Page 55 of A SEAL's Heart
I finally found my place to belong, and it’s right here with her.
EPILOGUE
ED
Two weeks later…
“Gotcha!” Avery squeals with delight as her checker piece jumps over three of mine. She slams her piece down triumphantly and clears me off the board.
I don’t care about the checker pieces; my gaze is on her hand and how good the diamond on her finger looks sparkling under the lamplight. I’ll never tire of seeing that ring on her finger, the symbol that Avery belongs to me.
I catch her hand in mine and bring it to my lips.
“She got you too?” The admiral, or Patrick as he insists on me calling him, looks grim, but underneath is a soft smile for his daughter.
I nod once at the stern man who will soon be my father-in-law.
“It’s time to go in for dinner.” We stand, and he puts an arm around my shoulders and leans in conspiratorially. “The trick to beating Avery, son, is speed,” he says in a low voice. “She’s a smart girl, but she cracks under pressure.”
I’m being let in on a family secret, and I slip that knowledge away for the next time I play Avery.
“What are you telling him, Dad?”
Mr. Monroe turns a fond eye toward his daughter. “Never you mind, pumpkin.”
We head into the dining room, and my gaze catches on the new photo on the wall.
It’s one of me and Avery the night after we got engaged, when we took her parents out for a celebratory dinner. Avery looks stunning as usual in a green dress that clings to every curve. I’ve got my arm around her, pulling her close to me. I tried to angle my left side away to hide the scar on my face and Avery pulled me around, insisting I show all of me.
Shona had the picture framed, and it hangs on the wall, right next to a family photo from Avery’s graduation.
Shona’s leaning on the back of a chair, and she slides into it.
“Do you mind dishing up, Pat?” she says to her husband. “I’m too tired tonight.”
A flash of concern crosses Patrick’s face before he schools it back into his usual grim expression.
Over the past few months, I’ve gotten to know the man underneath the stern rear admiral, and where his family’s concerned, he’s anything but grim.
He heads to the kitchen and comes back wearing oven mitts and carrying a tray of steaming roast chicken.
“Can you carve for us Ed?”
“…sure…” The words come slow, but I’m getting there. With the speech therapy and all the extra tongue workouts I’m doing with Avery, progress has been steady.
I stand up and take the position at the head of the table and pick up the carving knife. While I get to work on the bird, Patrick and Avery bring in the other dishes from the kitchen.
There are roast potatoes, glazed carrots, and Shona’s home-made gravy.
“How are your roses doing, honey?” Shona asks Avery.
Avery screws up her face. “No buds yet. I think I killed them.”
They get into a discussion about the roses and other plants that Avery’s planted in the front yard. She’s brought color to the entire place, from feature walls to colorful rugs and now roses.
I worried the thorns might hurt our future kids, but Avery told me off for being too overprotective. I get the feeling she’ll be doing that a lot. I can’t wait to be a father, and as soon as the wedding’s done, we’ll get to work on that one. Hell, we’re practicing enough.
Joel’s center has stalled as he waits for planning permission from the council. With the money the auction raised, donations from strangers who heard about us online, and the large sum that Avery donated from some of the investments Jake left her, he’s been able to expand on his initial plans, which means he needs new approval. There’s road access and drainage to think about.
