One Day You'll Be Mine: Steamy Contemporary Military Romance

by Hart, Alana

  One of the reasons my father eventually accepted Ellis was his cultural respect. Raised as a white man in the south, Ellis wasn’t ignorant of race or cultural divides. He took things like cultural appropriation and “white privilege” seriously, not downplaying it, or shying away from issues that my father, a Black man who’d experienced his fair share of discrimination, brought up. While he never professed to know all the answers, he did everything he could to allow their conversations to be a platform of enlightenment, and often allowed my father the ability to vent in a manner that allowed him to feel “heard,” as he would put it.

  My mother’s protectiveness eased when she grew to see Ellis was truly protective of me, and had my best interests at heart. Although she felt getting married before deployment was too soon, she delighted in our upcoming wedding. Since I was her only daughter, it only made sense that she wanted a hand in all the details.

  ***

  We’d already picked out the venue, Villagio Resorts in Burleson, Texas. The luxury wedding villa had three ceremony sites, but I was in love with the lakeside wedding site most of all. The mansion was beautiful for a backup in the event it rained. Our package included the photography, videography, and catering. Finding everything in one place knocked out a great portion of my stress.

  After we’d locked in our spot, the only thing I had to worry about – and my biggest fret of all in general – was my dress. I’d dreamed about my wedding day for a while now, and didn’t want to mess up a single detail.

  And if anyone believed I was fanatical about it, my mother was even worse. She insisted on shopping at Nordstrom’s bridal boutique in North Park. As a Nordstrom cardholder, she shopped there all the time, and raved about the benefits.

  “I booked your appointment with Nancy for 12:30 PM. Get dressed.” That’s exactly what she said to me when she called out of the blue on Saturday morning. She didn’t even wait for me to respond, just simply hung up. Since I knew better than to pretend I didn’t get the memo, I jumped in the shower and threw myself together.

  Luckily, mom and I shared the same taste in style. Her stylist was very good in helping us find several nice gowns that we both liked. Although I budgeted $5,000 on my dream dress, my mother insisted I put my money away, because she’d pay for the dress.

  “You can buy me those Balenciagas I like instead,” she winked. “They’ll look good with my mother of the bride dress!”

  “Sure thing, mama!” I shook my head. Mom was always bargaining with me, but this was an offer too good to refuse.

  After spending the day with my mother, I was so excited to share my updates with Ellis. We decided we didn’t need to go too crazy on his tux yet. Ellis was really picky about his clothes, and he didn’t want an outfit he’d only wear once. He wanted his suit to last him for a nice long time, well after the wedding; and even though he already had a nice muscular frame, he promised he’d be working out even more while overseas, giving him the opportunity to bulk up some more.

  “I want to look good on our honeymoon,” he said, flexing his muscle to the camera. “I want all the women like, ‘Oh my gah, that girl is sooooooo lucky! Her man is fooooine. Whoo chile!’”

  I giggled at his lighthearted impersonation. “Babe, you are too funny. You know you already look good. I was already attracted to your boyish appearance and muscular body when we met.”

  He smirked. “I know. I look good now, but wait ‘til I get back. I’ma pick you up, carry you over the threshold and ravish every inch of you.”

  Biting my lip, I leaned into the camera. “I’d love that.” My sexy attempt was cut short with a yawn. I stretched out across the bed and readjusted the angle, laying on my side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart.” He laid down on his bed. It was daytime over there, so I could see him clearly. He gazed into the camera. “I miss seeing you like this. Relaxed and ready to fall asleep.”

  “Really? Watching me sleep is boring.”

  “Maybe to you. I love it. You look so beautiful and at peace.”

  “Until I start snoring,” I joked.

  He maintained that dreamy gaze. “Even then you’re beautiful. Every day that I’m away from you does a number on me. Thinking of you keeps me going. Dreaming of you keeps me pushing. Being with you again? That’s what keeps me alive out here.”

  You know that ticklish sense of flight you get in your chest when you hear someone tell you they love you for the first time? That’s pretty much exactly what happened here. Except it wasn’t a fleeting feeling. The sensation of those words filled my soul and stuck to my ribs like a good meal. There were so many days I felt lost without Ellis, and knew demanding him to “think of me” or even be romantic would be a little too much for our current situation.

  A tear escaped my eye as I blew a kiss at him. “I love you babe.”

  “I love you too.”

  “…I have a question.” Looking at him, and being in this moment, I felt vulnerable, yet fearless. “I know we wanted to wait a little. But… can we start working on our family when you come back?”

  He smiled. “Of course. What’s the rush?”

  “Life is crazy. We’re never promised tomorrow. You’re the man of my dreams, and I don’t want to lose you ever. Having you so close, yet so far away has made me realize I want it all with you. The house, the cars, the kids – everything. And we’re waiting… but we shouldn’t have to.”

  There was a reflective silence on his end. “We waited because you wanted to, honey. I’ve always been ready to give you that white picket fence and those 2.5 minions.” He paused again. “Just think on it a little more. We have so much to do when I come back. I’m sure you don’t want to ruin your honeymoon figure with a baby bump, so soon, do you?”

