“Sure,” I said. “I'll come out there too.”
I walked into the living room and looked under the tree. Why hadn't they opened their gifts? Did they have some new tradition where they had to wait? Growing up, neither of our families waited. We all ran down the stairs as fast as we could, no matter what house we were at, and tore into the presents. Sammie always got baseball stuff. James did too, but thinking back, he never seemed as excited about it as Sammie. I'd get my normal girly stuff. We'd watch cartoons and eat all day. It was so much fun.
As I sat down on the couch, my mind went to Parker. It shouldn't have, but it did. Had he gone home to see his parents? Would he be seeing his kids? Was he alone? Would he be eating out like he did for Thanksgiving? Would they even be open? What would he do?
The doorbell rang, pulling me from my thoughts of him and back to reality. I looked around, but the other four adults were still in the kitchen, and the kids couldn't be bothered. It was just Lance and Lucy. They were going to Michigan too and were probably coming over so they could all leave together. I got up, walked over, and pulled the door open, before turning to walk away.
“Hey guys,” I yelled back from over my shoulder, as I began walking back toward the living room.
Then I heard a voice that stopped me in my tracks.
“Cassandra,” I heard my grandma snap. “I told you it was her.”
I took a deep breath and slowly turned around to see the three people I'd missed most but had been trying so damn hard to avoid, and I lost it.
To be continued...
Be sure to watch for “Out of My League, Part 3”.
Please continue on for the Prologue of “Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)” and Part 1 of “A Crush on Her Brother's Best Friend”.
Other Stories by Sharon Cummin
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Romance and a... Series: The Complete Collection
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All six novels together in one set. Sea of Love, Hot for Love, Battle for Love, Rescue of Love, Built for Love, and The Future of Love.
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Saved by Love (Bachelor Billionaire Kids #1)
The Game of Love Series
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His Assistant Serials
His Assistant Serials: Complete Box Set
His Assistant: The Final Story
His Assistant Ultimate Box Set (including The Final Story)
Unexpected Love Serials
Unexpected Love Box Set (It Happened in Vegas and What Happened After Vegas?)
A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance)
A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance)
The Dark Night
The Dark Night: Complete Box Set
In Love with My Brother's Best Friend
In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set
A Crush on Her Best Friend's Brother
A Crush on Her Best Friend's Brother: Complete Box Set
Showing Him Who's Boss
Showing Him Who's Boss: Complete Box Set
Playing Hardball
Playing Hardball: Complete Box Set
Falling for My Best Friend
Falling for My Best Friend: Complete Box Set
Hacked by Love
Hacked by Love: Complete Box Set
Out of My League
Out of My League, Part 1
Working on My Brother's Best Friend
Working on My Brother's Best Friend
Hunter PI & Security
Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)
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Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)
Prologue
Derek
After sixteen years in the military, I was going back to being a civilian. Was I going to miss my guys? Of course I was. I'd grown close to so many of them and knew that I'd stay connected to some of them for the rest of my life. They were my second family, or my first considering I spent more time with them than anyone else. When the time had come to decide to stay or leave, it was a tough decision. It was all I'd known. It was my life. I'd seen some crazy shit and been in some spots I never thought I'd make it out of. I'd watched men die only a few feet away from me, some of them mine. I'd even had to kill. I was a SEAL, and I gave it everything I had. Was I afraid? Hell yeah I was, but I knew what needed to be done, and I did it. Helping keep our great country safe was an honor. Every single person there with me would have given their life, and so would I. The day I finally decided it was time to go home, I didn't know what was going to happen. Like I said, it was everything I'd known.
Being away from my wife Jennifer all those years wasn't easy, but she'd stood by my side the entire time. She knew it was what I wanted, what I thought I needed to do for me and for her. We were high school sweethearts. She was my everything and had been since I'd first sat next to her in ninth grade. We'd been through some rough times during those four years of school, but we'd come out stronger than ever.
When I told her I wanted to join the military when I was eighteen, she wasn't thrilled, but she didn't object. My girl was awesome like that.
My parents sucked. I wasn't close to either of them. It was the opposite of her relationship with her own parents. Where hers wanted her to go to college, mine just wanted me out of the house. Neither of them were going to spend a dime on my future. My dad hadn't been around since right after I was born, and my mom had her head shoved so far up her new husband's ass. I had a three-year-old brother named Drake, but things seemed okay for him. The new guy felt different about him than he did me.
Jennifer's parents supported my decision. Without them, I don't know what I would have done. They went with us to the courthouse to get married before I left, and they made sure I got where I needed to go. Jennifer went away to college, and they paid the whole bill. Like I said, they were amazing.
