“Good morning, sunshine!” she trilled at her friend Dawn.
“Well aren’t you in a good mood this morning,” Dawn teased. “I take it your boyfriend finally came home last night?”
“My fiancé, did, yes,” Sarah said innocently.
Dawn dropped the stack of folders she was holding and hurried over. “Girl! Congratulations!” she squealed, engulfing her in a big hug and then pulling back to admire the ring. “When did he pop the question?”
“This morning,” Sarah admitted. “It still hasn’t totally sunk in yet.”
“This morning?” Dawn asked, raising her eyebrows. “And you’re here?” she teased.
Sarah laughed. “Ryan had to go into base, and I had patients. We’ll celebrate more this weekend or something when stuff settles down. His team just got back from a mission. And there’s a million things to figure out—moving here, leaving my old job for good, planning the wedding.”
“So you’ll be working here five days a week now?”
“Probably so,” Sarah said. “I need to look into adjusting my schedule and wrapping up stuff with my old office in Norfolk. It’ll be a bummer to not see my patients there on Fridays anymore, but I’ve been slowly cutting back.” She shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t forever, seeing patients in both offices, and it’s time to move forward, you know?”
“God, that will be awesome for you to be here all week.”
“For real. It’ll be good for me—I’ll be closer to my brother, too. When he gets sent out, sometimes Rebecca could use help with the kids. And since Ryan is busy at the same time Patrick is when those guys have missions, it works.”
“Yeah, it’s good to have family close by. I really miss that.”
“Honestly, I got closer to Patrick after Logan, his son, was born. Now I’m the crazy aunt who’s a bad influence on the kids.”
“Yep, I can totally see that,” Dawn said with a grin.
“Hey, I’ll catch up with you later, all right?” Sarah said, grabbing a chart for her first patient. “I’m running late thanks to that surprise proposal, and, ahem, mini-celebration this morning.”
“Girl, you have the life! See you later.”
Sarah smiled as she headed off down the hall. Life was pretty damn perfect at the moment. Nothing could bring her down.
Chapter 6
RYAN SAT DOWN AT THE desk in his home office later that afternoon, frowning. He pulled up the surveillance footage from yesterday afternoon on his computer and scrolled through, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
There was the usual traffic on his suburban street as neighbors came and went. His lips quirked as he watched Sarah pull in the driveway when she arrived home and hop out of her Mini Cooper in her scrubs. She blew a kiss at the camera and sashayed inside.
Hell.
Even when he wasn’t around, she was thinking of him.
He didn’t like that she was alone in the house for days on end when he was stuck on base during an op, but that was life. Having her here was a hell of a lot better than worrying about her in Norfolk. And his men dealt with far worse when they deployed on dangerous missions, leaving their families behind.
He certainly should be able to handle his girlfriend—no, fiancée, he thought with a smile—safe in his own home. He had surveillance cameras. Locks on his doors. He lived in a safe area.
Hell. He had no right to complain when his men literally put their lives on the line.
Ryan sped up the footage, eager to put whatever was bothering him to rest. The only thing appearing out of the ordinary was a dark gray car slowing in front of his house at around eighteen hundred. The vehicle didn’t stop, just slowed enough to make him notice.
Pausing the footage, Ryan zoomed in to see if he could get the license plate. It was most likely nothing, but he couldn’t dodge the feeling that he was being watched when he first got home yesterday.
His phone buzzed on his desk, and he saw Patrick’s name flash on the screen.
“Captain Mitchell,” Ryan said as he answered.
“Sir, sorry to bother you.”
“Is everything all right, Ice?” Ryan asked, frowning.
“When I got home earlier, I mentioned to Rebecca that we all need to be more cautious right now. I didn’t go into much detail, of course, but she mentioned she noticed a car driving around the neighborhood yesterday.”
Ryan’s senses heightened. “A car?”
“It’s probably unrelated to any of what we were briefed on earlier, but I wanted to update you. She’s more aware than most after her stalker incident.”
“What did it look like?” Ryan asked, eyeing the gray car paused on his computer screen.
“A red convertible.”
Ryan nodded, continuing to play the footage. With the gorgeous weather, it was probably someone just cruising around enjoying the sunshine. “Did they stop at the house or do anything out of the ordinary?”
“Nope, she just mentioned it driving around. Are we tracking incidents?”
“Damn it,” Ryan muttered. “We’ll have to. Although I hope none of our families are in jeopardy, we’d be foolish to ignore anything unusual given the circumstances. I don’t like that your names were leaked.”
“Roger that,” Patrick said. “I don’t like a damn thing about it either.”
They ended the call, and crossing his arms, Ryan leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving the screen as he resumed reviewing the surveillance. He hadn’t even changed out of his uniform since arriving home from base, but something was niggling at the back of his mind.
He fast forwarded through the footage, finally seeing the same dark gray car slowly driving by his house an hour later.
It didn’t stop and continued out of the neighborhood.
The sound of the front door opening had him looking up, and a beat later he heard Sarah. “Hi baby, I’m home!” she called out.
