“Me. You. Us… our family.” She brought one of my hands up to kiss it before hugging my arms around her tightly.
“We’ve come a long way in a short time, haven’t we?”
“Yeah… Are you happy, Ben?”
Was I happy?
I turned her to face me and kissed her nose before gracing her with a smile. “Let me put it this way…” I nuzzled her nose. “I had a life before you came along; a miserable one, but a life just the same. You make me feel alive. You give me more joy in all our time together than I could have ever hoped for in a lifetime alone. I can’t say that there won’t be arguments or moments of sadness in our future, because no one knows what the future holds, but I can say that never will I give up, turn my back, or walk away from us. I can guarantee you that I’ll be giving it my all to keep that gorgeous smile on your face until the day I take my last breath.”
“I love you, Benjamin Carpenter.”
“And I you, Hannah Carpenter.”
If the last year was any indication as to what our future held out for us, I’d have to say that we were looking at a damn great life together.
Something definitely has to be said about actually living life instead of existing.
When my head hit the pillow that night, I thanked my lucky stars just as I’ve done every day since I was gifted Hannah’s love.
Fate had finally dealt me the best hand of all, and I finally won the pot in this crazy game of life. It may not have been millions in money, precious metals, or jewels, but it was better than that.
I had a home… not just a house.
I had a wife… not some random woman.
I had a son… not some crazy kid from up the street.
I had friends… not colleagues or patrons who think they know me.
I had a job… fatherhood definitely was the best title I ever held, in my opinion.
I had a life… a real one, filled with happiness, devotion and love.
With Hannah cuddled into me and my arms wrapped around her, I sighed my contentment.
Yeah, this is definitely a life worth being envious of.
Enjoyed the story? Let us know what you thought!
Leave your review for To Forgive & Hold Safe HERE before you go!
Wondering what’s next in the BMC series?
Stay tuned for A Heart’s War
COMING SUMMER 2016!!!
A Heart’s War, An Excerpt
Prologue
A fiery blast came from our left. The vehicle I was crammed into took a sharp right before weightlessness set in, the deafening sound making my ears ring, making my head feel as if it was about to explode.
Shouts, screams, the sounds were otherworldly. A living nightmare I never once thought would come from the men around me. Those I was responsible for.
Suspended for eternity is how it felt when in fact, within seconds it was over.
That’s when I looked over at my second in command who was riding next to me. “Donnelly.” My vision was blurry, my head pounding. Everything was tinged with red. “Donnelly,” I repeated on a choked cough, wiping blood from my eyes, my face. Whether it was mine or someone else’s, I couldn’t care less. When Donnelly didn’t answer, I addressed the group. “Everyone okay?”
No answer.
I blinked a few times, the ringing in my ears dying down enough for me to be able to make out the horrific chaos that surrounded us, but the erratic thumping in my chest, not to mention the prickling of the small hairs on the back of my neck told me that this wasn’t it.
I was hoping that my vehicle was the only one in our convoy that had been hit.
I knew I had to get out, help the other men and women.
I tried to move, but the debilitating pain in my legs told me I was in bad shape.
“Damon,” I shouted to our driver. It wasn’t until my eyes focused on him that I noticed his head hanging at an unnatural angle. My rations from that morning’s breakfast began to weigh heavy and my gut clenched, bile beginning to rise. “Oh fuck!”
The man lay against what should have been the window to his door – dead.
Beside him, the newest addition to our team – a woman we’d dubbed Tiny, for evident reasons – lay across the middle console, aortic blood spraying lightly as the last of her life force drained away.
Keeping my sanity in check became harder as panic consumed me.
But there was still one more – Donnelly.
I glanced at my best friend in this godforsaken sandbox; the one that had kept me level headed throughout our many deployments since BUD/S.
At first he appeared unharmed, as if he were sleeping.
Then he groaned, that sweet sound cutting through the automatic gunfire helping dispel my ever-growing sense of helplessness. But only minutely.
Setting my relief to the side, I called out his name. Despite the sudden lull in weapon fire, I knew insurgents could still be around and if so, we needed to get gone fast.
As I tried to rouse Donnelly, I became aware of approaching footsteps. I prayed for it to be our men but I knew that in all likelihood we might not be so lucky.
Thoughts about my life, my family, my friends flashed through my head.
If I survived this ambush, and if the crunching sand under boots was foe, I knew before long I’d be praying for death. I just didn’t know how right I was.
“Dammit, Donnelly,” I tried again. “Wake the fuck up. We need to get out of here.”
The man managed a groan but didn’t wake, didn’t move.
I heard shouts outside our vehicle; both English and foreign. Just as another bout of gunfire hit, the distinctive sound of our M-16’s against AK-47’s, everything drew to a halt. The sound of gurgling close to the rear of our vehicle and the rapid fire of Pashto sent me into a full-blown panic.
Fuck.
Seconds later, I was ripped from my seat, the searing pain in my legs escalating to a blinding level and I screamed.
When two men laid their hands on Donnelly, he kicked into action.
Fully extricated and now able to better see my surroundings, I heard weapons still firing intermittently, screams and pleas of mercy coming from all directions.
I tried to fight but the injury to my legs had me useless against two able-bodied men.
Before I knew it, I was hog-tied, gagged, and an old rice bag that smelled of sweat and mildew was slipped over my head.
With a hit to the back of my head I fell into darkness…
Books by Carey Decevito
THE BROKEN MEN CHRONICLES
Once Written, Twice Shy
Almost Forgotten
Play Me to Infinity
To Forgive & Hold Safe
OTHER BOOKS
Hot Communications
About the Author
Born and raised in small town Northern Ontario, Canada, Carey Decevito has always had a penchant for reading and writing.
More than a decade later, with weeks of sleepless nights, where exhaustion settled into her everyday existence, she finally gave and put pen to paper (more like fingers to keyboard). She submitted to the dreams that plagued her. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Carey Decevito enjoys spending time with family and friends, the outdoors, travelling, and playing tourist in Canada’s National Capital region. When life gets crazy, she seeks respite through her writing and reading. If all else fails, she knows there’s never a dull moment with her two daughters, her goofy husband and their cat who she swears are out to get her.
To Forgive & Hold Safe is the fourth book from The Broken Men Chronicles series.
Connect with Carey Online
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
ter>
To Forgive & Hold Safe (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 4) Page 24