Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight
Twenty-Eight
Her mom and brother went back in the house, leaving Gina alone with Jeremy. She was still reeling from what he’d said and the future that lay before them. The happy future where they would build a family of their own.
“How would you like to go on a date? A real date?” he asked before she could say anything.
“Now?” she questioned but liked the idea. They’d never been on a date in the usual sense.
“Yep. There’s a restaurant I want to take you to, but we have a stop to make on the way there.” He had a slightly mysterious look.
“What kind of stop?” Her interest was piqued.
“You’ll see,” he said.
“Give me a few minutes to change?” If she was going on a date with the man she loved, she wanted to be in something other than jeans and an old shirt.
“Whatever you want.” He kissed her again before they went inside.
While he went to the kitchen to talk with Blake and her mom, Gina dashed up the stairs. She didn’t have a lot of clothing at her mother’s house, but she’d find something pretty. In less than ten minutes, she had on a summery dress that ended just above her knees. She applied a smidge of makeup and brushed out her hair until it was smooth and shiny. She was, she decided as she assessed herself in the mirror, date worthy.
“I’m ready,” she called when she reached the bottom of the steps. Jeremy came from the kitchen and his eyes roamed up and down her, an appreciative smile on his face.
“You’re beautiful.” He came closer and kissed her, whispering, “I may have to take you home with me tonight.”
“Yes, please.” Gina thought that sounded like a wonderful idea. Maybe they could just skip right to that part.
“Should we wait up?” Blake asked from the kitchen doorway, making her jump. She hadn’t heard her brother’s footsteps.
“No. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Gina said, as she and Jeremy went to the door. Once they were outside, she turned to Jeremy. “Will you tell me where we’re going now? Aside from dinner, that is.”
“It’s not far.” Okay, so he didn’t want to tell her, but he seemed pleased with himself, so she’d wait, even if it was impatiently.
Jeremy drove just two streets away and pulled into the driveway of a two-story house with a deep front porch. The lovely home was painted dark green and had a large center gable, characteristic of the style. A For Salesign stood in the front yard.
“Why are we here?” she asked since this wasn’t making sense to her.
“It’s a good neighborhood,” he said.
“I know that. Mom’s lived in it for fifteen years. Wait,” she said, suddenly getting it. “You want to buy a house? This house?”
He nodded and moved his eyes from the house to her. “When I first got home from Afghanistan, I contacted a real estate agent friend of mine, a former SEAL, because I was thinking that I might want to move out of my apartment and have a house. I assumed it was what people in the civilian world do. I wasn’t at all sure what I wanted in a house, so I asked my buddy to alert me if anything interesting came on the market.”
“In this neighborhood?” Had he specified the location?
“Yeah, he asked me to give him a list of areas where I’d want to live, and this one was top of the list.”
“Why’s that?” she asked, but guessed at the truth.
“I didn’t analyze it at the time, but it probably has something to do with your family.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t consciously thinking of being close to your mom, but the neighborhood always felt right to me. Anyway, I got an alert for this house just after I submitted my resignation this morning. I took it as a sign.”
“It’s lovely,” she said, looking at the wood floor on the porch and the windows with beveled edges.
“I agree, and it’s close to your mom’s house, so our baby’s grandma wouldn’t be far away.”
“You’re serious?” She was a little blown away. He’d already thought this through, knowing that she’d want to be close to her family. Jeremy appeared to be five steps ahead of her, but she was willing to run to catch up.
“I’d like to have a home with you,” he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “It doesn’t have to be this one, but I wanted to take a look. If you’re willing.”
“Of course.” She was already half in love with the house just from the outside. “Is the real estate agent meeting us?”
“He trusted me with the passcode since the owner has already moved out,” Jeremy said.
Together, they went up the steps to the front door. Gina could already picture the type of porch furniture she wanted and how it would be arranged. Jeremy entered the code and pushed the wooden door open, and she fell all the way in love for the second time that day. The house had wide-plank hardwood floors and beautiful woodwork that was detailed without being fussy. Hand in hand, they strolled through the downstairs rooms, which were spacious and light filled.
“Let’s take a look upstairs.” Jeremy gestured toward the staircase. “According to the listing I read, the master bedroom is across the back. Let’s start there.”
As she climbed the stairs, she skimmed her hand over the shiny banister and rail, thinking how beautiful it would look decorated for Christmas. She might be getting ahead of herself, but she couldn’t stop.
“Wow,” Gina breathed when she stepped into the master suite. Large windows overlooked the back yard where she could see mature trees and even a little playhouse. “This could be perfect for us.” She turned to Jeremy to share her excitement.
* * *
Jeremy read what he needed to on her face. She loved the place, which was good because he did, too. He could see them living there for many years to come, raising their children, having cookouts. It was a beautiful house, but it would be a home because they would live in it together.
“You’re full of surprises,” she said as she came to him and put her arms around his neck. “I didn’t expect this today.” She gave him a wistful smile. “I didn’t expect to see you at all today. I thought you were already gone, and I’d convinced myself that I could learn to live with that. I don’t think I really could have.”
“I couldn’t have been happy without you either. I finally understood that, and then kicked myself in the butt for not having seen it sooner.” He ran his hands down her sides, skimming along her breasts. He wanted her so much. She kissed him then, and it was like coming home. All his life, he’d felt as though he didn’t belong to his own family. And then he’d met Blake, who’d become a brother to him. That had filled a hole in his heart, but having Gina made his soul complete. Somewhere inside him, he’d known long ago when they’d first met that she was the woman for him. His life was forever better now that those feelings were out in the open.
He let the kiss deepen until they were both panting. When she pulled his shirt from his waistband, he captured her hands, stilling her. He wanted to lay her down on the floor and make love to her in the worst way, but this wasn’t the place.
“The house is empty,” she said, giving him a seductive smile.
“We can’t have sex here.” He laughed. “It would be bad.”
“No one would see us,” she said, but then sighed. “But you’re right. We’ll wait.” She grabbed his shirt and hauled him to her for a brief, but powerful kiss. “Until later and then we aren’t going to be responsible adults.”
“I thought we had to be now,” he teased. “Aren’t parents supposed to be responsible?”
She took his hand and held it against her still flat stomach. “We have awhile to go before she or he is here, so I’d say there’s plenty of time to be irresponsible within reason.”
“I guess we should have some fun in the coming months then.” They’d be busy as they prepared for the baby, but he wanted time for them to be a couple. That’s what tonight was about.
“Of course, we should.” Her finger trailed across his chest. She was tempting him. What she offered was like a drug he couldn’t turn down, but not here. And there was something to be said for anticipating the night ahead. His mouth went dry as he thought about it. He pulled her against him again, and his hands cupped her butt cheeks.
“I thought we were waiting,” she said as she kissed his jawline. “Dinner, remember?”
“Right,” he said, struggling to cool off. He forced himself to take a step back from her. “We should go if we’re going to make our reservation time.”
“Are we stopping anywhere else after dinner?” she asked as she headed for the stairs.
“Straight home,” he said. He wouldn’t be able to wait any longer than that to have her alone. “You need your rest after all.”
“I’m going to rest?” She tossed him a glance over her shoulder.
“Eventually.” He shot her a grin.
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “Let’s get dinner. I’m starved. The pregnant appetite is tough to satisfy.”
He put his arm around her waist as they walked to his truck together. Tomorrow, he’d give his real estate agent friend a call to start the process of buying the place for them. But tonight, it was them only.