The nurse smiled. “Your husband said that was going to be the first question you asked and I’m to tell you the children are fine.”
Ceci sank back into the pillows, relief taking over. It didn’t matter how badly hurt she was as long as the children were safe. She’d heal. But to lose those babies… That would be too much pain to bear.
“Now that you know, just sleep. Everything is going to be fine.”
She smiled, and then remembered the word the woman had used. “Husband?”
“Well husband-to-be. If that little bit of difference matters.” Brett spoke from the other side of the nurse. His footsteps were strong as he approached. “But in order to discuss that concept you have to go back to sleep so you can heal.”
“Already getting bossy, pushing me around,” she grumbled. But there was a smile on her face. Husband. Now that had a nice ring to it. She closed her eyes and slept.
When she woke up the second time it was to find Mikka sitting in the chair beside her. She lay quietly for a moment studying Brett’s mother. The woman had a remarkable capacity for patience and love, but could be irritating as hell. And she loved Brett.
“I know you’re awake. I’m glad to see it. I would not want to be dealing with my son if something bad happened to you.”
Ceci smiled. “Brett’s a very special man.” Her body ached and she didn’t want to move. But this conversation was a little unnerving. The relationship with Brett was too new to analyze, to even understand.
“Not only is he a special man, but he is completely devoted to you. And I’m here to tell you that if you hurt my boy again…” She let her voice trail off.
Ceci stretched out a hand, happy when Mikka reached forward and grasped it in her own.
She couldn’t open her eyes but she could reassure the woman. “I’ve always loved Brett. I went a little haywire after my miscarriage. I don’t really understand what happened to me, but all I can say is life is finally back on the right track. I love him. I always have.”
Her fingers were squeezed, her hand dropped. She sank back down into the pain filled haze until a warm set of lips landed on her cheek.
Brett’s voice whispered in her ear, “I always believed that you still loved me.”
She opened her eyes.
He smiled down at her. “Even when you were with Jimmy I always knew you cared. It tormented me for years until I realized you had to sort yourself out. Now you’re home, back where you belong.”
She reached up a hand and stroked the side of his beloved face. “Only I don’t come alone anymore.” She needed him to understand. “Jimmy and Jennifer need a father who will love them too. Who will keep them close and treat them as his own.”
He sat down on the bed beside her and smiled. “Personally, I think all of our hearts have been through the ringer and maybe now we can settle down and become a family.”
She studied him. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course. We can’t keep this up,” he whispered. “We love each other and always have. Waiting for you to find your way home was hard, but now you’re here. Of course I want Jimmy and Jennifer. I already love them. And if possible, I’d like to have more.”
She smiled and a gentle glowing warmth from inside spread throughout her body and soul. “I’d like that,” she whispered. “I always wanted a big family.”
“Good. Then we’re going to have to make it official. I don’t want to lose you again.”
She chuckled. “I promise. I’ll be at your side forever. As long as you want to keep me there.”
A snicker from the hall surprised her. She swiveled her head to see the doorway full with a half dozen dangerous looking men lounging in the small space.
“What’s so funny?”
Mason smiled. “We have a tradition. Once one of us finds a woman he wants, he needs to decide if he is keeping her or not.”
She frowned, not sure where this was going, or if she’d like it.
Brett groaned and said, “Don’t listen to them.”
She reached out a hand to him. “Shush.”
He turned to glare at the grinning men. Swede took a half step forward. “The thing is, we all have the right woman in our lives. We were hoping Brett would find someone too.”
Ceci studied his face. “Go back to Mason’s comment earlier. What happens if the man doesn’t want to keep the woman?”
They grinned.
“No idea,” Swede admitted. “Because SEALs aren’t known to be stupid and so far, each and every man has kept the woman of his heart and not given the others a chance to woo her away.”
“And it’s no different this time,” Brett snapped, glaring at them. “Go away, will you?”
“Nope, not until we hear it.”
She chuckled at the discomfort on Brett’s face. “You know something… I think I want to hear it too.”
He snorted. “Like that’s going to happen. Not with an audience.”
At the doorway there was a commotion as Shadow stepped into the room, both Jimmy and Jennifer in his arms.
“Mommy!” Jimmy cried, trying to dive for her.
Jennifer bubbled up with joy.
Her eyes misty, she reached out to hug them with one arm. When she could speak, Jimmy beat her to it. “Mommy, can we keep Brett?”
Speechless, aware of the sudden silence in the room, she asked her son, “What do you mean?”
