by Naomi Niles
CHAPTER 36
Aidan
We got back into town that evening, and I could see how relaxed Elsa was after the beautiful ride. She’d thanked me countless times for taking her where she truly wanted to go, and I kissed and told her that she was worth it each and every one. I wondered if there would come a time when she didn’t see the world in this new light, which in turn made me wonder if that helped at all with my confession of being sick and all that I’d been through. If so, you couldn’t see it as she dropped into the tub with me to soak our muscles before we went to bed.
I hoped she’d always be this happy and appreciative. I knew firsthand how difficult that could be at times.
We didn’t make love that night but snuggled together in a deep rest as I gave my heart to her. I knew that we had our lives together to do everything that she wanted, given that everything would work out as I hoped. The morning came so fast, and she jumped on top of me and surprised me with her own idea to wake up before we got ready to make the drive back to Pennsylvania.
I took her through town for a souvenir before we left and pulled onto a side road. “Want to drive?” I asked as she looked at me with a delighted smile.
“Are you serious?” I nodded, and she jumped out of the car and over to my side. It reminded me of being a teenager as I directed her how to start the car and where the gas and the brake was. The car was a powerful beast, and I could see the apprehension in her eyes as I explained to her how to put the car into drive. Elsa let her foot off the gas slowly, and her eyes widened as it moved forward inch by inch. “Ease onto the gas, Elsa. It will move fast so go slowly.”
“Wow,” she whispered as the car jumped forward and she immediately slammed on the brake. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, baby. It’s been a few years since I have done this with anybody is all.” I nodded and told her to try again. “Just get comfortable with it.”
She eased her foot onto the gas, and we moved forward without as hard of a jerk, and I watched her smile. Elsa drove a few feet before I told her to turn to the right and she pressed her lips together as I felt myself get hard at the sight of her driving. When she had her license, I was going to give her the keys as often as she was willing just to build up the desire in my body. Hell, I’d buy her a car like this somehow just to watch her.
Before too long, she was making her way through the streets a little easier. I kept it to back roads so we’d have the road mostly to ourselves but when a car would come, Elsa would slow down a lot to where she was barely moving. We did this for a couple of hours before I suggested starting our trip back. I switched it up a bit for this trip, wanting her to see new things just to experience her joy. It gave me so much hope and my life was better with her enthusiasm. “Can I drive when I am allowed?” Her voice was soft, and I nodded as I glanced over at her. “Watching you turns me on, Elsa.”
“Why?” She asked with wide eyes as I laughed.
“Are you turned on watching me drive?” She blushed as she nodded and I winked at her. “Why is that?”
“Everything that you do makes me feel that way,” Elsa confessed as I raised an eyebrow at her. “You seem so in control behind the wheel, and I’ve never felt safer in my life. You are in charge, and it’s very arousing.”
“I’ve created a monster,” I murmured as I reached for her hand. “I like watching you behind the wheel because you’re so happy to learn anything, Elsa. You’re careful and sweet about it but the idea of your foot making the engine purr like that just gets me going.”
“Men are so weird,” she said as she smiled at me and I shrugged.
“Probably. Are you sure you still want me?”
“I have never been surer of anything in my life.” I knew that going back to Pennsylvania didn’t mean that she was going back to stay now, but I was apprehensive. I would need to find a place to live if she wanted to be near her family and I knew that treatment was not going to be easy on me. She might need support, assuming that they forgave me at all for taking their girl away. There was no way to know what Adam had told anybody and we were driving into a mystery.
That didn’t mean that we weren’t going to enjoy it. I took us through the southern states this route since I had a preference for them and I knew that Elsa would love it. I chose to take her to the Valles Caldera National Park for some nature after all of the rocks that we’d seen. We couldn’t stay long, but we managed to see some of the deer and waterways. Elsa snapped several more photos, and I teased her that we’d have to back them up at some point if she didn’t stop.
Of course, I had to explain that to her, and she giggled as I did. We grabbed some lunch after that and kept moving through Texas. I chose there to spend the night because the state was so massive and we got a hotel midway through. I took her to a famous barbecue place for dinner and then to bed where I showed her how much she meant to me. Every time, she felt better and better, and I thrust into her from behind as she urged me on. My hands were wrapped around her as I pulled on her nipples the way she told me she liked it because it made her come harder. I kissed down her back as I felt her release and drove myself in one more time before I came after her. I loved her hair curly and streamed over her shoulders as she moved back against me in ecstasy and the way her body held me inside.
We woke early to hit the road, and I took her to New Orleans to show her some of the amazing architecture and also buy her some beignets for a snack after our late brunch in the car. The look on her face as she tasted the flakey pastry was stunning and I watched as her tongue licked away the powdered sugar with an intense gaze. “You can never have that first taste again, Elsa. It’s magic,” I murmured before I took another one.
“It’s not yours?” Her voice was curious as I smiled and glanced at her as we made our way to the car.
“It is my first taste. I saw that in a movie once and it’s stuck with me. He was right,” I told her as she gave me a wide grin.
