The Bosun: A Military Romance (Love is Blind Book 3)

by Harlow Layne

  Wrapping her arms around her legs, Stella rested her cheek on her arms and looked at me for the first time since we’d arrived. Her face was wet with tears. Knowing I’d been the one to cause her heartbreak made it difficult to breathe.

  “What was your dream about?” She nibbled on her lower lip as she waited for me to answer.

  It was now or never. I knew if I didn’t tell her now, I wouldn’t get another chance, and Stella would walk out of my life forever.

  “You know I was in the military, but you don’t know why I left.” This time it was me who couldn’t look at her as I spoke. I didn’t want to see how she’d take the news. I hated the pity on everyone’s faces when they learned of what happened that day. “Growing up, I had a friend named Damon. We were like brothers. We did everything together, much to our parents’ dismay at times. If one of us got in trouble, so did the other. I’m not sure when I knew I wanted to be a Marine, but so did Damon. Or at least that’s what he always said. Sometimes I feel like I talked him into joining, or he knew he had to enlist since I wasn’t going to college. Anyway, we went through boot camp together, were in the same unit, and even deployed together. I thought Damon would be by my side until my dying breath.” Closing my eyes, I continued to feel her eyes bore into me as I spoke. “Instead, it was me by his side as he took his last breath. We were ambushed, and Damon being the heroic man he was, threw himself on top of me when a shower of bullets came down on us. He died saving me.”

  I hadn’t realized I was crying until I felt Stella begin to wipe my tears away. When she was done, Stella rested her head on my shoulder and held me while not saying a word. Somehow, she knew exactly what I needed in that moment.

  “I felt a tremendous amount of guilt for not saving him. When I left the military, I didn’t come home because I thought my dad would be ashamed of me, and I couldn’t face Damon’s family. Instead, I started working on boats. I’m sure you’re wondering where this is all going.”

  Looking down at the sand, I continued. “After you left, I would go onto your Instagram and look at your pictures. One day I saw my friend Tyler had died while overseas. The guilt was unbearable, but it made me realize I needed to stop hiding from my past. Once the season was over, I came back here and started to see a therapist. I thought I’d made progress, but the dream that night made me realize I wasn’t as put together as I thought.”

  “No one’s perfect, Remy,” she said quietly. Her arms around me tightened as she spoke. “We’ve all got baggage, but it’s how we deal with it that matters. I wish you would have told me all of this before. We could have talked, and if you needed space to work on yourself, I would have given it to you. It was the not knowing that killed me. I couldn’t understand why...I—” She broke off and turned away.

  Unsure if she’d want me to touch her after she’d pulled away, I slowly put my arm around her middle. When she didn’t tense up, I took that as a good sign and pulled her back to my front. With her between my legs, I rested my chin on top of her head. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Stella. You have to know it was never my intention.”

  Her body shook as I held it tightly to my chest. Again, I was causing her pain when I didn’t mean to. Would I ever be able to take away the hurt I’d inflicted on her?

  We continued to sit like that, watching the waves crash and people roaming about until her body relaxed into mine. It was then I remembered she’d mentioned she’d come for two reasons. What the other could be, I couldn’t imagine.

  Rubbing my hands up and down her arms, I kissed the side of her head. “Are you okay now?”

  “For the time being.” She sniffed.

  “You came for something else. What is it?”

  Tensing up, she extricated herself from my hold and moved to sit in front of me. A sense of foreboding filled me. Was she sick and came to tell me goodbye?

  “I told you about Brock and me. The troubles we had. How I was unable to get pregnant and him subsequently cheating on me and getting someone pregnant from his office.”

  Was she back with that douchebag? Had I driven her back into the arms of the man who’d broken her?

  “Yesterday, I was doing a photoshoot with Lexie, and I wasn’t feeling well. Actually, I’ve felt off for at least a week. When I’m writing, days kind of blend together, so it’s hard to tell. Anyway, Lexie started to ask me questions about my symptoms, and then it all clicked.”

