He pulled out the ring box and cracked it open. The weight of the three female stares weighed heavily on him as the moment arrived. His throat clogged and his chest ached and if she said no, he didn’t know what he’d do. But life was nothing without risk, right? Tara had taught him that. Taught him that risk brought its own rewards. Taught him that love and emotions didn’t have to be suppressed, locked away and feared. He looked up at her now, looked at his daughter snuggled on her lap like it was meant to be, looked at the future he wanted more than he wanted his next breath, and said, “Tara Crumb, will you marry me?”
For a moment, she just looked at him, mouth open, her eyes going from Margaret to Ashley, then back to him, tears welling and spilling down her cheeks. She scooted Ashley aside and got down on her knees beside him, hands shaking as she reached out to trace a finger over the beautiful antique amethyst ring he’d picked out with Ashley’s help.
Tara bit her lip then gave him a tremulous smile. “I will.”
Ashley squealed with joy and hugged them both and Margaret clapped and Clint kissed Tara and slid his ring on her finger, exactly where it belonged.
“I love you,” he said, cupping her cheeks and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
“I love you too,” she said, leaning in to kiss him, then reaching over to pull Ashley into their circle of love. “And you three.”
A short while later the doorbell rang again, and Ashley rushed over to let in the rest of the gang. Levon and Olive were there with Allie, who was into everything now, and Noah and Serena with their baby, Gracie. Good thing Tara had said yes, since Clint had invited them all over to celebrate the proposal that only his instincts had told him would be accepted. Looking back, though, his instincts hadn’t steered him wrong yet, at least when he really took the time to listen to them.
While the gals gathered in the kitchen to discuss the ring and the plans for the upcoming ceremony, Clint and Levon and Noah went out on to the back patio to have a beer.
“Man, it’s hard to believe this is where we’re at now, huh?” Levon said, staring up at the blue skies above. “Pretty soon, we’ll have to change the name of the business to Southern Dads with Daughters.”
“Right?” Noah chuckled. “If our SEAL teams could see us today, eh?”
“They’d be fucking jealous as hell,” Clint said, clinking bottles with his buddies. “To us. Finally getting our shit together, professionally and personally.”
“Amen, brother.” Levon grinned. “Well, I always had my shit together, but you guys were a sorry lot.”
“Dream on, dumbass. You were nothing but a frigging player when you started with us,” Noah joked.
“I believe the term you’re looking for is Himbo,” Clint added, then laughed as Levon flipped him off.
“You guys were just as bad as me. Sleeping around and never getting tied down.”
“I hope you’re talking past tense out here,” Olive said, opening the patio doors to step outside and join them. “About the sleeping around part anyway.”
“Baby, you know there’s no one but you for me ever again,” Levon said, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her in for a kiss. “You’re my one and only.”
“I’d better be.” Olive grinned up at him and pinched his side for good measure. “Your daughter needs a diaper change.”
“Right.” Levon took another sip of beer and handed the bottle to his wife. “Duty calls. Be right back.”
“Thank God we’ll be doing potty training soon,” Olive said and chugged some beer.
Next out the door was Serena, looking for Noah. “Have you seen Gracie’s Sheepie? Please tell me we didn’t forget it at home.”
“I’m on it.” He glanced over at the guys, then set his bottle on the table and pulled out his car keys, stopping to kiss his wife before heading toward the driveway at the side of the house. “Pretty sure I saw her toss it on the floor of the car on the way over here.”
Clint watched his friend jog off and shook his head, glad to not be quite as whipped as his buddies. Then, of course, the patio doors opened again and there stood Ashley, with Tara close behind her. “Daddy, can you come help us reach a box on the top shelf? I want to show everyone my drawings.”
“Sure thing, sweetpea,” he said, heading in that direction and ignoring Olive and Serena’s amused stares. Finally, at the door, he stopped and turned to look back at them. “What?”
“Nothing.” Olive winked at him. “Go help her, Daddy.”
“Never thought I’d see the big, tough SEALs get all soft and squishy on us,” Serena added, smirking. “It’s so cute.”
Okay. Fine. Maybe he was just as whipped as Noah and Levon, but honestly, Clint wouldn’t have it any other way. He had the best daughter in the world, the most beautiful fiancée ever, work that he loved and the best friends a guy could ever ask for. Not to mention the bonds of his SEAL team past that would never be broken. What more could he ever wish for?
He smiled at the ladies, then leaned in and gave Tara a big old kiss himself before swooping his daughter up into his arms, holding tight to the two people he loved most in the world, and knowing in his heart that he’d never let go.
End of Protecting His Beautiful Lover