“He’s been with us a lot. I like him. Can we keep him? Can we?” he added craftily, puffing out his chest. “Jennifer needs a father.”
Brett ginned and gave him a tiny shove on the shoulder. “And you champ? Do you need a father?”
Jimmy looked him in the eye and said, “I want a father…”
Brett opened his arms. “In that case, maybe I will do.”
Jimmy fell into his arms. Then turned to look at Ceci on the bed. “Mommy?”
And she knew what he was asking. “Yes, we can keep him.”
“Forever?” Jimmy asked cautiously with the wisdom of someone who already knew some things didn’t always last.
“Yes,” she said, tears running down her cheeks and to the cheers of everyone else in the room, she added, “We’ll keep him forever.”
This concludes Book 11 of SEALs of Honor: Brett.
Book 12 is available here.
Devlin: SEALs of Honor, Book 12
Buy this book at Amazon.
SEALs of Honor Series
Mason: SEALs of Honor, Book 1
Hawk: SEALs of Honor, Book 2
Dane: SEALs of Honor, Book 3
Swede: SEALs of Honor, Book 4
Shadow: SEALs of Honor, Book 5
Cooper: SEALs of Honor, Book 6
Markus: SEALs of Honor, Book 7
Evan: SEALs of Honor, Book 8
Mason’s Wish: SEALs of Honor, Book 9
Chase: SEALs of Honor, Book 10
Brett: SEALs of Honor, Book 11
Devlin: SEALs of Honor, Book 12
SEALs of Honor, Books 1–3
SEALs of Honor, Books 4–6
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Brett: SEALs of Honor, Book 11! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.
Dear reader,
I love to hear from readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter. And if you are interested in joining Dale Mayer’s Fan Club, here is the Facebook sign up page.
Cheers,
Dale Mayer
Heroes for Hire
Welcome to the first 3 books in Heroes for Hire reconnecting readers with the unforgettable men from SEALs of Honor in a new series of action packed, page turning romantic suspense that fans have come to expect from USA TODAY Bestselling author Dale Mayer.
Levi’s Legend: Heroes for Hire, Book 1
Buy this book at Amazon.
Stone’s Surrender: Heroes for Hire, Book 2
Buy this book at Amazon.
Merk’s Mistake: Heroes for Hire, Book 3
Buy this book at Amazon.
Heroes for Hire Series
Levi’s Legend: Heroes for Hire, Book 1
Stone’s Surrender: Heroes for Hire, Book 2
Merk’s Mistake: Heroes for Hire, Book 3
COMPLIMENTARY DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD a complimentary copy of TUESDAY’S CHILD? Just tell me where to send it!
Touched by Death
Adult RS/thriller
Get this book at Amazon.
Death had touched anthropologist Jade Hansen in Haiti once before, costing her an unborn child and perhaps her very sanity.
A year later, determined to face her own issues, she returns to Haiti with a mortuary team to recover the bodies of an American family from a mass grave. Visiting his brother after the quake, independent contractor Dane Carter puts his life on hold to help the sleepy town of Jacmel rebuild. But he finds it hard to like his brother’s pregnant wife or her family. He wants to go home, until he meets Jade – and realizes what’s missing in his own life. When the mortuary team begins work, it’s as if malevolence has been released from the earth. Instead of laying her ghosts to rest, Jade finds herself confronting death and terror again.
And the man who unexpectedly awakens her heart – is right in the middle of it all.
By Death Series
Touched by Death – Part 1 – FREE
Touched by Death – Part 2
Touched by Death – Parts 1&2
Haunted by Death
Chilled by Death
By Death Books 1–3
Vampire in Denial
This is book 1 of the Family Blood Ties Saga
Get this book at Amazon.
Blood doesn’t just make her who she is…it also makes her what she is.
Like being a sixteen-year-old vampire isn’t hard enough, Tessa’s throwback human genes make her an outcast among her relatives. But try as she might, she can’t get a handle on the vampire lifestyle and all the…blood.
Turning her back on the vamp world, she embraces the human teenage lifestyle—high school, peer pressure and finding a boyfriend. Jared manages to stir something in her blood. He’s smart and fun and oh, so cute. But Tessa’s dream of a having the perfect boyfriend turns into a nightmare when vampires attack the movie theatre and kidnap her date.
Once again, Tessa finds herself torn between the human world and the vampire one. Will blood own out? Can she make peace with who she is as well as what?
Warning: This book ends with a cliffhanger! Book 2 picks up where this book ends.
