Page 127 of Nails

They both burst into a heap of laughter.

Nails shook his head as he walked toward the door.

He stood on the deck with one hand braced against the wooden railing as he gazed out over the stretch of sand that led down to the water.The moon was bright, lighting up the surface of the ocean.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Riley as she walked barefoot along the shoreline, the light breeze tussling her hair.God, he’d missed her.Having her back here, within reach, grounded something in him.

He thought about watching her earlier as she interacted with the team and their families.The ladies all welcomed her with open arms.Clover had even pulled him aside after she had a chance to talk to Riley, and her exact words to him were, “You’d better put a ring on that woman’s finger.”

He smiled.He never used to think about the future.Hell, he used to avoid it altogether.Marriage, settling down, roots, they had always felt like something that belonged in someone else’s life, not his.Not a SEAL who was gone more often than home, who thrived on adrenaline and uncertainty.But then Riley happened.She crashed into his world like a damn hurricane and made it impossible to imagine anything without her in it.Her and those teal panties.

His fingers brushed against the small bulge in the front pocket of his jeans.He swallowed hard.The ring was simple but elegant.It was a vintage diamond that had once belonged to his grandmother.His mom had given it to him last week when he visited her at her home.He had been grinning like a teenager when he told her about Riley.She hadn’t even waited for him to finish the sentence before she was pulling out the little box from the top drawer of her dresser.“When you know, you know,”she’d said, her eyes misty.“And honey, I can hear it in your voice that you know.”

He did.Even if it felt early, ever since that day, he had carried that ring around with him.Even if his nerves were threatening to outpace his heartbeat, Riley was it for him.She was the storm and the calm after it.She was the fire in his blood and the peace he didn’t know he was missing.

And as he watched her pause to stare out at the waves, he knew it was time.

Pulling the ring from his pocket, Nails stepped away from the railing and made his way down the stairs.With each step toward the beach, toward her, the nerves didn’t disappear, but they quieted.This wasn’t just a proposal.This was the rest of his life.

Riley closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she listened to the sound of the ocean whispering against the shore.She slipped her shoes off and walked barefoot across the cool sand.The moon cast a soft silver glow over the waves, the world quieter here, away from the laughter and clinking glasses inside.

Behind her, she heard footsteps crunching over the sand.

“You running off on me already?”Nails asked, his voice soft but laced with that familiar teasing edge.

She smiled and turned to look at him.He stood there barefoot too, hands in his pockets, eyes lit by moonlight and something deeper, something vulnerable.

“I needed a moment,” she said.“Just to breathe.”

He nodded, stepping up beside her and taking her hand.“Yeah.They can be a little rambunctious.”

They walked together in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the celebration fading behind them.The breeze danced between them, carrying the scent of the sea, and Riley glanced at him, taking in the sight of this man she had come to love more than she thought was possible in such a short time.

He stopped walking, turning to face her, hands suddenly fidgeting a bit as he reached into his pocket.

She tilted her head.“Is everything okay?”

He let out a nervous breath and gave a small laugh.“Yeah, yes.Just, uh...trying not to screw this up.”

Her brows lifted.“Screw what up?”

“I had this whole speech planned in my head,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.“Something smooth, maybe even funny.But now that I’m looking at you standing here with sand between our toes and your eyes stealing all the air from my lungs, all that planning went straight to hell.”

Riley’s heart fluttered as he reached for her hand and dropped to one knee in the sand.

Her breath caught.

“Nails...”

He looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with a mixture of nerves and certainty.“Riley, I know we haven’t known each other that long.Hell, we’ve only had a few actual normal days together.But I know what I feel.”

He opened the small black box in his hand.Inside was a simple yet elegant ring, classic in its design, and it was perfect.

“I love you.With everything I’ve got.And I don’t care if this seems too soon or if people think we’re crazy.I want you for every day I’ve got left.If you want a long engagement, that’s fine.We can take it slow.I just need you to know I’m in this for life.

Riley’s eyes filled with tears as she stared down at him, her heart thundering.

“Say something,” he whispered with a crooked smile.“Please.My knees are sinking into wet sand here, and I don’t want to look like an idiot and have soggy pants.”