Wed to a SEAL (Hot SEALs) (Volume 8) (14 page)

When Chris appeared at a loss for words at that information, Darci said, “They’re happy tears.”

“Oh, well that’s good to hear.” He reached out and reeled Darci in for a hug.
 

Darci wrinkled her nose. “You’re sweaty.”

“Yup. I went for a run so I could check out the neighborhood without raising any notice.” Chris captured her in a double-armed hug and pulled her closer as he asked, “So when’s the wedding?”

“Hopefully tomorrow,” Rocky answered.

“So soon?” Chris’s brows drew low.

“We got a text. Unscheduled team meeting at zero-seven-hundred.”

What Thom said had Chris nodding. “Ah. Gotcha.”

“So I’ll have to get a license and find someone to marry us tomorrow right after the meeting. Unless you happen to know a clerk and a judge who works Sunday nights.” Rocky laughed.

“Actually, I might be able to help with that.” Chris grinned.

Darci pulled back. “Seriously?”

“Yup. I got connections, darlin’. You impressed?”

“Yes, but I’ll be more impressed after you shower and change clothes.” Darci finally extricated herself from his sweaty hold, but softened the blow by pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Love you anyway.”

“Love you too, darlin’.” Chris turned to Rocky. “And if I can arrange for the license, I bet the base chaplain would be happy to get you two hitched tonight given the circumstances. Then you can at least have a wedding night. Right?”

Rocky laughed at Chris’s comment and accompanying wink and then, sobering, cut his gaze to Isabel. “He’s joking. We really just need the legalities out of the way so it’s official.”

“Yeah. The legalities. Mm, hm.” Chris grinned wide.

Darci delivered a backhanded slap to Chris’s midsection. “Leave them alone and stop teasing.”

“You’re no fun.” Grinning, Chris slipped his cell out of a pocket in his shorts. “I’ll go make some phone calls and see what I can do about a license.”
 

“I’ll give the base chaplain a call and see if he’d be willing to help out tonight. My ex-wife and I went to him for counseling before the divorce, so he knows me.”

“You mean he
owes
you.” Chris laughed. “Seems that counseling didn’t work out so well.”

As the guys continued to joke, Darci came to sit next to her. “So what are you going to wear for the ceremony?”

Isabel hadn’t even considered what to wear for the wedding. She was far too preoccupied thinking about the wedding night.

CHAPTER 14

“You all right?” Jon asked.

Rocky’s heart thundered as he answered, “Yup.”

Standing in front of the altar in the chapel on base waiting for his bride-to-be and the chaplain to arrive had made things start to feel really real.
 

His nerves must have shown. Jon eyed him critically. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Rocky took a closer look at Jon and the dark circles under his eyes. “Are you okay?”

Jon let out a short laugh. “If Ali doesn’t kill me in my sleep tonight, yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“I noticed that long discussion out on the deck.” Rocky had planned to not ask about it, but since Jon had brought up the subject himself . . .
 

“Yeah, that little talk was thanks to you.” Jon lifted his dark brows.

“Me? Why me?”

“You’ve known Isabel for two days and you asked her to marry you.”

“And you know why.”

“Yes, I do. And so does Ali, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. The fact is we’ve been dating for years and she’s not wearing a ring yet.”

“Didn’t you just ask her to move in? One step at a time, right? You move in together, then you get engaged, then you get married.” It seemed to Rocky moving in together should have kept Ali happy for at least a little while.

Jon sighed. “Yes, and one day yeah, that’s going to happen, but things are complicated right now.”

And at that, Rocky decided to let the conversation go. He didn’t need Jon’s complications on top of his own. Right now he had to deal with everything he needed to do to prepare not only for possible deployment, but for leaving a brand new wife behind during it.

“Shit. I need to sign power of attorney over to Izzy before I leave. And I really should sign a new will leaving everything to her before I go.”

Jon leveled a stare on Rocky. “You sure you want to do all that?”

“Yes. She needs the security more than my parents who own a frigging McMansion in New Jersey.”

“McMansion?” Jon asked.

“Yeah. You know those huge houses they build in those developments where all the homes look exactly alike? Supersized and mass produced, like a Big Mac at McDonalds.”

“Ah. Okay.” Jon laughed.

“The point is my parents don’t need to inherit what little I have if I should get killed in action. But it could mean everything to Izzy and Lola’s future.” Rocky’s brain spun with trying to figure out how to do everything in so short a time. “I don’t have a printer in my room and I won’t have time to run to Legal—”

“I’ll grab Thom and have him come with me to the GAPS office. I can print out the forms you need there and Thom can bring them to you at the meeting in the morning to sign. You should probably be able to find a notary on base. There are usually a few on staff at the bank. If you don’t have time for that, just have a few of the guys sign and witness it and it’ll be good enough.”

It was a good plan. Yes, timing would be tight but he’d do what he had to do. “Thanks, Jon. But don’t bother Thom. I can come with you to the office tonight.”

Jon drew back at that offer. “No, you won’t. I’m sure Thom won’t mind. It’ll take half an hour, max. Besides, you have a wife and a wedding night to get to.”

Rocky rolled his eyes. “It’s not going to be like that.”

“Why not?”

“I just met her forty-eight hours ago.”

“And?” Jon laughed.

