Note From the Author
Caroline’s surprise was originally featured in an anthology (that is no longer available) to raise money for Australia to fight the wildfires that ravaged that country in 2019/2020.
This story comes before The Boardwalk, and if you’ve read that story, you know that Caroline’s 25th anniversary is one of her treasured memories.
I wanted to write that story, that memory. No tears with this story, promise. :)
If you want the full effect of Caroline and Wolf’s story from the beginning, the order to read the books is:
Protecting Caroline
Marrying Caroline
Caroline’s Surprise
The Boardwalk
Enjoy!
~Susan
Blurb for Caroline’s Surprise
Caroline thinks her husband, Matthew “Wolf” Steel, is taking her out to dinner for their twenty-fifth anniversary, but he’s got a bigger surprise in store.
Caroline’s Surprise
Caroline Steel sighed in exasperation as she looked at her husband. She and Matthew “Wolf” Steel had been married for twenty-five years. Today was their anniversary, in fact. They’d checked into a fancy hotel by a beach near their Southern California home, and she’d been looking forward to dinner at one of the finest steakhouses the city had to offer.
But her dear husband had just informed her that he wanted to take a walk on the beach before they ate.
“This dress you bought me yesterday isn’t exactly appropriate for a beach walk,” Caroline protested.
“You look beautiful,” Matthew told her.
Caroline loved when he complimented her, but at the moment, she was too irritated to appreciate his comment. “These shoes are going to be impossible on the beach,” she told him, trying to think of another excuse that would get her out of his crazy idea.
Her husband loved the ocean. Loved everything about it. The way the wind blew on the coast, the smell of the water, the salt in the air that you could actually taste on your lips. Normally, Caroline did too, but she’d just spent an hour doing her hair and makeup, wanting it to be perfect for their dinner. They’d gone shopping yesterday, and Matthew had bought her the most beautiful floor-length pink dress. It had little cap sleeves and flared out from her waist, making her feel like a princess.
At fifty-seven, Caroline knew she was too old to be considered pretty. The fact of the matter was, she’d never been a beauty. She was plain. Boring. But Matthew had always said that, from almost the second he’d seen her, he’d known she was the woman for him. They’d met in an unconventional way, on a plane that had been hijacked by terrorists. Because of her background as a chemist, Caroline had been able to help save everyone on board. But then the people behind the hijacking had come after her…
She didn’t like to dwell on that time in her life, but it had brought her Matthew, so she didn’t regret one second of what had happened.
Matthew was sixty-one, and instead of looking like a wrinkled old man, he seemed to get more distinguished with age. His hair was sprinkled with a healthy dose of gray, but he kept it cut short, just as he had when he was a Navy SEAL. He’d lost the bulk of the muscles he’d had as a younger man, but Caroline was still just as attracted to him today as she’d been twenty-five years ago when they’d gotten married.
There had been some hiccups on their wedding day—namely, they’d never made it to the church because of a car accident involving their friends—but that hadn’t stopped them. They’d ended up saying their vows in the emergency room, surrounded by all their loved ones. Caroline had never regretted not having a traditional wedding; she was too thankful to have Wolf as her very own.
But, there were times when her husband drove her crazy. Like now.
He had no idea what walking along the boardwalk would do to her hair. It would blow all her hard work to smithereens. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, she’d look pathetic, and Matthew would probably look just as polished and handsome as he did right this minute.
He was wearing a pair of jeans and a navy polo. And while some people might think it odd that he was wearing denim to a fancy restaurant, Caroline loved that he did what he wanted, wore what he wanted, and could get away with it.
“Matthew, seriously, I want to look good for you tonight, and if we walk along the ocean, I’m going to be a mess.”
Matthew walked toward her and took her head in his hands. Tilting it up so she had to look in his eyes, he said lovingly, “You always look beautiful, Ice. I don’t care if you wear your pajamas or this beautiful dress. You’re the love of my life, and I’m always proud to be by your side.”
She shivered in delight when he called her Ice. He’d given her the nickname back when they’d first met, and it always made her go gooey inside when he uttered it. “Matthew,” Caroline complained, “I love you, but sometimes you’re clueless.”
“Just for a little bit,” Matthew cajoled. “We won’t stay long, but I have it on good authority that there’s something you’re going to want to see on the beach this evening.”
Caroline sighed, knowing when she was beaten. When Matthew’s voice got low and he gave her those puppy dog eyes, she couldn’t deny him anything. “Fine, but if we’re late for our reservations, I’m blaming you.”
Her husband beamed. “Deal.” Then he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss started out tender and light, but soon morphed into something much more passionate. They might be older and not have the stamina they used to, but their sex life was still active and intense.
Caroline pulled back and put her hand on her husband’s cheek. “I love you,” she told him.
“I love you too. And I plan on showing you how much tonight when we get back here to our room.”
“I can’t believe you got the honeymoon suite,” Caroline said with a shake of her head. “I would’ve been perfectly happy with a regular room. This one is way too expensive.”
“Nothing is too expensive for you,” Matthew said. “I might not be able to buy you a brand-new Lamborghini, but I can splurge every now and then on a nice hotel room with some extras to make sure you know how much you’re loved.”
“Like the dozen roses?” Caroline asked, peeking over at the gorgeous bouquet on the table next to the bed. She’d wanted them as close to her as possible so she could smell them all night, even while she was sleeping.
“And the chocolate-covered strawberries, and the champagne,” Matthew said with a smile. “Now, come on, we need to get going,” he told her, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her toward the door.
“I swear, if there’s a volleyball tournament with scantily clad women jumping around, I’m gonna have to hurt you,” Caroline mock threatened.
“Maybe they’re guys wearing banana hammocks,” Matthew teased.
“Ewwww. Gross,” Caroline said on a laugh. She adored that her husband still made her laugh after all these years. When they were on the elevator on the way to the lobby, Caroline leaned into Wolf. “If I forget to tell you later, thank you for the best twenty-five years of my life.”