A Force of Nature (A Tryst of Fate Series Novel - Book 2)

by Kara Liane

  Chapter 27: Maverick and Goose

  Brenneth

  November 15, 2017

  It took two weeks to plan my attack on her heart. I had the beautiful ring ready to go—and another surprise tucked inside the cargo pocket of my uniform. I took leave for the day—and the rest of the week—so if things went my way, I could celebrate with Ev.

  I even bit the bullet and called Stuart to hash things out. We had quite the long, confidential talk. This talk was overdue, and I learned some enlightening things. He told me several times what a dumbass I was for doing what I did to Ev. At first, I didn’t want to hear it from the fucker, but after he talked for a little bit, I realized he had a valid point. I even started to like him—slightly—after he apologized and explained his hand in what happened.

  I actually felt bad for the dude. I didn’t realize he was in love with her. Even though it made me madder than hell that he had feelings for her at all, I understood that love motivates you to do the best things and the very worst things. Not that I needed Stuart’s blessing, but I did need his help. I needed him to come up with a story he could assign Ev to cover on the base.

  Stuart happily went along with it and said he’d devise something. Plus, he said she could have the rest of the week off too so I could surprise her with an impromptu lovers’ getaway—that is, if it worked and she took me back. Stuart promised me he would never lay a hand on Ev again, and I promised I wouldn’t break his face. He certainly didn’t have his feathers ruffled over it—and he let me know that he was actually more afraid of Everly than he was of me. Good point.

  My plan was in place. It was set to begin in the late afternoon. It would be getting dark and colder soon, but the setting sun would be the perfect backdrop for the perfect proposal. Caylan texted me that she’d be there soon, with Everly. I had sent a friend to pick them up at the gate and to pose as their escort to get them on base. I think Caylan gave the excuse of wanting to come with Ev for the “interview,” because she wanted more girl time with her. Caylan was a crafty one, and I owed her everything for helping me pull this off. Any minute, they’d be pulling up.

  And I’d be pulling off what I hoped was the moment of a lifetime.

  Everly

  Stuart had given me a story to work on that I’d turned down at first because it involved going to the base, and I didn’t want to be reminded of him. I was so scared I’d run into him like I had so many times before; it would be just my luck. I couldn’t handle seeing him. It hurt too much. Caylan volunteered to come along for moral support and so we had girl time. She said she’d be my guard dog while I did the story. I was supposed to interview some officer about deployments and do a human-interest piece. My heart wasn’t in it, but Stuart insisted that only I could write the story.

  Caylan had taken me to lunch two weeks earlier and had bombarded me with an Emeline cuteness overload. I had a feeling she was buttering me up for something. She started out with pics of the baby in her Halloween costume, then quickly put Emeline in my arms, and made me feed her a meal. I was suspicious of her intentions—I had a keen sense about these things.

  Finally, she hit me with it. I couldn’t fall apart with Em in my arms. Damn Caylan knew that. I was proud of myself for remaining calm, even though I sucked in numerous gulps of air. I couldn’t believe Brent had done all that to me.

  Caylan told me what really happened, and I was speechless. A part of me felt better knowing Brent hadn’t actually cheated, but another part of me was beyond pissed and hurt that he had orchestrated that whole scenario. How childish and ridiculous!

  Caylan didn’t try too hard to defend him, which I was grateful for.

  She just kept reminding me that people make mistakes. She used her story of how she and Alexi got together as an example. She kept hinting that everyone deserves a happy ending. I had to hand it to the girl—she was good. But I wasn’t ready yet to forgive and forget so easily. Brent constantly called and texted me, and even finally resorted to emailing me at work. I never answered him, but he still tried. Then yesterday, all communication had completely stopped. I wondered what was up, but I tried not to think too much about it.

  The airman who escorted us from the gate pulled up to a large parking lot that looked like it could double as an airfield. My palms started sweating. I was getting nervous that we were either near Brent’s workplace or actually at Brent’s workplace. He’d never taken me there, but we’d driven by it before on our way to go bowling or to the dog park; that’s when he had casually pointed it out. I had the feeling this was it, though. But a lot of the buildings on the base looked the same; I guess the dead giveaway was the flight line in the back.

  I was dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a beautiful winter-white sweater. My necklace was on display since the sweater had a V-neck. I wore cute boots, and I had let my hair’s bouncy curls run free for the first time in two weeks. I had been straightening it for days and days; it didn’t feel right to do otherwise somehow. My nose piercing was a subtle silver ball stud. And not that anyone would see it, but I had matched my belly ring to my nose ring.

  When the car stopped, I got out; Caylan didn’t say anything, and neither did the airman. I noticed a group of airmen in front of the building, in formation. They were in three rows and standing at attention in uniform. The parking lot entryway was a big U shape, and they had managed to pack themselves in tightly between the curves.

  Jeez, there must be at least fifty of them. Hmm, maybe they’re doing drills?

  Obviously our escort knew where he was going. We dutifully followed behind.

  We got closer and closer to the airmen lined up, and I wondered if this was some sort of demonstration for my benefit. Were they performing, like, a mock deployment or something for the article? But then a crackle came across a loudspeaker, and a voice carried over the PA system.

