over to Callie.

“She’s adorable,” Callie admitted, gently taking the baby. “I’m ready to bottle feed her, now.”

Nodding, Beau said, “She’s all yours. I’ve got diapers to rinse out,” and he grinned, leaning down and picking up the tall plastic bucket filled to the brim with wet, dirty diapers.

Callie laid the baby against her shoulder, patting her back gently. “You’ve done this a time or two, haven’t you?”

“Told you before,” Beau said, smiling broadly, “I have two younger brothers, and my Ma put me to work as soon as I could handle a diaper, clean it, and replace it on my baby brothers. It wasn’t lost on her that I was good at it,” and he chuckled, moving past her and heading down the hall toward the laundry room.

Callie frowned, sliding her hand comfortingly along the baby’s back. Ever since she’d snapped at him a few days ago, he’d acted as if she no longer existed. No more hungry, longing looks in her direction from him. No more flirting with her. Yet, Beau had made himself quite indispensable around here, just like Matt Culver, another Delta Force sergeant, had. They were good men and brave soldiers, and they cared about this place and the kids. It wasn’t a game to them, although Callie didn’t fool herself. Matt was here because he was attracted to Dara. Her sister was definitely falling for the Delta Force sergeant, too—she could see it. And Beau had showed up to court her.

And now, Callie couldn’t still her curiosity about Beau Gardner. Any guy who could happily change a diaper got her attention!

He had just finished placing the diapers in the washer when Beau felt someone enter the laundry room behind him. He turned, seeing Callie standing there, frowning at him, confusion in her expression.

“What?” he teased. “Got another diaper job for me?” he asked as he straightened, turning on the machine.

“Are you doing anything tonight after we get back to Bagram?” she surprised him by asking.

At a momentary loss, Beau said, “No. Why?” He watched her move nervously from one foot to another. He stood there, hands at his sides, holding her clear, green gaze.

“Would you like to join me for some beer and pizza tonight?”

Well, hell, you could have knocked him over with a feather! Beau remained serious, trying not to let the surprise show in his face. He thought for sure after Callie had chewed him out days earlier, she wanted NOTHING to do with him. EVER. “Sure, I’d like that. Do you have a favorite place?”

The Books of Delos