Braver With You (Great Love Book 1)

by A. Hart

  I threw my back pack in the back seat of my truck and hopped in. I backed out and began driving towards Emerson’s. My heart sped up and I felt so anxious at the thought of touching her again. I took in the familiar scenery of lush green trees and large strong mountains. The air was fresh and warm. I had missed home and the hope it brought me. I approached an intersection and I proceeded to drive through the green light when a red car barreled right at my truck.

  I acted quickly, knowing there were no cars next to me but there were some behind me, I swerved to the left and drifted instead of braking which would have caused a further accident. I straightened out and continued on my drive. My heart was beating through my chest and I was enraged with fury. Did that prick know what I went through to get home? He almost just took my life because he was a selfish asshole, worse he could have hurt the minivan full of young children that I noticed a while back. As my heart continued to beat through my chest I could feel my pulse in my ears and my mind flashed back to the place I had been avoiding to go for the past couple nights.

  I couldn’t fight it any more, I knew this would come...I could only fight of the ugly thoughts for so long before they came barreling in. The asshole had reminded me all too well of how one second can shatter a person’s world. Pictures of that day flashed into my mind and I was back there, I was back in Pakistan. I swerved again as I almost hit a pole and began to slow. I pulled off the road to the right.

  The pictures continued to attack my mind. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I would deal with this, I would talk about it. I would move on but not now. Not tonight. Tonight I was going to sweep Emerson off her feet. She deserved that, she deserved for me to pull myself together and focus on her. Hell, she’s what got me out of each and every hell hole, guiding me, helping me decide right from wrong and usually, almost always (except for the last mission...I winced at the thought) I came out with the mission a complete success. After I snapped out of it I had a flash of that same car from earlier in the day, it was the same red car. I had a strange feeling it wasn’t a coincidence but I knew there was nothing I could do and no way to prove it.

  I pulled up to Emerson’s place and parked in the drive way in front of her duplex. I took a deep breath and cracked my neck trying to soothe myself. I would deal with what had happened overseas but not tonight. Tonight was about Emerson. I walked up to her door, breathing heavy in anticipation and frustration of what just happened.

  I went to knock on the door and it swung open. A short curly blonde haired girl stepped out, looking me up and down and leaving the door partially open. "Well well well." I paused and raised my eyebrows at her as she spoke, realizing I recognized her from the fair and from pictures Emerson had shown me last year of her best friend. She smiled "You are a tall drink of water aren’t you?" I laughed awkwardly. "Cal" as I put my hand out to meet hers, she looked at my hand and then back at me "A real gentleman huh? I’m not buying it." Her hand met mine as she said "Sarah, Emerson’s BFF, warning ...I don't care how big you are. If you hurt her, I will find you and I will…" She was cut short "Sarah!" Emerson yelled from somewhere in the house. She sighed as she dropped my hand.

  "Yeah Yeah Yeah I’m going." Sarah huffed. I lightly touched her shoulder. "Nice to meet you Sarah, but just to let you know...I would never hurt Emerson...never in a million years..." She cut me off as she waved her hand at me "Uh huh okay but I did a real number on her so..."She looked me up and down "Go easy soldier." I looked at her, confused. What did she mean she did a real number on her?

  As I walked in the door I saw Emmy and immediately knew what Sarah had been referring to. Emerson was standing there, mouth twisted to the side and hands linked together in front of her. Her hair was curled slightly falling on her shoulders but pulled away from her face lightly. Her skin was tan and looked smooth, her eyelids were painted lightly with gold, bringing out the gold in her eyes. Her lashes were thick and long and her lips were painted a salmon pink. She wore a white strapless shirt that showed her curves in exactly the right spots and tight dark jeans with gold strappy sandals. Her nails were painted a bright turquoise that made me want to kiss each finger...slowly...taking my time...she looked casual but so unbelievably sexy.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Emerson

  Cal stood in my doorway with his lips parted, looking me up and down. I felt on display in this ridiculously tight outfit and bright makeup. Sarah had tweezed my eyebrows, done my hair, makeup, practically shaved my whole body herself...She was a pushy little thing...then she threw me in this tight outfit.