  My knees went weak at the sound.

  It was Brent’s voice. He was . . . what the hell? He was singing. He belted out, rather awkwardly, the Righteous Brothers’ classic tune from Top Gun, “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’.” I let the lyrics seep into my heart and soul. I closed my eyes as the tears streamed down. Caylan was crying too, dabbing her eyes. Hearing her brother’s voice pledging his love and devotion to me affected her almost as much.

  When the song got to the point where the lyrics said, “I’d get down on my knees for you,” I opened my eyes. There was Brent just a few feet away, on his knees, in uniform. I hadn’t even seen him approach. It had clearly been a recording of him singing, but it was amazing, and silly, and touching, and embarrassing—all at once. I was laughing and crying at the same time.

  I would never have expected this man to make such a spectacle of himself. I could see the guys in formation cracking smiles at Brent’s off-key notes and bad pitch. I imagined they had volunteered—all lining up to see this display go down at his expense. He was making a complete fool of himself, and I was loving every minute of it.

  He whistled, and Maverick walked faithfully over. The dog proceeded to lick his face and shower him with love. I looked in the direction from where Maverick had come, and there was Alexi holding Emeline, along with Milly and Fred. I was so excited to see everyone. Brent got up and walked over to me. I swallowed so hard. I was breathing heavily, and my heart was fluttering so much I thought it might fly out of my chest. I couldn’t believe everyone was there.

  When Brent was only a few steps away, Maverick made his way over to me and nuzzled my hand with his nose. I bent down, threw my arms around him, and apologized. I rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears. There was something there. I looked at his collar. Hanging off it was a beautiful white-gold band with a sparkling round diamond. I gasped and looked up at Brent, who was again kneeling.

  This time, he was on one knee. I shakily stood up. Maverick sat down beside me, at Brent’s command.

  “Everly. God, I’m so damn sorry about what happened. I don’t deserve you. I know I don’t. But I will spend each day ma
king it all up to you. I swear on my life that I will never, ever, hurt you like that again. I want today with you. I want tomorrow with you. I want forever with you. I’ve loved you from the second I met you. Please marry me and be my wife. Put me out of my absolute misery, and give me the chance to show you I can be a man worthy of you. Let me be the Goose to your Maverick,” he pleaded.

  At that, I chuckled even though I was still crying. I couldn’t believe everything he’d arranged to propose. I was overwhelmed. But the greatest emotion I felt was absolute, true love. I was so choked up.

  But I managed to squeak out a reply.

  “Yes,” I said softly.

  Hoots and hollers erupted from the guys and gals in formation, and . . . well, the formation pretty much broke up at that point. Caylan was jumping up and down and screaming to the side of us, and Brent’s parents, niece, and Alexi all joined in with the clapping and cheering.

  Brent stood up and wrapped me in the sweetest embrace, then dipped me back for a scorching kiss.

  When our lips fused together, my heart bloomed and grew back like a dying flower that had finally gotten sprinkled with water. Tears formed at the corner of Brent’s eyes, but I swiped them away.

  I knew we still had some things to work out, but as I said before, in the grand scheme of things, was any of what had happened worth losing the love of my life over? No, it wasn’t. What he did was wrong, but I could forgive him. He was truly a good and kind man. A brave man too, and a man who made mistakes. After all, we’re only human.

  Brent gave me the proposal of a lifetime, and in return I would give him my love and trust. I thought that was the end, but then he surprised me with one last thing. From the side pocket of his cargo pants, he pulled out a necklace-size box.

  I took the curious box and opened the lid.

  Nestled inside was a beautiful white-gold necklace to match the engagement ring he had slipped on my finger—once he removed it from Maverick’s collar. I looked at the letters in confusion, not fully understanding at first whether it was a military acronym or someone’s initials. I peered up at him. He chuckled, and Caylan giggled. Clearly, she was in on it. The letters were: TMBA.

  “Well, my sister said ‘go big or go home alone.’ And maybe this is too over the top with the movie theme, but it only seemed fitting. You can either add this to the one already around your neck, or replace your other one. This new necklace marks our new beginning. It means ‘Take My Breath Away.’ And you definitely do that, Everly Reynolds,” Brent said as he smiled.

  I smiled right back. I had to rib him one last time: “Umm, you forgot to add, ‘Your Highness.’”

  Epilogue

  Brenneth

  December 2, 2017

  It was Everly’s birthday on December first, so I was taking her out tonight to celebrate. She had turned thirty-three but still told me to “suck it,” since she’d always be a year younger than I was. I never expected her stop trying to one-up me—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  We had just closed on an amazing house. We couldn’t afford to buy anything near Alexi and Caylan, but we were close enough to them, and still nestled in a great neighborhood. There were great schools with community activities, and even a community pool. Everly and I were both halfway in between our workplaces, so it was perfect. The house was a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath colonial. It had a big backyard and plenty of room for Maverick to run and play.

