Amy J Fetzer - The Seal's Surprise Baby p.02

"Hey, I wanted to cry for her, too," he said, walking with Melanie to the front
desk. "Navy SEALs don't cry—ruins the image."
"Ahh, my hero," she said.
He stilled, meeting her gaze, and sudden heat rippled between them. She'd said
that to him once before when they were making love, and the memory of it flooded
between them. Warm, wicked. Greedy. The softness in her green eyes said she
remembered, too.
The nurse at the desk cleared her throat.
Jack dragged his gaze from Melanie. "I'm Juliana's father," he said to the
nurse. "And her medical bills are insured by TriCare." He handed over a
temporary card, his ID card, and Melanie frowned.
"What are you doing?" she said.
"She's legally my dependent, so she's entitled to the benefits. Though there
aren't many anymore."
"I can manage this alone," Melanie said.
"I know you can," he said softly. "But it's there for her. I earned the right to
have those benefits extend to her. When she's ten she'll have an ID card and use
of facilities on the base."
Although they spoke softly, people were staring, listening. Melanie hitched the
baby on her hip. "We can discuss this later."
"Sure," he said easily, taking his cards back and slipping them into his wallet.
He walked to the far side of the room, opened the stroller and rolled it back to
her. Juliana reached out for him, practically squirming to get to him.
Jack put her in the stroller, kneeling to strap her in. "You were so brave," he
said to her. "I'm proud of you, princess." He dried her tears, kissed her head
and with Melanie, led her out of the front door.
Almost like a real family.

