Page 30 of SEAL's Providence
“I’ll see you later. If something changes, let me know. Oh, and don’t forget to text Tempest that she’s off the hook for tonight.”
“I won’t. Thanks again for lunch.”
“It was my pleasure. See you this evening.”
Tony scrolled through his phone as he made his way to his office. He needed to get in touch with hisformer teammates prior to picking her up later. He’d told her the truth about his resources. These men were more like brothers than friends. They hadn’t gotten together in a few years, but some friendships never change, no matter how long it was between visits. Both men could be anywhere in the world right now. After retiring, they took on contract work—mostly security jobs. He hoped they’d be able to offer some insight into how the traffickers worked in the US.
Deciding to go with Mike first, he was typing his text when his phone rang. When he saw his brother’s name, he answered immediately. They were often in sync with each other, and he’d just been thinking about calling the other day. Bob beat him to it.
“Hey, bro, how it’s going?”
“It’s good, Tony. Got a few minutes to talk, or is this a bad time?” Bob Knox asked.
His brother sounded different. Excited, maybe? He chastised himself for not calling Bob sooner. The anniversary of their parent’s death was next weekend. Maybe it was that. “Sure. What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, better than okay. Chelle is pregnant.”
“Wow. Congratulations. I’m going to be an uncle again. Outstanding news.”
“Yup, she’s due in August. We’d been trying since Louie was three, and it finally took—twelve years later.” Bob laughed.
It was great to hear his brother so carefree. “How is the kid taking it? Not many teenage boys want a baby around.”
“Actually, he’s really excited. He’s told all his friends already. I think I have the only fifteen-year-old in existence who is looking forward to babysitting.”
“Yeah, well, wait until he has to change his first shitty diaper.” Tony chuckled.
“You may be right. Hell, I’m not looking forward to that either.”
“This is really wonderful news. I’m sure Chelle is ecstatic.”
“Oh yeah, she is. Worried, too. She thinks she’ll be too old to chase after a toddler in a couple of years. But Louie swears he’ll help. I guess time will tell.”
“That’s true. But he’s always been a good kid. I’m sure that won’t change now.”
“Right. You’ll need to come visit soon. It’s been forever since we’ve seen you. I have a bottle of bourbon with your name on it.”
“Bribery will get you everywhere.” Tony laughed. “Actually, I have some news, too. It mightbe too early to say anything, but I think I met someone.”
“You think or you did?” Bob teased.
“Oh, I definitely did. Her name is Providence. She’s an amazing woman. A doctor stationed on base. She’s beautiful, compassionate, and a total badass. Who knows, maybe I can talk her into coming with me when I visit. Would that be okay?”
“You never have to ask. We’d love to meet her. I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about any woman since Eileen. I’m sorry that she couldn’t deal with what happened and left you.”
Tony hated that Bob still sounded guilty over their breakup after all these years. He’d thought they were forever, so had his family. Ironically, he’d planned on proposing to her the evening of the accident. He still had the engagement ring he’d bought stashed in the family safe deposit box.
The accident had changed everything. He winced as he remembered the day. The sudden jolt of the car as Bob slammed on the brakes as he tried to avoid the tractor trailer barreling through the intersection toward them. The squeal of the truck’s brakes, then the impact, sending their car rolling.
When he came to, he’d been hanging by his seatbelt. His parents weren’t moving and covered in blood in the back seat. Tony had panicked when hedidn’t see Bob in the driver's seat. Then he saw him in the road where he’d been tossed from the car.
One minute, they’d been a happy family on their way to a celebratory dinner. The next, his parents were dead, and Bob was fighting for his life. Tony took over running the hardware store. But had spent most of his time helping Bob come to terms with the accident and learning to live as a paraplegic. As soon as Tony finished his degree, he’d joined the Navy.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. We’ve only had two dates…”
“I know you, and I can hear it in your voice. You’ve already fallen for her.”
Bob was right. He had fallen for Providence, even if he wasn’t ready to share his feelings with her yet. There were too many things that could still go wrong. The last thing he wanted was to jinx it.
