“Thank you.” I peer down at my hands. “I’m so grateful for all of your help to get the T-visa. I didn’t even know such a thing existed! I hope it goes through quickly.”
“Well, I can’t say for sure that you’ll get it, but I will say this, I’ve never seen such a compelling case for that visa. And, if you do get it, you’ll be permitted to stay in the country for four years. After three years, you’ll be eligible for a green card, so just cooperate with the police in this case to your fullest ability and I can’t see why you’d have a problem on your path to citizenship,” she explains.
I can’t hide the smile stretched across my face. It’s actually hurting my cheeks, that’s how big it is. I know it will take a few months to know for sure if I get the visa, but this is the first shred of hope I’ve had in years.
“I promise, I will. I’ll do whatever I can to help them.” I nod.
The sweet woman stands up and I follow her, practically gliding behind her as she walks me out to the waiting room.
Through the glass door I can see Jackson pacing, absolutely frantic. His hair is a mess, his eyes have deep circles beneath them. I’ve never seen him so worn down. Even now, when his body is so clearly in need of a good night’s rest, he’s unbelievably sexy.
I want to race into his arms and plant a million kisses over his face. However, I can’t do anything because Officer Knight holds out her hand to shake mine and I give it a squeeze.
“You take care of yourself out there.” She holds my hand in a long shake and rests her other hand on my shoulder. “And if you have any problems don’t be afraid to contact the police, remember? We’re here to help you.”
“I will.” I nod solemnly, looking straight into her dark eyes. She lets go of my hand and opens the door for me.
“Goodbye, Ella.” She smiles.
“Bye.” I don’t even turn my head back over my shoulder to utter the words. I just walk in tiny, rapid steps over to Jackson. I watch as he drags his fingers over his hair and down the back of his neck and then holds out his arms for me.
I leap into his embrace and he clutches me so tight it almost squeezes the wind from my lungs.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.” His voice cracks and he kisses me tenderly. As he places me back down on my feet, he wipes tears from his cheeks.
Seeing him so choked up brings my own emotions bubbling back up to the surface. The tears I thought I was finished crying immediately spring back to my eyes, making the world look like it’s underwater.
“Come on.” He puts me back on my feet and wipes his thumbs under my eyes, swiping away my tears. “Let’s get you out of here.”
My hand tingles with warmth as Jackson tenderly grasps it and leads me out of the building into the crisp afternoon. The parking lot that I thought looked like a sinister graveyard of cars when I was brought here is somehow cheerful now. The bright colors of the vehicles compete for my attention with the flame-colored hues of the autumn leaves dangling from the trees above.
I scan the vehicles for Jackson’s car, but he doesn’t take me out to the lot, instead leads me down a path that guides us out to the sidewalk. “I hope you don’t mind a little walk. I left the car up the road by the park. I’ve been here for hours waiting and just needed to go clear my head. It’s not too far.”
“I don’t mind at all.” I cling onto his arm, giving his burly bicep a squeeze. “I’m happy going anywhere, as long as it’s with you.”
I soak in the beauty of nature, marveling at the spectacular pops of color among the mellow, warm tones in the leaves. I’ve lived in America for over six years now, and I’ve never truly had the chance to just enjoy a leisurely stroll and get lost in the magic of the season. As I listen to the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet and watch as a fluffy-tailed squirrel performs an acrobatic show above us, leaping fearlessly from branch to branch, I realize I’m the luckiest woman alive.
Jackson clears his throat, breaking the trance I was in. “So, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this or not, but I was a Navy SEAL.” He chuckles dryly and I giggle.
Turning my head to him, my laughter immediately dries to dust and blows away on the wind.
He’s crying.
Not a single tear that can be flicked away and easily forgotten, but real tears flow like tiny rivers down his face. He wipes the back of his hand over each cheek, but he can’t keep them inside.
