Page 76 of Protecting Addison
“Well, they’re all lucky they have you. You’re a great father, MacGyver. I have to admit when you said you wanted to keep Artem, Borysko, and Yana, I had my doubts. I mean, what do we know about raising kids? I want kids myself, but I’m also selfish enough to want to spend time with Wren before we go down that road. You jumped into fatherhood with both feet without any kind of life preserver.”
“I can’t tell you how I knew those three kids were meant to be mine. Something happened when we were skulking around that burned-out city in Ukraine. The thought of leaving them was so painful, I couldn’t even contemplate it.”
“Well, we’re all very happy for you. And I meant what I said, you’re a really good dad. The role suits you.”
“Thanks.”
By the time they landed, MacGyver was antsy as hell. All he wanted was to get home and see the people who’d become his whole world.
“You gonna call Addison and give her a heads-up that you’re back?” Preacher asked.
“No, I think I’m just going to go straight home and surprise everyone. It’s early enough that they should all still be awake.”
“Not sure that’s the best idea,” Preacher replied with a frown.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. You might give them a heart attack if you just walk in.”
MacGyver grinned. “I’m willing to risk it.”
“Well, don’t come crying to us if you get read the riot act for not telling Addison the second your feet touched the ground back here in the US.”
MacGyver considered his friend’s suggestion for a moment, but he really wanted to see Addy’s and the kids’ reactions when they realized he was home. Besides, he didn’t want to waste any time on the phone when he could be on his way to holding his wife again.
The SEAL team scattered in the parking lot and MacGyver got into Addison’s VW Bug, and thankfully it started right up. He couldn’t help but smile at being in her car. She loved this thing. He hoped she didn’t have any issues with his Explorer while he was gone.
A million questions were rolling around in his head. How was Ellory doing with her Crohn’s? Was Yana talking more? Had Borysko learned a bunch of new words like he’d asked? Did Artem get a good grade on his most recent science homework? And Addison…was she completely frazzled? Had she been able to juggle everything all right? He worried about her most of all.
The lights were on in the house when he pulled into the driveway, and MacGyver couldn’t stop smiling. This was like Christmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July all at the same time. He left his duffle bag in the car, deciding to deal with it in the morning, and headed for the front door. It was locked—thank goodness; he’d begged Addison to keep it locked anytime they were home—and after using his key to open it, he quietly stepped inside the house.
Taking a deep breath, MacGyver felt his chin quiver. He never thought a scent could bring him to his knees. But after spending weeks in dirt and grime, smelling his own and his teammates’ body odor, the scent of freshly baked cookies had the power to bring tears to his eyes.
He heard the kids laughing, and it was just another layer of happiness that was almost too much for MacGyver. He walked silently toward the living room and saw his family lounging on the couches, covered in blankets he hadn’t owned before marrying Addison. The scene was straight out of a Hallmark movie, except Yana’s bangs had recently been cut haphazardly, Borysko had a bruise on his forehead, Artem’s shirt had some kind of food stain, and Ellory was rolling her eyes at something one of her brothers said.
And Addison…she looked even more beautiful than she had before MacGyver left. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was in curly disarray, she was wearing one of his Navy T-shirts…and he couldn’t stop staring at her.
This was all his. The mess, the chaos. The woman. The kids. They werehis. It was so hard to believe. And it made what he did for a living completely worth it. The thought of any of these precious humans being caught in the crosshairs of a man like the one they’d just taken out was abhorrent.
“Ricky?”
Ellory’s incredulous cry silenced the room for a split second—then pandemonium broke out. The kids screamed and leaped up from the couches and ran toward him. Even Ellory. MacGyver went down on a knee and held out his arms. He was bowled over by his exuberant children as they practically tackled him.
“You home!”
“Ricky!”
“When you get here?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t let us know you were back!”
MacGyver couldn’t stop smiling. He’d never been so happy in all his life. This was why those cheesy videos about soldiers surprising their families and kids were so popular. Why people cried when they watched them. He was experiencing that kind of emotion firsthand.
Looking up through his pile of children, MacGyver saw Addison standing above them with her hand over her mouth, tears running down her face. For a split second, he panicked, wondering if those tears were happy ones or not. But then she fell to her knees and joined the pile of bodies on the floor.
MacGyver laughed as he tried to wrap his arms around not only his kids, but his wife as well. Of course, that didn’t work, partly because Yana came within two millimeters of kneeing him in the balls, Artem was practically yelling in his ear, asking him question after question, Borysko was lying like dead weight against him, and Ellory was kneeling right against his side, smiling like a loon.
It took a moment or two, but eventually MacGyver got everyone on their feet again and turned to Addison. “Honey, I’m home,” he joked.