  There were so many great things going on in our lives, we had to keep pinching ourselves. I had sewed on M.Sgt. stripes back in October, so I was enjoying becoming the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of my section. Everly finally got a promotion at work, and was made assistant managing editor. She said Steve wasn’t going anywhere for a few more years, but that they were grooming her to take over eventually. Stuart even managed to find a girlfriend and he seemed happy, which I was grateful for. I didn’t want to invite him to our wedding, but begrudgingly, I knew I had to.

  I let Ev plan everything for our nuptials. She wanted a small affair, and our wedding date was set for Saturday, March 3, 2018. I started taking some college courses—paid for by military benefits. I figured with four years to go, I could knock out a degree in teaching and do the Troops to Teachers program. I thought teaching high school would be the best fit for me, and I thought I had a lot to offer kids.

  Speaking of kids, Ev and I finally talked about that. We both agreed we did want them . . . eventually. First we wanted to get married and settle into our lives. So you can imagine our surprise when three pregnancies popped up unexpectedly. Ev and I kept joking about not drinking the water in the neighborhood, because we were in no way ready to take that on yet. Caylan was pregnant again, Shanna and Anthony were expecting, and even Pussy was pregnant. We had no idea how the last one had happened, but we were more than happy to welcome little fur babies soon.

  I was thrilled when I heard about Shanna and Anthony’s first child. Anthony would be a great dad, and he had lots of experience because of being a pediatrician; he was actually Em’s pediatrician too. Shanna and Anthony hadn’t gotten married yet, but they were talking about next summer, once she had the baby.

  Ev and I were even seeing a therapist together. Not just to work through everything as a couple, but also because we knew it would be best to get help for our individual issues. My PTSD was much better and under control. And Ev’s panic attacks had all but disappeared. We knew our issues would always be there, but we were taking the right steps in the right direction. I paid for the sessions out of pocket; that way, we didn’t have to worry about insurance, or, consequently, the military being involved.

  We had seen the whole gang just the night before, for a dinner party at Caylan’s. She is the best hostess. It was a great evening with stories, laughs, and lots of fun. I did feel bad for Liz, though, because she seemed more down than usual. Her teenage kids pretty much kept to themselves by playing on their phones or interacting with Emeline. At one point, I noticed Caleb constantly staring at Liz from across the room. I didn’t know what to make of it. I knew he had a thing for cougars, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what kept his attention and focus on her.

  But I recognized that look. It was the look of a man on a mission. I kept my thoughts to myself, but I definitely had my suspicions. However, Liz was a married woman. I knew Caleb was an upstanding guy who wouldn’t cross that line. I just wished Liz’s marriage had been a happy one. She was a great, beautiful woman and deserved to be treated well. Maybe one day things would be different for her.

  Everly was back to working on her column about raunchy things. This woman cracked me up with her wit. She thought I didn’t read her stuff, but I always did because I was so proud of her. I thought back to one of her pieces that was published over the summer. She didn’t think I even knew about it since I had been deployed at the time—I was the Philly Timez’s number-one subscriber, though.

  We were about to leave the house for her birthday dinner, but I had one last trick up my sleeve. I dragged her through the house until we reached our bedroom. She was giggling about my eagerness to get her in bed, but it wasn’t for the exact reasons she thought. I had a hidden agenda. Of course I’d pleasure the hell out of her, but I wanted to prove to her that I actually did read her column faithfully.

  When we entered our bedroom, she saw a can of pineapple sitting there on the nightstand. She laughed so hard she fell over onto the bed.

  Well, I couldn’t wait to test her theory out on the taste.

  The End

  A Force of Nature—Playlist

  “Believer” by Imagine Dragons

  “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve

  “How Do You Talk to an Angel” by The Heights

  “Human” by Christina Perri

  “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails

  “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz

  “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” by Fall Out Boy

  “One More Light” by Linkin P
ark

  “Say Something” by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

  “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles

  “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin

  “Wild Horses” by The Sundays

  “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” by The Righteous Brothers

  Teaser: Nursing Myself Back (A Tryst of Fate Series Novel—Book 3)

  Want to catch up with old friends and learn more about others? Nursing Myself Back will be the final book in A Tryst of Fate Series. All your favorite characters will make appearances, and you’ll finally delve into the lives of Caleb and Liz. Enjoy this Chapter 1 sneak preview, my awesome-sauce readers!

  Nursing Myself Back

  (A Tryst of Fate Series Novel—Book 3)

  by Kara Liane

  Synopsis

  How does one escape the ghosts of the past and still find a way to heal the wounds left in their wake?

  This is the third and final installment in A Tryst of Fate Series, from breakthrough writer Kara Liane. However, this steamy, contemporary romance book can also be read as a stand-alone novel.

  Nursing Myself Back is an exciting and heartwarming story about finding love in the last place you’d look—right in front of you. Cardiology registered nurse, Liezel “Liz” Carter, is a recent widow. She has three teenage children and the untimely death of her alcoholic husband to contend with. Liz never thought she’d be a forty-four-year-old single mother with a broken spirit. She envisioned a different life for herself, but events from her past that could ultimately affect her future have surfaced. What she doesn’t know is that the new companionship she’s forged with her boss’s best friend could be her saving grace.