He stood, walking out of his office to meet her, and a moment later she was throwing herself into his arms.
He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as he held her. She smelled of salty ocean breezes, and he wondered if she’d met Morgan for a drink again at their favorite oceanfront bar. “Did you go back to base?” she asked, pulling away to look up at him. “I figured you’d be out there grilling or something since you were supposed to be off this afternoon.”
Ryan scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’ve been home, but I wanted to go over the surveillance footage.”
Her face fell. “Is everything okay?”
Ryan immediately collected her in his arms again. “Everything’s fine, baby girl. I just wanted to make sure. Remember yesterday when I thought someone might be watching the house?”
“Damn,” she said, pulling back. “You’re serious?”
“I’m serious, but I’m just reviewing the footage as a precaution. I had some news on base that made me want to check on things.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows. “What kind of news?”
A beat passed, and he didn’t say anything.
“Ryan, come on,” she said. “You’re freaking me out here.”
“Let’s sit down,” he said, glancing at his computer screen once more and guiding her over to the small loveseat in his office. The footage continued to play on his screen, and he wanted to curse at the damn awful timing. He’d just proposed to Sarah this morning. He wanted to take her into his arms and make love to her all night, not tell her they needed to be extra careful.
She watched the footage from across the room for a moment and then looked up at him.
“Did you find anything?”
“One car driving slowly by the house, but nothing too out of the ordinary.”
“You should’ve told me you were worried,” she said softly, curling up beside him. With Ryan in his crisp uniform and Sarah in her scrubs, her hair pulled up in a messy twist of some sort, they looked as different as night and day. “I would’ve come right home after work,” she continued. “Last ni
ght you seemed pretty casual about it all—I mean, we were out naked in the backyard, not hunkered down inside the house or something.”
“Yeah. I should’ve texted you. There’re some things on base going on. The guys just got back from an op yesterday, as you know. They were working with the Mexican government. I can’t provide you with many more details, but the point is, their names were leaked.”
“Leaked?” Sarah asked, looking confused.
“There’s a dirty player down there. We were working with the Mexicans, and one of the officials leaked the names of the SEAL team to the bad guys.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” he asked, crinkling his brow.
“Do they have your name, too?”
Ryan reached over and brushed a stray piece of hair off her face, loving the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips. He wanted to duck down and kiss her, to trace along her jawline and maybe kiss that tender spot behind her ear and suck those tiny earrings she had on into his mouth, making her squirm.
Hell.
He was already growing hard imagining her reacting to his soft kisses. Sarah was sensitive everywhere, and he loved touching and teasing her, giving her pleasure.
He cleared his throat, pinning her with a gaze. “They have all our names, baby girl. The government official most likely sold them to the men we were tracking down.”
“But the mission is over, right?” she asked, quirking her brow. “I mean, you caught them and finished whatever you were doing.”
Ryan nodded. “We did. Patrick and the men completed what they were there for. Two of the men escaped from jail though—mostly likely bribed the guards. They’re on the run.”
“So you’re worried they’ll come after us?”
“It’s a possibility, unlikely as though it sounds. We ruined their entire operation. We just all need to be more careful now.”
Sarah drew back, looking confused still. “But you said they were down in Mexico. They’re not just going to fly up here and find us. Even if they know your name, there are lots of military bases around. How would they even know where to begin?”
“I’m just being cautious, Sarah,” he assured her. “I don’t want you to worry. We’ll be a little more vigilant for the time being, but it’s not like we need to stop living our lives.”
“Besides, we need to focus on wedding planning,” she said, relaxing a little.
“Umm-hmm,” he said, leaning closer and loving how her breathing hitched. “We’ll definitely focus on that. And maybe practice a little so our wedding night is unforgettable.”
She giggled but then surrendered to him as he collected her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, ensuring the only thing on her mind was him.
Chapter 7
SARAH JUMPED UP AND down with excitement, glancing over at Ryan on Saturday evening. His lips quirked as he watched her, and he set down the large cooler he’d hauled across the sand from his SUV. The waves crashed on the shore mere feet away, and Sarah’s bohemian sundress blew in the ocean breeze. She’d braided a few front pieces of her hair to keep it back from her face, but the rest of it blew free in the wind.
She twirled around as Ryan watched her, loving the feel of the sand beneath her bare feet, the wind in her hair, and her fiancé at her side.
“This bonfire tonight is going to be fantastic!” she said excitedly. “Everyone is going to be so surprised when we tell them we’re engaged.”
“They’ll be happy for us, but surprised? We’re practically living together already,” Ryan said doubtfully.
“I know, I know. It’s just that the guys think this is a coming home celebration for the Alpha team. They’re not expecting this.”
“That they’re not,” Ryan agreed, gazing down at her. He looked as serious as always, wearing a button-down shirt and khaki pants, and Sarah knew it was because his men were coming. They’d invited both teams down to the beach for the bonfire and Ryan had an image to maintain.
There was warmth in his gray eyes though as he looked at her.
And besides, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let loose when they were all alone later tonight though, she thought, imagining his hands and mouth moving all over her skin. Ryan was an amazing lover, and she was simply lost to the world when she was with him.
