29
TWO WEEKS LATER…
It was the fastest-planned wedding in the history of weddings. Ryan had suggested they get married right away and then have a big wedding after the baby was born, like Matt and Evie planned on doing, but Emily said she didn’t care about that. All she cared about was having her friends and family together on their special day.
And so they were married at Jack and Gina’s sprawling Eastern Shore estate, with a string quartet and catering by a local firm that did weddings and parties. Ryan was suspicious of the whole thing since the costs weren’t all that much, but he wasn’t about to demand that Gina Domenico, international superstar, tell him if she’d footed the lion’s share of the bill as he suspected.
The gardens had been turned into a fairy-tale setting with a big white tent, tables draped in white cloths and set with silver, crystal, and china. There was an arbor with white roses tucked away over the entire length of it, and the preacher stood serenely with his Bible. Ryan wore his Army dress uniform and stood beside the preacher, nervous and wondering if Emily might change her mind before she walked—or hobbled, more likely—down the aisle.
His father was his best man. Dave Gordon hadn’t expressed surprise so much as a quiet satisfaction when Ryan called him and announced he was getting married. Ryan had been a little worried about what his father would think, but he’d been nothing but happy. And he’d gotten on a plane and come from his home in Colorado on short notice so he could be there.
Victoria was Emily’s maid of honor and she stood across the aisle, looking serene even though Ryan knew she was anything but. Boy did he know.
The audience was filled with members of Alpha and Echo squads, as well as some of the HOT support staff. Gina Domenico Hunter sat with her husband and young son and looked entirely too pleased with herself as she rocked her newborn in her arms.
Yeah, she’d orchestrated this whole thing… and Ryan wanted to give her a big hug for it. He didn’t much care about a fancy wedding, but didn’t all little girls dream of one? Emily had said she didn’t care, but what if she did? Gina had fixed it so they’d never find out if Emily would regret not having the fairy-tale day.
The string quartet struck up the wedding march and everyone stood. Emily appeared at the end of the aisle on Colonel Mendez’s arm. Ryan had been surprised when Emily said she wanted the colonel to give her away. But Emily, with her usual way of cutting through things, said that Mendez was responsible for all the good that had happened in her and Victoria’s lives recently. He’d given Victoria a job, and he’d done his best to give Emily a normal life after she’d returned from Qu’rim the first time. Not only that, but he was also the HOT commander—and without HOT, neither Emily nor Victoria would have their happily-ever-afters.
The colonel was sharp in his dress uniform with the eagles on his shoulders, but Emily outshone them all.
She wore a simple white dress that floated around her like she was a princess. It was strapless satin with a wide belt at the waist, and it flowed in one long silken wave to the ground. When she moved, it rippled around her. The only embellishment the dress needed was Emily.
Her golden hair was piled elaborately on her head, and a long veil was clipped somewhere in those curls and floated behind her. She had on a pearl necklace and earrings, and she carried a white bouquet.
Her smile was huge as she hobbled slowly down the aisle on the colonel’s arm, and Ryan thought he might drop to his knees they went so weak. Somehow he managed to stay standing.
His father gently elbowed him. “You gonna make it, son?” he whispered.
“Yes, sir. Definitely. You still got the ring?”
“Yes.”
The colonel stopped and the preacher asked who was giving this woman in matrimony.
“I am,” Colonel Mendez said, and then he stepped up and put Emily’s hand into Ryan’s.
When their fingers touched, a shiver of anticipation went through him. Her brown eyes didn’t leave his as he tucked her arm into the crook of his own.
The preacher began the ceremony, but all Ryan could think about was that this woman belonged to him. This remarkable, amazing woman who’d suffered through so much but who still had a resounding and optimistic spirit.
When it was time for the vows, Ryan knew what he planned to say. He and Emily faced each other, holding hands, and he looked into her eyes, seeing only love and acceptance there. He cleared his throat, knowing he was about to say words that might not be the most eloquent, but were the most heartfelt.
“Emily, you’ve taught me something about myself these past few months since I’ve known you. You’re the bravest, best person I know, and you’ve taught me that no one has to let their wounds define them. You’ve taught me that happiness isn’t predefined. Happiness is what you make it, what you let it make you. Happiness is as simple as a woman’s smile—your smile—and as complex as our baby growing inside you. I’m honored and bewildered that you’ve chosen me, but I vow to you that I will love you with everything I am and everything I ever will be. I will stand beside you, and I will stand between you and the world when you need me to. I will guard your heart, your feelings, and I will never let anyone harm you. I will be your rock in a storm and your anchor when you need it. You are everything to me, and I intend to make sure you know it for the rest of our lives.”
