by Tessa Teevan
“How about we spend the next few months getting reacquainted until I come back? I can’t properly woo you from Afghanistan, but we can spend the time apart getting to know each other again. Then when I get back, I’ll work on sweeping you off of your feet.”
I give him a soft kiss on the lips, loving that idea. “That sounds perfect, Jace. And that will give you plenty of time to think up ways to win my affections.”
Checking his watch, he stands up, taking me with him. “Oh, I already have a few tricks up my sleeves to make that happen.”
He walks us inside and throws me on the bed before he falls on top of me. He catches me off guard as he begins to unbutton his shirt I’m wearing as he also removes his clothes. He begins to make love to me, and instead of slow and sweet, it’s fast and frantic. We’re both trying to get our fill of each other, hoping for just enough to tie us over for the next few months. Too quickly, we’re both so close to orgasm, and he sends me over with his relentless thrusts. It’s only moments later when he groans into my neck that he releases into me. A wave of sadness passes over me as he pulls away, and I’m dreading the impending goodbye that’s looming over us.
As if he can sense it, Jace bends down and gives me a searing kiss before rising up off of the bed. He extends his hand and I take it. I let him lead me to the bathroom so we can both get ready to get back to reality.
TWO HOURS later, Jace’s car is packed and we’re headed to Sierra and Jeremy’s condo so I can get my stuff. I rummage through my purse to find the key.
“Do you think we should knock first? I’d hate to walk in on those two, not knowing what they could be doing,” Jace says before I can stick the key into the doorknob.
I laugh, knowing he’s probably right. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ve seen Jeremy’s naked ass and I’m scarred for life already.”
Jace raps on the door three quick times, and we stand there for a few moments before a sleepy looking Sierra answers the door in jeans and a t-shirt. She yawns as she greets us, opening the door wide so we can come in. We pass their packed luggage as we make our way towards the living room where Jeremy’s sitting on the couch in nothing but boxers, eating a bowl of cereal. Sierra sits down next to him and they both look at us expectantly. I know it’s probably killing my nosy sister to not come straight out and ask about all the sexy details from last night.
Heading down the hall towards the back bedroom, I leave Jace out there to dodge the questions I know she’ll be unable to refrain from asking. I quickly get all my stuff together and go back into the living room just in time to hear Sierra ask Jace how many times we had sex. When I walk into the room, I see him shaking his head at her before a ridiculous grin spreads across his face.
“Leave the guy alone, babe,” Jeremy tells his wife. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to bug Lexi about it on the plane ride home.”
I groan, thankful when Jace changes the subject. We gossip about the reunion and spill on conversations we had with many of the people who were there. They obviously had a good time last night while Jeremy’s parents had Ava spend the night. Eventually, it’s time to leave for the airport, so we lock up and make our way towards the parking lot. Jace and I figured out earlier that his plane only leaves about forty-five minutes after mine, so he decided to come to the airport with us.
Getting into the car, I turn to face him. “Do you need to stop by and say goodbye to your parents?”
Shaking his head, he starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. “They left this morning to go visit with Clay’s family for a week. I stopped by and spent some time with them yesterday when you took your nap before the reunion. Mom said to tell you it was nice to see you, by the way.”
I smile, happy that I was able to see his parents while I was here. I can only imagine how hard it is for them to say goodbye to him when he’s heading off to a hostile country, and I shake the thought from my mind, knowing I’ll be doing the same thing in a little while.
It’s not long before we’re pulling into the Pensacola airport parking lot. Grabbing our bags, we make our way inside. Jace goes to turn in the keys to his rental car, and then we head to the ticket counter, as we’re fortunately flying on the same airline. Getting through security, we slowly walk towards to the terminal, not wanting this weekend to end. Checking our tickets, we learn that my gate is only two away from Jace’s. Since my flight leaves first, we go to my gate where Sierra, Jeremy, Ava, and Jeremy’s parents are waiting.