I hadn't planned to stay in long, just until I could make a life for us. Year after year, I got myself in deeper. I didn't want to leave. It was where I belonged. Each time I had a decision to make, she told me her feelings on the matter, but she never tried to sway me in any way. Being a SEAL made me feel important. It felt like I was being the man she deserved.
Picking up and leaving at a moments notice got tougher as time went on though. It had been sixteen years, and I could tell it was taking a toll on both of us. Her parents had moved to California, and she'd fly out to be with them each time I left. She feared for my life, I knew she did. She tried to be strong, but I could hear the quiver in her voice when I'd call after a long time with no contact. When the time came for yet another decision, she didn't hold back.
“I want you home,” she said. “I need you with me.”
That was it, I was done. She'd never put it out there so bluntly before. She needed me. I thought I'd been giving her what she needed all along. I was being a good man, but she needed more. She needed me, and I was ready to be home with her too. Coming and going was getting to be too much. Seeing certain things was starting to overwhelm my mind. I wasn't the man I'd been before. Some things just couldn't be forgotten.
I'd never forget that day I called to tell her. She was at her parents' house. When she picked up the phone, she sounded exhausted. The second she heard my voice, she was up and smiling. I could hear the damn smile in her voice and knew I was making the right choice. No matter what I did when I got there, it wouldn't matter. I'd figure it out, but I'd do eve
rything I could to make her happy every single day. That would be my main goal.
I'd be home and gone again, one last time, before finally getting out. I was only going to be gone three months. Then I'd be all hers. She was so damn excited, and so was I. Leaving her that last time was so damn hard. I was counting the days to being home with my beautiful wife for good. I couldn't wait to sleep next to her without worrying about when I'd have to leave her again. We were going to have the rest of our lives together, and neither of us could wait.
Just before I left, she'd made a huge dinner with a smile on her face the whole time. I knew something was up, but I wasn't sure what it could be. She wanted to move to California to be close to her parents. I wasn't sure about it, but what could I say? She'd been right there with me, where I wanted to be, for sixteen years, and there was nothing holding us back from going. I didn't have a job lined up yet, and we didn't plan to stay in a military town, there was no reason to. She'd gone back and forth so many times through the years. Her parents were great. I honestly had no right to say no. It was my turn to do for her like she'd done for me. If she wanted to start our new life by her parents, then we would.
By the time I called home the first time, she'd already told her folks and started house shopping. I loved hearing how happy she was. She had to have been smiling every second. By the time I called again, she'd found the perfect place. It was exactly what she wanted. When I called the third time, she rocked my world. We'd gotten the house. Of course her amazing parents were helping us. She'd already packed everything we owned, and her dad had flown in to help her. That wasn't it though. That wasn't what got me. I was going to be a father. We were going to be parents. She'd gotten pregnant while I'd been home. We hadn't been trying, but we hadn't been preventing it either. We'd both kind of come to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen for us. Hearing it over the phone wasn't how I would have wanted it, but with being in the military, it was pretty normal. I didn't care. It didn't matter. I was just so damn happy, and so was she. Talk about counting the days, I really did after that news.
My time was up. I was going home. It wasn't exactly home, but it would be. I'd do anything for her. She was the love of my life, and I couldn't wait to see her. All I had to do was fly to California. She was already there waiting. How she pulled off moving that fast, I had no idea. All I knew was that her parents were a huge part of it. We were so damn lucky to have them. If it weren't for them, I never would have believed in love or a real family. They treated me as their own, and for that, I would be forever grateful.
Saying goodbye was rough. I was a total pussy. The guys laughed and gave me shit about it, but I didn't care. I was closing out a huge chapter of my life and starting a new one. Part of that scared the shit out of me, and the other part had me so damn excited.
When I stepped off that plane, I didn't think I could move any faster. My ass got through that airport as fast as I could. When I got off the escalator and saw her on the other side of the baggage area, my face lit up. I felt a smile cover my whole face. Our eyes connected, and she took off running. It was like a scene right out of a movie, and I didn't care. I dropped what I was carrying and opened my arms wide. She jumped up, wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, and hugged me so damn tight while I spun her in a circle. I felt her tears slide down my cheek and let loose a few of my own. When she slid down my body and her feet hit the floor, I pulled back and took her face in my hands.
“I'm home,” I said.
“I love you so much,” she said, with a smile so wide. “You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment.”
“I love you too,” I said. “I'm going to make you smile like that every day for the rest of my life.”
“I'm going to hold you to that,” she said with a laugh.
“I bet you will,” I said with a smile, as I covered her mouth with mine.
I was home, right where I belonged. I was so nervous, but I knew everything would be fine. We were together. We were going to have a baby. Life was perfect.
