A Beautiful Purpose

by Alicia Rae

  “Hey now!” Abbey exclaimed after swallowing a sip of her drink. “This is our bachelorette party. And if I knock myself up anytime soon, I won’t be able to have another glass for nine months and then nursing after that! So, no passing out on me, ladies!”

  As the second bottle of wine was popped open and poured into our glasses, I made a funny face at Abbey. “You’re going to knock yourself up?” I asked her facetiously, making us all roll with laughter.

  “You know that’s not what I meant!” Abbey said in between catching her breath.

  “I know,” I acknowledged with a grin. “I couldn’t help but say it.”

  “Jason will gladly lock me in our room and knock me up.” Abbey’s face got that dreamy look. “In fact, I’m going to tell him we are starting the baby-making tonight. No reason to wait two more days. Shit, I could be ovulating right now.”

  “You do that,” Gail snorted. “I want Damon all to myself for the next year. Then, I can think about sharing him.”

  All our heads whipped to Gail.

  “You share him?” I asked, blushing like never before at my loose, teasing tongue.

  “God, no! I would never share his gorgeous body!” Gail’s eyes were bulging. “I meant, share him with having a family!”

  “Can you please stop talking about my cousins in that way before I’m too traumatized to even have a sex life with my husband ever again?” Lily said, shaking her head. “It’s bad enough we have to wait six weeks for my busted vagina to heal.”

  “Ow,” echoed in the room as if someone had smacked into a glass door head-on.

  “Just thinking about my lady parts being down for six weeks makes me want to delay the baby-makin’.” Abbey’s tone sounded traumatized as she shivered.

  Lily picked up the wine bottle. Her eyes traveled across the label.

  “What are you looking for?” Gail questioned her, sitting forward as if to snatch the bottle from her.

  “The percentage of alcohol in this bad boy before I allow you crazy girls to consume the rest of the second bottle.”

  “So, Audrey,” Gail said out of the blue, making the hair on my arms stand at full attention to her questioning tone, “how are things with Blake?”

  “Oh, yes,” Abbey piped in, tucking her feet beneath herself. “We need an update.”

  “Not much to tell,” I responded softly, realizing I couldn’t really explain what I didn’t know for myself.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to work with us,” Lily deadpanned. “There are no secrets in this room, so spill it.”

  I let out a deep sigh, wishing I had a better answer to give. “I had to end it between us.”

  The girls’ eyes were glued on me as if they were waiting for more, so I caved. “I’ll eventually go back to San Francisco, and I don’t want a long-term relationship or marriage. It can’t be permanent.”

  Everyone crowded in around me.

  “Audrey, each of us has thought that at some point in our life. Then, when we became steady in our lives, our goals changed and evolved. Don’t you want a family someday?” Abbey asked.

  “Surely, you don’t want to always be alone?” Gail inquired softly.

  “I need to be back on my own, living in my apartment with my own space. Until I can do that, I have to stick it out with my parents and help my mother for now. I’m all she has.” I frowned. “So, I can’t concentrate on anything else, except wanting the same thing I did all those years ago when I graduated high school—to get away and be independent again.”

  “You’ll get there again, sweetie. I still think you need to give Blake another try. As far as your parents, I know things are rough with them. Have you ever thought about staying here and working in a local hospital around us?” Gail reached forward and patted my shoulder. Her eyes were soft. “We are your family, too, you know.”

  I actually hadn’t thought about moving back here. However, to think about leaving Gail, Abbey, and Lily sounded painful. They were all I had. If I were able to find an apartment and a local RN job, it would allow me to be close enough to monitor my mom while allowing me to have the little space that I desperately craved.

  I need to sleep on this.

  “I’ll think about it,” I answered, letting the idea sink in. “I can’t make any promises though.”

  “That’s all I’ll say for the moment, and I hope that, in time, you do truly think about what you want in your future. We would all be devastated if you left again, and I think Blake would be as well.” Gail frowned. As if sensing my panic at the mention of Blake again, her eyes seemed to let me off the hook. “Now, in the meantime, let’s cure that heartache with wine.”

  “Yes, wine,” I answered without delay.

