Chapter Eighteen
Hello everyone. I am sorry that I wasn't able to update this story, because I had thought that Steve and Naomi's story was complete. But there was something missing and they had to get a proper ending. So here is the last chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to all of you who have followed this story and loved it.
Four Years Later
Steve checked the mirror once more before he left the house. He wanted to look his best because tonight was a very important night. Not only was today Naomi's graduation, Steve was also planning on asking her a life-changing question.
For the past three and a half years, they had been living together and they had been some of the best years of Steve's life. He had never been this close to another human being before in his life. If some one had asked him if he wanted to live with a girlfriend before, he would have denied it. But he could never regret his decision. He intended to ask Naomi to marry him tonight so they could have many more years together.
He had bought the ring a few months ago and hidden it in his office safe. He hadn't wanted to risk Naomi finding it. Kono had helped with the ring, since she had pretty much become best friends with Naomi. The two were inseparable and she had even taught Naomi how to surf.
As he drove to the University for the graduation ceremony, he couldn't help but make comparisons between the Naomi who had come back into his life so long ago and the woman she had become now. He couldn't help but feel pride for how she had turned her fear and insecurities into strengths. Her decision to become a counselor for trauma victims was a way for her to overcome her own issues.
She had been divided on her decision to not become a doctor, but she had finally decided that it wasn't for her. She wanted to help people who had been in a similar situation as herself. Steve had done everything he could think of to be therefore her and encourage her and he knew she had many more years of study.
She had slowly become his life, and the funny thing was, he was not spooked and neither did he push her away. Some of the SEAL buddies he was still in touch with joked about how whipped he was, but he just laughed it off. He was happy and he couldn't remember not being happy when he was with her.
And he knew in his heart that he could make her happy.
-X-
"Oh this place is beautiful" Naomi said as Steve led her onto the lanai of the private suite he had hired for the weekend. They were celebrating her graduation first with dinner with all their friends Danny, Kono, Chin and Malia and some of her college friends as well as Shayla. Her father had also flown down for the occasion.
Then after dinner Steve had whisked her off to a helipad where he had hired a helicopter to fly them to The Big Island for the weekend to be spent in a luxury hotel on the beach.
She walked around the lanai that wrapped around the little villa, its view the ocean, the white curtains billowing in the gentle breeze. It was romantic and beautiful and must have cost a bomb.
"Steve, you shouldn't have. This place must be so expensive. Can we afford it?" she asked turning to him. He took her breath away, he was so handsome in his suit and loosened tie.
Steve shrugged casually, "It's a special occasion. We can splurge a little bit" then he smiled cheekily, "You'll just have to refrain from buying the new season Jimmy Choos".
She smiled as she slugged him playfully, "You've become rather savvy in the fashion department".
"Can I help it when I live with a live fashion magazine" he teased her.
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad" she frowned.
He came over and pulled her into his arms, snuggling her closer to his chest, "You could make it easier for me to live with your thousand pairs of shoes if you become my wife".
For a moment Naomi didn't realise what he had just said, "What did you just say?"
Steve cupped her face in his hands tenderly, "I asked you to become my wife" he said, then reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small blue velvet box. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful emerald flanked by two small diamonds on either side in a platinum setting. "Naomi Morales, will you do the honour of becoming my wife?"
Her throat clogged with the tears, but they managed to spill out. She couldn't speak so she smiled and nodded, whispering "Yes".
"Baby just to be sure, you did say yes right?" he teased again.
She laughed, "Yes! Now give me my kiss".
"With pleasure" he grinned as he grabbed her close, slanting his mouth onto hers. He passionately kissed her, deepening the kiss. He pulled away from her, taking the ring out of the box, "You better put this on before I lose it".
The ring fit perfectly, "It's beautiful Steve. I love it".
"I had a little help from Kono" he kissed her hand then led her into the bedroom. The four-poster bed was massive and romantic with sheer white curtains giving them privacy.
"And the hotel and the helicopter ride. I think this is the most romantic proposal ever" she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.
The next few hours were spent very pleasurably as they made love and laughed and talked through the night. Living together for more than three years had not diminished the romance in their relationship. Steve would sometimes bring her flowers or take her out for a movie and they would neck in the theater like teenagers. They had even managed to take two vacations together, to Spain and Portugal where they had backpacked and then a trip driving cross-country US stopping at all the silly tourist destinations. Both vacations had been planned by him because she had mentioned in passing that she had never been backpacking and she wanted to drive cross country sometime.
They laughed as they recalled how many times they had argued and fought only to make up a few hours later because they couldn't be mad at each other for long, as well as the time they had spent the night sick with food poisoning in Lisbon, spending the night in the bathroom throwing up. Or the time they had danced to street flamenco music in Barcelona on a balmy summers night.
She had spent some of her happiest times with Steve and she was so happy that they would be spending the rest of their lives together. Because she believed in marriage for a lifetime and Steve shared her views as well.
But most of all she was happy that her father had accepted Steve as not just his savior, but the man in his daughters life. They had even become quite close, and whenever her father visited he and Steve would go fishing or just have a drink together. The initial hostility and snobbery her father had showed Steve was now gone.
As Steve slept next to her, she looked at his face. They had been through so much together. Being with Steve, living with him had been an eye opening experience, because it had not been easy. She struggled everyday with the fact that he walked out of the door and she didn't know whether he would come back home in one piece or even alive.
She was ashamed of the fact that she had walked out on him once, because he had not been able to talk to her about a case that had seriously endangered his life because it was a covert operation. She had behaved like a spoiled child, but had thankfully realised her mistake and gone back. Luckily Steve had been waiting with open arms.
Whatever happened she knew that they would always find their way back to each other. They were soul mates and she remembered the night Steve had told her that after the first time he had rescued her in Paris, he had always thought of her eyes.
"Oh goodness, I feel like I keep getting more handsome as you continue to stare at me" Steve mumbled with a straight face.
She giggled, "You're awake and didn't even tell me".
"I was enjoying you're eyes on me too much" he pulled her closer, then rolled her under him.
"You have a big ego" she said breathlessly as he kissed her neck.
"You're purely to blame for that" he continued to kiss her. "So when are you going to put me out of my misery and marry me?"
"When do you want to get married?" she asked him.
He pulled away to look at her, "As soon as we can arrange a license. Do you want a big wedding?"
"I just want to marry you with our friends and families around us. I don't want anything fancy".
"Are you sure? I've been told that women start planning their weddings from the time they can walk" he teased her, kissing her nose.
She put her arms around him then pulled his head down for a deep kiss, "I have you and that's all I'll ever need".
-X-
Steve was glad that Naomi had not wanted a big wedding. As a result, they stood in the garden of her father's house in Virginia, the only decorations around them were the natural beauty of the garden.
There were no chairs set out as pews, no aisle that Naomi walked down. Only a large gazebo that was big enough to fit Danno his best man, Chin, Max and Spoon his groomsmen, Kono the maid of honour; Shayla and Mary the bridesmaids.
The boys were dressed in plain white open necked shirts and slim fitting black suits, while the bridesmaids dressed in short peach colored chiffon dresses.
In the middle stood Steve who faced Naomi dressed in a short lace dress that ended mid thigh, with long lace sleeves and a deep neckline, her hair was down and simply styled with subtle makeup.
But what made the ceremony truly special was the fact that Senator Morales had agreed to become ordained just so he could conduct the ceremony himself.
As Steve stood and took his vows, a peace settled over him. There were no guarantees in life, but whatever happened, he would always have Naomi and she would always have him.