'Tis the Season for Romance

by Kristen Proby

  Rocket had been given the opportunity to go overseas for his employer for six months. It would’ve meant doubling his salary, but they’d just found out Jayme was pregnant and he hadn’t wanted to miss a second of it. So he’d declined…without discussing it with his wife.

  Jayme was pissed at him for at least a week, before he’d finally sat her down and they’d hashed things out. She was upset he’d made such a big decision without even talking to her about it, and Rocket had a hard time understanding why she was mad when she agreed with his decision in the first place. But they’d worked through that, and their relationship had become stronger as a result.

  “Welcome to the family, Connor Rocket Long,” Jayme whispered.

  Rocket’s throat closed up and his eyes filled with tears. They’d had some heated conversations over the last few months about what to name their son, as well. Jayme had wanted to name him Rocket Junior, but there was no way Rocket was going to put his son through what he’d gone through when he was a kid. He’d been teased mercilessly. He wanted their son to have a nice, normal name, that no one would make fun of him for. He might get teased for other things, but at least it wouldn’t be because of something Rocket could prevent.

  So Jayme had relented on his first name, but still insisted on giving him a part of his father, the man she loved more than life itself.

  Their son yawned, opening his mouth wide and letting out a small squeak, before scrunching his eyes closed and sighing.

  “Thank you,” Rocket whispered.

  “I think that’s my line,” Jayme whispered back, not wanting to wake their sleeping son.

  “Nope. Thank you for giving me a chance. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for trusting me to treat you right. Thank you for wanting to have children with me. Just…thank you for sharing your life with me.”

  Now Jayme was crying. “You’re welcome,” she told him with a watery smile.

  If someone had told him two years ago that he’d be where he was today, married, with a beautiful son, he would’ve rolled his eyes at them and told them they were crazy. He’d spent forty years looking for “the one,” and he’d had no reason to believe he’d ever find her. But here she was.

  Here they were.

  “Come on, Dad, we’ve got to move your wife up to a room and we need to take little Connor back for some TLC,” one of the nurses said.

  Rocket straightened, but grabbed ahold of his wife’s hand as they gently took Connor from her.

  “They’ll give him back,” Jayme said with a small chuckle. When his eyes met hers, she said, “You were looking at him as if you’d never see him again.”

  “I just…he’s a miracle, and I can’t stop looking at him.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to do that in the next eighteen years,” she said dryly, then yawned, much as their son had done.

  Rocket mentally shook himself. Jayme had just been through the most amazing thing he’d ever seen in his life. She needed sleep, and food, and for him to get his head out of his ass and to take care of her. As soon as the nurses got her settled, he’d help her change into the nightgown they’d brought from home. She’d want the fuzzy blanket they’d brought as well. Then there was Winnie. She was going to want to see her granddaughter and great-grandson.

  “What’s that smile for?” Jayme asked.

  “Just thinking about what Winnie’s going to say when she sees Connor for the first time.”

  Husband and wife shared a smile. Winnie was still going strong at ninety-two and a half, and sometimes they thought she was more excited about this child than they were.

  “Rocket?” Jayme asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too, sweetheart,” Rocket said. Life was good. He was a damn lucky man…and he knew it.

  * * *

  Five years later

  * * *

  “Connor! Stop teasing your sister!” Jayme yelled from the kitchen. She was finishing up dinner and Rocket knew by the sound of her voice that she was at the end of her rope.

  Their kids were awesome, but they were also quite a handful. They’d had Kayleigh one year almost to the day that they’d had Connor. They hadn’t planned on having a second kid so close to the first, but they hadn’t taken the necessary precautions after Jayme had been cleared to have sex again.

  They’d talked about it, and Rocket had gladly agreed to having a vasectomy while Jayme had been pregnant with Kayleigh. The last thing he wanted was to put any more stress and strain on his wife, and since they both agreed that two kids seemed perfect for their family, it was a no-brainer.

  Now they could make love without worrying about unintended consequences. He could fuck his wife without reservations…but of course, that was easier said than done. With two kids in the house, their life was hectic, but they always seemed to find time to connect physically and emotionally.

  Connor was a rambunctious five-year-old who definitely took after his father. He was a big kid, and the doctors said he’d be a big adult, as well. Which wasn’t exactly a surprise since Rocket was six-four himself. Connor hadn’t quite learned his own strength yet, and they were working on that. But one thing that Rocket had done from the time he’d brought his son home was impress upon him the importance of looking after those who were smaller or weaker than himself. There was no way any son of Rocket’s was going to be a bully. No way in hell.

  Then there was Kayleigh. She was small, like her mom, which made Rocket smile every time he looked at her. She had gorgeous thick hair, which was in a tangle on her head more often than not. Her blue eyes could sway him as easily as her mom’s too. Jayme accused him of spoiling her, but Rocket didn’t care. That was his job as a father.

  But Kayleigh was no shrinking violet. She was as rough and tumble as her older brother. Surprisingly, it was Connor who loved to spend hours in the kitchen with his mom, learning how to chop, stir, and bake, while Kayleigh would rather spend her time out in the garage with her daddy, learning the names of the tools he used and getting oil all over her hands.