“Uncle Jace!” we hear Ava exclaim as she squeals and runs towards us. Laughing, he bends down, and she almost knocks him back with the force of her hug. He swings her up and settles her on his hip.
I can’t help but smile at the sight of them together. Ava’s always been a ham, so it’s no surprise she took to Jace so quickly.
“Mommy said to tackle hug you when I saw you,” Ava informs him. “I hope it didn’t hurt too much.”He just shakes his head and rolls his eyes at my sister over the top of Ava’s head. Jeremy is trying to contain his laughter as Sierra simply shrugs, her eyes lighting up in amusement.
He turns back to Ava, who’s awaiting his response. Tapping the side of his cheek, he responds to her antics.
“I don’t know, Ava. That was a pretty hard tackle from such a little girl. My jaw does kind of hurt a little bit.”
Without missing a beat, she takes his face in both of her tiny hands and lands a loud smooch on the side of his cheek before pulling back to give him a warm smile.
“There, all better!” she proclaims before he sets her back down on the ground and we watch as she wanders back to her grandpa’s lap.
Jeremy’s mom stands to give Jace a hug, and I sit as he catches up with her briefly. A couple of moments later, he’s sliding into the seat next to me, and he takes my hand in his. I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder as he gives me a kiss on my hair. Sierra’s sitting across from us and she catches my eye. She gives me a thumbs up as she winks at me. I can feel Jace’s shoulders shake, indicating that he also saw her and apparently finds her to be hilarious. I just shake my head as I close my eyes to take in the last few minutes I have with him.
All too soon the gate attendant is announcing that first class can start boarding. Jace stands up and pulls me to my feet. With my hand in his, he drags me a few feet away to a quiet corner. He cups my face with both of his hands and leans in to place a soft kiss to my lips. I sink into him, and his hands move from my face to the small of my back as he pulls me in closer.
Pressing his face into my hair, he whispers, “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to hold you in my arms again, so it’s going to kill me to watch you walk away onto that plane. I know I said this before, but life happened and got in the way.”
He pulls back so he can look at me. His hand lifts my chin and his eyes lock with mine.
“I will come back for you, Alexa. Nothing will keep me away this time. I promise you, the moment I’m back in the States, you’ll be the first to know, and I’ll be in Cincinnati the minute I’m able.”
I swallow hard as the tears threaten to spill out onto my face. He runs his thumb across my cheek as one lone tear escapes my eye.
“I believe you. And I’m in the same boat. Never in a million years did I expect the weekend to turn out this way. My heart hasn’t felt this happy in so long. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but…I’m willing to find out.”
“I’ll be back before you know it. And hey, we’ve got technology to keep us occupied. I’ll be blowing up your email so often that you’ll get sick of me,” he jokes, causing me to smile.
I hear the final boarding call for my flight, so Jace walks me back over to the gate. He sweeps me up in his arms, pressing me firmly against him and planting a hot, searing kiss on my lips. His tongue briefly enters my mouth and tangles with mine. Giving me one last kiss, he reluctantly pulls away from me
Hesitantly I leave his arms and approach the gate, handing over my ticket. I’m about to head through the
door when I hear him call my name. I turn around and take in the sight of him one last time.
“You’ll always be my homerun.”
I KNOW I’m beaming from ear to ear as I take my seat next to Sierra. I’ve barely buckled in before she launches into an attack of questions, wanting to know the what, where, and how of Jace’s and my activities. Knowing she won’t leave me alone for the duration of the plane ride, I give in and give her some details, trying not to sound like a gushing teenager.
“Five times?!” she exclaims.Quieting her, I look around, embarrassed, hoping no one heard her.
I shrug. “After the first time, we couldn’t seem to keep our hands off of each other. I think we were trying to make up for so much lost time as well as getting our fill since we won’t see each other for the next few months.”
Her eyes widen at my comment. “So you’re planning on seeing each other again?”
I nod as I tell her about Jace’s new assignment. She squeals with delight when I reveal that he’s only going to be a few hours away from us in Kentucky. Throwing her arm around me, she squeezes tight.