  What all clicked? Seriously, I was going to feel like such an asshole if she was sick, and I’d left her, providing more stress for her.

  “You never said what your thoughts on having children were. Maybe that was because you don’t want them or because you didn’t want me to feel bad because it wasn’t possible with me, or because you’re young and it hasn’t crossed your mind. I don’t know.” She looked down at her painted toes that were wiggling in the sand before her gaze lifted to mine. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m pregnant. You deserve to know that I’m planning on keeping the baby. Your part in his or her life is up to you.” She put her hand into a pocket I hadn’t realized was on her dress and pulled out a sheet of paper. “This is a plane ticket to California. Use it or don’t, but I hope you do.”

  My mind was still reeling from finding out she was pregnant. Stella was pregnant with my baby, and I was going to be a father.

  “I know this is a lot to take in, so I’ll give you time. I’m staying at an Airbnb for the night and then leaving tomorrow. If you want to talk, I’ll text you the address.”

  Every word she was saying registered, but I couldn’t speak. Hell, I could barely blink. The reason I hadn’t used a condom wasn’t because I thought she couldn’t get pregnant. Not once had that thought gone through my mind. The problem was nothing penetrated through the thick veil of lust of how much I wanted her that ran through my veins. All I had wanted was to sink into her tight pussy and feel it suck me into its depths.

  She stood, her hand hovering over my shoulder as if she was afraid to touch me. “I’m going to go. The heat is starting to get to me, so I’m going to get an Uber.”

  “Don’t go,” I called out hoarsely. “I...can I come back to your place so we can talk?” She bit on her lower lip as she nodded down at me. “Thanks, let’s get you out of this heat. If I’d known, I never would have brought you here.”

  “It’s okay. I’m learning new things about myself every day lately. What makes my stomach roll, and what makes me want to lose my breakfast. The other day the smell of coffee had me nauseous for hours, and I couldn’t figure out why. I guess I won’t be visiting my local coffee shop anytime in the near future.”

  After helping her into my truck, I got inside and turned to her. “You said you took a test yesterday.” She nodded, wringing her hands together. “Have you been to the doctor to get it confirmed?”

  “Not yet, but I plan to call Lexie’s doctor when I get back and make an appointment. If you want, I can send you the confirmation once I have it.”

  Shifting my truck out of park, I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. Now that you told me, it makes sense why I thought your tits look bigger.”

  Stella crossed her arms over her ample chest, trying to hide her tits, but all it did was enhance them.

  “What’s the address of the place you’re staying?” I asked to get my attention back on the road and not thinking about how I wanted to devour her.

  She rattled off an address that wasn’t too far from my dad’s house. My mind raced with a thousand questions, but none of them spilled from my lips as I drove us. The most pressing question was, did Stella only want me to be around for our unborn child, or did she want more from me.

  The thought of being a father scared the living shit out of me, but the thing that scared me the most was losing Stella again and knowing I’d never have a chance to win her back.

  “This is it up on the right,” she called when we were only a few houses away. “From what I’ve seen, you grew up
in a nice town. It’s very peaceful and quaint.”

  I wasn’t sure about quaint, but it was peaceful. At least most of the time. It saddened me to realize I could have come back here long ago. Maybe I would have sought the counseling I needed then and be the man I wished to be for Stella now, but I knew I couldn’t always be second-guessing my choices. If I had come back after leaving the military, I wouldn’t have been on Seas the Day, and I wouldn’t have met Stella on it. I was learning everything worked out the way it was meant to, and I needed to cherish everything life gave me.

  “Don’t you find your place on the beach peaceful?” I asked as she unlocked the door to the house she was staying at.

  “I do. That’s why I bought it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find other places peaceful.”

  “True,” I answered. I was really only making small talk.

  “Since I’m only here for the day, I don’t have anything to eat or drink. I’m sorry. I could get you a glass of tap water if you’d like.”

