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.”
“Trust me, when vegan dishes are prepared well, you’ll be changing your tune. We’ll have you guys over for dinner sometime soon so I can prove you wrong.”
“As long as you have some real food, too,” Patrick quipped.
“We’ll have it all,” Ryan assured him. “Same goes for our wedding reception.”
“Thank God,” Patrick muttered.
Sarah stuck her tongue out at him and then glanced in the direction of the boardwalk and saw some of the other men and their significant others heading toward them. “It looks like more people are coming! There’s Hunter and Emma—wow, she looks like she’s ready to pop at any moment!” she said, referring to the heavily pregnant woman. While her own brother led the Alpha Team, Hunter was the team leader of Delta. “Oh, and there’s Brent and Ella—I haven’t seen them in forever. Is she taking grad school classes now?”
“I’m not sure,” Rebecca said. “It’ll be nice to catch up with everyone tonight.”
Her baby started to fuss just then, and Rebecca bounced her up and down, making soft noises to soothe her.
“I’ll go help carry some of the stuff,” Ryan said, eyeing the fussy baby.
“Sure,” Sarah teased, rolling her eyes. “That’s the reason you’re rushing off.”
Patrick winked at his sister. “I’ll go help out, too,” he said.
Sarah locked eyes with Rebecca as baby Madeleine began to calm down and more of their friends headed towards them. “You think Patrick’s having a man-to-man talk with Ryan since we’re engaged now?” she asked.
Rebecca laughed quietly. “Knowing how protective Patrick is? Probably so. But don’t worry—I know he’s thrilled that you and Ryan are together. Patrick trusts him implicitly—all the guys do. He’d have no reason to complain. And I know he worried about you living alone, so he’s thrilled.”
Sarah watched as Patrick and Ryan shook hands with some of the other guys as they arrived, and there was a loud whoop as one of them no doubt told the others about her engagement to Ryan.
She flushed, glancing over at Rebecca and the kids. “I have a feeling this is going to be an amazing night.”
***
Sarah crossed the sand and stood next to Ryan beside the bonfire later that night, taking a sip of her beer. Her long dress blew in the breeze, and Ryan wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders, pulling her close.
Their friends all laughed and ate around the bonfire, some of them chasing after their kids. Amazingly enough, everyone from both SEAL teams had made it: all twelve men with their wife or girlfriend. It was unusual to have everyone in the same place, but Sarah knew it was because she and Ryan had organized it. The guys all made a big effort when their CO was involved.
Ryan ducked down, his lips at her ear. “This is one hell of a party,” he said in a low voice. “Every single guy is here. And I love that everyone knows you’re going to be my bride.” His fingertips lightly brushed over her skin, and she shivered in delight at his touch.
“Just wait until our wedding,” she said, glancing up to see the gleam in his eyes. “That will be the celebration to end all other celebrations.”
“You sure you don’t want to elope and have a quiet wedding with just the two of us?” he asked, his lips quirking.
She laughed and gently nudged him. “Of course I’m sure. Besides, aren’t you obligated as the commanding officer to have your teams attend a reception to celebrate or something?”
Ryan chuckled. “Have you been brushing up on the Navy wives’ rulebook?”
“There’s a rulebook?” Sarah asked, aghast.
He laughed even harder. “I know you don’t understand half of the stuff we do in the military, but there are certain protocols for things. Not to worry—I’ll keep you in line,” he teased with a wink.
Despite Ryan not usually liking big events like this, she could see he was enjoying it. All his men were here, she was at his side. Celebrating their engagement was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous Saturday evening. With the waves crashing on the shore, their friends surrounding them, and enough food and drinks to keep everyone happy, the lighthearted atmosphere was infectious.
“I hear congratulations are in order!” Christopher said, walking up with his girlfriend Lexi.
“Thank you,” Ryan said, nodding at them both.
“Yes, congratulations! I never thought I’d see the commander settle down,” Lexi joked. “Only you could manage that, Sarah.”
