SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) (36 page)

  
We pulled up outside my apartment building and Maddie and I went
in. My apartment was almost unrecognizable. Boxes were everywhere, most were
packed up and sealed, but there were a few half-empty ones that needed to be
finished before Dylan showed up.

“Where’s Elvis?” Maddie
asked.

“Probably hiding in my
room,” I said. “He hates the boxes.”

“When’s Dylan getting
here?” Maddie asked as we got to work.

  
“He should be here in an hour or so,” I replied. “He’s going to
drop in at his mom’s and then pick up the U-Haul and drive it over here.”

“How did you enjoy your
farewell dinner last night?” Maddie asked.

  
I smiled at the memory. It had been an intimate dinner with
Dylan’s family, Maddie, and my mom. “You guys went overboard; I’m still full.”

Maddie laughed. “I tried
to get Mrs. Thomas to tone it down, but she was too excited.”

“Louisa,” I reminded
Maddie. “She doesn’t want us to call her Mrs. Thomas anymore.”

“Right, Louisa,” Maddie
corrected herself. “So weird …”

“What is?” I asked.

  
“I don’t know, just how everything worked out. You and Dylan are
finally together after all these years and you’re going to have a baby.”

  
“And you Tyler,” I pointed out. “Hey, we might end up related; if
you marry Tyler, we’ll be sisters-in-law and our children will be cousins.”

 
 
Maddie
laughed. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“I know,” I nodded. “It’s
just fun to day dream.”

  
Maddie finished packing the last box and she handed me a piled of
papers that sat atop it. “What are these?” she asked as she handed them over.

“My music,” I said. “I’ve
been working on some new arrangements. I’ll pack them in my carryon bag.”

  
I took a felt pen and went around the apartment marking each box.
“Wow,” she said. “You’re really giving all these boxes to goodwill?”

“Yeah, I don’t need
everything,” I replied. “And we want to travel as light as possible.”

“What exactly are you
taking?”

“Just a few pieces of
furniture, clothes, my keyboard, and Dylan’s bike,” I replied.

“I’m impressed,” Maddie
said with raised eyebrows. “You two really planned this well.”

“It’s been a busy month,”
I nodded.

  
At that moment, there was a loud honk and I knew Dylan was here. I
peered out the window and waved at him. “Great,” I said. “He’s brought Tyler
along; that’ll make moving this stuff out there easier.”

The boys came up a moment later and Dylan came
straight for me. He gave me a kiss and placed his hand on my belly; it had
become an instinctive reflex with him. “How are you feeling?”

“Great,” I said honestly.

  
He gave me another kiss and then Tyler and he started moving the
heavier boxes out of the apartment. Within a half hour, the space had opened
up. I went to my room and got Elvis out from underneath my bed. I put him in
his little kitty carrier and Maddie and I did one last check to make sure we
hadn’t left anything important behind.

“You’re sure you don’t
mind getting the boxes to goodwill?”

“Not at all,” Maddie said
as we stepped out of the apartment.

We joined the boys downstairs and hauled the last of
the boxes onto the U-Haul. “Where does the cat go?” Tyler asked teasingly.

“I think I’ll keep him in
the front with Dylan and I,” I said. “Otherwise he’ll get pissy.”

  
I was staring up at my apartment window, amazed at how life could
so easily turn on a dime when Dylan came up behind me and wrapped his arms
around me. I loved when he did that; it made me feel safe and protected. He
kissed my cheek and then my neck. I turned in his arms so I was facing him and
we kissed deeply.

“Geez guys,” Tyler’s
voice cut through our little moment. “Get a room.”

  
We broke apart laughing and I realized that Maddie and Tyler were
shaking their heads at us. Maddie looked amused and Tyler just looked
uncomfortable. I walked towards Maddie and gave her a big bear hug. “I’m going
to miss you like crazy!” I said.

  
“I’m going to miss you too,” she nodded. “Especially our Saturday
morning breakfasts; it really is the end of an era.”

“Don’t say that,” I said.
“It’s not the end… it’s just the beginning of a new era.”

“All right,” Maddie
conceded as she winked at me.

  
It was strange to think I wouldn’t be seeing Maddie every day
anymore. She had been a constant presence in my life, more so than my own
parents. It was a bittersweet goodbye but I wasn’t heartsick because I knew we
were both in good places. We had our own lives and that needed to be the main
focus. I contented myself with the knowledge that our friendship would always
be there.

  
I hugged Tyler and Maddie one more time and then Dylan helped me
into the U-Haul. I waved vigorously as Dylan started driving away. I waved
until we turned the corner and lost sight of Maddie and Tyler.

“Are you ok?” Dylan asked
as he reached out and took my hand.

  
“I’m fine,” I nodded. “I’m better than fine actually. I’m with
you.”

Chapter
Thirty-Eight

Dylan

  
We had been driving for only about an hour and a half when I took
an exit and turned left on the highway.

“Where are you going?”
Lizzie asked frowning as she looked around in confusion.

“You don’t recognize
where we are?” I asked.

  
She seemed to concentrate a little harder and then I saw
realization dawn. “The graffiti wall!” I exclaimed. “When did we last come
here?”

“My parents took a bunch
of us out here in our seventh year,” I said.

“That’s right,” Lizzie
nodded. “Oh my God … that was over fifteen years ago.”