“What’s wrong?” I slow my pace and study his face, searching for a reason he’s so upset. We stop in our tracks, standing outside the large wrought iron gates leading into the park. Towering over each side of the gate are old oak trees, leaning toward each other like a giant arbor welcoming us.
“I need to tell you this.” He swallows hard and lets out a long, unsteady breath. “When I was a SEAL I learned a lot about life. I met guys who became blood to me. It felt like when you grow up with someone, you know? That lifelong bond you form with the boys you used to build tree forts with or play ball with, except with the SEALs that bond was instant. Our brotherhood was formed in moments of hardship and despair.”
I drop my hand from Jackson’s arm, twisting toward him so I can fully face him, so I can fully understand his words. “I understand.”
He nods slowly, trying to collect his scattered thoughts like someone trying to catch dandelion seeds across a field. I don’t care how long it takes him to find his words. I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing more important to me than to hear what he has to say right now.
“The thing the SEALs taught me the most was that in a blink of an eye, everything can change. In an instant I saw men I was convinced were the strongest in our basic training course go ring the bell. I saw men who I thought were weak or scared become brave and strong. I saw men lose everything, lose their lives, just like that.” He snaps his fingers and I jump.
My chin quivers. I understand his pain clearly. Obviously, I’ve never been on a Special Forces team, but the day I lost my family forever, the day they were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered, it happened in an instant.
“Jackson, I’m so sorry for your loss.” I brush my fingers down his arms, but he holds up his hand, silencing me.
“The reason I’m telling you this is because the instant I met you, Ella, I knew there was something here. It turns out that those little moments, those seconds that change your life forever aren’t always bad. Sometimes a second is all it takes for everything to get better. Chloe came into my life when the pain felt like it was too much to bear anymore and changed it forever. And all it took was an instant to know that I was in love with you.”
Jackson reaches into his pocket and looks down at the ring I gave him. My mother’s wedding band. He sniffles. “You told me that someday I’d give this back to you again, and you were right.” He slides down on his knee and my hands flutter up over my open mouth. My eyes grow wide as I realize what he’s doing. “Ella, I know what this ring means to you and for you to have given it to me when you never knew if you’d see my face again, that meant the world. But now I’d like to give it back. I will get you another ring, but right now I can’t think of a better one to ask you: will you be my wife?”
“Yes!” I cry and hold out my trembling hand. Jackson slides the ring on my finger and my chest might burst open from happiness. Tears fall down my face and my knees grow wobbly as he stands back up and cups my chin, lifts my lips to his, and kisses me tenderly.
“I love you, Ella.” He looks deep into my eyes and I can feel the truth in his words.
“I love you too.” I smile up at him. A few bright leaves drift down lazily over us, like nature’s confetti and I disappear into the beauty of this man with whom I’ll spend the rest of my days. The beauty of this moment. The beauty of this life.
Epilogue | Jackson
Ella’s friend, Julianna, waves at us from the reception doors. “Ready?”
“Yes,” we answer in unison.
Flipping her grown out blue hair back, she clears her th
roat. “And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in giving a warm reception to our newlyweds! Stand up and let’s hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox!” She claps her hands and moves to the side.
I hold Ella’s fingers in my hand and walk next to her into the hall. A sea of people part as we make our entrance, all of them clapping enthusiastically and smiling. To the side I can see my old Lieutenant Connor with his fiancée Charlotte. He gives me a fist pump in the air and it reminds me of the old days when he led our platoon and always knew how to encourage us to put our best foot forward.
I hope I can put my best foot forward right now. I swallow nervously and lead Ella to the dance floor. As we walk through the crowd, I smile at my SEAL buddy Gabe and his new wife, Vanessa. It makes me happy to see him finally settled down with someone. After our improvised explosive attack, he suffered badly, wearing the scars of that day on his face forever. It makes me happy to know he found someone who saw beyond the superficial and got to know and love the real him.