  For the next few hours, the four of us kept one another company by sharing stories—good, bad, and some even embarrassing. We laughed until our cheeks ached, and we had tears of happiness running down our faces. When the night neared its end, we all drifted off into a slumber in a pile of arms and legs wrapped around blankets and pillows, not being able to tell where one of us ended and another began.

  ~Blake~

  After munching down some appetizers at the bar, Damon, Jason, Kyle, and I all ordered another beer.

  “So, are you boys ready to be married men soon?” I asked my brothers.

  “Yep, can’t wait to make my girl mine,” Damon responded first before sipping his beer. “Forever.”

  “Hell yes,” Jason answered, setting his drink on the table. He kicked back in his chair. “Abbey is stuck with me now,” he added with a grin. “Warts and all.”

  “Ew…that’s fucking gross, man.” I made a mock face of horror. “You have warts?”

  “No, I don’t, dipshit.” Jason rolled his eyes. “It was a metaphor, meaning she’s stuck with all my good and bad traits.”

  “Maybe I should tell her more of your faults while she still has time to change her mind,” Damon piped in, laughing his ass off.

  “Careful,” Jason warned good-naturedly. “I’d be more than happy to share a few with Gail, too.”

  “Pretty sure she already knows that I’m a bed hog and that I can eat her out of the house.” Damon grinned mischievously.

  “I think we all have those traits,” Kyle countered. “Although, Lily was more of the bed hoarder when she was pregnant. Her arms and legs were all over the place,” he added, making gestures with his hands.

  I rested my elbows on the table to get more comfortable. “Why didn’t you just buy her one of those big damn pillow things?”

  Kyle snorted. “She said I was the pillow.”

  We all laughed our asses off again.

  Kyle picked up his napkin and chucked it at Damon, who was sitting across from him. “It might be funny now, assholes, but just wait. Your body-pillow days are coming, and you’ll like it.”

  The guys continued to banter when my phone beeped in my pocket. I saw a long text from First Sergeant Witherstone.

  Mountain Warfare Training Center reviewed your application. The Major who gave you the tour of the grounds said he would contact you today via email. Let me know what you decide. I think it would be a great fresh start for you.

  I stared at the text, surprised Mountain Warfare Training Center was reviewing my application. I was one out of hundreds that had probably applied for that position. After exiting out of the text, I eagerly tapped on my Email button. Sure enough, there was an email from Sergeant Major Colin Evans himself.

  SERGEANT BLAKE JOHNSON,

  I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAYED RESPONSE. WE HAD MANY MORE APPLICANTS APPLY FOR THE POSITION THAN EXPECTED.

  AFTER PERSONALLY GIVING YOU THE TOUR AROUND MOUNTAIN TRAINING CENTER AND REVIEWING YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, I CAN SAY WITHOUT HESITATION THAT I BELIEVE YOU’LL FIT IN AT OUR CENTER AND HELP GIVE OUR SOLDIERS THE TRAINING THEY NEED.

  I KNOW YOUR FIELD EXPERIENCE AND PAY GOES ABOVE OUR REQUIREMENTS HERE AT THE BASE, BUT I HOPE YOU’LL CONSIDER OUR ATTACHED OFFER.

  IF YOU DECIDE
TO JOIN OUR STAFF, PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH YOUR ACCEPTANCE, AND I WILL BE IN TOUCH THIS COMING WEEK.

  SERGEANT MAJOR COLIN EVANS

  MOUNTAIN TRAINING CENTER

  The gritty details weren’t a concern to me as long as I would be doing something I loved. Combat and field training were my calling and my specialty. To me, it was better than playing on a playground as a kid.

  Loud bar music or not, my fingers started typing a response.

  SERGEANT MAJOR COLIN EVANS,

  THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING MY APPLICATION OUT OF SO MANY OTHERS. I WOULD BE HONORED TO JOIN YOUR TEAM AT MOUNTAIN TRAINING CENTER.

  “You okay over there, bud?” Jason asked in a concerned brotherly tone. “You’ve made about fifty different facial expressions since you reached for your phone.”

