THE SKY EXPLODED in an array of fiery colors and Kaylan jumped, remembering the distant crash of buildings and buckling earth in the Haiti earthquake only nine months before.
“It’s okay, babe. It’s just fireworks.” Nick pulled her close on the beach, his arms reminding her of her new life in California, away from the humid, tropical landscape of Haiti, and away from her family in Alabama.
Vibrant reds, blues, and oranges danced in the sky, leaving smoky silhouettes in their wake. Nick’s team of Navy SEALs and their loved ones surrounded her—her new community. Logan and Colt lit fireworks on the beach and then darted away before they ignited, children squealing in delight as they burst. A campfire crackled in front of them on firewood piled in the sand, and the clear night sky grew hazy under the continual pops and smoke from children’s sparklers. Kaylan couldn’t imagine a better way to begin Labor Day weekend. She wished she could freeze the memory and frame it. Laughter mixed with the lap of waves and boom of fireworks. Children played tag, darting in and out of the waves licking the beach. Titus, Jay, and Micah stood near the fire with other guys from SEAL Team 5 and Support Activity 1, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. The women chatted or chased down kids.
Kaylan smiled to herself. It was picture perfect. The scene seemed so normal, hiding the fact that these men were conditioned for war. She squeezed Nick’s arm a little tighter, knowing the time would come. He would have to leave.
His strong fingers ruffled her hair, gently sweeping strands from her forehead. Despite the warm evening, goose bumps danced down her arms, and she closed her eyes.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, gorgeous?”
She turned her head to meet Nick’s gaze, loving the fire found in the smoky blue. “Just making a memory.”
His lips brushed her forehead. In one quick move he stood from their sandy blanket, pulling her with him. “Let’s take a walk.” He settled his arm around her shoulders, and once again she treasured the contact, knowing these moments would carry her through the long days to come.
A football whizzed through the air and smacked Nick on his back. “Yo, Hawk, get a room, man,” Jay called, whistling at Kaylan.
Before Nick could react, Kaylan’s brother Micah tackled Jay around the waist, and they both hit the sand. “I think you forgot you are talking about my sister.” With one quick move Micah wrapped his arms around Jay in a headlock, his legs pinning the rest of Jay’s body. Jay fought and kicked but Micah held firm, his arm still allowing Jay to breathe. Barely.
The rest of the team gathered around, dollar bills exchanging hands as quickly as their cheers and chanting filled the air. Kids joined in the frenzy, excitement glowing in their young eyes.
“Micah totally has this.”
“No way. Jay wrestled in high school. Micah is toast.”
Jay squirmed. His face turned red, whether from embarrassment or lack of air, Kaylan couldn’t tell.
Nick chuckled. “Looks like Micah has it under control.” He turned Kaylan away from the crowd and moved up the beach as darkness settled around them.
The moon hung low in the sky, reflecting eerily on the waves capping and lapping the beach. Nick walked them toward the surf, the cool Pacific stretching to kiss their feet. Kaylan could barely see the water line, but the soft roar of each new wave soothed her.
She closed her eyes, turning her face to the gentle breeze and enjoying Nick’s strong, tough hand in hers. Her feet left the ground and her eyes flew open as Nick swung her in his arms and jogged to the water.
“Put me down, jerk!” she shrieked, awaiting the plunge in the dark, cold ocean. Her panic built. She saw only blackness. “Nick Carmichael, don’t you dare.”
His boyish laugh tugged at her heart. “It’s just water, Kayles.” And in they went, Kaylan’s jean shorts getting soaked, her T-shirt hanging on her frame.
Her breath caught in her chest with the chilly water. She could barely make out Nick’s grin in the darkness as she swiped wet hair from her eyes. “Nick Carmichael!” With one good swing she sent a wave into his face. His eyes registered surprise before his smile quirked. Trouble.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You already got me wet. Nick, don’t you dare.” Before she could back away, he grabbed her around the waist and they both went under an incoming wave. The salty taste permeated her mouth.
“All right, all right.” She came up, sputtering and gasping for air in the icy water. She shoved at his chest as he steadied them both. His heart pounded beneath her palm, and his warm laugh melted her heart. She joined his laughter. Just like with her best friend, Sarah Beth, Nick’s moods and reactions became more and more familiar to her. This laugh spelled pure joy. Contentment.
“Moonlight looks pretty good on you, even though you’re wet.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her close.
“You aren’t too bad yourself, Mr. SEAL.”
“I mean it, Kayles. Beautiful, kind, genuine, gentle. I couldn’t be more blessed.”
She was thankful for the darkness as her face heated. She could barely discern his smoky blue eyes, but she knew that look. The one he reserved only for her. He expressed himself better than she did, and occasionally it left her feeling behind the emotional curve.
He rested his forehead on hers, the waves lapping gently around their legs. Despite the chill, she felt warm with this Frogman in his natural habitat. Nothing could touch her.
The breeze ruffled her dripping hair, and on its wings came whispered words, “I love you, Kayles.” The admission sent her heart pounding. She pulled away from him, unsure. She’d longed to hear those words but dreaded the possibilities that came with loving and losing. Sarah Beth’s death in Haiti had taught her all too well the pain of losing someone she loved with everything she had.
