Dino by Jaime Lewis
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It was wedding day, and it was complete chaos as Alex and Arianna flew around the house, getting things prepared for the bride and groom's arrival. Derek had called Alex at four in the morning and told her that he could guarantee that Stitch would be there for the wedding ceremony at two o’clock but that there was a strong chance that the guys would be leaving in the evening. After talks between Mia and Stitch, they both decided that they didn’t want to wait and if they had the time to at least get the ceremony in, they were all for it.
It had been a team effort between all the women to pull off the blissful event. Even though Alex had done most of the prep work, there were still some last-minute tasks that needed to be done.
Mia was due to arrive momentarily with her mom and sisters. They would be getting ready upstairs. Tenley had all of the kids next door at her house and would bring them over right before the ceremony started. Autumn ran to the party store to pick up the balloons and a few other small items while Bailey was at her friend’s house picking up the cake. Juliette went to the base to deliver to the guys their dress uniforms to wear for the ceremony.
Arianna stood on Alex’s back patio and looked around her. She felt like she had just stepped into a wedding magazine. It was absolutely breathtaking. Alex was a genius and very creative when it came to party planning.
While Arianna was helping Alex set up last night, Alex had told her about the ordeal that Mia had gotten caught up in not too long ago that involved her former boss. But she also explained how that incident had finally brought Stitch and Mia together.
Both Stitch and Mia chose a rustic woodland theme for their wedding because of their connection with his cabin in the mountains. They couldn’t have asked for better weather. Though it was chilly out, the sky was free of clouds and bright. The portable heaters staged around the patio would keep everyone cozy.
The lower level of the patio near the pool was the setting for the ceremony. Chairs were lined up to create an aisle for Mia to walk down to meet Stitch under the arbor. At the same time, the upper level of the deck would serve as the space for the reception.
Alex walked out with the final log candle centerpiece and placed it on the table. “I cannot believe we pulled this off.” She said to Arianna, and she too, took a step back to look over her masterpiece.
Arianna looked around again, still amazed at Alex’s creativity. “This is gorgeous, Alex.”
Alex smiled. “Thanks. I call it my hobby.”
Arianna gave her a skeptical look. “Your hobby? Hell, woman, do you realize how much money you could make planning parties?”
“I barely have a life right now with my charity foundation. There would be no way I could take on an additional business. I enjoy doing this for friends and family.”
Arianna then remembered she wanted to talk to Alex about something regarding her foundation.
“Speaking of your foundation, do you have any need for a therapy dog?”
“Yes! I’d love to get a therapy dog for the location, maybe even more than one. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was thinking about getting Nigel certified. He’s sweet, gentle, and well-behaved.”
“That’s a great idea. And, yes, once he gets his certification, we’d love to have Nigel come to visit.”
“I think he’d love it too.”
Alex looked at her watch. “Well, I think we’ve got everything done that we can. Once Autumn gets back with the balloon bouquets, we can place those on the gift and buffet tables. The cake table is all set for Bailey.” She gave Arianna a high five. “Let’s go get ready.”
◆◆◆
Arianna stood at the back door. She wasn’t sure if she should go and take a seat or wait for Dino. All of the guests had arrived, and all they were waiting on were for the guys to get there. Derek had texted Alex and told her they were on their way.
She smoothed her hands down her one-shoulder floor-length chiffon dress. It was light, airy, and one of her favorite dresses she owned. Just as she turned to head outside, she heard the front door open, followed by a deep laugh from one of the guys.
She waited with anticipation to see Dino in his dress uniform. She’d admit she was a sucker for a man in uniform. Dino didn’t disappoint as he came around the corner and came to a halt as his eyes met hers. She looked him over. He wore the uniform well.
She smiled, and he gave her that sexy signature smirk. As he walked towards her, she tuned everyone else out. He stopped in front of her, leaned down, and kissed her cheek. “You look amazing.”
She blushed a tad bit but reciprocated the compliment. “You do too.”
He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
They found their seats and Skittles took the seat on the other side of her. She found his nickname funny. As they sat there and waited for the ceremony to begin, she looked at him. “Why do they call you Skittles?”
She heard Dino snort a laugh from her other side, but Skittles shook his head.
“That is a story that I’m not getting into right now.”
With an answer like that, she knew she had to know. She looked at Dino, but all he did was a wink. She went to turn back to Skittles when the music started to play. Mia appeared in the doorway, looking as beautiful as Arianna had imagined she’d be. She had chosen to wear her mom’s wedding dress with a few modifications and alterations. Watching Ace walk Mia down the small aisle caused Arianna to get a little choked up. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of meeting her Prince Charming and having her dad escort her down the aisle on her wedding day. Thinking now how she almost lost that opportunity played with her emotions. She tried to sniffle quietly and blink back her tears. She pulled a tissue from her small clutch and dabbed her eyes, hoping nobody noticed, but it was too late. Dino glanced her way, and as if knowing what crazy thoughts, she had been having, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She accepted his thoughtfulness and leaned against him. They stayed that way through the entire ceremony. He was her rock, her protector, and her man.