  Sarah had other choices before this one. This was the least revealing and most casual outfit choice. I finally broke the silence between Cal and I. "Well...you going to just stand there?" Cal put his hand over his heart and took a deep breath. "God Woman...you look..." I cut him off as I huffed "Ridiculous...Yeah I know." He let out a roar of laughter as he closed the door and began walking towards me. My whole body shook. He placed his hands lightly on my hips as he said "Far from ridiculous Honey..." My heart dropped...“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

  I blinked fast in surprise as he kissed me lightly. "You always have been Em." This couldn’t be happening. Cal stepped back looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes. He tugged slightly at his button up blue shirt that brought out his eyes even more and then ran a hand through his fluffy hair. "I’m glad you wore jeans, I have something special planned for tonight." He grinned at me "Oh yeah?" I smiled back. "Yeah but why don’t you grab some tennis shoes just in case." I smiled again "Yeah okay...much more my style anyways." He was staring at me again, from my chest down to my waist.

  He cleared his throat and looked back at my eyes. "Yeah I think it will be...fun." I smiled as I jumped up a little with excitement...I loved surprises. "Yeah okay well let me just grab my shoes." He nodded "Okay I’ll be right back." I tilted my head "Where you going?" He stopped almost in embarrassment but then sighed as he asked "have you opened any windows today?" I looked at him again with confusion "Uh...No...Why?" He sighed again. "After last night I would just feel a lot better if you let me check everything out and lock down your place...okay?" I half smiled at the fact that he seemed protective. Not going to lie, I liked it.

  I nodded. "Thanks" he said as he walked away and then slowly turned around. "And I don’t want you to feel pressured but honestly I would feel more comfortable if you would let me sleep here..." My heart began beating through my chest. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can sleep on the couch. I can even come back later if you want to be alone after our date." He cleared his throat and then continued. "Em I just would sleep a lot easier knowing you’re safe and the only way I can ensure that is if I’m here..." I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves.

  I smiled up at him, hoping my anxious desire for him to not only stay the night but stay in my bed didn’t come pouring out. "Yeah...okay...I...um…That’s fine." He nodded in agreement and walked away. I noticed the same bulge on the side of his hip as yesterday. I hadn’t paid much attention until now. I stared closer and realized it was a knife in a sheath. I twitched a little and then proceeded to get my purse. Meeting him at the door I took a deep breath, anxious for the night. "Ready." He smiled as he opened the door "My Lady..." I smiled and walked in front of him.

  We reached his truck and he opened the door for me then lifted me up into the truck by my waist again. I yelped a little at the startle. He hopped in the truck and then headed on the road. I glanced over at his knife again. "What’s that for?" He tilted his head in confusion. "What?" I pointed to his knife "That?" He smiled "My knife...?" I sat up a little "Uh yeah..." He laughed "You never noticed it before?" I thought for a second. Well now that I think about it I guess I had but I never thought about it much, until last night. I thought maybe it was his cell phone or pager holder but now that seemed silly. I shook my head "Guess not." His face twisted a little as he stared out the windshield focusing on the road. He shrugged his massive shoulders "I always have my
knife on me..." He looked over at me. "If we were in almost any other state I would have my gun."

  I twitched a little at the thought ...a gun? Our eyes met only for a second before he looked back at the road. He sighed "Em...Don’t forget I’m a soldier for a living and a pretty damn good one...I take pride in that. They don’t let just anyone in Special Forces." I smiled up at him "Cocky much?" He laughed "No just confident and that’s what it takes to get the job done right..."He shrugged his shoulders, drawing attention to them again. I pictured my nails digging into them and my stomach turned with anxiety. “I'm trained for many things, one being to always be prepared and the other to always have the upper hand. I know how to use a knife Em and a gun...You can trust me with them as much as you would trust a chef with cooking dinner...It’s my job....protection... and like I said I’m pretty good." I smiled lightly. “I have a dangerous job and I can make enemies easily because of that. I’m never truly off the clock. I would never allow anyone to hurt someone I care for.” He looked over at me briefly and my cheeks pinked a little. Something was very sexy about all of this. I sat up with interest.

