“Yeah your days of kicking my ass are over, old man.”
“I’m not old,” Joel growled.
“Yeah, they say forty is the new thirty.”
“Dick,” Joel said. The smile on his face took the sting from his words. They weren’t okay yet, but Shooter knew eventually, they would be.
They spent the rest of the night catching up. Streaks of purple and orange preceded the sunrise as he stepped from the hotel, an idea caught fire in his brain. Pleased, he climbed on to his bike and took a left onto the street. It won’t be first time I’ve gone a day without sleep. After a f
ew stops he pulled up to their house a little after seven. Our house. Pride swelled his chest. They were building a life together. Still, the shit wasn’t enough. He wanted something more permanent. When you found the person you were meant to be with, you knew it. Grabbing the paper bag from his saddlebags he walked up to the door and let himself inside. He headed straight to the Keurig and made a cup of chai. They’d been together long enough for him to know the fastest route to escaping the doghouse. With her favorite breakfast and a steaming cup of tea he crept up the stairs to the bedroom they’d redecorated per her insistence. Sunlight kissed her brown skin and she lay on her back. His white t-shirt rode high up on her thighs, and he licked his lips. He walked over to the bed, set the bag on the dresser and sank down on the edge of the bed. She rolled to the side toward him. He ran his fingers down her back, soaking up the warmth pouring off her skin.
“Mmm?” she nuzzled her face into the pillow.
“Wake up, baby.”
“No.” She moaned. “So tired.”
“Open those eyes for me.”
She grunted. Her eyelids fluttered open and she wrinkled her nose. “Well, you’re here unmarred so I take that as a good sign.”
“We have some things to talk about. I don’t apologize much, but keeping this shit to myself was a shady move. “ He shook his head. “You were worried about me having feelings for Angelina.”
She tensed and he massaged her neck. It’s time to speak unfiltered. She deserves that. “The truth is, this has always been about Joel. I trusted him, he was my best friend, and in the blink of an eye all that changed at the worst possible time. It was easier to see him as my enemy than to deal with it. What I did in the Corps took everything I had. Being a sniper is hard on the sanest person. So you have to put the outside world in a box. It was a bad habit I carried with me after my release.”
“Shooter,” she whispered.
“No, I don’t want your pity. I want be honest. I refuse to let anything come between us, Juliette.”
“What happened last night?” She sat up.
“I did what you suggested. I spoke with him, let go of the past.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why now?”
He offered the black and silver cup to her and she took it with a small smile of thanks. Grabbing the brown paper bag off the dresser he shook it playfully. “Because I want to move forward with you. There’s no room for bullshit from the past weighing us down. I never want you to doubt me.” He looked away.
She opened the bag. “You got me beignets?”
“From your favorite coffee shop.” His hands grew clammy. Blood rushed in his ears. Fuck I’m lightheaded. “I will always do whatever it takes to make you happy.” His hand shook and he reached in his pocket. “If you say yes I promise I’ll bring you tea and sugary-ass breakfast pastries after every fight.”
“Shooter?”
He opened the black case to reveal the two-karat princess cut diamond Joey had helped him pick out. “When I said you were mine I meant that shit forever. Not only are you my heart, you have mine. I never thought I’d fully trust someone again, but you crept in under my radar and changed everything.” He laughed, thinking of the progress they’d made over the past seven months. “I’m not going to be completely satisfied until you’re wearing my ring, sharing my last name, and one day, growing my baby.”
“I didn’t expect this.” She covered her mouth with her hands.
“Baby, the only thing I want to hear come out of your mouth right now is ‘yes’.” Nerves flared. Did I misread her?
“Oh my god, yes! Of course yes!”
He breathed a sigh of relief and slipped his ring on her finger. “I’m not a patient man, baby. You have six months to plan this shit and we’re walking down the aisle.”
“You know I love it when you take control.”
“Eat your breakfast, so we can celebrate properly.”
She brought the powdery dessert to her lips and he moaned.