Family Blood Ties Series
Vampire in Denial – FREE
Vampire in Distress
Vampire in Design
Vampire in Deceit
Vampire in Defiance
Vampire in Conflict
Vampire in Chaos
Vampire in Crisis
Vampire in Control
Vampire in Charge
Family Blood Ties Set 1–3
Family Blood Ties Set 1–5
Family Blood Ties Set 4–6
Family Blood Ties Set 7–9
Sian’s Solution – A Family Blood Ties Short Story
Broken Protocols
Get this book at Amazon.
Dani’s been through a year of hell…
Just as it’s getting better, she’s tossed forward through time with her orange Persian cat, Charmin Marvin, clutched in her arms. They’re dropped into a few centuries into the future. There’s nothing she can do to stop it, and it’s impossible to go back.
And then it gets worse…
A year of government regulation is easing, and Levi Blackburn is feeling back in control. If he can keep his reckless brother in check, everything will be perfect. But while he’s been protecting Milo from the government, Milo’s been busy working on a present for him…
The present is Dani, only she comes with a snarky cat who suddenly starts talking…and doesn’t know when to shut up.
In an age where breaking protocols have severe consequences, things go wrong, putting them all in danger…
Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy Series
Broken Protocols
Broken Protocols 2
Broken Protocols 3
Broken Protocols 3.5
Broken Protocols 1-3
About the Author
Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).
She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!
To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.
Connect with Dale Mayer Online
Dale’s Website – www.dalemayer.com
Twitter – @DaleMayer
Facebook – facebook.com/DaleMayer.author
Also by Dale Mayer
Published Adult Books:
Psychic Vision Series
Tuesday’s Child – FREE
Hide’n Go Seek
Maddy’s Floor
Garden of Sorrow
Knock, Knock…
Rare Find
Eyes to the Soul
Now You See Her
Shattered
Into the Abyss
Seeds of Malice
Eye of the Falcon
Psychic Visions Books 1–3
Psychic Visions Books 4–6
Psychic Visions Books 7–9
By Death Series
Touched by Death – Part 1 – FREE
Touched by Death – Part 2
Touched by Death – Parts 1&2
Haunted by Death
Chilled by Death
By Death Books 1–3
Second Chances…at Love Series
Second Chances – Part 1 – FREE
Second Chances – Part 2
Second Chances – complete book (Parts 1 & 2)
Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy Series
Broken Protocols
Broken Protocols 2
Broken Protocols 3
Broken Protocols 3.5
Broken Protocols 1-3
Broken and… Mending
Skin
Scars
Scales (of Justice)
Broken but… Mending 1-3
Glory
Genesis
Tori
Celeste
Glory Trilogy
Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 1
Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 2
Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 3
Biker Baby Blues: Morgan, Part 4
Biker Blues: Morgan, Full Set
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 1
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 2
Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 3
Biker Blues: Salvation, Full Set
SEALs of Honor
Mason: SEALs of Honor, Book 1
Hawk: SEALs of Honor, Book 2
Dane: SEALs of Honor, Book 3
Swede: SEALs of Honor, Book 4
Shadow: SEALs of Honor, Book 5
Cooper: SEALs of Honor, Book 6
Markus: SEALs of Honor, Book 7
Evan: SEALs of Honor, Book 8
Mason’s Wish: SEALs of Honor, Book 9
Chase: SEALs of Honor, Book 10
Brett: SEALs of Honor, Book 11
Devlin: SEALs of Honor, Book 12
SEALs of Honor, Books 1–3
SEALs of Honor, Books 4–6
Heroes for Hire
Levi’s Legend: Heroes for Hire, Book 1
Stone’s Surrender: Heroes for Hire, Book 2
Merk’s Mistake: Heroes for Hire, Book 3
Collections
Dare to Be You…
Dare to Love…
Dare to be Strong…
RomanceX3
Standalone Novellas
It’s a Dog’s Life
Riana’s Revenge
Published Young Adult Books:
Family Blood Ties Series
Vampire in Denial – FREE
Vampire in Distress
Vampire in Design
Vampire in Deceit
Vampire in Defiance
Vampire in Conflict
Vampire in Chaos
Vampire in Crisis
Vampire in Control
Vampire in Charge
Family Blood Ties Set 1–3
Family Blood Ties Set 1–5
Family Blood Ties Set 4–6
Family Blood Ties Set 7–9
Sian’s Solution – A Family Blood Ties Short Story
Design series
Dangerous Designs – FREE
Deadly Designs
Darkest Designs
Design Series Trilogy
Standalone
In Cassie’s Corner
Gem Stone (a Gemma Stone Mystery)
Time Thieves