SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) (10 page)

  
“That is the kind of man my father was. He had commitments, he had
obligations, and he had a duty to his country. But he never forgot about the
things that were important to him. He was away a lot when I was a child, but I
never resented him for that absence. I knew he was out there doing something
important and I knew he was thinking of me every second of every day. Even when
he wasn’t around, he always made sure that we knew that he loved us. My father …
he was a good soldier and a good man. But in my opinion, he was an even better
husband and father.”

“He’s a good speaker
isn’t he?” Tyler said from behind me.

  
I hadn’t even noticed he was behind me. I wiped away the tear that
had slipped down my cheek and glanced at him. “I would have thought you’d give
the speech?”

Tyler shook his head.
“This is Dylan’s forte; he did a good job.”

“He did,” I nodded.
          

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Tyler
said. “For playing.”

  
“Of course,” I nodded and leaned in to give Tyler a hug and a
kiss. I turned around and realized that people were queuing up to pay their
condolences to Dylan and Mrs. Thomas who were standing on the opposite side of
the church. “Shouldn’t you go and join them?” I asked.

“I will,” Tyler replied. “I
just … need a moment.”

  
I nodded in understanding and made my way to join the line of
people. It took five minutes to finally reach them, and when I did, I noticed
that Dylan’s eyes were already on me.

“I’m so sorry,” I
whispered as I hugged him.

  
He held on a little longer than I expected and then he let go of
me. “Thank you for playing,” he said. “It was amazing to hear you play after so
long.”

“Yes dear,” Mrs. Thomas
cut in. “Thank you for playing those songs.”

“I hope I did Mr. Thomas
justice.”

  
“He would have been so pleased,” Mrs. Thomas said. She looked better
than she had the first day I had see her, but the ache of sadness was still
etched across her face. “Will you come to the house afterwards? The family will
be there after the burial.”

“Oh, I don’t want to
impose—”

“It’s not an imposition,”
Dylan cut in. “Everyone will be there.”

I nodded. “Then I will
too,” I said before I moved away.

  
I went over to the house straight after the burial with mom. The
house was packed just like last time, so I left mom with the other mourners and
headed for the patio. Tyler and Dylan were there, leaning against the patio
railing and staring out at the lake in silence. They had both changed into
pants and casual t-shirts.

“The service was
beautiful,” I said to them.

Dylan turned around and I
saw his eyes light up when he saw me. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said.

  
I felt a blush creep up my cheeks and I tried desperately to stop
it in its tracks. “How are you both doing?” I asked trying to skate over my own
embarrassment.

“Fine,” Tyler replied
without turning his gaze from the lake.

“I … I think I really
need a distraction,” Dylan replied.

I raised my eyebrows.
“What kind of distraction?”

“Beer by the old campsite?”
Dylan suggested, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  
We used to sneak out at night and meet just outside the woods.
Then we’d walk about a mile north until we had reached this little creek that
ran passed a tall thicket of trees. We’d bring beer and marshmallows, then we’d
sit around the fire and toast them up and swap stories. Sometimes Dylan and I
used to go there alone and when it was just the two of us, we’d take a blanket
so that we could share.

  
I’d sit between his legs and he’d hold me close and whisper ghost
stories in my ear. They never scared me though. There was no possible way I
could feel scared with Dylan wrapped around me like a human shield. I felt safe
and warm and protected and like my youth, I had taken those moments for
granted. I had simply assumed I would have them forever.

“Lizzie?” Dylan said.

“Sorry,” I said quickly.
“I suppose we could do that.”

“Great,” Dylan said. “We
can leave soon.”

“I’ll ask Maddie to join
us,” I said quickly and then I turned to Tyler. “You’re joining us too right
Tyler?”

Tyler glanced at Dylan.
“I don’t know if it’s … appropriate?”

“We’re not going to a
rave Ty,” Dylan said and I knew he was trying hard not to roll his eyes. “But
if you don’t want to come, we’ll understand.”

I frowned at Dylan.
“Come,” I said.

“All right,” Tyler said
at last. “Maybe a distraction is a good idea. Mom will be surrounded by people
tonight anyway.”

“Great,” Dylan said,
although his tone suggested otherwise. “Is Maddie here?”

“She should be here by
now,” I nodded. “She left the cemetery when mom and I did.”

“Ok, then Tyler can bring
Maddie in the car and you and I can take my bike.”

My eyebrows rose. “Your
bike?”

“You remember her,” Dylan
said with a secretive smile.

“Of course I remember
her,” I said. “I just can’t believe you still have that bike.”

“Dad kept her for me,”
Dylan said with a sad smile. “Will you ride with me?”

I sighed internally.
There was no way I could say no to that smile. “Sure,” I nodded.

  
We left Tyler in the house to look for Maddie and Dylan led me out
to the garage where the bike was kept. The moment I saw the bike, I felt a wave
of nostalgia hit me. It was like I had stepped twelve years into the past. I
approached the bike gingerly.

“She hasn’t changed,” I
said.

  
Dylan helped me onto the seat behind him and I was forced to wrap
my arms around his waist as we set off down the winding driveway. We were so
close that I could smell him. I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I was
not seventeen anymore and Dylan was not my boyfriend. I told myself that no
matter how good this felt, at the end of the day, I would have to let go.

