The SEAL’s Surprise Baby by Leslie North
BLURB
Navy SEAL Kenton Fitzpatrick has his life planned out. Retire from the military in a few years, find a lovely woman, get married, have kids. But all that gets thrown off when he comes home from a mission ahead of schedule and finds a beautiful woman with toddler twins and a slobbery dog living in his house. Mia Kingston, who gained custody of her nieces when her sister died, lost her apartment in a fire, so Kenton’s mom thought it would be fine for her to stay in his house while he was deployed. Though having a family living with him isn’t ideal, Kenton agrees to let them stay. With his life plan set in stone, he has no worries that a free spirit like Mia will throw him off track. But when an enemy from Kenton’s past surfaces looking for revenge—and puts Mia and the twins in his sights—Kenton may have to accept a change in plans.
Mia always intended to return to her apartment once repairs were completed. And she never intended to fall for a sexy SEAL. Then again, even with the chaos of the twins, the threats on their lives, and Kenton’s frustrating need to plan everything, Mia’s never been happier. Having lost her parents at a young age, it’s nice to have a family—even if it’s not quite real. While Kenton’s focused like a laser on keeping them all safe, Mia’s struggling to keep her heart safe from falling too hard, too fast.
Will it take nearly losing Mia for Kenton to realize he can’t live without her?
Grab your copy of The SEAL’s Instant Family
Available 14 January 2021
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
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EXCERPT
Chapter One:
Kenton Fitzpatrick closed his laptop and eyed the men who sat across from him. Patrick and Anderson were integral members of the SEAL team he captained—and his two closest friends.
“I’m not satisfied with what happened,” he said with a shake of his head. The higher-ups weren’t pleased with his team’s performance, either, so he’d taken some heat. Not something he was accustomed to. “I want a do-over.”
The mission to North Africa to take down a child-trafficking ring had been at best partially successful. Kenton’s team had managed to disrupt, but not destroy, the network that brought in children from all over the world and sent them back out to fates he didn’t want to contemplate.
“Not likely for us,” Patrick said, leaning back in his chair. “But another team will get assigned to finish what we didn’t.”
“Maybe they’ll have better luck,” Anderson said.
“Luck has nothing to do with this kind of work,” Kenton said flatly. He snatched a pen off the table and clicked it while he thought. It was true that occasionally his SEAL team caught a break, but success came from meticulous planning and flawless execution. He excelled at the former and was well known for it. And he couldn’t fault his men’s actions. They’d done what he’d planned, but the trafficking ring’s leader had slipped through their grasp. Kenton didn’t think it would be long before Marcus Ocampa built another network to prey on innocent children. And that pissed him off.
“I’m still trying to sort out exactly where it went wrong,” Anderson said. His language skills and analytical brain had been invaluable during the mission, but nothing had been enough to get the team to their end goal.
“Me, too.” Kenton needed to think about it more, mull it over. Maybe then it would come to him. He wanted to know what his mistakes had been, so he could avoid them in the future. “I appreciate you guys sticking around to help me finish up.” Anderson and Patrick had stayed on base an additional two days, answering questions alongside him and helping him complete the reports when they could have gone home to their families.
“No worries. I can’t imagine having one of my kids taken from me and exploited like that,” Patrick said with a shudder. He was the father of an eight-year-old girl and a baby boy. “It makes me want to hold my kids close and never let them out of my sight.”
Anderson nodded his agreement. He’d married just prior to deploying on this mission, and he and his wife already had a little boy.
“I’ll bet your families are anxious to see you. Have you talked to them since we got stateside?” Kenton asked, feeling guilty that they’d lost out on time with their wives and kids.
“Early this morning. They’re fine.” Patrick grinned. “It’ll be complete chaos when I get home.”
“You love it,” Kenton said.
“I do,” Patrick was quick to say. “You’ll have to try it sometime.”
“I’ll get there eventually.” Kenton said. He had definite ideas about his future, and kids were part of it, he’d realized in recent months. He already had a house he loved. It was a recent purchase, but he felt sure it was the place where he’d bring his bride. First, he had to meet the right woman, and then, when the time was right, they’d have a couple of kids.
“Eventually is never how it happens,” Anderson said with a laugh. “Some woman’s going to burst into your plans and change everything.”
“You got that right,” Patrick agreed. “Just prepare yourself to catch her when she falls into your life, because you won’t get any warning.”
That seemed to be the way of it with his friends and SEAL teammates. Most had paired off in recent years and were busy raising families. Still, Kenton didn’t think a woman was going to land on his doorstep like his buddies seemed to think.
“I’ve got to be home long enough for that to happen.” If he wasn’t deployed, Kenton advised other teams about to head out. It was a life that kept him out of the country or on base the majority of the time, which was why he was looking forward to heading home. He had an extended leave coming, and he planned to take it. He wanted to take care of some projects around the house, but his true goal was to lay the foundation for his future. And that meant finding a woman to share it with.
