Guarding His Unexpected Twins: SEAL Endgame Book Three Read online

  SEAL Endgame

  Guarding the Single Mother

  Guarding His Pretend Wife

  Guarding His Unexpected Twins

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, SEPTEMBER 2019

  Copyright © 2019 Relay Publishing Ltd.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Leslie North is a pen name created by Relay Publishing for co-authored Romance projects. Relay Publishing works with incredible teams of writers and editors to collaboratively create the very best stories for our readers.

  Cover design by LJ Mayhem Cover Creations

  www.relaypub.com

  Blurb

  Former Navy SEAL Gage Winters is surprised to suddenly have custody of adorable twins after a childhood friend and his wife are killed. Adjusting to life as a new father is hard enough, but when the babies’ gorgeous aunt, Kylie Fredericks, shows up at his doorstep, determined to play a role in the babies’ lives, Gage can’t help but accept her help—at least for now. A loner by nature, Gage isn’t completely happy about sharing his home, even if his new roommate is sexy, single, and a natural around babies. But he’s admittedly in way over his head and while he’s wary of Kylie, he can’t deny how nice it is to have her around. And not just for the babies.

  Initially Kylie can’t see why her sister chose Gage as the twin’s guardian, but the longer she stays, the more she realizes that not only is Gage a good father, he’s also a good man. Not to mention pretty easy on the eyes. But Gage has one fatal flaw: he wants more children…and that’s something Kylie can never give him. Though they’re becoming a cozy family, Kylie has to remind herself that she and Gage have no future together.

  When Kylie and the twins are attacked in a park, Gage’s protective instincts go into high gear. Keeping the babies and Kylie safe becomes his number one priority. Too bad he didn’t think about protecting his heart. With an unknown threat circling closer by the minute, Gage and Kylie will do whatever they can to keep the babies safe—even if it means risking their own lives and sacrificing the love their hearts are having an increasingly hard time denying.

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  End of Guarding His Unexpected Twins

  Thank you!

  About Leslie

  Also by Leslie: Ride With the SEAL

  1

  Instant fatherhood was not all it was cracked up to be. Or at least it was not at all what they showed in the media.

  Gage Winters fumbled down the dim hallway, exhausted and frazzled, one fussy eight-month-old tucked against his shoulder while he went to the nursery to fetch the baby’s now-crying twin. Lord help him, he couldn’t remember being this tired ever. Even during his most-strenuous training as a Navy SEAL. Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten more than two consecutive hours of sleep. Had to have been before the babies arrived, before he’d gotten the awful news that his best friend and his wife had been killed in a car accident two weeks ago, giving him custody of their children. Before life as Gage knew it had changed forever.

  Shaking off the lingering grief those thoughts always brought, he made his way into the spare bedroom that had now become a makeshift nursery. With one hand securely on the back of little Brennan’s head to support him, Gage reached in to scoop up the boy’s sister, Maya, into his other arm. “There, there, baby girl. What’s wrong, huh? Are you hungry again? I bet you are, Mayaboo.”

  His soothing tone did little to appease the angry infant, her tiny face scrunched and red. Gage sighed and carried both kids back to the living room, where he’d been watching a documentary on the Sahara while doing his best to entertain Brennan in his bouncer seat until it was feeding time. Again.

  Once he’d checked and changed each baby’s diaper, he settled the twins in their carriers in the kitchen and then began fixing two bottles of formula. He’d probably made hundreds of these in the days since he’d received custody of the twins, but still he carefully measured each scoop and tested each bottle with a thermometer after heating them to make sure he didn’t screw anything up.

  God knew he’d made enough mistakes in his life already.

  Now, with two tiny lives dependent on him for survival, he’d sworn never to screw up again. He owed that to Tucker and Christine, the twins deceased parents. He owed that to the men who’d died because of his negligence in Afghanistan too. And yeah, he’d been cleared during the investigation and everyone said there was no way Gage could’ve known about or prevented the attack. He knew the truth. Deep down, he knew it was all his fault. Nothing he did would ever bring those men back or wipe away his guilt. All he could do was move forward now and do better. Be better.

  It was a vow Gage lived by.

  The microwave beeped and he removed the two bottles of formula, inserting the digital thermometer to make sure they were both at identical optimal temperatures before screwing on the lids and carrying them over to the table.

  “Right, kiddos,” Gage said, holding a rubber nipple to each tiny mouth before tipping the bottles up slightly once the twins latched on and began to suckle. “Dinner is served. Well, fourth dinner anyway.”