Chapter Eleven

Dylan

  
I felt like I was sixteen again. I had the same tingling in my
stomach that I used to feel any time Lizzie was near me. I wanted to kiss her,
touch her, hold her all at the same time, and I never wanted to let her go. The
more time I spent with her, the more I simply could not understand what had
ever made me leave her side.

  
Her arms were tight around me but I could sense her need to let
go, almost as though she were scared to get too close. I knew that shouldn’t
have upset me but I was. We rode into the woods and stopped by the old creek
nestled next to a wealth of trees. I used to think of it as our special place
but in truth, there was nothing exceptional about it. We were the ones that
made it special.

  
I got off the bike and helped Lizzie down from it. She didn’t
actually need my help, but it was an excuse for me to touch her. The campsite
was pretty much the same, but it was clear that no one had been near it for a
long time. Leaves, roots, and dirt were everywhere and I wondered whether
bringing Lizzie here had been the right move.

  
I turned and she had pushed aside some of the leaves and sat down
on one of the larger logs that fallen to the ground. I smiled, remembering that
she had never been one to shy away from nature. She didn’t mind dirt or bugs.
She had always been an adventurer, even though she had never believed it
herself.

“It takes me back being
here,” I said softly.

  
She didn’t answer immediately. She was looking around at the
campsite as though she were seeing ghosts. I sat down beside her and resisted
the urge to put my arm around her. It was strange how certain impulses were
sitting there, just underneath the surface as though it hadn’t understood that
eleven years had passed and things were not the same anymore.

  
“What are you thinking?” I asked, hating the fact that I wasn’t
sure. I had always been good at knowing what was on her mind. Now, I could only
guess and wait to see if I was right or not.

“Nothing,” she replied,
guarding her thoughts.

  
She looked so beautiful, with that fiery-red hair and those
burning, blue eyes. The soft prettiness that she had possessed as a girl had
turned into bright beauty. She looked like she belonged some place magical. You
could have painted wings on her and it wouldn’t have looked out of place.

  
I was thinking about reaching out and taking her hand when we saw
headlights some distance away and I realized that Tyler and Maddie had arrived.
I tried not to look too disappointed as we waited for them to join us.

“Hi, guys,” Lizzie said
brightly when they appeared. She got to her feet unnecessarily and went to sit
beside Maddie.

“This was a great idea,”
Maddie said as she passed around some cold beer.

  
“Dylan has always been full of ideas,” Tyler said as he sat down.
I wondered if the girls could notice the bitterness in his voice.

  
“So,” I said, pointedly ignoring Tyler. “Have you guys been in
touch with the old gang?” While we were in school, it had been Maddie, Lizzie,
Tony, and I. The four of us made up intimate circle, but we had also been a
part of a bigger group. “Does Miles still live in town?”

  
“Miles ended up marrying Bridget,” Maddie replied. “They got
married right after college and they moved soon after. Bridget sends me a
Christmas card every year. They have a son now.”

“He’s almost two,” Lizzie
filled in and I detected a soft note in her voice that I couldn’t place. She sounded
happy for them, but there was another emotion there.

  
“We lost contact with Brett and Davis after graduation,” Maddie
went on. “Lara is a lawyer and she lives in the city but we see her now and
again when she comes home to visit her parents.”

“And Tony?” I asked
without any real interest.

“Not sure really,” Maddie
replied. “After we broke up we lost contact.”

I nodded. “We had some
good times, didn’t we?”

  
“We had great times,” Maddie nodded, but I was waiting for Lizzie
to speak. She was so quiet that it was driving me crazy. I hated not knowing
what she was thinking.

  
“Let’s get a fire started,” Tyler suggested as he bent down and
pushed some fallen twigs together in the center of our little circle. I bent
down to help him and within minutes we had a roaring fire sitting between us.

  
The bright flames illuminated Lizzie and it seemed only to enhance
her beauty. The others started talking about the town, about people they knew,
about the good old days, but I could barely participate. I kept staring at
Lizzie, as my desire to be alone with her just kept magnifying.

  
When Tyler and Maddie became engrossed in a conversation, I seized
my opportunity, unable to contain myself any longer, and I went up to Lizzie. “Let’s
take a walk by the creek,” I said holding my hand out to her.

  
I noticed the three of them exchange glances but I didn’t care.
Lizzie was looking at me with those wide eyes of hers and I wondered what I
would do if she invited Tyler and Maddie to come along with us. It was a long
moment of hesitation, but at the end of it she took my hand and I helped her
up.

  
We left Maddie and Tyler sitting by the campfire and we started
walking along the creek. I tried to keep a grip on her hand but she slipped her
fingers out of mine and we walked in silence until we were a fair distance away
from the fire. I turned around and realized that we couldn’t see or hear Tyler
and Maddie anymore.

“You’ve been quiet.” I
observed lightly.

“Have I?” she asked.
“Sorry. I’m just a little preoccupied.”

I wanted to ask what she was preoccupied with but I
knew she wouldn’t answer. “Is it strange for you,” I asked cautiously. “Seeing
me again after all this time?”

“Is it strange for you?”
she asked in response.

“A little,” I nodded.
“But it also feels … familiar, comfortable … I don’t know how to describe it.”

“You don’t have to,”
Lizzie replied. “I guess I feel the same way too.”