Laura Altom - A SEAL's Secret Baby

Finally, without a sound other than leather flip-flops hitting his heels, Deacon went out onto the deck, tequila in hand. He didn’t bother to shut the door. Temperaturewise, it was pleasant outside, but the breeze came from just the right direction to ease under the seascape hanging behind the sofa, making it clap against the wall.

After pouring Deacon a mug of his favorite Kona blend, she joined him outside. Baby monitor in hand, she shut the door behind her.

Deacon stood at the rail, staring into the night.

“Thanks,” he said when she handed him the mug.

“You’re welcome. Want to sit down?”

Though he shrugged, as if on autopilot, he crossed the short distance to the table with its comfy, red-cushioned chairs. He hadn’t removed his sunglasses. Meaning she still had no clue as to what he was thinking.

“Nice night, huh?” Ellie’s stab at conversation seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Deacon had zeroed in on his bottle. He drank his coffee down to half-full, then eyed the tequila. “She’s really something,” he said, more to himself than to Ellie. “Pia, I mean. Before…well, I never really noticed.”

“You were over here all the time, Deacon. It wasn’t like Tom and I put her in the cupboard when you barged in for a free meal.”

He half laughed. “It was different then. Pia belonged to Tom.”

And now she’s yours.

The elephant in the room between them. Only they weren’t in a room, and she wasn’t in any position to give parental advice.

Deacon cleared his throat. “I saw some crazy shit the past few days.”

“Language,” she scolded.

“Right.” He downed more coffee. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Even though Pia isn’t out here now, it’s good to get in the habit of not cursing. I was constantly reminding Tom we had a little sponge just waiting to one day arrive in kindergarten not knowing her ABCs, but fluent in every SEAL curse.”

“Kindergarten. Wow.” Deacon shook his head. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

Fat, endless minutes of silence passed, with nothing between them but the rush of wind in the trees.

Finally, Deacon said, “We both know why I’m here, so let’s stop pussyfooting around.”

Ellie wasn’t sure what he meant. Did she even want to know? she wondered, her mouth dry.

“Without letting you in on any state secrets, I just witnessed some shi—stuff—that blew my mind. In my years of service, I’ve seen a lot, but this…” He shook his head. “Before he died, Tom, uh—” Deacon glanced away. “He, um, asked me to look after you and Pia.” Turning back to Ellie, he slipped off his sunglasses and set them on the table. Even in the shadowy light leaking from the house, his eyes looked horrible. Bloodshot. His right cheek sported a bruise. It took everything in her not to gasp.

What happened to you? “Wh-what else did Tom say?” And why was this the first time Deacon had brought it up?

“That’s pretty much it, aside from asking me to tell you and his folks how much he loved them. I—I guess with this anniversary, I’ve been so caught up in how I’m feeling, I forgot I’m not the only one missing him. Tom was a good guy. The best.”

“I know.” Ellie didn’t even try holding back her silent tears.

“He deserved to be Pia’s dad.”

Ellie nodded, relief streaming through her.

Obviously, whatever Deacon had gone through had showed him how important it was for Pia to have continuity in her life. Yes, Ellie was all for Deacon playing an important role in her daughter’s upbringing—like that of a favorite uncle. No one would have to know he was actually the girl’s biological father.

“That said—” Deacon clasped his hands on the table, locking their gazes “—with Tom out of the picture, Garrett helped me see that she’s going to need her real father more than ever.”

Straightening in her chair, Ellie shook her head. “You told Garrett what was supposed to have been our secret?”

“Tristan, too. But he’s cool. They’re both like family.”

Pressing her hands to her superheated face, Ellie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “Those two blunderheads you call Woof and Grinder are hardly my family. Sure, you all might’ve worked together, but that doesn’t mean beans.”

“You need to hush before I get angry. Lucky for you, your husband was a SEAL. We take care of our own. You don’t have a clue what it takes to become a SEAL, which means you don’t know jack about how hard we’ll fight for what we love. I loved Tom more than I cared for my own brother. Because of that, you and Pia are under my protection. Admittedly, I’m off to a rocky start, but during the heat of what I just went through—unwrapping C-4 from a baby’s belly—I vowed to never let anything near that kind of horror befall my baby girl.”

Mouth dry, Ellie stammered, “Wh-what does that mean?”

“It means I need to try being a father. We both know I’m going to make mistakes, but at least I’ll be there for her, right?”

“I don’t understand.”

“We live in a scary freaking world. What kind of man would I be, letting my own kid grow up without protection?”

“Um, right…” Deacon didn’t know the first thing about being a father. His speech was all “rah, rah, I’m a SEAL, hear me roar” B.S. “But you plan on doing all of this without the rest of the world knowing, right? You’ll essentially be a private parenting partner?”

Palms flat against the table, he laughed. “Seriously? Are we back to your worries over Tom’s parents finding out you’re an adult woman who dared have an adult dalliance before you even met their son?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Ellie said in a whispered hiss. “My husband’s barely been a year in his grave. His family and Pia are the only things keeping me sane. How dare you step foot in my home and make demands?”

“That’s you putting your own spin on my words. I’ve been trained to handle situations, and we certainly have a doozy here. Bottom line, I’m Pia’s father, and as such, I’m more than ready to step up to the parenting plate. If you need more time to adjust to my taking on this role in a formal capacity—” he shrugged “—I guess I can live with that. But not for long.”

When relief over the fact that Deacon wasn’t dead set on rushing to John and Helen first thing in the morning flowed through her, Ellie sharply exhaled. She also released the iron grip she’d held on her emotions. All at once, fear and grief and anger for even getting herself in this position poured from her in ugly tears.

“Hey, whoa…” In true Deacon style, he stood up and backed away.

“Please, just go,” Ellie said, swiping at her cheeks.

Instead of doing as she asked, he shocked her by pausing, then taking a few awkward steps forward and drawing her into a loose, equally awkward hug. She wanted to push him away, convinced she didn’t need his pity. But it turned out she did. With grief rising in her belly, threatening to cut off all air, she clung to him, fisting his shirt, resting her head against his warm, solid chest.

He tightened his hold, burying his face in her hair. “It’s okay. Let it out.”

“I—I can’t. I—I have to stay strong for Pia. And Tom’s parents.”

“I’m here. Lean on me.”

She did, crying until the only tears remaining were the ones deep inside she feared would haunt her for years to come.

When she finally felt strong enough to stand on her own, she drew back, intending to thank Deacon for being there. Only his eyes were misty, too.

“Of all the people in the world,” she said hoarsely, “you and I were the only ones who really, truly knew him. His parents loved him, but they didn’t know him. Not like we did.”