“It is.”
“You’re married? Did you know about this, Soup?” Gibson looked to Ben, who answered with just a nod of his head. “When the hell did you get married?”
“Friday.” Danny turned to his platoon leader. “Are we done here? The sooner Soup and I can start breaking in the newbies, the better.”
“Yeah, we’re done,” Anthony replied.
Danny rose from his chair, ready to make his great escape, only to be called back by the captain. “Give us a second, guys.”
The rest cleared out and Bull closed the door behind him.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” he said, offering his hand, which Danny accepted. He casually reclined against his desk. “I have to admit, I’m as surprised as everyone else given from what I’ve heard, you’re the highest ranking member of 1st Batt’s players club.”
“Not anymore. Guess I’ll have to pass that baton on to someone else.”
“Not Gibson, I hope?” Anthony laughed, but soon turned serious. “Do you need some time off to get your wife settled?”
“No, sir. Got her all moved in over the weekend. She’ll probably be draining my bank account and throwing out my shot glass collection by the end of the week.” Which wasn’t even remotely close to being true. But what was the fun in being married if he couldn’t complain about his wife like all the other husbands around here.
“You still have a ton of paperwork that needs to be filed ASAP. To be honest, I’m not really sure what HQ requires these days. Seems like they change the policy every time I check.”
But Danny knew. Once Bree accepted his offer, he called headquarters to get his ducks in a row. “I’ve got it all straightened out. Just have to make some photocopies and drop it all off at HQ by Friday.”
“This is too important to put off until the end of the week. I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer here, but the last thing you want is for something to happen to you during training and your wife ends up dealing with a mountain of governmental red tape all because you delayed turning your paperwork in. Bull can oversee your teams when we start FRIES training this afternoon. When you and Wojciechowski have had your fun with the new recruits, get on over to HQ and get your stuff turned in.”
Having been dismissed, Danny turned to leave.
“One last suggestion,” Anthony said just as he opened the door. “Figure out a time and place to introduce the guys to your wife. Might as well get it over with.”
Bull and Gibby were waiting for him in the hall and quickly fell in step as Danny headed for the squad bay.
“You’re not getting off that easy,” Bull began. “For all the years I’ve known you, you’ve somehow managed to avoid the gate honeys and the trap. You’re our hero. Every time I turn around you’re banging some hottie and instead of her going all crazy stalker on your ass or calling the commander, they just give you a kiss on a cheek and say thanks for a good time.”
“Are you going somewhere with this?”
Now it was Gibson’s turn to get in on the fun. “Why in the hell would you go and get married when you are actually living the life every man wishes he could have?”
“Gibby’s got a point. Sex without commitment. No money drain. Blowjobs out the wazoo. You told me once the worst thing I ever did was get married. And you know what? You were right.”
Danny felt bad about saying that. After all, Bull might have been hoodwinked into marriage before their last rotation, his wife suddenly miscarrying just weeks after their wedding. Only Bull had never seen any confirmation aside from a positive pregnancy test. And just last month a guy in Delta Company found an ad on Craigslist where a pregnant woman was selling positive sticks as a way for others to trap a guy into marriage. So now everyone questioned whether or not Bull’s wife was telling the truth to begin with.
“What have you done with Danny MacGregor? The man who always says ‘if the army wanted us to have a wife they would’ve issued us one,’ ” Gibby asked while shaking Danny’s shoulders. “My only guess is that he must have met a hot piece of ass that wouldn’t put out without a ring on her finger.”
Danny pulled from his grasp and turned on him. “Watch it, Gibby. That’s my wife you’re talking about.”
Bull’s eyes widened in surprise. “Damn. He’s serious about this. Who the hell did you marry?”
“My high school sweetheart,” Danny answered. Although he’d never referred to Bree as that before, it felt right. “Any other questions? I’ve got to get my squad ready.”
“In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never once mentioned anything about a ‘high school sweetheart.’ ” Bull added air quotes for emphasis. “And now you show up with a ring on your finger. Did you just walk up to her and say, ‘Hey, let’s get married?’ ”
Danny laughed. “Something like that.”
“She must be one helluva woman to drag you into the depths of marriage hell,” Bull said.
“Or a Siren.”
They both turned to Gibby, speaking in unison. “A what?”
“You know, those beautiful women who sit on the shore,” Gibby explained. “They seduce you with body and song only to make you crash your boat on the rocks? It’s mythology.”
Thankfully, Bull saved him from asking the question. “How the hell do you know about mythology?”
“I watch movies, jackass!”
Finally, the three went their separate ways and Danny caught up with Ben in the squad bay, still chuckling to himself as he prepared for their morning PT session.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
“I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
Ben never even answered. Just burst into laughter as he walked away.
Damn. It was going to be a long day.
