My house … our house finally feels like a home. Pictures of Claire from her years in school decorate the hallway. We don’t have many pictures of her when she was a baby with those being left in the house and who knows where they are now, but I have the one I kept in my wallet all these years and that sits on our mantle. I often find Claire staring at it when she thinks no one is watching.
I’ve also learned how to use a bow and arrow thanks to my well-educated daughter. That is one thing that I have to give Ray credit for, he raised her well and taught her everything he knew about the outdoors, leaving me enough room to teach her what I know. Right now, Claire can tie fifty different rope knots and is learning how to scale a wall. These days when I ask her if she wants to go to the park, she suggests the SEAL beach so she can play on the apparatuses. She’s a girl after my own heart and has told me that she’s going to be the first female SEAL. I wished her luck after she witnessed a group of BUD/s sleeping with their feet in the air.
Most importantly, Claire loves it here. She loves the weather, the ocean, and is excited to start at her new school. Having her and Penny home, with me, makes me feel complete and it makes me feel like I can conquer anything, like my new job as a SEAL instructor.
Penny and I discussed retirement and both agreed I wasn’t ready, but I’m also not ready to go back to combat or deploy on secret missions. When I was offered the job as an instructor, I jumped at the opportunity. I can still train, with the fun stuff, all while kicking snot-nosed punks in the ass. It’s the best of both worlds.
Lawson is currently serving twenty consecutive life sentences and Ingram goes on trial in the fall. We’re hoping he pleads out, but have a feeling he won’t. He’s too proud of a man to do so and we’ll be required to testify. It’ll be worth it this time.
The team is together except Ryley and Evan are still living up north. They come down often, but refuse to move. I know once Carole retires, we’ll never see them again. I’m secretly hoping that Jensen refuses to sell his lake house, giving us a place to still hang out.
River is around, every now and again. Sometimes we don’t see him for a month, and other times he’s at everything we do. I know he’s lost and I’ve tried to reach out to him, but his walls are up. It’s a hard thing, as a SEAL, to get over letting your team down and it doesn’t matter how many times we tell him he’s forgiven, he still distances himself from us.
“You home?” The sound of Evan’s voice echoes down my hall. I come out of my bedroom to find him dressed in a cream-colored linen suit.
“Hi, and what are you doing here?”
He hands me the black bag he’s holding nods toward my bedroom. “Go put this on, we gotta go.”
“Where?”
He looks down at this suit and back at me, with a shit-eating grin on his face. I understand it now; he’s getting married today. I quickly look at the fridge, wondering if I forgot, but I don’t see an invite.
I change quickly, racking my brain about the date. I must’ve been so caught up with Penny that I forgot and that’s not like me. When I come out, I notice that we’re dressed similarly except my tie is blue, while he’s not wearing one.
“Where’s your tie?”
“In the car, let’s go.”
“Is Penny with Ryley?”
“Yep,” he says, rushing to his car. I get in and he pulls away before the door is even shut.
“Are we late?”
“Nah, just eager that’s all.”
That I can understand. His wedding to Ryley has been a long time coming. He should’ve married her a long time ago, but then we died and plans got off track for about six years. Now that we’ve been back, they’ve been waiting for Carole to say she can walk on the sand. She must be ready.
We pull into the beach and I immediately see white chairs and lots of white lacy crap flying in the breeze. River and Rask are already there, dressed similarly. We trudge through the sand, shaking hands with the guys when we reach them.
“You stand here,” Evan says, putting me in place. I look at him questioningly because I assumed Nate would be his best man, but he shakes his head and stands to my left.
“Wait—”
“Watch,” he says as he points down the sandy aisle. Music starts and Cara walks down first followed by Ryley. My mouth is open and catching sand from the wind, but I’m in too much shock to close it.
EJ appears next, dressed just like us, except he’s wearing a tie and Evan still isn’t.
“Hi, Uncle Tucker.”
“Hey, buddy. Do you know what’s going on?”
He shakes his head and starts laughing.
I glance back at Evan who has a smug look on his face. “This should be you and Ryley,” I say, nodding toward the white chairs with a few of our family and friends.
“Nah, Ryley wants this for you guys. It’s important to her. Besides, Carole isn’t quite ready yet, but don’t worry, McCoy, I will be marrying my girl on this beach very soon.”