Vortex (SAI Book 1) (32 page)

The hysteria in the woman’s voice was evident. A couple exited their car and heard the woman shouting. They got back in their car, and Joel could see them on their phone. Hopefully, they were calling 911.

Vivi poked her head around and replied, “I’m not Ronnie Bedford. My name is Vivi. What’s yours?”

When Joel saw the flash of metal in the woman’s hand, he acted instantly. Everything slowed down, his instincts, his breath, and his movements. Making his body as big as he could, he made sure that Vivi was fully behind him. He was a big guy, and the chances of a bullet getting lodged in him was pretty good. Ultimately, that was what he wanted. When the woman pointed her gun at them, he fired, and she crumpled to the ground. But not before she got a lucky shot off.

Screaming filled the air as his body absorbed the impact of the bullet. Better me than her, he thought as he tumbled backward. As long as Vivi and the babies were all right, that was all that mattered.

When his body hit the ground, he felt Vivi catch him. That didn’t make any sense. Vivi was tiny. Why would she put herself in danger? His eyes closed for a moment, and he assessed the damage of the bullet. Didn’t seem to hit anything major.

“Damn it, Joel. Don’t close your eyes.” Taking her sweater off, she pressed it against his wound. “This isn’t terribly serious, but I’m sure it hurts like hell. The bullet grazed your shoulder, and you have a flesh wound. I’m going to make sure that I’m the one who stiches you up. I’m not letting anyone else near you. My goodness.”

When their eyes met, he grinned. “That was the third thing. Everything happens in threes, and that was the last thing.”

The sound of sirens filled the air, and she kissed him hard. “I love you, Joel McDade.”

“Damn, Viv. I had to knock you up to get you to agree to date me, and then I had to get shot for you to tell me that you love me. I hope it gets easier from here.”

“You’re a SEAL; you wouldn’t know what to do with an easy day.”

Laughing, he felt his arm start to burn. “That’s true. Turns out I fell in love with the perfect person.”

Leaning down, she kissed him. “Me too, sailor.”

The ambulance screeched to a stop in front of them. “Take a look at the shooter first, GSW in the abdomen, five minutes,” Vivi stated flatly. Another ambulance came around the corner, along with three police cars. When the paramedics came over, Vivi introduced herself and waited for them to load Joel inside. “I’ll take over from here. Feel free to open my wallet. My medical license is in there as well as my temporary one for Florida.”

Sitting next to Joel on the bench, she chatted away like they were out at lunch. She worked with the paramedic as they got Joel hooked up to fluids.

He watched Vivi clean the wound with efficiency, and admired the mother of his children. She was a kick-ass human being, and he had no idea how he got so lucky. When they stared at one another, he grinned. This was by far his best experience with being shot. It had happened about a half a dozen times, so he had something to compare it to.

“I wonder who that woman was and why she thought I was my sister?”

“That was the woman who was after Ronnie last year. She must’ve gotten out of jail. I can’t imagine how or why.”

Sitting back, she let out a breath. “Wow. So many questions are buzzing in my brain, and I don’t know where to start.”

“Me either,” Joel said. He closed his eyes and said a small prayer of thanks. Shit like this didn’t always turn out so well, and he appreciated that it had. Vivi’s lips were on his, and he opened his eyes.

“I love you, Joel. Thank you for saving my life and the kids’. We appreciate what you did today.”

“Always, Viv.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Joel walked into the bedroom with a tray. Before last month, he didn’t know things like this existed. That was the one of the many advantages of having a girlfriend who believed interior decorating was as close to art as anyone could get. When he’d brought her home, he told her to do what she wanted to the place, and she had taken him at his word. His home had been comfortable and in good taste, because his sister had fixed it up for him, but it wasn’t Vivi’s taste. Apparently, there were more options than blue and white available, and he swore she found every single one of them. He loved it. The more stuff she brought home, the better he felt. Every time the doorbell rang and it was a delivery man, he experienced relief. It meant that she was staying, which was all he wanted.