There were tears in her eyes as she squeezed his hands. Then she dropped her gaze and cleared her throat. When she looked up again, her eyes were still shining, but she seemed to have it under control.
“Ryan, when you look at me, you don’t see someone whose mistakes define her. You never have. I have always felt like you’ve seen me, the real me, and I’ve been amazed that you didn’t judge me for the things I’ve done. But that’s because you’re the kindest, most amazing man I’ve ever known. You see the good in people, and you made me believe that I was better than I thought I was. You made me see the good in me again. I can never thank you enough for that. I love you so much it scares me, and I’m still stunned you love me. I’m the luckiest woman alive and I know it. I promise to love you forever, and I promise to take care of you and honor you. I’ll be beside you no matter what, and yes, I will defend you when I have to. I know you don’t think that’ll happen since you’re way bigger than I am—”
Here people laughed, and he was glad because his heart was hammering and he was beginning to seriously doubt his ability to keep from shedding a tear as she talked.
“—But just in case it does, I want you to know I’m here. I vow to be the best partner, the best mother, and I vow to always let you be the first to know if I get any offers to join another mercenary group—”
More laughter. Hell, even he laughed.
“—Mostly I just vow to love you for who you are. You make me better, Ryan, and I need you.”
The preacher was still pronouncing them man and wife when Ryan dragged her into his arms and kissed her. It was a real kiss, not a sweet kiss for pictures or a kiss to prevent her lipstick from smearing.
No, he intended to smear her lipstick. And then he intended to carry her to his car and drive her to their hotel just as soon as he could decently do so, because he intended to mess up a lot more than her lipstick.
Vaguely, he realized people were cheering. Somehow he set Emily away from him. She laughed and pulled a tissue from somewhere, then she was wiping lipstick from his mouth. They walked down the aisle as the quartet played, through an honor guard of swords, and into the tent where the reception was being held.
Before he could say anything to her, they were set upon by well-wishers. Their friends laughed and offered congratulations. The men shook hands and the women kissed. His heart was full as he looked out over the gathering. His father was smiling and talking to the colonel, which made Ryan wonder how on earth anyone ever relaxed enough to smile at Colonel Mendez. The man exuded a raw energy that had you wondering what he was up to at all times.
Victoria appeared in front of him then, and he almost took a step back. He’d barely talked to her since they’d returned from the desert, but he knew she hadn’t been pleased with him. Even marrying Emily hadn’t been enough for her. She’d spent the past week at HOT HQ glaring at him—and when he’d walked onto the pistol range and she’d been standing there, grinning at him as she picked up her gun and shot the fucking target dead center without looking at it, he’d begun to seriously wonder if he’d survive the next mission they went on together.
But now she stood in front of him with tears in her eyes. Then she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, and he almost wondered if he should be wary of a knife.
She stepped back and swiped beneath her eyes, and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief.
“I wasn’t sure about any of this, I’ll admit it,” she said. “But those vows—my God, you love her. You really do.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Her smile was wide and pretty. “Then that’s enough for me. Congratulations, Flash. And thanks for everything.”
“No, thank you. You’ve always believed in her and never stopped looking for her. I didn’t know her then, but I’m glad you didn’t give up. If you had…”
He shuddered to think that he might not have ever met Emily. That she might not have gotten free before it was too late.
Victoria squeezed his hand and then left him to go over and slip into Brandy’s arms.
Soon Ryan and Emily sat and listened to speeches while everyone was served dinner. After dinner, there was dancing. They danced their first dance together as man and wife with everyone cheering and clapping. After that, the party took off.
Knight Rider and Georgie Hayes were wrapped in each other’s arms on the dance floor. Matt and Evie sat with heads together and private smiles on their faces. Evie fed a piece of cake to Matt with her fingers, and the look he gave her was so intense that Ryan quickly looked away.
Ice and Grace were holding hands and laughing at something Billy the Kid was saying while his wife Olivia shook her head and pretended to be exasperated with him. Hawk was holding the baby while Gina chased after little Eli and the frog he’d picked up from the grass.
Everyone else was dancing, talking, laughing, eating, and having a good time. Ryan sat up a little straighter as he realized what that meant.
