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“WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM,” Jett said as Luke strode into his office at Shadow Security later that day. Jett dropped the thick file he’d been holding onto his desk, watching as the heavy door swung shut behind Luke.
“The potential mole at DOD you briefed us on the other day?” Luke asked, grabbing a chair in front of Jett’s large executive desk.
“Affirmative. The Feds want us to move in, sending West to a government office in Boston where the suspect works. Motherfucker. I needed West on that potential op in Sudan, running the technical side of things. I’ll have to get another one of the IT guys on that in case we’re sent out soon. My contact with Defense, however, has let me know that the suspected mole is the top priority. We need to find out who’s leaking this intelligence and passing it on to our enemies. Although West could probably hack into the DOD systems with the skill set he has, it’d be easier if he’s onsite. They’re ready to bust this asshole.”
“What do you need, boss?” Luke asked.
“Brief the others. I’d like to send one of the team in as well to see what additional information we can find out—get some ears to the ground. We’ll be posing as military members on TDY. I’ve got to meet with West this afternoon to hear his thoughts on the matter. Then I need to find out what Anna’s up to,” he said, shaking his head.
“Is everything okay?”
“My fiancée is planning a Christmas surprise of sorts, and you know I hate surprises. Even my brother called me this morning about it. He just loves to know something I don’t.”
“You’re kidding me,” Luke said with a chuckle.
“Negative. She’s up to something, and I intend to find out exactly what. Don’t tell Anna. I don’t mind playing along, but an actual surprise? Not a chance. I’ll figure it out after I deal with this. Decide who wants to spend two weeks in Boston. The rest of the team will potentially have to move in to Sudan.”
“We need more guys,” Luke assessed.
“That we do, and I’ve considered expanding. A second Shadow Ops Team would allow us to cover more ground and take additional ops. Hell, my brother commands multiple SEAL teams in Coronado. I think he’s even got the Hawaii team under his command on a mission at the moment.”
“Wyatt Miller’s team?” Luke asked. “He’s a good dude. Worked with him once on a joint op back when we were Deltas.”
Jett nodded. “I have a feeling his team is deployed right now. Slate was monitoring something in the middle of the night when he called me with his tip about Anna. Normally, Hawaii doesn’t fall under his command, but they’ve done several joint missions with the Alpha SEALs Coronado teams. There have been some incidents in the Pacific recently.”
“I heard,” Luke said with a frown. “Hell, I wouldn’t mind working with Wyatt again, or any of those guys. Man. Time flies. It’s been years since I’ve seen any of them. It would be good to catch up.”
Jett crossed his arms, looking at Luke speculatively.
“I’ll let the other Shadow Ops members know we’re briefing soon,” Luke continued. “If I hear anything about Anna’s big surprise, I’ll fill you in of course,” Luke added.
“You better. Somethings up, and I don’t like it.”
Luke rose from his seat, and Jett could tell he was biting back a smile. “That woman,” Jett muttered. “I’ll get it out of her.”
“I’m sure you will, boss,” Luke said reassuringly. “I’ll meet with the team and let you know who’s heading to Boston with West. What day are we tasked to start?
“On Monday. Three weeks before Christmas.”
“Brody’s first Christmas,” Luke said with a smile.
“Don’t I know it. Anna’s already gone overboard buying him a million outfits and toys. While I fully plan to spoil my kids when they’re older, he’s an infant.”
“That’s Anna for you. She’s clearly enjoyed decorating your office,” Luke said, smirking at the colorful lights atop Jett’s bookcases and the Santa hat perched on one shelf. His normally organized and neat office had Anna’s Christmas touches everywhere.
“Save it,” Jett ordered.
“Right. No comment, boss. And as for briefing with the guys on the situation in Boston? I’m on it. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Jett grumbled as Luke pulled open the door, but then his phone lit up with a text from his pretty fiancée. A feeling of fondness and warmth washed over him. Anna’s day off had him missing her more than he’d imagined. Although the nanny wasn’t scheduled to come back again this evening, he’d seduce his beautiful fiancée anyway—and find out exactly what she was up to.
***
“LENA, YOU’RE SUCH AN amazing help,” Anna declared, winking at Jett’s personal assistant as they sat in the kitchen, organizing a stack of papers and pamphlets. “Remember, not a word to Jett. You’ve got to promise to keep this a secret.”
“Of course,” Lena said with a smile. “He didn’t even question when I left to run errands earlier. The man’s busy enough with his business to run. Of course, if he checks the security cameras of your home, he’ll know I’ve been here for a while,” she added ruefully.