He set the tray down on the small table between the chairs that faced the backyard. Standing there for a moment, he admired the present that he’d gotten her. It was just the thing she needed, and he figured that she was going to love it. Every time they’d come home from Ronnie’s, she had talked about the ones she had.

When he heard the blankets rustle, he turned around and admired the beautiful woman lying there. Grabbing the glass of juice, he set it down next to her. He also grabbed the jar of crackers that she now kept next to the bed. It was important to give her a fighting chance at winning the war with the morning sickness. It didn’t work often, but it didn’t mean that he was going to stop trying.

“Good morning, honey.” Smoothing the hair off her face, he grinned down at her. “I have your orange juice.”

“Thanks, Joel.” Sitting up slowly, she crossed her legs and accepted the glass. “You are an excellent baby daddy.” She drank the glass quickly and then ate a couple of crackers. When the sheet slipped down, she tried to pull it back up.

“Oh, no. There’s no need to hide your body from me. Let me enjoy the view.” Watching her face heat up made him laugh. “I thought you were starting to accept what happens between us when our clothes come off.”

“Oh, I accept it. It doesn’t mean that I’m totally without shame the next day.” Lifting her hair off her shoulders, she twisted the ends, and shrugged. “Look at the lamp, Joel.”

Turning around, he saw her panties on top of the shade. “Totally appropriate place for them.”

Eating another cracker, she tried to appear circumspect. “I think I saw a couple of new colors last night when I was screaming your name. I know bodies don’t lie and what happens in here is opening a door that I didn’t know existed. I feel like I’m being allowed into the best relationship of my life.”

“All in a night’s work. You were upset the other day because you thought that I’d lost interest, and I’m never going to let that happen again. So if making you scream like a banshee is part of that, then I’m happy to.” Taking her hand in hers, he grinned. “We are doing no harm to family, bank account, or self-esteem when we have wild nights. What happens between us isn’t about pretty and polite. It’s a powerful, affirming, and life-enhancing experience that will never stop happening between us.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her. “I have some coffee and fruit. Come over and sit down.”

Flipping the sheet off, she winked. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll join you.”

Watching her glorious naked body walk into the bathroom almost had him scooping her up and dragging her back to bed. Admonishing himself, he kept himself still. First things first. Always a man with a plan of action, he had one in mind, and that part of the plan had to be saved until later.

***

Joel sat in the chair and felt like time was crawling slowly and painfully by. It had to be longer than five minutes. Checking his watch, he realized it had been three. “Shit, keep it together,” he mumbled.

“What did you say?” Vivi walked over and sat down.

“Nothing, honey.” He picked up the thermos of coffee and held it up. “Are you ready for coffee?”

“Not yet. I’m going to see how the juice and crackers settle.”

“Okay.” Taking a big breath, he settled his nerves as much as he could. He stood abruptly and knelt in front of Viv. “Honey…”

“Oh…my. What are you up to?”

Taking her hands and holding them firmly, he tried to smile. It might have come out as more of a grimace, because she was starting to frown. Looking down, he tried again. It must’ve worked, because she was smiling back.
Okay. Just get it out.

“I was drawn to you from the moment I met you. As we both know, I had no idea what to do about it, and in retrospect, I chose about the worst option there was. It was only because of the threats against you that I had an opportunity to try again. When you and I sat in your office and talked, I knew that I was going to be in a ton of trouble. The struggle to deny my feelings was futile. And, every moment since I gave up the fight has been a blessing.” Her hand moved to her chest and covered her heart. That wasn’t a good sign. Covering her hand with his, he kissed her quickly. “I will always protect your heart. You can trust me to take of you, love you, and cherish you. Please…Viv. Would you marry me and let me love you?”

Were the tears coming down her face a good sign or a bad sign? Quickly, he realized that he forgot to offer her the ring. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled it out and held it up. “What do you say, Viv? Let me love you.”

Falling forward into him, she then hugged him. “Yes, Joel. I will marry you.”

Her hands moved to his face, and she kissed him with all the love he’d ever hoped for. “Let me have that hand of yours so it will be official.” Holding it gently in his, he slipped on an enormous sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. “I hope you like it.”

