Jordyn's Army, page 43
6
Austin
A month after the incident with Angie, Scarlette and I were stronger for having weathered the storm. As it turned out, Angie had a history of this sort of behavior. She’d gotten fixated on her teacher at sixteen and nearly killed him. Her family had paid a lot of money to have those records sealed.
Charles had called me to apologize for not taking the situation seriously. He’d thought I was blowing things out of proportion. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone left the service and kept finding the worst in innocent situations, created chaos to mimic the rush of being in the field.
Each day, I scanned the local papers, but there wasn’t much there. I imagined Angie’s parents paid a hefty amount to keep it quiet. They came from oil money and wanted to protect their name. At least it seemed that part of our lives was done. And now it was time to start the next chapter.
My parents were ecstatic about how things were progressing with Scarlette. Mom pestered me constantly, wanting to know when I was going to ask her to marry me.
It was rare for me to be nervous, but I was currently shaking like a fucking leaf. Scarlette sat beside me in the truck, holding my hand and wearing a blindfold.
“Where are we going?”
We’d been in the truck for about thirty minutes, and the wait was apparently killing her. “You’ll see.”
She giggled. “No, I won’t. I’m blindfolded.”
I kissed the back of her hand. “Once we get there, you will.”
As I made the last turn, Scarlette’s phone rang. “Who’s calling me?”
I glanced at the screen and sent Mom to voicemail. “It’s my mom. You can call her later.”
“She was going to have me go by their house to make sure the fridge got delivered.”
“We’ll do that afterward.” Scarlette and Mom were tight. Two weeks earlier, my parents decided to move to Bentonville to be closer to us. For now, they were renting, but planned to buy soon. They knew this girl was the one I planned to spend the rest of my life with. They just weren’t sure when I would ask. I hadn’t told them because I was afraid Mom might spill the beans.
I parked the truck, taking a deep breath and hoping I wasn’t making a mistake. After getting out I helped Scarlette down and led her to the place I’d imagined when I told her. This was it. I took off the blindfold and let Scarlette adjust to the light.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Our place.”
Scarlette looked at me inquisitively. “Our place?”
“Yes, our place. Well, I hope to call it ours. I bought it, hoping you’d spend the rest of your life with me here.”
Before she had a chance to process what was happening, I got down on one knee and opened a fancy black velvet box with a huge ass diamond ring nestled inside. Mom had said if I loved her, it better be big. Well, it was huge. Scarlette gasped, tears forming in her eyes. “Austin…”
“Scarlette Noelle, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes! Yes! Oh yes!” She threw her arms around me, sobbing.
I held her tightly. Nothing would ever compare to having her in my arms. My life was complete. Forever and always. I kissed her, dipping her back, and she giggled.
She sighed. “This place is beautiful. Is this where we’ll build the house?”
“If you’d like.”
Leaning back against my chest, she said, “I think it’s the perfect place.” Her eyes grew watery. “I can finally check off Mom’s final wish for me: to find happiness.” She gave me the most beautiful smile that nearly dropped me to my knees.
“Yes, you can.”
7
Scarlette
Two months later
“Scarlette, are you ready?”
Austin called to me from the other room, but I kept staring at the stick in my hand. We’d been married for a month and decided to stop using birth control the night of our honeymoon. We’d decided to let fate take its course. And it had taken its course at a rapid pace.
“We’re going to be late.”
I knew I should answer him, but I couldn’t. I felt like I was having one of those out-of-body experiences. Am I dreaming? Yes, I wanted this. But I never imagined it would be this easy. I could picture a little boy who looked just like Austin running around the house. Or a little girl with blond pigtails.
“I’ll be in the car. Hurry up, sweetheart.”
That snapped me out of my reverie. What do I do? Take the pee stick out to the car? Hey honey, look—two lines. Finally, I decided I would tell him when we got back. Maybe I should stash the stick somewhere? In a panic, I put it in the drawer.
We were headed to dinner with Austin’s parents. The reason had been vague. And when I asked Rose about it, she’d hung up fast and abruptly. It was odd, but I hadn’t given it much thought. They’d officially moved to Bentonville; I imagined we’d be invited to dinner with them often. I grabbed my purse and headed out to my new car. Austin had been insistent I have something safe. The leather seats were amazing. I loved the Audi Austin and I bought together.
I’m pregnant.
The thought stopped me. Tonight, I wouldn’t be able to drink any wine. Isn’t there something about fish and mercury? I worried his mom would figure it out before I had a chance to tell Austin. Maybe I could take a pretend sip and fake a headache. Ahh, I was terrible at faking it.
My ever-so-handsome husband sat behind the steering wheel, motioning for me to hurry up. When I got in the car, he asked, “You okay?”
“Umm… of course. Why would you ask that?” So smooth. I needed Special Forces training. In these types of situations, I was anything but calm.
