A bouquet of mixed flowers waited for her on her
doorstep when she got home that evening. She inhaled the rich
fragrance deeply as she brought the floral arrangement inside
the house.
The card only had one word on it. Mitawin. Tempest
smiled and placed the flowers on the kitchen counter. She was
putting her leftovers in the refrigerator when the front door
opened and Dakota entered. He sent her a small smile before
heading off to his room. He’d gotten a second job and was just
getting home from it. So now he would nap so he was more
awake for working at the bar when he came in late.
She unhooked her cell from her belt and dialed a
number.
“Make up your mind, mitawin?” Maverick’s deep voice
asked by way of hello.
“Thank you for the flowers,” she said. She reached for a
beer before it stopping and grabbing the pitcher of lemonade
instead.
“How are you doing?”
How was she doing? “I’m okay. I wanted to talk to you
about something.”
“When does your plane arrive?”
She chuckled. “Not what I wanted to talk to you about. I
was thinking about that money you made me take.”
A low growl flowed across the line. “That money is not
up for negotiation, Tempest.”
“Just hear me out, James.”
He grunted at her reprimand but remained silent.
Swiftly and succinctly she explained what her idea was.
He listened, only asking a few questions here and there. When
she hung up the phone, there was a satisfied smile on her face.
The money would be used for Dakota and Shelia and
their baby. The couple had decided to get married and was
going to have a small ceremony in a few weeks. Tempest had
also asked Maverick to be there for that as well.
As she slid her exhausted body into bed, there was a
smile on her face. Honestly, she hadn’t any reason why she
asked for a week. She loved him. She wanted to be with him.
There was nothing else that was a factor. Her son was a grown
man. It was time for her to live her life for her.
Two days later, she was making a call as she
halfheartedly listened to Shelia complain to Dakota about
feeling sick all the time.
“Hello, Tempest,” the voice said.
“Hi, Xaria. I have a favor to ask.”
“Of course, hon. What can I do for you?”
Tempest told her what she needed. Xaria agreed and
when they hung up the phone, Tempest felt elated. Soon, very
soon, she would be with Maverick again.
_
Maverick stood by the range and watched the men
firing. The pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air. He loved
it.
Inside, however, was a different story. The clock was
ticking down to when Tempest would give him her decision.
He’d already gone to Scott and told him he might be resigning
his commission.
His friend and commanding officer had never blinked,
just nodded and said he understood. The Team would miss
him. Immensely.
He watched Dimitri and Osten joke with one another
while placing bets on Tyson and Ernst. He loved these guys.
His family. He would miss them just as much if he had to go.
“You know we’re having a dinner at the house, right?”
Scott’s voice broke into his musings.
“Huh?”
“Dinner. With everyone. My house. Tonight. Don’t be
late. Seventeen hundred.” The man turned his attention back to
the range before them.
Maverick didn’t respond. It wasn’t necessary. He only
had to show up in time for dinner.
He showered at his place and got ready to leave for
dinner, trying to imagine what he would do out of the Navy.
He could be a cop. His shoulders slumped as the real
possibility of never doing things that made his blood race
again. He would, however, give it all up to be with Tempest. It
would just take a while to get used to it.
Maverick was the last to arrive at Scott and Lex’s house.
He parked his bike and jogged up to the door.
“Hey, Mav, come on in,” Scott said and handed him a
beer. “Lex is just a bit behind with dinner.”
“Well, if you’d help, maybe we’d be able to eat on time,”
her voice snapped.
Maverick just smiled and kissed Lex on the cheek as she
breezed by with a child on her hip. “Anytime you get tired of
him, Lex, you know where to find me.”
She winked as she yelled over her shoulder, “I may just
keep that in mind.”
He said hi to everyone else and didn’t understand why
they were all watching him with smiles on their faces. “Okay,
guys. What’s up? Why is everyone looking at me like I’m
crazy.”
“We just want to see your face,” Osten piped up.
“When?” he asked. “Some horrid thing you have
planned for me?”
Landi stood up and the rest of the women followed suit.
“Horrid?” she said. “Not hardly. Now, if y’all will excuse us,
we’re going to help Lex.”
The men continued their conversation after the women
had left even though they still kept watching Maverick.
“You are giving me a complex. What the hell is going on
here?”
“We just wanted to see your face,” Dimitri repeated, like
it would make everything so clear.
“Wanted to see my face when what?” Maverick asked,
exasperated.
All seven men looked toward the kitchen. Maverick
followed their line of sight and stared hard at the vision before
him. In the middle of the women stood Tempest.
She wore a pair of khakis and a nice, black, ribbed shirt.
White canvas shoes were on her feet. Her thick hair fell about
her face in a gentle wave.
“When you saw who was having dinner with us,”
Tyson’s voice finally clarified.
Maverick ignored everything but the woman who
haunted his every move. He strode toward her, unhesitant,
gathered her into his arms, and pressed their lips together.
Her arms wound around his neck as her mouth met his
with the same passion his had. She whimpered into his mouth
and he had to force himself to pull away.
