Page 6 of A Trident Christmas Baby

Standing, Ace turned back to Alex. He cupped her face one more time, leaning down to press a tender, lingering kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he said, his voice soft but full of conviction.

“I love you too,” she whispered, her hands resting on his chest as if reluctant to let him go.

A knock at the door made him pull away to open it. He wasn’t surprised to see Potter and Tenley standing there.

“Hey, man,” Ace said to Potter before giving Tenley a quick hug.

“How is momma doing?” Potter asked Alex as he hugged her. Even though Alex was close to all the guys on the team, she shared a special bond with Potter. It was him during their mission in Afghanistan that got her to open up.

Alex smiled. “I’m doing okay, minus the pregnancy hormones,” she joked and wiped her eyes again.

“Oh, girl. Pregnancy hormones are the worst,” Tenley commented as she gave Alex a hug.

Potter looked at Ace. “I take it Irish hasn’t arrived yet?”

“He called and said that he would meet us there. He didn’t go into detail, but apparently, something came up that he needed to take care of,” Ace replied with a slight shrug.

“God knows what that means,” Potter said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Ace chuckled. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Alright then, I guess we should head out,” Potter stated, and Ace nodded.

Ace picked up his bag, then took Alex’s hand, and they walked out to his truck.

After throwing his bag inside the truck, he gently pulled Alex into a hug. He closed his eyes as she snuggled into his chest. This, by far, has been the hardest goodbye.

When Alex pulled away, she looked up at him, and her glistening green eyes nearly did him in.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he said to her, his voice rough with emotion.

“I love you, too.”

He leaned down and kissed her, his lips lingering longer than he intended.

As he pulled away, she met his gaze. “Be safe.”

“Always,” he said with a grin and kissed her forehead before hopping into the truck.

As he backed out of the driveway, he gave Alex one last wave.

???

Alex stood next to Tenley, and they waved to Ace and Potter as they drove off.

Alex felt the tears brimming, but she held them back, her heart full of pride for the man she loved. And as she watched the taillights of the truck disappear in the night, she sent up a silent prayer to her dad in heaven, asking him to keep Ace safe and to bring him back home to her and their little one.

“How are you doing?” Tenley asked Alex.

Alex’s eyes started to water again, which annoyed her.

“I’d be doing a lot better if I could stop crying,” she said as a laugh bubbled up from her chest.

Tenley gave her a small smile. “Pregnancy hormones will do that to ya. I swear the tiniest little thing could make me cry when I was pregnant with the twins.”

Alex laughed as she wiped her eyes. “I remember.”

“Well, maybe this will help cheer you up,” Tenley said with a smile as she handed Alex a bag.

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