Chapter 25

At Harm's snap of 'Who is it?' Jen opened the door and popped her head in. "They're gone," she told him

"And why do you think I care?" he demanded.

"Because you're holed up in here hiding. I don't know how you can let her do this to you!" Jen answered, sitting down across the desk from him.

"I didn't have much of a choice! What should I have done? Forced her to marry me anyway? You know how strong willed Mac is, she would never have gone for that."

"Stubborn, you mean!"

"Yeah…my only concern now is for Mattie. Mac was going to take care of her while I was at work," he told her resting his head in his hands.

That was how he missed the eager look on Jen's face when she offered, "I could go with you and take care of her!" She'd been in love with Harm almost from the first, but he never seemed to see her as anything but an older version of Mattie. She certainly didn't want to be seen that way in his eyes!

"That just wouldn't work, Jen. I mean here we were able to explain it with you in another apartment down the hall, I doubt we could get away with that in London."

She was about to suggest that they could get married just like he and Mac had been going to when they both heard General Creswell bellowing in the bullpen, "Petty Officer Coates!"

Hurrying out of Harm's office, she remembered she was supposed to be getting the General his coffee. The mug was still in her hand, but the contents were no longer hot.

Seeing Coates with mug in hand, Creswell approached her reaching out for it. "Did you have to personally have to track down Juan Valdez to get this, Petty Officer?"

"No, Sir. I got distracted by Colonel Mackenzie and Admiral Chegwidden."

Looking behind her to where Harm was standing in the doorway she'd just come out of, he demanded, "And they are in the Commander's office?"

Hanging her head she again replied, "No, Sir. After they left I had to talk to the Commander."

"I see…well if you can avoid any more distractions…I am still waiting for a 'hot' cup of coffee!"

"Yes Sir! I'll get it right away!" She scurried off to the break room to do that.

"Did we shock everyone, Sarah?" AJ asked as he guided her to the Escalade.

"I only told them my fiancé was coming to pick me up, so I think you did all the shocking."

"Oh good! Let me take all the heat," he chuckled.

"Well, you are the big brave SEAL," she teased.

"How was Harm this morning?"

"I think he's more hurt than angry, but I'm sure he'll come around," she replied squeezing his leg where her hand rested on his thigh.

AJ smiled and laid his hand over hers returning the squeeze. "I hope so, Sarah. I know how important his friendship is to you."

"It is, but we are going to be a world apart soon. You are my life, my family, my love now! You're all I need to be happy."

"Then maybe I was too presumptuous in the phone calls I made today…"

"Oh I doubt that! You always have such wonderful instincts. Tell me…"

"I called a local adoption agency to find out what we needed to do to become parents, just to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Was that wrong of me?" he asked as he pulled into a parking space and turned to face her.

Tears were rolling down her face and fear gripped his heart that he had hurt her with his actions.

"AJ! How incredible of you! We've only just found our love and you're intent on fulfilling all my dreams at once! I love you so much!"

"You're sure, Sarah?" he asked pulling her into his arms.

"Oh yes, my love! What did you find out? What do we need to do?"

"First they referred me to an agency in San Diego and we will need to take a series of classes. I called and they have a class starting in two weeks, but I didn't know if we'd be there by then so I just asked them to hold two spots in the class for us until I could talk to you."

To be continued….