We step out onto the cleared dance floor and Julianna makes another announcement as I gaze at the crowd gathered on the sidelines.
“The couple will now share their first dance in marriage.” She nods to the DJ and we wait for what feels like an eternity for the music to start.
“I love you, Daddy!” Chloe yells out from a couple feet away.
The crowd awwws and I can’t blame them one bit. She’s as cute as ever in her little flower girl dress. She told me this morning that today she knew what it was like to be a real princess as the hairstylist pinned a band of baby’s breath flowers into her hair.
“I love you too, hon.” I blow her a kiss and she pretends to catch it in the air and then eat it. I just shake my head as the people around her laugh.
My eyes drift over to my mother. She’s right next to Chloe, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She was a total wreck at the wedding, but she kept insisting she was crying happy tears. My daughter didn’t understand it at all. To be honest, I don’t really understand it either. All I know is my family has never been happier, or more whole, since Ella joined us.
Ryan’s deep blue eyes twinkle as he lays a reassuring hand on my mother’s shoulder. I squint at him, feeling anything but reassured by his gesture. Luckily I don’t have time to overthink it because the music starts and I focus on Ella, my wife, looking for her lead.
The song we first danced to, “Despacito,” begins to play. “Just do it how I taught you. You’re going to be amazing.” She gives me a smile that melts my worries away. A smile that makes me realize that even if I mess up this dance, even if I trip or fall on my ass in front of everyone, it won’t matter one bit. I’ll still walk out of here as the luckiest man on earth.
I slowly waltz with Ella, leading her around the floor for the slow opening of the song. I’m counting my steps in my head and trying not to step on her long wedding dress the color of fresh fallen snow. As the music speeds up I meet her eyes and change my hand position, getting ready to do the dance we’ve been practicing for months now. The salsa.
I step and move my hips and, magically, the movements become natural. I don’t even have to think about what my next move is. My body just knows what to do. Instead, I get lost in Ella’s beautiful upswept hair and the long line of her delicate neck that I want to kiss. I study her large brown eyes and her crimson lips. She’s breathtaking.
I turn her and her dress billows out as she twirls around and comes back into me. The song I once stepped on her feet trying to dance to has become special to us. What started as an inside joke between us became layered with meaning as we realized it was that night and that song that started it all for us.
The music peters out and I take my new bride in my arms, dipping her low and then lifting her back up into a long kiss that makes me wish we could run right back out those reception doors and rip our clothes off. When I step back, the rest of the room comes back into focus. All of our friends and my family, now her family too, cheer and whistle for us loudly.
“I love you so much,” I murmur into her ear and she smiles against my cheek.
“I love you too, Jackson. From now until forever.”
As I look around from the faces of the men I served with to my mother, my child and now, my wife, I suddenly understand the idea of ‘happy tears.’ My eyes mist up and my throat feels raw as I realize how remarkable this journey has been. I can’t believe I ever thought of ending my days on this earth. If I had done that, I never would have met my wonderful child. I would have never met this woman in front of me that I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to call mine. All I would have done is break my mother’s heart and become another veteran statistic. Since that day, every single moment of my life has gotten better. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth every step and every stumble that led me here.
Epilogue | Jackson
“This place is paradise.” Ella stands next to my lounge chair and smiles and looks down the pristine shoreline of the Molokai beach.
I have to agree with her. I’ve been quite a few places in the world, but very few can compare to the bleached white sand and the bright teal waves of Hawaii. I knew I wanted to bring Ella here for our honeymoon so she could experience it firsthand.
Chloe and my mother have been loving every second of making sandcastles and exploring the lush, green walking trails. A lot of people gave me a weird look when they found out that all of us were making this trip together. Like there’s some rule out there that says only the newlyweds can go on a honeymoon vacation. But with my mom looking after Chloe in her room and Ella and I in our own luxurious suite, there’s been plenty of late evening and lazy mornings full of fucking until we both couldn’t move anymore. The way I see it, this is the best of both worlds. I get to see my daughter in the daytime and I get to try to make her a little sibling at night.
