Wingman Warriors - Joint Forces Part 34

"She most definitely does." Rena snagged a pink rose from a vase as J.T. carried her toward the bed and inhaled the flowery scent. "Who says you can't have kids and romance? Thank you."

"My pleasure." And he wasn't done yet.

Carefully, he placed her onto the mattress against the piles of pillows, pulled her shoes off. J.T. stretched on the other side of the bed, while they watched their baby as they'd done in years past with Nikki and Chris.

His wife cooed and conversed with their newborn son, adjusting his lightweight blanket, tickling his toes and glowing even more than she had while pregnant. She would enjoy these next couple of months off before going back to work part-time.

Rena tugged the loose tail on J.T.'s Hawaiian s.h.i.+rt. "I think Jamie likes the crazy colors."

"Seems so." J.T. reached into his back pocket for the small box tucked away and hidden beneath the loose over-s.h.i.+rt. "Remember how Nikki and Chris used to track things with their eyes early on?"

"I sure do."

Behind his back, he flicked open the box and pulled free the gift. He brought his hand forward and let the

chain slowly slide loose, pendant swaying. "What do you think of this, little man? Will your mom like it, too?"

Her eyes glinted with tears. "Just when I think my heart can't get any fuller, it stretches even more."

J.T. winked at his son. "I think that's a yes." The jeweled charm continued its pendulum swing above the

entranced baby. "I saw this while I was TDY to Spain a couple of months ago. The stones aren't as big as I would have wanted to get to celebrate something so d.a.m.n awesome. But I actually put some sensitive-guy thought into it. Thank goodness the kid was born on time so I didn't have to change the birthstone."

He looped the chain up to show her the circular mother charm crafted to look like a woman holding her children, each child a jewel stone. Their three children-gems winked back a diamond, sapphire and topaz.

She touched each of the jewels with a trembling finger. "It's perfect. You're perfect."

Leaning over Jamie, Rena kissed J.T., a warm kiss, nothing pa.s.sionate given her recovering state, but warm was good, too. Especially when there was the promise of so much more in a few weeks.

And judging from the glint in his wife's eyes, she was already antic.i.p.ating six weeks into the future as well.

Ooh-rah.

She sagged back onto her pillows, the necklace clutched in her hand to her heart, the rose resting in her lap. "G.o.d, it's good to be home."

Home. Rena. Two words with the same meaning for him now.

He'd found that just as it was okay to bring darker parts of his military career into his relations.h.i.+p with Rena, into his house, he now always carried a part of her with him wherever he went. It had been a long journey across the years, across an ocean, but finally he was where he belonged.

"Yeah, babe, it sure is good to be home."

end.