Two weeks later

Maggie sat on a stool in McP’s Irish Pub in Coronado, California, smiling as she watched her hunky former Navy SEAL walk across the floor toward her, a grin spreading across his face. When he reached her, he gathered her into his arms and planted a kiss full on her lips, a kiss she gave back as good as she got.

A full minute and a half later, and to the wolf calls of the men around him, Chase lifted his head.

Maggie’s cheeks heated, and she chuckled, pulling away just enough to look up into his eyes. “What took you so long?”

“I had to drive around the parking lot several times before I could find a parking space.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Did you miss me?”

She nodded. “Why were you grinning so much?”

“It’s my natural reaction to seeing my wife,” Chase said, the grin broadening. “I can’t help but think how lucky I am that you chose me.”

“I thought you chose me, and I just went along with it because I had nothing better to do in Cabo San Lucas,” she teased him.

“You mean you haven’t since falling for me because of my skills in a kayak?”

“Uh, no,” she said. “You flipped it and took me down with you. You nearly drowned me.”

“Hmm. That’s not how I remembered it. I thought I saved you from drowning after you capsized while trying to kiss me.” He nibbled a line along the length of her neck, slowing to test the pulse beating at the base. “Either way, we lived, and we’re here now,” he murmured against her skin.

“Why did you bring me here? I thought you were going to take me to Montana where you’ll be working now.”

“I had a couple of things to take care of first. You know, pack my apartment and forward my mail. And I promised your father I’d let him have time with you before I took you away to the wilds of the north. I wanted you to meet my family. The brothers who’ve meant the most to me for the past few years.” He turned her toward the group of men gathered around a large table.

Maggie held back. “You didn’t tell me we were meeting a big group of people.”

“I didn’t want this motley crew to scare you away before you got to know them.” Chase gave a sharp whistle to get their attention. “Hey, you bunch of dirtbags, I want you to meet Maggie.”

“Maggie!” As one, all of the men lifted their drinks and shouted her name.

“Because you’re all family to me, I wanted you to be here to get to know someone else I care a great deal about. This is Mrs. Maggie Flannigan, my wife.”

“What? You’re kidding!” one yelled.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” said another.

Yet a third man slapped his leg and laughed. “The most confirmed bachelor took the plunge. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.”

“Let me introduce you to them by their favorite drinks.” He pointed to the first man to his right, a dark-haired man with soulful brown eyes. “This is Dirty Martini, or Dirtman for short. He doesn't talk much, well, except to cuss. You'll get used to him.”

Dirty Martini shot Chase his middle finger and gave Maggie a chin lift of recognition.

Chase pointed to a man with a high-and-tight haircut, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and a navy-blue blazer. “That’s Bourbon Neat. He likes the expensive stuff.”

Maggie smiled at the man and shook his hand. He dressed like a man on his way to a business meeting, except relaxed like being so cool was as natural as breathing.

Pointing to a man sipping from a wine goblet, Chase said, “This is Red Wine. He likes to think he’s sophisticated.”

The man in question tossed a pretzel at Chase. “Nah, I just never developed a taste for beer. Why suffer drinking piss water, when I can have a smooth, red wine?” He lifted his glass to Maggie. “Welcome to the family, sister.”

“Cold Beer likes his beer cold and his women hot,” Chase tipped his head toward a man holding a frosty beer mug. “He can flip a beer cap into any can. He’s won money from that particular skill.”

“Damn right.” The man with the neatly trimmed beard lifted his mug in salute. “Still can’t believe Salty Dog got hitched. You must be some special kind of woman. Congrats.”

“She is the best kind of woman,” Chase said and pointed to a man with a glass containing a dark liquid. “Single Malt’s not as pretentious as his choice of liquor would lead you to believe. He just doesn’t drink if single malt isn’t available. He’s acquired a taste for the good shit.”

Single Malt nodded. “I don’t settle for less than what I want.”

“Stick with your standards, man,” Chase said and turned to a man with a mixed drink. “Rusty Nail likes the hard stuff because he’s a hard case.”

Rusty Nail lifted his glass. “Don’t listen to him. I like my liquor hard, and my women soft. I’m a teddy bear at heart.”