“Damn him for being so security conscious,” Anna joked, and Lena burst into laughter. She was usually quiet and professional, a get down to business type of person. She’d loosened up a bit over the past year as they’d gotten to know one another better. Anna still recalled the weekend she’d met Jett—and spent several nights at his upstate home. Lena had gone shopping for her since Anna didn’t have any clothes, aside from what she’d been wearing at the bar that night. Jett had bought her drinks and dinner, and the rest was history. She and Jett were engaged with a baby. They had another on the way.
She smiled.
“You are positively glowing,” Lena declared.
“It’s the baby,” Anna said, running a hand over her non-existent bump. “I almost can’t believe we’re about to do this all over again. Jett was so paranoid when I was pregnant the first time. Now he’s got both Brody and me to worry about.”
“He’s protective,” Lena said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Protective? Absolutely. He’s also used to being in charge. He’s going to both love and hate that I’m pulling off our wedding without his knowledge,” Anna said, giggling. “I can’t wait to see his face when I’m standing there in my wedding gown in our backyard. He couldn’t care less about the wedding details, per se, and he’s more than ready for me to become his wife. Not knowing it’s happening in advance will kill him. Jett loves to run the show. I even got his brother on board.”
“Slate?” Lena asked, looking impressed. “He’s even more stern and serious than Jett, if that’s possible.”
“Oh, not around me,” Anna said, carelessly waving a hand in the air. “I’ve only met him twice but have made a point to call. He loves our chats, I’m sure.” She looked over, noticing Lena smiling in amusement. “I think he gets a kick out of me pulling one over on his brother. He said to tell him the date and he’d be here, come hell or high water.”
“They’re competitive but close,” Lena said. “I can certainly see that he’d want to be here for the big day.”
“I guess that competitive gene runs in the family. I wonder if baby Brody will be that way,” Anna said with a laugh.
“With Jett as his dad? I’m sure of it,” Lena said.
“I’m in so much trouble, aren’t I?” Anna asked, shaking her head. “Well, we made some great progress with the plans today. I can’t believe you covered so much ground.”
“I didn’t mind going in person to vet some of the vendors. Everyone has websites and social media nowadays, but I got a real feel for them. A business can put up a fancy website, but I want to make sure they actually have the skills we need.”
“Good call. I don’t want people who are going to flake out on us at the last minute or promise they do weddings all the time but can’t handle a crowd—or worse, promise to cater and then reheat frozen meals. I read a story about that somewhere. The vendor was just reheating frozen food from the grocery store.”
“Who was this?” Lena asked with a laugh.
“Some food truck. Honestly, I think it was a group of college guys trying to make some money. Anyway, not that I don’t love me a good food truck, but I want to go a little fancier for my wedding day. Plus, given the short notice, we’ll be limited as to which vendors are available. Between coordinating with a caterer and bartender, it sounds like we’ll have to do a Friday evening, at least based on the places we’ve contacted.”
“It’ll be perfect. And as for the people flying in, they’d be here for the weekend anyway,” Lena assured her. “If we can estimate a headcount, I’ll get tables and chairs reserved. Linens, too. I think the caterer has place settings, but I’ll confirm before we sign the contract.”
“Contracts with vendors? This is getting real. Ohhh, this is so exciting!” Anna squealed. “I wanted to nail down the date and the specifics for the biggest things today. I’ll have to go dress shopping this week too of course. Shoot! What do you think Jett will want to wear? He’ll need a tux, unless he wants his military uniform.”
“Leave Jett to me,” Lena assured her. “I’ll make sure he has the appropriate attire for his own wedding. The only thing he’ll have to worry about is how incredible you look.”
“Eeek! You’re the best!” Anna said, leaning over and throwing her arms around the other woman’s shoulders.
“What about rings?” Lena asked.
“Oh, we already have those. We were actually going to start planning before I got pregnant—the first time,” Anna added wryly. “Jett will be so shocked, because I was insistent that I didn’t want to wear a wedding dress while pregnant.”
“You’re not even showing.”
“Exactly. We could’ve had it last year, but eh?” She shrugged. “We had our time as a couple during the pregnancy without worrying about wedding planning. I was sicker that go around, too. This time, I feel great.” Anna rose and walked over to the bassinet, where baby Brody was sleeping peacefully. “I swear this kid can sleep through anything during the day. I just need to get him on board with sleeping at night.”
