23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Meghan

I walked into MLA Publishing feeling like I was floating on cloud nine. My body was satisfied, my mind clear, and my heart swelled with adoration for an amazing man.

Kirsten and Ashley had returned home late last night and had gone straight to bed. Ryder was up and gone before either one of them stirred. I would tell them tonight what had happened between me and Ryder, but for now, I was enjoying the news as my own little secret.

Waking in Ryder's arms was unlike anything I could have ever imagined. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed being in a man's arms, until I felt that warm sensation again. It was the first time in forever that I felt safe and protected. It was nice and something I could definitely get used to.

I knew I would be seeing Ryder again tonight for our scheduled date, and that had me skipping through the office this morning.

"Someone is in a good mood," Melanie stated, as she smiled at me.

I walked into her office for our rescheduled meeting to work on our feature article about Ryder and the rest of the men.

As I sat down in one of her chairs, I crossed my legs and placed my notebook in my lap. I had felt so good when I got dressed for work today, I went the extra mile jazzing up my look with a form-fitting blush pink dress that fell just above my knees. Silver pumps and a dangling silver chain completed my ensemble.

"I am in a good mood today," I said, blushing a bit. "In fact, I owe you a big thanks for your advice yesterday," I add.

Waving me off, Melanie sits down across from me and shakes her head. "No need to thank me. I want you to be happy."

"Well, I am. Ryder and I had a great talk yesterday and we are finally moving forward with this relationship," I sighed. I did, however, leave out the fact that we had amazing and mind-blowing sex. I didn't feel like that would be very workplace appropriate, but by the huge grin smothered on my face, something told me that Melanie could figure that part out on her own.

"I am glad to hear that. Now, we can get back to the article," Melanie said, getting back into work mode.

Happy to begin feeling useful at work again, we delved right into the article. First, we began comparing notes on the interview questions that Melanie had sent out to Ryder and the other guys. They were pretty standard questions: ages, years of military experience, family, and hobbies. The idea was to give the reader a glimpse of who these guys were as people first then jump into their roles as SEALS and men in the military. I began reading over the responses to the questions on what it was like during combat. To be honest, I cringed a few times reading over lines where the men described being attacked by enemies, wearing heavy layers of clothing and protective gear in the scorching desert heat, and how they would at times, question if they would ever return home. Ryder's responses were raw and honest and I had to fight back the urge to cry.

"Why don't we split up the guys and each of us writes about two of their stories. Then we can work together on the first few paragraphs of the feature which describes the need for Salvatore Security Forces to bring in ex- military men," Melanie states.

I nod as I continue taking notes and then once we feel like we are ready to branch off and work independently, we debrief and then I head to my office.

As I write my portion of the article, I feel a sense of pride just knowing Ryder. His life has been spent at war and working to protect others. He is such a noble and honorable man and I can't help but feel myself falling for him.

After lunch, I get a text from Ryder.

Ryder: Are we still on for our park date tonight?

Me: Of course!

Ryder: Perfect, I will be there at seven. I have to work tonight, but not until 11. We have plenty of time to spend together.

Seeing that Ryder had to work late at night at the Port had my anxiety spiking, but I had promised both of us that I would trust Ryder. He survived war, I shouldn't have to worry about him doing a routine security job.

Me: Wonderful. I will be ready.

My flirty text had me smiling to myself as I put my phone away and dived back into my article. More than anything I wanted to capture Ryder and his friends in a way that would make them look like the amazing heroes they are, and make Melanie proud of me.

As I sat back in my chair, I realized that my life was finally on track again. I just hoped nothing would happen to derail my happiness.