  His slight chuckle filled the kitchen as he smiled down at the babies. He’d always imagined having a family of his own one day. He’d just never expected it to happen so suddenly. To say he’d been shocked the day the attorneys had shown up at his door would be the understatement of the century. Gage had just been settling into his life post-discharge from the SEALs. At twenty-eight, he was young to retire, but once the debacle on the Afghanistan mission had happened, his heart just hadn’t been in it anymore. He'd tried transferring to a desk job at headquarters in Virginia Beach for a while, but pushing papers wasn’t for him. So, after ten years in the Navy he’d taken an earlier discharge and come home to Topanga, California, moving into the house he inherited when his Uncle Derek passed away. If not for the inheritance, there was no way Derek could’ve afforded the cost of living here, especially now with the twins to take care of. His military pension only stretched so far, and he’d yet to find steady work in security. And he wasn’t ready to put the kids in daycare. Not when they were still getting used to each other.

  Brennan jerked his head away from his bottle and stretched, giving Gage a gurgling squeak and sending formula dribbling down the front of the blue onesie Gage had just changed him into not long ago. Oh, well. Such was life with infants. Gage laughed as he set one bottle aside to grab a towel, careful to keep Maya’s bottle steady as he did so. Of the two, Maya tended t
o be fussier, especially when she was hungry, while Brennan was more laid back. At least until he needed a diaper change. Or wanted attention. Or…

  Who was Gage kidding? Both babies were a handful, but he loved them just the same.

  He’d just managed to mop up the front of Brennan and toss the towel aside when a knock sounded on the front door. Gage’s gut immediately tightened, and his instincts went on high alert. A quick glance at the clock above the stove showed it was nearly three in the morning. Hardly the time for a social call. Cursing under his breath, he picked up Maya and tucked her into his arm, managing to keep her bottle going with one hand while he made sure Brennan was secured in his carrier with the other, then headed into the living room to see who the hell would show up unannounced at this hour.

  Through the peephole, he saw a woman standing there beneath the overhead porch light. About his age, he’d guess, blonde hair, tall, pale. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place from where. Near her feet were two suitcases. Odd. She raised her hand to knock again, but he cracked open the door before she could, fearing the babies would start fussing again.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, his tone abrupt. It was the middle of the night, dammit. No time for chit-chat.

  “Gage?” the woman said, her blue eyes locking with his. Now he knew where he recognized her from. He’d know that pale blue gaze anywhere. Her eyes were the same color as Christine’s, the twins’ dead mother.

  “Kylie? What the hell are you doing here?” he stepped back slightly to let her in. He hadn’t seen her since Tucker and Christine’s wedding a year and half ago, yet she looked the same. Same wavy hair, same hippie clothes. The sleeve of her frou-frou tie-dyed shirt brushed his arm as she stepped inside. The scent of patchouli and soap teased his senses. He was just about to repeat his question when Brennan began wailing in the kitchen. “Shit. Here, hold this one.”

  He passed Maya to her aunt, ignoring the somewhat shocked look on Kylie’s face as he took off for the kitchen. “And close the door, please.”

  By the time he had Brennan out of his carrier and quieted down again, he found Kylie sitting on the sofa in the living room, cooing softly to Maya as she burped her. Gage didn’t miss the fact she’d brought those two suitcases inside the house too. His stomach sank. Whatever had caused this woman to show up at here in the middle of the night, it couldn’t be good.

  “So,” Gage said, moving to stand in front, Brennan snoozing in his arms. “What are you doing here?”

  * * *

  Kylie looked up at him, “I came to make sure my niece and nephew are okay.”

  She didn’t miss the way he bristled at her words, nor the scowl darkening on his face. “What?” she said. “They’re my family too, more than yours.”

  His gaze narrowed on her. “Really? You want to get into this now?”

  She kind of did—kind of wanted the chance to unload some of her grief over the loss of her sister, not to mention the hurt over not being named guardian of the children. But dammit, she was tired, nearly as tired as Gage was, if the dark circles beneath his eyes were any indication. Anyway, none of this was his fault, and unloading on him wouldn’t make anything better. She took a deep breath, releasing the pent-up energy inside her and focusing on peace. Babies could easily pick up emotions and the last thing she wanted was to disturb the sweet baby sleeping in her arms. For a woman who’d never imagined having children of her own, it was a bittersweet surprise. Then there was the guilt too, of course. Always the guilt.

