Page 59 of SEAL'S Secret Vows

I take a deep breath, summoning all the courage I can muster. “I... I need to tell you something,” I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need to say it now, when no one’s scaring us. I just… I love you, Chase. And I don't want to waste another moment pretending that I don't. Life has given me a chance to have something real and I don't want to waste it. I don't want to be held back by the past.”

His eyes widen in surprise, but there's something else there too—a glimmer of hope, perhaps? “Nora, I...” he starts, his voice trailing off as he fumbles for the right words.

Before he responds, I close the distance between us, pressing my lips against his softly at first, feeling my entire body tingle. His hands hold my cheeks, and he deepens the kiss, so I’m feeling every inch of his lips.

Life has given me a second chance at love, and I'm determined to seize it with both hands. I break away with a gasp, gulping for air.

“I love you, Chase,” I declare again, my heart overflowing with emotion as I gaze into his eyes.

“I love you too, Nora,” he replies. “Let's go home, shall we?” He opens the door for me before going around to the driver's seat. “We'll have a party to celebrate my birthday tomorrow.”

“That's true. It's going to be a full house tomorrow, and Javier will make every dish known to man! And tonight, if Rogue isn't too tired, we'll have thatName That Tunechallenge.”

“Oh, no,” he groans. “You still remember that?”

“Come on, it'll only be six songs. Nothing more. Just make sure you don't lose or else be prepared to sing tomorrow!”

“I won't be singing.”

“We'll see, we'll see.” I say in a sing-song voice as he starts the car.

As we pull up to the house, I glance over at him with a mischievous grin. He rolls his eyes, but he can't hide the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Once inside, the air is filled with the delicious aroma of food cooking.

“Hmmm... Javier, what's that smell?” Lauren places some dishes on the table, grinning from ear to ear.

“I saw the news. Congratulations to you two and the team.” Lauren says grabbing a bottle of red wine and some wine glasses from the kitchen. She sets them on the table.

“Hey, brother. Congratulations!” Lauren beams, her eyes sparkling with pride. “I see you've busted the bad guys again.”

“Yes, I have, sis. Thanks to everyone's love and support.” She hands him the wine, and he accepts the bottle with a grateful nod, his smile widening as he pulls the cork out with a satisfying pop, the sound echoing in the room.

A chorus of claps and cheers fills the room as he fills each glass. With glasses in hand, each of us raise them high, ready to make a toast.

“To Chase and Nora and their team.” Lauren announces chuckling.

“And to love,” Chase adds with a wink, making me blush. The clinking of glass against glass fills the air and everyone takes a long sip, savoring the taste of the wine.

“We have an assortment of cured meats, olives, cheeses, nuts, bread, and crackers, as much as you can eat. There’s also a savory charcuterie board to go with the wine.” Javier gestures to the table. “And of course, my signature cheese sauce.”

“That's a perfect menu for the challenge, Javier, thank you. Right, Chase?” I glance at him, and he nods, a smile spreading across his face. “Let's get right into it. Lauren can be the referee. Don't worry, I've made sure it's random songs, both old and new. My friend shared it with me so there's no way I would cheat.”

“What challenge?” Lauren looks puzzled.

“It's a name that tune challenge between Chase and me. Something to lighten him up a bit. The winner gets to send the loser on any errands throughout the day and the loser has to deliver a silly singing telegram physically or online.”

Lauren’s eyes light up.

“Now, that's interesting. Can we start?” She grins, rubbing her hands together.

“Yes, we can. I'll connect the speakers to my phone. We’ll play snippets of songs, and we'll take turns guessing the song title and artist within ten seconds.” I hand Lauren my phone and she plays the first song and pauses it after a few seconds.

“That's not even a common song.”

“Really, Chase? We listened to this a lot back in high school.”

“We did?”

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