Sydney looked up at Savannah with wide eyes, clearly shocked that Savannah stood up for herself for a change. Blood spewed out of her mouth and all over her nice crisp clean white summer dress. Sydney put her hand up to her mouth. “Fucking bitch broke my tooth!”
Savannah felt a sense of satisfaction and grinned from ear to ear. She was satisfied not only because she stuck up for herself, but also because she stuck up for her fiancé. “Next time you better think about how lucky you are that my broken little man risked his life to give you the freedom to say the stupid shit that comes out of your mouth.”
Sydney struggled to get up on her heels and when she stood her friends held her back. “Let me go.”
“You can let her go, but I would think twice about that, because I guarantee you guys will be helping her off the ground if she ever says anything to me or Billy again.”
Savannah pivoted on her heels and speed walked over to her car, with Billy following right behind her. They got in the car and drove off. Savannah looked over at Billy’s shocked face. “What?!”
“What? Savannah you just decked Sydney in the mouth, and broke her tooth no less.”
“She had it coming. I’ve taken far too much of her shit over the years. I’ve had enough. Besides, it felt really good.” She smiled at him and they both laughed.
“You are so bad, and hot. I am so fucking turned on right now.”
She blushed. “If it makes it any better, I did hurt my hand.”
“Well, I’m sure Sydney would be glad to hear that.”
“Promise to get me some ice when we get to your house.”
“Sure, but why are we going to my house?” He asked with some annoyance in his voice.
Savannah didn’t see why going to his house would bother him so much. But, then she realized the confrontation the two brothers had the day before. “Billy, you have to face your brother some time. Just talk to him. I know he’ll understand.”
“Maybe you’re right. We’ve had so many fights growing up and we always forgave each other.”
“I’m positive it will all work out.”
Ten minutes later Savannah pulled into the driveway of the Blue home. As Billy got out she screamed at him before he shut the door. “Ice please!”
Savannah got out of the car and walked up the steps and into the house. Rosemary was sitting in the living room watching her favorite television show. Savannah went straight into the kitchen and jammed her hand into the small bowl of ice that Billy put on the table for her. With the two of them sitting at the table laughing it felt like old times to her.
The only person that was missing was Travis, who happened to enter the kitchen at that very moment. “Oh my God Savannah! What the fuck happened to you?!” The worried expression on his face making it clear to everyone of how much he really did care about Savannah. He rushed over to her and pulled her hand out of the ice to look at the damage.
Billy spoke first. “She punched Sydney Bradshaw right in the face. One punch and she went down like a sack of potatoes.”
Travis put her hand back in the bucket and sat at the table next to her and faced his brother. “You may think this is funny, but I don’t. Savannah’s hurt.” “I think you are forgetting dear brother how tough this girl really is. Have you forgotten all the times she has beaten us up over the years?”
Travis thought for a minute and then he smiled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But, that was only because we let her.”
Savannah gave Travis the side eye. “You freaking wish. You both are a bunch of pansies.” She laughed. She was just baiting them just as she always had done. Either one of them could have hurt her anytime they wanted, which proved how much they both loved her. They would never hurt her or let any harm come her way.
Billy turned to Travis. “Look, about your nose, I’m sorry. I didn’t...”
“Hey, I know you didn’t, but I deserved it. If someone would have said the things I said to you, I would have punched them too.”
“Truce?”
Travis took his brother’s hand shook it. “Truce.” They stood and gave each other a manly hug tapping one another on the back.
Savannah cleared her throat. “Ahem. I hate to interrupt this beautiful display of brotherly bonding, but do we have any bandages for my swollen bloody hand?”
Travis started to stand, but Savannah put her hand over his arm and made him sit back down next to her. “Billy can you get them for me?” She nodded towards Travis and Billy seemed to understand that she needed a minute alone with his brother.
After Billy left the room Savannah let out a big sigh. “Travis, we have to talk. Billy and I...”
“I know.”
“No, Travis you don’t understand...”
Travis took Savannah’s unbruised hand and rubbed it lightly with his thumb before kissing it. “I do understand. You guys were always meant for each other. It was wrong of me to try and interfere with that. I’m so sorry Savannah.”
She didn’t know any other way to tell him that Billy had proposed to her other than to blurt it out. “Travis, Billy and I are getting married.”
Travis sat motionless, but when he spoke to her it was in a soft voice. “Wow, already. I wasn’t expecting it so soon, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Well, we’re not getting married tomorrow. I know how upset you must be with me. I’m so sorry Travis.”
“Don’t be sorry about how you feel. I’m not upset.”
She gave him a scrutinizing look. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to?
“Okay, I am a little upset, but I’ll get over it. Sooner or later.”
“Travis, look at my face. I know you better than you know yourself, don’t lie to me.”
