by Jaime Lewis
The government had a lot to investigate, and a lot of questions they had to answer.
Alex just wanted to go home. The police were still processing the crime scene, which included her vehicle. She had already told Ace that she didn’t want the car back and for the police to do whatever they wanted with it, not after Williams had shot himself in it.
She tilted her head and looked up at Ace.
“Can we go home now?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Three months later
Christmas day at Ace and Alex’s house was total chaos. Christmas music played as Alex stood in the kitchen and took in the sight of her friends and family, who were all gathered for the holiday.
All her uncles, as well as their families, were there. Tenley, and Juliette, Ace and all the guys from the team. Even Bear and his team stopped by. Plus, Ace’s family made a surprise visit. If she had to guess, there were probably around fifty or so people milling around her house, but she wouldn’t have changed a thing. This is what the holidays were about, friends and family coming together to celebrate.
Ace had surprised her last night. He had been gone for the last three weeks and wasn’t sure if he’d be home for the holidays.
Ace’s mom, Charlotte, and his sisters had flown into town about a week ago to spend Christmas with them, even though they knew there was a good possibility that Ace wouldn’t make it home. They told Alex that she shouldn’t be alone during the holidays. She welcomed the company, admitting that it did get a little lonely when Ace was gone.
Lost in her silent thoughts, she didn’t hear Ace sneak up behind her until she felt his arms come around her waist. He pulled her back against him and nuzzled her behind the ear.
“Not that I’m complaining because I love your beautiful smile, but what has you beaming?”
She didn’t even realize she had been smiling. She placed her hands over his and tilted her head back to look up at him. “Just admiring our family and friends and how thankful I am that all of us got to spend this day together and knowing you guys are home safe.”
He lightly bit down on her earlobe. “Here, I thought you were smiling because you remembered your Christmas present I gave you last night.” Thank God nobody was around them because Alex felt the heat in her face and knew her cheeks were probably two shades of red.
“How could I ever forget that present?”
They heard someone clear their throat behind them.
“Alex, do you have a few minutes that I could speak with you privately?” Derek asked her.
She looked at Ace, hoping for a hint of what it could be, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Then the doorbell rang. “Let me get that, and then I’ll meet you outside.”
“No, let Ace get it, you come with me,” he said, stopping her in her tracks. He looked to Ace, “We’ll be out on the patio.”
She walked with Derek, and as they stepped on to the patio, she was surprised to see her uncles and the rest of Ace’s team. She smiled, but all she got back were blank expressions, and then she began to worry. She wasn’t sure if she could deal with any more drama.
She heard the patio door click, and when she turned, she saw someone she thought she’d never see again. “Colonel Johnson!” Alex ran over and hugged him.
“Hi, honey. I hope you don’t mind. Derek invited me, but he wanted to surprise you.”
“Are you kidding me? This is wonderful. I’m glad you were able to make it back to the states for the holidays. You don’t have to go back, do you?”
“No, I’ll be in the vicinity for quite a while, so you’ll probably be seeing a lot of me.”
“Well, I’m happy to hear that,” she started to say something else but then noticed someone else standing in the shadows beside Ace. Now she felt really nervous when even his face was blank. It was Christmas, her favorite holiday, so none of these guys had better give her bad news.
Derek stepped forward and shook the Colonel’s hand. “Glad you could make it, Mike.”
“Thanks. Happy to be here, and I wouldn’t miss this.” He shook hands with the others while Alex looked on, feeling like she was the odd man out.
As the group started to form a semi-circle around her, she nervously asked, “Derek, what’s going on?”
The mystery man stepped forward, and Alex’s eyes about bulged out of her head the second she recognized that the freaking Secretary of the Navy was standing in front of her.
“Alex, I’d like to introduce to you Craig Thornwall, SECNAV.”
Alex stuck her hand out. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir. Not to sound rude, but why are you here?” Leave it to her not to be bashful.
He chuckled and offered her a comforting smile. “The pleasure is all mine. You’ve seemed to have made a name for yourself, young lady. I am here on behalf of the President of the United States.”
Alex paled and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, did you say the President?”
He smiled. “I did. Your actions over in Afghanistan didn’t go unnoticed. Because of your bravery and courageous acts, you saved the lives of many people.” He pulled a square black box from behind his back and opened it, revealing a beautiful medal.
“Alex, on behalf of the President of the United States and the United States Navy, I’m honored to award you the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award. This is the highest medal awarded to a civilian, and it is being awarded to you for your unquestionable selfless actions in battle that resulted in the outcome of bringing down a powerful organization and the securement of stolen weapons.”
Alex held the medal in her shaking hand, not sure what to say. Hell, she didn’t know if she could even speak.
Derek took her hand in his.
“Alex, this is something that I’d have loved to share with everyone. But I know that you don’t like the whole dog and pony show. However, everyone standing here now wanted to be present, and the timing worked out perfectly. Colonel Johnson and I were able to pull a few last-minute strings, and Craig here happened to be in Norfolk today and had time to stop by.”
