Page 39 of Guarded By the SEAL

“No way. I will never be able to surprise you enough. You know how I like to spoil you.”

I rub my hands together playfully as he leans across to his side of the bed and pulls something out to show me. It’s a piece of paper which I wasn’t expecting, so with furrowed eyebrows, I lean forward and start reading. But it quickly becomes obvious that this isn’t what I thought it was.

“What’s this about?” I ask quickly. “I can’t make head nor tails of it. Is it about the safehouse?”

His face breaks out into a giant smile. “It was a safehouse, once upon a time. But now, after some serious negotiations and a good payout, it’s a vacation home. Our vacation home. You know, just in case you ever want to recreate how we met one another. It might not have quite the same feel when no one has their life in danger, but I didn’t want to let anyone else make memories in there. It’s ours.”

I don’t know how to take in his words. They are just so beautiful. “So, the house on the island is ours?” He nods eagerly. “Oh, my God, Harry, that’s absolutely amazing. That place is incredible, and I bet it will be even better when I’m not hiding from anyone.” This brings tears to my eyes. I can’t stop myself. “That’s our island, isn’t it? It’s our place. We had some really good times there before things got shitty.”

I clutch my hand to my chest with the piece of paper still inside it, imagining us on that island once more, living a different sort of lifestyle out there. That’s pretty much where we fell in love with one another, and now we can go back there whenever we want to relive those days. I am so fucking lucky.

“I actually thought that maybe we could get married there… if you want to?” Harry asks me shyly. “I know that might not be your dream wedding, so if you have other ideas, then I will go along with it, but if you’d like to, we could get everyone there andhave an awesome wedding. We can make our island whatever we want.”

“I love that idea!” I shriek with sheer joy. “Oh, my God, that would be amazing. Yes, I can see it now. A wedding on the island. That would just be perfect, wouldn’t it? I already can’t wait for it.”

Harry’s face breaks out into a smile, and I can’t resist joining in with him. Knowing that we’re going to have the perfect wedding on our dream island makes me the happiest woman alive. And the fact that it’s to the best-looking man, the sweetest guy I have ever been involved with waiting at the other end of the aisle for me is just the icing on the cake. I really am the luckiest woman alive.

“I love you so much, Harry,” I tell him softly. “Thank you so much for doing this for me.”

“You are more than welcome. I would give you the world if I could.”

30

EPILOGUE

HARRY

One Year Later…

“Hello there, my little girl,” I coo at Sienna, my darling little angel. My daughter, who has transformed my life in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. I thought that I had it all once Petra and I got engaged, but the moment my daughter was born, my life became even more fulfilled. Sienna has shown me that my love is boundless, that it’s endless, that I will do anything for her. “How are you today? I am very good. Very happy. Actually, I’m pretty nervous today because I’m getting married to your mommy. Can you believe that? It’s taken us a while to get ready for this moment. It’s been a long time coming… but we’re finally here, at our house on our island, ready to say ‘I do’.” I smile at my baby some more. She’s the loveliest mix of me and Petra. “I can’t wait for us to finally be married. And here, of all places, where it all began. You don’t even know yet, do you? That this is where we first met? I’m sure you’ll hear it a lot.”

Benji slides into the room behind me. I turn to see him smiling at me. “That little girl is a doll.”

“I know.” I chuckle. “She has me wrapped around her little finger already and she isn’t even talking yet.”

“Oh, wow, I can’t even begin to imagine what Sienna will be like when she’s talking.” Benji laughs. “I dread to think. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with, a bit like your wife. Mind you, if she does the good in the world that Petra has with her charity, then it will all be for the best, won’t it?”

Everyone is impressed with Petra, and I don’t know how they can’t be. She’s an incredible woman. The number of people that she has already helped is phenomenal. It even leaves me emotional when I see how many lives she’s improved. The people that she helps deserve every part of it. Without it, they might not be able to get back on their feet, and I’m so proud of Petra for turning a horrible situation into a positive one.

Sierra is going to be so proud of her mother as well. I just know it. Growing up with someone so amazing to look up to will be an absolute blessing. I can’t wait to see her life progress, to watch all the most important moments in her life and to do it with Petra. The love of my life.

“Well, I have come to collect the pair of you now,” Benji continues, “because it’s wedding time.”

“Already?” My eyes nearly pop out of my head in surprise. “This day has gone so fast.”

“Well, I’ve been given word that your wife-to-be is ready for you. She’s supposed to be the one keeping you waiting, not the other way around. I don’t think you want that hanging over you for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah.” I chuckle. “You’re right about that one. Come on, then, let’s get going.”

The island has been decorated perfectly for the day. It’s a little like the hall in which I proposed, all covered in flowers to make it special, and there is a lovely arch at the end of the aisle which has the officiant standing and waiting for the pair of us. I can already feel the romance of the day surging through me and Petra isn’t even here yet. This is even more magical than I thought it would be. This island really is a stunning place when the threat of death isn’t hanging over anyone’s head.

“Wow, this is really is something else, don’t you think, Benji?” I say to my best friend, who is of course my best man, even though Max insisted it should have been him. Instead, he’s babysitter for the day.

“Yeah, you did a really great job. Petra is going to absolutely love it.”

I head over to the end of the aisle and stand in wait for Petra to join me. I glance around at the faces of family and friends whom we have had join us for today. We didn’t want a massive affair, so we only invited the most important people to us. It fills me warmth to see all their happiness for us.

The music kicks up, making my heart skip a beat. There’s no time for messing around. Petra isn’t making me wait. She’s just as eager for this to happen as I am, which makes me grin. Within seconds, she comes into view in the most stunning ivory mermaid tail gown that I have ever seen in my life. She always strips the air from my lungs, but today, Petra makes my head spin with breathlessness. I can’t believe how stunning she is and how she’s going to be mine. I can’t even wrap my head around it.

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