“Fine, I’m completely devastated. But, I’m happy for you. And my brother. You have both been through a lot and you both deserve to be happy. Even I can’t deny the smile on your face. You haven’t looked this happy in years.” Travis stood and took Savannah’s face in his hands. He bent down and placed a feather light kiss her on her forehead. “I love you Savvy.”
“And I love you Travis.” As she watched him walk away from her and into the living room where Billy had been waiting for them to finish talking, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She needed to tell him of her and Billy’s engagement, but she never wanted to hurt Travis. He was the one person she could depend on and she didn’t want to lose him as a friend. Hopefully, in time they could all break free of their fears. The fear of being alone, the fear of losing the one you love, and the fear of moving forward with no regrets.
Savannah made her way into the living room and leaned against the door jamb next to Travis. She looked over at Rosemary. “How is she today?”
Travis glanced at her and shook his head. “She’s having one of those days. She didn’t remember me or the nurse this morning.”
Billy chimed in with his observance. “She didn’t remember me either just now. I had to walk away from her so I didn’t upset her.”
Savannah slowly walked over to their mother and sat on the floor next to her. She took Rosemary’s hand in hers and spoke to her ever so softly. “Rosemary, how are you feeling today?”
There was no answer. A blank stare was what she got in return. Savannah tried to talk to her again. “Rosemary, do you know who I am?” Again there was no answer, but a blank stare instead. Savannah looked over at Billy and Travis shrugging her shoulders.
As she was about to stand Rosemary grabbed her hand and smiled. “Of course I know who you are.”
Savannah kneeled back down. “Who am I Rosemary?”
“Why, you’re Savannah. My favorite daughter.”
Travis threw his hands up in air and laughed playfully. “Well, I give up. Even Savannah rates better than I do in this house, and she’s not even her flesh and blood.”
Billy hushed Travis. “Shh.”
Savannah looked up at Rosemary again. “Rosemary, I’m not your daughter.”
Mrs. B
lue slowly shook her head from side to side and placed her hand gently on Savannah’s cheek. “Yes you are. You will always be my special little girl.”
Savannah raised her head and saw the two brothers smiling at the moment she and their mother just shared. As she watched their reaction a single tear fell down her cheek. How lucky she was to have so many people love and care about her, even her mother in her own way. She knew from that moment on she would never feel alone again, and her life would be filled with love and happiness.
She had what mattered most to her. Billy. Billy was an amazing man. A man made of dignity, honor, and courage. A true hero in her eyes. He had overcome battles that most people couldn’t fathom going through. He had joined the Army a boy and came home a warrior. Her warrior. Now, she had the chance to be the one thing she always wanted to be...His wife.
Epilogue
Six months later
Billy watched Savannah arranging chairs and flowers in their backyard. Billy suggested they have their wedding at the church, then the reception at a hall in town. But, she insisted that she wanted the entire wedding at the house. Since they didn’t have many friends it would mostly be family anyway. Even Isabel, Savannah’s mother was warming up to the idea of them getting married. She had been helping them fix up the backyard so it would be suitable for the wedding tomorrow.
Billy was a little nervous about the whole thing, but every time he looked at Savannah he knew he was making the right decision. He never wanted to be without her, and he would never leave her again. He would never let anyone hurt her. He would make it a point to treat her with love and affection every day for the rest of his life.
Savannah walked in from the front of the house with a letter in her hand. “Billy, this is for you. It’s from Freddy.”
“I thought the mailman came today already.”
“He did. Peyton brought it over to me. It was in her mailbox. The mailman must have put it there by mistake.”
Peyton Taylor moved in next door to them a little over two months ago. She and Savannah became fast friends and were inseparable most of the time. He had to literally beg his soon to be wife to spend time alone with him. But, he understood why it was important for Savannah to spend time with her new friend. Growing up she had no girl friends to hang out with, talk about boys and have fun sleepovers. She grew up with him and Travis. Two boys. And though he knew how much she loved the two of them, there was something that had always been missing. It gave him such pleasure to see her so happy.
“Obviously.” Billy took the letter opener out of the kitchen drawer and sliced the envelope open.
“Well, what does it say?”
“Calm down, I’m reading it. It says that he can make our wedding after all. He’s hoping he can get an early flight so he can be here in time, but he’s not making any promises.”
“I’m so glad I finally get to meet him. How has he been feeling? I know with the accident he had to go back home, and it must be hard for him not having anyone to depend on. You should have told him to come and stay here with us.”
“Don’t you think I’ve told him that on more than one occasion? He’s stubborn. He doesn’t listen to anything I have to say.”
Savannah peered over at her fiancé and smirked. “Hmm. You Army men, so stubborn. No wonder you two are best friends.”
Billy chased her around the counter and caught her by the hips pulling her into him and crushing her back against his chest. His injuries were feeling better with each day that passed by. Mostly because he had Savannah by his side to support him. “Come here and let me teach you a lesson.”
“No, Billy stop. We have to get up early. We have so many things to get done before everyone gets here tomorrow.”
