Page 11 of SEAL Ever After

Sarah was still smiling when she pulled into a parking spot twenty minutes later and glanced down at her phone.

Holy shit. He proposed?!?!

Pushing the button to call her best friend, Sarah grinned as Morgan picked up.

“You’re getting married?!” Morgan shrieked. “Oh my God! This is crazy! I almost dropped my coffee when I saw your text.”

“We are! We’re getting married. Ryan just surprised me this morning by pulling out a ring and asking me to marry him.”

“Holy shit,” Morgan said.

Sarah giggled. “Well it’s not like we’ve never talked about it before. And God knows I’m there at his place all the time anyway, but this makes it official! No more living with my boyfriend most of the time and driving back to my place one night a week—we are officially getting hitched.”

“Well, it must have been a very good night then,” Morgan teased.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Sarah said with a snort. “If you’re into understatements of the century.”

“Good lord, the man is infatuated with you. And good for him, too—he’s so strait-laced, he needs someone to bring out his wilder side.”

“Well, he’s not that strait-laced,” Sarah said, remembering how he’d bent her over the lounge chair and taken her from behind by his pool. Sure, he followed military protocol on base and was stern and serious when out in public, but she loved the other side of him when they were all alone.

He was commanding in bed and an attentive lover. He was protective and possessive at times, but she actually loved every minute of it. She also loved that she could shock the hell out of him, too, but they balanced each other out in the best way possible.

“Uh-huh,” Morgan said. “Commander Hottie and my best friend. I might just have to reconsider never dating military men again after how happy he’s made you.”

“Girl, you just might,” Sarah said. “Let’s chat more later, okay? I just got to the office and my first patient is coming up.”

“Is he home today?”

“Ryan? No, he had to go into base.”

“Then we are one hundred percent meeting up for drinks again tonight. He can screw your brains out later—I need details, hun. And I’m dying to see this ring.”

“Sounds good. I’ll text you later on.”

They said their goodbyes, and Sarah climbed out of her car, shutting the door. “Good morning, miss physical therapist!” a man sitting on the park bench called out.

Sarah did a double take, realizing it was the same man who’d asked yesterday if she was a nurse. His dark hair was slicked back, and he had a cup of coffee in his hand again.

“Good morning. Is this your bench now?” she joked. “I’ve never seen you here before, but this is two days in a row.”

He chuckled, his gaze sliding over her. “I’m just visiting town for a couple of weeks. What can I say? I enjoy a little fresh air with my morning coffee.” She detected the faintest hint of an accent, and she wondered if he was from Mexico or somewhere in South America.

“Kind of like an extended vacation?” she asked. “That would work for me.”

“Something like that,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well, have a good day! I’ve got to get to work.”

He nodded as she said goodbye and headed into the building and toward her own office.

“Good morning, sunshine!” she trilled at her friend Dawn.

“Well aren’t you in a good mood this morning,” Dawn teased. “I take it your boyfriend finally came home last night?”

“My fiancé, did, yes,” Sarah said innocently.

Dawn dropped the stack of folders she was holding and hurried over. “Girl! Congratulations!” she squealed, engulfing her in a big hug and then pulling back to admire the ring. “When did he pop the question?”