If I knew just how much my life was going to change in such a short time, I would have held her tighter, kissed her harder, and memorized every tiny detail of that moment and every one that followed.
A Crush on Her Brother's Best Friend, Part 1
Rachel had been away from her best friend Karen for three whole months. It was the longest they had been apart since they were twelve. Rachel remembered moving in across the street like it was yesterday. Her mother had been offered a job in the area. When Karen ran across the street to introduce herself, they became best friends instantly. The girls would visit each other after school and sleep over almost every weekend. When they were accepted to colleges on opposite sides of the map, they were devastated. They talked and emailed every day, but it wasn't the same as being face to face.
It was Thanksgiving break, and they were both home for four days. They had been on the phone making plans for their time off. Karen was flying in one day earlier but made Rachel promise to come over as soon as the cab dropped her off.
Rachel felt tired from the flight, as she stepped out of the cab. She grabbed her bags and looked across the street to her best friend's house. It would only take her a few minutes to take her bags in and freshen up. She wanted to grab a drink and something small to eat before running across to see her friend. They had so much to catch up on. She wanted to talk about school, her dorm, and of course the boys she had met since she left. Quickly, she pulled her phone out to text Karen.
Rachel: I'm home but need to do a couple of things. I'll be over in a few minutes.
She shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and went to the kitchen. When she was finished with her drink and snack, her friend still hadn't text her back. She was probably watching television downstairs or something, Rachel thought. She had seen Karen's car in the driveway, so she knew she must have been home. Rachel hurried to her room and got ready. She pulled her ponytail holder out of her long, brown hair and brushed it, as she left it down around her neck. Then, she put on a little makeup. A pair of jeans and t-shirt were good enough. They weren't going out right away, and she could run home and change if they did. She stood in front of the mirror and thought.
Karen had one brother. His name was Brad. He was a complete ass. Rachel couldn't stand him. When she had first moved in, she thought he was really cute. He was two years ahead of her in school and star of the football team. The better he got at the game, the bigger his head became. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a muscular body. She could see why all the girls liked him. Brad was extremely good looking, but his personality was the worst. He was so full of himself and thought he was God's gift to women. She was surprised that he kept his grades at such a high level as much as he was out with friends all the time. He was sarcastic and extremely cocky. She made sure to stay away from Karen's house when her brother was home. He made jokes about the two girls and seemed to enjoy calling them names around his friends. She couldn't stand to even look at him, not anymore.
She hadn't always felt that way about him. When she was thirteen, she thought he was the cutest boy in the world. He loved football and worked hard to the best he could be at it. She watched him practice and play in the yard with his friends almost every day. He had passion for the game, and she looked up to him. They shared a moment once, but she made sure never to tell her best friend. Rachel was sleeping over their house and woke up in the middle of the night. When she walked past his room, she noticed he was still awake and went in to talk to him. He was sixteen, and she thought he could do no wrong. She couldn't even remember how it happened, but they shared a very passionate kiss. It was her first kiss, and she felt so special. He was in high school and so grown up. She couldn't believe it had really happened. Rachel felt so good, but neither of them ever mentioned that kiss again.
When she started high school, she realized he wasn't who she thought. He thought he could get away with whatever he wanted because of his
status on the football team. She had seen him move from girl to girl his entire senior year. He wasn't that sweet guy she remembered. He was someone completely different. When he got a football scholarship away from home, she was thrilled that she wouldn't have to see him anymore.
Brad was in his third year of college and away most of the year. He played football and spent most of the summer close to school. The only time he went home was for holidays, and Rachel had managed to avoid him, every single time, since he first left. She hadn't seen him since she was fifteen. His parents turned his room into an office, so he slept on the couch when he was home. Rachel knew his sister missed him, but she sure didn't. Who knows, she thought. Maybe she'd get lucky and he wouldn't be home for Thanksgiving. A girl could dream, right?
She snapped out of her thoughts and took one last look at herself. Her t-shirt clung to her body nicely, but she made sure her belly ring wasn't showing through. She had gotten it when she first got to college. It was her way of showing the world she was an adult and could make her own decisions. She shook her head and laughed as she thought about it. If Karen's parents saw it, they would freak. She knew her own mother wouldn't care, but they would give her the lecture of a lifetime. Her jeans were tight and made her ass look plump but tight. If she had to see Brad, she wanted to make sure she looked good but not like she had planned it. If she had dressed up, she knew it would have been obvious that she was trying to impress someone. Why she cared what he thought, she wasn't sure. She was hoping to completely avoid him for the four days she would be there. Her plan was to get in, say hello to Karen's parents, and get out. There was no way she needed to see the ass and be reminded of what she felt for him years ago. She had no interest in being friends with him.
Out of My League, Part 2 Page 12