Chapter 26

SETH

^THREE MONTHS LATER ^

He softly dropped his duffel bag at the door and soaked in the atmosphere of home. He didn’t realize how much he would miss the women in his life.

The last thirteen weeks had been the weirdest he had ever experienced. Even sharing a bathroom with Sarah wasn’t as crazy as boot camp had been.

Mud. Wind. Rain. Never-ending marches. Midnight runs. Abseiling from helicopters. Forever in a swimming pool with full kit. And the noise constantly, continuously, all the time.

The chatter in his home was a form of peace that he didn’t realize he needed. And he had missed the way his home smelled.

Not just the scent of the cleaning materials his mom used, or the mixture of their perfumes.

It was the aroma of ~ossobuco~ slowly cooking on the stovetop, the hint of lemon hanging in the air. It was one of his favorite meals and his mom only made it for very special occasions.

Like his Nonna’sbirthday, a day he looked forward to all year because his mama cooked all the meals his grandmother had grown up with. And today was definitely not Nonna’s birthday.

He walked into the kitchen and smiled at the sight: his mom tasting the cream for the ~tiramisu~, his grandmother whipping the mashed potatoes, and Sarah icing a cake.

She glanced up at him, then went back to her task.

She had been cold to him since the night she had found him with Tereza, and her farewell before he started his two-day drive to San Diego had not been as fond.

It was something that had bothered him throughout the thirteen weeks he’d been away.

“Sethford!” His grandmother rushed at him with her arms wide, her head resting just beneath his sternum.

“Nonna!” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He had missed her.

“I’m glad you’re home, Mimmo,” his mother greeted him.

“Grazie, mama,” he said, turning to hug her as well.

“I see you survived basic.” He arched an eyebrow at Sarah who shrugged and held out her cheek. ~Still the cold shoulder…fine~.

He bent down and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear. “You. Me. Lake.”

“Get out of that uniform and come eat,” Gabriella commanded before Sarah could retaliate.

“Yes, ma’am,” Seth saluted his mom before leaving the kitchen.

***

“Midnight at the lake is the best place to be,” Sarah sighed as she lay back on the tailgate, her eyes fixed on the rapidly gathering clouds above their heads.

“I have two questions for you,” Seth said as he lay down next to her. She glanced at him without turning her head, one brow lifted in a naturally perfect arch.

“One, why are you so mad at me for leaving? And second, what else are you mad about?”

“Mama is away six months of the year. Nonnais on her last legs. And you…you ~chose ~to leave.” She sat up, pulling him up with her. “You ~left ~me!”

He reached over to wipe away the tear that rolled down her cheek and then pulled her close. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair.

She allowed him to comfort her, the tears silent as they kept falling.

“I’m not as mad at you about leaving as I am about Tereza. I warned you about her, Seth. I told you she’s not the one for you. And now…”

“~And now~ what, Sarah?” he demanded softly when she went quiet.

“She’s spreading the story that she’s pregnant, Seth.” She glared at him. “I doubt that it’s your baby.”

“Wow, spare my feelings, why don’t you?”

“You stupid, irresponsible, thick-skulled, mush-brained, idiotic—”

“Sarah!” He pulled her into a hug as he laughed, cutting off the litany of insults. “I’m kidding, okay? I’m just surprised it took this long and that it didn’t start before I left.”

“I wish you had better taste in girls, Seth, seriously.”

“Well…let’s be honest.” She looked at him with raised brows. “At least they can’t get worse than Tereza Pellegrini.”

***

“I’m pregnant.”

Seth laughed heartily. He was bent over at the waist, holding onto the side of his truck as he tried to control his mirth.

He sucked in his cheeks as he drew deep breaths to contain the laughter, but looking at Terry as she stood next to him had him laughing all over again.

“What is so funny?” she demanded, her brown eyes flashing with annoyance. “I just told you I’m pregnant.”

“Yes, I know. And I’m not sure if I should be insulted that you thought you could pass it off as mine, or flattered that you think I’d make good daddy material.”

She took a step back when he speared her with an angry green glare. “Whose is it?”

“Don’t be stupid, Seth!” He had to admire her bravado. “Of course—”

“Don’t lie to me, Tereza. You and I both know that there is no possible way it’s mine unless you sucked my sperm from a condom and spat it into your womb.”

She gasped at the crudeness of his words. “How dare you—”

“Let’s not play ~that ~game, Terry, because we both know who will win. Especially when I insist on a paternity test and a public apology. So I’ll ask again: ~whose is it~?”

He watched her swallow nervously, her hands rubbing together as she tried to hide their trembling from him.

She licked her lips and hooked her hair behind her ear before sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

“It’s…um…I…” She turned away from him and looked out over the Walmart parking lot.

Her shoulders drooped before she turned back to him.

When she looked at him, he saw the bleak look in her eyes, and he recognized the truth for probably the first time in their interaction. “I don’t know who the father is.”

He felt his jaw clench tightly. He leaned his head on his arms and breathed out a sigh of relief, and then felt an overwhelming sense of anger.

“How the hell did you get yourself in this position?” Seth had not expected his voice to be as soft as it was with all the rage burning inside him.

“I don’t know, Seth. I can’t tell you where it all began. I just know I fucked up.”

He gave a dry chuckle as he held up his hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t record that because I know that will be the last time I hear that admission.”

“Fuck you, Seth.”

He couldn’t stop the smirk. “You already did, Terry, and now you’re paying for it.”

Terry’s eyes narrowed, but she walked away before saying anything.

“I will marry you…”

“~What~?” She spun around midstep.

“Not because of you. It’s to be sure that your kid is taken care of because if it was up to you, it would have a shitty life. At least if we got married, your kid will be settled.

“I will have Sarah administer the funds to be sure that you don’t snort it all.”

“What about ~being married~?” She hooked her fingers in air quotes.

“Oh, fuck no. I’m done with you.” He put his hands on his hips.

“You can do whoever you want when I’m on deployment, but don’t screw my name. If you mess that up, you ~will~ regret it.”