  "So why don’t you carry your gun here?" He chewed on his lip lightly "California’s gun laws are ridiculous. All my guns are back at Fort Brag and I’ll probably have to sell most of them when I move back." I froze and I must have shot him a look because he immediately responded with his hands tightening on the wheel. "Yeah I was going to tell you later." He glanced at me and I felt my cheeks burning. "Yeah? Continue…” My voice was raspy with desire..

  "Well I only have three months left on my contract and then I'm done." I looked at him with my brows furrowed "Done?" I asked curiously. "Yeah as in getting the hell out....as in freedom....I'm moving back here." He smiled up at me "Yeah?" I asked trying to act like that didn’t send a wave of emotions through me. "Yup. I've saved up a lot of money on deployments. I have enough to put a down payment on some land...maybe with a small house on it...Enough room for Copper to run around." I smiled "Your puppy?" He laughed "Yeah right! He’s all grown up now. Maybe you can meet him soon?” I cleared my throat "Yeah I'd..."Sitting up smiling at him "I'd really like that." He smiled back. "Me too."

  I began fidgeting with his radio, turning on the country station, a Tim McGraw song played softly in the background. We talked for a while and I noticed he turned onto the highway, headed towards Sacramento. I pretended not to notice as we continued on chatting and laughing. He must have noticed my nervous jitters because he placed his hand on my thigh and gently squeezed. "Will you relax?" He glanced at me "It’s me..." I sighed yeah I thought exactly...It’s you and you’re perfect and this is all too surreal. I shook it off and asked “What are your plans?” He concentrated on the road and shrugged his shoulders "I'm not sure. I enjoy medicine. Being a paramedic was nice and I enjoy doing that in my unit too." his face went sad “But I think I need a little break from the chaos. The..." He sighed, I looked at him patiently. "I just want to enjoy the happy things in life for a little ya' know?" He looked at me with those big blues eyes and I was lost. I nodded my head "Yeah I do." He looked down. "I’ll go back to work eventually, get a job as a paramedic, maybe with the fire department but for now I want to get a place, fix it up, put some work into my land, and maybe help my dad out. I have enough money saved up to take a couple months off. Just enough time to bounce back..." His eyes went dark, like he had said too much.

  I sighed quietly to myself and decided to change the subject, seeing him in anguish tortured me. I was curious as to what was bothering him. I knew something was eating at him and it killed me. I could read him all too well but he would tell me on his own time and I would be patient. No matter how much it pulled at me. "So where we going?" I asked antsy. Cal smiled and looked down at me "You'll see...just be patient." I laughed "Do you know me at all?" He smiled as his head nodded towards the fairy that sat on the river. I gasped in surprise. It was beautiful. It was glamorous and I suddenly felt underdressed.

  I snapped at him as if I had been betrayed. "You said to wear tennis shoes. This isn’t..." he cut me off shaking his head "Tennis shoes are for later…you look perfect." I paused. He laughed as he parked. "We are going to have a great night, just relax and enjoy it okay?" I looked at him as if it offended me. He laughed to himself as he came around to my door opening it and then helped me jump out.

  Cal’s arms went gently around my waist and pulled me in, he lowered me down and as my body slid gently against his. I felt my heart ache with desire at the contact. I cleared my throat and pushed myself gently away from him. "Thank you" I said lightly. His face looked pained "mm....hmmm…” he groaned. I could hear a jazz band playing from the old fashion looking ferry boat. It sat on the Sacramento River, in the heart of old town. The sun was slowly setting over the water and it was breathtaking. We approached the dock and my heart fluttered at how romantic this all was. Cal must have sensed my nerves because he bent down and lightly placed a comforting kiss on my head. It sent butterflies through my body.

  We approached the hostess stand and Cal gave the man his name for the reservation "Aw yes right this way sir." The man led us through the boat and up a flight of stairs, Cal held me closely tucked into his side the entire time. Couples sat at the quaint round tables. White table clothes contrasted with the bright bouquets of flowers and flickering candles. The soft sounds of the live jazz band and the hum of the water were enough to make my heart sing with joy. On top of that, it smelt heavenly.

