Page 75 of Broken SEAL

“We did it,” she corrected, as she held the infant against her breast.

Rick shook his head. “If I hadn’t got here in time, she still would have been born. That’s all on you, babe, and she’s perfect.”

“She is, isn’t she. Welcome to the world, little lady.”

Rick frowned. “We really should tie down a name for her. I mean, they’re going to want to put it on her birth certificate, and we can’t keep calling her baby.”

“What name came to mind when you first saw her?” asked Jenny.

He paused. “Out of the names we chose, Sofia, she looks like a Sofia to me.”

“Sofia,” tried Jenny. “Sofia Anderson. Yeah, you look like Sofia, so that’s what we’ll call you.”

“I was wondering how you feel about Madeline as a middle name,” said Rick.

“It’s a beautiful name, is there any significance?”

“The first three letters are the initials of three of the most amazing women we know.”

“Maria, Alison, and Deborah, that’s beautiful, Rick. It was also my grandmother’s middle name. What do you think, Sofia? Do you like that name, baby girl?”

The infant made a mewing sound and snuggled into her mother.

“I think she likes it,” said Rick.

“Then, Sofia Madeline Anderson it is.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Check out that view,” said Rick as he entered the restaurant’s private dining room with Sofia in his arms.

Top of the Town was an exclusive seafood venue located at the San Diego Marina, opposite Coronado. It had uninterrupted views out over the USS Midway museum and San Diego Bay. A Michelin star restaurant, it was notoriously difficult to get a table, let alone book the private dining room.

“Damn, Deb has all the hookups,” said Jenny as she pushed Sofia’s stroller inside and parked it in the corner.

The rest of the team, their wives, and children were already seated, enjoying the evening sea breeze with soft drinks, beers, and cocktails.

“Sorry, we’re late, guys. We had a minor hiccup with the car seat,” said Jenny.

“That’s an understatement,” said Rick. “Seriously, imagine if you filled a grenade with poop and then detonated it inside our car. I mean, I wasn’t even upset, I was just impressed.”

“Thanks, Babe, I’m sure everyone needed that visual,” said Jenny as she sat.

“Oh, we’ve all been there,” said Ernie. “It gets worse, though. Wait till you feed a toddler frijoles charros, and they don’t make it to the potty. There was poop from one end of the hallway to the other.”

“Ernesto,” scolded Maria.

“Junior once pooped in the shower and tried to stamp it down the drain,” said Mike as he handed Rick a beer.

“The waffle stomp. No shame in that,” said Rick.

“OK, boys, that’s enough of the poop talk,” said Ali.

TJ was sitting at the far end of the table alongside Deb. He rolled his eyes and gestured for the waiter. “Can I please have a bourbon on ice?”

Their server nodded and made for the bar.

“How is Sofia sleeping?” Deb asked.