Taking a few deep breaths, she managed to compose herself enough to speak finally.
“This is mind-blowing. Thank you.” She reached out to shake the SECNAV’s hand.
He surprised her when he pulled her into a gentle hug. He wasn’t that tall of a man, but he still had a couple of inches on her. Patting her on the back, he whispered so only she could hear. “This country, along with the rest of the world, owes you more than a medal. What you uncovered has saved millions of precious lives.”
He stepped back and pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “I almost forgot this.” He handed it to her.
She opened it and found two pieces of paper. One was a payoff notice to the mortgage on the building she had purchased for her foundation, and the second was a check for $350,000 made out to the Jacob Hardesty Foundation. “What is this for?”
“That was the reward the government was offering for Ashraf. Derek said you wouldn’t accept the money personally, so we put our heads together and found a way for you to still benefit from the funds. We paid off the mortgage to your building, and the rest of it can be used to help people. You’re doing a wonderful thing, and from what I hear, you’ll be getting a lot of funding in the near future.”
With an apologizing look, he said, “I hate to run, but I am supposed to be meeting my wife and sons in about thirty minutes.”
While everyone said their good-byes, Alex snuck off to the other side of the patio where she could take a breather. She leaned against the railing and stared down at the items in her hands. As much as she appreciated it, she hated being reminded of that time in her life. She had worked hard over the months to try and purge it from her memory.
She felt a few tears slip down her cheek, and she quickly wiped them away.
“Alex?”
Hoping she didn’t look that bad, she took in a deep breath and turned. Ace was staring a
t her with a concerned expression.
She wiped her eyes again, smiled, and gave a throaty laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m not quite sure what came over me. I genuinely appreciate all of this. But you guys were right. I wouldn’t have wanted all the attention. This was perfect. Sharing this with all of the important men in my life means a lot.”
“So, is it really true what the SECNAV said? About the weapons being found. That’s where you guys were.” They stood staring at her with amusement in their eyes, but nobody said a word. “Oh shit. I’m sorry. Pretend I didn’t even ask.” She was waving her hand in the air, and everyone laughed.
Derek grabbed her hand. “Let’s just say the world is a little safer today.” He winked at her.
A smile crept upon her face. “That is probably the best news and Christmas present I received today.” She got up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Changing the subject, Stitch asked, “What do you say that we go in and start opening presents? I think the kids’ patience has worn off, and I’m afraid if we don’t let them open their presents soon, they are going to start attacking the Christmas tree on their own. Look at them,” he said, motioning toward the massive twelve-foot tree that stood in her living room and the many kids that surrounded it. “They are all sitting around the tree like little soldiers planning their attack.”
Alex laughed and led the team inside.
◆◆◆
Once the kids all opened their gifts, they moved into the game room, leaving the adults in the living room. Everyone was engrossed in conversation. Alex looked around the room, hoping to find her man. Hearing his booming laughter, she found him perched on the arm of the couch, talking with Stitch and his sister Mia. Seeing him smile is what makes her happy.
With everyone enjoying themselves and everything under control, Alex walked through the kitchen toward the back patio, needing to get some fresh air and some alone time. She loved her family and friends, but only going on two hours of sleep and preparing food and getting the house ready was wearing on her, and fatigue was starting to set in.
She stepped outside and was hit by a blast of frigid night-time air. Padding over to a lounge chair, she sat down, curled her legs up under her, and laid her head back to look up at the sky. It was a clear night, and an almost full moon cast its glowing light illuminating the sky. The only sound was the faint laughter coming from inside the house. Yes, this was exactly what she needed right now. She pulled down the throw blanket that was hanging on the back of the chair and spread it over her body.
Once settled and snug under the warmth of the blanket, she looked up again, studying the stars. She smiled, thinking about all the good that had entered her life over the past year—being back in her hometown with her family and friends. Thankful for the new friends she’d made. Fortunate for the encouragement of her friends and family as she moved forward with her new charity and especially their support in overcoming her PTSD. And lastly, she was blessed to have met the man of her dreams. The man who swept her off her feet the moment she fell into his arms. The man who gave her his heart and a shoulder to lean on when times were tough. The man that she loved and would continue to love for the rest of her life. On that thought, she closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax and let her mind drift off.
◆◆◆
Back in the house, Ace searched for Alex. He had one more present for her. One, he couldn’t give her last night when they decided to exchange gifts in the bedroom after he had made love to her. He had kept her up into the early morning hours, ravishing her body. He knew he was a selfish bastard, but being away from her for three weeks was torture. Checking the rooms upstairs, he came up empty and hurried back downstairs. Walking through the kitchen toward the game room, he saw Potter standing at the French doors leading out back.
“Have you seen Alex?”
Potter chuckled and slapped Ace’s back. “Damn, you haven’t been home for twenty-four hours, and you already lost her?”
“Fuck you,” he said, punching Potter’s shoulder. “Seriously, man, have you seen her around? I checked upstairs already. I want to give her the present I had you pick up for me this morning. Where’s it at anyway?”