Austin raised his eyebrow at me. So I changed the subject. “They’re making good progress on the house. We should be in by Christmas.”
And before the baby arrives. Baby. I was going to be a mother. And Austin, a father. I knew he wanted kids… but this fast? The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. Should I blurt it out?
“You sure you’re okay? You’re acting strange.”
We pulled up to the restaurant. “Me? Oh, I’m great. Just dandy. Let’s eat. I’m starved. You hungry? Good!”
Before he could say anything else, I got out of the car. Austin was hot on my heels as I rushed into the restaurant. “I know you’re not telling me something.”
I gave him a cheesy grin with a shrug. “Let’s have dinner with your parents. I’m starving.”
The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air as Austin let the hostess know we were there and we made our way to the private dining room. His parents hadn’t arrived yet. Austin put his hand on my hip and brought me closer to him as we followed. “You have a terrible calm face.”
“I do not. I have a perfect calm face. My calm face is as good as yours.”
“Oh no, it’s not. You know I can keep a secret. You can’t. What are you hiding?”
I widened my eyes, hoping to appear shocked. Instead I probably looked like a buffoon. “I totally do. You have no idea what I’m hiding.”
He snapped his fingers. “I knew it.”
Oh shit. “Maybe I’m lying.”
The hostess showed us in and shut the door. “Scarlette.”
I took a second to look around the room, hoping I would come up with an idea. Instead, the room took me by surprise. There were candles and flowers all over the place. “This is beautiful.”
“Happy one-month anniversary, sweetheart.”
I glanced at the table, noting it was set for two. I brought my hand to my mouth, overwhelmed and filled with joy. “I love you.”
“You are my world.”
I shifted my focus back to Austin and searched his eyes. This was the perfect time. “I’m pregnant.”
Sheer excitement filled his face. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I just took the test. I wanted to wait until after we had dinner with your parents.”
He took my shoulders. “You’re pregnant? Really pregnant?”
“The two lines confirmed I am.”
Austin picked me up and spun me around. “I’m going to be a dad.” Then he set me down and smiled. “You do have a terrible calm face.”
I giggled. “Absolutely horrible.”
From his pocket, he opened a black velvet box. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings. “Happy anniversary, Scarlette.”
Kissing him, I smiled against his lips. “Happy anniversary, Austin.”
8
Austin
I walked through the front door and stopped. Every time I came home, I did the same thing. Listened. To the sound of having a family. In the living room, our baby cooed as Scarlette talked to her. Ivie Rose was six months old today. She was named after our moms. Her first name was Scarlette’s mom’s.
When we told my mom, I thought she would never stop crying. My parents loved being grandparents and stopped by regularly. Scarlette loved them like her own. After all those times spent in trenches in the Special Forces, I’d never imagined life could be this good.
I put my keys in the holder and took a step around the corner and watched my wife on the floor with our daughter. Toys littered the living room.
This was what I’d always wanted.
As if she could sense me, Scarlette looked up at me and gave me a smile I would cherish for the rest of my days. She had saved me. Every morning I woke up, I tried to put as many of those on her face as I could, and I would remain forever faithful. “Ivie, daddy’s home.”
“Hey, sweetheart.” I leaned down to kiss her. Ivie squealed as I picked her up. “Hey, princess. How were you today?”
Ivie gave me spit kisses, and I squeezed her tight.
“Our little girl was showing me how fast she can kick her legs. And we picked tomatoes from the garden today. Your mom stopped by, and we did some finger painting. Well, it was more of a paint smearing. The picture Ivie made you is on the counter.”
Scarlette got up and followed me into the kitchen. A big sheet of paper with a rainbow of colorful smudges was drying on the counter. I kissed my daughter again. “It’s beautiful, princess. I’ll hang it up at work.”
Pure fucking bliss. Scarlette yawned. “Sorry. I’ll get dinner going. I meant to have it done, but time got away from me. Ivie was a little fussy.”
Ivie wasn’t the best sleeper. And Scarlette was up a lot at night nursing with Ivie because she was teething. “I brought dinner. It’s in the truck. Let me feed Ivie while you take a bath.”
“Austin, you worked all day. I can do dinner.”
I gave her a quick kiss. “Taking care of our child is more than a full-time job. Go take a bath. Relax. I’ll bring you some dinner after I feed the baby.”
Her blue eyes shone with love and morphed into what I knew would end up as a lucky night for me. Hell yeah, I’d take it.
About a year ago, I’d started a security company. It took off. I hired a few guys who’d retired from the Special Forces to help me out, and I was able to provide a comfortable home for my family.
Ivie squealed as I kissed her cheeks. Her smile lit up the sky. “How’s Daddy’s princess doing today? Did you take your nap?”
“No, she didn’t. She’s like her daddy. Requires no sleep.” Scarlette touched our baby’s cheek. “But she’s Momma’s little angel. Yes, she is.” She gave the baby, and then me, a kiss before heading upstairs. Before she disappeared from view, Scarlette turned and winked at me.
