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Mike carved in closing the fifty feet to the craft in seconds. Cutting in over the cruiser’s wake, he slid in against the hull, reached up, and hooked his pole onto the railing. Kicking his feet from the board, he quickly scaled the pole and rolled onto the deck, releasing his submachine gun from his vest. “One onboard and ready,” he reported.

“Two onboard and ready,” echoed Ernie.

“Three and Four onboard,” confirmed TJ. “Team complete. That’s a wrap.”

Mike strolled along the cruiser and joined the rest of the team at the stern. “That went smoothly.”

“Yeah, all that training paid off. Hopefully HQ will approve a night trial now,” said Rick as the vessel’s skipper appeared at the top of the stairs to the flybridge.

“That was awesome,” said the civilian sailor. “The only contact we got was your safety boat. If it were nighttime, we wouldn’t have seen you on radar or eyeballs.”

“I’ll chalk that up as a win,” said Rick. “Any chance you grabbed some photos of the radar sweep?”

The captain nodded. “Oh, and TJ, I made sure the supplies you requested were onboard.”

“Huh,” said Rick. “What supplies?”

TJ slapped his shoulder. “Well, I figured that the girls would get a baby shower. No reason the boys shouldn’t have one too. So, we’re drinking beers and fishing on the transit back to Coronado.”

“But Chief, we’re on duty?” said Rick.

“That’s right, but once our weapons and gear are secured on the RHIB, we’re off the clock. Special orders from Commander Stark.”

Rick beamed. “Nice, what a day. Parachuting, surfing, boating, beers, and big game fishing. Chief, you’ve outdone yourself.”

One of Maria’s boys kicked the soccer ball with vigor. It arced through the air on a direct track for Junior’s head. Ali had just enough time to wince before Axe intercepted the ball, punching it with his snout and driving it back toward James and Ryan.

“Every kid needs a guardian like that,” observed Maria from where she, Ali, and Jenny were sitting on the porch enjoying a cup of coffee.

“Do not say that anywhere near Rick,” said Jenny. “He wanted one of Axe’s puppies to raise with our daughter.”

Ali snorted. “Axe is a retired working dog and look how much energy he has. You most certainly do not want a baby land shark in your house. I’d wait a few years before you consider getting a dog.”

“Can I get you to tell him that?” laughed Jenny. “It doesn’t seem to sink in when I tell him.”

“Do you think he wants the protection a Malinois offers?” asked Maria.

“Maybe, I mean, every father worries about their child,” replied Jenny. “I think it’s worse for the SEALs because they’re away so much.”

Maria nodded. “Ernesto used to worry a lot. He’s much better now that the boys are a little older.”

“With all that the team’s been through, it’s normal that they’d worry,” said Ali. “But they also know they married smart, assertive women who can look after their offspring when they’re away.”

“And they know we’ve got each other,” added Maria.

“True, and it also helps that one of the team is married to a bad ass secret agent,” added Jenny. “I thought Deb was coming?”

“Short notice trip to LA to review a new restaurant,” said Ali. “She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Oh well, we’ll have to catch her up on any decisions we make. I’m sure she will have some great ideas, too.”

“Ideas for what?” Jenny looked perplexed.

“The baby shower,” said Maria. “Sister, you’re only eight weeks from your third trimester, and an event of this magnitude needs planning. If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t a lot of girls in our little squad. We’ll be throwing a baby girl shower the likes of which San Diego has never seen.”

“Should I be scared?” asked Jenny with a chuckle.

“We’ll keep it classy,” said Ali. “But, yeah. It needs to be something truly special. I bet Deb can get us into a swish venue.”