Epilogue

One month later

“I told you we’d finally go kayaking,” Austin said with a grin as they stood beside his Jeep, the salty Pacific breeze blowing gently around them. Waves crashed in the distance, and the sun shone brightly on the gorgeous morning.

“Well, it’s about time, sailor,” Alexa joked. “Let’s see you put those muscles to good use.”

Austin raised his eyebrows, then pulled her in for a quick kiss. She’d worn her yellow bikini for their adventure, and her dark hair blew around them as he held her close. Austin had on a tee shirt and board shorts, and she felt every inch of his male hardness as she pressed against him.

“I like this bikini on you,” he said, looking down at her with a heated gaze.

She smirked. “Yeah. I can tell. Thankfully, I’m finally healed enough to wear it.”

His face fell for just a beat, and she toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, her arms still wrapped around his shoulders. “Hey. I’m okay now,” she reassured him. Alexa rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

Their kiss was short but achingly sweet, Alexa melting against him. As Austin finally pulled back, an emotion she couldn’t read crossed his face. “I’m thankful as hell that you’re okay. I love you so damn much.”

“I love you, too,” she said, seeing the emotion in his eyes.

Austin cleared his throat, still holding her close in his muscular arms. “Everyone else isn’t meeting us for thirty minutes.”

“Oh yeah? Why’d we need to get here so early then?”

He shot her a look, then turned to grab something from his Jeep. The kayaks were still on the roof, and she watched in confusion as he turned back around. Alexa gasped as she spotted the tiny velvet box in his hand and felt her heartbeat speed up as he knelt down in front of her.

“Austin,” she said, her voice shaking.

He took both her hands in one of his, his thumb rubbing over her soothingly. Even now, he grounded her, and she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest.

“I thought I lost you, but I always knew you were it for me. You were my fake date the night we first met, turned girlfriend, turned everything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Of course, yes!” Alexa exclaimed, tears smarting her eyes. Austin slid the diamond ring on her finger then stood, pulling her close for a heated kiss.

“I love you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“I love you, too,” she replied, wrapping her arms around him. “I love you so much!” she said, excitement bubbling within her. They held hands and stayed close as they readied for their kayaking adventure, Alexa all too happy to be right at Austin’s side. As their friends started arriving shortly afterward, they were both grinning ear-to-ear as they showed everyone Alexa’s engagement ring.

“I knew it!” Callie shrieked excitedly. “Austin was not-so-subtlety asking me what types of rings you liked one day. I’m so excited for you both!” she said, hugging first Alexa and then Austin.

“Congrats, man!” Wyatt said, giving him a one-armed hug. “And Alexa, you’re the best thing that ever happened to this guy.”

Everyone else began crowding around them, offering their congratulations. “You two are next,” Hudson said with a smirk, looking between Wyatt and Callie.

Callie laughed and snuggled up against Wyatt. “We’ve discussed it,” Wyatt said, the two of them exchanging a look.

“Well hurry up already,” Alexa joked.

Callie huffed out a laugh. “Okay, if you must know, we’re designing a ring using my grandmother’s stone.”

“What?” Alexa asked in excitement.

Wyatt smiled, his eyes warm as he looked at Callie. “As soon as the ring of her dreams is ready, I’ll propose to the girl of my dreams.”

“Man. This get together is getting sappy as hell,” Sawyer complained, but there was a look of amusement on his face. “Let’s get this show on the road. I saw some female kayakers out on the water that can’t wait to meet me.”

Hudson snorted with laughter, but then they heard a scream coming from the water. Aaron looked up from where he stood at the water’s edge, watching the kayak that had flipped over, a woman still inside. “Help her! Please!” one of the other kayakers screamed.

Aaron dropped the supplies he was holding onto the ground, already running into the water as the other men followed suit. “Please help my sister!” the woman yelled again, frantically trying to paddle to the upside-down kayak. “She can’t swim!”

Alexa watched in horror as Aaron dove under the waves and resurfaced, swimming faster than she could’ve imagined. He was almost there, but the kayak was still being tossed around in the ocean, the woman trapped.

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Thank you so much for reading Austin and Alexa’s story! If you enjoyed this book, you’ll love SEAL’s Shadow. Find out what happens with Aaron and the mysterious woman he rescues.