Page 16 of SEAL Ever After

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.”

“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.”

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