Éveiller Drive Complete Boxed Set

by Melanie James

  “Honestly, I think it’s part of being a woman. Some days it seems like all of the worries fall to our shoulders. Even when we have our supposedly big strong husbands by our sides. Seriously, do they worry as much as we do? Is it hormone induced, or what?” Jamie’s breathing returned to normal, the conversation once again flowing easily between friends.

  “I think you may be on to something. I’ve never really given it much thought, though. I know Will worries about all of us, but I don’t know if it’s as extreme as the rest of us.” Ava sipped her coffee.

  “No, I think it’s because we tend to keep the big picture in mind. We are always keeping track of a dozen things, and men only seem to focus on one thing at a time.” Valerie noticed that Jamie was still thinking too much. “Hey! Why don’t we get out for a bit tomorrow and do something? Maybe a mani/pedi day?” Valerie suggested. “Maybe it will help take your mind off of things a bit?”

  “Sure, why not. It would probably be good to get out for a while. Besides, the kids will be at school, and I really can’t remember the last time I did something just for me.” Jamie smiled at the thought. Ever since Brad left on his latest deployment, she did nothing but mope around the house. Sure, she tried to keep her spirits up for the kids, but she couldn’t stop from missing him terribly. He was her heart, her soul, her one true love.

  “Tomorrow it is then.” Valerie finished her coffee and returned her cup to the kitchen. “I need to get going, honey. I have a million errands I have to run today. Will you be okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks. I have a few things I need to finish up here today. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, though.” Jamie stood up and hugged her friends as they all headed out the door to handle their own daily tasks. She was lying about one thing, she wouldn’t be finishing up anything—only worrying about Brad.

  “What did she have to say? Is she doing okay?” Brad paced back and forth in the oversized family room, waiting for word on his wife. He was anxious to see her, to hold her. He missed her like mad. His latest deployment had taken a toll on him physically and mentally. It had been fourteen weeks since his injury, and he was mostly healed. He still walked with a limp and would probably do so for the rest of his life. A silent prayer was sent to the one above, thankful for having survived an IED explosion to begin with. He lost two friends that day and often wondered why he survived when the others didn’t. The scars, both mental and physical, were permanent reminders that he would have to live with.

  Valerie watched Brad pace around her living room like a caged animal. “She’s upset, she’s worried. I think you should at least call her and tell her you made it out of there before the attack on the base. I know you want to surprise her and all, but she’s worried sick!” Valerie chastised an anxious Brad.

  “I know, I know. I want her to be surprised, though. Maybe I can send her a quick email to let her know I’m all right. If I call, she’s going to know that I’m not overseas, but you’re right, I do have to let her know that I’m alive,” Brad conceded.

  “You think, Sherlock? If I didn’t love the two of you so damn much, I’d smack the ever living hell out of you!” Valerie didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she answered the unknown call three weeks ago. Brad had been seriously injured and was on the mend, but he didn’t want to tell Jamie and worry her or the kids. He explained to Valerie that he would be coming home in a few weeks and wanted to set up a surprise permanent homecoming. Valerie reluctantly agreed, knowing it would eventually come back to bite her in the ass.

  Brad opened his laptop and fired off a quick, yet brief email to Jamie, letting her know that he was okay and would be busy for the next few days, and he may not be able to get a hold of her. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do when I see Jamie tomorrow. She is going to freak when she finds out I was hurt and never told her.”

  “You’re Mr. Obvious today. You do know that, right?” Valerie couldn’t help the sarcasm that slipped from her mouth. “Look, I know Jamie is going to be thrilled that you are home, but…”

  “I know. I fucked up.” Brad ran his fingers through his hair, unused to the feeling of it growing out a bit. His dark brown hair was normally cropped short, no muss no fuss. Now it was a tad bit longer since the length of his hair was no longer a requirement of his dress code. Not shaving everyday was something that was completely foreign to him as well. But those things were nothing compared to the other changes he had gone through to come home. His scars were not pretty, but they were a part of him. Brad assumed that Valerie thought his entire plan was nuts. Perhaps it would be to most people, but there was something that changed in him after the IED explosion. Something that he couldn’t understand. All he knew was that it changed him and it would take a lot longer to get a handle on than he thought. At this point, he hoped Jamie would understand that healing was something he had to do on his own.

