Page 11 of SEAL'S Secret Vows

I take a seat on the plush couch, and Titan crouches beside me. I grab the remote and start flicking through each channel searching for what to watch, absentmindedly rubbing his fur. After watching some random cooking show for a few minutes, I start flicking through the channels again and land on a soap opera.Who still watches soap operas these days?

Chase comes in, a bag slung over his shoulder.

I look up.

“Hey Nora, I'm leaving now. I'll join the rest of the team at base, and we'll head out from there.”

I feel a pang of disappointment.

“Alright. Good luck. I hope this mission won't be long.” I hesitate. “Are you sure you want me to stay? I can head home.”

He shakes his head. “No way. You gotta watch Titan.”

I feel a burst of relief. I grin. “Well, okay. Hurry home. This house is pretty big for just me, but I have Titan, so I'll be fine.”

“Don't worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” He calls out, offering me a smile, before he heads out. I wait until I hear him shut the door.

I stop on a channel giving news updates and check through my phone messages. I read the text messages from my best friend Sarah and start typing a reply, but I decide to call her instead. I dial her number, anticipating her response as it rings, and I receive a scolding as expected.

“Two weeks! Two weeks, Nora Evans. You made me look so stupid and guilty. Your parents were eyeing me suspiciously after you went off like that! No. Allow me to correct myself, you didn't go off! Youran away! From your own wedding! If you didn't want to get married, why didn't you just say so or at least carry me along with your plans? I thought you’d gone ballistic running off like that.”

“Sarah... I—” I try to explain but she cuts me off.

“Young lady, you will keep quiet and let me rant as much as I want.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“What did I say? Keep quiet.” A long silence follows, and I hear Sarah breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. I'm seriously trying not to laugh.

“Now, I know you're probably trying not to laugh,” she says, and I start laughing as soon as the words come out of her mouth. I can picture her face palm.

“My God! Nora Evans. How can you laugh after getting us all so worried? Some people wondered if you’d gone crazy or something! I was worried, and that fiancé of yours was almostaccusing me of being in on it, but luckily your parents didn't stand for that.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have told you, but I didn't want you getting in trouble. I'm sorry if Ethan accused you of anything.”

“It's fine. Where are you now?”

“I'm at a friend's place.”

“What, my place isn’t good enough?”

I laugh again. “Ethan knows you,” I explain. “I’m at a work friend’s so he or my mom can’t just show up. Don't worry.”

“Okay. What about your parents? Please tell me you've contacted them?”

“I've only sent text messages. I haven't taken any calls. I needed to clear my head.”

“That's not good enough. You should call them. Trust me, they are really worried. I'm surprised the entire police force isn't looking for you, but I guess it's because you texted them.”

“I've told them not to worry, Sarah. I'll talk to them soon.”

“You should. You should call them today. In fact, after this call, call them immediately. I can't imagine how it must feel when your only—”

“Your only child runs away. I know.” I interrupt her, and she sighs.

“Thanks for your concern, Sarah. It means a lot.”

“Yeah, and from the way Ethan treated me, I'm starting to see why you ran away. But I need to ask, is there any particular reason why?”

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