I nodded. I knew what I had been getting into, loving a Navy SEAL. He had a job to do, an important job, and although I was going to be a mess every single second he was gone, worrying about his safety, I knew he would be okay.
Nathan was invincible. He was my man, my everything, and I was his. Ever since that day in the warehouse, I had known. I couldn’t be with anyone else, and he would never, ever let me down.
“Okay,” I said softly.
“Hey,” he said, kissing me, “don’t start the damn waterworks already.”
I took a deep breath. “I can’t help it.”
“It’s going to be okay. But I’d like to know where you’re going to be a few months from now.”
“I’ll be wherever you want me to be.”
He grinned. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Suddenly, he stood up, picking me up into the air. He placed me down in front of him, and I marveled again at his strength.
“Because you know,” he said, getting down onto one knee, and my heart was beating too fast, and my breath was barely coming, and I felt dizzy as hell as he pulled a small black box from his pocket and flipped it open, and I nearly fell onto the floor, but his hand was strong on mine as he held the ring up, “you know I want you to be mine, forever. Marry me.”
I opened my mouth, closed it, opened it again. “Yes. Holy shit, yes.”
He grinned and slipped the ring onto my finger.
“You’ll be mine always, and I’ll be yours always. And you’ll never have to worry about anything again.” He stood up and kissed me deep, so deep, my head was a whirl of emotion. “Because you’re going to be my wife.”
“Is that what you wanted with my dad?” I said suddenly.
He laughed and nodded. “Seemed quick to give me his blessing. I guess although I’m not rich, I’m good enough.”
I threw my arms around him, around his tough body, his rough chest, and hugged him tight. He laughed loudly, his voice booming, filling the room.
“You’re more than good enough.”
“I know.”
Six Months Later
The wind whipped my dress and my veil. It was a beautiful day, sunny with a slight breeze, and the sand felt warm beneath my toes.
“Fuck, bitch, your wedding day!”
I laughed at Lydie. “I know, right?”
“I never thought it was going to happen. Hell, I thought you were going to own ten cats and write letters to your local newspaper every day.”
“Me too, honestly.” We laughed together, enjoying the amazing weather. I felt on top of the world, like nothing could stop me. It was like a dream, like I was walking through a dream, except I was awake and it was happening.
“And him? Never seemed like your type, honestly. But damn does he clean up.”
I felt a thrill run through me and smiled, catching Nate’s eye. He smiled back, looking incredible in his tuxedo. My toes laced through the sand, and everything felt right. I looked out over the water, the private beach empty except for us and the guests. I caught sight of a boat floating slowly in the distance, bobbing up and down with the waves.
The ceremony and the receptions were held on the beach in the Outer Banks near my father’s house. It was the perfect place with the perfect people, and I was finally meeting so many of Nathan’s SEAL friends. They were all an intense bunch but funny and incredible. His mother hadn’t shown up, despite the fact that I had sent her an invitation and personally left her a few messages. Ever since the divorce from my dad, she had really spiraled. Apparently she was hiding out with some movie producer doing coke all day and trying to get into acting. She didn’t seem to want anything to do with her son or his future wife. Nate said good riddance, and that was that.
Meanwhile, my whole big family had shown up: aunts, uncles, grandparents, everyone, plus my dad’s business associates, friends from school, and more. So many more. I barely knew all of the people, but I didn’t care. I was too busy floating on air.
Everything was white, so incredibly white, clean and smooth and modern. My dad had gone all out for the wedding, hiring anyone I’d wanted, buying anything we had needed. He had said that I was his only daughter and that he wanted to give me the most incredible wedding possible. Frankly, I could have married Nate in a run-down motel in front of strangers and it would have been amazing, but I couldn’t complain. The day was perfect.
Lydie had been an incredible maid of honor, taking care of anything I had needed and smoothing over any problems as they had risen. I had been worried that she was basically just going to be too drunk to function at all, but she had been surprisingly sober and incredible. I guess she was probably starting to grow up.