  “It’ll be worth it,” I said. “Completely worth it.” I closed my eyes. “Baby?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Tell me more.”

  “More about what?”

  “Us. Our future. Everything that’s going to happen when you come back?”

  I listened to Ellis’ sweet baritone. He talked about getting a house in San Antonio, where I’d live with him when he came back. He talked about moving to another base outside of Texas if he eligible to PCS, or permanently change stations. He discussed our two kids, Ellis Jr. and Ella, and how they’d be well-behaved until puberty. I snickered at those name choices, because of course he would choose those names for his children.

  As he continued on and on, I whispered, “More, tell me more…” until I finally started to fall asleep. I barely heard him say, “Goodnight baby. I love you” before completely drifting away into slumber.

  Chapter 10: Rose

  Thanks to last night’s conversation, I slept like a newborn baby. Ellis had clearly logged off Skype and went in to work, so I knew I wouldn’t hear from him until later on. It was early in the week, Tuesday, so I was expecting things to be a little slower than usual, not as hectic as Monday or Thursday, when everyone wanted to pick up the pace.

  I shot Ellis a quick email when I got to the office:

  Hey love. I was just thinking of you and wanted to tell you how much I really love you. I miss you so much, and I’m proud of you and everything you’re doing for our country, and for people you’re helping around the world.

  Thank you for reminding me of our wonderful future together. I’m so happy to be Mrs. Houston, and cannot wait to be the mother of your children. I can’t wait to talk to you later; it comforts me when we talk late at night. I feel like you’re right here next to me when I’m sleeping. Let me stop gushing. I have work to do – and a skype surprise for you later. Love you TTYL

  I sent my email and placed my focus on upcoming deadlines. We were getting ready to lay out our holiday issue, which was big. Most of our money was made during this time, because advertisers were trying to get the best placements ahead of time.

  ***

  Working through lunch today wasn’t an opt
ion. It wasn’t super-hot outside, but the weather was still beautiful and I intended to enjoy every single minute of it. I was trying to make a decision between P.F. Chang’s or Chili’s when my phone alert sounded.

  “Hey Natalia!”

  “Rose…” The voice on the other end sounded fragile, weak. Natalia sounded like she was dying.

  “Natalia, are you okay?” I pressed the phone to my ear, maximizing the volume as much as possible. “I can barely hear you.”

  “Rose…” She repeated, this time a little louder, brittleness still present. “… It’s worse than I imagined.”

  “What is?” I sat down at my desk, waiting for her to explain “what” was “worse” than imagined, and since when. As she started to explain, it didn’t take but a couple of minutes before I realized there was no way in hell I would make it to P.F. Chang’s for lunch. Grabbing my purse, I told her to hold on, and walked outside.

  Chapter 11: Rose

  There were a million things I expected to hear when I answered my sister-in-law’s phone call. I expected to hear a “hello” back, or a “hey.” I expected to hear that she’d gotten into another fight with Hollis. Part of me may have even been prepared to hear that one of them spoke of possibly filing for divorce. Things like that happened when you’re together and things get really tough.

  But I did not expect to hear about Hollis having an affair, nor the scandalous, sordid details of him being involved with another man.

  I went downstairs to the juice bar, and ordered a green drink while Natalia recounted the experience hysterically. She filled me in on the roses she thought she’d gotten from Hollis, the argument that followed when she learned he never bought her any roses, and the cold shoulder and accusations of infidelity that followed. She spoke of being at home with her friend when his lover – Presley, or something to that effect – knocked on her door somewhere close to midnight claiming to be the reason he wasn’t at home.

  She even broke down his entire side of the story, and how he walked out after telling her he had fallen in love with Hollis, and wasn’t able to let him go. This was entirely too much for me.

  “Oh, my Lord!” My mouth was agape at the information. I didn’t know how to process what I’d heard. That was a lot to take in – and Hollis wasn’t even my husband.

  “Have you spoken to him about this?”

  “I tried, but he refuses to talk to me. I asked if he was having an affair, and he exploded on me, telling me that he’s not answering my stupid questions and to find something productive to do with my life.” She sobbed. “When I brought up Presley’s name, he exploded even more.”

  “Whoa.” Hearing that appalled me. “That’s completely unacceptable. Why is he talking to you like that?”

  “I don’t know,” Natalia said. “But it’s been three days since that man showed up at our house, and I can’t eat. I barely sleep. I can’t think straight. Jordan’s asking what’s wrong, and all I can do is tell him ‘Mommy doesn’t feel well.’ And he asks what he can do, and…” Her voice trailed off as the sobs started up again.

  I did my best to soothe her through the phone. “Shh… It’s okay, Nat. Let it out. I’m here for you.”

  Looking at my watch, I realized I didn’t have a lot of time left on my lunch break. This wasn’t the type of conversation I wanted to have in the office, so I had to cut it short. I asked Natalia what she wanted to do, but she wasn’t sure. I stayed with her for a couple of minutes and told her to get a couple of ideas together. I didn’t want to throw her into a divorce or marriage counseling; she would have to figure out what she wanted to do herself. However, I did want her to start thinking about her options – whether she’d want to stay, go, or at least get some space – so she could make a clear decision for herself with certainty.