Laughing and rubbing his shoulder where Ace punched him, he pointed to the room off the kitchen. “I put it in your office under the desk.” Then he tipped his beer bottle in the direction of the patio. “Looks like someone needed a nap. What did you do to keep her up all night?”
Ace gave his best friend a smug smile and didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, and you would’ve too if you walked in on what I did last night.” Christ, when he walked into their bedroom a little after midnight and found Alex bent over in the middle of their walk-in closet, picking up a pile of clothes and wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts, it almost made him come in his pants.
Seeing her bare ass set his alpha-male ego off, and he didn’t even wait to get her back to the bed. He used his booted foot to shut the closet door, walked over, and picked her up as she squealed in delight, then he took her right there in the closet against the door. Yep, Merry Fucking Christmas to him!
“Really.” Potter arched one of his eyebrows. “Now you’ve intrigued me, care to explain?”
“Fuck, no!” Potter threw his head back and laughed at the offended look on Ace’s face. Wanting to know what the laughter was about, some of the other guys joined them, and Potter explained, making everyone laugh and causing Ace to stomp off in the direction of his office.
With the present in hand, Ace stood on the patio. He set the box down gently next to the chair, then bent down and scooped Alex up before sitting down with her on his lap. He adjusted the blanket over both of them.
He looked down as she was blinking her eyes open. She must have realized she had fallen asleep because her eyes got really wide, and she sat up quickly. “Oh God, I didn’t mean to doze off. I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
Ace chuckled and held her down until her head rested on his shoulder. She was so adorable when she got herself worked up. “It’s okay. Everyone can take care of themselves for a little while longer. Everything okay?”
“MmmHmm…” She snuggled closer to him. “You’re warm.” Ace laughed.
He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “I have another present for you.”
She sat up. “Ace, you got me enough. I don’t need anything else.”
“I know, and I would’ve given you this one last night; however, I couldn’t pick it up until today.”
He loved the confused look on her face. “You picked it up today? It’s Christmas, and all the stores are closed. Plus, you never left the house today.”
He kissed her nose. “I had help from an elf, a very large elf.”
He leaned over and picked up the box with a blue and gold bow on the top and set it on her lap. “You can’t shake it. Just pull the top off.”
Ace watched as she removed the top, then gasped as she peeked inside. “Oh, my God! You got me a puppy?” She was smiling from ear-to-ear, and her eyes were lit up like her Christmas tree.
“I thought you might like some company when I’m gone. But he will have to share you when I’m home.”
“Oh, he’s gorgeous.” She lifted the sleepy chocolate lab puppy out of the box and snuggled him against her chest. “How old is he?”
“Nine weeks.” He reached down and scratched him behind his ears, and the puppy yawned.
“We need to find an open store. He needs food, toys, a collar, and a leash. Oh! And we need to give him a name. What do you think about the name Zuma?”
“It’s interesting.”
“Zuma is a cartoon character on the show Paw Patrol.” She held up her hand. “I know what you’re going to ask. My uncles’ kids watch it, and when I babysit them, that’s all they watch. Anyway, there is a chocolate lab, and his name is Zuma, and he loves water. See, he already has something in common with his daddy.”
Ace couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer. She
was too cute. He put his arms around her and the puppy.
“I’ve already gotten everything for him that he needs at least for tonight. It is all in my office. Derek and Juliette knew and picked up everything for me. And as far as his name, I love it.”
“Thank you, Ace, I love him.” She tilted her head up and kissed him. Pulling back, she met his blue eyes that held a twinkle to them. “I love you so much. I’m so fortunate to have you in my life.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. You mean the world to me.”
He let out a sigh. “I had this all planned out for later, but I think right now is the perfect moment. Just you, me, and the new addition to our family.” He gestured toward the now sleeping Zuma on Alex’s lap.
◆◆◆
Ace was so nervous. Looking from the dog in her lap back to her face, he took her left hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“I love you, Alex. You were a treasure that I never expected to discover in the sandbox.” He gave her a crooked smile and winked. “You were a true gem, considering the sandboxes that I’ve played in.”
She laughed, and he placed their entwined hands over his heart. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Hearing your laughter, your sassiness, and you being you. I’ve always told you that you were mine, and I was never letting you go. You stole my heart the moment I stepped into your sandbox. Marry me?”
Releasing her hand, he reached into the chest pocket of his shirt and withdrew a ring. A simple one-carat princess cut diamond in a white gold setting.
With tears running down her face, she placed her palm against his cheek and leaned in so that her lips were just over his; she whispered, “Really?”
He smiled. “Really, babe. What do you say? Will you become my wife?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “I need to hear the word, sweetheart.”
A big grin broke out across her face. “YES!” She shouted, startling little Zuma. “I’ll marry you.”
Taking her hand, he slid the ring on her finger. “You’ve made me the happiest man,” he whispered as he pulled her in for a kiss.