by Jaime Lewis
“Hey man, what’s up?” Although if Ace was calling at this time in the morning, it wasn’t good news.
“Hey, sorry for the early morning call, but the Commander is calling us in. He wants us there within the hour.
“Shit…”
“Yeah, exactly what I said when I heard my phone this morning, especially when Alex was just giving me the best…” Frost interrupted him. “Christ, man, how many times do I need to tell you I don’t need to hear about your escapades with my best friend.”
Ace’s laughter boomed over the phone
“Well, just think we’ll have something to talk about on our way to wherever the hell we’re headed.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Frost had no intention of sharing details of his night with Autumn. Hell no!
Ace laughed. “Oh, come on. We can exchange stories. Did you or did you not take Autumn out on your first official date last night?”
Frost glanced into the bedroom. His Irish Beauty was sleeping soundly.
“Yeah, and your point.”
“And didn’t Cody stay at a friend’s house?”
“I’m not talking about this shit with you. I’ll see you on base in thirty.” Frost clicked off the phone as Ace was laughing.
He walked back into the room and got back in bed even though he told himself that was the wrong move. Autumn stirred and rolled into him. She was still naked, and her warm body felt like heaven against his skin. He ran his hands through her red tresses. Slowly she blinked her eyes open. When she made eye contact, she smiled.
“Hi,” she whispered in her morning, husky voice that he loved hearing.
“Hi.” He smiled but knew it didn’t reach his eyes, and, of course, she noticed and sat up, so she was resting on her elbow.
“What’s wrong?”
Well, hell…Now he knew what Ace and Potter have to go through when they have to tell their women they are leaving. It sucks!
“Ace just called. I need to report into the base.”
Her eyes widened, and he immediately saw the fear. He pulled her against him and hugged her.
“Don’t get upset, sugar. It was bound to happen sooner or later. This is my job.”
She was trying to wipe a tear before it fell, and his heart broke. He knew this was going to be extremely hard for her, and he worried. He would make sure to call Alex and have her keep in contact with Autumn.
“I know, Jack. But it just happened out of the blue. It just caught me off guard.”
“Unfortunately, that’s the way our job works. There are times we may know in advance, and sometimes, it’s a fire drill.” He brushed her hair from her face. “Are you going to be okay?”
She shook her head, yes. “Just promise me when you can, you’ll call, please.”
He grinned. “You will be the first person I’d call. But, know there are going to be times when I’ll be gone for weeks if not months without any communication.”
She swallowed hard. “I understand.”
He hugged her. “I know you do. You’re a strong woman, and you are my woman. You be sure to keep my side of the bed warm for me.”
She laughed, which is what he intended. “Come here and give me some loving before I need to go. I need to get my fill of you.” She started laughing when he started tickling her before the fun turned to serious, and he made slow passionate love to her.
◆◆◆
On the way to the base, Frost pulled his phone out and dialed his mom. It may be early, but if he knew his mom, she was already up and starting the day. Christ, she was going to be surprised when she finds out the reason for his call. He’d never asked to bring a woman to family dinner at their house. He never met anyone he wanted to introduce to his family until now. He couldn’t wait to introduce Autumn and Cody to his family.
“Hi, honey!” She answered, sounding like the cheery woman she’d always been known for.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Jack, you’re not calling to cancel on dinner this Sunday, are you? Well, unless you and the boys are heading out.” He smiled. She always referred to the team as her boys.
“As of right now, I’m planning to be there. But we were just called in. If we end up leaving, I’ll let you know.”
“Good, because I am making your favorite, stuffed cabbage with poor man’s bread.”
Damn, his mouth was already watering thinking about his mom’s stuffed cabbage. It was a Syrian recipe she got from one of her women’s monthly club meetings she went to.
“Trey and Sammie will be here as well with the kids. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve seen them. I swear those babies get bigger every day. Oh, good heavens, here I go rambling on. I’m sorry, honey, you called me, so you must have had a reason.”
He smiled. God, he loved her, and he made it a point to tell her every time he had the chance to.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Sunday’s dinner. Do you have room for two more spots at the table?”
“Which two boys will I be feeding this week? I swear if it weren’t for Alex and me, you boys would live off frozen meals and take-out.”
Frost chuckled. She’d been one hundred percent right though.
“Actually, it isn’t any of the guys. It’s my girlfriend, Autumn, and her son, Cody. I wanted you and dad to meet them.”
He heard his mom gasp, then heard something drop. It sounded like a pot or pan. He heard his dad asking what was wrong. Christ, did she just faint?
“Mom?”
Her stuttering made him chuckle. “Y-y-you have a girlfriend? Since when?”
He laughed again. “Since last week. But she and I have been talking for a couple of weeks.”
“Where did you meet? How old is her son? The dad isn’t going to be a problem, is he? Have the guys met her yet?”
Oh, my god! “Mom!” He shouted, interrupting her. She’d keep going if he let her.
“I’m sorry, Jack.” They were getting off track again. “Mom, as much as I love hearing your voice, please mute it for just a minute so I can answer a few of your questions.”