Five

Melanie grabbed her handbag from her desk and was heading for her office door
when her secretary popped her head in.
"Your one o'clock is here, Ms. Patterson."
Melanie glanced at the time, frowning. "They're very early."
"I tried to tell them that, but they seemed impatient."
Melanie shook off her disappointment of losing yet another chance to run home to
see her baby. Besides, going home meant seeing Jack. Jack sitting on her sofa
with Juliana asleep in his arms. Jack being a culinary genius in her kitchen and
preparing some of the best meals she'd had in a year.
"It's all right. Show them in, Laura." She tucked her handbag in the drawer and
moved from behind her desk, tugging at the hem of her jacket. Her welcoming
smile drooped when the door swung open and Jack strode in with Juliana in his
arms.
"What are you doing here?" Despite her protests, she went to him, taking her
baby and hugging her close. "Oh, hello, sweetie," she murmured, and the baby
giggled excitedly and squeezed her back.
"There is something to be said about a woman in a power suit," Jack remarked,
standing close and letting his gaze roam leisurely over the deep-green designer
outfit.
She met his gaze and suddenly felt beautiful.
"You've got the sexiest legs in this hemisphere."
She smiled. "And who has them in the Southern Hemisphere?"
He grinned and reached to unwind the baby's fingers from her earring. She always
had a good comeback, he thought, and it was hard for her to take a compliment.
"Don't know, don't care. How about taking a break with me?''
"I have an appointment who's likely waiting in the lobby."
"I'm the appointment."
Melanie blinked.
"I asked Laura to schedule some time, hoping that you'd go to lunch with us."
Us. It was enough to make her cave. Almost. Any time alone with Jack was
dangerous to her heart.
"Jack, you can't take time from customers who need to see me."
"I opened an account for Juliana. So I guess that makes me a customer."
She felt cut off at the pass. "Why did you do that?"
"So I can start her college fund."
"I'm a banker, Jack. I've already started one. Before she was born, as a matter
of fact."
"Ahh, but by then college is going to cost twice as much." His voice lowered and
the deep tone coated her. "I helped make her, Melanie. I'm here to share the
responsibility."
She couldn't protest that. It was for their baby, and she'd give up anything for
her.
"So how about it?"
Melanie pressed her lips to her baby's head, missing her so much lately, then
looked at Jack. The idea of sitting in a restaurant wasn't appealing.
"Come on." His smile was low-down sexy, and with the tight jeans, tight shirt
showing off all that muscle, he worked magic on her.
Melanie wondered if she could stick to her resolve, because being near Jack was
a cross between denial of what she'd like and danger of getting her heart
broken.
At her continued silence, he arched a brow. "Scared to be alone with me still,
Melanie?"
Her defenses rang out like a chime. "Lead the way, sailor." This was so she
could spend time with Juliana. And if it wasn't for Jack being here, she
wouldn't have had the chance, she reminded herself.
"Hmm, snappy attitude. I hear fear."
She rolled her eyes. "Give it up, Jack."
Not a chance, Jack thought and followed her out, his gaze dropping to her cute
behind. He bit back a groan and the urge to drag her back inside the office and
learn what color lingerie she wore underneath that green power suit. The idea
was quickly drenched when half the staff rushed over to see the baby.
A few looked curiously at Jack, but he kept mysteriously silent as Melanie
showed off their daughter, He had no idea what she'd told these people and he
wasn't about to embarrass her, yet she inched closet to him and didn't seem to
mind his hand at the small of her back. After she told her secretary that she'd
be out for the next couple of hours, Jack urged her to the door.
An older woman stopped them, cooing at the baby. "I just have to say that your
family is gorgeous."
"Thank you," Melanie said, looking at the baby. Juliana bounced in her arms.
"She has her father's eyes. You and your husband must be very proud."
Melanie's mouth opened to tell the woman he wasn't her husband, then she clamped
it shut.
Jack stepped in and said, "We are. Thank you." He ushered Melanie out the door
and to the car. Settling the baby in the car seat, they drove. Beside him,
Melanie was quiet.
"Bothers you?" Jack asked. "What that woman said?"
"No, it's a logical comment. Juliana does look like you."
She was being evasive again, he thought. "Hair and eyes maybe, but she reminds
me of you."
"I whine for my supper, too?"
Jack laughed. "She's stubborn, content with her surroundings and oblivious to
what's going on right before her eyes."
Melanie looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. "Then I'll be a
six-month-old and continue to explore other possibilities."
"Liar. You're not even considering them."
"Jack, we've been over this."
His fingers gripped the steering wheel. "I never thought I'd have to beg a woman
to marry me, but just give me one good reason why you won't."
"I'll give you more than one. You don't have to marry me to be a father—this
past week proved that to me if it didn't to you. Marriage for the sake of giving
a child her father's name is not necessary."
"It is if you're that kid."
She glanced at him, wondering about that stony look, then twisted in the seat to
check on her daughter, who was happily chewing on a cracker and making a mess of
Jack's car.
"I need more reasons than that."
"Jack, this isn't a 'Can you top this?' discussion."
"You made it that," he snapped as he pulled up beside a park He didn't say
anything as he got out and went to the trunk. Melanie took her daughter from the
car seat and just stood by as Jack became a master in baby-outing logistics. In
less than two minutes he had a picnic spread under a tree far enough away from
the other people enjoying the park to be private.
Melanie sat down and put Juliana on the blanket. Jack set out some toys, then
opened the cooler and took out sodas. He offered one to Melanie and had his
popped and half-empty before she'd taken a sip. She had the feeling that he
wished it was a stronger drink.
"You're angry."
"Yes, dammit. You know, I've never proposed to a woman before. It's not
something I'm going into blind."
He looked more hurt than angry and her heart split a little. He deserved to know
it all. "Well, I've accepted proposals before and as a result, I've got my eyes
wide open."
His gaze snapped to her. "You've been engaged? When?"
She felt his anger building and hurried to say, "Before I met you. One was a few
months before."
Jack tried to keep calm, but the thought of Melanie agreeing to marry any man
but him made him feel incredibly jealous and a little cheated. "What happened?"
Melanie took the sandwich he offered and with her other hand stroked Juliana's
hair. "I loved Craig and he decided that his secretary was a better choice."
"How long were you engaged?"
"Long enough for me to be selecting china."
Jack groaned. "The guy was a moron."
"Yes, well, I take great comfort that his marriage to her didn't last as long as
our engagement, but then about two years later I grew stupid again."
"Falling in love is not stupid."
"No, it's not. Marriage to the wrong person for the wrong reasons is."
Jack held his temper. Why did she think that just because they'd created a
beautiful child before marriage they were so wrong for each other? "What did the
second guy do?"
"You don't think it was me?"
"No, I don't, because you're a beautiful, smart woman, Melanie."
She held his gaze, wondering if he'd still be around if it wasn't for the baby
they shared. She'd always wonder that, and it was a bigger reason not to marry
him. "I found him in bed with a flashy blonde."
"Bastard."
"He said I was uptight and couldn't get with the program, whatever that meant.
He was a professional football player."
Jack could hear the hurt in Melanie's voice even though she obviously tried to
hide it. "Well, there you go. Cheerleaders, road trips, potential for mischief."
Her expressive eyes blazed like embers. "And that's a good reason to propose to
me, then betray me?"
"No, it's not. There's no reason for that at all. But it wasn't your fault. The
fault was in his character."
"Neither of them loved me enough not to stray, Jack. That's a mistake I won't
make again."
She stared at her hands as she unwrapped the sandwich, and the pangs of sympathy
and understanding swelled through Jack. She looked so lost and wounded. He
clenched his fists against the urge to take her in his arms and ease the pain
she was still feeling.
After a moment Melanie let out a breath and took a bite of her sandwich. "Oh,
man, this is great. What's in it?"
"Something Emeril made on TV."
Her brows rose, her smile genuine. "You're turning into something I don't
recognize."
"I haven't changed." His gaze fell on the baby. "Well, maybe a little."
"How's it been for you?"
"Scary. Wonderful. Proud. Scary."
"You said that twice."
"It's twice as frightening to know that I'm responsible for someone else's
happiness. At least till she's eighteen, and by then I'll have her locked in a
tower."
"Only knights in armor allowed?"
"Yeah," he said, grinning. "I think of what she'll look like in a few years, how
she'll think of me."
"Yeah, me, too," Melanie said, and they both touched the baby at the same time.
His fingers instantly wrapped around hers.
She met his gaze.
"Those other guys were fools. And I bet they're regretting the hell out of it
right now."
"I doubt it."
"I'm not them, Melanie."
"Oh, Jack, I know that," she said softly, pulling free. "But if you and I got
married, we'd be going in with more than roaming libidos against us."
"You're insulting me. I'd never do that stuff to you."
"You don't love me. That's the key here, Jack. I loved those men and was willing
to overlook faults to be with them. So, don't tell me that a marriage will make
things just magically work out. I've got the experience that says they won't."
"Other than the fact that those two men were not good enough for you, those were
bad choices."
"And I'm not about to make another one by marrying for a name change."
"It's more than a name," Jack said, grinding his teeth. He wanted to tell her
that he was a bastard, that he needed more than anything to give his daughter
his name, but from Melanie's position that would not have made the
can-you-top-this list.
But he knew now that she was protecting herself, her heart. He suddenly recalled
the night they'd made their daughter.
Don't make promises you can't keep, she'd told him. I'm not… I can't put my
hopes on a man.
She'd been jilted twice already and didn't trust her feelings enough to put
faith in them. In believing there wasn't a chance for her and Jack beyond a name
on a license, she couldn't get hurt again. It was bad enough she didn't trust
him not to desert her, and even harder to deal with a woman who didn't think she
had the potential to be worthy of a man's fidelity.
He wanted to pound those two men into dust for doing this to her.
But she was right in a couple of ways. He didn't love her. He was honest enough
with himself to admit that. But what he felt for Melanie was more than just lust
and memories of great sex. Even if Juliana wasn't between them, he'd have hunted
Melanie down. He'd have done it to satisfy his ego that she hadn't forgotten him
and to see if the dreams that had plagued him were just that—dreams. At the rate
they were going, she wasn't going to give him the chance to find out.
And the baby changed everything. Better for him, for Juliana, but for Melanie
and him, it had cut short what could have been something special, and Jack
didn't know what to do anymore.
"Melanie?"
She looked up and the tears in her eyes were like gunshots to his heart.
"Honey, talk to me."
"I can't screw up your life for a name. Please don't ask me to. I know it would
be better for Juliana, but you and I have to live with the decision and so does
she."
He'd sworn he'd back off and this time he meant to keep the promise. He scooted
close, his hand on the baby to keep Melanie near.
"I'm sorry you had it rough with those guys. Bat just don't forget that I'm not
them." When Melanie opened her mouth, he pressed two fingers against her lips.
"Shh. Don't say anymore. I can accept how you feel. I don't have to like it, but
I can accept it For now."
It was the "for now" that he clung to.
Melanie felt a little sprig of something wild inside her at the knowledge that
he wasn't just giving up. Oh, she was sadistic, she thought, to have the perfect
man in front of her and not want him. Well, that wasn't true. She did want him.
She'd missed him terribly the past year, and now that he was here, she was
pushing him away and not liking herself for it. But it was the never-knowing
factor that helped her keep her distance. Never knowing if he could love her the
way she'd dreamed of, of being cherished and needed, instead of a chain that
locked him from his freedom.
Jack could almost see the thoughts churning in her bottle-green eyes. "We can be
friends first. No strings."
Melanie arched a brow and looked pointedly at their daughter.
"Fine, a tiny one."
"Just consider me a full-time baby-sitter for the next few weeks, okay? Though
you don't baby-sit your own kids, you raise them."
If anything he said could have won her over, could have let him deeper into her
life, that was it.
"Friends, then." It sounded hollow and lackluster to her. But that's what you
wanted, right? a voice in her head whispered.
An hour and half later, Jack stopped the car in front of the bank. Melanie
glanced at her watch and sighed.
"You looked relaxed," he said.
"I am. Thank you, Jack. Lunch was wonderful."
He smiled, pushing back the urge to touch her.
Melanie looked into the back seat, smiling. "Well, she's wiped out."
He strained to see. Juliana's dress was rumpled and her knees were dirty from
trying to crawl all over the park. "She's amazing."
He turned his head a fraction. Melanie's face was within an inch of his. And if
he moved a fraction, their lips would meet. The temptation was eating him alive.
"Thank you for her, Melanie."
Her eyes glossed a bit "You took part"
"Yeah, but I didn't carry her for nine months alone. I didn't suffer pain to get
her here so I could love her."
He eased back a bit and gently brushed a strand of hair off Melanie's face.
"Someday you'll tell me all about it? I hate that I've missed so much."
Missed so much of you, he thought.Of being the first one to know about the baby,
of seeing Melanie grow round with their child and being there to hold her when
she was scared.
"Yeah, someday." Someday, Melanie thought, she'd give him the video her father
had taken during her pregnancy and the birth. The latter being something she
wasn't ready to share with anyone just yet.
She turned away and opened the car door. He was there in an instant offering a
hand. Her fingers slid easily into his and he tugged. "See you at home?" she
asked.
His gaze raked her features. "Yeah. We'll be there."
He swore he wasn't going to do it, swore he'd back off, but he couldn't resist
She was taking his breath away by the second and he needed to touch her. Over
the rim of the car door, he leaned and brushed his mouth over hers.
"Jack," she whispered, and there was no protest in her tone.
He didn't touch her anywhere else, just applied a bit of pressure, his lips
sweeping gently over hers. Melanie made a tight little sound in the back of her
throat worrying his mouth, reveling in the taste of him. It was an aphrodisiac,
a drug swimming through her system and making her want to be addicted to him.
She could do that so easily. This, with Jack, was always good.
Gently he pulled back, his breathing a little faster, his eyes a little softer.
A fractured smile curved his lips as if he'd just learned something he'd already
known. He rubbed his thumb across her lower Up.
"See you later." He stepped back and moved to the driver's side.
Melanie couldn't move. Instead, she stared at him across the top of the car,
then forced herself to turn and walk into the bank. Her steps were a little less
steady and her pulse was… well, out of control.
Oh man, she thought, pushing through the revolving doors and ignoring the
glances from her staff as she walked to her office. She went immediately inside,
closed the door and dropped into her chair.
Oh man, oh man, oh man, she thought, pressing her forehead to the desk and
letting out a long shaky breath.