BREE WOKE MONDAY morning to find Danny already gone, the blanket he used left neatly folded on the couch with the pillow stacked on top. He’d forewarned her of his schedule, how he left early in the morning, often arriving well before sunrise. As to when he would return home, well, that was a completely different story. Life in regiment was far different than most other military units much less a typical 9-to-5 day job. There would be times he would be back for dinner and there would be times he wouldn’t return home for days. So, true to his word, it really did seem she would have the place all to herself for the most part.
After breakfast she resumed her old routine, firing up her laptop to surf the net. There were no emails from old friends, no messages on Facebook. No job opportunities from LinkedIn. It all went to show she could get married, move to a new city and nothing would change if she didn’t change. And the last thing she wanted was to get stuck in the same damn rut with a different view. Danny had gone out of his way to help her, turning his personal life upside down in the process.
She would not disappoint him.
He deserved better. She deserved better.
She closed down the computer, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and headed into the spare bedroom. As music blared from the small speakers of her laptop, she got down to the business of unpacking. Danny had told her to make herself at home and she intended to do just that. No more cramming all her things into a ten-by-ten space so as not to impose on someone else.
The first box held many of her favorite books and a small collection of DVDs, which now filled some of the once-empty built-in shelves in the living room. The second contained home decor things from her place in Columbia. It hadn’t been her intent for this box to be brought along, but one of the boys must have grabbed it by accident. Since it was here, why not put it to use? After all, Danny’s bachelor minimalist decor could use not only a style update, but a splash of color, as well.
A chenille throw and coordinating pillows added life to the living room. Barely used pot holders and dish towels prettied the kitchen. Her plush
bathmat and oversize towels added luxury to the boring bathroom. At the bottom of the box she found several picture frames of various sizes, all containing photos from the time she lived with her ex.
She wanted to destroy them years ago, but her mother convinced her not to, saying they were a photo record of someone once important in her life. It was a bullshit reason then and it was still bullshit now. Bree flipped over each frame, wasting no time pulling out the photos, tearing them apart with her bare hands, and dropping them in the trash.
That felt good. Freeing.
Surveying her progress in the living room, she enjoyed a sense of pride and accomplishment. In her opinion, it now looked homey without being overly feminine. No doubt she’d drastically improved its appearance, but the room needed more of Danny’s things, too.
She headed into the spare bedroom again, this time stopping at his stack of boxes. Bree chewed on her thumbnail.
He said he had nothing to hide.
“Mi casa es tu casa,” he’d said.
Surely he wouldn’t get upset if she snooped around a bit in the hopes of finding things of his to put on display?
Before she talked herself out of it, she returned to the spare room and sliced through the packing tape on one of his boxes. She folded back the flaps to find a cornucopia of shot glasses stacked in long strings, not carefully wrapped in paper or any sort of packaging material. Which was odd, considering the organization of his underwear drawer. It also contained a dozen or so paperbacks, mostly Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, along with several old music CDs ranging from Eminem to System of a Down.
Surprisingly she hadn’t come across any photos. But digital cameras had been the way to go for most of his time in the military so it only made sense she didn’t find any. Of course she hadn’t looked in this closet.
She pulled open the doors for the reach-in closet and found hanging there all alone his army dress uniform. A bow tie draped loosely around the neck of the hanger. Gold emblems on the sleeve displayed his rank for all to see. Unfortunately, she didn’t know anything about the army and what it all meant. She’d have to Google it later.
Her finger traced the patches, the light blue braid looping one sleeve, his last name engraved across a plastic pin. Row after row of bright colored ribbons adorned the left front of his jacket, displaying his accomplishments. She once knew Danny better than anyone, but his uniform served as a reminder she didn’t know much about the man who wore it now. On the shelf above sat a tan beret with yet another brightly colored insignia: a red lightning bolt slashing across a blue and green shield. Next to the beret were black dress shoes polished to a high gleam. And next to them a file box.
Bree lowered it to the floor and removed the lid.
Inside the box, on top of everything else, were a couple of flat jewelry boxes with the words United States of America embossed in gold lettering. Not giving much thought to it, she opened the first one, the hinges on the back tight from a lack of use. Inside was a bronze-colored star hanging from a red and blue ribbon with a “V” in the middle of it. Very regal-looking. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was a medal like this to go with each ribbon. If so, then there would be a lot of medals hanging on his chest.
She closed the case and exchanged it for the second one. Again, the black case squeaked with newness and at first glimpse, her heart stuttered.
A Purple Heart.
Bree knew what this meant. Everyone in the country had to know what it meant and what had to have happened in order for him to receive it.
Her throat tightened to the point it became difficult to breathe. Yes, she knew there was a war going on. For a long time there were casualty counts every time she listened to the news. But her life in college and then after was so far removed from the war it never affected her. She knew Danny was in the military and her father had told her Danny’s job was a dangerous one. But she told herself her father had a way of exaggerating, not to mention she’d done one hell of a job of hating Danny for the past decade. It wasn’t until this very moment she had ever considered the possibility of losing him forever. He could have easily been just another casualty of war in the news.
