Forever My Soldier

by Alison Mello

  Once I’m all set, I hurry back out to the kitchen so I can put the rest of the frittata away and not leave a mess in the kitchen. However, when I get there, Patty’s already cleaning it.

  “Baby, I was going to clean that up after I was done with my shower. Is the frittata cool enough to put away?”

  “Yes, and don’t worry about the mess. I don’t mind helping you clean up after you’ve made me such a delicious breakfast.”

  I go into the cabinet, pull down one of the containers, and begin cutting the frittata up into smaller pieces to put in the fridge. Once I’m done, I go into the living room to put on some Christmas music.

  “I can’t believe the time already. We really slept late this morning,” she says.

  “Enjoy it now because once we have kids they’ll be waking us at five to open gifts.” I chuckle from the living room.

  Patty takes the huge ham out of the fridge and begins preparing it for the oven. She yawns. “I hadn’t even thought of that. There will be no waking me in the middle of the night for sex.” She grins at me.

  I take her by the waist. “I better make sure we get lots of it now.”

  She smacks me playfully. “You had your chance. You said I had too much to do.”

  Patty puts the ham in the oven. We’re tidying up a short time later when we hear a knock at the door. I look out the peephole to see Bella and Derek standing there. I open the door, and they burst through, excited to see us. Everyone shouts Merry Christmas and exchanges hugs. Derek places gifts under the tree, and when he gets back to the kitchen, he tells Patty that everything smells really good.

  Bella is beaming with excitement. “So, what did you get for Christmas?” She’s staring at Patty. A huge smile spreads across Bella’s face as Patty holds up her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

  Bella and Patty both squeal with excitement as Derek nudges my arm. “I take it she said yes?”

  “Wait, you guys knew?” Patty says, shocked.

  “Not we,” Derek says. “Me. I knew, but I wasn’t going to ruin the fun of you telling your BFF, so I kept it to myself.”

  She runs up and hugs him. “Thank you so much.”

  She turns back to Bella. “So, you’ll be my maid of honor, right?”

  “Of course I will,” she says excitedly, taking Patty’s hand. “Carter, you did a wonderful job picking the ring. It’s stunning.”

  I thank her and turn to Derek. “Hey, man, if it weren’t for you I probably would have lost her. Would you be my best man?”

  “I’d be honored.”

  We shake hands and man hug as the girls continue freaking out over our engagement. We stand around the kitchen and talk. As Patty starts to ask them if they want to exchange gifts, there’s another knock at the door. We both look at each other, confused, because Derek and Bella are early, which means our parents aren’t due here for another hour or so, but I walk over to the door and I open it to find our parents all standing there.

  “Sorry we’re early, but your mother was dying to see her son,” my father says as they hug me.

  “We were all dying to get here. It’s our first Christmas together, and everyone is getting along nicely,” Troy says. They all walk into the house holding desserts and some gifts. Patty hugs everyone and takes coats to hang in the coat closet while Bella is collecting the desserts that our parents brought. I take the bags they were carrying and put them next to the tree.

  Glancing around, I can’t help but smile at our family. Everyone is sitting around the living room, joking and having a great time. It’s an amazing sight.

  I stand up, pulling Patty with me, and walk in front of the tree. I place my arm around Patty. “I want to thank you all for being here with us today. Even if you are early,” I add jokingly. “This is the first of many Christmases together for us, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. We’re all going to be family soon because Patty has agreed to be my wife.”

  Patty removes her hand from behind my back, holding up her hand to show everyone the ring I’ve placed on her finger. Everyone is clapping, and her mother and my mother are hugging her as they look at her diamond ring.

  Sandra turns to me with a small smile. “Very nice job picking the ring. It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” I offer a small smile in return. I know she didn’t like me at first, but I appreciate the effort she’s making now.

  Troy stands up and clears his throat as he holds up his glass. “To the happy couple,” he says with a huge smile. “Patty, Carter made me a very happy man the day he called me and asked permission to take your hand in marriage. I know you two will have a very long, happy life together. As your parents, the five of us wanted to start you both out on the right foot, so for your engagement gift, we have all contributed to give you this.”

  He hands her an envelope, and with her hands shaking, she opens it. Her jaw instantly drops, and her eyes are welling with tears. “What is it, baby?”

  She shows me the piece of paper, and I’m left speechless. It’s a check for one million dollars for us to use to buy the house of our dreams.

  “This is too much,” she says to our parents in total shock.

  “I agree.”

  “We have all talked this over and knew you would say that, so we’ve all agreed you have two choices. You can take the money and either build or buy the house of your dreams or the five of us will shop for one for you and put it in your name. We really want you to have this.”

  Patty looks at me. “You know they’re not going to make turning this down easy.”

  “All I ask, Carter, is that you treat my baby girl like the princess she is. She’s my world, and I would do anything for her.”

  “I won’t let you down. You have my word.”

  I step forward to shake his hand, but he pulls me into a hug and whispers, “Welcome to the family, son.” When we pull apart, he says to me, “Good, then take the money and build or buy my daughter the house of her dreams.”

