“It worked out. That’s all that matters. And now you’re married with a baby on the way.”
Garrett’s face split into a goofy, idiotic grin. His entire face lit up and joy reflected in his blue eyes. He looked like a kid who’d just gotten exactly what he wanted for Christmas.
“You see now why I wanted what you and the others have?” Donovan asked softly. “Think about how you feel about the fact that the woman you love is pregnant with your child and that she’s in your bed every night and she’s there waiting every time you come home from a mission.”
“Yeah, I get it. I just didn’t want you to . . . settle. I didn’t want you to jump at the first opportunity because you were afraid it would never happen for you. I—we all—just want you to be happy.”
“I understand, but Garrett, I’m not settling. Eve is the one. It hasn’t happened for me before now because I was waiting for her. She’s it and I can’t explain it any more than that. I can’t explain it any more than you can explain why you took one look at Sarah and knew she was the one, why Nathan knew from the start that Shea was it for him. Like Sam knew Sophie was his and pined his dumb ass for her for months before we pulled her out of the lake. He was a hell of a lot more stubborn than the rest of you and he resisted more, even going so far as not to trust Sophie when she showed up begging for help. I’m not going that route. Eve is it for me and I’m not going to fight it at all. Hell, I want it too much. I want . . . her.”
Garrett smiled and then bumped fists with Donovan. “Oorah, man. Oorah.”
Donovan grinned. “Hell yeah, oorah! None of that hooyah bullshit.”
“Okay, get back to your family. I’ll run now and don’t worry. I’ll call off the dogs and tell them to give you some space. I’ll fill them in as much as I can from what little I’ve observed, but just know that Ma is going to be even more determined to meet Eve and her newest grandchildren the minute I tell her you’re serious about Eve.”
Donovan waved, feeling a ridiculous thrill over the fact that Garrett had said get back to your family. Hell yeah, his family. His. And he wasn’t going to ever give them up without one hell of a fight. Fuck a fight. He’d breathe his last breath before ever allowing them to be taken from him.
CHAPTER 23
DONOVAN quietly looked in on Travis and Cammie, who were both sleeping soundly. He was taken with the image of the two snuggled up, Cammie cuddled into Travis’s side, her arm thrown trustingly over his belly.
Her head rested over his arm and she was nestled under his shoulder. Travis’s head was turned to the side so his chin was a mere inch above Cammie’s tousled curls.
Maren and Steele had come by so Maren could check in on Travis, Cammie and Eve. She’d adjusted Cammie’s IV medication and was satisfied that she seemed to be making good progress and was no longer running a temperature. Travis was still experiencing pain and discomfort, though he tried to mask it. Maren had insisted on giving him another injection and then told Donovan that he could switch to oral pain medication for the duration of his recovery.
She’d given Eve a clean bill of health after examining her head and questioning Eve at length about her symptoms.
Afterward, Maren and Steele had left, and Maren had said she wouldn’t return unless Donovan thought she was needed. That after the latest piggyback of antibiotics, Donovan could discontinue Cammie’s IV and monitor her progress.
Once Maren and Steele had departed, Donovan, Eve, Travis and Cammie had lounged in the living room watching movies until it was evident that Travis and Cammie both were ready for bed. Garrett had evidently kept his word about having the rest of the family stand down, because no one else had stopped by, a fact Donovan was grateful for. He savored every moment of the evening alone with Eve and her siblings. He looked forward to many more evenings just like this one.