Free SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) by Naomi Niles Page B

presence in
town. I thought back to our adolescence and I remembered how bright we had
burned together and I knew that I was only kidding myself. His looks had
nothing to do with it. It would have hurt either way.
    “I know that doesn’t make
much sense,” I said to my mother.
    She smiled at me. “It
makes sense,” she said. “Are you planning on seeing him again after the
funeral?”
    “I don’t know,” I
replied. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.”
    “Why not?”
    “I don’t think getting
involved with Dylan again is a good idea, mom,” I said. “He’s only in town for
a month; it can’t go anywhere.”
       She didn’t say anything; she nodded and wrapped her arm around me
again. I knew she wouldn’t push it; she knew how hard it had been for me to get
over Dylan. Our conversation was put to an end when Tyler approached me. He
looked calmer than I had seen him in days.
    “Elizabeth,” he called.
“Are you ready?”
    I took a deep breath.
“Yes,” I nodded.
       Tyler led me up to the piano that was placed on the side of the
coffin a short distance away. I sat down and I felt a tingling in my fingers. I
knew that everyone’s eyes were on me but I didn’t dare look up. I hadn’t seen
Dylan yet and I didn’t want to at that moment. He would only make me more nervous.
I tried to steady myself as I poised my fingers above the keys.
    “This is it,” I whispered
to myself. “Don’t screw it up Elizabeth.”
       Then I started playing. It was a little shaky at first and I
almost lost the tune a couple of times, but I willed myself forward and once I
had got into the song, I managed to find a level of comfort that got me through
the songs that Mrs. Thomas had personally requested. I concentrated on nothing
but the keys and the music and when I finally finished playing, I noticed Dylan
walk up to the microphone.
       He was wearing a dark suit that made him look like a model
straight out of a perfume ad. I noticed that his gaze was on me and I gave him
a small smile. He thanked everyone for coming, he introduced himself, and then
he started talking about his father, about the kind of man he was and about his
time in the Navy.
       “People knew how important that uniform was to him,” Dylan said. “They
understood how proud he was to have been in the navy and that formed his
identity. But he was made up of more than that; he was more than a soldier. He
was a husband and a father. He loved his wife and he loved his children. And if
you had asked him which one he identified with more, he would never have
mentioned the Navy. He would have talked about my mother, who was the love of
his life. He would have talked about my brother, whom he was so proud of. And
he would have talked about me.”
       “That is the kind of man my father was. He had commitments, he had
obligations, and he had a duty to his country. But he never forgot about the
things that were important to him. He was away a lot when I was a child, but I
never resented him for that absence. I knew he was out there doing something
important and I knew he was thinking of me every second of every day. Even when
he wasn’t around, he always made sure that we knew that he loved us. My father …
he was a good soldier and a good man. But in my opinion, he was an even better
husband and father.”
    “He’s a good speaker
isn’t he?” Tyler said from behind me.
       I hadn’t even noticed he was behind me. I wiped away the tear that
had slipped down my cheek and glanced at him. “I would have thought you’d give
the speech?”
    Tyler shook his head.
“This is Dylan’s forte; he did a good job.”
    “He did,” I nodded.           
    “Thank you, Elizabeth,” Tyler
said. “For playing.”
       “Of course,” I nodded and leaned in to give Tyler a hug and a
kiss. I turned around and realized that people were queuing up to pay their
condolences to Dylan and Mrs. Thomas who were standing on the