They fell into a strange routine. Jack showed up in the morning early enough to
have coffee with Melanie, and he was there when she came home at night He cooked
something fantastic every evening, and they dined together, but after Juliana
was tucked in bed, he'd leave with a casual, "See ya."
Melanie found herself wishing he'd hang around a little bit longer, but she knew
mat would only lead to trouble. He hadn't tried kissing her again, but every
time he was within a foot of her, she felt her insides clench and pull. She
acted as if it didn't matter, as if she didn't feel it, but alone at night, she
felt only the torment of need.
It was tough when she was learning so much about him and finding something else
to admire. The veil between them was growing blurred and it didn't stop the
feeling that she was being worn down. Therein lay the trouble, she thought. He
was making himself indispensable. He'd be gone soon, off on some dangerous,
classified mission that most of the government wouldn't know about, and that
scared her.
It made her realize that with one mission Juliana could lose her father. And
she'd lose a friend. Friends. Yeah, she thought. She never imagined they could
come to that equitable of a relationship, but they had. Only, she was coming to
expect him to be around, and his job said clearly he wouldn't be.
She was deep in those thoughts when she stepped into the house and called out.
When she didn't get a response, she set down her briefcase and went looking for
Jack. In the backyard, Juliana was in her playpen under a tree, and her father
was building something fantastically large in Melanie's modest yard.
"Jack," Melanie said patiently, and he looked up. His gaze moved over her from
head to foot and she realized he did that a lot.
"Hi, tough day?"
"Not as tough as yours, apparently." Melanie gestured to the pile of lumber and
bolts. "She's six months old. She doesn't need a gym set like that."
"Every kid does. Besides, she'll grow into it." Jack kept working.
As she lifted the baby out of the playpen, Melanie's gaze slipped over the
wooden gym set rising in her backyard. It hadn't been there this morning. He was
getting sneaky, she thought "You really have to stop this buying spree," she
said.
"I didn't buy it I made it." He tightened a bolt and stood, looking at her and
not his work.
Melanie gaped at the castlelike set. "You made it? It's incredible, Jack. When
did you have time to do this?"
"At night, at my sister's place."
"But you're here almost every night"
He shrugged big shoulders. "It's a simple design, and Lisa's husband, Brian, has
a fair amount of tools in his garage. I did the cutting and sawing there. All
I'm doing now is assembling it. The swing and glider were the hard stuff to
find. Juliana and I just went on a search together during the day. The red
swings were her choice."
Melanie smiled at him, hitching the baby onto her hip. "You are such a sap, you
know that?"
He flushed a little. "Yeah. Besides, it's a father's right to dote on his
daughter."
"But a stuffed pony?" She gestured to the taffy-colored stuffed creation as big
as a real pony, resting near the playpen.
"Prelude to the real one I'll get her someday," he said just to get Melanie
going.
Melanie smiled, shaking her head as she walked toward him. "You're hopeless. And
no pony, ever. Unless you plan to clean up the mess and teach Juliana to ride.
Because I have no idea."
"Me, neither."
"Fatherhood has destroyed your brain cells," she said, deadpan.
"Maybe we could all learn to ride together."
"I keep walking right into your verbal traps, don't I?"
"I'm not trying to trap you."
"No, you're not," she admitted. "Just wiggle."
He shot her a very manly offended look. "I do not wiggle."
She laughed and Jack felt knocked to his knees. She hadn't done that much while
he was around. She kept her distance, emotionally and physically. And all he
wanted to do was have both from her. He wondered how long he was going to last
before the need to kiss her overtook him again.
He glanced at his watch. "You're home early."
"Banker hours." She smiled and stared at him. And there was a lot to stare at,
too. He was sweaty and tanned, and the muscles in his shoulders and arms rippled
as he tightened a bolt, then lifted the plank for the next piece. His tank shirt
did nothing more than absorb the sweat pouring off him, and Melanie's insides
clenched as she remembered what those damp muscles felt like beneath her palms.
Beneath her mouth. Pressed against her naked flesh.
Oh, don't go there, she thought, and needed to put some distance between them.
It didn't help that the memories of this man making love to her were just too
vibrant to shut into a little corner of her mind.
"I'm going to change," she blurted, and he looked up, frowning as she rushed
off.
Melanie hurried into the house, first changing her daughter's diaper and giving
her a drink, then taking her into the bedroom while she changed out of her work
clothes and into jean shorts and a light cotton T-shirt.
"Come on, sweetie, let's keep busy," she said, gathering up her daughter and
heading into the kitchen. She put Juliana in her walker, then hunted in the
fridge.
An hour later Jack stepped inside, inhaling the delicious aromas and running a
rag over his face and the back of his neck. "You're cooking?"
"Don't look so surprised, Singer. I thought I'd give you a break, though I'm not
quite the culinary artist you are."
He smiled, unreasonably touched. It was just a meal, but she looked adorable in
the apron emblazoned with "Domestic Goddess" across the chest and with flour on
her nose. He swiped at the flour.
"Mind if I use your shower?"
She went still for a second, just looking at him. "Of course not, go ahead." She
paused in setting the table to fill a glass with water and ice. "Here. You need
to replace all that water you've been sweating out."
He took the glass. "Thanks." He drained it without stopping, then let out a loud
satisfied sigh.
Juliana copied him, beaming up at him.
Melanie laughed hard. "Good Lord, she's already picking up your habits," she
said.
"At least they're not the really bad ones." Jack winked at the baby, then headed
toward the bathroom, pleased that Melanie was more at ease around him. She'd
been like an edgy cat that past few days. Ever since he'd kissed her outside the
bank. He'd been more than tempted to try that again, but her avoidance told him
that no matter the effect, she'd considered it a breach of trust.
He was drying off and pulling on his jeans when he realized his shirt was beyond
hope. Going shirtless the rest of the evening was unacceptable. He'd have to go
back to Lisa's for fresh clothes.
A knock sounded and he pulled open the bathroom door.
Melanie's breath snagged at the sight of his bare chest and damp hair. She held
up a T-shirt. "It's yours. You must have left it here and it got tossed in with…
It's clean. I thought since the other was dirty…well, here." She shoved it at
him, irritated with herself that she was suddenly unable to speak around him. He
took it. Smiling, he stepped into the hall.
She didn't turn away. She didn't move. It wasn't just the muscle and the sexy
way he was looking at her, it was the man. In the past two weeks she'd learned
more about Jack than she ever thought she could. And it was getting to her. He
was getting to her. And the kiss they'd shared outside the bank was just a kiss,
but it had made a lasting impression. A lingering one.
"I like it when you look at me like that," he murmured.
The sexy tone of his voice should have alerted her. "Like what?"
"Like you did in the elevator when you put my hand under your gown."
"I'm just giving you a shirt, Jack."
"Uh-huh." He took a step and loomed.
"For a man who deals in accurate details, you sure are reading more into this
than there is."
"Am I?"
"Fine. Have it your way. Dinner's ready."
"Good. I'm starved," he said, staring at her mouth.
She could almost taste him, wanted to taste him, dammit. "Well, it's hot."
She started to move away, and he caught her, his hand sliding over her waist and
wrapping her like warm silk. "Me, too."
Her hands went to his chest, her heartbeat tripping over itself. She could
barely catch her breath. "This isn't wise."
"I can take only so much tiptoeing around you, Melanie." He didn't let her go.
She didn't push away. "I'm a big girl. You don't have to tiptoe."
"Darlin', I'm glad to hear that." He tilted his head and laid his mouth over
hers.
The contact created combustion, and the flames licked around them both. Her arms
slid up his chest and around his neck.
Melanie held on. And Jack fed the fire.

