Having The Soldier's Baby (Parent Portal 1)

They just had to end things.

“Bottom line, you need to talk to her.”

The adviser’s words played themselves over in his mind as Winston drove from San Diego back to Marie Cove. He wondered about dinner. Thought about using his new smartphone to call Emily and ask if she had anything in mind, but didn’t want to bother her at work.

Didn’t really want to talk to her at all, at the moment.

She’d gone and used his sperm and gotten herself pregnant. If he was dead, that would probably be pretty cool. Being alive...he just couldn’t accept it. Not any of it.

Not her being pregnant.

Not a child with his DNA being born to the world.

Not the major glitch this put in his plan to set her free and get on with the rest of his life as a naval police officer, serving others, protecting them, not hurting them.

Serving, protecting. That was what he was good at.

He’d get there. It was the plan. He just had to factor in an unforeseen detour.

* * *

Emily stopped at the grocery store again on the way home from work. She’d told Steve that Winston was home, and he’d insisted that she leave early. And take the next day off. He was stepping in personally to handle her accounts. She’d texted Winston to let him know when she’d be at the house.

Maybe he’d be there. Maybe her warning would give him a chance to vacate. Either way, they’d get through it.

She’d told others at work about his return and every single one of them had been overjoyed for her. They’d shown concern, of course, for Winston, seeming to know that they had some tough times in the immediate future. But all in all, it was a joyous day. A couple of her coworkers had hugged her. Matilda, her account assistant, had cried.

She’d cried, too. A couple of times. And then she got to work. Winston and the baby needed her to be strong.

And life was a gift. Winston had some issues, they had some struggles ahead of them, but he was alive and he was home! Every life had struggles.

Not many had a life come back from the grave!

And with the baby already on the way, she was blessed beyond her wildest imaginings.

&n

bsp; With a pound of their favorite broccoli salad from the deli, she pulled into the garage, figuring she’d broil some chicken for dinner. She smelled something wonderful when she walked in the door.

“You’re grilling!” she said, setting her bag, along with the grocery sack, on the counter to take a peek out the sliding glass door that led from the dining room to their backyard.

She hadn’t been in their paved grilling gazebo other than to clean it since he left.

“I had to change out the propane tank, but everything else was fine.”

Had he almost just smiled at her?

He was still in his uniform khakis. Must have just gotten home a little bit before her. And he was making dinner! She loved his chicken. Her mouth was already watering.

“I brought broccoli salad,” she told him, pulling out the container. And then opened the refrigerator door to see that he’d done the same. It was as though they’d been of the same mind. Others might see something spectacular, weird or otherworldly about that.

Emily smiled.

To her, it just said that Winston was home.

* * *

Ten minutes after she got there, Emily was sitting down to dinner with her husband. She’d set the table while he brought the chicken and potatoes in from the grill. She got drinks. He put the broccoli salad out. They didn’t touch. Didn’t talk much.