Loved by a SEAL (19 page)

Authors: Cat Johnson

“Because I’m having my breakfast in the kitchen with my grandsons. That’s why.”

“Grandmother has told me how she foiled your evil plan to keep her bedridden. And how now she’s walking all over the place.” Brody’s comment had Ashley turning to see him standing in the doorway.

“Her condition was what was keeping her bedridden. Not me.”

Ashley could have taken the time to explain to Brody, and to Miss Eleanor yet again, how the blood pressure medicine the doctor had prescribed had been causing the vertigo. How now that they’d gotten that regulated and weaned her to a lower dose of the blood thinner, it was safe for her to walk around the house without the danger of falling and without her bruising anytime she brushed against anything.

Instead of all of that, Ashley just sighed. “I’d be happy to help you get dressed so you can eat in the kitchen.”

Brody smiled at her show of tolerance. “Well, hurry up, both of you. Nana just got here.”

“Nana’s here?” Ashley frowned. She’d left Nana happily sipping sweet tea and reading the newspaper on the front porch about an hour ago. “She didn’t tell me she was coming today.”

“Apparently, Grandmother called Nana this morning to tell her I had returned from war and had specially requested her muffins.” Brody crossed his arms and cocked a brow as he leveled an accusatory gaze on Miss Eleanor.

The older woman didn’t flinch. “What? You don’t want muffins? Fine. More for me.”

Ashley couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, you two. What’s done is done. Brody, can you please ask Nana to make a fresh pot of coffee so we can all have it with her muffins?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cocky grin firmly in place, Brody pushed off the doorway he’d been leaning against.

Ashley ignored him and turned to the woman currently trying to get out of bed without any assistance. She stepped forward, not daring to help without being asked, but ready in case she needed it.

It was hard for Ashley to wrap her head around everything that had happened in such a short time. Both boys being home and safe. Nana back in the Cassidy kitchen again. Miss Eleanor up and around and her usual bossy self. Brody revealing to Chris that they had been, and would be again, together.

It had been a long time since Ashley had felt this contented. If she could figure out exactly what being
together
with Brody meant, today would be pretty much perfect.

CHAPTER 23

“So I figure we should talk.” Brody knew it was true even if he’d rather kiss than talk.

Hell, more than just kiss, since the weeks without Ashley had done a lot to raise his hunger to feel her sweet body beneath his again.

But if this thing between them was going to have any chance of working, they needed to communicate.

Since he wasn’t all that good in that department, it meant he’d have to work extra hard to make sure he didn’t screw things up. Messing up with Ashley a second time was the last thing he intended to do.

He had to believe that if things were settled between them, he’d get his edge back. He’d be able to go on a mission confident she was okay at home. That she’d be there waiting for him when he got back.

The big question in his mind was if that was what she wanted too. That, and what they were going to do about the miles between her life in Alabama and his in Virginia.

He wrestled his spinning mind back to Ashley, realizing she’d been quiet. Reaching out, he captured her hand in his. “Something wrong?”

She laced her fingers through his. “I’m not sure I want to talk.”

He frowned, confused by her answer. “Why not?”

“Things are going so well. I’m afraid talking might mess it all up.”

Brody had to admit that it had been a pretty great day, starting with Nana’s muffins hot from the oven and ending with him and Chris surrounded by family eating the welcome home supper of chicken and dumplings she’d insisted on cooking for them.

And of course there had been spending the day with Ashley. Even after being together all day, he’d snuck out of the house to see her tonight.

Hopefully that would be the final time and after this there would be no more sneaking around. He would be able to proudly tell his family he and Ashley were more than friends. But he wanted to talk to her first to define what exactly they were as a couple before making some grand revelation to his family.

Of course, there was a part of him that really enjoyed her shock when he crawled through her bedroom window after dark. Maybe he’d keep doing it just for fun.

He pulled her closer, hoping to alleviate her concern. “Our talking can’t ruin anything. I promise.”

