SEAL Forever (21 page)

Droplets of water clung to Maura's skin as she stepped out of the waves. Licking her lips, she relished the taste of the salty ocean and looked up at the balcony to see Declan watching her.

She waved and then shook her whole body like a primal animal freeing itself of the wetness.

His laughter floated on the air down to her. She couldn't imagine ever tiring of hearing it. Never in her life had she ever felt such completeness. When she was in high school competing, she'd gotten close to this feeling, but something had always been missing. Fulfillment was not just on a physical level, but also on an emotional and spiritual plane.

The guys were heading over to Danny's for a burger. She was able to catch scraps of the conversation. Guess they didn't want the steaks. No matter. More for Declan and her.

Sitting down on the sand, she turned to face the ocean, giving herself a few minutes to contemplate her life before she headed to the apartment. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she hugged them to her chest.

Learning to trust her instincts when it came to a relationship with Declan had been fraught with hurdles, yet the minute she got out of her own way and trusted herself, their relationship had bloomed. The same could be said of her taking over the gym: her ability to trust her instincts and reach for her goal had provided countless rewards. Membership was up. They were working on training whole new crops of kids interested in practicing parkour and gymnastics regularly. And she'd let go of her need to control every facet of her life.

She had teachers and employees she trusted working for her. And in her personal life, she had placed her most precious part of herself into Declan's hands—her heart.

“Maura, dinner's almost ready. C'mon.” Dec's voice carried to her over the sound of the surf and breeze.

Craning her neck, she saw Declan and gave him another wave. “In a minute!” she yelled back.

Standing up, she brushed the sand from her body and suit. She knew she was ready to tell her family about Declan and introduce him to the whole overprotective bunch. There was no doubt in her mind that it would be memorable.

Turning toward the apartment, she walked to the rocks, intending to climb them.

A noise brought her to a halt. She looked over her shoulder.

Shading her eyes, she searched for the noise and saw several boys, probably around eight or ten years old, horsing around in the water. One of them looked to be in trouble.

“Declan!” she shouted. “Hey, there's a problem.”

He was on the balcony in an instant, scaling down the rocks in no time. Spotting the boy being pulled out to sea, he used his crutch to take him to the water and then tossed it aside. Most of the beachgoers in this area knew there were places that pulled swimmers out quickly.

Declan dove into a wave, disappearing into the water.

Maura ran down to the water's edge and picked up his crutch before the sea pulled it out with the waves. Again, she shaded her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

She followed his progress, running down the length of the beach, her breath coming in short gasps and her heart beating a frantic pattern. The parents of the other boys beat her to her destination, pulling them out of the water before they could get dragged into the current.

Declan had reached the boy in trouble, and he anchored him to his body with one arm. With his other arm, he swam quickly out of the current and into more stable waters.

Waves lifted them, bringing them toward the shore faster.

Maura ran straight into the surf to help Declan. She tried to say something, to point, but Declan was already in motion. He'd been giving rescue breaths, and now on the sand, he did CPR on the kid.

The child awoke, coughing. His parents flanked him and then hugged Declan.

Maura gave Declan his crutch and helped him stand.

A lifeguard from farther up the beach arrived, asking what happened. The parents took over, talking at once.

But Declan had Maura moving at a swift pace away from the havoc. Smoke was billowing down onto the beach. “I think our steaks are on fire.”

“Oh, no!” She ran on ahead, climbing up the rocks and onto the balcony. Smoke poured out of Declan's apartment, and the fire alarm was beeping. She threw open the front door to create a cross breeze and turned off the broiler. As she pulled open the oven door, flames leaped at her and then slowly lowered until they went out.

She coughed as she headed to the balcony for fresh air.

Declan was climbing over the railing as she stepped outside. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She rubbed at her eyes. “That was dramatic.”

“Just another day,” he said with a smile.

