An Officer, a Baby and a Bride. Tracy Madison

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СКАЧАТЬ it turned out, they never had the chance to share that information with anyone but their families. The photograph had been used, though, along with many other snapshots of Jesse. At the funeral home, on a table filled with memories of Jesse’s life.

      Recently, Rebecca had packed away her memorabilia of Jesse. She was having a baby. It was time to focus on the future. Right now, though, she was more concerned with the present.

      “I told Jace I was fine,” she said to Seth. “You did get that message, didn’t you?”

      “I got it. But he tuned in to what you didn’t tell him,” Seth said, his voice etched with ice. “You tried to hide your pregnancy, but he noticed the signs. And yesterday, he told me everything. Granted, I would’ve appreciated being made aware of your condition earlier, but at least someone had the decency to fill me in.”

      “Rebecca? Who is this young man?” Allison broke in, apparently ready for an explanation. “Is he alluding to what I think—”

      “Give me a minute here, Mom. What signs?” Rebecca asked Seth, bringing that day to the forefront of her memory. “We had a cup of coffee, talked and he left.”

      “You had juice, not coffee. You were wearing what looked like a maternity shirt. The kicker was the bottle of prenatal vitamins in your kitchen.” Now, Seth’s eyes were filled with steely anger. “How could you keep this from me? I have the right to know about my child!”

      A choked-sounding sob emerged. She tried to process everything that was happening but failed. What should she do now? Spontaneous decisions were not her strong suit. She needed time to reflect on every possible course of action. But Seth wasn’t going to give her that time.

      “Look, mister,” Jocelyn said, taking the heat for Rebecca. “My sister used a sperm bank to get pregnant. So I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but you’re upsetting her.” Jocelyn pushed herself to the front, shielding Rebecca. “I think you should leave.”

      “A sperm bank? Is that what you told them, Becca?” Seth leaned over, picked her itty-bitty sister up by the waist and gently moved her to the side. “Or is your sister lying for you?”

      “Jocelyn isn’t lying.” Rebecca folded her arms across her chest in defense of Seth’s endless questions. “And yes, that’s what I told them.”

      Every part of him grew still and silent, reminding her of those odd, bleak seconds before a storm blew in. When he spoke, it was with a quiet determination that made her heart pound even more furiously. “Tell them the truth. Before I do it for you.”

      “What’s the truth?” her mother and sister demanded in near-perfect unison.

      “Um… well.” The baby kicked, as if voicing the same question. Rebecca looked at her mother, then her sister and then at Seth. He wasn’t going to give up. He wasn’t going to buy into a story she had zero way of proving. He’d likely bring in attorneys and DNA tests and create all sorts of havoc until he learned the truth.

      If she continued to deny what he already knew, he might even try to take her child away from her. He might even succeed.

      “Tell them,” Seth pushed, his tone insistent and hard. “Tell me.”

      “Okay! I—I lied. To you, to my family, to everyone. Is that what you want to hear? This baby is ours,” Rebecca admitted in a tremor-filled voice. “And yes, you have the right to know.”

      Her mother’s relieved statement of “Thank you, God” barely registered in Rebecca’s numbed brain. Everything in her was focused on Seth. On his response. On what this moment would mean for her and for her child.

      But he didn’t speak. His reaction was a sharp intake of breath while he continued to stare at her in shock and disbelief. In anger, too, she was sure.

      She couldn’t blame him for any of those feelings. “I’m… sorry. But—” Tears sprang from her eyes, dripped down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away. “I had reasons. I… I should explain. So you’ll understand why I made the decision I did.”

      This wasn’t about forgiveness. In truth, it would probably be best if Seth never forgave her. She needed to keep as much distance between them as possible, and if he disliked her, doing so would be a heck of a lot easier.

      She had no need for a man in her life. Especially a man who made everything inside of her melt when she so much as glanced in his direction. She’d felt the same for Jesse. Who’d then served their country and left her with a hole in her heart that had yet to completely heal.

      Seth Foster was far too much of a risk. A military man through and through, he’d already committed himself to his job and, like Jesse, to their country. Getting too close to him spelled danger and possible heartache. For both her and her daughter.

      “I will explain,” she said again. “And then we can figure out the rest.”

      “I’m not interested in explanations.” Seth swallowed hard enough that his Adam’s apple jerked in his throat. “My only concern is fixing this.”

      Shivers of foreboding trailed down Rebecca’s spine. “How do you expect us to do that?”

      His eyes, now so dark they were pools of black, locked on to hers. In one fluid motion, he dropped to his knees and pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket.

      Allison half squealed, half gasped from her place next to Rebecca.

      Jocelyn whispered, “Oh, my God.”

      Rebecca slouched against her mother, needing the support. “Wh-what are you d-doing?” she stammered. “Because it can’t be what I think you’re doing.”

      “It seems that you and I are having a baby.” Seth spoke calmly enough, but Rebecca heard the weight of his determination in each and every word. Her apprehension increased. “The appropriate action to this type of dilemma is a wedding.”

      “A wedding?” Rebecca blinked. “You’re ordering me to marry you? Is this a joke?”

      “I don’t joke about my family.” Seth opened the velvet box. The diamond ring sparkled in the afternoon light. “Go pack your bags, Becca. We’re driving to Vegas.”

      This, Rebecca decided, was—at once—the most surreal and ludicrous moment of her life. “Wow. I am in awe of your romantic proposal. But I think I’ll have to decline.”

      “Perhaps,” Seth said with the faintest edge of disappointment, “I’d feel more romantic if you’d been honest with me from the start. You chose another path, so this will have to do well enough. I’m sure you can understand.”

      “What I understand is that you’ve lost your mind. Get up, Seth.” Goose bumps dotted Rebecca’s arms and she found it difficult to breathe. “Let me be very clear in this. I am not driving to Vegas with you. I am not marrying you. Not now. Not ever.”

      “There isn’t any point in arguing, Becca.” Seth stood and pressed the ring box into her hands. The heat of his touch swept through her, electrifying every cell in her body. “One way or another, we are doing this. Tonight.”

      Seth’s heart stuttered in surprised relief when Rebecca’s hand squeezed СКАЧАТЬ