Chapter 34

SETH

^AGED TWENTY-FIVE^

~Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean~

The ~USS Georgetown~ held steady on its course to Pearl Harbor, the destroyer offering Seth and his unit comfortable but confined quarters to bunk down till they reached Hawai’i.

He had just settled in his bunk, his head pillowed on his arm as he listened to Gabriel moan about being on the ocean.

“At least we’re not ~in~ the ocean,” Seth retorted as a petty officer tapped on their bulkhead.

“Sergeant, the admiral wants to see you.”

“Ah, sure,” Seth said as he rolled out of his bunk, Gabriel also getting to his feet.

“Just the sergeant, Corporal.”

“Okay,” Gabe said, sharing a confused look with Seth before settling back into his bunk.

Seth followed the petty officer to the bridge and then stood at attention as he waited for the officers to conclude their meeting.

He watched the waves undulate out the wide windows, ignoring the electronic screens that beeped and flashed all around him.

The voices of the Navy officers were hushed, and Seth found it soothing in a way. It reminded him of the times they would visit his mom when she was aboard one of her ships.

It had made him so proud to be on the bridge of the ship his mother commanded.

“Sergeant Marshall.” He turned at the sound of the very commanding, very familiar, voice.

“Ma—Admiral Marshall?” Seth bit back the smile he could feel breaking free, trying to contain his happiness by staying professional.

He was excited to see his mother, and he realized that three years was a very long time to be away from his family.

He had last seen his mom when she surprised him at the ceremony where he’d gotten his sergeant’s stars.

“You’re in trouble, Marine.” The strong Italian essence in her voice gave him no doubts that he was going to get his ass handed to him.

She lifted her head to stare at him, those green eyes flashing a million threats. “Follow me.”

He watched her walk past him, her back straight, her steps sure, and not a hair out of place.

When she stopped walking and glared at him over her shoulder, he realized that he had been staring at her instead of following as he had been commanded.

“~Sorry~,” he mouthed and marched off the bridge at double pace. She led him to the galley, banging a plate onto the stainless-steel work surface.

She went to the fridge and pulled out a sealed container, and Seth smelled the chocolate sauce before he saw the little squares she placed on the plate.

He bit into one and found that it was a melt-in-your-mouth sponge cake soaked in chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut.

He closed his eyes as the sweetness transported him from the tight confines of the ship.

“These are fantastic,” he murmured.

“They’re called Lamingtons. Our cook learned how to make them when we were stationed in Cape Town.”

“Oh, Mama, these are—”

“Not going to get you off the hook.” He struggled to swallow the last bite of the delectable treat.

“Mama—”

“Don’t you ~mama~ me, Sethford Andrew Marshall!” His mother was beautiful in all her rage, every volatile word fully pronounced in Italian, her fine hands flying everywhere.

He heard every word as she scolded him, but most of it blurred at the flash of her eyes and the high color on her cheeks. “What have you to say for yourself?”

“I went too deep, Mama. After Tia, Rayna, and then Nonna, I just dove off the cliff and I haven’t found a landing spot yet.”

He gratefully accepted the bottle of water she handed him and took a large mouthful.

He rolled the bottle between his hands, unable to look at his mother, knowing he would never survive the disappointment in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mama,” he whispered.

He started as she reached up and cupped his jaw, and he leaned into her palm as she stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“I need you, Mimmo. I ~need ~you to find that landing spot.”

He eventually found the courage to look at her and bit back the tears because he knew that his eyes would be as dark as hers in their sorrow.

“Sarah is going to need you now more than ever, Seth.”

“Why, Mama?” He could barely get the words out.

“I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, Seth. There’s nothing they can do for me, Mimmo.”

***

^PRESENT DAY^

“I transferred to a covert training position here to be close to my mom and Sarah. A year after I transferred, my mom died. And I was glad I was here for that.”

Indie kissed him between his shoulders, and his stomach—and other areas—tightened in response, even as he felt his soul start healing from that point.

It was as if she’d marked him, and he didn’t mind in the least. He turned in her arms and held her tightly.

“I thought I was rid of Tereza for a bit longer. I didn’t want her to intrude on this beautiful relationship I was building with you. But she did anyway.”

This time she placed a kiss on his heart, and everything splintered in his soul.

He felt his world stand still as the tiny shards that had been a part of his being found their way to fill the spaces that had been ~Sethford Andrew Marshall~.

Indie was the magic making him want to feel alive again.

“Come on, Sarah!” Seth groaned when his phone rang again, then grimaced when he saw it was Burnsley. “Sorry,” he muttered before answering the call.

“I’m sorry to do this, Seth, but we need all hands on deck. Just grab your ID.”

“Yes, Sheriff.” He hung up and an SMS beeped through with the details. He looked at Indie, and for the first time wished that he was not on duty on Christmas. “I wish—”

She silenced him with a finger to his lips. “You do you. I’ve got my sister for the first time in three years. But I’ll leave the door open.”

His heart expanded till it felt as though it might explode. “I love you, Indigo Madison Aphrodite Dawson…”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of her mouth and the feel of her body against his own.

With absolute reluctance, he withdrew and felt his soul soar when he saw the answer in her eyes.

He pressed a last kiss on her lips and left the room, knowing that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t leave her at all.