He leaned closer, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you,” he uttered, his gaze lingering on her lips.
Ribbons of desire swirled through her stomach, making her forget her irritation for a moment. “Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll go in, but I’m telling you right now that I refuse to take care of Nemo when you go out of town.”
He laughed, shaking his head.
Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse. “Hello?”
“Hello? Is this Addie Spencer?” a male voice asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“This is Frank Steinway.”
“Mr. Steinway. Hello.”
“I’m calling about your bracelet.”
“Yes.”
“I just got it back from my nephew in Brooklyn. He was able to repair it for you.”
“Oh, thank you.” She didn’t want anything further to do with Jordan’s mother’s jewelry. Still, she’d asked Mr. Steinway to do a job and was obligated to pay him for his service.
“It’s the darnedest thing. The clasp wasn’t working properly because there was some sort of chip wedged into it.”
Addie stiffened, looking at Maddox.
“What?” he asked.
She put Mr. Steinway on speaker. “Are you there?”
“Uh, yes.”
“What were you saying about a chip being in the clasp of the bracelet?” Addie asked.
Maddox’s eyes widened.
“My nephew discovered it. It’s so tiny, he didn’t know what it was at first.”
Addie’s pulse increased. “Do you have the chip?”
“Yes, it’s here. My nephew thought it might be important, so he sent it back with the bracelet.”
She put a hand to her chest. “I’ll be there shortly to pick it up. Thank you, Mr. Steinway.”
“My pleasure,” he said, ending the call.
Her mind raced as she turned to Maddox. “Do you think the chip contains the formula for PZT?”
Maddox shook his head, an ironic grin curving his lips. “When the rest of the jewelry came up clean, it seemed highly unlikely that the bracelet would contain anything.”
“Obviously, the odds were better than we thought,” Addie chuckled.
He searched her face. “What do you want to do, if it is the formula?”
“I dunno. Maybe get it to someone who can work the bugs out of it?”
Maddox looked thoughtful. “Or sell it to someone like Barrett Medical for a pretty penny.”
“No way would I sell it,” she countered, giving him a sharp look. “As far as I’m concerned, it would be blood money.” Her brows bunched as she glared at Maddox, hardly believing he’d suggest such a thing.
“I don’t mean keep the profits. You could stipulate that the proceeds go to help patients with Alzheimer’s.”
A few minutes later, he pulled back. “All right. Are you ready to go inside the pet store?”
She made a face. “Now? But we need to get to the jewelry store,” she argued.
“All in good time,” he drawled. “Don’t you dare open that door,” he said as he jogged around and got the door for her.
“My Southern gentleman,” she chimed, giving him a doting look. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
When they stepped inside the store, the teenage girl behind the counter smiled broadly in recognition. “Hello, Mr. Easton. I have your package ready for you.”
Addie gave him a dubious look. “Package?” The last time she’d heard the word package it had a bad connotation. Sutton’s men had referred to the kidnapper as the package they were to pick up.
“I’ll be right back,” the girl said.
Addie looked at Maddox who had a Cheshire Cat grin on his face. “What’re you up to?”
Light danced in his eyes like sunlight sparkling over azure water.
The girl returned a minute later, holding a crate wrapped in a large, red bow. Addie peered inside the crate, surprised to see a cream ball of fur sitting in the middle. She laughed in surprise. “You got me a puppy?”
“Us a puppy,” he corrected. He took the crate from the girl and placed it on the floor. He opened the door and pulled out the puppy, cradling it in his arms. The sight of Maddox holding such a cute and cuddly puppy caused her heart to melt. She rubbed the puppy’s head, his fur feeling soft against her skin. “He’s a golden retriever.”
“Yep,” Maddox said proudly.
A smile curved Addie’s lips. “Much better than a fish.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” the girl said. “Here are your instructions.” She flashed a large smile as she handed Addie a small, white envelope.
Addie shook her head. “Instructions?”
“For the puppy,” the girl answered.
“Go ahead,” Maddox prompted, “open it.”
“Okay.” Addie felt like she was missing something. She ripped open the envelope and pulled out a card. She drew in a sudden breath, tears filling her eyes as she read the words.
Make me the happiest man on earth. Marry me.
She looked at Maddox’s sparkling eyes wondering how she’d ever managed to get so lucky. “Yes!” she exclaimed, laughing and crying at the same time.
As she bridged the distance between them, pressing her lips to his, two little words circled through her head. Simple, yet powerful enough to change the course of her life.
Be happy.
“Yes,” her mind responded with exultation.
I am.
* * *
Want more Navy SEAL Romance? Check out Corbin and Delaney’s story in The Reckless Warrior.
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About Jennifer Youngblood
Jennifer loves reading and writing clean romance. She believes that happily ever after is not just for stories. Jennifer enjoys interior design, rollerblading, clogging, jogging, and chocolate. In Jennifer’s opinion there are few ills that can’t be solved with a warm brownie and scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream.
Jennifer grew up in rural Alabama and loved living in a town where “everybody knows everybody.” Her love for writing began as a young teenager when she wrote stories for her high school English teacher to critique.
Jennifer has BA in English and Social Sciences from Brigham Young University where she served as Miss BYU Hawaii in 1989. Before becoming an author, she worked as the owner and editor of a monthly newspaper named The Senior Times.
She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family and spends her time writing and doing all of the wonderful things that make up the life of a busy wife and mother.
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