“It is nice seeing a first.” Elsa kissed me before we finished our treats and got back into the car. We vowed to come back here as we left the state and she snuggled against my side. We made it through to the edge of Georgia before we stopped for the night and took a shower together. We’d grabbed some food, and I held her against me as I kissed her neck and traced my fingers over her soft skin. I enjoyed her on her back that night, spread apart and wild as I took her hard as she begged me to. I fell harder for her as I came inside of her and stared down at her face twisted in pleasure.
In the morning after a quick breakfast, I took Elsa to see an original Georgia plantation. As much as I’d love to stay the night, we promised that we’d do that another time and just did a tour of the grounds. I think she loved the animals the most as she leaned close and spoke to them in her sweet voice but the main house was breathtaking as well. She had snapped a lot of pictures of the inside and outside before we stumbled to the car for a long kiss. “I’d love to live in a home like that,” Elsa whispered against my lips as I held her close. “It was so magnificent and strong, like you.”
That earned her a deeper kiss, and we had trouble breaking apart to make the rest of the drive. She looked out of the window as I asked what she wanted me to do when we got there. “Want me to stay near Pennsylvania so you can be close to your family?”
“I’d like that. Do you need to be near yours?” She asked with a mysterious smile on her face.
“I need to be with you, first and foremost. I’ll go anywhere that you are,” I assured her and Elsa gave me a look so full of love that it made me ache inside.
We made our way through the smaller state, stopping at the beaches in the Carolinas as well as a trip to the Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. I explained to her that it was an honor to be buried here after service and showed her the late President’s grave with the torch as we walked slowly through the grounds. The tomb of the unknown soldier made her weep softly, and I held her in my arms and stroked her back. The air was somber there and the ce
remony strict as they changed the guard. When they played Taps into the air, my skin got goosebumps, and I felt my pride at being in the Army all over again. It hadn’t been there for some time.
We had viewed a funeral service before we left and she watched enraptured until the salute. Elsa jumped into my arms, and I held her as I assured her that it was merely for honor and that they were blanks. A part of me wondered if I wanted her comfortable with guns down the line as I stroked her hair while she kept watching the graveside service. “Can we stay one more night in a hotel, Elsa? I don’t know what will happen after this.” My confession was low in the car, and she looked at me before she gave me a long kiss.
“Yes, but I am not leaving your side.” We drove to the edge of Pennsylvania and found a quaint little bed and breakfast. We had a long dinner along the windows overlooking some trees and then another bath in the old claw foot tub in the large bathroom. She rested against my chest as we talked and I washed her hair gently.
There was nothing gentle about our lovemaking later. We went at each other hard as she rode me in my lap on the bed before I moved her to her back and took her with long deep thrusts. She cried out without inhibition and came hard before I turned her onto her stomach and finished myself off that way. We fell asleep naked and pressed together before the alarm woke up in the morning.
Elsa pulled me over her body, and we moved slowly together this time before we got ready to leave the room. She dressed in a pretty blue dress that hung down to her knees and tested her hair into a loose bun in the mirror. There was something different about her today, an edge that I couldn’t figure out as she walked around the room and gathered everything into her bag. “Are you okay?”
“I am just nervous to see everyone again. I don’t know how they’ll receive me now,” Elsa explained as she gave me a nervous smile. “Adam might have said horrid things, though I hope he thought that through before he arrived back at the farm.”
We ate a breakfast of donuts and coffee and made the quiet trip back to the farm. Elsa seemed anxious, and I replayed everything about Pennsylvania as I headed back and held her hand. The sun was out, and she settled into her seat as we made our way to the curvy streets through the grassy hills. “Did you miss it?” I asked as she squeezed my hand and looked at me.
“It was my life before you, Aidan. Of course, I did since they’re my family, and I love them. I just don’t want that anymore.”
“What if the treatment doesn’t take? Will you go back then?” I couldn’t help but ask it as it burned in my mind. Elsa gave me a long, sad look and slid closer to me as she shook her head.
“Don’t talk like that, Aidan. It will. We’re meant to be.” She slid her hand over my leg and squeezed as we made the last few miles to her farm.
I turned onto her street and was surprised to see a large SUV parked across the road from her home. I pulled into the driveway as I asked Elsa if she knew who it belonged to and she smiled at me as I stared forward.
All of the men from my unit were standing near the house as they waited for me. Six of us had survived, and they were all here as I stopped the car and looked at them. “Did you do this?” I asked her as she took my hand and squeezed it.
“I did.” I shook my head and kissed her cheek after I stared into her eyes for a long moment. “They want to be here for you, Aidan.”
I got out of the car and walked forward as tears slid down my cheeks. I noticed other people out of the corner of my eye and heard Elsa squeal before Mitchell clapped his arms around my back in a tight embrace. While we were the manliest of men in our eyes, we had also shared a lot of pain and heartbreak. I moved on to Dan and hugged him before I made my way down the line. All of them had the shadows in their eyes that I knew I showed, but I also saw hope in their faces as I looked at all of them. “You have yourself a good woman in Elsa, Aidan. Don’t let her go,” Dan told me as I nodded and looked at her wrapped up in the arms of her mother.
