SEAL's Pregnant One-Night Stand (Bronte Security Services)

“Oh? We can—” Sofia started.

“No. We can’t,” Ian cut in. “He’d rather do the rest on his own.” Ian shook Scotty’s hand and gave him a sharp nod.

Sofia pulled him into a hug. “Scotty.” She pulled herself together, although her voice wobbled as she spoke. “Send us the date for boot camp graduation. We’ll all be there. Don’t forget now.”

“I won’t.” Scotty inhaled a long breath and turned, marching inside the recruiter’s office with a firm step.

“Come on.” Ian nudged Sofia away to walk back to the car. He took her hand. “Scott,” he mused. “That’s a possible name?”

“Oh!” Sofia cupped her still-flat belly. “What happened to my choices of Emily and Harry?”

“That…we’re not having a royal baby?” Ian answered. The debate had been going on for two weeks now. “Be easier when we know if the baby’s a boy or a girl.”

Sofia stopped. “Do you want to know? I don’t know if I do.”

“Really? You want to be surprised?” Ian didn’t. “I want everything ready for him or her. I want to do this right.”

Sofia smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “We’ll do it right. Together,” she reminded him.

They’d just reached the car when Ian’s cell rang. “Charlie,” he told Sofia, looking at the screen.

“Campbell,” he answered from force of habit, Sofia mouthing it along with him.

“I’ve got news about the drugs case,” Charlie replied.

“One second…” Ian opened Sofia’s door for her and then slid into the driver’s seat, putting his boss on speaker phone. “You’re on speaker—Sofia’s with me. Go ahead.”

“Mateo’s dead.”

Sofia clutched him at the stark announcement. “What happened?” she asked.

“He was found shivved in his cell after they transferred him to a federal lockup. Courtesy of the cartel, it seems,” Charlie answered, dryly. “That’s all I got for now, but I thought you’d want to know.” He hung up.

Sofia and Ian stared at one another.

“Is it terrible that I don’t feel much pity for him?” she whispered.

“Neither do I, when I think of what that bastard did,” Ian answered grimly. “Well, that’s that, at least.”

“But the cartel is still around. This isn’t the end,” Sofia said.

“No.” Only a fool would think that.

“But let’s not think about that now, though.” Sofia leaned in to him. “Let’s focus on us. We have each other.”

“And that’s all that really matters,” Ian finished for her, cupping her beautiful face and closing the gap between them to kiss her, long and slow.

He poured all his love for her and his hope for their future as a family into it, and Sofia kissed him back just as hard, her love and wishes on her lips, too.