  “Please be careful,” I added. “Protect yourself, and get tested too. One man came forward. You don’t know if there were others – and how many others there are if so.” I also prayed internally for her safety. Hollis sounded like a wild element. He clearly wasn’t playing with a full deck, and if he snapped…

  The rest of my day was spent reeling between utter shock about all I’d heard, and rage. I loved Hollis like a brother, but I knew Natalia was anything but a drama queen. She really loved him, and all she wanted was another child. To think she’d been minding her business, trying to make her marriage work, only to discover her husband was trying to make a home with someone else.

  Trying to make sense of this all was impossible. I found myself scrolling through Facebook pictures of Hollis and Natalia, looking for signs of discord or strife. I found nothing. I spent another hour going through Hollis’ pictures, piece by piece, looking for any indications that he was homosexual. I don’t know who I was fooling; I knew better than to believe you could simply look at someone and know they were gay, but I couldn’t help trying to see if there was anything I’d missed.

  Ellis hadn’t emailed me back during the day. I was dying to speak with him too. I wanted to know how he was, and his take on the story. Chances were he hadn’t spoken to Hollis at all; they didn’t really communicate outside of emails. Yet and still, my hope was that he would have something to help me temper the blow to Natalia’s heart.

  And mine too. All I could think about was how Ellis and I were only a month into his deployment, and everything seemed to have started falling apart already.

  Chapter 12: Natalia

  It’d been exactly four days since Presley’s revelation about Hollis had come to the surface. Although I never heard from him again, Kelli confirmed that he did live at cul-de-sac on her street.

  “Come to think of it,” she said. “He’s been there since March. I just never knew who he was until he moved in. And I thought nothing of never seeing his wife, because we both know it’s not uncommon for spouses to live apart sometimes.”

  I don’t remember when I finally went to sleep that night. But I woke up on the couch, covered in a blanket, eyes puffy. Kelli left a note saying she’d taken Jordan to school and to get some rest.

  I called out of work the next day, and spent its entirety staring at the wall, wondering how I got to this point in my life. I threw up several times over the course of that day. Eventually, I had made myself so sick with grief Kelli had to take me to the emergent care, and I got a sick note to stay home for several days.

  “Kelli, I need the money!” I moaned. “I can’t stay home.”

  “You need to get yourself together and rest,” she countered. “Money is not an issue for you right now.”

  On the way back from the doctor, Kelli informed me that I was simply dealing with the grief and shock, and needed as much time as possible before I put myself back into the world.

  “But even then, I don’t know how I’ll be,” I said. How could I pretend everything was okay in my life when my husband was having an affair? How could I smile and be joyful? How could I move forward?

  As if she heard every thought I had, Kelli patted my arm. “Just put one foot in front of the other, and move one step at a time.”

  Chapter 13: Natalia

  Every day was more miserable than the last. The heat bore down so much, and I couldn’t stand to look outside. I felt like a prisoner trapped in my own home, and trapped in a life I couldn’t recognize. My headaches lasted continuously throughout the day, no matter what I took. I stopped cooking and eating; I resumed letting Jordan order whatever he wanted for dinner.

  You know Hollis didn’t come home that night at all? He didn’t come home until late the next day. When Jordan asked him where he was, he claimed to have been at work the entire 24 hours.

  Jordan trailed him to the bedroom, where I had been laying, hugged him and said, “Dad, I miss you, but I want to say you’re awesome! You’re my hero and I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

  I smiled, wanting to be touched by that endearing father-son moment, but inwardly I was sick to my stomach. If he knew the truth about his dad’s behavior, he’d be thi
nking something very different. That man was anywhere but at work. Of course, this being our son, he was too young to be dragged into this, so I didn’t say anything. I just continued to be sick and allow Hollis’ reign of silence against me continue.

  Hollis appeased his son with promises to shoot hoops, before telling him to give him a moment. Jordan ran off, happily. I watched TV silently, when he addressed me.

  “Why are you in bed?”

  “I’m sick.”

  “From what?”

  You, asshole. “Some kind of stomach bug.”

  He stood there for a moment, as if quietly processing what I had said. The energy between us was still tense. There was a tinge of something else accompanying it, though, a current of explosion ready to detonate at a moment’s notice. I wondered if he was going to tell me he knew why I was really sick. I wondered if Presley confronted him in any way when he returned home with my husband in his bed.

  I wanted to confront him, ask him how Presley was doing, and tell him I knew everything. But my head pounded severely, beating me into paralysis, and earlier, in one of my saner moments, I promised myself that I would not make a scene or trigger that man while Jordan was around. That I’d confront him in a more logical manner once I could control my emotions.

  Hollis said nothing more as he changed out of his clothes and into some joggers and a tank top. For someone who hadn’t showered in 24 hours, he certainly didn’t seem to worry about running into the bathroom to wash up. That was another indication he was lying, because Lord knows Hollis was a hygiene freak.