The SEAL’s Surprise Mate - Rachel McNeely

by Special Forces - Operation Alpha

  “I guess, but I have one I want to call.”

  “Then I’ll let you get to it.” Alec pushed himself to his feet. “A few of the guys and I are going to the shooting range. Have fun tonight.”

  Ranger reached for his cell and dialed Josie’s number. He sighed with relief when she answered. He didn’t want to call numerous times before getting her.

  “Josie, this is Ranger. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How about you?”

  “Good. Listen, I wanted to apologize for all the times I kept you on a string, not committing to marrying you.”

  Josie laughed. “If anyone told me you’d apologize to me for that, I’d have told them they were crazy. Don’t feel bad. I decided whether to accept your invitations. I think we cared for each other more than anyone we’d met. That’s why we kept getting together.

  “But when I met my fiancé, I realized you and I never loved each other. You and I liked each other a lot. I told Giles all about you. He’d had a similar experience in the past. I’m happy, Ranger. I hope you will be, too.”

  “Having you forgive me makes me feel better.”

  “You’re a good man. Is she going to marry you? The lady you were with at the ballroom?”

  “I hope so. Haley’s led me on a wild chase.”

  “You need that type of woman.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I do. We’re going to dinner tonight, and I’ll propose for the fourth or fifth time.”

  “Good for her. I’m sure she will make you very happy.”

  When he hung up, Ranger was glad he’d made the call. She’s a wonderful lady. I’m happy she’s found her love. I hope I get a yes tonight.

  When Haley opened the door, Dirk just stared at her. Finally, he handed her the flowers he’d brought and said, “You look beautiful.” Her cheeks turned a rosy color.

  “I have to compliment you more, so you’ll get used to it,” Dirk teased.

  She invited him inside. “Do you want a drink before we go?”

  “No, we’re due at the restaurant in about thirty minutes. It’ll take most of that time to drive there.” He saw a shawl on the chair closest to the doorway. “Is this your wrap?”

  “Yes, I tend to get cold in restaurants. They often have their air conditioning set low.”

  Dirk wrapped the shawl around her and kissed her neck. “I like your perfume and your black dress.”

  “Behave,” she said, but smiled.

  “I’ll try during dinner, but I don’t promise anything after we back.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I missed you.”

  “You weren’t gone long.”

  “Long enough. Did you miss me?”

  “Maybe a bit,” she teased. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving. I have a return-home present for you, but you can’t have it until later.”

  “What a surprise,” Dirk said. “I have one for you, also. How about after we eat we go to my house, have a drink in front of the fireplace, and share our surprises.”

  “Are you going to take me to work tomorrow?”

  “Yes.” He ushered her out to his car. When he opened her door, he asked, “Where’s your mother?”

  “Still living it up at the hotel.”

  “Wow. Good for Mom.”

  “I’m certain she believes if she leaves us alone long enough, we’ll fall into each other’s arms.”

  “You know, mothers are often right.” Dirk grinned and closed the door to walk around the front bumper to his own door.

  They talked little on the way to dinner. Classical music played on his radio. When he pulled up in front of the restaurant, a man helped her out and another took Dirk’s keys to park the car.

  The building was made of old bricks and had an elegance about it. Haley leaned toward Dirk and whispered, “Are you sure you can afford this?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Quit worrying. Not every day, but definitely for a special occasion.”

  The head waiter led them to a semi-secluded table. A large vase of red roses sat in the middle. Dirk pulled out her chair, which faced the roses and a window that looked out on a lit garden. He sat across from her, facing the front of the building.

  Haley leaned forward. “This is too much. It must be costing you a fortune.”

  “I’m very good with money. It isn’t hurting my savings at all.”

  “Okay, fair warning—I’m ordering the most expensive item on the menu.”

  He laughed. “That will be the steak and lobster.”

  “Good, I’m starved.”

  The waiter returned to take their order. “My lady is hungry, so we’ll start with appetizers.” He looked at Haley. “Soup or something more?”

  “I’d like to try whatever specialty soup you have for tonight.”

  “I’ll have the same,” Dirk said. “And the lady wants the steak and lobster. I’ll take the porterhouse steak.”

  The waiter returned with Champagne, which Dirk had insisted on having. He raised his glass.

  “To the loveliest lady I know, the most determined, brave, and the one I love.”

  Haley blushed, and they took a sip. Then he suggested they share their envelopes. “Ladies go first,” Dirk said and handed her his.

  Hands trembling, Haley broke the seal and pulled out a single page. She read.

  My dear Haley, you have changed my life and made it so much better. I love you, and I want to marry you soon. I know our jobs are not conducive for a happy and fruitful marriage. To show you how much you mean to me, and because I want you to say yes, I have applied to be a SEAL instructor at the base. No more missions. Please marry me.

  Haley was in tears when she finished reading his letter. “Here. Before I say anything, please read my card.”

  Puzzled, Dirk took the envelope and pulled the card out. On the front was written, I Love You. Inside, she explained how no job was worth losing him, and she had accepted a job that would see her stay in San Diego and work with the units going overseas. She’d be their contact with the office, but no overseas traveling for her.

