by Anthology
My editor, how lucky was I to be the one to pop your client editing cherry – go me! Thank you Jennifer at Beyond the Cover Editing.
The ladies of the Christmas Anthology group for popping my anthology cherry, thank you -Ashley Beale, Ashley Johnson, Brandace Morrow, Cassandra Burchett, Danielle Jamie, Jade C. Jamison, Lisa Survillas, Miranda Rcr, Nicky Jayne, Rebecca Brooke, S Moose Author.
Thanks to my sister, Susan, for finding me not one, but two cover models – and twins no less.
Thank you Eugene and Vincent Dinescu. We haven’t even “met” in persona yet but you are already a part of my little indie group family, we ladies are so very lucky.
Beyond The Cover Editing - http://www.beyondthecoverediting.com/
Cover model - Eugene Dinescu - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-Dinescu/248099281917431
Cover model - Vincent Dinescu
Authors The Dinescu Twins - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsTheDinescuTwins
Find me at:
Jennifer Benson Author
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Benson-Author/245003878989266
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110957032724776041140/posts
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20549564-love-unclaimed?from_search=true#other_reviews
Coming Home
Rebecca Brooke
Dedication
To all of the Army wives that stand behind their soldiers, no matter how far their job takes them, to protect the freedoms we hold so dear.
Prologue
HOME.
Many of us think of home as our house. The place we go after work. Where we eat and sleep. Yet, there is so much more to a home. Yes, our family is in our house. But a house is just four walls and a roof. It’s what’s inside that makes it a home. The love, the peace, the one person you can’t live without.
A house is a building.
Home is a place you can always come back to.
Chapter One
Tanner
“WOULD YOU PLEASE take a break?” I asked, not worried for a moment that I was begging. Danielle had been obsessively cleaning for the last two weeks and nothing I said ever got her to stop. Then again, if it was just cleaning, eventually she would run out of things to do, but it was decorating and baking, too. The thought of seducing her crossed my mind. It had worked for a few hours the other night. Well, at least until she got her energy back. Then she was back to straightening everything up, even though it was almost two in the morning.
“I can’t stop. Everything has to be perfect.”
As she walked past me for the third time in five minutes, I reached out and took her hand, pulling her down into my lap. She huffed out a breath, but didn’t fight my hold on her as, using one hand, I cupped her face, turning it toward me. “Dani, please stop and listen to me. The apartment is fine. Everything will be fine.”
There was a slight tremble to her hands. “I’m not so sure. What if they hate me?”
Leaning in, I covered her lips with mine, trying to offer reassurance. “They are not going to hate you.”
My parents had decided to come down for the Christmas holiday, which was causing Danielle to have a major meltdown. The worst part was that I couldn’t figure out why. I’d met her parents months ago. She hadn’t freaked out introducing me to them, and we weren’t even dating at that point. Now we were engaged, and for some strange reason this was making her act like a crazy person.
“But what if they do? They haven’t even met me yet, and here we are engaged to be married.”
“You act like I haven’t told them anything about you. My dad knew I felt more for than friendship before I did. He tried telling me, but I hadn’t wanted to listen. Trust me, they are going to love you, just like I do.”
There was one small thing I hadn’t told them. But there was no reason to bring that up now.
Her eyes fell to the floor, before looking back up at me. “I’m glad you’re so sure.”
“What’s not to like?” I asked, letting my eyes wander down her body lingering on her breasts, which only hours before were soft and warm in my hands. But then she’d climbed out of bed, long before any normal person should be up on their day off.
Her face flushed and she slapped my arm. “Forget it, we are not going back to bed right now. There is a ton of stuff still to do, and I still need to plan the menu for Christmas.”
Which gave me another idea. Thankfully, when we returned from our last mission to Afghanistan, almost two months ago, I was placed on the training rotation again. I’d also been given permission to move off base and into Danielle’s apartment. That meant that I still got to spend my weekends and nights after work with Danielle. Times like now. Given the little time I had with her, I didn’t exactly plan on spending it as Mr. Clean, and for at least a few hours, I wasn’t going to. Cradling her in my arms, I stood and made my way back toward the bedroom.
“Where are we going?” She squirmed in my arms, trying, albeit ineffectually, to get down.
Without a word, I let her slide down my body, capturing her lips the moment her feet touched the ground. There was no way I was letting her get another word out until she relaxed a bit. In no time she melted into the kiss, opening to let my tongue sweep through her mouth. Reveling in her taste that I was utterly and thoroughly addicted to, I threaded my fingers through her hair, holding her mouth to mine. When her body pressed closer to me, I pulled out of the kiss. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as I reached down and lifted her shirt over her head.
“Get changed,” I whispered against her lips.
Her eyes dropped to my lips then back up again. Just seeing her desire for me was enough to have my dick feeling like granite behind my zipper, but for now I was going to ignore it. Danielle needed to get out of the apartment, even if only for an hour, this was she would stop stressing.
