by A. M. Brooks
“Like I died,” I answer and get a swat on my arm from Zane. “Sorry. I am a little sore, Doc, and my throat is killing me.”
“You can have some water once we do your checkup. Expect the pain for a few days.”
“When can I leave?” I question next, itching to get out of this room. I’ve never liked hospitals.
“In a few days,” the doctor repeats, before giving me a smile and handing some paperwork to my dad.
“I’ll marry you tomorrow if you get me discharged today,” I turn to Lyric, keeping my face dead serious.
“Like I’m that desperate to marry you,” she responds.
“How about we give you two a minute?” Zane laughs, and ushers my dad and AJ out of the room. The last of the three promises they’ll be back with pizza.
“Hey,” I say, bringing her attention back to me. I need her eyes and to look at her face. “You were the last thing I thought about before I passed out. I really thought maybe it was over this time. I regret that I never reached out. I will never forgive myself for leaving how I did. I can’t change it. I just know I can’t live without you anymore, Lyric. I meant what I said. I never stopped loving you.”
Her crystal eyes glisten with tears and her bottom lip is gripped between her teeth. Her fingers lace with mine. “I love you, too.”
“Yeah?” I grin, pulling her until she’s forced to sit at my side.
Lyric nods her head, her lips puffy when they smile back at me. “Yeah. But if you ever die on me again, Street, I’ll bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself.”
I bark out a laugh, then pain slides across my chest and my arm presses across to soothe it. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Idiot,” she sighs, pulling away.
“I’m sorry. I will do my best. You have to know though, Lyric, that I’ll always put myself in danger if it means you won’t get hurt,” I tell her honestly. There is nothing about me that will change in that way. I can only picture it getting worse and growing bigger if we have a family someday. I’m expendable. The people I love are not.
“You’re amazing, you know that? Selfless. Brave. I’m proud of the man you are and the soldier you’ve become,” she tells me, and my throat bobs with another emotion entirely. “How are we going to do this?”
“We’ll figure it out. I have six months left. Then I’ll come here or wherever you want me.” I shrug, not caring where I end up at all, as long as it’s with her.
“You know at some point a conversation with my parents is going to need to happen?” she questions, brow raised. I grimace.
“I’m probably not their favorite person, huh?”
“Not by a long shot,” she retorts.
“Maybe if we lead with this part of the story, me being in the hospital, it will soften them up?”
“Shameless.” Lyric laughs, before leaning into me, her forehead to my chest.
“I’ll talk to them,” I say, my hand coming up to cup the back of her head. “I promise. I’ll let your dad say everything he’s been holding on to then I’ll ask him for your hand.”
She slaps me lightly. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself there. We have some time to get through. Let’s just take things slow while we work through it all.”
My eyes collide with hers. I can see her love for me. I can also see it’s tangled with strands of doubt, fear, and worry. I’m not angry. I just vow from here on out, for the rest of our lives, that I’ll make that doubt, fear and worry vanish. I manage to nod my head, giving her the reassurance she needs to take the next steps forward with me.
Fuck going slow. All I see at the end of this story is Lyric as my wife. There is no other ending meant for our happily ever after. I fell in love with the girl who offered me comfort on one of the worst days of my life. We took a long, painful and twisted path to get back to each other and I’ll fight for the rest of our lives to keep her with me.
Chapter Nineteen
Lyric
6 months later…
When life handed me back the one person I had given up on, I decided that someone out there was playing with the fates. Never in a million years did I think my momma would be right when she told me that someday, if it was meant to be, we’d find our way back to each other. At eighteen, I thought my world was over and that love was something I’d never want again. That breakup was painful and it broke me in ways I never thought I’d heal from, or if I did, I wouldn’t like the person it changed me into.
Everything I had believed and prepared myself for, a life alone, went flying out the door when fate brought the love of my life back to me. I fought and pushed and in the short time we were together again, it was as if time had never passed. That just pissed me off more. I guarded myself, even when I needed him. Then the jackass went and almost died on me after saving my life.
