Sea of Dreams (The American Heroes Series Book 2) (24 page)

Anthony turned away and opened his locker. He had seen Beck’s shaking hands and he muttered a silent prayer, praying for strength for them all.   He pretended to busy himself in his locker although he was watching Beck from the corner of his eye. The man pulled out what Anthony originally thought was a card of some kind. It turned out to be a 3 x 5 photograph.  Beck peered closely at it , flipped it over to read the back, and flipped it over again before shock registered across his face. He dropped the envelope but the photo remained in his grip.

Beck was up and running for the door before Anthony could ask him what had happened.

It was past midnight as Beck parked his truck at the curb and bailed out.

He could see the old Victorian house in the moonlight, outlined against the remarkably clear sky.  His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking as he took the steps, the porch light the only source of light around the darkened house.  Inside, it was dark and quiet.

Beck went to the old mailbox and stuck his hand inside, feeling around.  He came across something stuck to the inside of the box and he pulled it forth.  It was a small metal box with a magnet on one side that, when opened, revealed a house key.

I’ll give you a key.

His heart was in his throat as he slipped the key into the lock and turned the old tumblers.  Stepping inside, he could see that the place was completely furnished; he essentially stepped into an entry that was, from what he could see in the darkness, beautifully furnished with a giant piece of wall art and other knick knacks, including a gorgeous rug at his feet.  Peering more closely at the modern and edgy piece of wall art, he could see Blakesley’s name on it.

Startled, he stuck his head into the living room to see the entire thing furnished with spectacular leather couches and other items that just made his head spin. There was more of Blakesley’s beautiful art on the walls. When he stepped into the living room and noticed the dining room to his left, he seriously had to pinch himself.  He thought he was dreaming.

Like a man in a fog, he moved back to the stairs, looking up to the second floor as he made his way up.  He very carefully opened the first door he came to, poking his head inside to see Crosby and Charlotte fast asleep in twin beds.  Toys were strewn all over the place.  

Heart pounding faster, he silently closed the door and went to the next bedroom where he found Cadee sleeping soundly on a canopy bed, her room apparently all decked out in white and deep purple.  There were unicorns and stuffed horses everywhere.  Over in the corner was a futon and he could see Nikki curled up on her side.  With a grin, Beck closed the door and moved to a third bedroom, a room with great north exposure, to find Lizzie fast asleep on a beautiful double bed inside a fully decorated, very cool teenager’s room. 

Beck’s eyes filled with tears as his gaze fell on his daughter, so incredibly glad to see her. He simply couldn’t believe it.  In fact, he couldn’t believe any of it.  He wanted to wake her up but he thought better of it.  He would be content to see her in the morning and find out how she had come here.  At the moment, he was more desperate to see Blakesley. Shutting the door softly, he went back downstairs to the master suite at the rear of the house.

The master suite had a grand little entry off the dining room and he had to pause to look at the artwork in the small entryway.  It was exquisite and a little overwhelming.  In fact, all of this was overwhelming and he swore that if he was dreaming, he didn’t ever want to wake up.  All of his girls, living in the same house under the same roof, was his greatest and fondest wish. He had no idea what was going on or how Blakesley had accomplished it, but he was thrilled to death. With a quivering hand, he slowly opened the master bedroom door.

The curtains were closed against the big French doors that opened out to the deck and the backyard beyond, but there was enough light that he could see the layout of the room.  An enormous California King bed was lodged against the north wall, a spectacular piece of furniture that was covered with some kind of luxurious bedspread.  He couldn’t really see what it looked like but he could feel it, and it felt soft and warm.  As he put his hand on it, peering at the crumpled up covers on the bed, something heavy hit him across the shoulder.

Startled, Beck’s training kicked in and he rolled away from the blow, over the bed, and landed on his feet. It was so dark in the room that he almost didn’t see the baseball bat flying at him again until it was too late but he was able to duck at the last minute, grabbing the bat and yanking it away from the assailant.  He tossed it aside, hearing a very female-sounding yelp, and realized that his attacker could only be one person.  In the darkness, he reached out to grab her.