“We can do that when we get back, love. Right now, I’m getting you out of here and getting you fed.”
Turning, I walked to the door. “Oh, and I’m giving you five minutes to get changed. If you’re not ready to go by then, I’m calling Marissa.”
She groaned. “All right, all right, I’m coming. Just give me a minute.”
With that, I left the room. I didn’t want to threaten her with bringing in the reinforcements, but I couldn’t have her staying here any longer. Marissa had been Danielle’s best friend since elementary school, and boy did that girl have a way with words—specifically when telling Danielle if she was being ridiculous about something. Which, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was.
My plan was to take her to the diner for lunch, then head out to the Christmas tree farm and let her pick a tree to bring home. It would be our first Christmas together as a couple. Even though we weren’t husband and wife yet, I still wanted it to be something special, especially considering what I had planned for her Christmas present.
The sooner we were married the better. Danielle had wanted a spring wedding so we’d made plans for a late March wedding. Most likely, I wouldn’t be deployed again until the end of April. As Rangers, we were typically home for six months, then went overseas for three, which would then restart the cycle. The March date would give us plenty of time for a honeymoon.
Danielle walked out of the room a few moments later, with time to spare.
“Are you ready?”
“Where are we going?”
Taking her hands, I entwined our fingers, pulling them to my lips and placing a brief kiss on them. “Don’t worry about it. Your only concern is relaxing.”
She smiled. “For you, I’ll do my best.” Anything that brought a smile to her face was worth it. Danielle was my world, and I loved her more than anyone could ever imagine.
Once we were both settled in the car, I covered her thigh with my hand and pulled out of the lot. The minute we pulled up in front of the diner, the tension in her shoulders eased a little. This was our favorite place to go. It was the place where our friendship had
begun. A friendship that, in the end, had become so much more.
“I love this place.”
“I know you do. Now come on, let’s get something to eat.”
She was out of the car and waiting for me as I came around the front of the trunk, giving me the opportunity to admire the way her jeans hugged her shapely legs. The place was rather quiet for a Saturday afternoon in December, but with only about a week until Christmas, most people were probably at the mall getting last minute presents.
The minute we were seated, the waitress came over to give us menus and take our drink orders. I quickly decided on a bacon cheeseburger and set my menu down. It didn’t surprise me to find Danielle already sitting there with her menu closed. Danielle always got the same thing every time we went there. It didn’t matter if it was morning, noon, or night, the only thing that changed was whether or not she ordered dessert at the end of the meal. I doubt she ever even looked at the menu.
“I would ask what you’re getting, but I’m sure it’s the same as always. Before you know it, they’re going to name it after you.”
“You know me so well.” She smiled.
I reached across the counter and covered her hand with mine. “Feel better?”
“A little.”
The waitress came over to take our orders. Danielle ordered her normal green pepper omelet and waited for me to finish placing mine. After the waitress walked away, I focused back on Danielle, trying to figure out why she was freaking out so badly. Rubbing my thumb against the bottom of her palm, I asked, “Dani, why are you worried about meeting my parents? I know it’s more than just you thinking that they won’t like you.”
She continued to stare at her hands, not saying a word.
“Please, talk to me,” I begged, squeezing her hand.
She shrugged like it was no big deal, then she opened her mouth. “I’m just worried about everything, I guess. Will they think I’m good enough for you? Are they going to expect kids right away? Will the want me to leave my job? What if they think I can’t handle your job?”
She rambled through her questions like she was afraid she wouldn’t get through them all. When she was finally done, she sucked in a deep breath, which she probably needed.
Squeezing her hand, I began to address her concerns, one by one.
“Okay, let’s start with the first one and work our way through.” The table was shaking as her leg bounced up and down. It killed me to see her this way. Anything that upset her was not okay with me, but I couldn’t stop my parents from coming to meet the only woman to capture my heart. Instead, I had to do my best to calm her down and show her that her fears were not necessary.
“Like I’ve told you before, there is no woman better suited to me than you. It wouldn’t matter to me what my parents think. The only person who matters to me is you. And it will only ever be you.” Her eyes glistened, but with the smile on her lips, I knew it was with happiness. “Besides all of that, my parents are going to absolutely adore you. I have no doubt.”
She nodded. The waitress brought our drinks over and I continued. “Kids? You and I have talked about this. Having kids is our decision—no one else’s—and we both want to wait and spend time together. We have all the time in the world to have kids and I’d rather be ready for them, than do it because someone else wants me to.”
“But that’s always the first question everyone asks once you’ve agreed to get married.”
“Of course they might ask. So will a lot of people. But they’ll respect our decision to wait. Don’t you think it’s better to do it when we want to?”
“Well, yes. Especially ’cause I’m not ready for kids.”
I smiled at her and let go of her hands so we could eat. “Me neither. I want to spend more time with just you and if that makes me selfish, so be it.”
