Authors: Aliyah Burke
Scott nodded and smiled. “Evening, Godric.” He shook his
youngest brother’s hand and leaned down to kiss his sister. “Corliss. I
want both of you to meet Alexis. Alexis, the rest of my family. Godric
and Corliss.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Alexis said, smiling gently.
“A pleasure,” Godric said, shaking her hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Corliss responded with a smile of her own.
“Scott tells me you are in medical school,” Alexis said to Corliss,
feeling a bit more comfortable talking about that, familiar ground for
both of them.
By the end of the evening Alexis felt fine with the two younger
siblings. They had warmed up considerably during dinner. Both were
attending the wedding and were exuberant about their upcoming niece
or nephew. Even so, as Scott drove them away from the restaurant, she
was exhausted.
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Emotions were still running high and they still had to deal with
her side of the family. Allowing the cool night air to pour over her face,
Alexis closed her eyes and just enjoyed the touch of Scott’s hand on her
thigh.
“Feeling okay over there?” he asked over the wind.
She squeezed his hand. “Fine. Just thinking.”
“They loved you. And I know that Corliss is thrilled to have a
doctor in the family so she can have someone to talk to about the trials
of med school.” Slanting a sideways glance at her, his brows converged
slightly, as he noticed the strain on her face. “What’s wrong, Alexis?”
Head lolling on the headrest, she opened her eyes to look at the
man driving the Corvette. “This is happening so fast. I am just getting
overwhelmed.”
“Second thoughts?” He pulled into the driveway of his cabin
and turned off the car.
“Yes,” she answered honestly.
“Let’s take a walk.” Helping her out of the car, he led her down
to the beach and they strolled along the sand as the moon shone down
upon them. “Second thoughts about marrying me? Having my baby?
What?”
“Second thoughts about getting married so fast.” Alexis slid her
arm around his waist as his arm settled around her shoulder. “Not
about marrying you and never about the baby. Just that I don’t want it
to be a rushed thing and that is what it’s feeling like. It is less than a
month away. I haven’t even told my parents.”
Stopping her, he touched her forehead with his own. “Every-
thing is set on my end. What can I do to help you?”
“I don’t know,” she complained as her hands bunched the jacket
of his suit.
“How about I take care of the food and music? I will even go
talk to the chaplain and get that set.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“No, I’d do it for us.” He kissed her. “And I am going to start
looking for a house.”
She drew back. “Why?”
“Well, we aren’t living in two different places. I’m not that easy-
going.”
“What’s wrong with your cabin?”
“You’d live here?”
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“Are you serious? I love your cabin. And have since the first
time I saw it.” Stepping closer, Alexis placed her head on his chest,
sighing contentedly as his heartbeat soothed her nerves.
“We will live there, then. I will work on getting your things
moved in.” Strong arms wrapped around her, cocooning her in his
Herculean strength.
“Okay,” she whispered as nature flowed over her. The sounds of
the ocean, his steady heartbeat, and the wind soothed her.
“I love you, Lex,” he whispered.
“Love you, too, Commander.”
“You what?! What?!” The shriek was amazingly loud consider-
ing how far it had to travel. It sounded like Alexis’s mother was in the
room with her instead of up the coast in Maine.
“I’m getting married, Mother. The end of September. That last
Saturday, and you and Dad are invited. The invitations are on the way
but I wanted to call you before hand.”
“Who is he?” Her father’s calm voice reached her. Her parents
were on speakerphone.
“He is a lieutenant commander in the Navy. And a SEAL.” She
held the phone away from her ear as her mother began to scream again.
When she finished, Alexis brought it back and continued. “Before you
ask, no, he isn’t a brother. He’s white.”
“Does he make you happy, Lex?” her father asked.
“More than I ever believed possible, Daddy.” Alexis smiled as
the man she was talking about walked by with his brother as they made
plans for the wedding. Godric had offered his country club for the
location and planned on supplying the food.
“In that case, congratulations,” her father said.
“Are you pregnant?” Her mother sounded accusatory.
“Yes, ma’am, I am,” Alexis confirmed softly.
“I see,” her mother said. “Well, you know him, I don’t.”
“I love him, Mother. And he loves me and this baby. Please be
here with me on this day,” Alexis implored.
“Baby, I may not always agree with your choices or how you go
about doing things, but I am always going to support you. We will be
there. Is there anything I can do on this end?” Her mother’s tone had
softened considerably.
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“See if you can get in touch with Gamaliel. I would love him to
be there.”
“Did you want him to preside?” Mrs. Rogets questioned.
“No, ma’am. It’s a military wedding. The chaplain will do it.”
Alexis smiled when Scott winked at her.
“Very well, then. We will get in touch with him and be there a
few days before the wedding. Love you, little girl,” her father said.
“Bye, Daddy. Love you too. Bye, Mother.” Alexis disconnected
the call and groaned as she put the phone back in the charger.
“Everything go okay?” Scott asked, poking his head in the room.
“Peachy. I am just taking a break before I call the other brothers.
Mom said she was going to try and get a hold of Gamaliel.”
“Godric and I are going to go run some errands. Will you be
okay?” he asked as he walked over to her and kissed her.
She stroked his face. “Yes.
We’ll
be fine. After I make these calls I
have to get to work. I have the late shift today.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later. Love me?”
“Love you.”
“Good.” He kissed her again and was gone.
Alexis showered and got ready for work before she called the
three brothers she could get in contact with: Piers first, since he already
knew she was pregnant, then she called Maurice, and finally had to
leave a message with Kieran’s secretary since he was working out of the
office.