“Lexi! That’s amazing. Incredible. I am so happy for you!” she gushes.
“Calm down, Sierra. Who knows what will even happen? We’re going to use this time apart to get to know each other again, and then we’ll figure out whatever we are when he gets back and we can spend time together.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Oh, come on. You guys don’t need to play the getting-to-know-you game. You seemed just as tight this weekend as you were back then. Looking at you two, no one would’ve ever guessed that it’d been so long since you were together.”
“You’re probably right, but with him being thousands of miles away, it doesn’t make sense to start a relationship that way. So we’re doing it this way, and I’m really okay with that,” I tell her.
“I guess that makes sense. You and Jace. Aren’t you glad I made you come?” she laughs, clapping her hands together.
“You’re a pain in my ass sometimes, but yes, I am extremely thankful that I came along for the reunion.”
She sighs and looks at me dreamily. “I wish you could see your face. You’re practically glowing! I haven’t seen you exhibit any emotion in the longest time. I knew this trip was going to be good for you.”
Nodding in agreement, I let the conversation trail off as Ava demands her mom’s attention so that she can help her turn on a movie on her Kindle. The thought of a four-year-old having a tablet of any kind is beyond me, but I guess it’s entertainment.
Turning away, I lean my head against the interior wall of the plane. I gaze out the window as the plane takes off. I replay the events over the weekend, starting from when I first reconnected with his gorgeous blue eyes at the bar. I’m drifting off to sleep as the last of the memories play and my eyes close when the image of him sending me one last sexy smile in the airport crosses my mind.
AFTER THREE and a half long, excruciating hours of Sierra grilling me about all the finer details of the last few days and Ava chattering nonstop about her new friend Uncle Jace, I’m finally pulling up into my garage, happy yet disappointed to be back home. The way those two went on about him, you’d think he was the second coming. Which, if I have to admit it, he kind of is—just not in the religious sense.
Putting the car in park, I shut it off and lean back against my seat. Closing my eyes, I can still picture him in the airport. Tan shorts with a green Army t-shirt that clung to his muscular body in the all the right spots. His buzzed haircut and the stubble that graced his skin from a three-day shaving protest. I can see the way his eyes sparkled, the color of the ocean sky on the sunniest of days, when he called out to me and the huge grin that spread across his face as I glanced at him one last time before boarding the plane. It’s an image I don’t think I’ll ever forget—not that I want to.
Out of nowhere, a single tear falls down my cheek, and I’m not sure which emotion brought it on. I wasn’t lying when I said that I felt happier than I have in recent months, but I’m equal parts nervous and terrified. Nervous that it was all a fluke. That it was one weekend between old friends who were feeling nostalgic. Terrified of the distance that separates us. Not because it’s too much to handle, but because of what it means. My leaving Florida meant coming back to Ohio, back to my regular nine-to-five job, running regimen with Brady, and my safe, normal, regular life.
Jace leaving meant something entirely different. He was going to a war zone, where he could be injured, or worse, killed at any moment. I shudder as I recall tracing the six names he has tattooed on his back. Each and every one of them signifies a loss of love greater than any family should ever have to go through, and it’s almost more than I can bear to think of one of his comrades one day having to memorialize his name the same way.
Pushing the thought out my brain, I exit the car and grab my luggage, making my way into the house. It’s silent, as Toby has been spending the weekend with Brady and Stephen. Leaving my stuff by the garage door, I head down the dark hallway and make my way to the front porch in order to retrieve my mail. Coming back inside, I flip the light on so I can go through the various envelopes. My eyes flick over to the wall where I’m greeted by Ty’s smiling face. I feel an instant stinging in my heart, and I’m quick to look away. The tears that used to instantly well up are nonexistent, so I make my way towards the wall to explore each photo.
