At Peace (The War Trilogy #3)

by Andria Large

  “There is nothing wrong with our family,” she hiccups.

  “No, there’s not one damn thing wrong with our family, and you know what? I bet he knows that, too, and is just jealous because he doesn’t have as good of a family as we do.”

  She nods against my chest.

  “I’m glad you stuck up for yourself,” I tell her.

  “I only did what you taught me to do.” She sniffs and loosens her hold on me.

  I take her by the shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “And that’s just fine.”

  She swipes the tears from her face with her sleeve then does her nose. I make a grossed out face that has her giggling. “What? I don’t have a tissue.”

  I roll my eyes, put my arm back around her shoulders and start for the exit.

  “Come on, Snot-face.”

  That evening, Tucker walks into the kitchen from the garage door at his normal time of 5:30 pm. I’m cooking dinner while Addy is sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework. Tucker hangs his keys on the little hook on the wall next to the garage door before coming over to me.

  “Hey, babe,” he says, giving my ass a swat and my cheek a kiss.

  I smirk. “Hey.”

  Even though we’re older now, and we’ve changed in many ways, we’re still fucking hot as hell for each other. My hair is starting to gray, and Tucker, the bastard, doesn’t have one gray hair yet. I’m getting suspicious, though; I think he’s dying it behind my back. Neither of us is as muscular as we used to be, but we’re still fit, especially for our ages. And of course, we’ve got more creases around our eyes and mouths, but I like to believe that’s from all of the laughing and smiling we do, not because we’re older.

  Tucker then turns toward Addison and goes over to give her a kiss hello. Before either Addison or myself get a chance to say anything, he pops a kiss on her bruised cheek from over her shoulder. She yelps and flinches away from him. I quickly turn and find him looking down at her in concern. He smooths her hair back away from her face. His eyes widen when he see the big deep purple bruise on her cheek.

  “What happened to your face?!” The alarm in his voice has me moving to stand next to Addy.

  “Addison got into a fight at school today,” I tell him.

  “What?!” A rush of emotions flashes over his features and I hold up a hand to stop him from overreacting.

  “Hang on. A boy was teasing her about us being gay. He shoved her, and when she tried to walk away, he punched her in the face. She fought back, giving the kid a black eye and a bloody lip.”

  Tucker’s mouth works as he tries to think of something to say. He huffs his annoyance and paces away. He turns back around and shoves his hands on his hips. “Is she in trouble at school?”

  “No. The principal was really great about the whole thing. The other kid got a 3-day in-school suspension.”

  Tucker nods. After a tense moment, he moves to sit down next to her at the table. He turns his chair to face her and rests his forearms on his knees. Addy is watching him with caution, not sure of what he’s going to say to her. But I know Tucker, and he’s not mad, at least not at her anyway.

  “Are you okay?” Tucker asks gently.

  “I’m better now,” Addison replies quietly.

  “You know, I’m actually surprised that it took this long for something like this to happen. And you should know that it’s not going to be the last.” He gives her a pointed look.

  Addison nods. “Yeah, I know.”

  “It sounds like you handled it very well and I’m proud of you for that.”

  I smile and drop my hand to Tucker’s shoulder. That was exactly what I was hoping he would say. He sends me a wink and I give his shoulder a squeeze before going back to cooking dinner. Tucker and Addison talk more about what happened while I finish up dinner. As soon as the food is on the table and we’re all seated, the fight is forgotten and we move on to talk about happier things.

  ~ Another Five Years Later ~

  ~ Tucker ~

  I knock on the doorframe of Addison’s bedroom. Her door is open and she’s on her knees, half of her body buried in the bottom of her closet as she tosses shoes out over her shoulder. I lean against the frame and cross my arms over my chest, watching in amusement.

  “Hey, you need some help?” I chuckle.

  Addison emerges from the closet in a frenzy. Her hair is all over the place as she shoves to her feet. She hastily brushes her hair back from her face.

  “I can’t find my other sandal!” she practically screeches, her eyes darting around her room in a frantic search for her sandal.

  “Which one?” I ask, pushing away from the doorframe and stepping into the room.

  “The wedge with the gold straps!” Her arms flail around as she basically yells at me.

  Goddamn, if this is sixteen, I really don’t what to know what the rest of the teens are like. I look around her disaster of a room. “You know, maybe if you cleaned…”

  “Don’t. Start,” she bites out, sending a death glare my way, and I have to bite my bottom lip not to laugh at her.

  “Is that it over there, peeking out from behind the dresser?” I point to what I think actually might be the shoe.

  Addison rushes over to the spot I’m talking about and pulled out said shoe. She holds it up like a trophy, a bright smile lighting her face. “YES!”

  She goes over to her bed and sits on the edge to put her sandal on.

  “So…are you nervous? This is your first ever official date that you’ve been asked on.”

  “Uh…yeah! It’s Erick Macklin, the cutest guy in my class, and he asked me out on a date! Me! Not stupid Laney Easton.”

  “Oookay.” I chuckle.

