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Edwin’s eyes closed as he passed out, but Cole stayed with him. Nearby, David was on the phone with the civilian and military police, but the work was done. Dobson was in custody and there was proof of his wrongdoings, plus a confession. Cole drew a relieved breath. It was over.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Kelsey paced around Maureen’s living room with Eddy in her arms as she watched the evening news. Raymond had been in contact with David an hour earlier. The conversation had been brief, but enough to let them know that her father was safe and Dobson captured. They’d switched on the television, seeking more information.
The news dedicated several minutes to coverage of Dobson’s arrest, including footage of Dobson being led away by military police. A Navy spokesperson had given a brief statement regarding the situation, confirming that those responsible for the SEAL ambush would be punished to the fullest extent allowed under military law. The civilian police made similar statements regarding the non-military crimes, but it was the images that held Kelsey’s attention as she searched for a glimpse of her father or Cole. She’d finally seen Cole in the background of a shot, talking to several uniformed men.
“Let me take Eddy,” Maureen offered. “Don’t you want to sit and watch?”
“I can’t sit still,” Kelsey said. She was full to the brim with nervous energy. “How much longer do you think they’ll be?” She directed her question to Raymond, who just shrugged. “I hate waiting, but they’re all okay, right? That’s what you said.” Before he had a chance to answer, there was a knock on the door.
“Let me get that.” Raymond body blocked Kelsey en route to the door, still not confident that his guard duties were over. He looked through the peephole before unlocking it and swinging it open. “Good to see you, man, but I feel cheated.” Raymond shook hands with Cole as he came in. “You and David had all the fun.”
“Everything okay here?” The sound of Cole’s voice made Kelsey’s knees turn to rubber. He was safe. She’d known he was, but having him there made it real.
“All’s well.” Raymond stepped aside so Cole could see into the room.
Kelsey scanned him for visible injuries. His clothing was rumpled, but other than that he looked just as he had when he parted from her hours earlier. His expression remained as serious as when she’d told him to make it right. He’d done that. For her.
She’d had time to think as she’d paced and waited, and she had things to say to him. She’d finally realized how much she wanted to be with Cole and how lucky she was that they’d get to have a second chance. She wanted to always be strong and independent—but that didn’t mean she had to be alone. She wasn’t going to let fear hold her back from commitment anymore…if Cole was willing to try. She’d said awful things to him. Things that he had no reason to forgive.
He met her gaze, but he didn’t offer a smile. His expression was determined and uncertain at the same time, which matched how she felt.
“We’ll leave you alone so you can talk,” Raymond said and gestured for Maureen to follow him from the room. Kelsey was grateful to Raymond for his perception since she didn’t want an audience.
“Good idea.” Maureen touched Kelsey’s shoulder as she passed her. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Kelsey could only nod, since she felt too tongue-tied to speak. She’d thought about what she needed to say to Cole, but now that they were facing each other, her mind and her heart only wanted one thing—to throw herself into his arms, cling to him, and never let go. But would she be welcome in his arms—in his life? He’d always been so wary of commitment before.
He could be here to tell her goodbye since the task was done. Her father was safe and the criminals caught. Cole had no reason to stay with her—except, she realized as she glanced down at Eddy, for their son. His head was turned toward his daddy, and he was smiling. Their child somehow knew how to bridge the distance between them.
“Do you want to hold him?” she asked, and Cole came toward her immediately, reaching for the baby.
“Hey, there,” he greeted the boy softly as he cuddled him close, hiding a wince. His injured ribs must have taken a beating in the fight, but clearly nothing was going to prevent him from holding his son. “How’s Daddy’s little man?”
Eddy squirmed and kicked his legs, clearly excited to see Cole. Kelsey had to fight the tears that came to her eyes as her heart fluttered. Eddy reached up to pat his daddy on the nose, and she thought she might melt right there. She loved them both so much. But how to start the conversation that revealed that?
“Where’s Dad?” The question was a safe place to start. “Is he all right?”
“He’s at the base hospital getting checked out. Dobson smacked him around a little, but didn’t have a chance to do any serious damage. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He sends his love to you and Eddy, and I’m supposed to bring you to him tonight.”
“Should we go, then?” It was a cowardly question. Focusing on her dad would take the pressure off a discussion of her relationship with Cole.
“In a few minutes. I want to talk with you first.” Cole shifted Eddy to one side.
She thought Cole might reach for her, but he didn’t. If he had, she would have gone willingly into his arms. As it was, she didn’t know where the next few minutes would take them. “Okay.”
“I want to apologize for coming off as unreliable. I’ve made mistakes. So many.” He hesitated and she saw him take in a breath as though to steady himself. “As a SEAL, my priorities have always been clear to me.”
She suddenly understood where this was going. He was making it plain to her that he couldn’t be with her. It didn’t really surprise her that he was putting his military career first, but it did hurt so much. She pinched her lips together, not knowing what to say.
“But that was just because I was afraid,” he admitted. “It was easy for me to commit to service—it was a lot harder for me to commit to a person because I was so scared of getting it wrong. God, I’m sorry, Kels. I’ve done some horrible things to you. Walking away when you were pregnant…” He looked down at Eddy’s face. “I understand why you can’t forgive me for that. I’m ashamed of myself. I can’t tell you how much I regret it, but I hope you never have another reason to doubt me. I’m going to make sure—”
“Stop,” she said. She couldn’t listen another minute without interrupting. “I was angry and upset earlier when I said those things to you. I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry for that. You’ve shown my father nothing but loyalty throughout this mess, and you’ve protected me and Eddy, and I know I can trust you. Iknowthat, Cole.” His eyes met hers, and she saw the dawning of hope in his. “You’ve been kind and brave and…loving.” He reached for her hand, halting further speech from her.
“I’m glad you think that, because I love you, Kels.” His hand tightened around hers. “And I love our son. That day at the grocery store when you were attacked, all I knew was that I had to keep fighting to protect you. When I couldn’t, I’ve never felt so helpless and frightened. As soon as I woke up in the hospital, all I could think of was the two of you, and I knew then that it was love. That I was committed, whether I wanted to be or not. And now Iwantto be. I don’t want to run away from love anymore.” She moved closer to him, placing her free hand on Eddy, so the three of them were connected through touch. “I’ll do anything for you. Anything. And if that means you want me to let you go, I will. But what I want is to be with you and Eddy any way you’ll let me be. I’ll quit the SEALs and get a job stateside if—”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’t want you to quit the SEALs for me. If you want to for your own reasons, then do it, but I’ll never ask that of you.” She was adamant on that point. He wasn’t going to make some kind of noble sacrifice. She loved him too much to ask that of him.