The first one is of us the day we met. Kara took it when we weren’t paying attention. I have a scowl on my face, but you can see the laughter in my eyes as I take in the stupid grin that made him so damn attractive. I can’t help but smile at the memory, and for once, I can think of him and see his picture without breaking down.
Continuing down the hallway, I take in the photos from holidays, our engagement party, and finally, our wedding. I stop in front of our wedding portrait and trace his face in the photo. We both looked so young but so in love. My smile is wider than I’ve ever seen it in any picture, and he’s looking down at me with such adoration.
Over the past year, I’ve had nothing but my grief to hold on to. I clung to the memory of Ty, never letting anyone else in. But after this weekend with Jace, I look at these pictures and a sense of finality washes over me. Like I’m finally admitting that Ty is gone for good, and the possibility of someone new taking ahold of my heart seeps in. It’s relieving yet heartbreaking at the same time, and I can’t help the sob that escapes me as I sink to the floor, pulling the picture off of the wall and bringing it down with me. I clutch it close to my chest as the sobs wrack through me, my chest convulsing with such force that I’m finding it hard to breath. Emotions swirl within me like an endless whirlpool with nowhere to go, causing them all to collide with each other until forced to the surface.
I have no idea how long I spend on the floor gripping Ty’s photo close to my heart, but I’m finally able to pull myself together and catch my breath as I wipe my tear-stained cheeks. As I hear a knock on my front door, I feel my cell phone vibrate in my pocket, indicating a text has come through. Standing up, I place the picture on the wall and I pull my phone out of my pocket as I simultaneously make my way towards the door.
Jace McAllister 4:17 P.M.: I know it’s only been a few hours, but I can’t get you off of my mind. These are going to be the longest ten weeks of my life. I hope you made it home safely.
Tears threaten to form again, but this time they’re for a different reason. He’s right. These are going to be ten terribly difficult weeks to get through. I’m wiping my eyes as I open the front door, and Brady’s immediately pulling me to him, stroking my hair.
“What’s wrong, honey? You just got home. Why the hell are you crying?” he asks me.
Shaking my head, I step out of his arms so we can both enter the house. He picks up Toby’s carrier off the porch and brings him inside. Releasing him, Toby’s quick to run to me as I take a seat on the couch. Cuddling in my lap, I stroke his soft fur as Brady joins me.
He looks at
me with pitying eyes until I show him my cell phone. I want to laugh when his eyes widen at the message, and then he grins at me.
“So I take it you had a good weekend?” I nod, and he claps his hands together. “Oh, it’s story time, but first we need celebratory drinks.”
He hops up and heads towards the kitchen, so I take the time to respond to Jace.
Ten weeks…Ugh, don’t remind me. Four hours has already been long enough. I’m going into hibernation. Wake me up when you’re here. I know how good you are with wake-up calls. ;)
Grinning, I hit send just as Brady re-enters the room with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I quirk my brow up at him, seeing as it’s not even 5:00 pm yet.
“I know you, which means that I know I need to get your lips loose so you’ll spill all the juicy details. Why were you grinning like a lovesick fool when I just walked in?”
I hand over my phone again, watching his eyes widen at my message.
“You vixen! Okay, that’s it. Spill it. And even though we talked a couple of times, I want you to start from the beginning. Give me all the dirty details, and don’t you dare skip out on this wake-up call goodness.”
I take a sip of my wine as I launch into a Cliff Notes version of the past few days. He sits there, unusually silent, as I describe my drunken antics, the emotional balcony conversation, and the way we slept in the same bed for two nights without doing anything. It isn’t until I get to the dugout part that he gets excited. He wants to know every single detail, and I just wink at him, letting him know that some things are best kept between two people. Sighing, he lets me continue the story. He listens intently as I vaguely describe our first time, and I can’t help but feel like a schoolgirl as the stupidest grin comes to my face when I think about Jace being inside me for the first time in so long.
“Sweet Jesus, you’re a goner,” Brady says, interrupting my thoughts.
I ignore him as I finish telling him about the weekend, all the way down to the last thing Jace said to me in the airport.