Hearing grunts and curses, she raced around to the driver’s side of the car and spied Nolan on his knees beside a prone Errol. The air rushed from her lungs in a whoosh, and the sound of sirens was heard in the distance.
Nolan twisted around, giving her a head to toe body scan. “Drop the gun, Lynn, and stay back. I’ve got him restrained and we don’t want an accident.”
Her head jerked up and down in a nod, and she lay the gun on the ground, barely aware of her shaking hands. Standing, she wanted to rush to him, but with Nolan still restraining Errol, she stood awkwardly to the side, not wanting to get in his way. As he shifted around, her gaze dropped to his side, gasping at the sight of his shirt now covered with blood.
Unable to stay back, she bolted forward, her hands raised toward him, sure that he would drop to the ground at any second. “Oh, my God! You’re shot!”
“Flesh wound, babe. That’s all it is. A flesh wound.”
Her hands now shaking more, she tried to pull up his shirt to see how bad it was. He managed to hold Errol in place against the car while shifting to the side so that he could get directly in front of her face.
“Babe, I’m okay. But I gotta keep him here. I promise, babe, I’m fine.”
The sound of the sirens grew louder, and quickly the parking lot filled with police. It took several tense minutes to explain what was happening. Lynn showed the police Errol’s weapon as another officer gathered the papers that had been in Errol’s hands.
An ambulance followed the police, and she watched as Nolan was treated. He didn’t want to go to the hospital, but she insisted. Grabbing his cheeks with her hands, she said, “I need you to do this for me. Please. For a few minutes, I had no idea if I would ever see you again. I had no idea if I would ever have a chance to tell you that I want you for my husband, no matter how we have to make that work. So please, Husband, go to the hospital. I’ll go with the police to the station and give my statement. I’ll give them the information from the FBI agent that I’ve talked to and I’ll call Sally.”
“You want me no matter how we have to make this work?”
Her lips curved, and she nodded slowly. Lifting to her toes, she pulled him into a kiss. Light and easy. She started to press her body forward when his hands on her waist held her in place. Pulling back slightly, her gaze dropped to his shirt.
“Nothing more I want than to kiss you fully, but sweetheart, right now I’m a bloody mess.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly again and said, “As soon as they check me out, I’ll call my parents and get them to take me to the station. You stay there and I’ll meet you.”
An officer came up beside her, his gaze anxious and questioning. She shook her head and said, “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to fall apart or become hysterical. After all, I’m married to a SEAL.”
23
Nine Months Later
Standing in his backyard, Nolan looked over the small gathering. The white rental chairs were lined in rows on the lush grass. His parents, Nancy, Lynn’s parents, and her brother sat in the front rows, and the rest were filled with his team members and their women. Jacob and Casey; Trigger and Cassandra; Tucker and Jodi; Eric and Rylie; Benjamin and Holly; Evan and Presley; and Nick and Dani.
Waiting underneath the arbor with the minister, he thought back to the last months. The gunshot, while not serious, added another two weeks to his medical leave. He had placed her ring back on her finger while still in the hospital getting stitched up—at her insistence.
He moved in with Lynn, sharing her apartment and her life as husband and wife for real. They discovered an old Victorian home in a neighborhood not too far from his parents that was for sale and needed a lot of TLC. Hell, it needed a lot more than TLC! Their bid was accepted and they immediately began planning their home. Lynn and his dad had overseen ordering materials and his dad’s company began some of the work to bring the old structure up to code. New wiring. New floors. New windows. New roof. New plumbing.
Nolan had gone back to his unit for his last six months of duty, having decided to retire early. He loved the Navy, loved his SEAL team, but with constant changes, his old team was not the same as before. Lynn had flown to California twice for visits between missions, but he hated the separations and distance. Having seen Errol hold a gun to Lynn’s head and then almost getting away with kidnapping her had given Nolan a chance to think about his life, his goals, and their future. It was time. He was ready for the next adventure. Coming home a month ago, he was ready to be a full-time husband to Lynn, a business partner with his dad, and homeowner.
It was he who insisted on a vow renewal, complete with full names in front of friends and family. The music from the DJ changed, and his attention was jerked back to the present and the vision that walked through the sliding doors onto the patio.
Lynn.
She had kept her appearance secret, and his lips curved into a wide smile as he watched her walk toward him. Her hair was down, swept back from her face with a clip. Her makeup was subtle. And she was wearing a cream-colored sundress with embroidered silk butterflies. The same dress she wore when they’d married the first time. Fuckin’ beautiful. She could not have chosen anything more perfect.
I came close to never having this. The realization that Lynn was in his life because of Nancy’s ridiculous scheme hit him. And I almost threw this away. He blinked, tears threatening as she stood in front of him, her pale blue eyes shining as they held his gaze. He smiled and took her hand, turning them both toward the minister.
“We are gathered here today to witness the vow renewals between Nolan Bell and Lynn Cox Bell.” The minister nodded toward Lynn.
She faced Nolan, her hands shaking slightly in his. “I used to dream about my wedding day. I suppose that’s something most little girls dream of. But what I now realize is that it’s not the day that’s important but the person who’s holding your hand when you make your vows. And that person was you, Nolan. But now I can make the vows once again and this time they are from my heart. So, I pledge my heart, my faithfulness, and my undying love to you, for now and always.”
He squeezed her fingers, his hands now shaking as much as hers had been. Her smile speared straight through him, her words warming his heart. Swallowing deeply, he said, “When I first said ‘I do’ to you, it didn’t have the meaning that it should have. The commitment that it should. The reverence that it should. But Lynn, you are the woman of my dreams. The woman of my heart. The woman I freely choose to have as my wife. I come to you now, fully ready to take the vow to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, till death do we part.”
Lifting her hand to his lips, he placed a gentle kiss on the ring sitting at the base of her finger. Sliding his hands around her, he pulled her close, his lips now a whisper away from hers. “I love you, Mrs. Lynn Bell.” Sealing their vows, they kissed, ignoring the rousing cacophony of cheers from the others.
Leaning back, her lips were curved in a wide smile. “I love you, too.” She started to turn toward the gathering, then looked back toward him. “You know, Husband… saying our vows in front of God and everyone… you’re no longer my undercover groom!”