“What?” he asked, catching the expression on her face.
“Just imaging our private celebration later on,” she teased.
His eyes heated as he took a step closer to her, but then they heard a shout in the distance.
Sarah smiled and waved at her brother, watching him head toward them with Rebecca and their kids. Back in the old days, Patrick and the guys would head into Anchors, a popular bar on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, to decompress and pick up women after their missions. She’d even watched Logan once or twice so Patrick could hang out with this team.
But now?
Celebrations when the guys were home involved lots of backyard barbeques, bonfires that were more family-oriented than not, and playdates amongst the couples who had young kids.
Sarah flushed with excitement, glancing up at Ryan as she heard her nephew call out to her.
Would she and Ryan ever have children?
She’d never really wanted them in the past, although she hadn’t exactly pictured getting married either. Life had done a complete turn from what she’d expected in the past few months, and she couldn’t be happier with all the changes that had come right along with it.
“Ice,” Ryan said with a nod as Patrick walked up to them, hauling his own family’s bags and supplies.
“Sir,” Patrick replied, setting everything down on the sand. His gaze briefly swept the area around them as he stood back up, just as Ryan’s had when they’d first arrived. Those guys were attuned to their surroundings at all times. Sarah supposed it would be hard to ignore that instinct when it was literally drilled into them every day. She was admittedly oblivious much of the time, preferring to live in the moment, but she had to admit she felt a certain sense of security when she was around any of the men on the SEAL team.
“Aunt Sarah!” Logan shrieked, running up and throwing his arms around her. Abby grabbed onto her as well, and Sarah greeted Rebecca and their new baby girl as she walked up behind every else.
“Hi guys! We’ve got some big news to share before everyone else gets here,” Sarah said, glancing between her brother and Rebecca. Rebecca’s face instantly lit up, her eyes landing on Sarah’s ring finger, but Patrick raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
“Ryan and I are engaged!” Sarah yelled, the children still clinging to her.
“Engaged? You mean like before a wedding?” Abby asked, looking up at her.
Sarah looked down at the little girl. “Yes. We’re getting married!”
“Yay!” the kids shrieked, jumping up and down.
A broad smile stretched across Patrick’s face as he and Ryan shook hands, and Rebecca engulfed Sarah in a hug. “I knew it!” she whispered. “That man is infatuated with you. It’s about time he found someone to settle down with.”
“Thanks!” Sarah said, leaning over to kiss the top of the baby’s head before Rebecca pulled away. The kids ran around yelling excitedly as the women continued talking. “We’d thought about it of course, but I was shocked when he actually popped the question the other day.”
“How’d he do it?” Rebecca asked.
“One morning before breakfast,” Sarah said with a giggle. “No big fancy dinner or anything like that. He’d been on base a few days while the guys were gone on their last op, and after a great night, I guess he decided it was time.” Sarah shrugged, glancing over toward where the men stood talking.
“A very great night,” Rebecca said with a wink.
Sarah’s cheeks heated. “Understatement of the year,” she confided. “I definitely wasn’t expecting him to get down on one knee before breakfast the next morning.”
“When you know, you know,” Rebecca
said.
“I’ll say. I never really thought much about marriage, to be honest, but then when I got together with Ryan it just all clicked.”
“So you’re moving here then! That’s fantastic.”
“Yep. It’ll be great not driving back and forth to Norfolk. I only had patients there one day a week, but I’m ready to be working full-time here. It was hard commuting back and forth, having some stuff at my old apartment and some things at Ryan’s house.”
“That’ll be amazing,” Rebecca agreed. “It’s so nice when you’re finally settled in one house together. And now you’ll be planning a wedding, too!”
“Yeah, it seems unreal,” Sarah said, watching as Patrick and Ryan began setting up things for the bonfire and the kids raced around in the sand. “I want a beach wedding of course—a loose, flowy dress, lots of flowers everywhere. I saw the most amazing naked wedding cakes in a bridal magazine.”
“Naked wedding cakes?” Ryan asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I’m not sure I want to know,” Patrick said with a chuckle.
“They’re natural looking,” Sarah explained. “There’s no frosting or frou-frou fondant on the sides or anything like that. You see the actual cake, and we’ll have fresh berries of course, maybe some edible flowers....”
She trailed off as both men stared at her. “Well, I’ll handle that part myself I guess.”
Ryan shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Whatever you want,” he said in a low voice. “Just none of those vegan burgers Patrick grilled for you that one time.”
Sarah shuddered as Rebecca laughed beside her.
“What was wrong with the burgers?” Patrick asked, his cool blue eyes landing on her. “I bought those especially for you.”
“They tasted like cardboard,” Sarah finally admitted. “Sorry, bro.”
Ryan chuffed out a laugh as Patrick frowned. “I didn’t want to tell you,” Rebecca said with a laugh as she walked toward the men holding the baby.
Patrick grumbled to himself as Rebecca stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I don’t know how your sister can eat that stuff anyway—no offense, Sarah.”
SEAL Ever After Page 4
