Shielding Jayme, page 10
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 your 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.
* * *
THE END
In case you need a reminder…this is where Oz and Riley left off at the end of Shielding Aspen…
* * *
Oz was lying on his couch with his hand behind his head, watching football and trying to ignore the argument he could easily hear from the apartment next to his. He’d been listening to the asshole tear into his girlfriend for at least an hour. This wasn’t the first argument he’d overheard either. As far as he could tell, the guy had never smacked her around, but he knew better than most how badly words could hurt.
He and his sister had grown up with a father exactly like the jerk he could hear yelling next door. They hadn’t ever been able to do anything right and had spent their childhoods trying to be quiet, staying out of the way of their dad. Their mom had walked out when Oz was still a baby, and he’d never known her. His sister, Becky, was six years older than him, and yet it had been Oz who’d done what he could to try to protect her.
His sister had never been able to shake free of the abuse they’d suffered. She’d dated a man who was just like their father, except he didn’t hesitate to use his fists to get his point across. Oz had tried to help Becky more than once after she’d left home and while he was still in high school. He’d sent money so she could get away from her abusive boyfriend, but she’d always ended up going back to the guy.
Their father had died right before Oz graduated, and when Becky showed up to his funeral obviously on some sort of drug, Oz was done. He’d helped her as best he could, but until she wanted to help herself, he couldn’t do anything more.
Oz hadn’t talked to Becky in over a decade. Right after he’d graduated from high school and joined the Army, he’d had to concentrate on his own future.
He regretted that now. Wished he’d been strong enough to help Becky more than he had.
Listening to his neighbor get verbally abused through the walls brought all the memories to the surface that he’d done his best to bury.
“You’re trash, Riley! Always have been, always will be!” the man screamed.
“Kick him out,” Oz muttered under his breath.
“Screw you!” the woman yelled back. “Get out.”
“That’a girl,” Oz said with a nod of his head. “Stay firm. Don’t let him talk his way back in.”
“You’ll be begging for me to come back,” the man warned.
She laughed. “No, I won’t. All you do is sit around and play video games all day. We’re done.”
“Fine. You’re an ice-cold bitch anyway. Frigid as fuck.”
“Out!” the woman yelled.
Getting up from his couch, Oz wandered over to his door and opened it. He wanted the asshole she was kicking out to know that she wasn’t entirely without protection. Oz was a big man. At six foot five, he was an imposing figure, and he didn’t think the guy from next door would do anything as long as he was watching.
Oz had seen his neighbor around, though he hadn’t said more than a polite “hello” and “good morning” in passing. But he’d be damned if he let the verbal abuse turn into something physical.
He leaned against his doorway and crossed his arms over his chest, looking as intimidating as he could. Three seconds later, his neighbor’s door opened and the guy stalked out. He turned back and opened his mouth to hurl one last insult…when he saw Oz.
“You aren’t worth it,” the man sneered to his neighbor, then stalked down the hall, past Oz’s door, and disappeared into the stairwell.
Turning to his right, Oz saw the woman standing in her doorway. She blushed when she saw him looking at her. She was a petite thing, at least a foot shorter than he was. She had long brown hair that curled at the ends and big hazel eyes. She looked stressed, but he could also see the relief in her eyes.
“You all right?” he asked.
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“You’re better off without him,” Oz couldn’t help but add.
“I know,” his neighbor said.
He was glad to see she wasn’t breaking down in hysterics. He supposed she’d probably be upset later, and he couldn’t blame her, but for now she was holding herself together.
“I’m Oz,” he said with a small lift of his chin.
“Riley,” she reciprocated.
Oz opened his mouth to say something else, but he heard the elevator down the hall ding and turned to see who was getting off. If it was Riley’s ex returning, he was going to make sure the man understood once and for all he wasn’t welcome back.
But instead, a man wearing a suit and tie, along with a kid who was around nine or ten, walked down the hall toward them.
Oz frowned—and was even more confused when the man stopped in front of him.
“Porter Reed?” he asked.
“That’s me,” Oz told him.
“I work with the Texas Department of Family and Protection Services, the Child Protective Services section. Do you have a sister named Rebecca Reed?”
“Yes.”
“I regret to inform you that your sister has passed away under unfortunate circumstances. You’re listed as next of kin, and this is your nephew, Logan Reed.”
Oz blinked in surprise, his neighbor forgotten, the argument he’d overheard gone from his head as if it hadn’t happened. All he could do was stare down at the little boy who was trying to be brave, but was obviously scared to death.
He opened his mouth to protest, to say that the kid couldn’t be his nephew, that he hadn’t even known his sister had a kid. But then the little boy looked up…and Oz got a look at his eyes.
The kid had lived through hell. He could see it in his gaze, along with terror as he looked up at the strange man he’d never met. A man who could hurt him, as he’d obviously been hurt in the past.
But it was the gray color of his eyes, just like Oz’s own, that convinced him the boy had his blood running through his veins.
And as if a switch was flicked inside him, Oz instantly knew he’d do whatever it took to protect the boy. If Becky was truly dead, and CPS was at his doorstep, Logan had no one else to look after him. To keep him safe.
Moving slowly, so as not to alarm the boy more than he already was, Oz crouched down so he could look Logan in the eyes. He held out his hand and said softly, “Hi, Logan. I’m Oz. Your uncle. And no one is ever going to hurt you again.”
Oz has his work cut out for him with his nephew…and what’s going to happen with his neighbor? Pick up Oz and Riley’s story in Shielding Riley NOW!
* * *
And if you haven’t read about Memaw’s neighbors, Brain and Aspen? Pick up Shielding Aspen today!
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 (Jan 2022)
* * *
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)