Christopher hastily apologized, and Ryan chuffed out a laugh. Although the men all tried to stay on the good side of their CO and several of the women were reserved around him, Lexi had worked with Ryan on base at Little Creek and they’d established a rapport. Sarah appreciated the fact that someone else called it like it was around him. Goodness knows sometimes the man didn’t even know what was for his own good.
“I fought long and hard against it,” Ryan agreed with a smirk. “There was no stopping what was brewing between Sarah and me though.”
Sarah beamed. “Seriously. You argued with me for an entire year before we finally got together. Better late than never though, right?”
“Disagreed with you, perhaps. But you’re the one who tried to punch me at your brother’s house,” Ryan quipped dryly.
“You were sneaking around in the dark,” she reminded him as Christopher and Lexi both burst into laughter. “And I think you’d been arguing with me all that evening, too. Anyway,” she said, glancing back at the other couple. “Thanks! We’re so excited. We’re going to invite everyone to the wedding and throw an amazing reception.”
“Are you going to have a beach wedding?” Lexi asked, her jet-black hair blowing in the ocean breeze.
“For sure,” Sarah said. “Can you imagine anything more fantastic? Sunset. The Ocean. Ryan standing there looking handsome in something beachy. Or were you planning to wear your uniform?”
“Most likely my uniform. But I’ll let you handle the rest of the decisions. The sight of you walking down the aisle toward me in a wedding dress is all I need,” Ryan said in a low voice.
“What’s this I hear about an engagement?” Ryker “Bulls-Eye” Fletcher called out, sauntering over with a beer in hand. “Congratulations, sir,” he said, nodding at their CO.
“Where’s your better half?” Ryan joked, referring to Ryker’s new girlfriend Emily. The Delta team had recently rescued Emily from Afghanistan, and then Ryker had rescued her again when she’d been tracked by kidnappers back in Washington.
Sarah shivered slightly in the ocean breeze. A lot of the women had been involved in all sorts of scary situations. Kidnappings. Accidents. Stalkers. She was thankful and relieved nothing like that had ever happened to her. For a brief flicker of a moment she felt a chill snake down her spine, but then it passed just as quickly.
The last time she’d felt that way, Patrick had been injured on a mission. It’s like she’d had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Was something else going to happen to one of them soon, too?
Shaking her head slightly to clear those thoughts, she listened in on the conversation again.
Worrying about the unpredictable was crazy. She wanted to live and enjoy life, not focus on the unknown.
“Em’s down by the water,” Ryker said with a nod in the direction of the surf. A few women stood where the water lapped against the shore, the golden sunlight bathing them in its rays. Emily turned and waved, and Sarah had the sudden urge to run down there and join them.
“She’s moving down here next month,” Ryker continued. “She’s asking some of the other women for info., but she’ll move in with me.”
“That’s fantastic,” Sarah said with a smile. “It’ll be great having her here. I’m going to go over and say hi!”
She broke away from the men and Lexi, headi
ng to greet the other women.
“Congrats, girl!” Bailey said, engulfing Sarah in a big hug. They’d only meet a handful of times, but Bailey was a local bartender and friendly and outgoing to everyone. She was dating Noah “Viper” Miller, one of the guys on the Delta team. “Some of us never thought we’d see the commander settle down,” Bailey continued. “He sure looks happy as hell now.”
The women all glanced over at them, and Ryan raised his eyebrows. Sarah waved and blew him a kiss. “He knows we’re talking about him.”
“Of course he does,” Taylor said. Her boyfriend, Mason “Riptide” Ryan was also on the Delta team. Sarah saw him over talking with Hunter and Emma. “But congrats, girl! This is amazing news.”
“Thanks! Maybe you and Mason will be next.”
Taylor nudged her best friend Bailey. “I’m convinced it’s going to be Bailey and Noah.”
“Well goodness,” Sarah joked. “Maybe we’ll have a triple wedding or something.”