That ass. Yeah, I’m getting lucky tonight.
Ivie let out a little yell, which meant she was hungry. “Let’s get you fed and to bed. Daddy’s got a date with your mommy.”
Later that evening, after I put Ivie to sleep, I joined Scarlette on our balcony as she watched the sun dip below the horizon. “Is she asleep?”
“For now.” I prowled toward her, enjoying the heat I saw in her eyes. Wrapping my arms around her, I brought her close to me, her body molding perfectly to mine.
She smiled up at me. “I love the life we’ve built.”
I ran my nose against hers and savored her vanilla scent. “Me, too. Every time I walk through that door, I know I’m the happiest man on earth.”
I felt her fingers flex on my hips. She was nervous about something.
“What is it, sweetheart? You still have a terrible calm face.”
She giggled but then got serious. “I want another baby.”
My mouth descended on hers. When I finished, she was nearly breathless. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
Her soft lips grazed mine. “I can’t imagine life without you.”
As I picked her up to carry her to bed, I knew I would never let her go.
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About Kristin Mayer
Kristin Mayer tries to live life to the fullest during every moment. She loves to travel, meet new people, and mark items off of her bucket list.
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The Way We Fell
A Legacy series novella
MJ Fields
To The Reader
To Jordyn’s Army peeps, I’d like to make it clear to you all that my name is MJ FIELDS, please don’t mistake that for any others, lol.
Like you, I was shocked when I heard what had happened to the Preston family, in possibly it’s most trying time. Like you, my heart bled for them. Unlike you, I received dozens of messages, that I had to be returned in order to clear up… some things.
*whispers MJ Fields*
When I received an invitation to be part of this anthology, and with this group of authors, I was honored.
As a mother I have cried for them, prayed for them, and will continue to do so.
Fight, baby girl, and win!
The Legacy Series is an angst and heat lovers’ dream. Our hero and heroine in this story were introduced in the very first series, I ever wrote, The Love Series, and have made appearances in The Legacy Series, which now spans two generations. This particular series readers, have been very vocal about wanting Ben and Kendall’s story. Putting it in the anthology seemed the best way to support this anthology.
This is a short story for an amazing cause.
It has a beginning, a middle, and an HEA.
Being me, a serial series writer, and one who gives my readers what they want, the story is being further fleshed out in to a full-length novel releasing on October 6th, 2019.
FORVER STEEL,
MJ Fields
For more information please sign up for my newsletter
http://bit.ly/MJFieldsnews
1
Kendall
Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For
What do Sinead O’Conner, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, and one of the biggest rock and roll bands of all time—U2—have in common, aside from me being a super fangirl?
Talent and style?
Yes … but also no.
The answer is: some of my all-time favorite bands, singers, and songwriters hail from the city that I’ll be spending three more glorious days and nights submersed in.
Dublin.
Even though our group tour is planned around exploring the history, architecture, and castles in Ireland and Dublin is just one stop, this small-ish city is rich in musical history.
Did I know this before I booked my trip with the same July travel partners I’ve had since I graduated high school three years ago?
No.
But I researched it, and even though this travel group is not at all interested in rock and roll, I am.
Today, when we finished our tour of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a street band was playing in a local park that we happened to be walking through. We all stopped to listen for a beat. I dropped a couple Irish pounds, or punt Éireannach, in the open guitar case beside them.
One of the folks near them handed me two tickets to a freaking U2 concert at Whelans! I of course googled and found out it was in fact a place where live music is played.
And now, as I stand and look in the mirror, I’m kind of freaking out and minutes from deciding that I will just pop my headphones on and listen to U2 in the comfort of my cozy room at the Skylon Hotel tonight.
Flopping back on my bed, I hit my iPod and scroll without looking, hoping to find my answer via lyrical guidance or assistance.
Weird?
Yes.
I mean, how many people use their iPod like a pre-teen would a magic 8-ball?
Probably just me, but it hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
As Dad would say, “If it’s not broke, no sense in fixing it.”
Proof the random scroll is accurate?
When I broke things off with Jòse, my first real boyfriend, because he wanted a long-distance relationship and I knew … from secondhand heartbreak … that it would never work, Fleetwood Mac told me via random scroll to “Go Your Own Way”, so I did.
Two weeks later, I decided Fleetwood Mac and the random scroll could suck it. I missed having a boyfriend. I was sure I missed us. I would tell him that he had been right when he said, even if he was traveling around the United States playing football, we could make it work. But when I called him, he was true to his character. José told me that he had slept with someone. He then told me it was just a one-night stand and that she had bailed in the middle of the night. That was when I realized how right Fleetwood Mac and the “random scroll” were. And true to my demons, caused not by my love life but those created by my older sister’s, Tessa, heartbreaks, as well as my parents, I bowed out.