  “No, I’m fine. Why don’t we sit so we can talk? Now that I’ve had time to digest the news that I’m going to be a father, I...well, I want to know how you feel about me. Where do I fit into the picture?”

  Stella’s legs nearly came out from under her. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad sign to my question. Her knee bounced as she sat in a chair across from me. “I don’t want to force you into anything. You may have moved on since you’ve been home or don’t see a life with me. That’s for you to answer. Do I want you in my life as more than the baby’s father? Yes, but I understand if that’s not something you’re ready for, or that’s not what you want.”

  I’d messed up more than I thought if she thought for one second I didn’t want her.

  Moving around the table, I kneeled in front of her and took her hands in mine. “There’s never been one second since the moment I laid eyes on you that I haven’t wanted you. It was never about that but about me. I’m sorry I left you with so many questions. I should have replied back to your messages, but I was not in a good place when I ended things. Hell, I’m still not.”

  Her face fell at my words. Using my finger, I tilted her head back up until our eyes met. “I’m a wreck without you in my life. I’m not sure when it happened or how, but I fell in love with you during our short time together. Each day since I left California, it’s been almost unbearable to even get up in the morning, but I fought through it, so I could make myself a better man for you and unbeknownst to me, our child.” I spread my hand over her still-flat stomach in awe that I’d created a life, and it was growing inside of her. “I know I’ve screwed up in the worst of ways, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to make you believe how much you mean to me.”

  With a trembling lip, she asked brokenly. “How am I to know that if you have another bad dream, you won’t pick up and leave again?”

  Bringing her hands to my mouth, I kissed the backs of them. “Because I’m promising here and now if I have a bad day, dream, or flashback, I’ll talk to you about it. I’ll find a therapist in California, who I’ll continue to see. What I won’t do is leave you again.”

  “Do you really love me?” she asked with tears welling up in her beautiful brown eyes.

  “Why is that so hard to believe? You’re a very lovable person, and if you give me a chance, I’d be happy to show you just how easy it is.” My hands skimmed up her legs until they reached the hem of her dress. My thumbs rubbed the skin just under the edge until she gave me a subtle nod, giving me the okay to move on. Now that I had the green light, I wasted no time. Pressing her legs apart by moving my body between her legs, I ran my thumbs up the inside of her thighs and didn’t stop until I was met with the promised land.

  Hooking my thumb into her panties, I moved the fabric to the side with one hand while I ran the tip of my finger through her already damp folds.

  With one touch, she was already arching her back and letting out a moan that had my dick straining against my board shorts.

  “Fuck, I can smell you from here. I’ve missed this pussy almost as much as I missed you.” Leaning down, I flipped the skirt of her dress up and dove my face between her legs.

  “I’ve missed your mouth.” She ground her slick heat into my face as I lapped at her nub. “More,” she moaned, “I need you inside of me.”

  Picking her up out of the chair, I tried to find the bedroom because I knew the second I felt her pussy start to spasm, I’d need to be balls deep inside of her. Instead, I found a table in the hallway that would be the perfect height for her to sit on while I fucked her. “I need to make you come first,” I murmured against her lips as she untied my shorts and let them fall to the ground.

  My thumb rubbed tight, fast circles on her clit while I nipped at her collarbone and down between her breasts. Stella wound her fingers in my hair and pulled my face to her right breast. Directing me to what she needed. I loved that she had no problem saying what she wanted in or out of bed.

  Taking the hint, I pulled the top half of her dress down along with her bra until her succulent tits were bared to me.

  My other hand went to her other breast, weighing it in the palm of my hand. If I thought her tits were great before, now they were spectacular. They were bigger, perkier, and I wanted to spend an entire day worshipping them the way they deserved.

  Sucking on the flesh, I rolled the other nipple between my thumb and forefinger, making Stella buck against me. Her body was so much more responsive. It drove me wild, making my movements quicken until she was vibrating against me.