  “Please tell me you at least called your mom?” Valerie asked, pulling Brad from his internal debate.

  “Uhhhhh.”

  “Oh dear God. Are you freaking kidding me? You didn’t tell your wife or your mother that you were almost killed in an IED explosion? Don’t you think they are going to notice your new limp or the fact that you are no longer in the military?” Valerie waved her hands in the air for emphasis.

  “That noticeable, eh?” Brad joked.

  “Just a little. And I’m only a friend. You aren’t thinking of trying to hide this from Jamie are you?” Valerie stammered.

  “Of course not! She’s going to see me. I plan on telling her everything tomorrow when I see her. She doesn’t have to understand why I needed to do this on my own, she just has to accept it. Same with my mom. I just hope everyone can move past my injuries and realize I’m still the same person.” Brad’s voice lowered an octave as the worry crept in to his voice. What if they can’t accept that I’ve changed? It was the common fear that he had since his injury. Sure, it was silly, but it was his fear nonetheless.

  “They will. I know they will. It’s not like you’re not still you. None if it is going to matter to Jamie, you know that…I know that. She loves you more than life, Brad. Jamie is going to be very happy to have you home and mostly in one piece. If not, I’m sure she can still fetch a pretty penny for you on Ebay.” Valerie laughed at her own snarky quip.

  “Gee thanks! But seriously, she was okay today? Did she agree to go out with you tomorrow?” Brad’s heart pounded as he waited for an answer. He wanted to make his homecoming a complete surprise for Jamie.

  “Yep. We’re going to do the mani/pedi thing, and I’m sure I can talk her in to some lunch. I’ll make sure we make a full day out of it so you’ll have plenty of time to get everything done. What are you going to do about the kids? Do you need me and Greg to keep them overnight?”

  “No, I was actually hoping that you could sneak me over to my mom’s house. You know, without Jamie seeing us leave. I’m sure she’ll keep the kids overnight or for as long as I want. I do want to see her and let her know that I’m okay. If I call her and tell her all that happened, she’d rush right over here and the cat would be out of the bag. If I go see her, spend some time explaining everything that happened, I have a much better shot of my head staying on my shoulders and mom being a lot less spastic.” Brad knew his mom well enough to know a phone call would not be enough. He needed to be there in person. She was going to be mad as hell that he didn’t let her know he had been hurt. That alone was reason enough for her to go ballistic. He smiled at the thought of his mom all worked up. He’d seen her anger many times over the years. Mix in a healthy dose of fear with that anger, and a pretty situation it did not make.

  “She’s not the violent type. She’s the passionate type, and she’s always been overly protective of me. I need to see her to make things right between us.”

  “Well, we can take the SUV. The back windows are tinted so you should be all right back there. You still may want to lie down until we are out of the neighborhood, though. What time do you w
ant to go?” Valerie asked.

  “We can go any time. I still have a key. It would be nice to surprise her by having dinner ready for her when she gets home,” Brad suggested.

  “Or, you’re going to give her a heart attack.” Valerie rolled her eyes. “Some people really don’t like surprises. You know that, right?”

  “It’ll be fine. My mom’s a tough old gal. She can handle it,” Brad hoped.

  “You really don’t believe in picking up a phone, do you?” Valerie teased.

  “Nope. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Brad grabbed his jacket and one of the small backpacks he returned with.

  “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Valerie flung her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her keys from the coffee table. “Just so you know, you owe me big time for all of this.”

  “Pfffttt, like you had something more entertaining to do today,” Brad said as he followed Valerie to the garage.

  “Hey, just so you know, Ellen had a pretty interesting topic that I was hoping to catch today.” Valerie defended.

  “Thank god for the DVR,” Brad laughed.

  “How did you—?” Valerie spun to face the smiling Brad.