  I nodded while finishing up my return email. Then, I hit Send. “Yep, I’m good,” I answered finally.

  “Good how?” Jason methodically swirled his beer bottle in front of himself, watching me with probing eyes.

  “What are you? The family police?” I countered jokingly.

  “Yes,” Kyle coughed under his breath, making Damon and me laugh.

  “For God’s sake, Blake”—Damon elbowed me—“you know he’s never going to let up, so out with it!”

  “I was offered a job at the Mountain Training Center,” I offered.

  Before I could add more, questions were fired at me.

  “Where in the hell is that?” Damon asked.

  “It’s here in Lake Tahoe,” Kyle pondered out loud. “Right?”

  “Yes, it’s only a short drive from here,” I responded.

  “Does that mean you’re staying here permanently?” Jason inquired, watching me.

  I was finally starting to settle into the idea of staying here, being a civilian again, and living in one place, and I liked it. As I thought about it, I hadn’t had one bad nightmare since I came home. The thought startled me. I’d just needed my family and R & R all along.

  So, it seemed I already knew the answer. I just had to say it out loud. “Yes, I’m staying.”

  “Holy shit,” Jason stammered in shock. “After eight years, you’re finally coming home?” he asked in wonder.

  “Yes,” I replied, unable to hold back a huge smile from spreading across my face.

  “Sweet!” Damon exclaimed, raising his hand to high-five me. “That shit deserves another beer right there.”

  I slapped hands with him.

  “Hell yes, it does.” Kyle grinned. “Glad to have you back, soldier.”

  “Thank you,” I said, astonished at the feelings coursing through me in that moment. I had found my place within the Marines, yet I was able to have a civilian life with my family, too. Having the two things that I wanted most in life were coming together, and it was really going to happen for me. “It feels good to be back.”

  Kyle, Jason, Damon, and I all stared, starstruck, at our lovely women passed out on the sectional couch. It looked like a great big king-sized bed full of limbs and hair sticking out everywhere. There were two empty bottles of wine, one mostly full bottle, and three empty wine glasses on the table. It looked like they’d surely had a good time.

  Shit, they drank way more than we did over the night.

  I tried to quiet down my laughter, but it was no use.

  “What did they do?” Jason asked in amusement.

  “I have no idea…” Damon trailed off, shaking his head. “But it looks like they drank themselves to sleep.”

  Kyle carefully stepped closer to the table, looking as if he was scared that an arm or leg might attack him on the way. He picked up the bottle and read the label. “Damn, they even cleared out the good stuff.” He bellowed out a deep chuckle. “I was nervous and feeling guilty about having a few beers while my wife was here, getting wasted.”

  “Kyle,” I said, pointing to the glass hidden behind the other wine bottle, “I’m betting that nearly full one is Lily’s. It’s the other three that outdid themselves.”

  Jason chortled next to me. “Oh, man, Abbey’s going to feel that in the morning.”

  “So is Gail,” Damon agreed, failing to hold back his own hilarity.

  Kyle lifted the corner of a gray throw, searching for Lily. When he found her, he picked her up and pulled her into his chest. Lily opened her eyes only long enough to wrap her arms around Kyle.

  He smiled down at her and said, “Hey, beautiful, just taking you to bed.” He kissed her cheek, and Lily returned his smile before drifting off to sleep again. He turned to face the three of us. “Feel free to crash here if you need to, guys. We have plenty of room.”

  “Nah, I’m good.” Damon moved forward first. “Time to get my girl home.”

  He searched through the bodies until he found Gail. He picked her up and started to carry her toward the front foyer.

  I followed behind, quickening my steps, so I could open the door for him.

  Damon tipped his head at me. “Thank you. Good night, guys.”

  “Night.” I waved. “Drive safe.”

  “Will do,” Damon replied.

  I pivoted around to see Jason walking toward me with Abbey strung across his arms. I resisted the urge to chuckle. They just looked so funny carrying their passed-out women.

  “Nighty, night.” Jason grinned at me.

  “See you Saturday for the big day, man,” I said, pointing at him. “Don’t be late!”

  Jason laughed as he continued walking. “Not a chance!”