Big eyes shimmering with tears stared up at him. “Hello,
James,” she said on a whisper. “I missed you.”
He caressed her cheek with one hand. “I missed you,
too, mitawin. When did you get here? Why didn’t you call me?”
“It’s called a surprise, James,” she admonished lightly.
“And I couldn’t have asked for a better one.”
“I choose you. I want to be with you. And I want you to
continue doing what you love as well.”
His heart skipped a few beats. She was staying here? He
was still going to be a SEAL? “Are you sure?”
Tempest smiled and all his doubts fell away. “Yes.
Absolutely. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”
He kissed her again, hot and hard, until he heard people
clearing their throats. She buried
her face into his chest as wolf
whistles broke out.
“Let’s get some dinner. There are little kids around
here,” Tyson said, laughing and leading everyone outside.
Soon they were all eating. Maverick couldn’t believe it.
Tempest was with him. Beside him. He was touching her. She
was marrying him.
He handed her a bottle of beer. “Here you go.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no, I can’t.”
“I thought you liked beer.”
She worried her lower lip. “I do. But I can’t drink.”
“Why not?”
Maverick noticed how she looked at the women at the
table before she met his gaze. He could read the tension on her
face.
“I’m pregnant.”
He dropped the bottle of beer. The fact people had
jumped up around him and were trying to clean it up escaped
him.
“What?” he gasped.
“I’m pregnant. By the doctor’s estimation, it was from
the cabin.”
Looking at the others who were listening avidly,
Maverick stood up and took her over to the swing set and sat
her on a swing. Leaning over her, he asked, “You’re pregnant?
Pregnant?”
“Yes.”
A warm whisper of wind flowed over his skin. He
smiled as he knelt in the sand before her. “I’m gonna be a
daddy?”
His heart melted as she cupped his cheek. “You’re
gonna be a daddy.”
Standing in a smooth motion, Maverick pulled her into
his arms and walked toward the table.
“Thanks for dinner, but I’m taking this woman home.
I’m going to be a daddy.”
Maverick left to cheers and congratulations from
everyone there.
Epilogue
The ride back to his place was done in a very short time.
Maverick carried Tempest into his apartment. She snuggled
against him, not keeping any space between them. He loved it.
Placing her on the couch, he said, “I thought you couldn’t get
pregnant.”
“That’s what I’d been told. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you
earlier, but I had to make sure it wasn’t a hoax.”
He settled a hand over her belly. “Are you okay? Feeling
sick?”
“I’m fine. Shelia has worse morning sickness than I do.
I’m just a bit more tired.” She laced their fingers together. “Are
you upset?”
“Not in the slightest. I get you and a baby. Mitawin, I’m
the happiest man in the world.”
Tempest crawled onto his lap. “And I’m the happiest
woman. I love you, James Chayton Lonetree. Will you tell me
what you keep calling me?”
Her eyes softened. “You’ve been calling me ‘wife’ all this
time?”
“Yes. I knew where you belonged. I just had to wait for
you to realize it.”
“You knew?” She arched a brow. “How so?”
“My grandfather told me so.” He leaned in and kissed
her. “I love you, Tempest Independence Burnell.”
“Take me to bed, Navy man.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He carried her to his room and smiled as her clothes fell
to the floor.
Later as she lay curled against his chest, Maverick stared
off into the dark of his room. Come morning, he would get her
a ring and begin looking for a house.
Dakota would be renting out the house in New Mexico
and Mili would be taking over the bar. Tempest wanted to be a
stay-at-home mother. Maverick was willing to move heaven
and earth to get her what she wanted.
One year later…
Maverick stood with Hondo by the grill. Everyone had
met at Scott’s house for a barbeque cookout.
“It’s a good life,” Scott said, appearing by their sides.
“None better,” Maverick agreed. One by one, the rest of
the Team showed up near the grill. The eight men looked at
their wives as they watched over the children and chatted
amongst themselves.
Maverick’s eyes lingered over the pink bundle Tempest
held. He had a daughter. Angela “Angel” Hope Lonetree. It
had been his baby after all in the dream. Dakota and Shelia had
a son.
As if she felt his eyes on her, Tempest looked over at
him and smiled gently. He winked and blew her a kiss. It
couldn’t get any better than this. The best friends anyone could
ever ask for. A powerfully knit family. A loving wife. A small,
baby girl. A grandson.
“You know that smile won’t be on your face when Angel
starts having boyfriends,” Dimitri told him.
“Over my dead body,” Maverick growled fiercely.
The men just laughed. They all felt the same. None of
their daughters would date.
That night, Maverick stood over Tempest as she slept,
something he did more often than not. The gentle streams of
moonlight fell across her skin. He loved her so much it hurt.
He belonged to her and she to him. It was how things
were supposed to be. After all, she was…
Chayton’s Tempest
About the Author
Aliyah Burke loves to read and write. She loves to hear from
her readers and can be reached at aliyah@aliyah-burke.com ,
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Aliyah is married to a career military man. They have a
German Shepherd, a Borzoi, and a DSH cat. Her days are spent
splitting her time between work, writing, and dog training and
showing.