  “Kids!” Rocket yelled. “Come here!”

  His son and daughter came running toward him, leaping into his lap and fighting over which knee they sat on.

  “Calm down and I’ll tell you a story,” Rocket told them.

  “Tell us about your wedding!” Connor insisted.

  Rocket sighed. “Are you sure? You’ve heard that one a million times,” Rocket said.

  “Hush up and tell them,” Winnie retorted from her chair.

  They’d moved Jayme’s grandmother in with them a year and a half ago. She hadn’t wanted to leave her pretty little house, but it was time. She’d been having a hard time taking care of herself and needed some help. And neither Rocket nor Jayme could bear to put her in a nursing home or assisted living center. So Memaw was spending the last years of her life in their home. Surrounded by the craziness that was a house with two little kids and two working adults.

  “Right, so your mom and I got engaged on Christmas Day. I gave her the beautiful ring she still wears today, and we immediately went to get the proper paperwork so we could tie the knot as soon as possible.”

  Connor and Kayleigh were enthralled, which amused Rocket, since they’d heard this story so many times before.

  “When the big day came, we went down to the courthouse with your memaw. She wanted to walk your mom down the aisle, since she was the one who’d introduced me to her. When we got there, though, things were crazy. Apparently a lot of other couples had the same idea as us, and it was getting later and later. The courthouse was going to close, and we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get married that day, which would’ve been a huge bummer because we’d been looking forward to it so much.

  “Just when we didn’t think it was going to happen, our names were called. So the three of us got up and went into the room. But instead of a beautifully decorated room, as we’d envisioned, we were led to a cubicle. There was no aisle, but yo
ur memaw was determined. She grabbed your mom’s hand and pulled her away from me. She pushed me about three feet in front of them and ordered me to turn around.

  “I was trying to keep my laughter to myself, but it was impossible. So I took a step away from your mom and Memaw lifted her chin and she and Jayme took one step toward me. Then Memaw put your mom’s hand in mine and said, ‘There. Done.’

  “Both your mom and I were trying so hard not to laugh, but when the clerk started talking, it was impossible not to. He was going on about how ‘we were gathered here today’ when there was no ‘we.’ It was just us, your memaw, and two people peeking into the cubicle from the hall, who were the witnesses. And once we started giggling, we couldn’t stop. The clerk didn’t stop though, he kept talking over our giggles. By the time he got to the part where we were supposed to say our vows, all we could get out was, ‘I do.’ We couldn’t say the beautiful vows we’d practiced!”

  Both Connor and Kayleigh were laughing by then, and Rocket saw Jayme standing in the kitchen looking over at them with a huge smile on her face.

  “But you guys had a do-over!” Connor said confidently.

  “We did. We were officially married that day, December twenty-ninth, but three months later we had a party, right here in our own backyard, and we got to say the vows we’d made up for each other, and Memaw got to walk your mom down a more proper aisle.”

  “It was a big party!” Kayleigh piped in. “You invited all your friends from the Navy base and Mom made all the cookies!”

  “That’s right. Nana and Papa were there, as well as Grams and Grandpa.”

  Rocket loved that his kids wanted to hear the story about their parents’ wedding over and over. He shared a look with Jayme from across the room. Their wedding hadn’t turned out as they’d expected, but the story from that day never failed to make them smile, and as far as he was concerned, that was a gift.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Jayme called out.

  Connor and Kayleigh bounded from his lap and ran to the table. They all didn’t eat together every night, but did so as often as they could.

  Rocket stood and helped Winnie to her feet. When he got her settled at the table, he went into the kitchen. He took a quick second to kiss his wife. “Thanks for dinner.”

  He never took her for granted. She always did her best to get home at a reasonable time, never forgetting what he’d told her once upon a time, that he loved coming home to the smell of dinner cooking.

  “You’re welcome,” Jayme said.

  Then Rocket leaned down and nuzzled the side of her neck, never getting tired of his wife’s soft moans and how she always grabbed on to him as if she couldn’t help herself. “I’ll show you how appreciative I am tonight.”

  Her swift intake of breath made him smile.

  “Mom! I’m hungry!” Kayleigh exclaimed from the table.

  “Your offspring is hungry,” Jayme said, as she reached for a plate she’d already made up and shoved it into Rocket’s hands.

  Grinning, Rocket took it. But before he headed to the table to feed his monsters, he took the time to kiss Jayme’s forehead gently. They’d been married for over six years, and he loved her even more than he did when he’d first put his ring on her finger.

  He didn’t know what was in store for the next six years, but he couldn’t wait to find out.

  * * *

  Twenty years later

  * * *

  “Merry Christmas,” Rocket told Jayme as he handed her a small box. This was their tradition, had been ever since that first Christmas together. They’d wake up Christmas morning and he’d give her a present.

  “You spoil me,” she told him softly.

  “Yup,” Rocket agreed.

  He watched as she opened the long box and exclaimed in delight at the knife that was inside.

  “You got me that knife set I wanted!” she exclaimed.

  “Nope. Just one. Those things were expensive,” Rocket teased.

  But Jayme shook her head and laughed. “Whatever. You wouldn’t get me just one knife. I know you.”

