Sighing, Lily touched his face and he leaned his cheek into her gentle fingers. “Paul, we’re having a baby…I love having you here. I look forward to talking to you. But is that enough to make a marriage? Won’t you eventually resent me?” She swallowed hard. “Or worse, what if I end up resenting you?”
Discomfort rippled across her face and he touched her belly again. The baby seemed to be kicking more. “I can’t say it won’t happen. Because I can’t see the future. No one can promise you that. Happily ever after isn’t something that happens, it’s something you work for—together.” He believed that. He was raised with two parents who argued, loudly, and made up just as fiercely. They weren’t perfect, they made mistakes, they adjusted, and they grew together. He wanted that for himself.
He wanted Lily.
“But you’re tired.” It wasn’t a question. The baby’s size made her more uncomfortable by the day and he’d been there a week and already saw it. “So—let’s do this. We’re going to get you comfortable, you pick the movie and I’ll clean and then give you a foot rub.”
Her smile softened and she shook her head. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Wrong answer.” He leaned in and kissed her hard. “I don’t deserve you. That’s why you’re making me work so hard.” Rising, he helped her out of the chair and gave her bottom a light smack. “Go. Get comfy and figure out what you want to watch.”
And let me figure out how to convince you that we’re right together…. His time ran short. Two weeks was nowhere near enough time to make his case. Deal with the situation in front of you, like Luke says. This is the situation. This is what I do.
***
Christmas morning turned magical. She’d noticed and watched curiously as the boxes waiting in her dining room vanished and mysteriously reappeared as wrapped presents under the tree. And there were a lot of them. Curiosity nibbled on her, but she focused her attention on Paul and not the presents. The last two weeks had been a small miracle.
The man was invested in every part of her life. They went to a Christmas party together at Mike’s Place. Surrounded by his friends and fellow Marines, she thought she’d be out of place—but no one allowed her that. They welcomed her like she belonged there.
Paul apparently conspired with Rebecca for her baby shower, too. He delivered her to the location and picked her up, packing in all the presents. They had a crib, a decorated room for the baby, and everything she would need for the first few months.
The night he put it all together, she’d never laughed so hard in her life. But he wasn’t perfect. Mentally, she’d ticked off the list—he snored. He used all the hot water in the shower. He loved to cuddle. He never let her do anything if he got to it first.
Yeah, his flaws are the suck….
But at his core, he remained a Marine. The clock ticking down on their time together thudded with every beat of her heart. It didn’t matter how much fun they were having, he had to leave right after the first to report to his duty station in Germany. He would leave.
And she would be there alone, with the baby still due.
And that’s what I want to do. But it wasn’t. No matter how much she couldn’t reconcile herself to the nomadic lifestyle again, her stationary home held even less appeal…because Paul wouldn’t be in it.
Nothing made that plainer than waking alone on Christmas morning and seeing a stocking propped on the nightstand next to the bed. A beautiful rose poked out of the top of it and with an eagerness she hadn’t experienced since she was a baby, she pulled the stocking over and peeked inside.
The rose had a bracelet wrapped around it. Beneath that were two novels she’d mentioned liking, a copy of the Bourne movie they’d watched on Skype, and a homemade Dummies Guide to Loving a Marine.
Setting aside all the others, she flipped open the cover on the notebook and read the inscription.
Apparently there’s a project going on at Mike’s Place where all the spouses and significant others have been swapping stories. Rebecca asked them to put this together for you, so you’d know exactly what you’re getting into. Apparently being a military brat is different from being a military wife. I want you to have all the facts.
Your Marine, Paul
A tear splashed the back of her hand. Each page included a note or a letter from a Marine’s significant other. Some were just lists, others went deeper. Some had been military brats, and some like Rebecca were made widows before they were wives, abandoned by the love of their life for duty and country. But Rebecca added some key details to the story that Lillianna knew so well.
I get that this isn’t the life for everyone. But Luke didn’t give me a choice in it. I would trade every empty year without him for deployments, homecomings, and the worry in between. The choice of being there for someone you love is as important as the job they do being there for our country. It’s not the easiest road, but it’s far from the loneliest.
She didn’t know how long she sat reading, every story gripping her. The artist who waited for her boyfriend, the attorney who wasn’t sure if she could commit to a life that might involve having to say goodbye, the best friend who would take on anything if it meant staying with the man he loved, and the retired Marine husbands who were in similar positions. The status of being a spouse came with its own unique challenges and benefits, but they didn’t believe they were alone—ever. Because they kept the home fires burning together—a private club where they understood the trials and the tasks and helped the new arrivals ease into that life.
Climbing out of bed, she carried the book into the living room. Paul sat next to the tree, staring at it with the most thoughtful of expressions. She padded across the room and slid onto his lap and he adjusted immediately, helping her find a comfortable spot and wrapping his arm around her.
“Merry Christmas,” he murmured.
“I love you.”
He smiled slowly. “I love you.”
Her heart pinged in her chest. “Do you really think we can do this?” She held up the book. The look on his face melted her.
He nodded. “I know we can. I know I don’t want to go back without you.”
