Bad Nerd Falling (49 page)

Nodding, he tugged her into a tight
hug, loving her warmth and understanding. “I love you,” he
whispered into her hair. Fearful he would wake up and this would
all be a dream.

“
I love you.” She held him
just as fiercely.

“
Are you going to marry
me, Helena?”

“
Yes.”

That one little answer swelled his
heart and made him feel like the superhero she deemed him. “Thank
you,” he whispered vehemently.

He felt her smile. “My pleasure.”

Chapter 40

A light breeze caressed her cheeks as
she watched the proceedings with Tia. Seated side by side, she was
amazed that she was here, in the royal box, watching this ceremony
with one of her best friends. There was a rock that rivaled Tia’s
on her finger, and like Tia’s it was also a blinder in the right
light. Nestled beside her engagement ring, that she got to wear for
the whole of a month and a half, was her equally stunning wedding
band.

It also rivaled Tia’s wedding
band.

She glanced at her rings for a moment
before her gaze snapped back to the tall, protective man standing
before Aleksi.

“
As the Prince of
Rurikstan, it is my honor and privilege to appoint Vladimir
Wolfgang Wellington as Commander in Chief of all militaries within
the Rurikstani realm. He is Commander in Chief of all branches,
both present and future. Do you accept this commission of highest
military authority?”

“
I, Vladimir Wolfgang
Wellington, accept the commission of Commander in Chief of the
Rurikstani realm military.” Vlad’s voice rang through the huge
stadium and on her other side, Maria shifted. She reached out her
hand and Maria seized it. Beside her, Graham slipped his arm around
his wife.

Maks and Emerson stepped onto the
platform. Both carried what looked like sofa pillows. Emerson
stopped in front of Aleksi. He removed the medal and ribbon and
formally handed the pin to Aleksi who added it to Vlad’s gorgeous
Rurikstani uniform. He already wore so many medals she had been
astonished he could stand upright. Aleksi then pinned several
different medals to Vlad’s uniform.

Emerson shook Vlad’s hand and then
moved to stand behind Aleksi. Next, Maks stepped forward. He
carried a military hat and beside that, the pins that denoted
Vlad’s new rank as General. Vlad would add those pins
later.

Vlad removed the hat he currently wore
and knelt as Aleksi accepted the hat from Maks and placed it
precisely on Vlad’s head. Then, using the sword at his side,
attached to his own military uniform, Aleksi touched each of Vlad’s
shoulders and murmured the military words that meant something to
the four men on the platform. Indeed, probably all the men in the
crowd.

Vlad rose, shook Maks’ hand, who took
his old hat, then shook Aleksi’s hand.

Prince Aleksi turned to face the box
where they sat. “I present to you General Vladimir Wolfgang
Wellington, the Commander in Chief of Rurikstani realm militaries
in full.”

Amid the resulting cheers and good
will of the people of Rurikstan who attended the ceremony, she met
Vlad’s eyes. He was glowing with pride but his smile was for her
alone. She mouthed, “I love you.”

He nodded and sent her the signal he
had taught her on the four day long honeymoon they just returned
from. “I love you.” He taught her little things like that while she
taught him to cook. It was a good start to their
marriage.

As people swarmed around him, she was
engulfed by her family, Beau, and the numerous SEALs who attended
the ceremony. On Tia’s other side stood her uncle, Admiral O’Riley
and his wife, Emma.

Helena laughed and spoke with everyone
for a few minutes then made tracks toward her impressive husband.
This man wanted her. She had no doubts now because he had already
shown her, multiple times, that he needed her. And it worked both
ways. Her life was so much more complete now that she had him in
it.

When she reached his side, he slipped
an arm around her and not caring who saw, kissed her.

They proved that a nerd and soldier could be
perfectly happy together.

About the
Author

D.R. Grady lives with her husband near
Hershey, PA. She adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags,
books, and shoes, and adores writing stories that resonate with
others.

Please visit her website for more
information.

http://www.drgradybooks.com

Other works by D.R.
Grady

The Morrison Family
Series:

The Nerd and the Marine

The Corpsman and the Nerd

The Nerd and the SEAL

The Nerd’s Pocket Pets

Shadows and Spice

Macy’s Parade

Bad Nerd Rising

Free Short Story: Math Nerds and
Mechanics

The Me Series:

Treasure Me

Save Me

Trust Me

Heal Me

Love Me

Please visit my website for updates on
these series.

http://www.drgradybooks.com

Coming Soon!

The Morrison Family Series
- Book 9

Nerds on Fire

By D.R. Grady

Chapter 1

Her heart beat far too fast. As a
nurse practitioner Beatrix “Trixi” Duvall knew that was a bad
thing. But she had never encountered such masculinity before.
Nothing in her life had prepared her for the perfection of Mark de
Vosse.

Dr
. Mark de Vosse, that snide voice in her head
added.

“
How are you, Miss
Duvall?” he asked, as he shook her hand. As per any unattainable
man, his voice was deep, masculine, and quite enticing.
Why, oh why, did she have a weakness for men like
this? Like all the others, he won’t ever recognize you’re an
eligible female…
that knowing voice
scoffed.

Katy Greene, her best friend, pointed
out nice men all the time, but Trixi continued to ignore her advice
and hold out for something she couldn’t define. Until
now.