Six

He molded, he toyed, he played with her senses until she thought she'd scream
with the sheer pleasure of it. Her body came alive, nerve endings suddenly raw
and revved for his touch. There was nothing subtle in his kiss, nothing
restrained. If Jack wanted to show her that in this, nothing had changed…he'd
done so. In spades.
Need rocketed through her as he devoured, nipped, licked, his hand sliding down
her spine and pulling her hips to his. The sharp contact sent a moan spiraling
out of her, blooming vibrant and hot with the memory of how this man could wield
enormous power over her desire. He owned it, and when his hand rode up her side
to slide over her breast, she almost cried out with want.
Then Juliana did.
The sound ripped them apart, and just for a second Melanie stared up into his
eyes, smoky with desire. She felt her insides give another small tremble, then
she tore her gaze from his and went running on shaky legs toward her daughter.
The baby stopped crying the instant she saw her mother, and Melanie sank into a
chair, relieved. She struggled to catch her breath. Oh, she was a fine one to
talk about restraint and being friends. Here she was making deals with Jack to
be parents only, and she was falling into his arms at the sight of his bare
chest.
Jack stepped into the kitchen, pulling on his T-shirt, then as if he didn't know
what to do with his hands, he raked them through his short hair. Melanie knew he
was there. He could sense her shoulders tightening an instant before she pushed
out of the chair and went to the oven.
Jack moved up behind her, waiting until she'd lifted out the bubbling pan before
he said, "I scare you, don't I?"
She hesitated, setting the pan on the stove, then let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"What do you want me to say, Jack? That I don't come apart at the seams when you
so much as touch me? News flash, it just happened."
"I wasn't exactly a doormat, you know."
"God, do I," she said without thinking, and he laughed shortly.
"You turn me inside out."
She spun around sharply, meeting his gaze. "That's why we shouldn't be…you
know." She waved the spatula toward the hallway.
"Trying to smother each other with our lips! Groping like teenagers?"
She reddened. "Well, that puts it in perspective."
He smiled, moving closer and loving the flare in her eyes. "Anyway you shake it,
darlin', it's still there."
And so dangerous, she thought. If anything, those moments in the hallway
reminded her that they were combustion waiting to happen and that she'd nearly
forgotten her daughter in the face of her own need
"I know. But sex isn't everything."
"It's a nice start."
Men, she thought, unable to stop her very supreme-female smile. They think first
with their anatomy, then their hearts. "Okay, yes, I'll agree that in bed we
were a great match. But is that all you want in a marriage? A name on a piece of
paper and a partner in bed?" Melanie dished up the meal onto plates and brought
them to the table.
When Juliana fussed, Jack set her in her high chair and gave her a cracker.
"No, it's not. But I think we have the makings of something stronger." Jack
wanted to tell Melanie that she scared him worse than facing down enemy weapons
with only one clip left in his magazine. He felt helpless around her and he
wondered if she really knew what she did to him with just one of those innocent
"oh, really" kind of looks she got when she was skeptical. That kiss already
told her she had him roped and ready for her. And his body was still aching for
more.
"Maybe." Melanie wasn't going to mention that because they'd had a child
together, there was more between them already and it also, very importantly to
her at least, masked true feelings. That fact tormented her because Jack was a
good guy. She'd found very little to dislike about him. What woman wouldn't love
a man who did the laundry and cooked, for pity's sake?
Jack watched the emotions skate across her face as he slid gingerly into a
chair.
Melanie frowned slightly at him. "What's the matter? Are you sore?" He was
shifting in the chair.
"Yes, I am."
"Want a heating pad, some ointment or something?"
He stabbed at a portion of meat, looking at her through a lock of dark hair. "I
don't think that is the solution for this ache."
"Oh." His meaning sank into her like thick warm honey as she sank into her
chair. "Oh." And the part of her that said, Don't be so pleased, dearie, was
lost to the sheer feminine joy of He's hot for me and still steaming, which was
shouting in the back of her mind.
Melanie glanced up, her lips twitching.
"Eat," he commanded. "Or I'll come over there and make you feel so good you
won't be able to not smile at me like that."
A giddy spurt of heat shot out to her fingertips. "Aye, aye, sir. Viable threat
noted. Shall I go to Defcon Delta?"
Jack laughed, tossing down his fork and rubbing his face. "It's Threat Con, not
def. That's TV lingo."
"Oops." Melanie lost it and laughter bubbled up from her like champagne.
It shattered the tension between them, and then they changed the subject and
talked of everything but how they were sitting across from each other and
wanting to share more than a meal.
An hour and a half later, Juliana was tucked in bed. Melanie gathered up toys as
she made her way down the hall to the living room. Jack was on the sofa, the TV
on and the volume turned low.
"I think I should get this on film," she said, and he looked up, a tiny T-shirt
half-folded in his hands. "I doubt your teammates would believe it."
"I know they wouldn't." Jack continued to fold laundry. "These are interesting,"
he said, holding up a green silk thong.
Melanie leaned forward and snatched it from him. "Just fold it. No inspections."
She tossed the panties into the laundry basket.
"I'd like to see those modeled. Or maybe these," he added, winging another pair
of panties on his fingertip.
She took those away from him and went to the kitchen. "Go to the store. There
are plastic females already dressed to model those."
He chuckled, then stacked the remaining clothes in the basket and pushed it
aside. Melanie returned with a beer, handing it to him. He smiled his thanks and
popped the cap. "I'm beat."
"Me, too."
"It's tough doing it all. I don't think half the men in the world realize what's
going on in their own houses while they're away."
"Yeah, they have dreams of cleaning fairies and a woman reclining on the sofa
with a novel and bonbons."
Jack made a face. "I don't think so."
"Haven't you ever heard of a man refer to his wife and say, 'I don't know what
she does all day'?" Jack nodded. "But then he doesn't consider who does the
cleaning, the cooking, the raising of kids, school plays, teacher conferences
and so on," Melanie said, sitting beside him on the sofa.
"Your mom do all that?" Jack asked.
"Yes, and very well, I might add. She's my hero."
Jack grinned and leaned back, the beer on his stomach.
Melanie shifted her shoulders in the cushions, staring at the TV. It was the
Discovery channel and the words The Making Of The U.S. Navy SEALs flashed across
the screen. She sat up, grabbing the control and raising the volume.
The commentator was explaining the training.
"Okay, this is boring," Jack said, reaching for the remote control.
"Not to me," she said, holding it out of his reach.
Jack groaned and sipped his beer. He didn't watch the screen. He knew what was
happening and remembered his own training well enough not to want to relive it
in color. So he watched Melanie, the way she bit her lip, the furrow of her
brow. He wondered what seeing this show would do to the way she thought about
him. He didn't think about being with the teams. It was like breathing to him
now.
Melanie learned a lot in the first few minutes of the program. "Were you always
Navy? The narrator said there were some guys that were Army, Marines, even Air
Force."
"I was a Marine first. I take a lot of ribbing for it," Jack said.
She blinked at him, then smiled. "Doesn't surprise me." She looked back at the
screen and watched potential SEALs standing in the sea at night, linked arm in
arm as waves hit them and instructors yelled. The men had been without sleep for
three days. "That's cruel," Melanie said. "It's like torture."
"Nah, it makes the instructors see who can endure the worst and still want to be
a SEAL."
"You did that?"
"Yes."
"Why would you put yourself through that?"
He shrugged negligently. "I wanted to be a SEAL You have to do what it takes if
you want something bad enough. Didn't you do all you could to be a banker?"
"No, actually I wanted to be a ballerina, but since I can't jump high enough, I
changed my sights."
Jack laughed, shifting on the sofa lengthwise, wedging his feet under Melanie's
hip. She didn't seem to mind.
"I've always been good with numbers. It doesn't mean I like it," she said.
"What would you like to do?"
"Something where I didn't have to leave Juliana with a sitter every day.
Something I could do at home."
He didn't say it, but marrying him could give her that, and as if she sensed his
thoughts, she ignored them and looked back at the TV.
"Are those real bullets they're shooting?"
"Yes, they're real. It's all real," he groused, and would have preferred she
watch a craft show or something. "We can't train men if they know they're not
experiencing real danger."
"What's it like when you're out there knowing you could get hit?''
"I don't think about it, Melanie. It's distracting." He worked his shoulders
into the cushions, watching her and not the show.
And what kind of distraction would she and the baby be for him now? she
wondered. "Are you afraid?"
"I'd be a fool if I wasn't. Fear keeps you sharp."
He still wanted to change the channel, but she refused, enthralled as she
watched S.E.R.E.—Search Evasion Rescue Escape—training and saw several men drop
out and ring the bell that signaled their final surrender.
Jack answered her questions, trying to minimize the danger involved, but Melanie
wasn't fooled. The man sitting beside her had endured that training. He'd
suffered crawling through mud, no sleep for days, eating food out of a trash can
because that was all they'd been allowed the first days of training. Her
admiration for Jack skyrocketed, and she tried to imagine him doing all that
when she'd just seen him folding baby T-shirts and teasing her. It was like
there were two men in him, and she admired the fact that both didn't show at the
same time.
He leaves his work in the field, she thought, and wondered about the women who
chose to marry men like SEALs and Marine Recon and Special Forces, who were the
first ones in harm's way. Those women must live in fear for their husbands'
lives the instant they walk out the door.
She was about to ask him about his buddies, but when she looked at him, he was
asleep. She shut off the TV and moved to the edge of the sofa. Jack
automatically stretched out his legs.
He'd look like a little boy if it wasn't for the muscles in his shoulder and
arms that didn't relax. She stood, pulling an afghan over him.
His eyes flashed open and he started to sit up. "Sorry. Guess the sun today did
me in."
Alert and ready to move, she thought. "More like a six-month-old girl, I think.
No, stay there," she said, pushing him down into the cushions.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. It's late. Stay. See you in the morning."
Melanie locked up the house, smiling at him as she walked toward her bedroom and
thinking she didn't have to worry about anyone breaking in, not when they had to
get past a SEAL to do it.