  Patty wipes a tear as she steps up to hug her father. “Thank you so much, Daddy.”

  “Your mother, Richard, Jackson, and Mia were in on this too.” We both hug each of them and thank them for the generous gift.

  “What is it?” Bella asks. She hasn't seen the note or the check. Patty shows her the piece of paper. Her eyes go wide, and she hugs Patty. “I'm so happy for you guys.”

  My father and Troy pretend to be Santa and hand out gifts. We all sit around, laughing and joking. My mother and Sandra have already started asking questions about when we’re getting married, and of course Sandra is requesting we hold the wedding reception at the club.

  “Mother, can we get through the New Year’s Eve event? Then we can happily start planning my wedding.”

  “If we must,” she says, a bit disappointed.

  My mother gives her a small understanding smile.

  We’re almost done opening presents from our family when the oven beeps. They’ve given us some nice things for our house, and Patty’s mom got her and Bella some beautiful matching earrings. Apparently, she’s been doing stuff like that since Bella’s family walked out on her.

  Patty thanks everyone and then jumps up to get dinner out of the oven. My mother excuses herself to help Patty in the kitchen as she gets to work warming the side dishes. I look over and smile as I watch the two of them working. They make a great team. Patty warms some veggies while my mother prepares biscuits. The rest of the family is in the living room having a great conversation and cleaning up wrapping paper. Even Sandra and Richard are talking with Troy about the wedding. My dad is talking to Derek about our New Year’s Eve event, and we all laugh as Sandra jumps in, refusing to tell us what she came up with for midnight.

  Patty yells over from the kitchen, “Begging will do you no good. When she has her mind made up, she won’t change it. You’ll have to wait and see what she has planned.”

  Patty announces dinner is ready, and everyone makes their way to the kitchen so they ca
n make a plate. The dining room table is ready, so as soon as we’ve made our plates, we take our seats and enjoy this meal.

  During dinner, Richard and Sandra fill us in on their upcoming trip to Europe. That, of course, brings up the topic of our honeymoon and where we’re going.

  “Patty says she knows what she wants to do, but she hasn’t told me yet.”

  “Why not?” Sandra asks, totally shocked.

  “We only got engaged last night, Mother. Besides, for me our honeymoon is easy. I want to go back to where it all began.”

  Troy and I speak up at the same time. “The lake house?”

  I smile and nod. “Why not? If it wasn’t for my father being so stubborn, we wouldn’t have met and we wouldn’t be sitting here today. Thank you, Daddy,” she says with a giggle.

  “See, my stubbornness has paid off. You’re most welcome,” he says with a smug grin.

  Patty’s brow shoot up. “You’re lucky it’s hard to stay mad at you. I was really upset at first.”

  “Baby girl, you can be mad at me all you want, but when it comes to your safety I don’t mess around. Look what happened the one time I eased up. Ben kicked the door in and nearly attacked you. I won’t make that mistake again.” He gives her a stern look.

  “You don’t have to worry. I’m keeping a close eye on her, I promise.”

  Patty kisses me on the cheek. Knowing Patty, that was a thank you for trying to settle her father down.

  “That was delicious, as usual,” Derek says as we all chip in to clear the table. Bella, Patty, my mom, and Sandra are in the kitchen, putting leftovers away and washing the dishes so we won’t be left with a huge mess. I tried to offer my help, but Patty kicked me out. I’m with the rest of the guys in the living room, talking about sports.

  We hear the girls giggling, and when I look toward the kitchen, I find them putting out plates for dessert. Patty’s opening the various pies that our parents have brought with them. When we all walk over to get some, Patty stands beside me and says, “I want to thank you all for being with us on our first Christmas. It truly has been the perfect day. This is my favorite holiday, and I’m happy that I get to spend it with the people who mean the most to us.”

  My father holds up his glass of scotch and says, “To many years of happy, healthy, and successful Christmas dinners.”

  Everyone shouts, “Hear, hear!”

  My mother yawns. She apologizes and tells us that they’re going to get going. She’s tired and apparently didn’t sleep well last night. We say goodbye to them as they slip on their coats and make their way home.

  After they leave, the wedding talk starts again. Troy tells us that he wants us to have whatever we want for the wedding. He doesn’t care about the cost. He wants Patty to have the wedding of her dreams.

  “Daddy, you’ve all done plenty with the money for the house. You don’t need to worry about the wedding.”

  “Patty, I agree with your father.” Richard turns to Troy. “I don’t want to step on your toes, she’s your daughter, but we’d like to help too.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that, Richard. I don’t mind the help as long as we’re doing what she wants for the wedding. We all need to remember this is her day.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.” She gives him a big hug.

  “We really haven’t talked about it much, but we will discuss it. I’m okay with having it at the club if Carter is.”

  She looks at me. “Fine with me. Do they have a room big enough to hold everyone? I have a feeling it will end up being a rather large wedding.”

  “Yes, they have a room that holds up to three hundred people,” Richard says.

  “I don’t think it’ll be that big, but good to know.”

  “Leave Sandra in charge and I bet she can fill the room,” Richard says as he squeezes her hand.