She laughed and it was good to hear the sound. “It does, but I love you anyway.”
The sound of her stomach growling had me pointing towards her food. “Eat some and then I’ll answer the rest of your questions.”
She picked up her fork and cut off the first piece of omelet. When it was in her mouth and she began to chew, I dealt with the next problem.
“As for your job, my parents were excited that I found a ‘smart woman,’ as my dad called it. They loved the fact that you’re a lawyer, doing everything you can to help kids and families.”
“I wish I could help more.”
“You help as many as you can, and that’s something to be proud of.”
I stopped for a moment to eat some of my burger, which was perfect. With all my worrying about Danielle, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. “Let’s finish eating and then we’ll talk about the last one on your list.”
The food was gone in the blink of an eye, the waitress coming over to take our plates.
“Any dessert?”
Of course, Danielle ordered a piece of the chocolate cake. Every time we went there I told her it was going to be the night of death by chocolate. The dessert was full of sugar it was ridiculous.
When the cake was set in front of her, I decided it was time to deal with the last, and in my mind most serious, issue.
“Dani? Why do you think my parents would think you can’t handle my job?”
Her eyes never left her plate as she stumbled through her answer. “I don’t know . . . I guess . . . maybe because, well . . . look at how I reacted last time you left.”
My eyes opened wide. “You can’t be serious.”
“But I am.”
“How could you even think that? You’ve handled my job like a champion—especially considering everything you’ve been through. It made sense for you to be upset when we shipped out last time. You were facing your fears. Most people have never even imagined surviving the kind of pain you’ve dealt with. You handle my job better than anyone.”
“Really?”
“Please. My mother locked herself in her room for a few days when I told her I wanted to join the army, yet here I am. Mom finally understood why I needed to do it, but she still worries. I wouldn’t expect her not to. Just like I’ll never expect you to stop worrying.”
“Of course I won’t. I can deal with you being away. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I’ve done it before.”
Her leg stopped moving and she sat back against the seat. It was good to see her let things go.
Hopefully it would last.
Chapter Two
Danielle
TANNER’S ATTEMPT TO reassure me did a lot to relieve some of the tension I was feeling. I was still worried, but I was going to trust him. It was hard for me. The last time I “met the parents” I was in high school. It was new territory for me and as an adult, it was much scarier than I remember.
The recurring nightmare that they would convince him I wasn’t the right match for him continued to plague my sleep. After all we’d been through, I couldn’t lose him. The fear may have been completely irrational, but that didn’t stop the feelings.
Tanner’s reassurances went a long way to calming my fears. The nerves probably wouldn’t go away until after the holidays, but he always knew exactly what to say and how to say it. The diner had also been the perfect choice for lunch. It was a place of comfort for us. A place where we could talk about anything.
“Are you ready?” he asked, putting money on the table to cover our bill.
“Yep.”
Tanner held out his hand to help me from my seat, and the moment I was out of the booth and on my feet, he used the hand he was holding to drag me into his embrace. Placing a brief kiss to my lips, he looked into my eyes. It was hard not to get lost in the love radiating from their ocean blue depths.
“I love you. You are my world, and nothing will ever change that.”
Melting into his arms, I kissed him again, quickly getting lost in the moment. There would never be a day that I would tire of hearing those words from him. Tanner pulled back, chuckling.
“Forget where we are?” he whispere
d.
My eyes darted around and went wide when they saw the inside of the diner, where I had practically attacked him. The heat flamed my face and I felt frozen in place. Taking my hand, Tanner began leading me out to the car when he realized I wasn’t moving.
He was still laughing as he drove us home.
“Well, at least I figured out one way to stop you stressing.”
That he did. Now that we were out of the diner and view of the public, my only thought was getting him into the bedroom when we got back to the apartment.
Except, at the end of the street, he threw me for a loop when he went in the opposite direction of our apartment.
“Where are we going?”
He peeked at me from the corner of his eye. “I thought we could go pick up our Christmas tree and spend the rest of the afternoon decorating it.”
“I had other things on my mind.” Laying my hand on his leg and gliding up his thigh, I hinted at exactly what I wanted.
He captured my hand to stop its progress. “Oh, we can definitely do that when we get home, but for now, I’m keeping you out of the apartment.
Taking a deep, calming breath, I moved my hand out from under his and placed it back in my lap. As much as I wanted to jump into Tanner’s lap at that moment, I knew we would have time for that later. Getting out of the apartment was what I needed, and the thought of decorating our first tree together had me willing to wait for our other fun.
The tree farm wasn’t far from the diner, and once Tanner finished chasing me through the trees, threatening to tackle me to the ground and tickle me, we were able to find a beautiful tree we both liked.
I’d always had a real tree, even growing up. Luckily Tanner had too. The thought of buying a fake one to put up didn’t sound all that appealing to me. There was just something about the smell of pine at this time of year.