  She did. Rocket kissed her. “The rest are downstairs waiting to be opened. And you should know, you’re the only woman I’d ever consider giving a set of wicked sharp knives to.”

  Jayme chuckled. “Yeah, well, if I haven’t killed you yet, I think you’re safe.” She put the knife back in the box and snuggled into his side. “Remember when the kids were young and you’d have to set the alarm for like three in the morning so we could have our special moment without being interrupted?”

  Rocket nodded. “Yeah. Our kids had a knack for waking up at the butt crack of dawn and pouncing on us.”

  They were both quiet for a moment, then Jayme said, “I miss that.”

  “Well, by the time they were teenagers, they were happy to have a day to sleep in. It was us going in to wake them up when they still weren’t awake by nine,” Rocket mused.

  “True. They’ve turned out pretty good, haven’t they?” Jayme asked.

  They had. Connor had inherited his mom’s love of cooking and had gone to culinary school. He was working at a five-star restaurant up in Dallas and had dreams of opening his own restaurant one day. Rocket was somewhat upset on Jayme’s behalf that Connor hadn’t wanted to take over her bakery, but Jayme reassured him she was happy he was taking his own path in life. She’d finally decided to sell Warm Delights, and seemed happy that her legacy would continue on.

  Kayleigh had taken after Rocket, getting her associate’s degree in automotive technology, and had been hired on by the very same contractor Rocket had retired from. She was working at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Currently, both their kids were home for an entire week.

  “They’re amazing,” Rocket said, his voice full of pride.

  Jayme looked over at the clock. “It’s seven. Think we should go in and make them get up now?”

  Rocket pretended to think about it before shaking his head. “We’ve got two hours of peace, at least. I can think of better things to do than torture our children.”

  “Yeah?” Jayme asked. “I could use some more sleep.”

  Their sex life had been robust over the years, but they no longer needed or wanted to be intimate every night. Both were content to merely snuggle and hold each other as they slept. But every now and then, the need for more struck them. Like now.

  Rocket reached for the hem of the tank top Jayme was wearing and slipped his hand under it. “Sleep, huh?”

  She squirmed against him. “Okay, maybe I’m not that tired,” she teased.

  Rocket grinned and scooted down her body, grabbing hold of the panties she had on as he went. He might be in his mid-sixties, but he’d never get enough of his wife. He loved her taste, how she bucked against him, and how she said his name when she came. Hell, Rocket loved everything about Jayme.

  Two hours later, after waking up their kids, and after Jayme had served the biggest, gooiest cinnamon rolls that she knew her family loved, Rocket watched as his family opened their Christmas gifts.

  “Did you get everything you wanted?” Jayme asked when the gifts had been opened. There was wrapping paper everywhere, and the house was a mess.

  Rocket turned to his wife and kissed her temple, holding her tighter against his side. “I got everything I wanted twenty-six years ago when you said ‘I do,’” he told her honestly.

  Sometimes Rocket had flashbacks to that time when he’d walked into an armed robbery and saw his wife on the wrong end of a gun, and all he could do was thank his lucky stars that they’d both come out of it alive. He couldn’t imagine not having Connor or Kayleigh in his life. Couldn’t imagine not living the life he’d lived for the last twenty-six years.

  “I love you,” Jayme said.

  “I love you too,” Rocket returned.

  Their life had its share of ups and downs, but he wouldn’t change one thing about it. Not one single thing.

  Want to know more about Brain and Aspen? Pick up Shielding Aspen today
! Better yet, go back to the beginning of the Delta Team Two series with Shielding Gillian! You can meet the whole gang!

  Next up in the Delta Team Two series is Shielding Riley. Riley has a nasty ex that is definitely going to be a problem. And her neighbor, the sexy soldier Porter “Oz” Reed just found out about his ten year old nephew and that he’s now the boy’s guardian. Pick it up now!

  * * *

  Want to talk to other Susan Stoker fans? Join my reader group, Susan Stoker’s Stalkers, on Facebook!

  Also by Susan Stoker

  * * *

  Delta Team Two Series

  Shielding Gillian

  Shielding Kinley

  Shielding Aspen

  Shielding Jayme (novella)

  Shielding Riley (Jan 2021)

  Shielding Devyn (May 2021)

  Shielding Ember (Sep 2021)

  Shielding Sierra (TBA)

  * * *

  SEAL Team Hawaii Series

  Finding Elodie (April 2021)

  Finding Lexie (Aug 2021)

  Finding Kenna (Oct 2021)

  Finding Monica (TBA)

  Finding Carly (TBA)

  Finding Ashlyn (TBA)

  Finding Jodelle (TBA)

  * * *

  SEAL of Protection Series

  Protecting Caroline

  Protecting Alabama

  Protecting Fiona

  Marrying Caroline (novella)

  Protecting Summer

  Protecting Cheyenne

  Protecting Jessyka

  Protecting Julie (novella)

  Protecting Melody

  Protecting the Future

  Protecting Kiera (novella)

  Protecting Alabama’s Kids (novella)

  Protecting Dakota

  * * *

  SEAL of Protection: Legacy Series

  Securing Caite