Page 36 of Protected By the SEAL

“The… the future?” Cassie looks a little freaked out as she says this. “What do you mean? What about the future?”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring box before I crash to one knee in front of her. I don’t do it anywhere near as gracefully as I would like to, but then this isn’t exactly something I’m experienced at doing. “Our future.”

“Oh, my God.” Her hands clap to her mouth in shock. “Are you really doing this right now?”

“I am.” I chuckle, trying to cover up the emotion clinging to the back of my throat. “And I hope that’s okay. But I really do love you, Cassie Jones, and I think it’s time that we make it official. I would love nothing more than to have you on my arm for the rest of my life, as my wife. Because you have made my life so much better, so much brighter, so much more exciting. I couldn’t imagine a life without you by my side every single step of the way. I want to love you and make you happy forever.”

“Oh, wow.” She leans forward and grabs onto her stomach. “I can’t believe that this is happening. This is awesome.”

“You knew I was going to want to marry you, Cassie. Come on.” I chuckle. “So, what do you say? Will you be my wife?”

“Oh, my God, Benji, ofcourseI’ll marry you. I would love nothing more than to be your wife. I can’t believe you want me.”

“Of course I want you! How could you not think that I would want you?” I laugh. “My God, you’re perfect. I would be crazy not to want you to be my wife. Nothing would make me happier than to have you in my life forever. I love you, Cassie.”

“I love you too, Benji,” she replies with tears sliding down her face. “I want to be with you forevermore too.”

I slide the ring onto her finger, my heart singing with joy as I do so. I kinda knew that she was going to say yes, but hearing it from her mouth makes me feel incredible. I can’t believe how happy I am. This is everything I could have ever wanted and so much more. Who knew when I walked into that jungle, I would be coming out with a fiancée? I rise up and kiss her with sheer joy running through my body, knowing that my life is only going to get better from here on out.

30

EPILOGUE

CASSIE

Six Months Later…

I stare out at the Hawaiian beach, knowing that this is the perfect place for me and Benji to get married. Just a quiet beach with no one else on it, a private place where we can hide away from the rest of the world once more. Our favorite place ever. I don’t know what our families will think about our secretly eloping, but I’m pretty sure they will be okay about it. They know we’re adventuring and that this is likely for us, so eventually, they will just be happy that we are happy.

They have been so far, so I can’t imagine that changing this time around. Even if this is a little bit more serious.

We probably could have sold pictures of our wedding if we wanted to. I’m sure that the public would be interested in the daughter of the infamous William Jones who was kidnapped marrying her savior, but that isn’t us and it never will be. We have always wanted to remain out of the spotlight, and I definitely always will. Especially on a big day like today.

“And there he is.” I can see my gorgeous man on the other side of the golden sands, and he makes my heart skip a beat. For a second, I’m transported back to that day when I first saw him. When he risked his life to save mine. I didn’t know him then. I wasn’t even sure whether he was the good guy or not then, but there was still a weird chemistry between us. And it’s still there. “Wow.”

I glance down at myself, checking that my little white, lacy, summery dress is suitable. It might not exactly be a traditional wedding gown, but nothing about us has been traditional so far, so why not do things our way? I have a ring of flowers around my head as well, and my red hair is wavy, hanging down my back in a loose and free manner.

“Yep, this is it,” I whisper to myself. “Time for us to get married. Oh, my God, this is amazing.”

It’s only taken us this long to get around to marrying one another because we’ve been so busy seeing everything that we want to see. I honestly think that we might have been everywhere in the world now, or at least all the places we have wanted to go. Of course, there’s more I would love to see, but I’m keen to do other things as well, to expand my horizons further. I can see the size of life now, and I want to explore and experience every single part of it. I want to do and be everything.

The officiant stays behind Benji, but I barely notice him. I’m too busy staring at my husband to be and slowly walking toward him to care about anyone else. I can’t believe than any minute now, I’m actually going to be his wife. It’s phenomenal. This is something I’ve wanted for a very long time, but I didn’t know that I would actually end up here, getting it.

“Wow,” Benji gushes as soon as I get close enough to hear him. “I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.”

“Yeah? You think?” I shoot him a playful wink. “Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so handsome, either.”

He hasn’t got a full suit on, but he’s looking incredibly smart. With his tight, toned body and his sun-kissed skin, he’s stunning. My God, he’s blowing my mind all over again. I must be the luckiest woman alive to have him in my life. My pulse races at the sight of him, even now after all this time, and I’m pretty sure it will always be the case.

And then it’s time for the ceremony to begin. The officiant talks about love and connection, about being together forever, about loving one another above everything else, but I can barely hear his words. Iknowlove now. I know it more than anyone else. Our love, that is. I don’t know if it’s the same as everyone else’s, but I don’t care. I’m not trying to live anyone else’s love story. I’m just trying to exist in my own. I don’t need anything other than what I have right here.

“I’ve written my own vows,” Benji surprises me by declaring as that moment comes along. “I know that we didn’t exactly plan on that, but we always do things on a whim, don’t we? So, I hope you don’t mind, but I have something to say.”

I’m stunned by this, but I’m actually okay with it. I can get on board with whatever life throws at me. Even if it’s vows. I can do my own as well. I can simply speak from my heart in the heat of the moment, and all will be just fine.

“Okay, I’m good with this.” I grin from ear to ear. “Let’s hear it. Looking forward to it. Let’s hear what you have for me.”

“Cassie Jones, you are the best woman I’ve ever met in my life,” he begins with an edge of seriousness to his voice. “I think you know by now how much I love you, how I would do anything for you, how I want to make you happy forever. I… I don’t feel like I need to tell you that I’ll be there through sickness and health, through richer and poorer, until death do us part because I’m sure you know that already. I hope by this point, you have seen that…” I nod, because that just comes naturally by this point. You don’t go through everything that we have just to walk away. “So I’m just going to promise you that I’ll always be the very best version of myself for you. I’ll never let anything slip. You make me awesome, and I’ll keep being that.”

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