The SEAL's Best Man (Special Ops: Homefront Book 2) (20 page)

Standing in the center of the yard with
her arms wrapped around her, she felt more alone at that moment than she had in
two years.

Then she saw it—his red kayak on the
other side of the Severn. From that distance, most men looked alike. But not
Jack. She could make out his broad silhouette, his muscular arms moving the small
craft swiftly across the water.

Running to the water’s edge, she waved
frantically. “Jack!” she called, but he didn’t look her way. She cried out
again, her voice swallowed up in the wind across the wide span of the Severn. “Jack!”

Again, no response. More desperate, she
yelled louder. The neighbors would wonder, she was sure, and she was definitely
attracting the attention of the boats that were anchored on her side of the
river. “Jack!”

A sailor on one of them gave her a wave,
and Maeve didn’t even have the notion to feel mortified. “That guy?” he
shouted, pointing to Jack’s red kayak.

Maeve nodded. “Yes!” she called. “Thank
you!”

He sounded his horn. Once. Then again.

Jack finally turned his head toward the sailboat.
The sailor sounded his horn a third time and pointed to the shore where Maeve
stood.

She called Jack’s name, and her heart
leapt when he raised his hand to her in recognition. He changed directions,
giving a wave to the sailor as he passed the boat, and continued on toward
Maeve.

At that moment when he was halfway across
the Severn, when she could finally make out his eyes and a hint of worry in his
expression, she knew what she had to say to him.

“Marry me, Jack Falcone!” she yelled. The
words had flown from her mouth. All instinct, no pride, she finally would let
her heart do the talking.

“What?” he called, as his kayak sliced
through the water.

“Marry me!”

She saw his speed increase then, a wide
grin flashing across his face and she knew. He still wanted her, faults and
all.

He jumped from the kayak into the shallow
water, pulling it close to the shoreline. “Did I hear you say what I think I
heard you say?”

She stepped into the water without
thinking, shoes still on, just to be closer to him. “I can’t offer you all that
I wish I could. But I know that I’ll love you till the day I die.” Hell with
pride. She went down on one knee in the water, soaking herself to the bone. “Will
you marry me, Jack Falcone?”

He thrust the kayak onto the shore and
knelt in the water in front of her, taking her face in his palms. He said only
one word before touching his lips to hers and changing their lives forever.

That word was “Yes.”

From the Author

Thank you so much for reading
The
SEAL’s Best Man
. If you enjoyed this book, please help me spread the word
by
clicking here to write a review on Amazon
.

Your reviews truly are the backbone of
the low-budget marketing effort of an independent, newcomer author like myself!
So I am deeply grateful to you for your support
. And if you’d like me to let you know
when my next book is ready, please contact me at
my
website
to get on my
email list. Thanks for your interest!

I cannot write another word without acknowledging
my family and friends who helped me create Maeve and Jack’s story. Chuck, your
technical expertise and astounding creativity make me think you should take up
writing when you retire from the Navy. Thanks for your patience, your
friendship, and for telling me it was okay to marry a guy who graduated from West
Point.

My thanks and everlasting love to my
husband, who is fast approaching 20 years in the U.S. Army. I am so proud of
you. And to my amazing family, for tolerating all the time I spend tapping away
at my keyboard.

Above all else, thank you to the men and
women who serve our country. During the time I wrote
The SEAL’s Best Man
,
our circle of friends and acquaintances lost two of our own, one in a military training
accident and one in combat. My thoughts and prayers remain with their families,
and with all who protect our nation.

***

Coming Soon…

Bess and Tyler’s story in the

continuation of the Special Ops:
Homefront series

Also written by Kate Aster:

SEAL the Deal

Book One in the Special Ops: Homefront
Series

Available on Amazon

And under her pseudonym for Juvenile
Fiction,

Kate Larkspur:

The Extraordinary Adventures of the
Seventh Jennifer

Available on Amazon

You can follow Kate on Twitter:
@KateAsterAuthor

www.KateAster.com