Now, knowing he’d been wounded, that he came so close to losing his life, it shamed her. All these years he’d been fighting for his country and not once had she asked God to watch over him and keep him safe. A mistake she dared not repeat.
Bree said a quick prayer for Danny, for his friends in 1st Batt, and for all of those serving overseas.
She closed the medal case and tried to push the thought of him returning to war out of her mind.
Bree dug deeper into the box, thumbing through stacks and stacks of 4x6s. Most of the photos were of guys she didn’t recognize, drinking beer in the desert. Then they were drinking beer on a boat. Then drinking beer in the woods. There were rude gestures and bloodshot eyes and big smiles. Few, if any, were appropriate to frame, but she pulled out the best ones that included Danny.
Beneath those she found an 8x10 photo with Class 09-02. This was just what she’d been looking for. A graduation photo, it would seem. The men stood tall in their uniforms, shoulders back, arranged much like a primary school photo. It took some searching, but she found a baby-faced Danny and Ben, both so young they couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty at the time. She set it aside knowing exactly which frame it would fit.
Then, at the very bottom of the box, was a photo she recognized. One she had a copy of somewhere in the many photo albums at her parents’ home.
It was taken of them at the beach the summer before they headed off to college. She and Danny sat side by side on the beach, the Ferris wheel in the background. Her long, sun-streaked hair blew in the wind while his arm was thrown casually over her shoulder. They were so young and in love. So unbelievably happy. And somewhere in a box of her own she had a million pictures as evidence that what they had was real.
But even so, this picture was special. The way she looked at him. The way he looked at her. Both so focused on the other it was as if they existed in a bubble. Nothing and no one else mattered.
Back when she believed their future included a lifetime together.
Until the bubble popped.
She smiled one last time at the photo and returned it to the box, burying it deep beneath all his other mementos. Just as he’d kept it.
ASIDE FROM THE one night when he arrived home to find Bree asleep on the couch, he hadn’t seen her all week. That didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed she’d been quite busy. And for one brief moment, as he checked out the throw pillows and candles and fancy towels, he jokingly wondered if she had drained his bank account while he was away at work.
Then he noticed the framed pictures on the shelves, most of which were taken during his second deployment to Iraq. Which meant she’d gone through his things in order to find those. He waited for the feeling of violation that came with someone going through his personal items. It never came. Instead, he found it to be an incredibly sweet gesture.
Danny dropped his ruck inside the front door and called her name. Bree appeared in the hall, dressed in jeans and a plain top, the v-neck displaying a large expanse of soft skin. Her makeup was soft and pretty, and delicate dangling earrings framed her face. But the very best thing—no wig.
“Are you about ready to go?”
Upon the suggestion of his platoon leader, Danny had arranged for the guys to meet Bree at a local sports bar. Hopefully, after their long, hard week, they would be short on energy and Bree wouldn’t find them so overwhelming.
“I don’t know.” She rubbed her hand over the fuzz on her head. “Maybe I should wear the wig. I mean, you have more hair on your head than I do.”
“Is that all that’s bothering you? I can take care of that.” He scooted past her, heading for the bathroom, pulling off his shirt as he walked. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”
He pulled a shaving kit from beneath the sink and removed the guard. Soon, the hum of clippers filled his ears as he made the first pass down the middle of his skull. Normally, Danny kept his hair longer on top with the sides and back short. But it was only hair and in the end didn’t matter that much to him. If it made Bree feel more comfortable, all the better. After cleaning up, he stripped off his remaining clothes and hopped into the shower for just a quick rinse since they were short on time. Using one of the new towels he found hanging on the rod, Danny dried himself as he headed back into the bedroom, the plush white cotton heaven on his—
“Oh! Oh!” Bree immediately covered her eyes with her hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d finish so quickly and I decided to wear the boots instead of the flats I had on.”
“Nothing you haven’t seen before, Bree.”
“I know,” she said, still refusing to uncover her eyes. Although she hid her face, the cut of her shirt revealed the flush of her skin, the color deepening with each passing second.
“And we’re married now, Bree.”
“I just—” As she blindly attempted to maneuver past, she collided with him instead, her palm meeting his wet chest. “Shit,” she cursed under her breath.
Danny chuckled in response then stepped to the side, allowing her to run away. He quickly changed and found her waiting in the living room. This time, instead of covering her eyes, she couldn’t look away.
Her eyes welled with tears and she tentatively reached out to touch him, her fingers trailing over his newly shorn scalp. “What did you do?”
Danny shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not the first time I’ve done it. Not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal, huh?” Bree smiled through the tears. “You shave your head for all the girls?”
He smiled but said nothing else. She could pretend she wasn’t special, but for him she was the only woman worth any amount of trouble.
Once and For All: An American Valor Novel Page 10
