Page 37 of SEAL Ever After

She and Ryan would say their vows and be married.

A knock on the door caused her to turn, and a moment later, her hairstylist was walking over with a small tray of food. “Why don’t you have a little something to eat before the ceremony? You looked a little bit nervous. Crackers and tea?”

“That sounds perfect,” Sarah said. “Did you order this?”

The woman nodded, and Sarah took the tea kettle and poured herself a cup, smelling the aromatic scent as it filled the air. “This smells heavenly,” she said, raising the cup to her lips and taking a small sip. The taste was slightly sweeter than she expected since she hadn’t added any honey or sugar, and she wondered if it was some herbal blend she hadn’t tried before.

“Hmmm, I think I hear someone at the door. Have another sip, and I’ll be right back.”

Sarah nodded, taking a tiny sip to settle her suddenly quaking stomach. Her palms began to sweat and skin started to feel clammy. Suddenly she knew something was very, very wrong. The world started to spin, and she grasped for the dresser.

“I need help,” she said weakly, her knees buckling.

The tea cup fell to the ground, the hot liquid staining her white dress. She heard a male voice in the background and tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate.

The entire world faded to black.

Chapter 18

Ryan stood on the patio of the hotel, readying to walk down to the beach with his groomsmen. They weren’t doing the formal walk the mother-of-the-bride or mother-of-the-groom down the aisle, so their families were already gathering near the chairs to sit down.

He’d booked an oceanfront room and wanted to look up to the top floor in hopes of getting a glimpse of Sarah peeking out the balcony doors, but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise of seeing her for the first time as she came down the aisle.

“Look, a wedding!” a woman nearby said excitedly.

People strolling down the boardwalk were stopping to pause and smile as the guests gathered, and those on the beach were remaining a respectful distance away.

It was crazy as hell that in mere minutes, Sarah would be his wife.

Ryan nodded at the officiant in the distance, watching as the florist was scattering flower petals around and making last-minute adjustments.

“Congratulations, sir,” Evan said as he walked by with Alison on his arm. She beamed and flashed him a smile as well.

“Thank you,” Ryan said, watching as they joined some of the others heading down to the beach.

Lexi waved at him as she and Christopher approached from the other direction and headed to their seats. Both SEAL teams were gathering with their wives and girlfriends, and along with the officers from base, it was great to see all of his men here. Sarah’s parents were talking in the distance with Rebecca, and he noticed his own family sitting down on the side reserved for the groom.

“All set?” one of his groomsmen asked.

“Yes. Just taking it all in,” Ryan said, his mouth quirking. He might be used to running ops and commanding SEAL teams, but this was the biggest damn show of his life.

Patrick was already standing near the officiant, ready to stand up there as one of his groomsmen, and he saw an officer friend from base heading toward them.

He glanced down at his watch, readying to head down there, his blood pumping with adrenaline. This was it. Go time.

“Ryan!” a female voice suddenly called out, and he turned to see Morgan hurrying his way in her bridesmaid’s dress. She looked flustered, and he frowned, walking across the patio toward her.

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked.

“We can’t find Sarah. She was up in the room earlier, and when Bree and I went back up to get her, she was gone.”

His heartbeat slowed. “Sarah does have a horrible sense of direction, but I’m sure she can find her way downstairs in the elevator,” he commented dryly. “Did you look around the lobby?”

“Yes, she’s not anywhere!”

“When did you last see her?”

“Just a few minutes ago! Bree and I came down to check on the photographer and see if the lobby was clear for Sarah to come down, and when we went back upstairs, she’d disappeared.”

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