Harrier's Healer (29 page)

Scott nodded and smiled. “Evening, Godric.” He shook his

youngest brother’s hand and leaned down to kiss his sister. “Corliss. I

want both of you to meet Alexis. Alexis, the rest of my family. Godric

and Corliss.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Alexis said, smiling gently.

“A pleasure,” Godric said, shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Corliss responded with a smile of her own.

“Scott tells me you are in medical school,” Alexis said to Corliss,

feeling a bit more comfortable talking about that, familiar ground for

both of them.

By the end of the evening Alexis felt fine with the two younger

siblings. They had warmed up considerably during dinner. Both were

attending the wedding and were exuberant about their upcoming niece

or nephew. Even so, as Scott drove them away from the restaurant, she

was exhausted.

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Emotions were still running high and they still had to deal with

her side of the family. Allowing the cool night air to pour over her face,

Alexis closed her eyes and just enjoyed the touch of Scott’s hand on her

thigh.

“Feeling okay over there?” he asked over the wind.

She squeezed his hand. “Fine. Just thinking.”

“They loved you. And I know that Corliss is thrilled to have a

doctor in the family so she can have someone to talk to about the trials

of med school.” Slanting a sideways glance at her, his brows converged

slightly, as he noticed the strain on her face. “What’s wrong, Alexis?”

Head lolling on the headrest, she opened her eyes to look at the

man driving the Corvette. “This is happening so fast. I am just getting

overwhelmed.”

“Second thoughts?” He pulled into the driveway of his cabin

and turned off the car.

“Yes,” she answered honestly.

“Let’s take a walk.” Helping her out of the car, he led her down

to the beach and they strolled along the sand as the moon shone down

upon them. “Second thoughts about marrying me? Having my baby?

What?”

“Second thoughts about getting married so fast.” Alexis slid her

arm around his waist as his arm settled around her shoulder. “Not

about marrying you and never about the baby. Just that I don’t want it

to be a rushed thing and that is what it’s feeling like. It is less than a

month away. I haven’t even told my parents.”

Stopping her, he touched her forehead with his own. “Every-

thing is set on my end. What can I do to help you?”

“I don’t know,” she complained as her hands bunched the jacket

of his suit.

“How about I take care of the food and music? I will even go

talk to the chaplain and get that set.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“No, I’d do it for us.” He kissed her. “And I am going to start

looking for a house.”

She drew back. “Why?”

“Well, we aren’t living in two different places. I’m not that easy-

going.”

“What’s wrong with your cabin?”

“You’d live here?”

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177

“Are you serious? I love your cabin. And have since the first

time I saw it.” Stepping closer, Alexis placed her head on his chest,

sighing contentedly as his heartbeat soothed her nerves.

“We will live there, then. I will work on getting your things

moved in.” Strong arms wrapped around her, cocooning her in his

Herculean strength.

“Okay,” she whispered as nature flowed over her. The sounds of

the ocean, his steady heartbeat, and the wind soothed her.

“I love you, Lex,” he whispered.

“Love you, too, Commander.”

“You what?! What?!” The shriek was amazingly loud consider-

ing how far it had to travel. It sounded like Alexis’s mother was in the

room with her instead of up the coast in Maine.

“I’m getting married, Mother. The end of September. That last

Saturday, and you and Dad are invited. The invitations are on the way

but I wanted to call you before hand.”

“Who is he?” Her father’s calm voice reached her. Her parents

were on speakerphone.

“He is a lieutenant commander in the Navy. And a SEAL.” She

held the phone away from her ear as her mother began to scream again.

When she finished, Alexis brought it back and continued. “Before you

ask, no, he isn’t a brother. He’s white.”

“Does he make you happy, Lex?” her father asked.

“More than I ever believed possible, Daddy.” Alexis smiled as

the man she was talking about walked by with his brother as they made

plans for the wedding. Godric had offered his country club for the

location and planned on supplying the food.

“In that case, congratulations,” her father said.

“Are you pregnant?” Her mother sounded accusatory.

“Yes, ma’am, I am,” Alexis confirmed softly.

“I see,” her mother said. “Well, you know him, I don’t.”

“I love him, Mother. And he loves me and this baby. Please be

here with me on this day,” Alexis implored.

“Baby, I may not always agree with your choices or how you go

about doing things, but I am always going to support you. We will be

there. Is there anything I can do on this end?” Her mother’s tone had

softened considerably.

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“See if you can get in touch with Gamaliel. I would love him to

be there.”

“Did you want him to preside?” Mrs. Rogets questioned.

“No, ma’am. It’s a military wedding. The chaplain will do it.”

Alexis smiled when Scott winked at her.

“Very well, then. We will get in touch with him and be there a

few days before the wedding. Love you, little girl,” her father said.

“Bye, Daddy. Love you too. Bye, Mother.” Alexis disconnected

the call and groaned as she put the phone back in the charger.

“Everything go okay?” Scott asked, poking his head in the room.

“Peachy. I am just taking a break before I call the other brothers.

Mom said she was going to try and get a hold of Gamaliel.”

“Godric and I are going to go run some errands. Will you be

okay?” he asked as he walked over to her and kissed her.

She stroked his face. “Yes.
We’ll
be fine. After I make these calls I

have to get to work. I have the late shift today.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later. Love me?”

“Love you.”

“Good.” He kissed her again and was gone.

Alexis showered and got ready for work before she called the

three brothers she could get in contact with: Piers first, since he already

knew she was pregnant, then she called Maurice, and finally had to

leave a message with Kieran’s secretary since he was working out of the

office.