“How about a nice long hot bath. We can lay back, relax and soak until our bodies are all wrinkly.”
“Yeah, just what I want to look like on my wedding day, a prune. No, thank you. Besides, I know where your long baths together lead to.”
Billy pulled her closer to him and trailed open mouth kisses along the back of her neck. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”
“Well, I sure wasn’t saying that. But, I have to get ready to go to Peyton’s. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the night before their wedding.”
“Aw, come on Savannah, you know I don’t believe in all that superstitious nonsense.”
Savannah broke free of his hold and ran upstairs. She fetched her overnight clothes and her wedding dress for the next day. As she came back down she saw Billy staring out the window looking at the lake. “Billy, is something wrong?”
He turned and faced her. “No, I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you in my life. The four years I was on active duty, I had to have everyone else’s back, save someone else’s life. It’s what we had to do or people died. Now, I have someone I can depend on. A wife that will always be there for me. It feels so amazing. I have no words to describe what you mean to me.”
Savannah closed the distance between them. She gazed into his eyes and he fell like putty in her hands. But, that was okay. It was okay to feel weak and lost at times because he knew she would always be there to help him pick up the pieces. He was also willing to bend and flex himself around her needs. It made him feel important knowing she depended on him as just as much.
“Billy, I know not many people say thank you. I just want you to know how grateful I am to you for keeping me and so many millions of people safe. Because of you and your military brothers and sisters we’re all able to sleep peacefully at night. We have freedoms some can only dream of. Without you there would be no happiness or love for me. You have saved me in so many ways, and I can’t repay you enough for that. Thank you Billy for saving me.” Billy took her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. “No Savannah, thank you for saving me.”
Nicole Garcia
N.Y. Times Bestselling author Nicole Garcia has a degree in Nursing, but has been a stay at home mom for the past 9 years. Her passion is reading and decided to make a career out of sharing her love for books. Writing and promoting has become a full time job for her now. There are so many unknown authors out there that deserve to have their books read by many. So, after promoting for authors for two years, she decided to follow her dreams and start writing her own books. Nicole started writing poetry when she was just a little girl and had always loved the feeling it gave her. Currently she writes steamy Paranormal, Contemporary, and New Adult Romance, but plans to write other genres in the future. Hope you will join her in all the fun ahead.
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Thorn of a Solider
by Piper Presley
Young and newly married Marisa and Brody Clark will soon be separated when army soldier Brody gets deployed. Will Marisa remain Brody's devoted army wife or will an ex-boyfriend convince her to untie the knot in this military romance?
Brody
He sees us and now, he’s walking toward us. Marisa, my wife, is shocked that her ex-boyfriend is here in the same bar as we are, especially because according to her, he doesn’t even live in this state.
I hate to admit it, but he looks even better than he does in the photos my wife has in her photo album, the ones where they’re standing together on a California beach, and he’s carrying a surfboard. He’s middle-aged, older than my wife and me, but he’s in a lot better shape than guys my age. It’s obvious he works out.
I look over at Marisa. She’s smiling, but not overly so. She stands when he gets close. “Kenneth! My God, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were in town.” She gives him a hug.
“I didn’t know I’d be here either, until a few weeks ago.” He stretches his hand to me. “You must be Brody?”
I shake his hand. “I am. It’s good to meet you.”
Kenneth takes a seat at our table, still looking at me. “Marisa has told me so much about you.”
“All goo
d, I hope.”
“Of course, it’s all good,” says Marisa, giving me a light hit on my shoulder. “Kenneth, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to town?”
“Like I said, I didn’t know until a few weeks ago. At the last minute, the company asked me to change locations, along with a hefty bonus.” Kenneth winks. “I couldn’t pass it up.”
“What do you do?” I ask.
“I’m a consultant. I’ve been one for about twelve years. Marisa didn’t tell you?”
“Marisa doesn’t talk much about her ex-boyfriends.” My wife’s hands rest on her lap. I hold one.
“So you’re in the Army, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s going to be hard to leave the missus when you set out, isn’t it? Your beautiful wife told me you’d be leaving.” Kenneth looks into my eyes, staring me down.
“I’ll be fine,” says Marisa, holding my hand tighter.
He grins. “Yeah, I know, but I’ll keep an eye on you anyway.”
Marisa shoots me a nervous look. “I can take care of myself.”
“You seem to know a lot about me,” I say, staring at Kenneth in the same way he’s staring at me.
“She told me some stuff.”
“Did she tell you we might be moving to a different base in a different state?” I put my hands on the table and lean in a bit.
Marisa looks at me surprised. “We are?”
“Maybe.”
“Then I’ll have to enjoy your friendship while you’re still here,” Kenneth says, grinning at my wife. Then he looks at me. “You probably know I dated Marisa for five years. And that means you know I know she’s a damn good kisser.”
“Kenneth!”
Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances Page 16