“He’ll get there,” Lena said.
Anna looked at her thoughtfully. Lena wasn’t much older than her, probably in her early thirties. She didn’t know much about the other woman despite the many hours they’d spent together. Lena kept her private life private. “Do you want kids?” Anna asked.
“No. I love children but never pictured myself having any of my own.”
“What about a boyfriend?” Anna asked.
Lena shook her head. “Don’t get any matchmaker ideas in your head. I’m busy and happy as a single woman.”
“I hear ya. If Jett hadn’t taken me home from that bar in Manhattan, I’d still be single, too.”
“He was smitten with you from day one,” Lena said.
“He didn’t stand a chance,” Anna said with a wink. “And he’s going to be shocked as anything when I pull off our wedding without his knowledge. Okay,” she said, looking down at her notes. “I still need to decide on flowers, shoes, and the dress. Oh my God, and the cake! How could I forget about that?”
Lena smiled, sliding several more brochures toward her. “I took the liberty of checking out some local bakeries this morning as well. We can schedule a tasting if you’d like.”
“Perfect! Yes, let’s get that on the schedule ASAP. I’ll call Ashleigh and Jen to bring them up to speed. Even though we’re rushing the wedding, I still want to go dress shopping in Manhattan. I’ll have to buy something off the rack, but that’s fine. Oh shoot—I can’t even drink the champagne those boutiques offer when you schedule a session to look at dresses. Well, maybe just a sip,” she said. “I’ll bring my own sparkling cider or something.”
“What else do you need me to do?” Lena asked, looking amused.
“Get the contracts for the caterer and bartender. I’ll sign off after I look them over so we have that in writing. I’ve got a lead on an officiant, so that should work as well. I’m going to finalize the guest list this afternoon. Luckily, we’d already discussed who we’d invite, so he can’t be upset about that.”
“I don’t think that man could be upset with you about anything,” Lena said.
Anna lifted a shoulder. “He loves me.”
“Without a doubt. Want me to order wedding invitations?” Lena asked. “I can do a rush order.”
“Huh,” Anna said, pondering. “I was planning to text invitations tonight. Maybe that can be a save the date type of thing. Obviously, I’ll tell people it’s a surprise and under no circumstances should they fill in Jett about what’s happening. Then we’ll do the invitations as more of a formality.”
“Yes, I think that would be nice.”
“We are off to an amazing start,” Anna said. “Jett’s pretty convinced I’ve got this secret Christmas gift up my sleeve. He’s got no clue about what’s really happening.”
“Well, I don’t blame him for thinking it’s a Christmas gift. You’ve gone all out with the decorating. The house looks good,” Lena said.
“You don’t think it’s too many trees?” Anna asked. “I love the small one in the foyer. Obviously, we needed a big one in the living room to put all the gifts from Santa. And the tree on the deck is perfect. It’s so romantic to sit out there at night under the stars and look at the twinkling lights.”
Lena rose from her chair, smiling. “I never in a million years would’ve dreamed Jett would have Christmas decorations overflowing his home. It’s warmer now with you here.”
“It just needed a woman’s touch,” Anna declared.
“For certain,” Lena said, crossing over to look out the back doors onto the deck. “Now you’re not really planning to have the wedding outside, are you? December in New York?”
“Of course, I am. We’ll rent a giant tent with heaters or something for the dinner. Oh, add that to the list,” she said, watching as Lena walked back over to the table and jotted it down. “It’ll be so romantic. I’ll have a warm wrap or something to go over the dress. We’ll tell everyone to wear a coat. The ceremony will be short and sweet, but with the tent, we’ll be fine for dinner and dancing. We can always move into the house if it gets too cold.”
“I’ll make note of that for the caterers. Your home is large enough, but the backyard is certainly beautiful.”
“I’ve been plotting for a while,” Anna said. “Jett’s so busy all the time anyway, what with running things at Shadow Security, he doesn’t need to worry about wedding details.”
“We’re off to a good start.”
“We’ll reconvene later this week,” Anna said. “I’ll send you the guest list, too. You don’t mind sending the invitations out?”
“Not at all. I’ll do a rush order and get the invitations in the mail. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You really are the best,” Anna said, giving her another quick hug.
“I don’t mind a new challenge,” Lena said. “Being Jett’s personal assistant has come with all sorts of random tasks over the years. This takes the cake,” she joked.
“Of course. He could never outwit me,” Anna said with a giggle.