“If this is paradise, then you’re my angel.” I reach up around her waist and pull her down into my lap as she laughs.
I pull her into my lap and she squirms around a little, driving me crazy. My cock instantly rushes with blood, growing rigid under her full ass. A twinkle dances in Ella’s eyes as she smiles knowingly over her shoulder at me. I look down the beach, it looks like we have it all to ourselves. One of the benefits of coming to one of Hawaii’s lesser known islands. And, since my mother and Chloe are out exploring this afternoon, I know that we will keep having this beach to ourselves for quite a while.
“You’re so bad,” Ella whispers. She teases me, grinding her hips softly until I can feel the heat of her pussy envelop me.
“You haven’t seen anything yet. If you’re my angel, I think I’m about to get your halo dirty,” I murmur.
Sliding my hands up her thick thighs, I softly push them open so she’s straddling me. My cock presses up tight into her spread ass cheeks, our flimsy bathing suits doing very little to stop it. I glance each way down the beach again, but there’s no one around. I lick my thumb and slide it under the front of her bikini bottoms, pressing it up flat against her clit as she whimpers and rocks against me.
Ella’s hands grip the arms of my lounge chair tight. Her plump ass covers my cock, making me throb with need as she grinds down against me, her hair cascades down her back and onto my belly as she moans and I hold my thumb steady on her clit. When she begins to moan, I can’t hold back my desire anymore. I wrap my hand in her hair, and tug it back to me so she’s arched backward over my body and I kiss an urgent trail over her neck. Ella mewls helplessly, her body a prisoner of pleasure.
“I can’t hold back, I need you now,” I growl in her ear. I pull my hand free from her white bottoms and she cries out in protest. Grabbing the little bow on the side of her hip, I pull the string open and her bikini falls open, exposing her beautiful bubble butt.
My cock throbs, begging to be freed from my swim trunks. Ella lifts her hips and I quickly flip the waistband down until my fat cock swings up to meet her. Holding the base
firm, I slide it into her soaking pussy. I can’t help the loud groan as she spreads for me, her body perfectly fitting against mine, her walls squeezing down on my shaft.
I slide my thumb over her shaved pussy until I reach her firm nub again and she throws her head back, pressing her tits out toward the ocean and slides further down my cock. I pull her hair tight around my fist, keeping her arched out so I can see the way the small of her back curves out into her full hips and down to the soft jiggle of her ass as I thrust inside her as deep as I can.
Ella grips my chair so tight I can see her knuckles strain with the pressure. I thrust into her, owning her movements, owning her pleasure, from under her. Her pussy clenches tight, reminding me with every thrust that I’m the only man she’s ever experienced. That I’m the only man she’ll ever have.
“Oh! Jackson,” she cries out at the clear blue sky. I can feel the quiver of her orgasm as it shreds through her body. Her pussy milks my cock desperately and I can barely hang on.
I lift my thumb, coated in her sweet juices, “Lick it off sweetheart, every drop,” I demand. Pushing my slick thumb in past her lips, Ella sucks on it greedily, driving me wild.
Holding her hair tight, I fuck her so hard I wonder if we might collapse through this chair and fall onto the sand. Even if we do, I won’t stop. I can’t. I need to feel her body wrapped around me. I need to make her mine. I fuck her hard as she gasps and my thumb drops from her lips. I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her tight, pushing every inch of my cock inside her again and again.
I can feel the blissful heat of my orgasm shiver through me, my cock spurts cum inside her deep as I bottom out against her. Holding her still, I keep her flat against my body until every last drop has filled her sweet pussy. As the shudders lessen, I lean in and kiss her neck again. This time slowly, sweetly. A haze of happiness radiates from us as I let my fingertips explore her soft skin.
Shared by the Firefighters Page 40