  Chuckling, I shut the door and headed back to the couch.

  Audrey had repositioned herself and was leaning against the pillow. Her eyes were still half-asleep. “Everyone’s gone?” she asked, yawning.

  “Yes,” I murmured, not wanting to disturb Kyle and Lily, who were out of sight. I neared her side.

  When Audrey read my intentions, she made a move to stand on her own. “I got this, Blake.”

  It had only been twenty-four hours since she told me it was over between us, and I already missed her so fucking bad. Nothing would stop me from holding her in my arms right now.

  “I know you do.” I let my hands fall into place around her, and I scooped her up. My gaze settled on her face. “But I got you, too, Audrey—always.” My voice was but a whisper.

  Audrey’s lips parted as if to protest, but nothing came out. Before she could change her mind, I made long strides to the foyer, loving how good it felt to have her in my arms.

  We exited the house, got into my truck, and began the journey home. With each mile we covered, I tried to believe that, in the end, this break we were on would serve a purpose, and someday, she would be mine again.

  I just needed to prove that I was worthy of her love and show her that it was okay to love.

  I awoke to the bed shifting next to me.

  “Blake?” Audrey’s eyes landed on mine. “What am I doing here?”

  “Uh…” I tried to play it off. “I brought you here.”

  “I know that part.” She tiredly rubbed her forehead. “I remember being too tired to argue with you because you wouldn’t drive me a block farther down the street to drop me off at home.”

  With the word block, she glared daggers at me with those gorgeous green eyes. Even in those pink-and-white PJs with her tangled morning hair surrounding her face, she was still stunning.

  “Blake?” she asked, worried, when I didn’t answer her.

  I turned on my hip, snuck my arm under her waist, and pulled her under me while rising above her at the same time.

  Her curvy full lips parted, and she gasped, breathing heavily. I bent down to cradle her face with my forearm, so I could brush her hair back with my free hand. “Spend the day with me, Audrey.”

  “I can’t.” A crease formed in the center of her brows. “You know that, Blake.”

  “Why?” I questioned, not pausing a beat. “Because you have things to do?” I shrugged. “Let’s do them.” I leaned in and brushed my lips against her lower one. “Because you nee
d to take care of your mom?” I tenderly tugged on the supple skin. “Then, let’s go together.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Her eyes glistened with moisture, looking as if she was going to cry. “You’re making it so much harder than it has to be.”

  My lungs constricted at the sight of her despair, but I had to push, or she was never going to break those steel walls she guarded herself with.

  “Because I love you, Audrey,” I said, meaning every word. “And a Marine never gives up.” I skimmed my lips against hers one more time before kissing her lightly, just enough to make her want more. Then, I drew back. “What do you say, Audrey?”

  She nodded and breathed, “Okay.”

  Since Audrey had left her car at Kyle and Lily’s last night, we pulled into her parents’ driveway in my Ford. We exited the truck and began walking up to the front door. Once inside, we took off our shoes at the door.

  I heard a noise coming from the great room. It sounded like the television.

  “Is that football I hear?” I whispered over at Audrey with a grin plastered on my cheeks, deciding it was time for the old man and me to bond.

  “Yes.” She smiled back at me before her expression turned nervous, and she whispered, “That is, if you feel like going to poke Papa Bear.”

  I shook her warning off. “All men can relate over football.”

  “Then, by all means”—she gestured toward the great room—“have at it.”

  “All right.” I nodded. Then, my eyes lit up with mischief. “But come and check on me in ten minutes to make sure your dad hasn’t buried me in the backyard or something.”

  “I’m sure you can hold your own.” Audrey chuckled under her breath. “I’m going to make sure my mom is okay. The nurse has been here all night, so I’m sure she’s ready to head home.”

  I scanned the foyer to make sure no one was watching. Then, I stepped closer to Audrey, pulled her in my arms, and gave her a scorching kiss. Her arms looped around my nape, holding on for dear life as I deepened our kiss, stroking my tongue over hers. When I drew back, Audrey’s chest was rising and falling with shallow, fast breaths. Her questioning eyes studied mine.