As Alexis climbed into her Expedition, she smiled and took a

deep breath. Life was good. She was getting married, having a baby,

and it didn’t hurt that those things were happening with the same guy.

In two and a half weeks and she would be Mrs. Leighton. Wow.

A huge smile was on her face as she got to work, but it faded

when she got a call. Sharon was with her as she tried to control her

breathing at the news Scott and his team had just been deployed to

“resolve” a situation.

I’m still getting married, right? He would make it back, wouldn’t he?

Swallowing back the bile, Alexis worked and tried not to think about it.

C h a p t e r T w e n t y - S i x

Alexis was scared, exhilarated, and nauseous.

The big day had finally arrived, and the men had returned home

safely from their mission in time for the rehearsal. Never before had the

sight of eight men ever looked so good to her. As Scott when had closed

his arms around her, she’d felt like her world was once again safe and

orderly. To the cheers of one and all, she and her SEAL had kissed until

both of them were weak-kneed.

Her family and friends had had to drag them apart. Neither had

wanted to be separated that night, but tradition was tradition. So now

here she stood in the large cathedral, hidden from the view of her

husband-to-be.

“You are beautiful, Lex,” her father said as he appeared behind

her.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Alexis smiled as her eyes looked at him in

the reflection of the vanity mirror. He made a handsome figure in his

tuxedo. “You look amazing.”

As Katie, her maid-of-honor, set the headpiece on her head and

lowered the veil, every eye in the room began to tear up. “Goodbye, Ms.

Rogets,” Alexis heard her whisper.

“Are you ready?” her father asked as one by one the bridesma-

ids left to walk up the aisle.

“I think so. I’m so freaking nervous, I think I will trip!”

“You will be fine, baby. He’s a good man for you, honey. He’ll

make you happy.”

“He already does, Daddy. He already does.” They were in front

of the doors waiting for the music to cue them in. The coordinator gave

a last-minute fix to the train and the bottom of her dress. The wedding

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march began and two ushers soundlessly swung open the double doors

leading to the main part of the church.

Through the many layers of her veil, Alexis saw her future wait-

ing for her at the end of the aisle. The bridesmaids wore the same style

dress but in different colors that flattered individual wearer. All seven

women were a beautiful sight.

The right side of the church was white. Every man up there

wore white military formal dress uniforms. All black shoes were

spotless and each officer’s sword, she knew, would gleam in the sun

once they were drawn. At the head of them stood her future husband.

The love of her life.

Ramrod straight, uniform perfectly creased, ribbons and medals

on his chest, Scott carved an impressive figure. Even beneath the veil,

Alexis felt herself blush as his gaze moved up and down her body as if

he could see under her dress. One corner of his mouth turned up and he

nodded as if responding to something that was whispered to him.

Scott was frozen to the spot as he watched Alexis come through

the doors on her father’s arm. She was radiant. He had never before

seen someone so beautiful.

The dress hid the fact she was pregnant. Not that he minded, but

he knew she’d been concerned about it. The sweetheart neckline only

enhanced her full bosom. Long, lacy sleeves converged to a point on the

back of her smooth, dark hands. A full skirt of satin trimmed with lace

flowed around her as she walked.

Each step brought her closer to him. To their life together. The

veil hid her face from view and he spied the long train that followed

behind her. She clasped a beautiful bouquet of white roses in her hands

as she came closer and closer.

His eyes moved up and down her body until he heard Tyson,

his best man say, “Breathe, man.” Greedily, Scott took air in and his

mouth fluttered into a one-sided grin as he realized just how close he’d

been to passing out.

It would never stop amazing him, this woman of his, this wom-

an who could bring him to his knees with nothing more than a smile.

Swallowing to control the rampaging emotions that were pounding

though his belly like a herd of hippopotami, Scott put his cornflower-

blue gaze on the love of his life, the mother of his unborn child, and felt

the tears begin to form.

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181

Both Scott and Alexis were in a daze when the ceremony ended.

As tan fingers lifted the veil layers for their first kiss as a wedded

couple, Scott’s strong hands trembled. Their lips, however, met without

any hesitation and the rest of the room faded into nothing.

For a while the new couple stood locked in an embrace that

showed everyone there just how much they loved each other. It took a

while before the cheering broke into their world.

“I love you, Alexis Leighton,” he said as his teary gaze met hers.

“And I you, Commander, and I you.” Her manicured fingers

wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.

Pausing at the top of the cathedral steps, the chaplain an-

nounced, “For the first time in public, it gives me great pleasure to

present Lieutenant Commander and Mrs. Leighton.” The crowd outside

erupted in cheers.

Standing beside her husband, Alexis looked down the five steps

and saw sixteen naval officers lining the walk to the limo, eight on each

side. Closest to the car was Tyson and he gave the orders for the men to

“present arms.” His deep voice filled the air. “Draw,” pause, “Swords.”

Once that was done, he commanded, “Blades to the wind.”

Arm in arm, Scott and Alexis walked under the canopy of

swords. As they passed Tyson and Maverick, who were the last two, a

sword smacked her across the rump as “Go Navy!” was bellowed. After

they were through, Tyson ordered, “Return swords. Dismissed.”

Then it was into the limo and on to the reception at the country

club.

“I have been waiting to do this for a long time now,” Tag said as

he approached the happy couple. “I am going to kiss the bride.”

Alexis grinned at the pilot as he fixed his uniform before strut-

ting closer to her. “Keep in mind whose woman she is, Tag, if you plan

on flying ever again,” came Scott’s warning.

“I’m allowed to kiss the bride. It’s tradition,” the handsome pilot