Kenton’s phone screen lit up again with another message from his mother. Margaret Fitzpatrick was the most persistent woman he’d ever known. He’d texted her earlier in the day that he’d be headed home soon, and she’d sent him five messages since asking him to call.
“You should call or text your mom back,” Anderson said, reading the screen from across the table. “You know how she is.”
The three of them shared a grin. Margaret had been a mom to all of them since Patrick’s had walked out when he was a kid, and Anderson’s was never much interested in parenting. Margaret had been the one who made sure they all had Halloween costumes when they were little and got home from football practices in high school. She was a mother hen who didn’t put up with any nonsense.
“Later,” Kenton said. “She probably just wants to invite me to dinner. I’m not feeling it.”
“You’ve got to let the mission go,” Anderson said, standing up. “We’ve analyzed it. Viewed it from every angle. What happened wasn’t your fault, man.”
“I’m not convinced of that yet,” Kenton said. The sense of responsibility stayed with him as they drove off base and headed for Hartsville. Kenton dropped off Patrick first, at his house just outside town, and watched as his friend was engulfed in hugs from his wife and kids. Next, he took Anderson to a home in a newer development. The porch light was on, and Violet immediately stepped outside with their son Nate on her hip and a huge smile on her face.
Kenton beeped his horn as he drove off, happy that his friends had each found a mate who suited them, even if both of them had fallen into relationships in unusual ways. A few minutes later, he turned onto the tree-lined street where he lived. He’d bought the home, sight unseen, eighteen months ago, when he was on the other side of the globe. He’d viewed pictures on the internet and had his family’s assurance that he’d love it. And he did. More than he could put into words.
The dark blue Victorian was stately and graceful, the kind of place that exuded comfort and security. It was exactly what he wanted. Patrick and Anderson had teased him about the ornate trim, stained-glass transom window, and rounded turret. He’d taken the ribbing while thinking that his future wife, whoever she was, would appreciate those details.
As he pulled into his driveway, he was just glad to be there and have time and space to himself. He’d call his mom in the morning, but he wanted to sleep in his own bed first. Unpack and unwind before having to socialize. That was always best when he came off a mission. He needed time to adjust to the civilian world.
He grabbed his duffel bag, pausing when he heard a dog bark. He listened more closely. The twilight air was still and quiet, with only the hum of the cicadas and the slight puff of an early autumn breeze in the trees. He waited, and the bark came again. He could have sworn the sound was coming from inside his house, but his ears must be playing tricks on him. He loved dogs, had even gotten interested in training them in the military, but he hadn’t owned one since he was a kid.
With a shrug, Kenton let himself into the mudroom and dropped the duffel on the floor. A scrabbling of paws on the tile floor was his only warning before a large dog slammed into him, knocking him off balance and pinning him to the wall. The dog’s head was against Kenton’s chest. It didn’t move to bite him, but Kenton felt the heat of its breath and heard a low growl from its throat.
What the hell! What was a dog doing in his house?
Before Kenton could attempt to shove the dog away, a baseball bat was thrust into his side. Shit. Had he entered the wrong house somehow? His fist clamped around the key he still held. No, he’d let himself in. Before he could say anything, the pressure left his side as his attacker changed strategies and swung at his head. He parried instinctively and caught the bat before it connected, but he couldn’t prevent the glancing hit to his shoulder.
He gripped the bat and wrenched it away from his assailant. At the same time, he pushed off the wall, shoving the dog back even as his senses processed who he was up against. He squinted, trying to make out a shape in the shadows. The figure was tall, but curvy. Not what he’d have expected. And he caught the faint whiff of perfume in the air.
A woman? The realization made him hesitate. He’d have had a man on the floor in no time, but…
“What are you doing here?” The voice was feminine but pitched low and threatening. Kenton would be impressed with her bravery if he weren’t so damn annoyed to find someone in his house.
“This is my house,” he ground out. The dog retreated from him and went to her. “What the hell are you doing here?”
No answer came, but a blast of light from overhead illuminated the space. She’d flipped on the old fluorescent bulb that hung above them.
“Holy hell,” he said under his breath when he caught sight of her. She was beautiful, beyond beautiful. Her dark blonde hair was streaked with golden highlights, and her eyes were green like summertime leaves. A smattering of freckles covered her nose and cheekbones. And her mouth was lush, deep pink, and made for kissing. He hadn’t been wrong about the curves, either. Her breasts were full and round under her tight-fitting shirt, but her waist was narrow and her legs long. And they were fully on display in the yoga pants she wore.
She wasn’t eye level with him—few women were—but she was taller than average. The fleeting thought that she’d fit just right against his large frame came and went in his brain in the split second they evaluated each other.
Her chin came up, a look of challenge on her face, and she continued to hold the bat clutched in front of her, long lashes blinking over her eyes. He needed to speak, but he was still taking in the sight of her.
Her lips parted, but before she could speak, the sharp cry of a child came from overhead. A kid? There was an unknown woman, a dog, and a kid in his house? What alternate universe had he walked into?
“Oh, damn,” she muttered.
Grab your copy of The SEAL’s Instant Family
Available 14 January 2021
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