As Alexis climbed into her Expedition, she smiled and took a
deep breath. Life was good. She was getting married, having a baby,
and it didn’t hurt that those things were happening with the same guy.
In two and a half weeks and she would be Mrs. Leighton. Wow.
A huge smile was on her face as she got to work, but it faded
when she got a call. Sharon was with her as she tried to control her
breathing at the news Scott and his team had just been deployed to
“resolve” a situation.
I’m still getting married, right? He would make it back, wouldn’t he?
Swallowing back the bile, Alexis worked and tried not to think about it.
C h a p t e r T w e n t y - S i x
Alexis was scared, exhilarated, and nauseous.
The big day had finally arrived, and the men had returned home
safely from their mission in time for the rehearsal. Never before had the
sight of eight men ever looked so good to her. As Scott when had closed
his arms around her, she’d felt like her world was once again safe and
orderly. To the cheers of one and all, she and her SEAL had kissed until
both of them were weak-kneed.
Her family and friends had had to drag them apart. Neither had
wanted to be separated that night, but tradition was tradition. So now
here she stood in the large cathedral, hidden from the view of her
husband-to-be.
“You are beautiful, Lex,” her father said as he appeared behind
her.
“Thank you, Daddy.” Alexis smiled as her eyes looked at him in
the reflection of the vanity mirror. He made a handsome figure in his
tuxedo. “You look amazing.”
As Katie, her maid-of-honor, set the headpiece on her head and
lowered the veil, every eye in the room began to tear up. “Goodbye, Ms.
Rogets,” Alexis heard her whisper.
“Are you ready?” her father asked as one by one the bridesma-
ids left to walk up the aisle.
“I think so. I’m so freaking nervous, I think I will trip!”
“You will be fine, baby. He’s a good man for you, honey. He’ll
make you happy.”
“He already does, Daddy. He already does.” They were in front
of the doors waiting for the music to cue them in. The coordinator gave
a last-minute fix to the train and the bottom of her dress. The wedding
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march began and two ushers soundlessly swung open the double doors
leading to the main part of the church.
Through the many layers of her veil, Alexis saw her future wait-
ing for her at the end of the aisle. The bridesmaids wore the same style
dress but in different colors that flattered individual wearer. All seven
women were a beautiful sight.
The right side of the church was white. Every man up there
wore white military formal dress uniforms. All black shoes were
spotless and each officer’s sword, she knew, would gleam in the sun
once they were drawn. At the head of them stood her future husband.
The love of her life.
Ramrod straight, uniform perfectly creased, ribbons and medals
on his chest, Scott carved an impressive figure. Even beneath the veil,
Alexis felt herself blush as his gaze moved up and down her body as if
he could see under her dress. One corner of his mouth turned up and he
nodded as if responding to something that was whispered to him.
Scott was frozen to the spot as he watched Alexis come through
the doors on her father’s arm. She was radiant. He had never before
seen someone so beautiful.
The dress hid the fact she was pregnant. Not that he minded, but
he knew she’d been concerned about it. The sweetheart neckline only
enhanced her full bosom. Long, lacy sleeves converged to a point on the
back of her smooth, dark hands. A full skirt of satin trimmed with lace
flowed around her as she walked.
Each step brought her closer to him. To their life together. The
veil hid her face from view and he spied the long train that followed
behind her. She clasped a beautiful bouquet of white roses in her hands
as she came closer and closer.
His eyes moved up and down her body until he heard Tyson,
his best man say, “Breathe, man.” Greedily, Scott took air in and his
mouth fluttered into a one-sided grin as he realized just how close he’d
been to passing out.
It would never stop amazing him, this woman of his, this wom-
an who could bring him to his knees with nothing more than a smile.
Swallowing to control the rampaging emotions that were pounding
though his belly like a herd of hippopotami, Scott put his cornflower-
blue gaze on the love of his life, the mother of his unborn child, and felt
the tears begin to form.
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Both Scott and Alexis were in a daze when the ceremony ended.
As tan fingers lifted the veil layers for their first kiss as a wedded
couple, Scott’s strong hands trembled. Their lips, however, met without
any hesitation and the rest of the room faded into nothing.
For a while the new couple stood locked in an embrace that
showed everyone there just how much they loved each other. It took a
while before the cheering broke into their world.
“I love you, Alexis Leighton,” he said as his teary gaze met hers.
“And I you, Commander, and I you.” Her manicured fingers
wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.
Pausing at the top of the cathedral steps, the chaplain an-
nounced, “For the first time in public, it gives me great pleasure to
present Lieutenant Commander and Mrs. Leighton.” The crowd outside
erupted in cheers.
Standing beside her husband, Alexis looked down the five steps
and saw sixteen naval officers lining the walk to the limo, eight on each
side. Closest to the car was Tyson and he gave the orders for the men to
“present arms.” His deep voice filled the air. “Draw,” pause, “Swords.”
Once that was done, he commanded, “Blades to the wind.”
Arm in arm, Scott and Alexis walked under the canopy of
swords. As they passed Tyson and Maverick, who were the last two, a
sword smacked her across the rump as “Go Navy!” was bellowed. After
they were through, Tyson ordered, “Return swords. Dismissed.”
Then it was into the limo and on to the reception at the country
club.
“I have been waiting to do this for a long time now,” Tag said as
he approached the happy couple. “I am going to kiss the bride.”
Alexis grinned at the pilot as he fixed his uniform before strut-
ting closer to her. “Keep in mind whose woman she is, Tag, if you plan
on flying ever again,” came Scott’s warning.
“I’m allowed to kiss the bride. It’s tradition,” the handsome pilot