Warrior Undone

by Ruben, Jessica

  After a cigar with my father on the deck, they came back inside, smiling, while my father tapped him on the back like a friend would. Slade’s gaze devoured mine with that crazy sexy, quiet smirk, and I knew he was in the fold.

  “Did you tell him about your bachelor’s degree?” I whisper as my parents step into the kitchen, leaving us alone in the living room.

  “I told him everything.” He winks, lust in his eyes.

  “What do you mean, everything?” I place a hand on my hip as my thoughts turn to what he did to me last night on my kitchen floor. I flush.

  When he wags his brows at me, I smack him in the arm, eliciting a warm chuckle from him. He knows exactly what I’m thinking, and he’s teasing me over it.

  Moving an errant hair behind my ear, he tells me, “I told him all about the college program I’m doing online to get my degree, just like I promised my mother I’d do. Told him about bringing fresh water onto the reservation, so the tribal members no longer have to drive hours back and forth for clean water. He’s a great guy, your dad. You didn’t tell me how well we’d get along.”

  “I guess I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Lauren, no one is as funny as you are.” He chuckles.

  “I’ve got to keep you guessing, don’t I?”

  His eyes turn to flames. “Since you like surprises so much”—he pauses, and I try not to laugh because we both know me and surprises don’t get along—“be ready for a surprise from me tonight.”

  “Oh, yeah? What kind of surprise?” I smile, draping my arms around his narrow waist and looking into his eyes. God, he’s hot. “I can’t wait.”

  His eyes drift to the kitchen and then come back down to me. “Don’t want to ruin my good name by taking you right here on his living room couch. So, you’d better stop with those heated eyes.”

  “What heated eyes?” I lick my lips, gaze moving from his face down to the zipper in his navy slacks.

  The fact that he got nicely dressed for my family makes me so crazy happy that I can barely contain it. I love him casual and gruff, but this clean-cut side is so sexy, too.

  “Gotta learn a better game face, babe.” He laughs playfully. “Maybe you should put on those huge, round bug-style glasses to hide it?”

  My jaw drops and eyes widen before we break into laughter. “You’ll never let me live that down, huh?”

  “Don’t think so.”

  “I’m enjoying tonight, but I can’t wait to move out with you next month.”

  He growls low in his throat, “You’ve got no idea.”

  “Dessert?” My parents ask, entering the room

  I see their faces, and I just know. Slade and I might be opposites, but somehow, we’re just right in all the ways it counts.

  “Babe, I want you to see our room.” He moves a few boxes over, eyes twinkling.

  Vincent and Eve smile, like they know something I don’t.

  “Finally!” I exclaim, clapping my hands together.

  He’s kept this bedroom from me since we bought the place. Something about dangerous fumes or toxic chemicals. Whatever it is, he scared me into staying out of it.

  He pulls a silver key from his pocket and opens the lock. He takes my hand and leads me into the bedroom. My jaw drops. The walls are painted in a dusty gray. The bed is a beautiful white four-poster, complete with a fluffy white duvet cover and gray throw pillows.

  “Did Eve help?” I ask.

  Silver candles line the windowsills. The room is soft and Zen-like.

  “Nope.”

  “Wait.” I take in a breath before practically shrieking, eyes scanning the room. “You did this?” I wonder how he pulled this off.

  “Boy Scouts can do all sorts of things. But first, closet.”

  He opens the door before flipping on a light, and I scream, jumping up and down in glee. It’s a walk-in with racks for shoes, sections for bags, and rows of hanging space. It’s ten times better than my closet in LA. And, to think, I gave away all those clothes and accessories. Ugh!

  “And look. For your platforms and wedges.” He winks, pointing to a shoe rack.

  I laugh. “I’ve trained you well, huh?” I’m in awe. “Slade, where are you going to put your—” My gaze drops.

  Slade isn’t standing up. He’s on … one knee. My hands fly to cover my mouth. A small black box appears in his hands, tiny inside his large, callous palms.

  “The first night I met your father, I spoke to him alone. We not only talked about the ways I was moving forward in my life, but I also told him how I was going through a hard time and dealing with issues post-war. He wasn’t too keen about you being with a man who has PTSD, but once I let him know that I’d do anything to be the man you deserved and how hard I was working toward that goal, he came around.

