Page 27 of Submitting to the SEAL's Protection

They pulled out and headed east. Planner that they both were, they’d decided on a set number of stops. The ultimate destination was the very tip of Maine. He hadn’t spent much time on the East Coast, and she hadn’t seen New England since she was a kid. She had the idea of seeing as many lighthouses as they could.

Eventually, they would need to think about money. After buying the RV, their savings left them enough for at least two months of uninterrupted travel, but once they found a place that they loved, they would both have to look for jobs again. Luckily, Brian was more than happy to provide the both of them with references, and Jared had assured her that he’d never had an issue finding construction work.

Casey stuck her head between their seats. The dog’s presence brought her an immense amount of comfort.

Jared reached up and pet the dog’s neck. “Hey, hero,” he said, and Rita smiled. Jared had taken to calling her “hero” after Casey had gone bounding onto the yacht after Rita. He’d told Rita that he’d never seen a dog with such a profound attachment to a person before. A one-in-a-million connection, he’d said. “You think she’ll need to go out anytime soon?”

Rita chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll let us—” The dog let out a whine, and they both laughed. “—know,” she finished with a sigh. “I’m sorry; she did go out before we left, but—”

Jared brought her fingers to his mouth. “It’s fine, Rita,” he said. “We aren’t on a timeline here, remember?”

She dipped her head. “Right.” That was probably the hardest thing for her to get used to about this trip: while it was planned where they would go, they’d set no guidelines for how long they’d stay in any one place. Jared wanted to be able to enjoy himself without having to worry about sticking to a schedule, and Rita didn’t want to feel rushed.

Jared found a place to pull over so that he could take Casey out for a potty break. “Come with us?” he asked. “Or do you want to wait in the car?”

It was a question he’d asked a lot over the last six months. Rita was working on things with a therapist, but she sometimes swung wildly between the need to be entirely alone and the need to be with someone—usually Jared—at all times. Rita did her best to gauge her feelings as honestly as possible, but it wasn’t easy. She’d thought she was good more than a few times, and then when Jared left for the store, she fell apart. Eventually, she’d learned that it was better to play it safe. “I’ll come,” she said and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Jared climbed out of the seat and grabbed Casey’s leash, clipping it to the dog’s collar. He took her through the side door, and then came around to open Rita’s door. She slid to the ground and looped her arm through Jared’s. They were at a rest stop that was designed for bathroom breaks; it was surrounded by green space on all sides. Other people were walking around with their dogs, or letting their kids run free.

“Is it weird to say that a rest stop is pretty?” she asked as they walked.

Jared chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “Maybe a little,” he said, “but I agree. They fixed this one up pretty nice.”

They walked for more than twenty minutes. Casey had taken a few minutes to find a place she wanted to mark as her very own, but after that, it was just nice for the three of them to stroll around beneath the shade of the trees. She looked at her husband—andGodwas it nice for her to think of Jared as her husband—and fell a little more in love with him because of the dimple in his cheek, the one he didn’t think that he had, was on full display. That only ever happened when he was truly happy. “I love you,” she murmured.

He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you too, baby.” Being with him and with Casey, Rita felt like she could do anything; she could face any foe and overcome any obstacle. “Ready to get going?” Jared asked.

Rita should say yes if they wanted to get to their first stop efficiently, but instead, she shrugged. “I’m good to walk for a little while longer if you are.”

Jared grinned, and she leaned up on her tiptoes to taste that smile. “Sounds good to me.”

END OF SUBMITTING TO THE SEAL’S PROTECTION

PS: Do you like sexy military men? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts fromTheSEAL’s Pregnant RoommateandThe SEAL’s Pregnant One-Night Stand.

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