  Gripping my straining erection with one hand, I ran it through her slick folds and placed the tip at her entrance. “Are you ready for me?”

  “Yes,” she moaned as I slammed into her. Her head fell back against the wall. Picking up one leg, I threw it over my shoulder before I gripped her hips for leverage. With each stroke, my pace quickened, our skin slapped together, and Stella’s breathy moans nearly brought me over the edge.

  Changing up my movements, I started to grind the base of my cock into her clit after I bottomed out inside of her. Stella’s nails scraped along the skin of my back and dug in as her walls started to flutter and then take hold of my cock.

  Letting go of her hip with one hand, I moved my thumb through her juices until it was coated with her essence and started making slow circles on her bundle of nerves to draw out her release.

  “Oh god, Remy!” She sat up straight and shouted against the column of my neck while her entire body shook.

  Swiveling my hips, I sunk in as deep as I could go, wrapping my arms around Stella as I erupted inside of her. Not wanting the moment to end, I kept rocking inside of her until I softened and slipped out.

  Lifting her in my arms, Stella wrapped her legs around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder as I walked us to the bedroom. I pulled the covers back before I gently placed her down onto the bed and followed in behind her. Stella draped one arm and one leg over my side and nuzzled her face to the crook of my neck.

  “I love you, Remy,” she said softly before her breaths evened out, and she was fast asleep.

  My arms tightened around her, wanting to feel every inch of her body against mine. In that moment, all was right in the world. I knew I was right where I was meant to be. Tomorrow I’d be following her back to California, but I’d travel across the entire globe to be with her.

  Tomorrow was the start of a new life with the woman I loved and our unborn child.

  Epilogue

  Remy

  3 Years Later

  Swooping my almost-two-year-old daughter into my arms, I blew a raspberry on her cheek. “Wrong way, Birdie. Mommy’s that way,” I pointed in the opposite direction she was headed. I was pretty sure I knew where she was going. She wanted to give what was in her hand to her best friend and our neighbor, Ava, Ryder and Lexie’s youngest daughter, who was born two days before our Birdie.

  “Momma,” she squealed and clapped her tiny little hands.

 
“Yes, let’s go surprise Mommy with her birthday present,” I said as I set her down and pointed her in the right direction this time. If I wasn’t careful, my surprise wasn’t going to be a surprise at all.

  Stella was out on the deck, putting the pillows on all the chairs and loungers for when we had guests over later that day. When she heard Birdie pound on the glass door that led outside, she looked up with a wide smile on her beautiful make-up-free face. She had a few more freckles on her nose and cheeks than the day I met her. Each night I liked to kiss each freckle and try to discover new ones.

  “Hey, Birdie baby,” she picked up our daughter. “What do you have here?”

  Wrapping my arm around them, I leaned down and kissed the top of Stella’s head. “Happy Birthday, my beautiful Stella.”

  She looked up at me with her nose scrunched up. “Why are you giving me a present now and not later when everyone will be here?”

  “Because this is a special moment just for the three of us. Now hurry up and open it before someone else does it for you.” I nodded down to the box Birdie was trying to pry open with her little fingers.

  Stella sat down in the chair she’d just placed the cushions in with Birdie on her lap. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as I got down on one knee and waited for her to open the box.

  “Oh, I like jewelry. Did you help pick it out, Birdie?” she asked as she untied the ribbon. Her hand went to her mouth when she opened the lid, and tears instantly filled her eyes. “Is this what I think it is?”

  Taking the ring out of the box, I held her hand while looking up into her glassy brown eyes that were filled with so much love it had my own eyes welling up. “Not a day goes by where I don’t thank my lucky stars you boarded that boat and threw caution to the wind. If it wasn’t for you and our beautiful daughter, I’d be half the man I am today. I can’t wait to watch the sunset each night with you until I take my dying breath. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”