“Last but not least is our permanent designated driver, Black Coffee.” Chase indicated a man with dark hair, sipping on a mug of steaming java. “We’re fortunate to have him stone sober, for the most part. Although, on occasion, he likes to mix a little Irish cream in his mug.”

Black Coffee nodded his head. “Glad to oblige. Nice to meet you, Maggie.”

Chase continued. “And you know Sex on the Beach, who earned his moniker by being the biggest womanizer of the lot.”

Carson, wearing a shirt with palm trees and hula girls, grinned. “That’s right. Two of my favorite things. Sex and beaches.”

Maggie laughed. “Thank goodness, some people can be reformed.”

“Some of these guys need it,” Chase said.

The men threw cardboard coasters at him.

“Some of us don’t want to be reformed,” said the one Chase had called Dirty Martini.

“By the way, what did you do with Delgado?” she asked Carson.

Carson grinned. “That’s classified.”

Maggie snorted. “Classified, my ass.” But she shook her head. “One of these days you’ll have to tell us.”

“One of these days, I might,” Carson said.

Maggie grinned and looked up to Chase. “Your team has some interesting names. And that’s where you got the nickname Salty Dog?” she asked. “You like grapefruit juice and vodka?”

He nodded. “Yes, it is. Now that my rowdy family is here, and because my girl has a propensity for forgetting some of the most important moments of her life, I wanted you all to bear witness to what I’m about to do.”

Maggie frowned. “What’s this all about?” Her heart fluttered in her chest, and butterflies erupted in her belly.

Chase puffed out his chest and dug a hand into the pocket of his jeans. As he pulled out a small box and sank to one knee.

His friends whistled, hooted and called out.

“Go, Salty Dog!” Rusty Nail called out.

“Do it right, old man!” Carson yelled.

Dirty Martini snorted. “Another one bites the dust.”

Chase shot them a glaring look. “Shut up and listen. I need witnesses.”

Every one of the men pulled out their cell phones and hit their video recording buttons.

Maggie’s knees weakened as she stared down at Chase looking up at her.

“Just so you know,” he said. “I’ve cleared this with your father.”

Her breath caught. “My father? You two are talking?”

Chase nodded. “Yes, we are. He doesn’t hate me anymore.”

She chuckled. “You’re a miracle worker. My father hates everyone.”

“Not his son-in-law. Not anymore. We’ve bonded.” Chase took a deep breath and launched. “Maggie Neal Flannigan, you’ve shown me that marriage isn’t as scary as I always thought. You’ve shown me how strong a woman can be, and how much joy she can bring to a relationship. I wanted to show you how much that has meant to me by giving you a token of my love.” He opened the box and extracted a beautiful ring with a large diamond solitaire at the center, the band lined with smaller diamonds. “I know we skipped the whole engagement thing. So, we don’t have to do that. And we got married before we got to know each other, and I have the certificate to prove it. So, Maggie will you not annul our marriage, will you stay married to me for richer or poorer, until death do us part?” He took her left hand in his and held it with the ring poised to join the wedding band on her ring finger. He paused, waiting for her response.

The lump forming in Maggie’s throat almost made it impossible for her to answer. She swallowed several times, delaying the inevitable conclusion.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Chase said. “Don’t hesitate. You’re getting me worried.”

She laughed, the joy of the moment bringing tears to her eyes. Finally, she forced words past her vocal cords. “Yes, yes, yes,” she said and pulled him to his feet and into her arms. “I wasn’t sure who you were at first, but you’ve shown me a man I can trust to save me when the cartel is after me. A man who likes to dance and isn’t afraid to do it in front of every barhopping drunk in Cabo San Lucas. And you’ve shown me that falling in love doesn’t have to take months to get there. When you find the right person, you just know. Even through a haze of alcohol. I love you, Chase Flannigan, my best friend, my hero and my husband. I’ll stay married to you for as long as we both shall live.”

Maggie flung her arms around her husband’s neck and kissed him with all the love and passion she felt for the stranger she’d woken up married to in a foreign country.

The men congratulated Chase amid hugs and good-natured ribbing. All of them lined up to kiss Maggie’s cheek before they resumed their seats and lifted their drinks for a toast.

“To the newlyweds!” Carson said. “May they live long and procreate. We need the next generation of Navy SEALs to carry on the tradition.”

A cheer went up from the table of Navy SEALs, and the party of Maggie’s life began in earnest.