  “I was bored this morning. I needed something to do while the neighborhood women gossiped like a bunch of little old ladies.” Brad loved giving all of them a hard time, but the truth was he admired the friendship the women of the neighborhood had formed. It was a friendship unlike any he had ever seen.

  “Ugh! You better not have messed with anything. I will seriously have to hurt you if you did. I hate it when people play with my DVR.” Valerie opened the door to the garage. “Hurry up and climb in so I can open the automatic door.”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re bossy?” Brad smirked as he headed for the back of the SUV.

  “All the time! It’s one of my best traits. I don’t like to put up with other people’s shit!” With Brad firmly tucked away and out of sight in the backseat, Valerie pushed the button for the garage door to open. She made her way around to the driver’s door and quickly pulled it open before hopping in and fastening her seatbelt. Taking a deep breath and hoping that no one could see her stowaway, she carefully backed out of the garage and onto the street.

  “Looks like we are in the clear.” Valerie announced as they made their way out of the subdivision and onto the county highway. “Do you want me to pull over so you can ride up front?”

  “Nah, I kind of like feeling like I have a chauffeur. It makes me feel all important and stuff.” Brad joked.

  “Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it, buddy. This is a one-time deal and only because Jamie is one of my best friends.” Valerie honestly didn’t mind. She loved the idea of Brad going through so much to surprise his wife and his mom. Her only wish was that he would have handled it a bit differently. Like telling them he had been hurt, or that he was no longer in the military. If Greg decided to throw something like that on her, she honestly didn’t know how she would react. She was thankful she would never have to go through anything like that.

  “Fine, but you’re still good at playing chauffeur. Thank you for doing all of this by the way. I know you didn’t have to, and I’m glad you agreed to help out,” Brad said as he relaxed in the backseat, watching as they passed through their small town.

  “I just hope Jamie doesn’t get too pissed at me when she finds out about my part in all of this.” Valerie slowed to a stop as the traffic light turned red.

  “I’ll make sure she’s not upset with you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’m certain that any anger she has is going to be aimed at me for a while.” Brad couldn’t second guess his decision now, there was no going back. What had been done was done. All he could do was move forward.

  “Hopefully the anger Jamie feels will be tamed by the happiness, not to mention the relief she will have when she sees you. Do you need me to stop and pick anything up for you? Or do you want to go straight to your mom’s?” Valerie offered.

  “I’d love a burger and fries. It’s been so long since I’ve had some good ole American drive thru. My mouth is practically watering at the thought.” Brad reached into his wallet to grab some cash. “Get yourself something, too, if you want. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Maybe just a fresh drink. Jamie fed all of us this morning when we went over for coffee. She makes the best hash brown casserole. I need to get that recipe from her.”

  “Oh man! I miss her cooking. I hope you gals left some for me.” One of the things Brad always missed when he was away from home was his wife’s cooking. Jamie always took the time and effort to make sure he and the kids ate good home cooked meals whenever possible. He also loved helping her in the kitchen when he was home and had time.

  Valerie made a quick stop and picked up the biggest burger and fry combo for Brad and a tea for herself before pulling up to his mom’s house. “Just call later and either Greg or I will come and pick you up if you want.”

  “Thanks. If I’m not back tonight, it’s because my mom decided to hold me hostage. I’ll text you and let you know. If I end up staying with her tonight, I’ll have her drop me off first thing in the morning and make sure Jamie doesn’t see us in the neighborhood.”

  Brad thanked Valerie again for everything she had done and headed into his mom’s house.

  Finally, Jamie’s phone displayed a notification she had been praying for—a new email from Brad. Her heart leapt with joy at the news that he was okay, but it was soon tempered by some dark and ominous words—we need to talk. And that talk was apparently going to happen over the phone later the next day. Jamie went about her evening routine in a robotic fashion as she tried to push away the hundreds of questions that bombarded her brain. Every one of them concerned Brad’s insistence that they needed to talk.