He heard his dad laughing. Jesus, now she had put him on speakerphone.
“Listen, Mom, here are the cliff notes. Autumn and I met while I was in the hospital. She was my physical therapist. After I was discharged, we kept in touch and went out a few times. Her son, Cody, is ten-years-old, and you will love him. His dad, who was married to Autumn, was a Marine. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. He was killed while serving in Iraq a few years ago. And, yes, all of the guys have met her and approve. And, if that doesn’t appease you, Alex and Tenley have also both met her and already have ‘girls’ nights planned for the three of them.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
He pulled the phone from his ear and gave it a sideways look, then brought it back up. “Mom, did you just say ‘damned’?” His mother was like June Cleaver. She never cussed.
She started laughing. “Oh, Jack! This is great news. You know I was starting to worry that your brother was going to be the only son to give me grandkids.”
Fuck me. He loved his mother dearly, but he needed to ask her to tamp down her excitement, or she was going to scare the crap out of Autumn. And that included bringing up future grandkids.
“Mom, please don’t bring up grandkids. At least not grandkids produced by her and me. It took a lot to get her to take the chance on us dating. She had a hard time since losing her husband, and with my job, let’s just say it’s been tough.”
His mom was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke in a soft voice. “You really like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Mom. I do.”
“Well, then. I think it’s wonderful you are bringing her and her son to dinner. Do you think a ten-year-old will like stuffed cabbage? I plan on making some chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the kids. I can make enough for him too.”
He smiled, though she couldn’t see him. His mom was a rock star, always thinking of others.
“He might like it. He’ll at least try it. I’ll ask Autumn and let you know.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll see you Sunday. I love you, Jack.”
“I love you too, Mom. Bye”
“Bye, honey.”
He hung up and chuckled. Knowing her, by the time dinner was over on Sunday, she will have Autumn and Cody convinced they are already part of the family. His chest tightened at the thought of that. Now he had to hope they wouldn’t be getting shipped out.
◆◆◆
Frost walked into the secured building on base. He smiled as he made his way to the locker room. His blood was pumping. It was great to be back working with the guys finally.
“Welcome back, man!” Frost was awarded a hard slap on the back from Potter. It was his official first day back on the team. Four fucking weeks was just too long. But he made sure he was one hundred percent good to go before he’d risk the lives of team members.
He smiled to himself, thinking about Autumn and how she was putting him through numerous workouts to be sure for herself that he was ready. He couldn’t complain because when they were on the floor, he managed to get another type of workout in with Autumn. She was still talking this morning before he left about the move he pulled on her to get her flat on her back before he stripped her naked and made love to her right there on the living room floor. This was after they had already made love multiple times and were out in the kitchen for the middle of the night snack. He grinned.
“It feels good to be back.” He walked over to his locker. He felt some normalcy by being back in action with his team, his brothers. However, it was slightly difficult leaving Autumn in bed naked this morning. Especially when she decided to give him a proper send-off. He was surprised he still wasn’t walking around with a hard-on from all their sexual innuendos through the night and into the early morning. He was lucky he wasn’t late. After they had made love, she had snaked her way down his body and between his legs, and he felt his cock being sucked into her warm, silky mouth; he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Autumn was a goddess in bed, and he couldn’t wait to get back to her. He was addicted.
Ace stepped into the room and thank god for that. It was time to get down to work.
He got a slap on the back from Ace.
“Good to see you back here, man.”
Frost grinned. “Good to be back.”
“Alex wanted to know if you and Autumn would be attending the small gathering at the clinic next month. It’s not an opening per se. It’s more for the community leaders and government officials to check it out.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. She’s got to be beside herself right now, knowing the grand opening is scheduled for October.”
“She seems to be handling it all in her stride. I just wish she’d delegate more to the others who are there to help her. I’m afraid she’s going to overwhelm herself and then get burned out.”
Frost knew Ace wouldn’t have mentioned anything if he wasn’t concerned. If Ace was worried, then he was worried as well, as she was one of his best friends, and he didn’t want to see her hurt in any way. Alex was known to push herself beyond her limits sometimes.
“Why don’t you let her get through the little shindig next month and then afterward take her away somewhere for a few days? It would have to be somewhere close by in case we got called in. Maybe during that time, you two can pick out a new wedding date.”
Frost knew Ace still felt like shit when the team got called out a few days before his and Alex’s wedding was supposed to take place, causing them to have to postpone it. Then with all of the shit that went down with Tenley and her ex and dad, the thought of their wedding was moved to the bottom of the priority list.
Ace tapped his index finger against his jaw in thought. “You know what…that is a great idea. Maybe I’ll see if Stitch will let me use his cabin in the mountains. That way, it is close enough that I can get back in time should we get the call. I just need to find someone to watch Zuma. Tenley and Potter normally watch him if we need to be somewhere, but Tenley’s still having some major morning sickness, so I don’t want to bother her with the dog.”
“We can watch him for you guys if need be.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Cody will love it. Autumn said he keeps trying to talk her into getting a dog.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll talk to Alex and let you know.”