Bailey laughed, pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail as the wind whipped it around. “God, can you imagine? I doubt Ryan would want to share his big day though.”
“Agreed,” Sarah said. “It seems unreal around here lately though. I mean, shoot, I remember when Patrick and his buddies would be going out to Anchors every weekend.”
“Me too,” Taylor said with a laugh.
“That’s right!” Sarah said. “I totally blanked on the fact that you worked there. That’s how you met Mason, right?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed.
At that moment Mason and Noah came sauntering down to the water to collect their women. Bailey and Taylor immediately each sank into their guy’s arms, and Sarah grinned.
“God you guys look happy. This is pretty much the perfect night.”
“Let’s head back up,” Mason said, cocking his head toward the bonfire. “We’ll have a toast to you and the CO now that everyone else is here.”
“Sounds good!” Sarah agreed, and she walked back up toward the bonfire with the other couples. Glancing around the happy faces, she saw every guy from both teams was there. Colton and his girlfriend Camila had arrived, Jacob and Jessica were grabbing drinks, and the rest of the Alpha team had gotten there as well.
Patrick grumbled as everyone gathered around and grabbed a fresh beer or wine cooler. “You should’ve told us ahead of time, sis—we could’ve had a proper toast with champagne.”
“Right—your favorite,” Sarah joked.
Ryan walked up and came to a stop beside her. “We’ll save that for the wedding. We’ve got two SEAL teams here tonight—we’re good with beers.”
“Sir,” Patrick said with a nod.
The men all chuckled, and then Patrick raised his beer up in the air as everyone quieted. “We’re all thrilled to hear the news about your engagement to Sarah, sir. I’d love to say there’s no better couple, but everyone here is paired up now, so you’re one of many.”
“Hoorah!” one of the men shouted.
“And as Sarah’s brother, I’m of course honored to have you as part of our family now. To the future Mitchells and many happy years together!”
“To the commander and Sarah!” Hunter shouted out.
“Hoorah!” the men yelled.
“Go get ‘em, girl!” Bailey said with a laugh.
Sarah clinked her beer bottle against Ryan’s and took a swig, looking around at all of their friends. There was light from the bonfire, laughter, and an amazing group of people surrounding them. She’d been right—tonight couldn’t have been any more perfect.
Chapter 8
Ryan awoke at five on Monday morning when his alarm buzzed, and he leaned over and brushed a kiss across Sarah’s forehead before he got out of bed. She was fast asleep, her hair spread out like a halo of sorts around her.
God, she was beautiful.
He wanted nothing more than to wake her with soft kisses and a slow lovemaking session before he headed into base. She shifted slightly as he stood, the covers moving down so that he could see the supple curve of one bare breast.
His cock immediately began to harden, and he turned, striding toward the master bathroom.
As much as he’d love another lazy morning like yesterday, he had to get ready for work. Sarah had her physical therapy patients later this morning as well, and he didn’t want to wake her just for a quickie. Not when he’d prefer spending hours with her in bed. Deciding a cold shower was the way to go, he quickly showered and then dressed.
Monday morning had come too damn fast. When he was single, the weekends had been slow and leisurely. He’d get together with friends, work around his house, occasionally meet a woman. All that had changed in an instant during that near-fatal mission involving Ice’s team. Although Ryan and Sarah had danced around their attraction to one another for months and months, when he’d told her about Patrick’s injury and she’d stood there crying in front of him, there’d been no going back.
He’d taken her into his arms, and that had been it. They’d gone from friends to lovers almost immediately after that—and they’d been inseparable ever since.
Walking into his kitchen, he brewed some dark roast coffee to bring with him to base, smirking at the bridal magazines scattered on the kitchen table. Like everything, Sarah had flung herself full-force into wedding planning. She did life with no regrets and was passionate about her interests. Even though they’d just gotten engaged, she already had stacks of magazines that she’d picked up and apparently had Pinterest boards full of planning ideas, whatever the hell Pinterest was.