  “Ha, ha,” she says with a small grin.

  “He’s right,” Bella say. “You know how to pack them in.”

  “We’re a very popular family,” she says proudly. “We do a lot in the community, and my daughter is a popular author. Of course people will want to attend her wedding.”

  Patty starts laughing. “Mother, we’re not inviting my entire fan base.”

  Sandra rolls her eyes, laughing. “I know! Okay, I’m getting tired too and clearly tonight's tease Sandra night. That said, I’m ready to go. We can have lunch and talk about the wedding some more.”

  “Okay, Mother.” Patty gets up to give her a hug.

  Sandra lifts her chin. “And for the record, you can cut anyone you would like from the guest list. I will make a list of those I would like to invite, but you have the final say.” She kisses her on the cheek and tells us to have a good night.

  Shortly after Sandra and Richard leave, Troy, Derek, and Bella follow with a promise to see us at the New Year’s Eve event.

  “Now it’s just you and I, baby. Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever.”

  She gives me a warm smile. “I promise to give you years and years of amazing Christmases.”

  I lean in to kiss her. “Let’s go to bed. I’d like to make love to my fiancée.”

  Chapter 14

  Patty

  The fundraiser is here, and we’re all so excited to see how this event will turn out. Derek and Carter have gone to the hall to ensure everything is going smoothly as far as the setup goes. While they’re there, Bella, my mom, and I are going to have our usual spa day together, and this time we invited Mia to join us.

  I take a deep breath as I grab my coat and make my way downstairs. Because of Joan texting me and leaving me messages on Facebook, I’ve agreed not to leave the house alone. That means Bella is picking me up. I want to be ready and waiting at the door for her when she gets here. Of course she’s supposed to have some sort of security too, but I haven’t had a chance to ask her about it yet.

  When I get downstairs, Darryl is in his usual spot. “Good morning, Darryl. How was your holiday?”

  “It was great! I even took a few days off to spend some extra time with the kids.”

  I give him a warm smile. “I had been wondering where you’ve been.”

  “Are you and Carter doing something fun tonight?” he asks, glancing at the ring on my finger.

  “Well, we have been planning this rather large fundraiser to support military veterans, and the event is this evening. I’m sure we’ll have fun, but we’ll be somewhat working too.”

  “That sounds like a nice way to bring in the New Year. Are congratulations in order?”

  “Carter asked me to marry him on Christmas Eve. He was very sweet, and of course I happily accepted.” I glance out the door to see Bella pulling up. “That’s my ride. I’ll be back in a little bit to finish getting ready for the event.”

  “Have a great afternoon, ma’am.” He opens the door for me. I walk out, feeling happy and excited for tonight. I climb into Bella’s car and buckle my seatbelt as she pulls away to take us to the spa.

  “How’s the bride-to-be?”

  “Good. Carter and I have started talking about potential dates to have the wedding. I need to have my mother run them by the club to see what works for them.”

  “How quickly do you guys want to marry?”

  “Carter would marry me tomorrow if I let him. I told him I needed a few months to plan. At first I was thinking a winter wedding, but now I’m thinking early spring. I don’t want to make him wait too long.” I wink at her, and she giggles as she pulls away from the traffic light.

  “By the way, did your agent set up security for you yet?”

  “Yeah, but I told them I didn't need them today because we were going to be together and there will be tons of security at the event tonight.”

  “As long as you use them when you're alone. I don't want this creep getting to you.”

  Bella simply nods, and like that the conversation is dropped.

  When we pull up to the spa, we see Mia walking in. We wave as Bella pulls into a parking spot, an
d the three of us walk in together. My mother is already waiting inside for us, so we all quickly say hi and then check in to let the receptionist know we’re all here. Since it’s New Year’s Eve and everyone has plans for this evening, the place is pretty busy. We all take a seat and wait for them to call our names.

  While we wait, my mother says, “Patricia, I put a list together for you and will email it to you tomorrow so you can look it over. Have you talked about dates yet?”

  “We have. I was originally going to go for March in hopes of having a winter wedding, but I don’t want to be too rushed in planning, so I’m thinking April or May. We don’t have an exact date because we thought it might be easier to see what the club has available at that time and then pick a date.”

  “That works. Mia, are you good with that?”

  “It’s their day. If spring is what they want, then spring is what they get.”

  “I will call the club on Monday, darling, and see what they have available and then you can decide what you’d like to do.”

  I’m thanking my mother when someone calls our names. We all get up and walk toward the woman who called us. She says to us, “We do not have a room big enough to give all four of you massages at once, so two of you will get your massage while two of you are getting your facials and then we’ll have you all together for your pedicures.”

  “Why don’t you and Bella go,” my mother says to me as we debate how to split up.

  “Mia, are you okay with that?” I ask. She and my mother used to be friends, but they haven’t been close in a long time.

  “That is fine. You two go enjoy yourselves, and your mother and I can catch up and maybe chat about ideas for the wedding.”

  I hug them both, and then Bella and I follow the girl into our massage room. When the girl leaves, closing the door behind her, I turn away from Bella as I strip to get onto my table.