  The man walked us to a table that was inside but next to a large window that oversaw the river and the sunset. Cal pulled out my chair and after I sat he scooted me in. I paused in shook, but of course I should have known, Cal was a gentleman, in every way. The host gave us our menus and told us the special, announcing that our waiter would be over soon.

  I leaned over the table and whispered to Cal "Soldier...This place is…" he smiled as he opened his menu..."Its nice right?" I nodded "Yes very nice but it’s really expensive and really just a lot....you could have taken me to In-N-Out and I would have been a happy girl…you really didn’t have to...."He shook his head placing his menu in front of him and laughing quietly "I don't have to do anything. Do I look like a man who does anything he doesn’t want to Em? I know I could have taken you to In-N-out and I’m down for going with you while I’m home. But not tonight sweetheart." He winced as my heart sang at him calling me sweetheart.

  “Whether you think so or not, I know you Emerson. I know you’re simple and I love that about you." He loved that about me? My heart dropped and then sped up as he continued. “But the thought that you think I would give you the bare minimum offends me to my very core”. His eyebrows raised. "I want to do this Em. I want to give you what you deserve. It makes me happy." I paused in shock, my heart beating through my chest. His eyes looked sad as he sighed "You don’t like it?" I shook my head fast and quietly said "No no...God I love it...It’s...it’s perfect Cal." I smiled cautiously before I continued "As long as it’s what you want and you’re not doing it just cause...” He laughed again cutting me off. "Just cause what?" He looked at me again "Em you have got to start trusting me, I don’t ever do anything I don’t want trust me honey, this...." he looked at me with a spark in his eyes. “This I want." I paused again, trying to keep my mouth from dropping open. Honey? This I want. Did he mean me a relationship? Sex? I was terribly confused by it all. But God was it worth it. I had never in my life been happy to be utterly confused.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Calvin

  I sat across from Emerson stunned at how beautiful she was. I spotted the lightly bruised pink marks on her neck and cringed with pain. She tried to camouflage them with her hair but I could remember it all too well. I would never let anything like that happen to her again. The thought of what may have happened if I hadn’t been there made me sick.

  I shook it off and focused on the here and now. We spoke softly as we ate our dinner. I loved that she wasn't a picky eater, that she actually ate. Unlike mos
t girls who would order a salad, Em ordered a steak and scarfed it down. I smiled at how cute she was. She was trying so hard to be graceful but was just coming up short. When we were done with our meals the waiter came by and asked if we wanted dessert. Before Emerson answered I cut her off “Yes one crème brulee to share please." I remembered watching some chick flick with her and her saying she always wanted to go to a fancy restaurant and order it.

  I looked up at Emerson catching her grateful look as I continued. Time to bring it home Smith "But if you could wait about 20 minutes to bring it...we will be on the dance floor." Emerson shot me a look and smiled. The waiter nodded "Yes sir." I smiled at Emerson and she looked so happy. Mission sweep Emerson off her feet was underway. "We are?" She asked sounding excited. I smiled wide with the joy it gave me to please her. God I loved that look in her eyes. I hated dancing, especially in front of people and especially sober. Last night I was swept away and in the moment and just went with it. In the hospital it was only her and I and I did it to make her laugh and smile. I did it to take her mind off the pain she was in. I would do anything to take away her pain. Tonight it was part of my grand plan to sweep little miss Emerson off of her feet and into my arms, therefore I was much more aware of every move I made.

  Whether Emerson thought so or not I remembered every single one of our conversations and the way her eyes light up when she mentioned certain things. I hated dancing in front of people but I would do this for her, Hell I would do anything for her. As I stood up and walked to her side of the table, I felt a strange sensation. It was one I was familiar with. Someone was watching us and not from close. I could feel eyes burning the back of my head and the instinct in my gut. I searched around the shore and the restaurant close by. “Uh Cal?” I snapped out of it and realized I probably looked odd just standing there. “Uh…sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Saw something shiny?” She chuckled, I smiled wearily, “Uh yeah…kind of.” I took a deep breath and stuck out my hand "May I have this dance darlin'…" Emerson smiled and nodded.