  “I left my note on his desk telling him I wanted the job he offered when I first came back after I was captured.”

  Dirk took hold of both her hands. “I can’t believe we both offered to give up jobs we love for each other.” His hands tightened on hers. “I can’t let you give up what you love so much.”

  “Not as much as I love you,” Haley said.

  “You’re blushing again,” Dirk said. “I didn’t think you knew how to blush.”

  “The other reason I want to have this different job is I realized I want to have children. Do you want kids?”

  “Yes, and we’ll get busy with trying as soon as you have my ring on your finger. Tomorrow, we’ll go to a jewelry store where all my teammates got their rings, and we’ll set a wedding date.”

  “I don’t want you to quit the SEALs.”

  “Are you sure? I’d be home more to help if I took the other job.”

  “No. I spent time with the wives at the barbecue you and the other men missed. I can do it. I see the support that they all give each other. They reassured me the same would go for me.”

  Dirk swallowed and looked down.

  Haley reached her hand across the table to his. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t believe I got so lucky.”

  The waiter returned with their food, and they both regained their composure.

  “When you went to the barbecue, did you see Sampson?” Dirk asked as they ate.

  “Sampson ran right to me. I held him and petted him and then he was ready to get down and play with his new friend, Jacob. As I watched them together, I knew I’d never take him from his new home. It was meant to be. Later, maybe after our marriage, we can go back to the same rescue place and pick out another puppy or dog for us.”

  “Sounds good to me as long as it hasn’t made you sad.”

  “No. Sampson taught me a lot. I enjoyed taking care of him, and he put the first thoughts in my head of
having children.”

  “You’re sure you aren’t going to wake up tomorrow and say you’ve made a mistake?”

  “I’m certain.” She reached across and touched his hand. “Let’s hurry up and go home.”

  The meal was delicious, but once she suggested going home together, they both rushed to finish.

  “Do you not like your food?” the waiter asked with a worried expression on his face.

  “It’s delicious,” Dirk told him. “We aren’t as hungry as we thought. Would you please pack what’s left up for us?”

  “Certainly.” He hurried off.

  The owner came to their table. “If the food is not what you expected, we won’t charge you for it.”

  “No, no.” Dirk smiled at the man. “We will enjoy it later. My lady finally accepted my proposal and we want to be alone.”

  He clasped his hands together and smiled at them. “Ah, such a lovely occasion. You must come to us for your first anniversary, and you will receive a free meal.”

  “That’s a promise,” Dirk said.

  As soon as they arrived at Dirk’s home, their clothes came off. They shed them and kissed each other as they made their way down the hallway. Dirk yanked back the covers and lifted Haley onto the bed. He quickly followed.

  Hands and lips were everywhere as they rolled around on the king-size mattress. When both were ready, Dirk stopped to roll on a condom. He pulled Haley’s legs apart and slid into her moist heat. He cupped her face in his hands.

  “I love you, and I will love you and any children we have until the day I die.”

  “Don’t speak of dying. I want you around to annoy for many, many years.” She grinned and added, “And to love.”

  Dirk moved deep inside her, and she clenched him tight. “Damn, that feels so good.” He raised his head and stared down at her face. “Just think, we can enjoy loving each other for many years, especially if I take the instructor job.”

  A chill went through her. “Are you afraid you’ll die on a mission?”

  “No. I have the sense to know our job is dangerous, but we trust our skills, and the men, our team, and other teams to have our back.”

  “If you hadn’t met me, would you be thinking of leaving the SEALs?”

  “Never.”

  “Then be a SEAL and my husband. I can handle you being a SEAL. I’ve been out there, and I still would, but I want to be your wife and a mother more.”

  Dirk cupped her face between his hands. “You are certain you aren’t hiding your disappointment from me.”

  She gave him a look. “Do you think I could hide my feelings about anything?”

  He thought back on all that had happened between them. “No, you couldn’t, and you wouldn’t. I’m sure there will be times I wished you might.”

  She laughed and rolled him onto his back. “It’s my turn,” she said and swung her leg over his middle. When she took him inside, he groaned. She threw her head back and clenched him tight.

  Later in the shower, Dirk hugged her close. “You are becoming quite a tiger.”

  “When you’re gone, I want to make sure you remember your tiger at home.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. It took me thirty-three years to find you. I’m not about to let you loose.”

  The next morning, they got the marriage license first, and then drove to the jewelry shop.

  “Remember all the strange things I told you happened to the others? Will getting a ring from here bother you?”

  “No way. I like the idea.” She opened her door and jumped out. “Let’s go.”

  An older man behind the counter smiled when Haley and Dirk stepped inside the shop. “Ah, I have been waiting for you. You are the last of your group to find each other.”

  Dirk frowned. “Did one of my friends warn you I was coming?”

  The old jeweler shook his head. “The rings waiting for you have been shining more brilliantly in the last few days.”

  “We are here to get an engagement and a wedding ring for my fiancée and a wedding band for me.”

  “Let me show you what I have picked out.”