At that moment, Commander Connors walked into the room, and everyone stood at attention. Enough playtime, it was back to the grind. Frost smiled to himself, God, he loved this shit.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m so jealous of your olive complexion,” Autumn said to Alex as they lay in the sun by the pool.
Since the team had gotten called in early this morning, Alex decided to have some of the girls over for a day of relaxing by the pool to try and keep their minds off their men. The girls consisted of Autumn, Alex, Tenley, and Mia, Ace’s baby sister. She was in town for a visit for a couple of days. She would be taking her board exam to become a veterinarian in a couple of weeks, so she wanted to get in a visit with the gang before she would be shutting the world out to study.
“God, it’s hot out, today,” Tenley complained, using a paddle fan to try and cool herself. She was just a little over two months pregnant. But looking at her in her itty bitty deep purple bikini, you’d never know.
Alex sat up. “It sure is, I say we get in the pool. I have enough rafts for each of us. That way, we can stay cool while still getting some sun.”
Autumn sat up as the other three girls got up and jumped in the pool. Well, Tenley didn’t jump; she eased herself in from the side. Autumn glanced at the stunning kidney-shaped pool. The rock formation and waterfall near the deep end was absolutely gorgeous. The green foliage mixed with the pool’s exotic features gave you the feeling you were in a jungle. There was even a water slide built into the rocks that dumped the person right into the sparkling blue water. Although the water looked so refreshing, she was still hesitant to get in.
When she was a little girl, she had nearly drowned in the small canal behind her grandmother’s house back in New Mexico. Of course, her parents never tried to give her any type of swimming lesson. Ever since, she had a fear of pools and large bodies of water, really any water that would be over her head. She made sure that Cody was able to swim at an early age. She knew she should’ve taken lessons herself, especially since she had a child.
Alex’s voice brought her mind back to the present. “Hey, are you getting in? I have a raft for you.” Autumn eyed the yellow raft. It seemed small like it wouldn’t be able to hold her fully above the water. She saw the way the others submerged in the water when they laid on it.
She pulled her bottom lip, in-between her teeth. “I think I’ll just sit on the steps for now and cool off.”
Alex scrunched her eyebrows together, and although Autumn may have only known Alex for a couple of weeks, she knew that woman loved to ask questions, and she could tell she was getting ready to fire something off. So, before Alex could even open her mouth, Autumn decided to lay it out for all of them.
“I don’t really know how to swim. When I get near water that’s deep, I start to freak out. I almost drowned when I was a kid, and ever since, I’ve been afraid of deep water.” She was rambling but now felt embarrassed.
Alex’s eyebrows shot upward. “Oh, wow!” The other ladies made similar comments, and they all paddled their rafts to the shallow end near the steps where Autumn was standing.
Tenley hopped off her raft and gestured with her hand for Autumn to get in the pool.
“Get your ass in the pool, and the three of us will teach you. Good lord, woman. You can’t be dating a SEAL and not know how to swim. That has to be a cardinal sin in the SEAL hood.” They all started laughing. Leave it to Tenley to put a smile on everyone’s face.
An hour later, the four women were floating around on the rafts sipping on strawberry margaritas. Tenley’s
was a virgin, of course. Autumn may have only mastered the doggie paddle, but at least she could say she was able to swim. Tenley told her about the swimming classes at the local community center. She decided that no matter the cost, she was going to go by there on Monday and sign up for their adult swim classes.
She turned her head and looked at the three amazing women floating around her. They looked exhausted but happy now that they had some alcohol in their veins. They were each so special and selfless. They had spent a portion of their fun afternoon teaching her how to swim, and never once complained. In fact, they had all done a lot of laughing, especially when they were trying to teach her to go under the water, and her ass kept floating to the top.
“I owe you ladies a night out with drinks on me. And, Tenley, since you can’t have alcohol, you get to pick where we go.”
“Ooo…fun! We love a girl’s night out. Don’t we, Alex?”
Alex bobbed her head up and down, started giggling, and almost spilled her drink. Obviously, it didn’t take much alcohol for Alex to start feeling it. Although if Autumn was honest, she felt a little tipsy herself, and Mia looked like she was feeling pretty good as well. Autumn didn’t know too much about Ace’s sister except that she lived in New York City. She was a beautiful woman with long jet-black hair and brown eyes. She shared a lot of the same facial features as her brother minus the eye color. She had also just recently broken up with her boyfriend because he had cheated on her. But she was still young, and there are plenty of fish in the sea. With her good looks, curvy body, and brains, Autumn couldn’t see her being single for long.
“Plus, I can be the designated driver and make sure your drunk asses get home safely,” Tenley finished saying.
Alex looked at Mia and gave her a wink. “We will have to plan it after Mia takes her Boards, so she can come down for the weekend.” All of the ladies cheered and clinked their glasses, making the margaritas slosh into the pool, which just made them laugh even harder. Autumn clung to the raft she was floating on and wondered how much alcohol Alex put in these drinks.