Page 24 of SEAL Ever After

“By throwing him into the lion’s den?” Patrick asked with a smirk. “We’ve had years of practice.”

Rebecca walked back into the kitchen, holding the baby in one arm and a bottle in the other. She sank down into a chair as she fed baby Madeline. “Sorry, I didn’t even offer either of you coffee yet. This little one is totally off her schedule today.”

“We’re good,” Sarah assured her.

“Well, this was supposed to be a brunch to celebrate your engagement—not to convince you never to have children of your own.”

“Kids grow,” Ryan said easily. “We know the controlled chaos isn’t forever.”

The sound of a car backfiring outside had both men turning their heads, and Ryan crossed over to the window at the same time as Patrick. “Just some teenagers in an old convertible,” Patrick said, relaxing his posture.

“Crazy kids,” Sarah said. “Anyway, the breakfast smells fantastic.”

Patrick quirked his brow. “Don’t worry, your egg-substitute eggs are almost ready.”

Ryan chuckled as Sarah crossed the kitchen to the stove. “I heard that,” she said, plating her own food. “Just wait—one of these days I’ll sneak my vegan substitutes into your breakfast, and I guarantee you won’t know the difference.”

“You’d have to make me breakfast first in order for that to happen” Ryan quipped.

She walked back over to the table, watching as Ryan and her brother exchanged a glance. “I saw that! And I do cook. Sometimes. It’s not my fault that you wake up at the crack of dawn every day and make it to the kitchen before me.”

“I’m hungry,” Ryan said. “And a man’s gotta eat.”

“Hoorah,” Patrick replied.

A few minutes later, they’d all sat down and were digging into their food. It was finally quiet now that the kids were eating, too, and the baby had fallen asleep. “I know I can’t say anything about what the dresses you tried on look like, but they all were amazing!” Rebecca said. “Thanks for sending me pictures. I can’t wait to see you in one on your big day.”

“God, they were amazing, weren’t they?” Sarah echoed dreamily. “I think I’ve picked the winner though.”

“Already? You only shopped at the one place.”

Sarah shrugged, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “When you know, you know. There was a store I wanted to check out in Norfolk, and maybe I’ll pop by there, but I think I’ve found the one.”

“The man or the dress?” Ryan asked, his lips quirking.

“Both of course,” Sarah said, taking a sip of her mimosa. “But I swear I’d wear that one dress every single day if I could.”

“The third one,” Rebecca said knowingly.

“Yes!”

Ryan and Patrick exchanged a confused glance, and Ryan cleared his throat. “Did you tell them we’ve set a date?”

“Not yet! Three weeks from today. Mark your calendars!”

Patrick nearly choked on his food. “You’re getting married in three weeks? And you didn’t even tell us to save the date yet?”

“We’re telling you now, silly. And I know some people may not be able to come because it’s not much notice, but we’re ready. I don’t need a big, fancy wedding or a reception that takes an entire year to plan. I don’t care if the napkins match the boutonnieres or any of that.”

“You have to pick matching napkins?” Patrick asked.

“Nope. And we just want to be married. If our friends can join us, then great! But I want a beach wedding while the weather’s good, and neither of us want to wait an entire year. We’re getting married in three weeks, and we hope everyone we love will be able to come.”

“I get it,” Rebecca said. “Why wait to start the rest of your lives together?”

“Exactly,” Sarah said with a nod.

“I’ll notify the teams this weekend,” Ryan said. “Just to save the date. We’ll send out invitations ASAP of course. You already worked on getting those ready, right?”

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