Mark’s eyes were a blue-green much
like his younger brother’s. It was obvious the two men shared a
gene pool. Mark wasn’t quite as tall as Leo, but he made up for
that in width. Not that Leo wasn’t wide as well, because the man
had probably played football in high school and college and done
very well, but Mark could have been the entire line himself. Her
girly side sighed in perpetual wonder.

“
I’m fine, and happy to
finally meet you.” Trixi struggled to keep her professional smile
intact. It was far harder than it should have been.

His dark hair was shorter and darker
than Leo’s, whose hair always looked a little windblown. Trixi
noticed Leo ran his hands through it a lot. If Mark did the same
thing, it would slide right back into place because his was
shorter.

His jaw, like Leo’s, was square and
his lips were firm but kissable.

She all but groaned this
time.
Where had that stupid thought come
from?

He’s a neurosurgeon. They
don’t notice peons
, she barked at her
girly self who was in an utter tizzy over this man. Of course she
was—he was gorgeous, successful, and that was
warmth
in his eyes.

They smiled at her now. “I feel like I
already know you,” he murmured as he released her hand. She hadn’t
noticed they held the handshake far longer than usual.

And she totally missed it because of
the caustic comments her nastier, but more realistic, side kept
uttering.

“
Leo talks about you a
lot. It’s nice to finally meet you,” she answered. One bonus from
her uncomfortable, awkward early-adult years was they had created a
gracious polish that now carried her through even the most
excruciating social situation.

“
You might not think that
once you get to know him,” Leo piped up as he clapped Mark on the
back. She appreciated the affection and respect between the
brothers.

Their sibling closeness somehow
reassured her.

A thought occurred to her and she
turned to Leo. “Did you nag him into coming here?”

Leo, in typical fashion, tweaked her
nose. “Of course.”

Beside them, Mark laughed, and like
the rest of him, it was perfect. “He kept telling me how much nicer
it is to be home.” Mark glanced around the cafeteria where they
were gathered to eat lunch. He had started several weeks ago, but
she was filling in so her schedule was erratic, which was why they
were only just meeting now.

“
I’m right,” Leo stated as
he dug into his sandwich.

“
I reserve the right to
decide that for myself,” Mark countered.

“
I’m right.” Leo stole
some carrot out of her salad.

“
Stop eyeing my chocolate
bar,” she warned Leo.

“
You could share it, you
know,” he cajoled.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I did,
yesterday.”

“
You know, Duvall, you’re
a little scary sometimes.”

She choked on her swallow of tea. Mark
leaned over and patted her on the back with the perfect amount of
pressure. He also eyed her chocolate bar.

“
Not both of you,” she
muttered and tucked the bar back into her lunch bag. It wasn’t that
big but was necessary for the health of those around
her.

The two shared a conspirator’s
look.

“
You could share it with
both of us,” Leo further wheedled.

She pointed to the boxes by the cash
register. “They sell a nice selection right there.”

“
It’s not as much fun that
way.” Mark smiled.

“
I know. That’s why I
stand firm.” She wrinkled her nose at Leo.

He grinned. “You’re so tough,
Duvall.”

“
Of course I am.” She
tweaked his nose this time and then brightened. “Did I tell you
Katy is coming?”

“
For good or to
visit?”

“
For good,” Trixi stated
happily, and caught the de Vosse brothers exchanging another look.
The only thing she could identify was they were amused by
her.

It was okay to be amusing, but it
would be much nicer to be so sexy she made men stop and stare. Or
to ensnare them with a mere look.

Since neither was true she at least
consoled herself with the thought that she didn’t qualify for the
potted plant category - ignored. Trixi sighed and accepted amusing.
Maybe she should wear some of her really high heels to work. Some
of the women did. But then she thought about trying to do her job
and quickly nixed the idea.

High heels would be a real
hindrance.

“
When is your friend
coming?” Mark asked as he finished his sandwich and dumped his
empty chip bag. Nothing but a few measly crumbs tumbled out. He
stared at them glumly.

“
She should be here as
soon as her fellowship ends.”

“
Does she have a place to
stay?” Leo asked. He was peering into his own empty chip bag. It
was sad to see the two men still hungry and come up
wanting.

She tugged out the container she
brought with her and opened it. Both brothers groaned when the
enticing contents wafted toward them. “Oatmeal raisin cookies,” Leo
breathed. He helped himself and popped half the cookie into his
mouth.

Mark wasn’t far behind him. “With
plenty of cinnamon. And other spices.”

“
I made them last evening,
but I don’t want these in the house.” She peered at them in
distaste.

“
You baked something you
don’t like?” Leo asked as he dug two more treats out of the
container.

“
I like them,” Mark
decided as he selected another one. It was big and he stared at it
with satisfaction before he demolished the fragrant
cookie.

“
Of course I like them.
That’s why I made them. I thought I could put them out by the
coffee pot.”

“
Your dad probably likes
these,” Leo pointed out.

“
He does, and I put some
aside for him. I told him to hide that container so I can’t find
it.”

Leo grinned. “That doesn’t work very
well, does it?”

Trixi sent him a smoldering look.
“With chocolate, no. I can find that with no problem, no matter
where he hides it. But these are possible if he’s
smart.”

She took one and bit into it. The
cookie was soft, and the texture and spices blended perfectly. It
melted in the mouth. After she swallowed, she glared at
Leo.

“
I cannot have these in
the house.”

“
We’ll take care of that
for you,” Leo said as he took the container and snapped the lid
back on.