“I thought we were just a wedding fling.” That’s what she’d told herself when it got too hard.
“You were never a one-night stand for me, or any kind of fling. I spent four months trying to figure out how to see you again when you called and told me you were pregnant. I haven’t touched another woman since you and I don’t want to. You’re my girl.” He rubbed her lower back. “Marry me.”
“You never give up.” A quiet sense of awe filled her. His confidence and charm were the facets that attracted her in the first place, but they filled her with an inexplicable comfort and sense of security.
“Nope. You see, good things come to those who know to go and damn well get them. You’re the best thing to happen to me since the Marines. So, I’m telling you. You’re going to marry me. It’s just a matter of when.”
“Well, when you put it like that…what do you think of New Year’s Eve?” She couldn’t stop her lips from twitching.
Paul whooped. “Sold.” He kissed her and she melted into him, holding on for dear life because she was throwing her hat into the deep end. Pressing his forehead to hers, he murmured. “I love you, Lillianna Hansen-soon-to-be-Torres, forever and ever. Marry me.”
She knew an order when she heard one. And this time, she wouldn’t break the rules. “Yes.”
Epilogue
“You can do this.” Paul held fast to his wife’s hand. They’d had her take the wedding ring off when they checked into the hospital, and it hung on a chain around his neck with his dog tags.
Lillianna leaned forward, her face straining as she howled her way through another contraction. “I hate you,” she murmured and sagged back, panting.
“Me, too,” he agreed cheerfully. “Ready? It’s time for another one?” Her water broke as he’d walked in the door from class, and he applauded their child’s effort to wa
it for him to get there. He’d never moved so fast in his life to get her to a hospital. They’d been in Germany just five weeks. They also had to promise their respective parents a bigger wedding sometime later in the year, but the justice of the peace who married them on New Year’s Eve was fine by him.
“Ow!” She sat forward and strained, pushing. Her fingers locked on his, digging into his hand and he took it. If he could ride the pain out for her, he would. She’d skipped the epidural, citing too many studies of potential stroke, and she wanted to remember every minute of the experience.
He’d imagined she would change her mind, but not his wife. God, I love the sound of it…wife. Somewhere between a night of flagrant passion and the delivery room, he’d fallen in love with her. Head over heels via phone calls, text messages, and Skype. He treasured every single moment of their time together, especially the birth of their child.
Even if she was close to breaking his hand.
“Here we go.” The doctor looked up from his position between Lily’s legs. “Another hard push.”
“You can do this.” Paul held her gaze, pouring all of his encouragement into the look they shared. Her face strained and twisted, the doctor said something, and then a baby’s loud wails filled the room.
The doctor laid the baby against her belly and Lily sagged.
“Congratulations, folks…it’s a boy.”
Paul grinned. “It’s a boy. I win.”
Lily laughed and he kissed her damp forehead.
“You did fantastic, sweetheart.” He kept a close eye on the doctors as they clipped the cord and cleaned his son.
“Lucas,” Lily murmured and he glanced down at her.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He might have been a jerk. But he married one of my best friends and introduced me to the love of my life. I can forgive him long enough to name our boy Lucas.”
Pride bloomed in Paul’s chest. “Lucas Jorge Torres.” Named for his captain and his father. It didn’t get better than that.
At least he didn’t think so, until they put his son in his arms. Glancing from the baby’s deep brown face to his wife’s, he grinned wider.
It did get better.
“I love you.”
“Yes,” she whispered, eyes shining. “I don’t need happily ever after. I just need you.”
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.
You can visit Heather at:
www.heatherlong.net
Combat Barbie
Beauty queen turned marine, Mary Phillips is tired of hearing "you could have been so much more." But running into Kyle Stewart reminds her that not everyone judges by appearance.
Seeing Mary again encourages Kyle to face his one regret, and the millionaire dares to reach for happiness.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Have you ever woken up every day afraid of everything?
For single mom and widow Melody Carter, six months passed since an IED ripped her life apart. Everyone is sympathetic and offers platitudes of comfort and support. Everyone thinks they know why she’s grieving, but Melody isn’t mourning her broken heart. She’s ashamed to be grateful her abusive husband won’t hurt her anymore and scared for her child. Born with a mild heart defect, her daughter needs lifesaving surgery and with her funds tight and her emotional scars tighter, she’s running out of options. When she receives an offer for assistance from Mike’s Place, can Melody put her faith in the men her husband called friend?
Have you ever woken up, day after day, to discover your body’s betrayal?
Marine Captain, Joe Anderson Cooper, received the Silver Star for Valor when he led his unit through heavy fire to rescue fellow Marines. Despite numerous injuries, the Captain refused medical aid, insisting that the medics attend others. A broken back and shattered bones put Captain Cooper in a wheelchair and every day is a battle to keep his recovery on track and his sanity intact. When a single mom moves in to the apartment next door to his and he recognizes kindred—damaged—soul, can he overcome her fear and be the man she’s always needed?
Can these two lonely souls rise to the challenge or will their scars trap them forever?
Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Marine Ever After (Always a Marine) Page 11