Free The SEAL's Valentine (Operation: Family) by Laura marie Altom Page A

ordinary job. Why had she waited until they’d had a child to cry foul?
    His mom came home, handing him a plate of cookies before settling in to her nightly crafts and reality shows.
    When Tristan felt more focused on figuring out where he’d gone wrong with his ex than watching the game, he wandered into the room his mom called her “Lady Lair.” When he’d been a kid, it’d been a guest room, but all of the visiting dowager aunts had died and he was glad Donna had found a new use for the good-size space.
    “What’s up?” she asked when he stood in the doorway.
    “I don’t know.” Raking his fingers through his too long hair, he sighed. “Somehow, I ended up back at Brynn’s again and she talked about her finances. Seems like Mack left her in a pretty bad spot. Which got me to thinking where he’d gone off course.”
    “Good question,” she murmured with a row of straight pins clamped between her lips. The project of the week was dolls for a Shreveport women’s shelter. She’d formed an assembly line of dress pieces nearly ready to sew. “He was raised pretty much the same as the rest of you. Maybe the big city and all that attention went to his head?”
    “I guess.” Tristan sat on a dainty floral upholstered armchair that made him feel oversize and awkward. “But I guess the point I was getting to is that he had it all and threw it away. As great a gal as Brynn is, that made me mad. But on the flip side, is that what I did with Andrea? She begged me, for the sake of our family, to quit the navy and I wouldn’t do it. Now I’m so torn up over her taking Jack, I’m not even fit for duty.”
    “First,” she said over the sewing machine’s hum, “any woman who marries a serviceman knows up front what she’s getting into. I died a million deaths when your dad was in Vietnam, but that didn’t give me permission to quit on our vows. Second, don’t you dare take on the guilt for your marriage ending. Of course, it would’ve been nice had you been home more often, but when you enter a life of service, it’s not like you get to pick and choose your hours. Third—” She shook her head and growled. “I don’t even have a third. All I know is by moving a whole country away, she didn’t just take your child, but my grandchild. And that stings.”
    “Sure does.” Hurting even worse was the sudden craving to see Brynn. He hardly knew the woman. Why would he want her any further ingrained in his life?
    * * *
    T HURSDAY NIGHT , TEN MINUTES into a crowded Mud Bug parent meeting being held in the library’s community room, Brynn wished she’d accepted Vivian’s offer to take notes and deliver any must-know information later.
    The space was too small and stuffy, smelling of a strong blend of perfume and cologne. The longer her pregnancy dragged on, the greater her sense of smell grew and the more scents she disliked. Toss in her achy lower back and nausea and she was not a happy camper.
    “This seat taken?”
    “Um, no.” But one glance into Tristan’s dark eyes had her wishing it was. She wasn’t in her right mind around him—especially not when the cramped space had the entire length of her left side crushed against him. And he smelled too good—if there could even be such a thing—as though he’d just showered and brushed his gorgeous white teeth.
    “Glad you’re here,” he said while the team’s booster club president handed out information sheets. “There’s a batting cage at a sports complex over in Shreveport. I think it’d really do Cayden some good. He seems to do better when you’re watching, so maybe you could come, too? Tomorrow night? I’ll pick you up at five?”
    “O-okay. Sure.” The meeting might’ve started, but that did little to stop the chatter in Brynn’s head. She and Tristan were just friends, so why was her heart racing as if he’d asked her on a date? He’d explained how he felt about jumping into another relationship and, Lord knew, she wasn’t