◆◆◆
After the ceremony and dinner, everyone mingled and danced. The guys were pouting because they were only allowed to have one drink. At first, Arianna didn’t understand, but then Dino explained that they had to watch their alcohol intake because there was a strong possibility that they would be deployed later that night.
Derek and Dino had pulled Arianna aside after dinner and spoke with her about the situation involving Gabbert. They were both thrilled that she hadn’t tried to argue with them about not staying at the house by herself. If the team was called out, she assured them both that she’d stay put at Alex’s.
She was standing next to Autumn, talking to her about doing a presentation on forensics to Cody’s Sea Cadet Unit when Dino approached. They really hadn’t had any one-on-one time since he arrived, and it was getting late. Everyone was on pins and needles waiting for that call to come through to the guys.
She looked up at Dino, and he held his hand out just like he had done at Bayside.
“Dance with me?” He said, staring into her eyes.
She set her drink down, took his hand, and he led them to the dance floor, joining a few other couples.
When Luke Combs, Beautiful Crazy, started to play, she melted into him as he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist. She slid her arms under his and placed them against his upper back. They made eye contact, and slowly they started to move with the beat of the music.
After the song's first verse, Dino cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. She wondered what was happening. She was strung high with excitement, yet her nerves were on edge a little.
“I’m sorry.” She heard him say, and her eyes popped open.
She stared into his dark blue eyes. “What are you sorry for?”
He took a deep breath, and Arianna held her breath, waiting for him to answer. She searched his eyes and face. He looked conflicted. She saw the sadness, but there was also love in there. She knew this man had so much love to give if he’d just confront his fears.
“Dino?” She pressed but not aggressively.
“There is so much I want to say to you right now, but I’m afraid I’m going to screw it up by not making any sense.” He took another deep breath. “My issue is that I’m conflicted on where to start.”
She gave him a soft smile and placed her hands on his cheeks. “You start where you feel the most comfortable.”
Suddenly, before he could utter another word, his phone began ringing, and he swore. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
She looked up at him. “What is it?” But as the phone’s belonging to the team started to ring, she knew what that meant.
“I gotta go.” He said to her, and her heart began to ache for the both of them. But she wasn’t going to let him go until he answered the one question, she had for him.
She stood up on her tiptoes, secured her arms around his neck, and looked deep into his eyes. “Answer one question for me before you go.”
“Okay.”
“Do you love me?”
He stared down at her and she waited for him to answer. He started to speak but stopped, and she could see the struggle was real as he tried to fight off those demons that have held his happiness and future hostage. Just when she thought he would give in to the monsters, he pulled her closer against him and whispered “I do” against her lips before he kissed her like he never had before. He took his time and was gentle yet sensual. When he released her lips, he smiled.
“Be safe.” He told her.
“You too and remember you have me waiting here for you.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he gave her another kiss that left her breathless and counting down the time until she saw him again.
◆◆◆
The team sat in the briefing room at the hangar as they awaited word from the flight deck to board their ride to the Tripoint area. Their mission was to rescue an American scientist who had been abducted while in North Korea visiting family, but he was now being used as a pawn in an exchange with Iranian forces. According to Intel, in exchange for oil, North Korea agreed to hand over the American hostage to the Iranians to help further their ballistic missile program.
Derek entered the room, and Ace sounded off, “Attention on deck,” and everyone jumped to their feet and stood at attention.
Derek hadn’t made it five steps into the room before the coffee he had just taken a drink of spewed from his mouth. Luckily, he avoided spraying anyone.
“For fucks sake, Dino.”
Dino looked around, wondering what he had done to get a reaction like that from the commander. Hell, all he did was stand up. He noticed some of the guys in the chairs behind him looked like they were about to bust a gasket. What the hell was the joke on him?
“Sir?” Dino questioned.
Derek set his coffee cup down along with some papers on the table at the front of the room. He turned and looked at him.
“Did the Navy change uniform regulations in the last twenty-four hours?”
“No, Sir. At least not that I’m aware of.”
“Huh…well, then you may want to remove the extra accessory there on the back of your trousers.”
“Sir?” He still wasn’t understanding.
Derek waved his hand in the air, “For the love of God, would someone help their teammate out.”
Diego leaned forward and pulled something that was stuck to Dino’s ass.
“Next time you do your laundry, make sure your roommate’s clothes aren’t in the dryer.” Diego teased as he threw a pair of leopard print panties at him. Dino caught them and just stared at them. Son of a bitch!
Everyone laughed, hell even Potter managed to crack a small smile. Seconds later, he found himself chuckling at his own misfortune, although at least he had something now to remind him of what he had waiting back home.
The next few minutes were spent going over their orders. If everything flowed like they’ve practiced, the operation should be simple in and out. However, in their line of work, simple was overrated.