“Do you remember what we
did?”

“There was a lake out
here wasn’t there?” Lizzie asked. “Close to the graffiti wall?”

  
“A few miles west,” I replied as I turned into the parking lot and
turned off the engine. “Are you up for a short walk?”

  
“Sure,” Lizzie nodded as she smiled brightly. She changed out
Elvis’s water, gave him a consolation scratch and then I helped her out of the
U-Haul.

  
Her body had blossomed in the last month. She finally looked
pregnant, but if you didn’t look directly at her stomach you wouldn’t know it.
She was lean and trim and the only slight difference I could see was a slight
fullness about her face. Still, it looked natural on her; it made her seem
younger somehow.

“Gosh the graffiti wall,”
Lizzie said as we walked towards it. “I can’t believe it’s been so long.”

“Do you remember it?”

“Of course I remember
it,” she said and her eyes went warm with the memory. “How could I ever
forget?”

  
“I was so excited the night before,” I told her. “I didn’t sleep
because I knew we were taking the trip and you were coming.”

“You sat next to me in
the van,” Lizzie said fondly. “And you shared your chips with me.”

“That was a big deal,” I
teased. “I never share chips with anyone.”

  
Lizzie laughed and slipped her hand into mine. We turned the
corner and saw it squeezed in between large rock formations. It was so much
smaller than my memory of it but that was to be expected. It was a colorful
wall, filled with amazing graffiti that comprised of random names, poetry, and
amazingly detailed images.

  
“We wrote our names on the wall,” Lizzie said in excitement as she
ran straight to the wall. “I think it was the bottom right hand corner.”

“Here,” I said spotting
Lizzie’s name first. “Here we are.”

  
My name was just next to Lizzie’s and right above Maddie’s. It was
like a picture postcard of our childhood and a promise of the future to come. I
stared at the sight of it. It was like my life had been categorized into parts.
There were the Lizzie years; the Navy years and now the enlightenment era which
found me back in Lizzie’s arms.
        

Lizzie was staring at the
wall in delight. “This is amazing,” she said. “I never thought I’d be here
again.”

“Do you remember what
happened after we wrote our names here?” I asked.

  
She looked at me for a moment and then it hit her. “You took my
hand and pulled me around to the other side,” she said. As she said the words,
she grabbed my hand and pulled me around to the other side where the rock
formations for more and more elaborate. “And when we were alone … you kissed
me.”

“Our first kiss,” I
smiled. “I didn’t know if I would have the courage to go through with it …”

“What made you do it?”
Lizzie asked.

  
“I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” I admitted. “And I
knew that if I didn’t do it, I would always regret it.”

“You knew that at
thirteen?” Lizzie asked in amusement.

“I did,” I nodded. “Do
you remember what happened after I kissed you?”

  
Lizzie’s smile got wider. “We carved our names into the stone,”
she said turning around searchingly. “Just yours and mine.” She was so
engrossed in the search that she didn’t notice what I was doing at all. “I
found it,” she said excitedly. “Dylan … I found our names.”

  
When I didn’t respond she turned back to look at me and then she
froze in place. She turned her whole body to face me as I lay on one knee
waiting for her patiently.

“What are you doing?” she
asked with a small smile.

  
I reached into my trouser pocket and took out the little, Tiffany
box. “I have a gift and a question for you,” I said.

  
Lizzie broke out into a smiling laugh that lit up her entire face.
She came towards me and cupped my face in her hands. “I thought we were going
to wait,” she said and I knew she was close to happy tears. “There’s so much
going on already.”

  
“To hell with waiting,” I said passionately. “I’m tired of waiting;
life is not made for people who wait. I love you. You are the only woman I have
ever loved and you’re the only woman I will ever love. Marry me.”

  
Her eyes were bright and blue and shining with tears that held my
reflection. She could have said a million different things in that moment. She
could have told me she loved me, kissed me, and asked me to promise her a
million different things, but she didn’t. She stared into my eyes and said the
one simple phrase that was more important than any other words she could have
said in that moment.

  
“Yes, Dylan,” she said. “I will marry you.”

Epilogue

Eight Months Later

Elizabeth

  
I couldn’t help but take a peek out the window. The lake looked
pristine and just underneath the shade of the oaks I could see the simple white
arch that had been placed a few feet from the banks of the lake. I could see
the pattern of ivy and lilacs that had been woven through it. The flowers
looked like they were dancing every time the wind brushed past.

  
I turned from the window and moved towards the full-length mirror
that had been set up just for me. I stared at my reflection, slightly in awe of
my own appearance. The dress I had chosen was a simple, silk sheath that
billowed slightly at the train. The tiny cap sleeves comprised of intricate
lace detail and a few seed pearls woven throughout. The back of the dress
featured a deep neckline with lace overlay.

  
My hair had been brushed to a glossy sheen and it was draped
around my shoulders without any adornments. My makeup was pared back, too, with
coal accents on my eyes, blush, and nude lipstick to finish off the look. I had
opted out of wearing a veil; I wanted everything to be as simple as possible. For
the first time that day, I felt like a bride.

  
At that moment, the door opened and Louisa walked in. She was
wearing a silver dress with a matching dress coat and I could tell that she was
happy. I was still getting used to calling her by her first name. Somehow it
didn’t feel comfortable yet.