31. Epilogue

Epilogue

Meghan

T hree months later, Ryder was almost completely healed. A few cuts were still showing and would more than likely be scars, but Ryder seemed to like that.

Typical guy; loved to show off his injuries.

Ryder and I were married two weeks after he was released from the hospital. Neither of us wanted to waste any time. We had a small ceremony on the beach with only our closest friends and family in attendance. I wore a short, white dress and he had on khakis and a white polo. It was perfect for us.

When my article with Melanie finally came out in the magazine, it gained both local and national attention. I even had major publishers offering me contracts to publish the article into a book. However, there was only one publishing company I would ever publish with and that was MLA.

So, I did. Or, should I say, we did. Together, Melanie and I wrote a heroic story about a retired SEAL and his scorching trials as he took down a huge drug bust. Turned out, Nathan's dealings were much larger than any of them had expected. Nathan was working with the Mexican Drug Cartel, bringing in their drugs, and then stealing a portion of their products to sell on his own. The cartel discovered this, and sent their own team to stop Nathan. Sadly for us, it was in the form of a bomb. The crate that Nathan had stolen was filled with a bomb. Apparently, he stole the same crate each time the shipment was delivered.

Ryder and Matt earned awards by the city for helping to bring down such a dangerous criminal enterprise and Lance promoted Ryder to head of the security detail here in Sunnyvale.

Now, sitting on the back porch of our new house, Ryder and I were beyond happy. We had one another, perfect careers, and the love and support from those around us. Nothing would ever destroy us, that was something we both knew as fact. We had survived the flames of destruction and came out stronger than ever. You can rise from the ashes of your past. Be the rising Phoenix of your own life.