Twenty minutes, later, Ryan pulled onto the tree-lined drive heading into Little Creek and flashed his badge to the guards. They looked young as hell, and he realized again just how damn long he’d been in the Navy. He pulled into a parking spot and saw Hunter “Hook” Murdock, the leader of the Delta team, climbing out of his own SUV a couple of spaces down.
“Sir,” Hunter said with a nod as they fell in step beside one another walking in.
“Delta team is drilling out on the water today,” Ryan said.
“Yes, sir. Perfect weather for it, too,” Hunter said. “Some of the guys were grumbling last time when we did a rescue simulation in stormy seas.”
Ryan chuffed out a laugh. “They’ve all gone soft on you.”
Hunter smirked. “Guess that’s what happens now that they each have a woman of their own. Speaking of women, is there any word on the other missing American down in Mexico?”
“Negative,” Ryan said. “I hope like hell we’ll hear something new soon. That’s no situation for a woman to be stuck in.”
“I hope the woman Ice’s team rescued is doing okay—that shit is brutal.”
“I’ll see if I can find out anything on her condition. There were no updates on the men who escaped over the weekend, either,” Ryan said with a frown as they entered a building on base. “Of course, that’s not my primary concern. They had scouts all over the U.S. sending them women as part of their sex trafficking operation. We don’t need any of them sniffing around here for information about the men or their families.”
“We’ll all be on alert,” Hunter assured him. “I don’t like that the Alpha team’s names were leaked.”
“It’s a problem,” Ryan agreed. “It would be easy enough for them to assume that U.S. Special Forces were involved in the rescue—and the locations of bases aren’t Top Secret. A quick search on the Internet will find most of what they need to know. Hell, some of the Mexican government officials knew they were SEALs. If they wanted to track the guys down, they could. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Understood,” Hunter said. “We’ll all be vigilant in case someone is out for revenge.”
The men parted ways as Hunter headed into the locker room and Ryan to his own office.
He had a briefing with some Top Brass at the Pentagon in an hour, and he needed to catch up on the latest updates. His chest tightened at the thought of his men being put at risk on U.S. soil
. The names of active SEAL team members were never released to the public. Their locations and missions were kept under wraps.
Having the names of his men out there amongst criminals was unnerving. And although his men could handle themselves, they had families. Wives, girlfriends, children.
Setting his coffee down on his desk, he frowned. Ryan logged into his computer and read through the latest SITREPs. With multiple situations around the world that he was monitoring, there was only so much attention he could give to the trouble down in Mexico. When they got word on the second woman, they might be sent in for a second rescue op. Until then, there were multiple other pressing matters.
His cell phone buzzed with a text, and he saw Sarah’s name flash on the screen.
You didn’t wake me up this morning, baby.
He smirked. She’d been dead to the world when he left. And although Sarah loved his attention in the bedroom, a Monday morning when they both needed to get ready and leave for work wasn’t the ideal time for leisurely lovemaking.
He thumbed a quick text back before he had to attend his briefings.
We’ll have plenty of time tonight, baby girl.
Miss you.
His phone buzzed one more time with her reply.
Miss you more.
Warmth flooded through his chest, but he pocketed his phone and stood, gathering the papers he needed. Sarah would be heading into her office soon, and duty called. He’d see her tonight when they both got home and talk then. If it was urgent, she could always reach him, but there was work to be done.
Chapter 9
Sarah smiled to herself as she shut the car door, walking down the sidewalk toward her office. She breezed inside, her hobo bag sliding down her arm, bracelets jangling. She’d been in such a good mood, she’d thrown on a ton of jewelry without thinking. She couldn’t exactly work through exercises with her patients sporting an arm full of jewelry though.
“How was your weekend, girl?” Dawn asked, flashing Sarah a knowing smile as she walked in.
SEAL Ever After (Alpha SEALs Book 15) Page 5