“Nick . . . ”
“Don’t panic on me.” He pulled her close, and she fought the urge to put space between them, the desire to run before she got hurt, before she lost another person she loved, before she fell so hard that the darkness enveloped her again. She could almost taste the Haitian dust clinging to the air, smothering the light and her ability to breathe.
“I can’t. Nick . . let’s talk about something else.” Sarah Beth’s cry echoed faintly with the crash of buildings in her mind. Again Kaylan tried to pull away, memories of Haiti causing Coronado, California, to fade from her view.
His calloused hand cupped her chin. “Kayles, look at me. It doesn’t matter that you can’t say it right now. I just need you to know. I need you to trust me.” His blue eyes reflected the glowing moon and never wavered from their hold on her face, on her heart. “I love you.” He drew each word out, making sure they reached every insecurity. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She allowed the words to penetrate her fear, hoping against hope they would take root and blossom. Healing came slowly, but every day she grew stronger. Nick was key to the process. But there were some memories that could not be erased, some nightmares that bled into her daylight hours, stealing her most precious moments.
One day she would say it. One day she would feel it. But not yet, just not yet.
“Smile, gorgeous.” He smoothed the lines on her forehead. His mouth tipped at the corner in the moonlight, and her body tensed.
“Don’t you . . . ” She squealed as his fingers found her rib cage. She twisted and fought, laughing so hard the harsh memories from moments before receded with the tide into the darkness.
“Nick Carmichael, let go!”
“You asked for it.” He released her, and she began to tip backward into the waves, his laugh echoing in her ears.
“I don’t think so.” She snatched his T-shirt and pulled him in the water with her, her head dipping below the cold waves once again.
Their laughter filled the air as they rose to the surface. “How can you be so nice one second and so mean the next?”
“Mean? I make you laugh because I love you. Don’t be so gloomy.” His chuckle warmed her to her toes, and she threw her arms around his neck.
“I like you too.”
His arms slipped around her waist and his face dipped toward hers. He could see all the way to her soul in the moonlight, and it was enough to stop her heart.
“I think it’s a little more than that. But I’ll wait to hear the words.” His lips settled on hers, making the lingering fireworks pale in comparison.
“Ugh, break it up, you two.”
Her brother’s voice made her jerk, but Nick held her close, turning to face Micah on the beach.
“Bad timing, Bulldog. What’s up?”
Kaylan tensed as Micah held up a phone. His silence spoke volumes. Her hands clenched in Nick’s wet shirt.
“We gotta go, Hawk.” His voice carried a warning over the crash of the waves.
“Is it . . . ”
“Yeah. It’s time.”
Nick’s hands slipped from her waist, and he waded to shore. Kaylan immediately felt cold. She followed him out of the surf. Up the beach several other SEALs that were part of Support Activity 1 kissed their wives or girlfriends good-bye before running for their cars.
“Babe, we gotta go. I’ll call you later.” Nick’s eyes grew as distant as the skyline, his mind already miles away.
Kaylan refused to show her fear. “Be safe.”
With a nod, they both ran to Micah’s car. Moments later they peeled out behind their teammates.
Kaylan wandered back up the beach to the other SEAL families. She’d known when they left Haiti in July and when she’d moved to California to begin her dietetics internship the first of August that the time would come when Nick and Micah would leave. She’d come to hate every ring of his phone. But here they were, and she had the choice to panic or stand firm. She was the girlfriend and the sister of two SEALs. If they could race fearlessly into danger, then she could remain their anchor at home. She only hoped they wouldn’t see the small cracks in her armor as she fought to hold herself together.
“Kaylan, Kaylan, Kaylan.” Four-year-old Molly came bounding up, her blonde curls bouncing around her slim shoulders. Kaylan lifted her into her arms.
“What’s up, Munchkin?”
“Where did my daddy go?”
Kaylan glanced at Molly’s mom, Kim, who was busy wrestling sparklers away from her two boys. Kaylan smothered a laugh. They were as strong as their dad, Logan, the lead corpsman and one of the older men. Molly had his curly blond hair and pale green eyes.
“Daddy and the boys needed to work. You’ll see him later.”
“Are they going to take care of bad guys?”
“Yes, sweet girl.” Molly was innocence in a beautiful, sweet package. The little girl wrapped her arms around Kaylan’s neck as she walked them closer to the fire. Molly’s blonde hair glowed, and her little hands felt sticky on Kaylan’s neck. Water from Kaylan’s clothes dampened Molly’s shorts and T-shirt, but Molly didn’t seem to care.
“Kaylan, know what?” She pulled Kaylan’s head close, whispering in her ear. “My daddy’s a hero just like Superman. Only he’s better. He doesn’t need a cape.”
Kaylan’s heart warmed and she kissed Molly’s sticky cheek, tasting marshmallows from the s’mores. “Your dad is definitely a hero.”
“Molly?”
The little girl squirmed to the ground when Kim called but turned back quickly to Kaylan. “Don’t worry about Mr. Nick. My daddy says he is the best of the good guys.”
The best, the bravest, the most sacrificial. The latter frightened Kaylan the most. Her hero without a cape, unafraid to face the barrel of a gun—even if it meant his life.