“Sweet Lord, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect.” Wrapping her hands around him, she squeezed him. “I love you, Joel, and I thank God every day that we got caught in a vortex.”

“Apparently, it was the only thing strong enough to push two stubborn people together. There was no way to resist the forces pulling us in.”

“Since we have a couple of babies on the way, maybe we should celebrate our engagement in bed. We only have about seven months to act like rabbits before these kids slow us down,” Vivi said.

“I knew I picked the right woman.” He stood and helped her up. “Oh, I got you a present. Come over here and look.”

He led her over to the window and pointed to the pool. “What do you think?”

Laughing, she held his hand. “It’s perfect. Which one is for me?”

Holding her close, he snorted. “In this relationship, you’re the pink flamingo and I’m the shark.”

Studying the enormous floating animals, she grinned. “Works for me.”

“I have something else that works for you.” Taking her hand, he led her over to the bed. Slipping the robe off her shoulders, he whistled. “Damn, Viv.” Resting his hand on her small bump, he grinned into her eyes. “Seeing you with my ring on your finger and carrying my kids is the best sight in the world. I think you’re utter perfection, and I have no idea why I’m so fortunate.”

“We’re both lucky. I thought I’d lost my happiness, and you helped me find it.” Leaning forward, she kissed him. “Now show me what you’ve got. I want to make sure that I chose the right man.”

“Oh, I’m the right man…” Laying her on the bed, he proceeded to show her exactly why that was true. Twice.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Mother’s Day

Joel zipped up Vivi’s dress and kissed her neck. When she turned around, he whistled and lightly ran his finger over her cleavage. Pregnancy made her more beautiful every day. He just wasn’t sure that every man should know that. Before he could say anything, she covered his hand.

“I can’t do anything about it. They are out of control.” A small tear hung in the corner of her eye. “I have nothing to wear.”

This had been the weather at the house for the last two weeks. One minute she was ecstatic, and the next minute she was weepy. He had finally figured out that neither thing lasted long, and it was just a matter of navigating the storm. “You are so beautiful. Viv. We can go tomorrow before we head down to the Keys and buy you all new clothes.”

Sniffing loudly, she nodded. “Sorry about the outburst.”

He kissed her lightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I know these pregnancy hormones are no joke and not always a lot of fun. I’m just hoping that the fact that I’m hornier than a fourteen-year-old boy all the time will make up for all my craziness.”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt.”

“Oh, poo.”

He caught her arm before she walked away and held her against him. Running his mouth down her neck, he kissed her behind her ear. “We might have time for a quickie.”

Pushing him away, she giggled. “It’s eleven in the morning, and it’s already happened twice. You’re just going to have to wait until after supper.” Spinning, she flounced into the bathroom.

He called after her, “Honey, I just want to make sure that I’m taking care of all your cravings. I want to be a good husband.”

Leaning out, she smirked. “You’re only a baby daddy right now. So don’t you worry about it.”

She disappeared back into the bathroom, and Joel shrugged. Yeah…but by suppertime, he was going to be a husband. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

Joel entered his office, and sat down at his desk. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a small box and slipped it into his pocket. When Vivi entered, he held up a stack of papers. “You didn’t sign these yet. Come over and do it now, and then we can go.”

“No. I’m not going to.”

“Viv, we talked about this, and I’m asking you to please sign the damn papers.”

“No. You don’t have any quit in you, so I have no reason to believe that we will not succeed in what we are about to do. If you ever leave me, then it will break me…for sure. What happens to my money will be the least of my worries.”

He stood, then moved around the desk and embraced her. “I have never quit anything in my life. And I don’t plan on starting now. As long as we both understand that, then we’ll be fine.”

Kissing him lightly, she walked out of the room. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Following behind her, he grinned. This day ranked up there in his top five. It was as good of a feeling as when he had his Budweiser pinned to his uniform. It seemed that taking on Vivi was going to require similar strength and fortitude to what being on the Teams did. Good thing he had fifteen years of experience under his belt. It seemed he was going to need it.