“Blakesley,” he said sharply. “Baby, it’s me!”

Blakesley could barely see his face in the darkness and, truth be told, she was still in panic mode. She had been ever since she heard the floorboards creaking in the dining room. As she struggled to focus in the darkness, she thought for a moment that she might be dreaming.  She could see Beck’s features but they truly didn’t register for several long moments.  But when realization finally dawned, she came apart.

“Beck!”

She threw herself on him, all arms and legs wrapping up around him.  Beck held her tightly and she broke into hysterical sobs, her face buried in his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.  He just held her, rocking her tenderly.

“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. “I’m here.  Everything is okay.”

Blakesley was sobbing so heavily that she couldn’t speak. She just held him, refusing to let him go even when he tried to kiss her face.   She had spent the last five days in utter and complete terror, wondering if she was ever going to see him again, so his midnight appearance had her shaken to the bone.  It was the best shock in the world.

“Is it really you?” she sobbed.

He chuckled softly, rubbing her back soothingly with one hand.  “It’s really me.”

“Swear it?”

“I swear.”

That brought on a new round of hysterical tears and Beck laughed softly again before sitting on the bed and trying to peel her off of him.

“Baby,” he tried to get her to loosen her hold on his neck.  “Everything is all right. Why are you crying like that?”

Blakesley eventually pulled back to look at him, putting her hands on his face and gazing at every inch of his grimy, dirty features.  He was absolutely filthy but she didn’t care in the least.  He was the most gorgeous thing she’d ever seen.

“Are you real?” she asked, lips trembling as she ran his hands over his face.

He kissed the hands that came close to his lips. “I’m real,” he murmured. “I promise, I’m real. Why are you so shook up?”

She started crying again. “I thought you…,” she sobbed. “The news said… it said that a bunch of SEALs were killed in a helicopter accident.  Beck, I thought you might be dead.”

She sobbed deeply, her face on his shoulder.  He sighed heavily and wrapped her up in his arms. He hadn’t heard about the event being on the news, not even from Gina. No wonder Blakesley was so shaken.  She must have been living in the same hell he had been since the accident happened.  Gently but firmly, he lifted her head from his shoulder and wiped at her wet cheeks with his big fingers.

“Listen to me,” he murmured firmly.  “I’m completely fine. Not a scratch.  Please stop crying, okay? You’re breaking my heart.”

She let him wipe at her face, nodding even though the tears were still falling. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m such a baby.  But I seriously thought... I didn’t think I’d ever really know if anything happened because I’m not your next of kin or anything.  How would they know to tell me?”

He shushed her, kissing her salty lips. “You’re on my emergency card,” he told her softly. “I added you before I left. Someone would have come to tell you. I don’t want you worry about that ever again.”

She swallowed hard, struggling to stop the tears. “Okay,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and he nuzzled her damp cheeks. “So you’re all right, then?”

“I’m fine.”

“It wasn’t your team on the news?”

He sighed heavily and pulled back, looking at her watery eyes.  She looked so adorable with her hair in two ponytails, all mussy like a little girl.  He stroked her hair with one big hand, taking a moment just to get a good look at her. He felt like a starving man being given his first meal in weeks, so great his satisfaction simply to gaze upon her.

“It was my team,” he replied softly. “I lost nineteen men, including Butch.”

Blakesley’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God,” she breathed. “Poor Gina. Does she know?”

“She knows.  I just spent the past six hours with her.”

Blakesley struggled against the tears again, thinking of Butch and Gina, and little Spike who would never really get to know his father.  “What happened? Can you tell me?”

He drew in a deep breath, thinking.  Then he cuddled her all up against him and lay back on the bed with her lying on his chest.  It was heavenly and for the first time in five weeks, he could feel himself truly relax.