The next morning Melanie's alarm went off as usual, but when she stepped into
her daughter's room, she found the crib empty, and panic swept over her. Then
she remembered Jack was here. Pulling on a robe, she walked into the living area
and found him reading the paper and having coffee. Juliana was chasing cereal
around the high-chair tray.
When the baby squealed, Jack lowered the paper. His gaze slid over Melanie like
warm sheets on a cool morning, and Melanie tightened the sash of her robe.
"Morning," he said, and his voice was like velvet.
"Hi. You're up early." It was a crime to look that good in the morning, she
thought.
Jack inclined his head to Juliana. "She was having a conversation with the
mobile. I figured I was better stimulation."
Melanie smiled, said hello to the baby, then went into the kitchen for coffee.
She returned and slid into the opposite chair, nursing the cup and thinking of
the dreams that had plagued her half the night. All about Jack. Jack in danger,
Jack walking through her door, Jack sitting across the table like he was right
now. Jack making himself indispensable.
"I really should be getting a shower." She started to rise.
"Relax. You have time. I've already fed Juliana."
She lowered herself back into the chair.
"Hungry?" he asked, folding the paper and setting it aside.
"No, I can't eat this early."
Jack logged that into his memory.
"How was the sofa?"
"Lonely."
"Jack."
He just grinned. It was good to be here in the morning, he thought, and wondered
how Melanie managed to get ready for work, what with the baby and short a pair
of hands. "Does Diana show up this early?"
"No, not till I'm ready to leave. Juliana doesn't take too well to my leaving
her in the morning."
Jack arched a brow. "She seems fine now."
"Yes, well, she gets breakfast with Diana. Juliana's not a morning person…well—"
Melanie frowned at her daughter "—not usually."
"Something to be said about having two parents around, huh?"
Melanie made a face. "Even if you were here all the time, you'd have to leave
for work early, too."
"I know. But I take about ten minutes to get ready."
"Bully for the trained SEAL," she said, and he laughed.
"Drink more coffee," he said.
She had a second cup and played with her daughter for a little bit.
"I might as well go get ready for work," she finally said.
The idea wasn't at all appealing.
Jack noticed how reluctant Melanie was to leave, and he took the baby from her.
She disappeared into her bedroom and thirty minutes later, almost to the second,
she came out looking ready to battle the corporate world, in a dark-blue suit
and a crisp high-collared white blouse.
All Jack could think of when she was dressed like that was that under it all she
was wearing lace and silk. It drove him nuts to know it, and he whistled softly.
"Look at Mama, Jules."
Melanie flushed a little as she gathered her handbag and briefcase, which were
exactly where she'd left them yesterday. As if on cue, the baby whimpered,
reaching for her mother. Jack noticed the expression on Melanie's face. Guilt.
She held the baby for a little while, talked with her, then glancing at the
time, finally handed her back to Jack. Jack soothed his daughter as Melanie
stepped into her high-heeled shoes.
"I'll see you tonight," she said.
"Can you get away for lunch?" Jack asked.
"I won't know till I get to the office. I'll call."
"Try. I'm sure Jules would like to see her mother more than just for meals and
baths."
Jack knew it was a cheap shot, but it was the truth.
"I have to work, Jack, and no, don't say that marriage will change that. I know
it would. But I can't marry for financial reasons and you know it."
"You won't do it for a name, for more time or for yourself. What will it take?"
Already half out the door, she met his gaze. "Love, you idiot," she said, and
closed the door.
Jack let out a breath. Love. He certainly liked Melanie, a lot, and he wanted
her, but what did he know about loving a woman forever? His own reservations
plagued him and he cuddled Juliana close, soothing away her whimpers. He spent
the rest of the day trying to sort out his feelings for Melanie and wondering if
he ever did love her and told her so, she would believe him or think that he was
saying it just to get his name on a certificate for his child.

Seven

Melanie laughed, a deep-throated sound that wafted through her backyard. But
Jack, sitting across from her on the blanket, didn't return it. Of course, the
baby food dribbling down his face could have something to do with that, she
thought.
"Well, when she doesn't want something, she doesn't," he said resolutely.
Still laughing, Melanie came up on her knees and with a cloth, wiped at the
globs. "Just think if it had been an apple," she said, giggling.
"I'd be out cold." Jack watched her, enjoyed the moment of having her close,
touching him. She'd kept at least two feet away from him at all times lately.
Since he'd kissed her.
"Oh, tough guy."
"You smell great."
"You smell like strained peas."
"It's hard for you to take a compliment, isn't it."
"No, not really."
"You just don't trust men to tell you the truth."
"Well, there is that," she said, and started to sit back.
He grabbed her wrist, holding her there. "I'll always tell you the truth,
Melanie. I swear on my honor I will."
Melanie stared into his cool blue eyes and saw only sincerity. "I think I
believe you."
He grinned, then before she could back away, he kissed her, quick and deep, a
warm play of lips and tongue that made her insides yank tight. She was
breathless when she eased back and finished feeding the baby. Who, much to
Jack's disappointment, ate the peas she'd just spat at him.
"She knows you're a pushover," Melanie said at his pained look.
"I wish you were," he muttered under his breath, and when she asked him what
he'd said, he smiled. "How about you go out with me tonight?"
She blinked at him, stunned. She stammered a bit before saying, "But what about
Juliana?''
"We get a sitter like normal parents. Diana will do it, I bet."
"I haven't had time with the baby, I'd rather—"
"Chicken."
"Excuse me?"
Lord, he loved that righteous look of hers. "You're afraid to be alone with me
without Juliana as a buffer."
She looked appalled. "I am not."
"Good, then we'll go out." He whipped out his cell phone, dialed Diana's number
and within minutes lined her up as a sitter. Shutting off the phone, he smiled.
"Dinner and a movie okay?"
"All right, fine. I'll go." What could she say? He'd backed her into a corner of
her own making.
"I hear fear again," he goaded.
She made a face at him just as the alarm on his watch sounded. He silenced it
and said, "Time for you to go back to work."
Where had the hour gone? she thought. She kissed her baby and was about to kiss
Jack, when she caught herself.
"Got to go," she rushed to say, and stood. Jack gathered up the baby and
followed her into the house, then to the door.
"Diana will be here when you get home. I'll pick you up at seven."
Melanie didn't argue. She'd already learned that Jack was a determined man. She
was losing every battle with him.

