The next morning, I had to leave early for work. I was surprised that when I woke up, Aria was already up. Her eyes were heavy, and her skin seemed puffy as if she had been up all night.

“Morning. I made you breakfast.”

I stared at the plate she handed me. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do this. But I appreciate it.”

I sat at the table and ate as she stared at me, nursing a mug of coffee.

“I’ll go to dinner with your client. I’m sorry I got upset last night. I was just caught off guard.”

Her words made me happy, but her tone seemed hollow.

“Are you sure, babe? You don’t have to.”

“No, I want to. I leave next Sunday. We only have one week left together. I want to get in really good shape to train. Would you mind working out with me?”

That’s my girl. “Not at all. I’d love to. Tell you what, I’ll come by here when I get off, and we can go for a run and an ocean swim.”

She blinked at me. “Sounds like a plan. Have a great day. I was up all night, so I’m going to get some rest.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and went into the bedroom and shut the door.

I looked at Flounder, who seemed to be as confused as I was.

“Women, buddy. I don’t get them either.”

I finished my breakfast and let myself out. As I ran to work, my stomach was in knots. I couldn’t for the life of me figure Aria out. But from what I learned this weekend she had had a tough childhood. Maybe she just needed some patience and understanding. On the outside, she was this confident champion. But on the inside, she seemed conflicted. Vulnerable even. Sometimes I would see this wounded look in her pretty green eyes, and all I wanted to do was pull her close and kiss away her worries.

But she was making it so fucking hard because she kept those damn walls up.

Once I arrived on base, the first thing I did was go to our computer to look up her dad. I didn’t think Aria was lying, but many men claim to be SEALs.

I typed in Matthew Presley.

A man with bright red hair and Aria’s eyes popped up on my screen. Class #201. Wow, dammit. There was a brief bio listed. Everything she’d told me added up. Her dad had been part of SEAL Team 3 and had been killed in a helicopter crash.

There was no mention in the obituary of a daughter. Just like she had said—he hadn’t even known she’d existed.

I missed my father so much it ached, but at least we had a great relationship while he was alive. I couldn’t even imagine growing up without a father.

Guilt rushed through me. I had to be less hard on Aria, give her even more time. My parents had demonstrated for me the best example of a loving relationship. I needed to be patient with Aria.

I worked long hours for the rest of the week and spent my free time with Aria. Every day we worked out together, made dinner, made love, and went to bed. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I still felt like things were different between us than they had been before last week. But we only had this last week together, and I didn’t want to put a damper on it, so I didn’t bring it up.

Friday rolled around. I went to my place after work, took a shower, and dressed in my finest suit. I was used to my uniform, not evening wear. I shined my shoes, hopped in my sports car, and went to Aria’s place.

She greeted me at the door wearing a sexy white dress and heels. I’d never seen her in heels and took a moment to admire her long, sexy legs.

“You look beautiful.”

“Well, you look handsome, too.”

Grabbing her hand, I escorted her to my car, and we hit the road. I drove over the bridge and headed north up the freeway. Once we exited the freeway, we drove through the guard gate of the resort. The Grand Del Mar couldn’t be more different than Coronado’s Del. While the Del was situated on one of the best beaches in the world, the Grand Del Mar was hidden in suburbia. Even so, the Grand Del Mar seemed more intimate, more romantic. It was no wonder that many celebrities and sports stars wed here.

I gave my car to the valet, took Aria’s arm, and led her into Addison. The lobby was dim and rustic. High ceilings and arched windows led into a library and an ornate marble bar.

Aria whispered into my ear. “Wow, this place is so fancy. Reminds me of being in Europe.”

“I’ve been around the world, but never to Europe.” I flashed a grin her way. “I’d love to take you there someday, sweetheart.”

“I’d . . . like that.”

The hostess took my name and led us to the dining room. Mr. Johnson, a distinguished looking man with gray hair, a white beard, and sea blue eyes stood up to greet us. He introduced us to his wife, his business partner, Mr. Bradshaw, and his partner’s wife. Then his eyes fell on Aria.

“Mr. Johnson, I’d like you to meet Aria Clements.”

His kind eyes brightened when he saw her. “The Aria Clements? The Olympic Gold Medalist? What an honor to meet you.”

He kissed her hand. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for inviting me. What a beautiful restaurant.”

Mr. Johnson winked at me, and I smiled back. He was definitely impressed with my date.

We sat in a massive booth, and the waiter explained the menu.

The sommelier came by to go over the wine list, but we all decided to order the tasting menu with wine pairings.

I had prepared a long business spiel, but Mr. Johnson focused his attention on Aria.

“So, Aria. Do you live in San Diego?”

She took a sip of her champagne. “No, I still live up in Marin. I’m the celebrity Mermaid fitness instructor at the Del. This is, unfortunately, my last weekend here.”

Mr. Johnson shot a glance at me. “Now Erik, you aren’t going to let the mermaid swim away, are you?”

I placed my arm around her. “No, sir. I’m doing everything I can to make her stay.”

Aria gave a forced smile, and I could feel her shift in her seat.

Mr. Johnson continued his line of questioning, clearly enamored with Aria. “Do you plan to compete in the next Olympics?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. So many wonderful opportunities have been presented to me. The only thing I’m sure of is that I’m up for a new challenge.”

I eyed her hard. What did she mean by that?

Our first course arrived—four Kumamoto oysters with uni, caviar, a champagne foam with a hint of lemon. They tasted like pure ocean bliss.

Over the next six courses, we only briefly discussed business. But once the wine started flowing, the topics of conversation mostly fell to my thoughts on ISIS, North Korea, and the boastful SEAL who bragged about killing Bin Laden.

One whiskey cocktail, one glass of champagne, and six glasses of wine later, and I was definitely buzzed.

Mr. Bradshaw swirled his wine glass. “So Erik, what do you think of the rumors that the Navy SEALs are going to allow the first woman to try BUD/S?”

I almost choked on the glass of water I was sipping. Great. This was the last conversation I wanted to have in front of Aria. “Well, we haven’t heard of anything in the pipeline yet.” I looked over at Aria, her face turning red. “But, I’ll be honest with you. No woman will make it through. And even if one could pass, she would ruin the cohesiveness of the Teams.”

Aria stood up. “Pardon me; I need to go to the ladies’ room.” She hurried toward the back of the restaurant, and my stomach dropped. I had pissed her off again. I just hoped she would forgive me and come back. But this was a business dinner. They were interested in hiring me because I was decisive and had convictions. I always said what I thought, even if it wasn’t politically correct.

Mr. Johnson leaned over to me. “Son, you really impressed me tonight. For such a young man, you are very well spoken and intelligent. Mr. Bradshaw and I are also, wise but we find that our younger employees need someone that is more relatable. We would love to hire you to conduct a week-long training program for our employees.”

Yes! I wanted to scream with elation as the warmth and pride radiated through my body. “Thank you, sir. I have some leave coming up next month. I’d be honored. This means a lot to me. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. One more thing,” he leaned in close, “don’t let a woman like that get away. If you are as smart as I think you are, you’ll marry her.”