Sighing, Rocky decided to not continue this conversation with Jon any further. Changing the subject, he glanced at the time on his cell phone, which hadn’t left his hand since he’d left Izzy. “Where are they?”

“When I texted Ali, she said they were in the car on their way over.”

“I should have stayed with her.”

“She’s getting dressed for your wedding. Tradition says you seeing her is all sorts of bad luck.”

“I think we’re way past tradition here.” Rocky sighed and checked the doorway again.

“Relax. Ali and Darci are with her for the girlie wedding stuff. Chris and Thom are both with her for protection, and Thom’s got his ID to make sure they’ll all get through the gate and onto the base without any delays. She’s fine. You on the other hand, look like you need a drink.”

Although that sounded like a really good idea right about now, he couldn’t do it. “I’m not getting drunk for my wedding.”

“You like her.”

When Rocky looked up at Jon’s odd comment, he found the man’s gaze intent on him.
 

“Of course, I like her. So do you. She’s a nice girl who doesn’t deserve the bullshit she’s going through.”

“I think it’s more than just that.” Jon folded his arms and waited.

The silence grated on Rocky’s nerves until he finally gave in. “Okay, yes. If she wasn’t hiding from a crazy ex and facing possible deportation, and if I wasn’t possibly shipping out to God only knows where tomorrow, yeah I’d probably ask her out. Go on a few dates. Get to know her better. What’s wrong with that?”

Jon lifted one shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“There’s just no time for that now with me possibly leaving.”

“Mm, hm. I agree. It’s not the wedding I’m questioning. It’s your plans—or lack thereof—for the wedding night.”

Before Rocky could tell Jon to mind his own business when it came to what did or did not happen on the wedding night, and that it wasn’t really up to Rocky anyway because it took two to tango and he very much doubted Izzy would be up for any
dancing
with him tonight, Thom walked in.

He smiled as he approached. “Dude. You ready?”

Why did everyone keep asking him that?

“Yes.” He tried to keep his frustration from seeping out in his answer.

“You got rings?” Thom asked.

Rocky mouthed a curse. “No. I didn’t even think of rings.”

“Then it’s a good thing I came prepared.” Thom reached into his pocket and pulled out two gold bands. One large. One small.

“Where’d you get those?” Jon asked.

“My room. I’m never going to use them again but I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. New England thriftiness, I guess.” Thom delivered a crooked grin.

“So they’re your divorce rings?” Rocky asked, staring at the two small circles in Thom’s hand.

“There’s no such thing as divorce rings. They’re wedding bands that I no longer need because I’m divorced.” Thom closed his fist around the rings in his palm. “But hey, you don’t want them then—”

“No. I’ll take them. Thank you.” Rocky would take what he could get. “I’ll buy new ones when I get a chance and give these back to you.”

“Why bother? How long are you planning on staying married?” Thom asked.

It was a good question. One Rocky didn’t have an answer to. “I don’t know.”

How long would things take to get straightened out? After they did, once Isabel wasn’t in danger of being deported or harmed, it would make sense to dissolve the marriage.

The thought of a divorce or even an annulment didn’t settle well with Rocky. And if the plan was to end the marriage, then of course he shouldn’t be having the kind of wedding night Jon kept hinting at.

But what if he and Isabel hit it off? Would it be insane to stay married and see where things went?

He’d never been so confused in his life, which was probably why it took him this long to notice Thom was here alone.

Rocky frowned. “Where’s Izzy? I thought you were with her.”

Thom hooked a thumb toward the hallway. “Ladies room with Ali and Darci. She’s feeding Lola.”

And there was the other element that made this all the more confusing. Lola.

It honestly wouldn’t bother him to raise another man’s kid, but what would having Rocky in her life only temporarily do to Lola? Children needed stability in their family life.

Chris and Brody pushed through the doorway wearing twin grins when they spotted Rocky.

The sight knocked him out of his worry and had him smiling. “Wow. Both Cassidy brothers are here. I’m honored.”

“Hell, when Chris texted that one of my teammates was getting hitched, there was no way I was missing it.” Brody laughed and dropped his gaze to take in the dress uniform Rocky had chosen to wear. “Looking good.”

“Thanks.” Rocky ran a finger between this collar and his throat.

The base chaplain had done them a huge favor in light of the situation and waived all the usual requirements, so Rocky figured he should show the man and the ceremony due respect and wear his dress uniform. Just because they were getting married in an unorthodox manner didn’t mean he shouldn’t look good.

But damn, had this damn thing always been so tight? Had his neck gotten thicker?

He didn’t have much time to consider that. The door to the chaplain’s office swung open and he walked out. “We all ready?”

Rocky turned to glance at the door of the chapel, looking to see if Isabel was there. “Um, she’s—”

“She’s ready.” A smiling Darci opened the door as wide as it could go and secured it with the doorstop.

It took Rocky a moment to recognize the woman who stepped past Darci. Isabel was a vision of quiet beauty dressed in an off-white dress with a handkerchief bottom that swished around her ankles as she walked.

In her hand she held three pink roses tied with a white ribbon. The blooms matched the pink spots coloring her cheeks as her gaze met his.

He swallowed hard as she neared. This was it. No turning back now.

She held herself stiffly as she walked, her posture broadcasting she was battling nerves to rival his own. It was a reminder that they were in this together, for better or worse.