It was just plain weird to be this nervous, Melanie thought, checking her
appearance in the mirror again. She wanted to look good. No, great, she amended,
smoothing the line of her green tank dress. She hadn't worn this since before
she was pregnant and was pleased it still looked good. The simple lines were
overlaid with a layer of chiffon flecked with gold, dressing it up a bit. Then
the doorbell rang and her heartbeat danced a fine tune that told her this night
meant more than just Jack's getting his way.
When she came out of her room, Jack was talking with Diana. Wearing a navy
sports coat, khaki slacks and pale-blue shirt, he looked more like a college
professor than a member of an elite commando team.
His gaze moved over her from head to toe and back up. "You look incredible."
"Thank you."
He smiled, hoping she believed him. "Ready?"
She glanced hesitantly at the baby and Diana.
"Oh, go on, we'll be fine," Diana said, nearly pushing Melanie toward the door.
After Melanie kissed the baby, Jack steered her outside to the car. A few
minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot of a quaint restaurant on
the waterfront.
"I forgot this place was here," she said after the waiter had seated them.
"I bet there's a lot of things you've forgotten since you had a baby."
She had her face in the menu, a defense tactic, he decided. He liked that she
was nervous. His own heart was beating double time.
"I haven't forgotten anything, just lack the time."
He pushed down the menu. "Didn't you used to paint?" When she nodded, he added,
"When was the last time you did that or went out with a girlfriend? Or soaked in
a tub for an hour and painted your toenails or whatever it is that women do to
look that great."
She blushed, unable to be defensive when he complimented her like that. "When I
didn't have someone else to think about," she said, and met his gaze over the
menu. "Are you going to spend the evening showing me the error of my ways—or are
we going to have dinner and be adults?''
Jack's smile was slow in coming and he sat back in his chair, ordered wine and
nodded. The rest of the evening swept past them in a delightful blur. They
talked of everything except marriage and their baby. They debated politics and
she learned more about the Armed Forces and the restrictions it puts on the men
and women who serve. He told her about his teammates, and of the few who were
married, he mentioned their wives. He spoke quietly of an old mission, leaving
out a great many details, she knew, but it was nice to have him confide in her
at least that much. His face lit up when he talked about Lisa, his mother and
late stepfather, but when it came to his real father, he changed the subject to
woodworking. He wanted to show Melanie some of the things he'd made, but they
were in storage, along with his tools. It made her see that other than his
bachelor-officer's quarters he had on the base, he had no real home. It left her
stinging inside, because he was a good man and deserved more than he had right
now.
She told him how she'd handled her broken engagements, how hurt her parents had
been that she'd been betrayed, then she scolded Jack for calling her father.
"He already likes you," she admitted. "Though when I was pregnant, he was ready
to hunt you down."
Jack just smiled, unaffected. "With a gun I'll bet."
Melanie didn't respond to that, not wanting to ruin the evening. "Whatever you
said to him, he's keeping it secret. He won't tell Mom or me."
"Good. It's between us."
Melanie's look was wary, but Jack wouldn't give an inch.
"A guy thing," she said at last. "Okay. I won't pester."
"You wouldn't get it out of me, anyway. I'm trained to withstand pleading and
tears."
Melanie laughed at his teasing, dined on incredible seafood and drank a little
too much wine. When the meal was over, they decided to skip the movie and take a
walk on the waterfront. The gnarled oaks were dripping with Spanish moss and lit
with tiny lights, the wind warm and balmy as it rolled off the river.
Jack slung his jacket over his shoulder and strolled beside her, barely
resisting the urge to wrap his arm around her and pull her close. She did things
to him, made his palms sweat, made it hard to breathe sometimes when he was near
her, and right now, she looked like a willowy fairy with her deep-red hair and
the glitter of gold flecks on her dress. Suddenly she stopped, shaking a stone
out of her high-heeled sandal, and he lent his arm, chuckling to himself when
she continued their walk barefoot. She didn't let go, her arm looped through his
until she paused at the rail. Melanie inhaled the salty air. The slosh of water
against the wall below beat rhythmically.
"I had a good time."
"It isn't over yet."
She glanced his way. "It's late, and Diana is—"
"She's fine. So is Juliana." When she looked to argue, he sighed. "And here I'd
thought we were being adults and you'd relaxed."
Her brows knitted softly. "We are. I have. It's been wonderful. But—"
"Hush up, Mel."
"What?"
There was that look again, he thought. "You're going to talk yourself out of a
good time if you say anything else." Jack stepped up to her, and without laying
a hand on her, he kissed her.
Melanie didn't bother to deny herself the pleasure. Staring at this man across
the dinner table, heck, all week long only fueled her need.
He kissed thickly, a slow torture of his incredible mouth, his hands clenched at
his sides, and when she dropped her shoes and pressed herself against him, only
then did he wrap her in his arms and hold on. Their kiss grew vibrant and
steamy, yet held a tenderness they'd shared only once, moments before he left
for his mission fifteen months ago. It was a small taste of the man he'd been
back then, of the woman she'd been, and that the moment could be recaptured
hadn't escaped either of them.
Jack eased back, drawing in needed air and pressing his forehead to hers. "Don't
say anything."
"I wasn't going to."
"Yeah, sure."
"Except…" Her eyes teared a bit as she tipped her head back and swept her
fingers up over his jaw, across his brow. "I missed you, Jack. I really did."
He groaned and held her, rubbing her spine, then whispering, "I hate that you
had to be alone, Mel."
"I didn't miss you because of Juliana. I missed the man I hadn't had the chance
to know," she said, loving his arms around her, feeling safe and cherished.
Jack's throat tightened and he kissed her again, gently, with a tenderness that
spoke of hidden emotion and not need.
It didn't scare her. The old feeling of distrust didn't rear its head and warn
her off. Melanie just let herself feel, without thoughts of marriage and their
baby and what the future might bring. Emotions flowed within the fraction of
time suspended just for them. She touched his face, his lips, pushed at his
hair.
He kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheek, sank his fingers into the auburn
mass of curls spilling down her back. She was so incredibly beautiful and
strong, and Jack knew there was more between them now, at this moment, than
there had been since they'd shared a bed fifteen months ago. He brushed his
mouth back and forth over hers softly, and when some teenagers on skateboards
came flying around the curve of the stone walk, he scooped her out of their
path.
"Reckless kids," he muttered, then asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, my hero, I am," she said, smiling.
Jack's gaze prowled her features and something inside him seemed to fill and
fill, until the pressure in his chest ached. It left him stunned.
"Oh, dear, I think my shoe's a casualty, though."
Jack stared at her as she bent to pick up her maimed sandal. He took it, deemed
it salvageable enough for the walk to the car, then bending to his knee, he
slipped both shoes on her feet.
Melanie held his gaze, feeling the air charge with a current she couldn't name.
Didn't want to examine. "Come on, Sir Galahad," she whispered. "Let's go home."
He stood, grasping her hand and tucking it in the curve of his elbow. "Galahad
had pure thoughts, Melanie. I don't."
Laughing, they strolled toward home.
A few minutes later they stood on her porch, the door half-open.
"Do you want to come in for coffee?"
"No, if I come inside, I'll want more than coffee." His gaze raked her hotly.
"And more than one kiss."
"I see. Then I guess a nightcap is out of the question, huh?"
"Yes, it is," he growled, backing her up against the doorjamb. "Because I can
barely stand not having you, Melanie, but the next time I make love to you, I
want my ring on your finger and vows between us."
Before she could speak, he kissed her hard, closing his arms around her and
pulling her body flush against his so there was no doubt in her mind what he
meant, what he wanted.
Then he let her go, spun about and climbed into his car. He drove away, leaving
Melanie weak-kneed and wanting, and distrusting her own judgment.

Jack felt the change between them, the strength of the bond that went beyond the
child, but he kept it to himself. Melanie was a strong woman, but trusting a man
again scared the living daylights out of her. She deserved to be wary, and he
still wanted to pulverize the men who'd hurt her.
He glanced at the woman pushing the stroller beside him in the park. Did she
realize, as he had, that they'd fallen into a routine with each other? She might
sleep alone every night, but she knew he was there. Just as he couldn't forget
what it was like to wake up beside her, to feel her long legs and arms wrapping
him.
"That's not the look of a proud father," she said softly from beside him.
He smiled at the flush in her cheeks. "No Galahad here," he murmured, adding a
long velvety look over her body. It had become a joke between them, a message
only they understood. He'd kiss her or touch her, she'd warn him off and he'd
claim not to be Sir Galahad. Jack knew the only thing keeping them apart was her
distrust. He was trying to earn her trust, though he hadn't given her any reason
to distrust him. He was paying for some other man's crime, and while Jack wanted
to bide his time, he was running out of it too quickly.
They'd circled the park and were heading back to Melanie's place when she paused
near a bench to adjust the restraining strap of the stroller. An elderly woman
sitting there was feeding the ducks that lingered near the small pond.
"Oh, aren't you a pretty little thing!" she said to Juliana, and leaned out to
brush her fingers over the baby's hair.
Juliana gurgled and made bubbles for the woman.
"Thank you. We think so," Melanie said.
The woman looked up at Melanie. "She has your husband's eyes."
"Oh, we're not married," Melanie said without thinking, and instantly cursed her
thoughtlessness.
The woman blinked, first glaring at them, then offering the child a look of pure
pity that Melanie couldn't ignore.
"You poor dear," she cooed. "Raised a bastard because of selfish parents."
Jack stiffened and pulled the stroller well back from the old woman. "I see that
being inexcusably crass has nothing to do with age," he snapped.
Melanie looked between him and her child, fighting the welling of tears.
The woman sniffed, then huffed out an indignant breath. "Well, it's your own
fault, you know. I won't be the first—or the last to say it, either, young man.
You ought to be thinking of this innocent child and not yourselves. Since you
weren't thinking of her when you made her."
Melanie gasped, then grabbed the stroller and wheeled it away. Jack clenched his
fists at his side and being an officer and a gentleman, refrained from telling
the woman exactly what he thought of her.
He went after Melanie.
"Don't say anything," Melanie muttered without stopping.
"Melanie, honey, stop."
"Damn that old bat." On her front steps, Melanie burst into tears. "How could
she say that to my baby!"
Jack swept his arms around her. "Shh." He pressed his lips to the top of her
head and Melanie sobbed. Juliana chimed in. "Come on." He ushered his women into
the house.
Once inside, Melanie sat on the sofa and cuddled the baby. Juliana continued to
whimper.
"Melanie, hon, you're scaring Juliana."
"I know, I know. Help me, please." She handed the child to him and went to wash
her face. In the bathroom she sobbed with helpless anger, and when she came
back, he'd put the baby in her crib.
Melanie went to go check on her, but Jack stopped her. "She's fine."
She scowled. "Let me go."
"You're upset and she knows it. Come on, relax a little."
"I don't want to relax. I want to stay mad."
"Good, then let's talk about this." He urged her toward the sofa.
"We've done that." She plopped into the cushions.
"Have I asked you to marry me again? Have I reminded you that we should do this
for her and not us?"
Melanie felt battered by her own words and feelings. "No," she admitted, "you
haven't." She snatched up a pillow and plucked at the edges when she wanted to
punch that old woman. "But nothing has really changed, has it? We're not going
to see marriage in the same way. You see names on paper and I see lifetimes."
Jack felt her words sink into him like arrows. "What do you want, Melanie?" When
she remained silent, he took the pillow and forced her to look at him. "What do
you want?"
"I want a marriage like my parents have, where what they do, they do together.
And not just for the kids, but for themselves, because they loved each other
first." She swallowed hard. "I want to be loved because I'm me, Jack, not
because I'm Juliana's mother."
"But you are her mother, and that's not going to change."
A leaded feeling coated her heart just then. "And she's the reason you're still
here."
His features darkened. "Not true."
"And how would I ever know that for certain?"
"You won't. You just have to trust me."
She scoffed and pulled free. Jack felt helpless, watching her close the door
again and secret away the key just when he'd managed to find the lock.
"I think your being around is just making this harder on both of us, Jack."
"Maybe you're right."
She looked up, still as glass. His gaze locked with hers for a moment, then he
stood and headed to the door.
She rose and rounded the back of the couch. "Where are you going?"
At the door he stopped, his hand on the knob, his gaze clinging there. "I don't
know." He looked at her, wanting a magic wand to make things perfect and
realizing they never would be. "All I know right now is that I want you in my
life like there will be no tomorrow. I care about you and I love my daughter.
I'm sorry it's not enough. I was just trying to make things right for our baby."
"Jack."
"I'll see you later." He stepped out and closed the door.
Melanie stared at the door, a knot working up her throat as she sank slowly into
the nearest chair, stunned. What have I done? she thought. What now?
Outside the door Jack stopped, wanting badly to turn around and walk back
inside. To take Melanie into his arms and kiss her until she couldn't argue with
him anymore. He left the porch and climbed into his car, driving toward his
sister's place. Every mile he put between him and Melanie didn't help. But she
did have a point. She was the mother of his child and nothing would change that.
And Jack had to ask himself if that was all he wanted from Melanie. Their names
on a license? What did it mean, in the long run, to marry her for the sake of a
name? To keep old women like the one in the park quiet? He pulled into Lisa's
driveway and shut off the engine, sighing back into the seat. When had he
thought of marriage as just names? When had it come down to that between him and
Melanie? Jack knew why he wanted his daughter to have his name, but was he ready
to tell Melanie?
Me slammed out of the sports car, marching to the door and throwing it open.
Inside it was dark, and the loneliness that he'd lived with for years screamed
back at him. He'd handled it with a fair amount of ease in the past, but the
thought of getting a call that would take him away right now made his stomach
clench. He didn't have a normal job. He didn't have normal hours, for that
matter. It was get a call and go do the job. Up until now he hadn't been afraid
of dying, either. Now he was. Because Juliana needed him. Melanie didn't. She'd
proved she could handle anything on her own. It also meant that when he had to
leave, she could handle it all. He snorted to himself. Yeah, you act like you
matter, he thought.
If they married, she'd be a Navy wife, and she'd also have a ring on her finger
that would keep her from finding someone she could truly love. Oh, God, he
thought, dropping his head back against the closed door. The idea gouged his
heart. Deeply. Was he asking too much of Melanie to sacrifice her chances for
his need to give his daughter his name?