She sat down very ungracefully in a chair, picking up his nonalcoholic stout and taking a sip. “You know, this stuff is growing on me.” She pushed her hair off her face and took another drink. “SEALs like living under the radar, don't they?”

“Definitely.” He nodded. “Well, any thoughts on a meal? Our dinner is ruined.”

“Let's go out.”

“Okay, but I get to pick the place this time,” he said with a wicked grin. “How do you feel about somewhere fancy?”

“I'd love it,” she replied, thrilled at the idea of going out. “I'll get in the shower while your apartment airs out and then you can take a turn at my place.”

“What's wrong with mine?” Declan looked offended for approximately two seconds and then he grinned wide. “Fine. I'll make a reservation.”

“Good. Your place smells like a grill.”

“Honey, that's an aftershave scent for me.” He grinned.

* * *

Declan drove from Imperial Beach to the far side of Coronado. “They call this the Bay Side. There's a ferry that goes across the bay to Seaport Village, which is near the Hyatt, Marriott Marina, and the convention center.” He had been to Poehe's a number of times with his Teammates, and most of the staff knew him, or least his visage.

Pulling into a parking space, he felt the nerves of anticipation nipping at his emotions. Bringing Maura here was raising all sorts of endorphins. He'd never brought a date here, though he had given the maître d' a few specific instructions when he called. This night had to be extra special. He'd had to take his super-sexy apartment angle out of the picture due to burnt steaks, but this restaurant was a great contingency plan. He knew he could make the night memorable.

Walking around the far side of the car, he opened the door for Maura and proffered his hand. Unwilling to relinquish her palm, he tucked it into the crook of his arm and walked her to the front door of Poehe's.

An attendant opened the door and they stepped into the cool, blue-lit interior.

“Swifton,” said Declan to the hostess, who checked their name off a list and handed them over to a waiter who escorted them up a ramp to a secluded booth with high-backed seats.

“Here are our menus. The specials are listed on the pullout page. If you have any questions, please let me know.” The waiter nodded at them. “I'll be back with spring water, unless you prefer bubbles…”

“Spring water is fine, and wine for me,” said Maura, knowing that was Declan's preference and something she had no opinion on. Opening the menu, she looked over the entrees. “What do you recommend?”

“The lobster or the salmon,” he said. “Uh, will you excuse me for a moment?” He got up and left.

“Sure,” she said. Deciding on the lobster, she closed her menu and looked around the restaurant. It was truly stunning. The chandeliers were made of individual lights that hung at the bottom of long wires and moved with the air. Below their seats were rows and rows of windows looking out over Glorietta Bay, and the view of downtown San Diego was stunning, like a Christmas tree with all the lights blazing.

Motorboats sped by and sailboats took a more leisurely tack toward home port. The entire restaurant was hushed even though it was packed with patrons. Many of them were so engrossed in their meals that they hardly spoke, and the looks of delight were evident in their closed eyes and adoring expressions.

Declan sat back down. “Sorry about that.”

She smiled. “Declan, this restaurant is amazing. I had no idea such a gem was hidden here. It's like a five-star oasis.” She placed her hand on his. “Did you see that chocolate lava cake? Can we order that? It looks amazing.”

He smiled. “Anything you want. This is your night.”

The waiter arrived, took their dinner order, then left them to admire the view again.

When Declan put his arm around her, Maura scooted closer to him. This had to be one of the most romantic nights of her life, and she didn't want to miss one minute of it.

She leaned her head against his neck and felt him lay his head on hers. There was so much she wanted to say, and yet sitting in silence together was so easy and blissful that she couldn't bring herself to interrupt it.

As the plates of food were placed in front of her, she could hardly wait to taste each morsel. Time passed quickly as they relished each bite, sharing each other's meal and feeding each other forkfuls.

The dessert arrived all at once, one chocolate lava cake dripping with raspberry sauce and one large mango sorbet. Before she had placed her fork into the cake, Declan pointed to the sky.

She turned her head to look and was astounded by the sight.