  “What if we don’t like it?” Haley asked.

  “You will lose out on the protection it will give you and your family.” He looked closer at Haley. “You have had a dangerous job and much anger in your life.”

  He assessed Dirk. “And you were raised in a lonely household, no mother or other children.” He clasped his hands together. “But in your marriage, the two of you will find contentment and love, and this will spread to your children.”

  “How do you know so much about us?” Haley frowned at the thought of a stranger having so much personal information about them.

  “I look at your stones and see much. It is a gift passed down from father to father.”

  “Show us these stones,” Dirk said.

  The jeweler walked to the end of the glass cases. He bent and unlocked a drawer under the counter and pulled out a velvet case. When he opened it, Haley sucked in a deep breath and said, “Wow.”

  The wedding band had a round center with small diamonds around the edge, but the center stone was like none she’d ever seen. The colors of blue, yellow, purple, pink, and pearl sparkled together, creating a rainbow effect.

  “Try it on,” the jeweler said. Hesitantly, Haley slid the ring on and stared at its beauty.

  The old man smiled. “It fits, as I knew it would.”

  The velvet box also held a man’s ring with a smaller stone, one that turned purple or blue, depending on the light. The jeweler handed it to Dirk. Again, the ring fit perfectly.

  “When you marry, it will bring two families together and take away the anger and disappointment of your youth. Your love will last a lifetime, and you will have four children, two boys, and two girls.”

  “I’d planned on two, whatever sex,” Haley said.

  “Me, too.” Dirk put his arm around her.

  The jeweler chuckled. “You have it partially right. There will be two pregnancies and two babies each time.”

  “Twins?” Haley shook her head. “No way.”

  “Bring your children by to see me.”

  “Whatever,” Dirk said. “We can never afford these rings. They are unusual, and I’m sure pricey.”

  “They were meant for you. As I told the others, when you are gone, the family must bring them back. For a lifetime of wear, the price is smaller.” He wrote a number on the sales slip.

  Dirk shook his head. “No way. We’d be cheating you.”

  “All of you men have been honest, but as I told them, the rings are on loan for a lifetime. When one of your children brings them back, my son will be here. He will know to save them for the next special couple.”

  “My friends warned me it was useless to try and pay more. We have a deal and may you live a long and happy life,” Dirk said.

  “Ah, you are a smart man. Many people say a long and rich life, but you know the value of wealth is not as good as happy.” He put the rings back in the box and the box into a bag. Then he rang up the tab and Dirk handed him his credit card.

  “Do you have a special ring for everyone who comes in?” Haley asked.

  “I have beautiful rings, but only a few of the special ones. Now I have used what I collected. I must wait until another shipment of these rings comes through.”

  “Is that often?” Dirk asked.

  “Sometimes it takes forty years or more. My son will get the next shipment. I am old and ready to retire.” He asked that they hold hands. Setting his on theirs, he spoke a language neither knew. “I have blessed your union and your children and asked for much happiness for you and all your friends.”

  They walked to the car in silence. Once inside, they sat for several long heartbeats and then smiled at each other. “I prefer to believe him, and I never thought I’d ever fall for such a story,” Haley said.

  “I agree. The jeweler saw a wonderfully full life for us. What could be better?” Dirk leaned forward and kissed h
er. “Let’s go plan a quick marriage, my love.”

  Chapter 13

  When Dirk called Jackson and told him the news, his friend wasn’t surprised.

  “I knew she had you. I just wasn’t sure how long you’d last. That’s great news. When’s the wedding?”

  “Soon. We have to decide where and we’ll invite all the crew and the ones we know from other teams.”

  “You’ll need a large area.”

  Another voice broke into the call. “Hi, Ranger, this is Kayla. I gathered you two are getting married.”

  “Yes. Any ideas where we can have the ceremony?”

  “I’ve often thought the park by the river. It’s only for the military. You can reserve a table and an area for a wedding. I’ll be glad to help Haley and her mother with the plans.”

  “Let me put her on the phone.”

  “Hi, Kayla.”

  “Congratulations. I’m so glad you and Dirk are planning to marry. I told Dirk about the park reserved for the military. You can ask for a certain area for a wedding, and they’ll rope it off. Or do you want to have a church wedding?”

  “With my work, I hadn’t gone to church as much as I’d like, so the park sounds great.”

  “You’ll have to find a minister or, if you like, Kijika did a civil ceremony for Heath and Cheryl.”

  “I think a wedding in a lovely outdoor place will be a wonderful memory and having Kijika officiate will be special.” Haley turned to Dirk. “What do you say to an outdoor wedding?”

  “I’d marry you anywhere, my love.

  Haley rewarded him with a kiss. “Dirk says a wedding outdoors with Kijika performing the ceremony will be perfect.”

  She grinned at her future husband as he nodded and moved closer to put his arms around her waist. He took the cell from Haley and added, “Better hurry, so we don’t have a child before nine months of marriage.”

  “I heard that,” Jackson said. “Have you paced around the room and thought about all of this?”

  “Many times. I’m ready.”