FIRE (Elite Forces #2)(55)
Powering up my phone, I find her name and hit call. This woman is the epitome of strength and courage if ever there was one. The minute we pulled into the hospital parking lot, Jackson pulled out his phone and called Vice and Ace. Told them it was over and to get on a plane and fly my mom and sister to me.
By the time they reached us, Jade was ready to go. Harris was out of surgery already, while Mallory stayed by his side. Mallory is another contradiction I need to figure out. Something’s up with her. Whenever I bring it up to Jade, she says Mallory is still fighting her demons over what happened that night. I’m not sure what to think about it all.
“Hey, son,” my mom answers, and her still delicate voice softens me every time I talk to her. I lied to her face about what happened. I told her Ty was dead when we found him, killed by one of his drug lords, guessing it was over the money he owed them for drugs. I couldn’t hide the fact that Jade was in the hospital, but I lied about that too. Both Jade and I did. We told her the same drug lord he owed money had taken Jade and brought her to the motel, hoping I would pay his debt. Then I was too late to save him. Jade had told them there was no way I’d help out. They tied her up and roughed her up because she wouldn’t call me.
The look in my mom’s eyes when she finally realized her son was truly dead is a look I will never forget. A piece of her died that day. A piece she’ll struggle with for the rest of her life. The sad part about it all is, I tried to sugarcoat it the best I could, but there was no way I could come up with an easy way to tell her. I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her the truth. I know my mom though. She knows I didn’t tell her everything. She knows I killed him, but she’ll never tell me she does. She’ll take it to her grave to save me the pain and suffering she knows I struggle with every day and will for the rest of my life. I killed my brother.
“Happy Birthday, old lady.” I chuckle.
“Thank you, Kaleb. You two having fun?” Her idea of fun and mine are two different things.
“Fuck, yes, we are.”
“Language, boy,” she reprimands me, and I laugh some more.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I appreciate the call, Kaleb. Now, go. Enjoy yourself. Lord knows you two have earned it.” I sigh heavily, knowing she’s still dealing with the aftermath of all of this, while I’m here trying to forget and moving forward with Jade, hoping to start a beginning to our normal sooner rather than later.
“I love you, mom.” I close my eyes. Her ‘I love you’ back to me becomes lodged in my throat.
I hang up the phone and toss it on the lounge chair before I spin around, ready to start bitching about whatever the hell is taking her so long, but instead, my mouth hits the floor. She’s standing there, naked. Her nipples harden when I look at them. Her body glows. Her eyes turn dark, and that sweet spot between her legs has my cock hard.
“Is this my surprise? Because if you think for one second you're going swimming like that, you’ve lost your f*cking mind.” I may have softened up a little bit after the hell we’ve been through, but there is no damn way she’s walking out with her sinful body showing like that. Hell, that’ll have every man’s head turning, doing a double take to get another look at her when we walk by them.
“I’m lying out naked. And no, this isn’t your surprise.” She moves in my direction. I stop her by blocking her with my body before she crosses over the threshold of the open breezeway that leads to the pool and the beach.
My itching fingers grip her ass, pulling her flush against my cock. Her brows quirk up.
“I’ll decide if you get to take another step out of here like that or not. Now, tell me what this big surprise is about.”
“I'm retiring from the Army when my term is up in two months.” I look down at her to search for any sign she feels regret over her decision. Her giant smile and playful attitude tell me she's relieved this is coming. I can't say I'm not f*cking thrilled, because I am. I want nothing more than to have her by my side every single day and night.
“You sure this is what you want?” I have to give her the opportunity to change her mind here. This has been her entire life for years now. I know how hard this decision was for me.
“I'm positive. Kaleb, I’ll still be able to do what I’ve trained my whole career for, but now I’ll be able to do it all with you.” She moves her fingers over my ass and squeezes with both hands. “Plus, you need someone to save your gorgeous ass out there.” Her teasing only makes this much sweeter.
“How did I get so lucky?” My internal thoughts escape my mouth before I have the chance to hold them in. She smiles through her kiss when I pull her legs up around my waist. “Guess it was fate… Or some of that romantic crap people talk about.” Her laughter sends a jolt straight through me. I take a moment to think about where I am in my life. I'm in love with the woman of my dreams. This is exactly what I hoped I'd get with Jade. It's exactly what I prayed for in the desert, and it's what I've always wanted to feel before I met her. She's it for me. She has my heart, my mind, and my f*cking soul.
“Jade Elliott, future Mrs. Maverick… You're not f*cking leaving this room without some damn clothes on. You'll either cover yourself with some little piece of material you own, or I'll cover you with my body. You'll have sunburnt feet, because you'll have them wrapped around my ass while I f*ck you all damn day.”