“They’re not paying attention to us anymore. Think we’ve been here long enough?” he asked in an aside to Emily.
“God, I hope so.”
He took her hand and stood. No one seemed to care as they snuck out of the tent.
A shape loomed ahead of them. Ryan had started to shove Emily behind him when that shape passed under a light and became Colonel Mendez. Ryan didn’t want to think about the verbal lashing he’d endured from the colonel once his involvement with Emily became known, but it was kind of hard not to remember the exact moment a full-bird called you on the carpet and threatened to remove your balls through your throat.
Thankfully, he’d survived the encounter. And the colonel had agreed to give Emily away as soon as she asked him, which had to be a good sign. Still, Ryan was slightly bitter that he’d had his ass reamed while Emily got the sweet teddy bear colonel. Why couldn’t he have gotten the sweet teddy bear colonel?
Uh, on second thought…
“Sir,” Ryan said, snapping a salute since they were in uniform and outdoors.
The colonel returned the salute. “Sergeant. Emily.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope that he held out to Emily. “Ian Black wanted you to have this.”
She took it and looked up at Ryan. “Open it,” he told her because he wanted to get whatever it was out of the way. He didn’t think Black was going to ruin their wedding or anything, but he wanted to know what it was so they could get on with the rest of their lives.
She stuck her thumbnail under the flap and lifted. Then she pulled out a piece of cream paper and unfolded it. Her hand slapped over her mouth.
“He did it,” she said after a long moment. “He kept his promise. Emily bin Yusuf never existed. There’s Emily Royal and Emily Gordon. No one else—and no more restrictions.”
“That’s right,” Mendez said. “I don’t know how he managed it, but Ian has… methods… that aren’t necessarily available to the rest of us.”
That was a polite way of saying Ian Black was a rogue and a son of a bitch who operated outside the strictures of the law. But damn, he’d just delivered on his promise to Emily, and that was enough to make Ryan feel a few warm fuzzies toward him. Temporarily, anyway.
Emily’s eyes were wide as she turned to him. “Ryan, we can go to the Caribbean if we want. Or Europe. We can go anywhere!” She whirled to the colonel. “He won’t have to leave HOT now, right? It’s okay if he stays?”
Colonel Mendez smiled for at least the second time that day. Ian Black keeping a promise and now this? What was the world coming to?
“Emily, he wasn’t ever leaving. I wouldn’t let that happen… And speaking of HOT, think you might want to help us out a bit?”
“I… doing what?”
“You know things about the Freedom Force, and you’ve seen Raja. Already the sketches from your description are helping us narrow down who she might be. You can keep helping us—with intel, with advice on language and tactics. Use your expertise.”
Ryan could tell that she was stunned by this offer. Hell, so was he. But it wasn’t fieldwork. He reminded himself of that. Mendez wasn’t sending a pregnant woman into the field no matter what.
“I’d like that,” she said. And then she squeezed Ryan’s hand. “But only if my husband doesn’t have a problem with my doing it.”
Her answer shocked him. And humbled him. He’d given her such a hard time in Acamar. He’d been scared senseless for her, and he was happier than hell she was out of there—but she’d accomplished things no one else could have done. How could he tell her she couldn’t help when she’d been so worried about his career with HOT and how it would affect him to give it up?
“Emily, I want you to do whatever makes you happy. If you want to work for HOT, I think you’d be a great asset.”
Her smile was like sunshine to him. “Thank you for saying that.” She turned to Mendez. “I’d be happy to consult, Colonel. I want to help my country in any way I can.”
“Excellent. We’ll see you at HQ soon then.”
“Yes, soon.”
The colonel left them, and they hurried to the front of the house and found Ryan’s car, giggling like children sneaking around. Soon they were at the hotel, and Ryan came around to get her out of the car. He carried her to the front desk and then up the stairs and over the threshold.
When he had her naked, when he’d worshiped every inch of her body with his hands and mouth and made her come half a dozen times, he positioned himself over top of her and thrust into her willing body with one smooth move.
And then he stilled, his heart pounding and his throat aching with emotion. This was home. Being inside Emily and feeling her lovely body wrapping around his. Knowing she was his forever. Knowing life with her would only get better and better.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when he didn’t move.
He had to swallow the knot in his throat. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong, honey. Everything’s right.”
She smiled up at him and cupped his cheeks in her palms. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.”
It had begun in the desert sands of Qu’rim the night he’d met her. It wouldn’t end until the moment he died.
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