  A restless night was not on Jamie’s to-do list, but that is exactly what she ended up with. It seemed to her that when she had just finally managed to drift away into a deep sleep, the sound of the phone ringing roused Jamie from her much needed slumber. She tried to focus on the caller ID, but her eyes couldn’t seem to adjust having just opened. “Hello?” Jamie’s voice was scratchy, barely audible as she tried to figure out why someone would be calling at five in the morning.

  “Good morning, baby girl. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Elaine’s far too chipper voiced filled Jamie’s ear.

  “It’s okay. Is everything all right?” Jamie swung her legs to the side of the bed, slowly standing and stretching. “I need to get up anyway. I need to get the kids up and ready for school.”

  “I wanted to ask you if I could pick up my grandbabies after school today and keep them overnight. I’ve been missing them like mad lately and was hoping to spend a little time with them today. I’ll make sure they get their homework done and maybe take them out for dinner, but don’t worry, we’ll be back well before their bedtimes. I’ll drop them off at school in the morning.”

  “That’s fine, Elaine. I’m sure they would love that. It will be a nice surprise for them. They always love spending time with you. Oh, I got an email from Brad yesterday. He said he was okay and wasn’t near the base when it was attacked.” Jamie made her way to the kitchen to get the coffee started.

  “That’s wonderful, I’m so glad he got a hold of you. He surprised me yesterday by getting a hold of me, too. He said he was going to call you tonight. I figured if the kids were gone, it would be a nice way to focus on just having a conversation with Brad.” The joy Elaine felt at having spoken to her son rang loud and clear in her voice.

  “Did he happen to tell you what he wanted to talk to me about?” Jamie inquired, a bundle of nerves starting to form in her stomach.

  “Not a word of it. Sorry, baby girl. He did seem like he was happy, though, and anxious to hear your voice.”

  “Thanks, Elaine. I’ll make sure I pack each of the kids an overnight bag and send it to school with them. I’ll also send along a note to their teachers to
let them know that you will be picking them up after school.” The smell of the coffee brewing filled the kitchen as Jamie stood by the pot, patiently waiting for the first cup. The nagging worry about Brad’s seemingly urgent topic started to creep back in.

  “That will be perfect! I gotta run, baby girl. I have a few things to finish up before I head to work for a few hours. You have a great day and keep your head up. Everything is going to be just fine. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, and thank you for everything.” With her parting words spoken, Jamie pressed the end button and poured her much needed first cup of coffee.

  A few hours later her phone chirped, announcing the arrival of a new text message. Ready to leave in about a half hour. How about you? You good? XX Val

  Jamie typed a quick reply: All set!

  “I need to get out of here more than anything right now.” Jamie said to her empty house. She finished her coffee, grabbed her jacket and purse, and made the quick trip across the street to Valerie’s house.

  “Hey Valerie! You have no idea how badly I need this today.”

  “Who doesn’t need a break once in a while, but what’s going on? You look like you barely slept.”

  “I’m worried sick. Yesterday my day finally brightened when I got an email from Brad. He was just letting me know that he was okay, but now I suddenly have a mountain of questions that I keep asking myself. I’m driving myself crazy with worry.”

  “What? Why would you be so worried? I’d think you’d be ecstatic to find out he was okay,” Valerie said. It killed her to see this unintended consequence of Brad’s email. All she could think about was that Brad had better be right about what he had planned, or he’d be facing both Jamie’s wrath and hers.

  “Okay, this is what else he said. He said that we needed to talk, there was a lot that happened and he wanted to talk to me about it. Does anything good ever come out of a conversation that starts with ‘We need to talk?’ ” Jamie asked. “When someone makes a point to tell you that they are going to be calling you because they need to talk…well, they are making a point to warn you that you should be prepared for some bad news. If we were dating, it would probably be the start of the breakup conversation. I’ve had enough of those over the years to know when one was approaching, but being married is different, isn’t it? You never should expect a call like that. Granted, we haven’t spent an abundance of time together because of Brad’s career…” Jamie’s voice trailed off as she worried where she went wrong. “But no matter what, I’ve supported him in any way I could.”