When we left the hospital, Colt stayed in town to see the mission play out. With his injuries, he was unable to be part of it, but true to Mark’s word, he let Colt get the closure he needed for Tric’s death. Brody and his team took out a large number of terrorists. Many were arrested and the government is now invested. It was a huge win for Cole Security.
Colt went back to Colorado and finished out his service, with restrictions until he was healed. We talked as often as we could and we were able to get three weekends together. Three amazing weekends where we learned everything about each other that we’d been missing over the years. This time, I let him in and didn’t let my fears rule me. Colt’s injuries healed and we were able to adventure around his base where I was able to learn more about his everyday life. During this time, I also told my parents he was back in my life. Momma was less surprised than Dad, who had a colorful way to describe how the situation made him feel. At the end of the day, they told me it was my choice. I was an adult.
Colt was discharged two weeks ago and is already back in town. He has an interview with Cole Security and then we’re meeting at my new condo when I get off work. Besides FaceTime, I haven’t seen him in three months. I spend all day being jumpy to the point Scott and Ruby get annoyed with me. I have to stop myself from closing early; I am that excited to get home.
By the time I leave work for the day, the butterflies have grown to bat size in my stomach. I don’t know why I’m nervous. Pulling into my driveway, I notice that Colt’s car is parked in the empty space. Seeing it there makes my pulse race. It feels right, like I was always supposed to come home to this. I run up my front stoop and my hand goes to the door knob, only to find it unlocked. I step in and find Colt leaning against the kitchen island.
“Hey baby,” he calls, his voice full of warmth and want. He looks damn fine taking up space in my home.
I kick off my shoes then run into his arms. He catches me, pulling me into him, so we’re the same height, his mouth leaning forward, his lips crushing mine. My hands reach up to grip his head, pulling him closer. He picks me up and sets me on the counter, my legs automatically wrapping around him. Without breaking our kiss, he manages to strip my button-up shirt off, my bra joining it on the floor. My hands are just as greedy on him, yanking his long sleeve shirt off over his head. My fingers trace the pink scar at his side, and goosebumps break out over his skin.
“Bedroom,” I plead, before taking his mouth again. He picks me back up and I feel us moving through my house while I continue to shamelessly writhe against him.
When we reach the bedroom, he slides me down his torso, until my feet hit carpet. His lips touch my neck as he bends forward, his hands working my pants down my legs. They fall to the ground, then his pants, then my underwear, and I’m panting heavily when I reach for the waistband of his briefs and tug them down too. Colt half-carries, half-shoves me toward the bed. I fall back and his body quickly comes down on mine. Finally, after years apart, we’re once again skin to skin, his warmth pressing all over me. He holds himself above me, our eyes meeting. The love in his gaze takes my breath away. He positions his body between my legs as they come up to wrap aro
und him. It’s been so long that my body doesn’t need anything else. I only need Colt inside me. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for another soul, stealing kiss. Our lips touch and it’s all he needs before he slides inside. Colt goes deep with each thrust and I nearly scream with the first one. All the anticipation and waiting has finally built up to this moment. Neither of us speak, too wrapped up in what’s happening. Colt takes me again and again, his hand on my hip, holding me as he moves faster and harder. My free hand grips the sheet, while the other holds onto him. Urgency strums through my veins, feeling as if I can’t get close enough to him. Colt slips a hand between our bodies, stroking my clit, my body reaching up to clash with his until my back arches off the bed, my orgasm ripping through my body until I see stars. Colt’s mouth comes down to mine, kissing me through my release before he takes his own.
Colt lowers himself to my side and wraps me in his arms. His heart races against my ear and I fight to control my own breathing. Time away has only improved our chemistry, if you ask me. I want to talk and I want to plan where we go from here, but instead, all I can do is yawn.
“Sleep, babe,” I hear Colt say, his hands running soothingly down my bare back. I don’t want to, except I can’t fight against the heaviness of my eyelids.