  “I have to look cute, Dad. And these are the cutest sandals I own.”

  “Right. Cutest sandals.”

  “He should be here any minute,” she mutters, almost to herself.

  She shoots to her feet and goes over to her full-length mirror. She finger combs her long wavy hair back into place and checks the little bit of eye makeup that we let her wear. She turns around to face me. It’s right now that I can see exactly how nervous she is.

  “Do I look okay?” she asks, sounding unsure of herself.

  She’s wearing dark skinny jeans with a flowy pink lace tank top over a solid darker pink tank top. The lace tank is longer in the back than the front. Then the inch and a half wedge sandals to top off the outfit.

  “You look gorgeous, Addy.”

  She gives me a dubious look. “You have to say that, you’re my dad. Besides, you like guys, you don’t think girls are gorgeous.”

  I bark out a laugh. “Sweetie, before I met your dad, I only dated women, so I do know when a girl is gorgeous or not.”

  Her eyebrows crank down as she stares at me, looking uncertain as to whether or not to believe me. Just then, Dennis walks in.

  “What’s going on?” he asks with a curious smile.

  Addison turns to Dennis. “Daddy just said that he used to date only women before he met you, is that true?”

  Dennis nods. “Yeah, so did I. I was actually married to a woman before I met your dad.”

  “What?!” she squawks. “You can’t tell me this kind of information right before I’m about to go out on my first date! I have so many questions now!”

  Dennis laughs. “We’ll tell you all about it after your date.”

  The doorbell rings before she can reply. She jumps and looks in the mirror again. “Ohmygod, ohmygod…”

  “Addy, you look perfect,” Dennis tells her.

  “Yeah, now let’s go meet this Erick kid.”

  “Please don’t embarrass me!” she pleads as we all make our way down the stairs.

  “Us? Embarrass you? Never,” I tease.

  She groans and opens the door. A good looking kid with dark hair and bright green eyes is standing there, his body stiff as a board and his face bright red. He gives Addison a tight smile and pulls a single rose out from beh
ind his back then holds it out to her. Now it’s her turn to flush bright red.

  “Aw, thanks, Erick,” she says shyly and takes the rose from him. “You can come in for a second while I put this in a vase. Plus, my dads want to meet you.”

  Erick swallows hard and steps into the house. Addison shuts the door and races off toward the kitchen. “Be right back!”

  Erick’s eyes are looking anywhere but at us. It’s obvious he’s seriously nervous, which means he must like Addison a lot.

  “Hey, bud, I’m Tucker,” I say, offering my hand to him.

  He finally looks at me, at my hand, then back at my face before tentatively shaking my hand. “I’m Erick,” he squeaks.

  “This is my husband, Dennis.”

  Dennis smiles warmly and shakes his hand. “Relax, brotha, we don’t need you puking all over the floor.”

  Erick gives a small nervous laugh but seems to relax slightly.

  “So, where are you planning on taking Addy?” Dennis asks.

  “To…to the movies.”

  “Oh yeah? Anything good out?” I ask, trying to ease the tension.

  “Um, Addison wanted to see that new romantic comedy that’s out,” Erick replies, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

  “Oh, that’s nice that you let her pick the movie,” Dennis praises.

  A small smile lifts Erick’s lips. “Thanks.”

  “Are you driving?” I ask, peeking out the window to see a decent looking car in the driveway.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Have you had your license for a long time?”

  “Six months,” he winces.

  “Okay, just be careful and don’t be speeding with Addy in the car.” I give him a pointed look and he nods fervently.

  Addison comes racing back. “Okay! Let’s go!”

  She gives both of us a kiss on the cheek then herds Erick out the door.

  “Be back by ten!” Dennis yells after them.

  “Okay!” Addison replies and they get in the car.

  We both fight back our laughter as we watch Erick buckle his seat belt and wait for Addison to do the same before even turning the car on. We wave as he backs out of the driveway and starts down the street. We step back into the house and shut the door.

  “He seems like a nice kid,” Dennis muses.

  I hum my agreement. “Ya know, he kinda looks like you when you were younger with the dark hair and green eyes.” I snicker.

  Dennis gives me a dry look that has me chuckling. I wrap my arms around his waist, tilt my head back and purse my lips, basically asking for a kiss. Dennis sighs heavily in mock annoyance then presses his lips to mine.

  “Are you as worried as I am that she’ll do something stupid?” Dennis murmurs against my lips.

  “Yep. But we can’t shelter her forever. We have to just hope that we raised her right and that she makes the right decisions.”

  “Yeah.”

  “In the mean time, I can provide a distraction,” I purr suggestively, letting my hands slide down to cup his ass.

  Dennis smiles against my mouth. “Oh, I like distractions.”

  ~ Ten Years Later ~

  ~ Dennis ~

  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this is where my life would lead. When I married Tucker thirty years ago, I never anticipated ending up here, doing what we’re doing. But hell, I wouldn’t change it for anything. Especially because I have Tucker by my side.