“We were preparing to lift off in a Chinook helicopter and a piece of metal or something flew up from the flight deck and lodged in the rear rotors,” he said softly, stroking her back. “We were about fifteen feet off the flight deck and the whole helicopter just tipped over and crashed into the sea.  The cargo doors were open, which was where I was sitting, and I got sucked out as the water rushed in through the open doors.  Next thing I know, I’m on the surface and the helicopter is going down with my men inside.  Only five of us made it out before the thing sunk into the Pacific.”

Blakesley’s head was on his chest. She closed her eyes tightly, tears running out onto his shirt, as she realized how close he came to drowning with the rest of them.  She could hear his heart beating strongly in her left ear, the thought of never hearing that heart again making her feel weak and hollow.

“So you were on the helicopter that went down,” she whispered.

His arms tightened around her. “Yes, I was,” he said. “But I’m fine. I lived. I made it back in one piece and came back to you just like I said I would.  Okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, her throat tight with sorrow.

He could hear the emotion in her voice. “I don’t want you dwelling on this, please?” he was very nearly begging her. “I have enough to deal with over next few days without worry about you, too.  I need for you to be strong, baby. Please. I really need it.”

Her eyes came open as she listened to his serious plea.  He was right, about everything.  It wasn’t her luxury to feel grief, but he had every right. Swallowing her tears, her head came up and she wiped what moisture was left on her face.  She was straddling him intimately and she crawled up on his body so she was eye to eye with him.

“No more tears, I promise,” she whispered. “I’m just so glad to have you back. I love you and I’ve missed you so much.”

He smiled wearily at her. “I love you and I’ve missed you, too,” he reached up and tugged gently on a ponytail. “Now, can I please ask a question?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

He sighed heavily, his smile fading. “What’s going on?” he wanted to know. “I got the picture with you and all four girls in front of the house.”

Her eyes twinkled. “So you figured it all out, did you?”

“That, and the note you wrote on the back of the photograph helped.  I figured out where to find the key.”

“I told you I’d give you one.”

He smiled faintly, his hand wrapped up in a pony tail. “Yes, you did,” he murmured. “It looks like you’ve moved into this house and, more than that, Lizzie is upstairs.  What in the hell is going on?”

She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheeks, his nose.  When his arms tightened around her and he prepared to swoop in for a more passionate kiss, she stopped him.

“Do you want to know?” she asked, hand over his mouth. “If you start kissing me like that, you won’t know anything for a few hours at least.”

He sighed dramatically and nodded his head, loosening his grip.  She removed her hand from his mouth.

“I bought the house,” she whispered.

His eyebrows rose. “You bought it?” he repeated. “But what about all we talked about before I left? You said you didn’t want to rush in to anything.”

“I didn’t,” she said softly.  “But I realized something after you left. I guess I really don’t care if we’re married or not. I want to be with you as much as you want to be with me, and we love you because you belong to us.  I shouldn’t have pushed the marriage issue or have been so stubborn about it.  Ultimately, it matters what’s in our hearts and not what’s printed on a piece of paper.  So I bought the house and wanted to surprise you with it. We’re all moved in and we’re all going to live here together. That is, if you still want to live with us. You may have changed your mind.”

He had a fairly amazed expression on his face. “Are you joking?” he asked, incredulous. “I haven’t changed my mind. It’s all I could think about during the time we were apart.  Hell, I was rushing over here tonight to ask you to marry me. Are you saying you don’t want to get married?”

She smiled broadly. “I’d be so proud to be your wife,” she whispered. “But I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want to do.”

He shook his head. “I was crazy to say that,” his arms began to tighten around her again. “All I could think about was being Mr. Blakesley Thorne and how proud that would make me.  Will you please marry me?”

Her smile couldn’t get any bigger.  “Are you sure?”

“Hell, yes.”

She laughed softly. “Then I’d love to. Yes, yes, yes.”

He grinned, pulling her down for an amorous kiss.  Blakesley collapsed against him completely, holding on to his neck as he rolled her over onto her back and took the dominant position over her.  Before things got out of control too much, he put his big hand on her jaw, cupping her face as he pulled back to look at her.

“Before we get too far into this and I lose the ability to think,” he murmured, “tell me what Lizzie is doing here.”