  “Lauren, I want to be the father of your children. I think, the night of Vincent and Eve’s wedding, I knew you were the one. You know how badly I wanted you, but my demons were a wrench in my life. But your laughter, your smile, your depth, your soul? It all speaks to me. It saved me. I will always love you. Be my wife, Lauren.”

  He removes the ring and slides it onto my left hand. A simple round solitaire, surrounded with delicate red rubies. “The stone belonged to my mother, but I had it reset.”

  I drop to my knees, too, and he immediately wraps me up in his huge arms.

  “Yes, Slade. Yes.”

  I burst into tears because we’ve come so far. The last six months, we’ve been traveling between Nevada and California. Long rides on his bike. Sunday night dinners with my family when he was in town. The never-ending phone calls. Conversations about life. His past. Mine. Helping to put together his broken pieces, displaced since war. I saw his doctor a few times, too. And counseling us together has worked wonders. I learned that I wouldn’t be able to put him back exactly how he had been before war, but a new creation could be made. It would be different but amazing in its own way. Lucky for me, I love Slade as he is.

  During his initial visits out to LA, we slept in separate beds. We both knew the situation wouldn’t be forever, but it was the safest move, considering the fact that his nightmares were still being dealt with and Dr. Sullivan was still testing out doses of medications. It didn’t take too long for us to feel that we could handle being side by side. And, when we did, it felt like returning home.

  “Baby?” he whispers in the dark.

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you stay here, next to me? Can we try to do a night together? If I move too much or seem to be getting restless in my sleep, just wake me. Want you in this bed by my side. I’m ready, if you are.”

  Somehow, with distance, we grew immeasurably closer. I fell in love with his mind and his passion and dedication. He hired hundreds of US veterans to work on building water pipelines on the reservation, and I know it was incredible to him. Healing even.

  “Come. I have another surprise set up for you.”

  Hand in hand, we enter our beautiful kitchen, tears streaming down my face. A large bottle of champagne on ice and a spread of cheese and vegetables and dips and Vincent and Eve and my parents, too! Were they hiding here all this time? My mom hugs me in her beautiful cream-colored pantsuit, and my father shakes Slade’s hand. Vincent and Eve are all smiles with their new baby on the way, and I know that my life is just beginning. It might not always be easy, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

  Want more?

  Read more about Vincent and Eve in the Amazon best-selling series, Vincent and Eve, available now on Amazon and FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

  Rising (Vincent and Eve Book 1)

  https://amzn.to/2LnAeDa

  Reckoning (Vincent and Eve Book 2)

  https://amzn.to/2A89C4y

  Redemption (Vincent and Eve Book 3)

  https://amzn.to/2PM9aOH

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  Acknowledgments

  The journey has been wild and there are people to thank!

  Firstly, my husband. Every hero I write is born out of my love for you.

  My kids, without whom I could not function. You guys are truly the greatest blessings in my life.

  Thank you, Autumn, at Wordsmith Publicity, for putting my books on the map. For supporting me through every step of the process and for being you. I don’t just adore you. I freakin’ love you!

  To Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations, who created my gorgeous cover that truly embodies the words within.

  Thank you to all of the incredible book bloggers! I never believed people would read my work, but then you all spread the word…got my books out…I’m in awe of what you all do. And to all the bookstagrammers! How you all manage to take such stunning book photos is astounding. Thank you!

  Thank you to my best friends and beta readers who gave me the push and confidence I needed to publish my work. I love you guys so much. Caitlin, Alex, Jana, Keeana, Ronna, Jayme, Roxy, and Candice.

  Thank you to my Master Beta Reader, Leigh Ford. Without you…well, I won’t say. Because I don’t want to even think about a situation where you weren’t in my life or involved in my character’s lives.

  To Jonathan, the man who inspired Slade. When I saw you and listened to your stories, I just felt it. Thank you for your service. Thank you for opening your heart to me. You’re an incredible man and I am proud to know you.

  To Jessica’s Jet Setters!! You ladies rock. Your support and love keep me going.

  To the readers. Thank you for making my dreams come true.