  I stare in awe as Addison walks toward us, looking absolutely breathtaking in her wedding gown. Her radiant smile lights up the entire room. At twenty-six, she’s blossomed into a mature, smart, and stunning woman; the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, but I’m biased.

  “My god, Addy,” Tucker breathes beside me.

  She beams at us. “Hi.”

  “You look incredible,” I tell her.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “How you feeling? You good? You ready?” Tucker prompts, taking her hands and shaking them.

  Addison laughs. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  “Let’s get this show on the road then. Erick’s waiting.” I smile.

  She gives me a nod, and then we walk over to the doors to the room where the ceremony is being held. Tucker and I stand on either side of her and she slips her arms through ours. I’ve never been more proud in my life than I am right now. I glance over at Tucker just as he looks at me. He sends me a wink and blows me a kiss. Fuck, I love him.

  The music starts and two of the people who work there open the double doors at the same time. The place is filled on both sides with friends and family. Duke is standing on the little dais with Addison’s soon-to-be-husband and high school sweetheart, Erick Macklin. Duke somehow convinced Addison and Erick to let him officiate. We kept our mouths shut. Not our problem.

  I can see that Erick is looking emotional. Can’t blame the guy really; he and Addison have been through a lot together, their love runs deep. They dated through high school, then broke up when they started college. They were going to different colleges and didn’t want to have a long distance relationship; plus, they wanted to date other people to see what else was out there. I felt it was a smart decision. They were only separated a year when Addison got news that Erick had been in a horrendous car accident. She immediately rushed to be by his side. He almost didn’t make it. He did lose part of his right leg, though, just below the knee. He now wears a prosthetic just like mine. Kinda weird when you think about it. They’ve been inseparable since then and that was about six years ago. Now that they both finished college, it was time to get married and start their life together.

  Dennis and I stop at the end of the aisle and let Erick come down from the dais to meet us. He gives us both big hugs and tells us how much he loves us before we hand Addison off to him. Erick takes her hand and helps her step up onto the dais. They take their places, facing each other in front of Duke, bright smiles on both of their faces. Tucker and I take our seats in the front row. Duke’s eyes land on me and Tucker and a devilish grin curls his lips. Oh shit, I know what’s coming.

  “Deeeeaaaarly beloved!” Duke roars with a flourish of his arm.

  I drop my to forehead Tucker’s shoulder and shake my head. Tucker barks out a laugh and slaps his thigh while the rest of the crowd erupts into a fit of laughter.

  The End.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading At Peace by Andria Large!

  I would be honored, given that you have the time, if you would please consider posting a review – good or bad – on Amazon and Goodreads. If you enjoyed this story, please let your friends and family know about this book and other books that I have written.

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  You can also follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_ALarge

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  Check out my website and sign up for my monthly newsletter! You will get lots of glimpses into the life of yours truly, along with some special extras that can only be found in the newsletter. http://www.authorandrialarge.com

  A final note about The War Trilogy:

  When I first wrote Dennis' character in Sweet Renegade, I had no idea he would end up with his own story, let alone a series. But something about him called to me. I didn't know he would end up with a man either. Thoughts of him kept popping into my head. He kept talking to me and giving me bits of his story. It obviously got to the point where I needed to write it down.

  Dennis holds a very special place in my heart, mainly because his issues with depression stem from my own. Mine are not to the extent that his are, but it's true when they say that authors always put a little bit of themselves into some/all of their characters.

  I also wanted to bring awareness to mental illness in
general. PTSD being the forefront of that. Especially PTSD in veterans. I believe the number is 22 veterans a day commit suicide because of PTSD and other mental illnesses. That's insane! It shouldn't be like that. If I can help one person form more of an understanding of mental illness by reading my book, then I will be happy.

  This is a bittersweet moment for me because while I'm sad to end Dennis and Tucker's story, I know it's time, and I think that they had the best ending I could possibly give them. I love them and I always will. Thank you for loving them, too.

  About the Author

  Andria is married and a stay at home mother with two crazy little girls and two psychotic cats. She doesn’t go anywhere without her precious iPhone and a purse full of animal crackers. She used to be completely obsessed with the Backstreet Boys, but now is only mildly obsessed (still goes to every concert when they are in town). She loves cartoons and Disney movies, and can probably recite every line from Dumb and Dumber. Humor is a must in her life; otherwise, it would be completely boring. Pepsi is her weakness, along with anything chocolate. She can’t sing to save her life, but she pretends she can when she is alone in her car with the music blasting so that she can’t hear herself.

  She loves to read Romance. Paranormal, Scottish, Military, Police, Firefighters, Athletes, Cowboys and M/M are her favorite. She is not so much a fan of YA, though. If you haven’t been able to tell from reading her books, she likes - whether she is reading them or writing them - lots of hot steamy sex.

  Andria loves her fans and is always willing to chat. She works hard on her books, does not get offended easily, and has a pretty thick skin when it comes to negativity toward her work. She welcomes constructive criticism because she feels that is how one betters themselves, by taking that constructive criticism and using it.