It was actually comforting to know that nothing would stop Jack from being with
his daughter. But then, loyalty was one of Jack's better qualities. He came
around when she wasn't home and left before she arrived. The completed play set
in the backyard wasn't the only reminder that he'd been in the house. He did the
laundry, cooked and then, like a magical partner disappeared. Diana had no
problem telling her how wonderful Jack was to the baby, but that, too, Melanie
didn't have to hear secondhand. It showed in Juliana, the way she looked around
for him.
And Melanie missed him, craved to look into his eyes, to see him here where she
could share with him. Oh, hell, she thought. She needed him, she wanted him, and
while she struggled with her feelings, it wasn't until she took her daughter to
the doctor for a follow-up appointment that Melanie got another cruel taste of
what Jack had been arguing about for the past weeks.
"You're single?" a nurse, new to the clinic, asked as Melanie settled the bill.
"Yes."
The nurse glanced at the baby, then at Melanie. "And the father's name?"
"Lieutenant Jack Singer. It's all right there in Juliana's record."
"You're not married to the father, so how can she have military TriCare
benefits?"
"You'll have to ask him that." All Melanie knew was that Jack had arranged it,
had been looking out for his daughter the only way she'd allowed him to.
"Illegitimate status might cause a problem, since the child isn't listed on his
service records."
Illegitimate.
It rang as harshly as bastard. Melanie felt her insides tense and she gripped
her daughter a little tighter. "Fine, put the visit on mine." She handed over
her own insurance card.
"Yes, ma'am." The nurse gave her a testy look, then quite plainly snubbed her
child.
Melanie snatched her card back and without waiting for a receipt, she left. Yet
for the first time she felt the stares. Not so much on her, but on her child. An
innocent baby who had nothing to do with the marital status of her parents.
Damn, Melanie thought as she drove home. Damn those people. If it was this bad
now, how bad would it be when Juliana was in school? When other kids picked up
things from their parents and called Juliana names? By the time Melanie arrived
home, she was on the verge of tears. Juliana fussed, sensing her mother's
turmoil. Melanie gave her a bottle and changed her for her nap, but she couldn't
help thinking of what it would be like years down the line. When kids would
talk. When people would be cruel. The decision came easily.

Eight

The knocking was frantic, and when Jack opened the door he didn't expect to see
Melanie. In tears. "My God, Melanie, what—"
"I'll many you."
"What?"
"I said I'll marry you. Right now. Today, tomorrow." She pushed her way inside
and he closed the door.
"Wait a second. What's going on? Is Juliana all right?"
Melanie swiped at her cheeks and nodded. "She's fine. She's with Diana."
Thank God. His heart slipped back from his throat to his chest. "Now sit down
and tell me what happened."
"I got another taste of someone just like that old woman in the park."
"I see."
"And it hurt." She clutched her throat, choking on her tears. "Oh, God, it hurt
and I wanted to hit something."
"I know what you mean."
She looked at him. "I've been selfish. I didn't see how my single status could
affect Juliana, and the last thing I want is to let anyone hurt my child."
Melanie fell apart again, filled with guilt and anger, and Jack came to her,
closing her in his arms. She gripped him and cried.
"It was awful. They looked at her like she was to blame. She's just a baby!"
Melanie moaned low in her throat. "I'm so ashamed of myself."
"Shh," he said. "It's all right."
"It's not all right, dammit. It's unfair."
"We'll make it right, for her, not for us."
Was it all really for the baby? Melanie wondered. Was that all Jack wanted? His
name after their baby's on a birth certificate? "It's what you've been saying
all along."
Her tone was so disheartening Jack asked, "Is marrying me so bad?"
She lifted her face to his. Her gaze slid over his features as she thought of
all he'd done, of the man he was. Melanie knew she'd already started the fall
into love the instant he walked back into her life. She'd tried to ignore it,
but it kept coming. He kept coming. It wasn't just that he was a great help or
that Juliana adored him, but that he was so willing to do right by both of them.
All three of them. Melanie knew his honor was at stake, his feelings for their
child laying the path. But what about his feelings for her? She understood all
too clearly that he wanted her in his bed, but in his life? Really in his life?
It would change so much for both of them, but Melanie couldn't see the future.
She didn't want to anticipate failure. In the past fifteen months she'd tried to
be practical. She'd tried to do what was best for herself and her baby. And what
she'd really done since he'd come home was protect herself and fail her child.
Juliana needed her father.
Melanie needed to be loved by him.
Because she was already falling deeply in love with Jack. Was she willing to
risk her heart being broken again? Then she thought of her daughter, that one
ugly look from the nurse that Melanie would have done anything to shield from
Juliana.
"What are you thinking?" he whispered softly. "I can see those gears grinding in
your head."
Her lips curved gently. "No, you can't."
"You're trying to talk yourself out of marrying me."
"No, I'm trying to figure out why you would want to give up your freedom for
us."
"I love Juliana."
"Of that I have no doubt. But what about you and me, Jack?"
He sighed. "You know how I feel about you."
"I know how your libido does, but what about you?"
Jack straggled with his words, with whether or not she was ready to hear what he
had to say. And whether he understood it himself. He'd spent half the night
trying to gather his feelings into a neat package and failed. "I…I don't know."
She stiffened.
"Can you say the same thing?" He felt his breath snag in his lungs.
"No, I can't. My feelings are jumbled and Lord knows I've tried to piece them
together since you came back." She pushed out of his arms and dug in her purse
for a tissue, then tossed the handbag on a chair. "I care about you a great
deal, Jack." Well, that was cautious, she thought. "And I know it's not because
of Juliana, since we've been living without you for a while." She looked at him.
"But you haven't. You came into a ready-made family."
"Yeah, so?"
"Come on, it's not that easy."
"No, it wasn't. It was a shock. But all I had to do was take one look at my
little girl and I was lost. And her mother still does crazy things to me."
"I'll never know if you care for me because of her or for myself."
"You'll have to trust my word."
She couldn't quite bring herself to do that. Not yet. And if he shouted to the
heavens that he loved her, she wouldn't believe him, anyway. There was still a
huge part of her that didn't trust a man to tell the truth and mean it. She'd
thought the other men in her past were decent men, good men, up until they
betrayed her. Or was she just not seeing them for what they were at the time?
Was she blinded by her love? Granted, they hadn't been in a tough situation like
the one she and Jack were in now, and the gloves were off with her and Jack.
There were no claims of undying love to sway her.
Oh, but she remembered her heartbreak when she'd learned the truth about each of
her fiances. Keeping herself at arm's length wasn't a bad thing, but Jack
wouldn't stand for that. Despite his desire to commit himself to her and their
child, was he ready for what Melanie wanted from him?
When she remained silent, staring at him with that odd look in her eyes, Jack's
heart folded over itself. "You have good reason not to trust men, honey. But I
haven't done the things those others have. I'm not leaving and I'm not looking
elsewhere, either."
"And if you did find someone else?" Saying it out loud stung her.
"I don't want anyone else."
"Because I'm the mother of your child."
"No, because you're the woman I want."
Melanie felt as if an arrow landed right in her heart. For a moment right then,
she believed him. She smiled.
He returned it, then his expression sobered. "I will never betray you, Melanie.
Never."
She stared, wanting to trust his words. Wanting to just believe him.
"You'll let me know when you trust me, right?" he said, and she blinked.
How could the man read her like that? It was irritating and a little comforting.
"Yes, I will." At least he'd accepted the fact that right now, she was
borderline.
Jack took several measured steps toward her, watching her eyes flare as he
approached. He grabbed her close and kissed her, leaving nothing hidden, nothing
undone. And she came apart in his arms, her fingers driving into his hair, her
body meshed with his and yielding for him.
"Marry me, Melanie."
"Yes," she breathed.
"Just so you know," he said against her mouth, "I plan to be a husband in every
way."
Her heart skipped to her throat. "Oh, goody."
He laughed and kissed her again, and his hands found their way beneath her
blouse, to her skin. She flinched with the sweet contact. She could barely stand
when he touched her, and he dropped into a padded chair, pulling her onto his
lap.
He spent several minutes working his magic on her, and when her hand slid down
to the bulge in his jeans, Jack groaned and set her on her feet.
She blinked, breathing hard.
He strained as he stood. "I need to call someone."
"Excuse me?"
He smiled patiently and cupped her face in his palms. "I told you, baby, when I
made love to you again there would be vows between us."
She slid her hands up his chest, smoothing her thumbs over his nipples and
listening to his breath hiss out through his teeth. "Get a move on it, sailor."

