Page 88 of Tempest

“Might be fun to see what that looks like. Don’t tempt me.” Her arms wound around his neck tightly and she quieted down. “See, if you trust me, then you have nothing to worry about.”

“We’ll see about that.” She kissed his cheek and grinned.

When they got toward the middle, he let her slide down his body. “Feels great, doesn’t it?”

“You were right. Getting in fast was a good idea.”

“I have a lot of good ideas. Just you wait and see.”

“Yeah, like what?”

Holding open his arms, he waited for her to move toward him. When she was within reach, he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. “I think we should move here permanently and open an SAI office together. I’ve got a pile of money in a trust, and I think investing in our future is the best place to put it.”

“You want a future with me?”

“Of course. I like looking at you, and I want to do it for the rest of my life. I figure you have about ninety more stories to tell me, and we have a thousand dates to go on. Our love story is just beginning, and I can’t wait to see where it’s going to take us.” Dipping his head, he pressed their mouths together and tried to convey his feelings. If he could, he would have fused them together so there would never be a breath of space between them. It was crazy how much he wanted her, and he accepted that it was probably always going to be that way.

“You used the word love,” she said quietly against his mouth.

Tipping his head back so he could look into her eyes, he grinned. “I love you, Ivy Bellows, and I want to create a life with you.”

Her eyes grew huge, and she sucked in a big gulp of air and stared. When she remained that way, he wondered if she was going to pass out. “Honey, breathe. If you pass out after I tell you I love you, it’ll make me feel bad.”

“Sweet Lord, have mercy…how can a man as good as you be interested in me? I’m not easy. Many men have told me that. Why would you want to involve yourself with someone like me?” she said in one long breath.

“You are the one my heart chose.” Both of her hands moved to his shoulders, and she looked at him with more seriousness than he was prepared for. “I hope you have something good to say.”

“You are a dream, and I hope to God that I don’t wake up and find out you’re a figment of my imagination. I love you, Ryan. With every crazy bone in my body, I love you.”

The weight that had been pressing against his heart since he retired was finally gone. The very last of it seeped away when she told him how she felt. Twirling her around, he let out a loud whoop. “You just made me the happiest man in the world.” He walked toward the inside of the rock ledge and stood under the waterfall. As the cool water cascaded around them, he kissed her. “I didn’t even get you a baby piglet yet. Just imagine how much more you’re going to love me when I do.”

“If you get me a baby piglet, then I’ll probably be yours for life.”

Hugging her tightly, he buried his face in her neck. “That’s the plan,” he said quietly to himself.

***

They sat on the blanket, and Ivy opened the picnic basket. He watched her open the Tupperware containers and start piling food on a plate for him. He got a kick out of it every time it happened. It made him feel like she cared about him and wanted him to be happy. “So, what do you think of opening an office together?”

Her eyes flew up, and she smiled. “I think it’s a great idea. We just have to sell it to Max and Rory. The biggest challenge is going to be finding people to work with us. The spec ops community isn’t that big, so we have limited resources to pull from. A majority of the SAI workforce are retired SEALs. We’ve gradually begun to add people from other branches, but it’s been slow. It’s one of the things that I’ve been charged with doing.”

He took the plate she handed him and waited for her to fix her own. “I think guys like Ken can help. He was Delta, and if he puts the word out, then we have a chance of finding some good people. Also, the guys from Butchko were Rangers, and that gives us an additional group to talk to.”

“Those are good ideas, and we have to remember to tell Max and Rory when we see them next week.” She pointed her fork at him. “Please eat.”

He dug into the food that she’d made, and they were both quiet while they ate. For the first time in weeks, he felt relaxed. Most of the troubles that had been plaguing them were done. He figured it wasn’t the end, but it was a break. “This is the beginning of our love story, Ivy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…us figuring out how to be together in everyday life. I think it’s going to give each of us a chance to lay down the stories we were handed. I’m not a little boy who was abandoned by his mother, and you’re not a little girl who was rejected by her dad. Who we become together is how those ghosts are going to be vanquished.”

“When I was at Mama’s the other day, we talked about that. Grams told me that Daddy’s story isn’t mine, and it was up to me make the one I wanted. It finally made sense to me, and I want to be brave when it comes to love.”

“The falling is the easy part. The staying and figuring out how to make a relationship is where our love is going to shine,” he said with conviction.

“We’re both strong-willed, so if we put our mind to it, I imagine that we’ll succeed.”

“Not just our minds, Ivy. Our hearts too.”

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