I heard the sound of the supper bell and looked into the eyes of her father as he looked down at all of us from the steps. “Are you boys hungry?” I could see the worry that I’d caused him in his face, but I saw the respect that he had for all of us as well.
“Yes, sir.” We spoke as one and allowed Elsa and her mother into the house before Adam and Her father followed us.
CHAPTER 37
Elsa
My heart was pounding as he asked me about the car parked across the street and I knew that they would all be here. I’d sent a few texts to the men in his unit, and they agreed to meet us here, at the very least just to catch up. Of course, all of us wanted to support him in his battle for his life and just show that we cared for him. I wasn’t sure what my parents would think when these men showed up at their door, but I just had to hope for the best.
They were all lined up when he stopped suddenly and stared. “Did you do this?” His voice was calm, but I heard the tremors if I really focused and I took his hand and squeezed it.
I told him that I did and that they wanted to be here with him as well. I watched him kiss me as emotion filled his eyes before he got out and marched towards all of the men that had been through hell right along with them. They were all masculine and intimidating like Aidan, and it hurt me to think that they were all sick with the same horrible cancer. A part of me broke down as he hugged the first man and I watched as it showed so much love as well as masculinity in the embrace. “Elsa?” I heard my mother’s voice and stepped out of the car with a cry as I ran over to her and threw my arms around her. “My baby, you’re home.”
“I’m here, Mama. I missed you so much. I love you,” I told her as I started to cry. I tried to pay attention to everything that was happening around me, but there was too much, at least until the bell sounded that told me it was time to eat. Daddy’s voice was full of emotion as he asked all of them if they were hungry and Mama and I both sniffled as they answered with every bit of respect as a team. They gestured for us to go in and she clutched my hand as I felt her eyes on me.
“You love him?” She sounded happy to me, and I gave her a look as we entered the kitchen and started to get the food together as if I’d never left.
“Madly, Mama,” I replied as she nodded and plated up several rolls. “When did they arrive?”
“This morning. It was something to have all of those young men knocking at our door, but once they told me what you’d done, I knew that it was the right thing to let them in. They deserve to be welcomed just as Aidan does.” Mama smiled as we each started carrying platters of food to the table. All of the soldiers were sitting on one side, and I smiled at Aidan as he patted the seat beside him with a firm look. I finished assisting with supper and took my seat as I looked over all of the faces at the table.
The prayer was skipped before the meal as Adam introduced me to all of them before making sure that they’d met my family. Some of them looked so young while others were older but they all showed their scars, both in their eyes and on their skin. I watched as they all stood to shake my hand before they embraced me and it made me giggle nervously before I sat down and took Aidan’s hand. This was a lot of testosterone in one room, and I glanced at my brother to see that even his eyes were wide with admiration.
My family ate and listened as they started talking about cancer and the treatment, and I stared into Aidan’s face as I waited for anger. They all expressed hope, and I saw the smile on his face as he nodded in between bites of food. My mama had gone above and beyond tonight with platters of roast and chicken along with fresh vegetables. There were various kinds bread and fresh fruit as well, and I thanked with a look as she gazed back at me. Daddy told them to speak openly as they gave each other hesitant glances and the sweet looking blonde man at the end cleared his throat. His name was Devin, and he talked about being just twenty-two years old with a deadly disease. More than that, though, he spoke of how much he’d changed from his friends in school and that he couldn’t relate to people his age any longer. He didn’t f
eel like he belonged.
After he went into the Army and discovered that he was ill, Devin found himself in some volatile relationships as well as a period of alcoholism. Even though he was so young, Devin had seen the damage to his life and found himself relying on the men in his unit for support. They symbolized both brothers and fathers to him since his mother raised him all on her own. His voice shook as he told all of us how devastated she was by everything that was happening. I saw my own mother raise her hand to her eyes as he finished and I smiled at her.
The next man was older and relayed to us how he’d lost his wife and children from Post-traumatic stress disorder and the unstable moods that it caused. His ex-wife claimed that he struck their five-year-old across the face in a fit of anger, though Andrew had no recollection of it. He had watched her pack them and leave before he started drinking and trying to escape his bitter reality. That only worsened when he discovered that he was ill, and Andrew sank lower into depression before his brother finally talked some sense into him. Now he was seeing his kids on a more regular basis when he wasn’t in treatment, and while they were going to stay divorced, he and his ex-wife were cordial again.
Another man that was just a few years older than Aidan had entered anger management classes when he started getting into too many bar fights after he came home. It was the only way that his emotions came out thanks to a father that was abusive to him when he was younger. I was stunned at how many things the PT SD caused in these men and I wondered if there was anything that could be done to get help before it got this bad. I thought back to the cemetery and Aidan shaking before me as he told all of his regrets to his dead wife and shuddered as he squeezed my hand. I knew that they were all receiving medical care now and were at least well on the way to being much better, but the idea that they had suffered so badly at all was terrible to think about.