Fireworks burst in the night sky. Colorful rockets launched high, exploding in an array of colors as smaller explosions sounded below.

Snuggling close, she watched it with him.

Declan whispered in her ear. “Here comes the finale.”

Sure enough, a multitude of rockets and colors snapped and boomed in a crescendo. The ever-quiet restaurant goers burst into applause with murmurs of appreciation, and then the noise died down to a whisper.

Maura lifted her fork and dug into the lava cake. It was so rich that two bites in, she couldn't eat any more. “Do you want some?”

“I've had it before. It's akin to taking chocolate intravenously.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, laughing. “Can I take a bite of your mango sorbet?”

He smiled. “I was waiting for you to start it.”

Exchanging her fork for a spoon, she scooped some of the cool orange dessert into her mouth. It was tangy and delicious. Taking one more mouthful, she felt something hard and lifted her napkin to her mouth. Expelling the item, she looked at it.

Her eyes filled with tears and her breathing became ragged. “Declan?”

“Will you marry me, Maura?”

As the tears brimmed over, spilling down her cheeks, she nodded. Words were caught behind the lump in her throat.

Holding out the ring to Declan, she watched him wipe it off and place it on the fourth finger on her left hand. He hugged her close as she wept as silently as she could.

“Is everything okay?” asked the waiter, hurrying over.

Declan replied, “I just proposed.”

“Congratulations! I'll bring you a bottle of champagne on the house.” The waiter moved quickly down the ramp toward the bar.

Declan held Maura as she wept. His large frame provided her a great deal of privacy. He was lucky that he had found the perfect woman.

When her tears stopped, he tilted her face to his and showed what it meant to him that she'd said yes. His eyes locked to hers, his heart racing, he kissed her on the lips with all the love he had inside of him.

As if she read his mind, she said, “Let's go celebrate, Declan. Take me home.”

The waiter arrived with their champagne.

“Don't open it. I'll take it with us. Please bring us the check,” said Declan.

* * *

Outside, the weather was too perfect not to take advantage of the night air. They strolled along the walkway together, holding hands. Maura knew that Declan was not a PDA kind of guy, so it was doubly meaningful when his fingers squeezed tight.

“Were you surprised?” he asked.

“Oh my goodness, yes,” she said, a little breathless. She kept staring at her hand and her fingers kept touching the ring to make sure it was there, and real. “When did you plan this? How?”

“Well, originally we were going to have this moment in my apartment, but the drowning kid and burning steaks changed all of that…” Declan smiled at her. “I called your father and asked permission, Maura.”

Maura tugged him to a halt. “You what?” The waterworks began again. He was so respectful, thoughtful, and kind.

He led her over to a park bench and they sat. Declan handed her his handkerchief. She took it, mopped her face, and blew her nose. “So much for my makeup.”

“You look beautiful,” he said. “You always look gorgeous. You don't need that stuff.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

“I called your parents and asked to be put on speakerphone. I told them who I was and where I lived and what you meant to me.” Declan put his arm around her and pulled her in close. “They asked me several questions about you: What's your favorite color? What was your biggest hurt and regret in life? What do you want to see happen now in your adult life?”

Rubbing his chin for a few seconds and then continuing, he added, “I'm pretty sure I answered them correctly, because I told them how I was going to propose to you and what I wanted our life together to be like, though I was flexible on how that unfolded too.”

She looked up at him. “Thank you. I'm sorry I'm so weepy…”

“Hey, it's your engagement. You can cry to your heart's content. I'm honored that those tears mean heartfelt joy for me and for us.” He touched his fingers to the side of her cheek, caressing her skin.

Leaning over, he kissed her simply and tenderly. It was a light brush of lips, but the electricity was always there. Pulling back, he added, “Besides, everyone knows you as Mrs. Swifton. I just want to make an honest woman of you.”

Through her tears, Maura laughed. She slapped at his arm playfully. “Declan. I love you.”