When I wake again, it’s barely morning, the sky is a dusky blue outside my window. I turn my head and find Colt already awake and watching me. I smirk. “Enjoying the view?”
His lips lift in a crooked grin. “I love seeing you when you wake up.”
I turn over, so I’m facing him. “Sorry I passed out on you last night.”
He shrugs. “Just means I did something right.”
My hand shoots out to playfully slap his shoulder. I can’t help the giggle that escapes my lips.
Colt’s fingers run through my hair, pushing the strands out of my face. “I’m sorry that I hurt you in the past. I want you to know that. More importantly, I want you to know that everyday going forward, I will love you and be here for you. I will never leave you again.”
My throat tightens with emotion. “I know. I love you, too.”
He nods, while slipping one of his hands under the pillow. I watch as Colt pulls out a chunk of wood and hands it to me. My fingers shake as they grab it. In the shape of a heart are the initials C.S. + L.T. “Colt,” I start to tear up when he manages to surprise me further by taking my hand. A diamond ring slides on my left ring finger.
“Lyric, I will love you forever. I may not deserve you right now, but I will work every day to be the man you can trust, depend on, and the one who will be with you through anything life throws at us. I know you want slow, and that’s okay with me. When you are ready, will you marry me?” His brown eyes deepen, the love in them burning bright. “And just so you know, your mom did help me pick out this ring.”
“You talked to my parents?” I ask, unable to hold the tears back any longer.
“Of course, babe,” Colt responds, kissing my knuckles.
“Yes,” I tell him, smiling through my tears, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Colt releases his breath before pulling me into his arms. I hold him just as tight, amazed that this is the way we start our next chapter. My best friend, my first love, my soulmate. This may not have been the conventional path to our happy ending, but it was worth it.
THE END
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Acknowledgments
Once again, I could not have completed this story without the loving support of my family and friends. I am forever grateful for my husband, my kiddos, and my parents for baring with me, and giving me my weekends to finish writing. I love you all!
Writing for the Salvation Society was very important to me due to the special connection I have with service members in my family. I want to acknowledge my brother for his service and thank him for answering all my questions, no matter the time of day/night it is. Colt and Lyric came to life in a unique way, one that I worked hard at to give them the best story possible.
I want to thank, Kiki, Colleen, Jill, Kristina, Megan and Emily - The Next Step PR -Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and guidance. Thank you for working on my emails, sharing all my info and release materials. Thank you for keeping up with me while I challenged myself to write for another author’s world. I can’t say it enough how happy I am to be working with this company.
Jill - Thank you for stepping in and helping me figure my life out! LOL! Working with you has been amazing, and I appreciate all your advice, wisdom, and time.
Rebecca - Fairest of All Book Reviews - I can’t thank you enough for editing and proofing this manuscript. I can always tell you are invested in my characters and the plot! Thank you for helping me to give these characters the story they deserved, even when I needed to step back and think harder.
Amanda- Pixel Mischief Designs- Thank you for working with me on this cover. I know I was all over the place and I appreciate your willingness to stick with me.
My Readers - Thank you for your purchase and support. It is because of you that I can continue to write and live my dream. I love you all! Warrior is a different story than you may be used to from me, but I hope you enjoy it. Colt and Lyric are very special to me, and their story is one of sacrifice and growth.
XOXO Ashton
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About the author
AM Brooks is an author with a variety of stories; Contemporary Romance, New Adult, and mature YA Her writing style is suspenseful and sometimes leads to heart-wrenching conclusions. With a background in forensic psychology she really goes for those investigative, dark and twisty feels. And of course, lot
s of love!
Brooks enjoys reading as much as writing. Television shows such as Criminal Minds, Scandal, and One Tree Hill are her go-to binge worthy series. She loves spending time with her friends and family with a good glass of beer or wine. If she isn’t reading or writing, Brooks is Pinteresting future home projects for her wonderful husband to accomplish.
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