Two days later, with Lisa at her side, Melanie promised herself to Lt. Jack
Singer. He'd managed miracles for this moment. The small chapel was filled with
flowers, a couple of his teammates were sitting in the pews, and her parents,
much to her surprise, were there. While Melanie's mother sobbed quietly,
Jack's mother sat with Lisa's husband, Brian, all three grinning foolishly.
Beside Jack, SEAL team leader Lt. Commander Reese Logan stood as Jack's best
man, not showing a shred of emotion. It made Melanie see the differences between
Jack and his teammates. They were reclusive and almost cold, especially Reese.
But Jack, she thought, was an entirely different man. And right now, he couldn't
stop smiling.
In dress whites, he listened to the chaplain, but his eyes were on her. She felt
them coat her like warm syrup, touch her in places she didn't know still had
life. And when Jack said "I do" and slid the most incredible ring on her finger,
Melanie struggled to breathe. Then she gaped at the diamonds.
"This is forever," he whispered. "All of this." And at the chaplain's command,
he kissed her.
Married.
Melanie expected her head to scream What have you done? yet her heart was
shouting Oh, yes as Jack dipped her back and kissed her like a lusty groom.
They parted, smiling at each other until his teammates muscled their way between
them to slap Jack on the back and offer congratulations. Melanie hugged her
parents, yet her gaze stayed on Jack. Despite the small crowd around him, he was
also looking at her, and she felt cherished and desired. It made her heart
stumble, yet she didn't have time to think as his teammates converged on her. It
had to be illegal to have so many good-looking men in one place, she thought, as
a SEAL hugged her.
Jack stood back as his teammates kissed his wife, glaring at the youngest member
who took full liberty and a little too long in letting Melanie go.
Reese was at his side. "She's beautiful, Jack."
"Yeah, I know."
"Does she know what she's getting into being married to one of the teams?''
Jack frowned, then smiled. "She married me, Reese, not the SEALs."
"You know what I'm talking about."
"Yes, I do. And Melanie's been doing fine on her own, so she can handle military
life." Jack glanced at his buddy. "Is that why you've never taken the plunge?
Because you don't think there's a woman out there who can handle the
need-to-know factor?"
"It has its drawbacks," was all Reese would say.
Jack knew there was more behind that statement, but he wasn't going to pry right
now.
"Well, not every service member is single, Reese. Think about it," Jack said,
then headed toward his wife.
Wife.
It stopped him in his tracks, and he was filled with waves of pride and
something else he wasn't ready to name. Melanie was leaning down to comfort her
mother, who couldn't seem to stop crying with happiness. Jack's gaze slid over
his bride, her lush body wrapped in a slim-fitting satin gown of the palest
lavender. While the top portion was a simple tank style with thin beaded straps,
the skirt hit the floor and fishtailed in the back. It was the sexiest wedding
dress he'd ever seen, and it showed off her curves to maximum effect. All he
wanted to do was push everyone aside and explore each of those curves.
Being in a chapel and surrounded by friends quashed that idea, and he moved up
beside her, wrapping his arm around her.
Melanie stiffened for a second, unaccustomed to him touching her so freely after
keeping him mostly at arm's length for the past weeks. As if he sensed it, he
rubbed her spine and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Come on, let's feed these people, get them all drunk and slip away."
She tipped her head to look at him, her lips twitching. "Sir Galahad, you've
planned for everything."
He grinned. "Just looking out for every contingency." She smiled and he
whispered for her ears alone, "You look more beautiful than I've ever seen you,
Mel."
"I feel that way." She touched the side of his face, ignoring the camera flashes
and the people around them. "Thank you for all this."
His gaze raked her ruthlessly. "I won't let you down."
"I know."
The two words were the start of the trust Jack needed, and he kissed her gently.
But it wasn't him she was worried about, she thought as they left the chapel and
headed to the officers' club. What if she let him down?

Melanie sipped champagne and stared out over the wide river. She was amazingly
content. Though this was the first time she'd been parted from her child
overnight, her parents were having fun with their grandchild, and Jack's mother
was planning to join them in the morning for an outing. Yet with the knowledge
that she wasn't alone anymore, the anxiety she'd carried for some time slipped
off her in waves with each passing moment. Somewhere behind her in the suite,
Jack was tipping the bellman for room service. She'd known he'd go all out. The
ceremony spoke for itself, and she didn't question how he managed to get all
those people together so quickly. That was Jack. He made things happen. She
smiled to herself and took another sip of champagne. The slap of water against
the seawall seemed to match the occasional glitter and pulse of the stars in the
blanket of night. She pulled the combs from her hair and shook it out, tossing
the combs aside and letting the warm breeze sweep over her.
She felt Jack come up behind her, her senses tuning into him like radar. She
leaned on the balcony rail. "I'd forgotten how beautiful it was in this town."
"For the first time since I arrived you look peaceful."
She glanced at him as he moved up beside her, his uniform jacket already
discarded somewhere in the suite. The white T-shirt stretched tight over his
muscles.
"I am." She stared at her goblet for a moment, then looked out over the moonlit
water. The trees sighed with the breeze, Spanish moss dancing like a lacy hem
beneath a skirt of branches.
"I'm a little relieved, too."
"How so?" He sipped his drink, then put it aside, resting his forearms on the
rail and folding his hands—mostly to keep them off her when he wanted badly to
touch her.
"I didn't really want to be a single mom, Jack."
His brows shot up.
"I thought I did. But when you showed up and bullied your way into my house—''
he smiled at that "—I realized how much Juliana was missing. How much my life
was a bit—" she shrugged "—empty."
Her confession fueled the idea that she'd done this for more than their
daughter. "It looked pretty busy to me," Jack said.
Melanie ran her finger around the rim of the goblet. "I want you to know that if
you find someone else and want out, I'll understand."
"I won't."