She paused for long enough before she spoke that he didn’t think she was going to say anything at all. “Why didn’t you call me right away when you got home?”

A fair enough question for a person not used to military transportation. “Communications were horrible while I was traveling. Then by the time we got back and I’d finished doing everything I needed to do it was already getting too late to call.”

“I wouldn’t have minded.”

“I know, but I woke you up once in the middle of the night. I didn’t want to do it again. So when I got home I talked to Chris. We decided to drive right here and surprise y’all.”

Flying commercial with Jon and Zane had gotten Chris home a full four days before Brody, whose life and travel were dictated by the whim of the military.

Zane had gotten the three of them bumped up to first class, to boot. But the good news was, since Chris had gotten to spend those days with Darci, he was more than willing and able to come with Brody on this trip home without causing havoc with the girlfriend.

Brody’s parents were surprised, all right, as he and Chris came busting into the house before dawn.

One glance at her face told him she was holding in something. She used to get the same expression when she was little and had a question she wanted to ask but was afraid to.

He brushed one hand across her cheek. “What you thinking about, darlin’?”

“That phone call. The one in the middle of the night.”

“I’ll be more careful about the time zones from now on. Promise.” Though that call was less about his math being faulty than his grasping for something to hold on to for those hours that Chris was technically missing.

It didn’t matter Chris was fine the entire time he’d been in pursuit of the tango, since Brody hadn’t known that.

“It wasn’t the time.” Ashley shook her head. “What did you mean . . . you said . . . at the end when you said you loved me.” She drew in a breath and finally raised her gaze to meet his.

He lifted one shoulder. “I do.”

An adorable crease formed between her brows. “But how? Like how you love Chris? Or Nana?”

She was perfectly serious and this was an important conversation, but Brody couldn’t help the laugh that burst from him. “No. I definitely don’t want to do to Chris or Nana the things I want to do to you.”

“So it’s just about sex.” She tried to put on a brave face, but her disappointment was pretty clear in her tone.

“No, Ash. It’s not. This is new to me too . . . and at the same time old, which I won’t deny is kind of strange. I’ve loved you since I was little, then I loved you differently when we got older. Now . . .” He shrugged again. “I’m ready to see where this thing between us can go. If you are.”

Brody didn’t usually suffer from insecurity but today he sure was. He’d bared his heart to her before, had offered her his name and his life, for as long as he was lucky enough to have it, and she’d turned it all down.

Her answer was to lean in and plant a big kiss on his lips. He’d take that response any day.

He let himself enjoy the feel of her lips against his for a good long while. Still, the fact remained they weren’t done talking.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. “We’ll work it out. Take things slow. I’ll come home when I can. You visit when you can.”

“Okay.” She nodded against his head.

He wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last time by asking her to abandon her life there and move. That wouldn’t be fair to her or to Nana, who’d no doubt gotten used to having Ashley around again.

Maybe the answer was simpler than he thought. “And you know, I won’t be in the military forever—”

“No.” She shook her head so adamantly he had to pull back a few inches to give her space. “I would never ever ask you to get out of the military just for me. Or for us. Your job is too important—”

The complete change in her attitude about his being in the military was a shock, but he nodded. “Okay. We’ll deal with it. Together.”

It wasn’t going to be easy, but they’d just have to make the most of the time they had for now.

Then, eventually, maybe he would go shopping for another diamond ring. He had to believe her answer would be different this time. They were different people now.

Hell, he was a different person than he’d been just a month ago before coming home to the shock of finding her standing at the front door.

“Brody?”

“Yeah.”

“Can we be done talking for now?” As she raised her big warm eyes to meet his, she ran one finger down his chest.

Her hand landed at the waistband of his pants, which gave him a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do instead of talk.

Brody could be completely on board with that plan. Smiling, he said, “Yeah, we can.”

Next up in the Hot SEALs series… Mack’s story,
Tempted by a SEAL
, and Rocky’s story,
Wed to a SEAL
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Loved by a SEAL
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ALSO BY CAT JOHNSON