  “I don’t want to get into anything with you, Gage.” She forced a small smile. “And I apologize for showing up here in the middle of the night. It’s just that I caught the last flight out of Tokyo and I didn’t plan ahead. I went to my apartment in Burbank, but I can’t stay there because it’s sublet for three months and I’ve reached my daily limit on my debit card so no hotel and…” Kylie stopped for a breath. She was rambling again. Bad habit when she was stressed. She inhaled deeply again, counted to three, then exhaled before continuing. “Sorry. I just really wanted to see the twins and I didn’t stop to consider or plan anything. I just raced here. I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”

  Considering the fact he was still scowling at her, it appeared that’s exactly what it was. Honestly, she shouldn’t care. She had every right to be here. The twins were her family by blood, her last connection to the sister she’d loved more than life itself. The fact Christine had chosen to give custody of her children to a virtual stranger didn’t change that. Kylie thought she understood, or at least she tried too. Her work kept her on the road too often. She’d always been the younger, more fragile sister. Her body was broken, and she wasn’t fit to be a mother. Tears stung the back of her eyes before she blinked them away. Maya squirmed on her shoulder and she cuddled the infant closer, rubbing her back and kissing her tiny head, inhaling her good baby scent.

  Finally, the cloud of tension around Gage dissipated and he moved to sit in the chair across from her, his broad shoulders slumping back against the cushions as he sighed. Up until that moment she hadn’t paid much attention to the fact he was shirtless, but with the lamp beside him casting a golden glow over his tanned skin she’d have to be blind not to notice. Not that she was looking. She didn’t think of Gage Winters that way. He was attractive, sure. Handsome even, with that muscled sculpted torso and mysterious dark looks. In fact, he reminded her a bit of that guy, the movie star from that breakthrough Asian rom-com the year before. Okay. Fine. He was hot. But he was also very much off-limits and besides, Kylie wasn’t looking for romance anyway. She had plenty on her plate right now as it was.

  “I’m sorry too,” Gage said, his voice quiet now. He rubbed his eyes with one hand while cradling a baby with the other. Was there anything sexier than a man with an infant? Nope. Kylie looked away fast. Not going there. “I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. I’m just so tired and you caught me at a bad moment. If you need a place to stay tonight, you can crash here.”

  “Thanks.” She met his gaze, still spotting a hint of suspicion in his dark eyes. “I’ll make other arrangements in the morning. Promise.” Maya stirred in her arms and she smiled and whispered some soothing nonsense to the little girl, not missing the way Gage tracked her every move. “How are you doing with the twins?”

  Her heart still stung when she thought of them living without her, but she shoved it aside. She was back now and she wasn’t going anywhere for a while. Not until she made sure the custody arrangement her sister and brother-in-law had written in their will was really the best thing for Maya and Brennan. Yes, she planned to find another place to stay in the morning, but she wouldn’t go far.

  “They’re good.” Gage yawned, drawing her attention once more to his rippling muscles, darn him. “They keep me plenty busy.”

  She wanted to ask him to put on a shirt, annoyed with herself for even caring. Instead, she shifted her focus to a different topic. “What about the military? Aren’t you worried about being deployed again?”

  His relaxed posture tensed again. She’d apparently touched on a sore spot but didn’t know where.

  “I’m retired now,” he said, his tone abrupt.

  Right. And not happy about it either, she thought, if his stony expression was any indication. Her inquisitive nature had her wanting to ask more about that, but she didn’t know him that well yet, so she just nodded and cooed to Maya again.

  “What about you?” Gage asked, his fatigue evident in the roughness of his voice. “Don’t you have a decorating job or something?”

  “Feng Shui Consultant, not decorator,” she corrected him, not missing the judgment behind his words. Honestly, after all this time, she should be used to it. People gave her crap every day when they discovered her occupation, but she didn’t care. The energies and vibrations she worked with were as real and true as anything else in the universe and she loved helping people better align themselves and their homes with the eternal forces of nature.
“And I did have a job. A big one in fact, with a Japanese billionaire and his wife. They own four homes they were having me realign. But then I got the news about the accident and I did my best to get back to the States as soon as I could. Had to break my contract with the billionaire and return the retainer money to them, then take two trains to the airport and wait on stand-by for a flight. Bad enough I missed the funeral.” She bit her lip against the grief welling inside her. She gave a small shrug and cuddled Maya closer. “I just needed to be here, to see them, you know?”

  He nodded, his handsome face looking as sad as she felt. “I know. I’m sorry for the loss of your sister.”

  “And I’m sorry for the loss of your friend,” her last word broke and she bit back a sob. She wouldn’t cry in front of this man. She wouldn’t. She wanted to project an air of calm professionalism, in case she decided to fight for custody.

  They sat there watching each other warily across the room until the weariness in her bones threatened to pull her under. Finally she said, “Any chance I might get a cup of coffee?”

  Gage stared at her a moment, then sighed and stood, handing her the second baby as well. “Yep. Be right back.”

  She watched as he walked into the open kitchen and grabbed two cups from the cupboard, unable to keep from peeking at the way his soft gray sweatpants cupped his taut butt underneath.