11. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
James
The phone rings for what feels like the hundredth time today. I pace the penthouse, running my hand through my hair as I wait for the call to connect. Every second that ticks by feels like a punch to the gut.
The moment Lily left, I knew I’d screwed up. And now I’m scrambling to fix it.
“Come on,” I mutter, tapping my fingers against the glass window. The ocean stretches endlessly outside, calm and serene. It’s nothing like the fucking storm raging inside me right now.
Finally, a voice on the other end of the line picks up. My superior, Commander Ellis.
“Marshall, we can’t extend your leave any further. You’ve already pushed it as far as you can. We need you back on duty next week. No exceptions.”
I grit my teeth, the frustration boiling over. “I’m telling you, I need more time. I’m working on something important, something I can’t just walk away from.”
Twenty years. Twenty fucking years I’ve been in this, and they can’t grant me one fucking favor.
There’s silence on the other end as I feel my blood start to boil. Then, a sigh. “We’ve already made allowances, Marshall. You know how this works. We need you on board, need your experience. You’re either in or you’re out.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen. My background picture flashes up—a photo of Lily from a few days ago. She’s laughing, her hair wild from the wind on the deck, her eyes bright and full of life.
God, she looks so beautiful.
“In or out,” I repeat to myself, the weight of those words sinking in.
There’s no middle ground. There’s no ‘maybe’. It’s all or nothing.
I know what I want. Hell, I’ve known for days now. It’s not the Navy that keeps me up at night anymore. It’s Lily.
And if I don’t figure this out, I’m going to lose her.
I take a deep breath, feeling the tension in my shoulders tighten, but this time, I don’t try to fight it. I let it sink in.
It’s time.
I pick up the phone again, getting Commander Ellis back on the line.
“I’m out, sir,” I say, my voice steady, but my heart pounds against my ribs. Two decades. Twenty years of blood, sweat, and brotherhood. And now I’m walking away. But I can’t think about that now. “Effective immediately. I’m out.”
There’s a long pause, followed by hesitation in my superior’s voice. He knows me well, we’ve been on countless missions together, spanning years in the service. He knows what the Navy means to me and my family.
“You’re sure about this?” Commander Ellis says.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
The weight lifts off my chest, but it’s replaced by something else. Something that claws at my insides almost immediately. Because now, it’s not just about saying the words. It’s about finding Lily and proving to her that I mean them.
I hang up the phone and head for the door, my pulse racing. I need to find her. I need to tell her that I’m choosing her over everything, over my entire career if that’s what it takes.
I’m racing to the elevator, heart pounding as I force my way through the doors before they open all way onto Deck 2. When I reach her cabin, the door is closed, the lights are off.
She’s not here.
Shit. Where is she?
Panic claws at me, and I turn, rushing back into the hallway.
Think, James. Where would she go?
Tomorrow morning, the ship docks, and I can’t let her leave without fixing this. I take off, weaving through the ship’s hallways, my heart pounding in my chest. Every second that ticks by feels like a lifetime.
I check the pool deck first—empty. Then the lounge where we watched the sunset the other night. There’s still no sign of her and I’m starting to panic. I’ve just given away my entire life’s work, I have to find her.
My pulse quickens with every passing minute, the thought of her slipping away making my stomach twist. I can’t lose her. Not now, not ever.
I walk the hallways, scanning every face, but none of them are hers. The ship feels too big suddenly, and every corner I turn without finding her only tightens the knot in my chest.
Maybe I’ll wait for her outside her cabin. She’s got to come back at some stage, right? Hell, I’ll camp outside her door if I have to, just to get her to listen to me. I don’t care what it takes.
But then, just as I’m about to turn toward her hallway, I spot the dimly lit entrance to the Karaoke bar. It’s quiet inside—almost empty—but when I look through the doorway, I see her.
By the time I reach the bar, I’m out of breath, my heart hammering in my chest. I push through the doors and she’s sitting in the booth, the same one where we sat on our first night together. Her head is down, her shoulders slumped, and when I get closer, I see the tear tracks on her cheeks.
God, I did this. I hurt her.
“Lily,” I breathe, moving toward her. My voice is hoarse, filled with everything I’ve been holding back. “Lily, look at me.”
She lifts her head slowly, her eyes red and swollen. “James?” Her voice is so small, so fragile, and it nearly breaks me.
I slide into the booth across from her, my hands trembling as I reach for hers.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, my voice cracking. “I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know how to handle it, but I do now. I’m done with the Navy, Lily. I’m done with all of it. I’m choosing you.”
She stares at me, her lips parted, but she doesn’t say anything. Her hair is a tangled mess around her face, her eyes are red and swollen from crying, but damn, she’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“I called my commanding officer. I quit. Effective immediately.” I lean forward, my voice urgent, desperate. “I’m not walking away from us. I can’t.”
Her eyes widen. “You... you quit the Navy?”
“Yes. Because I can’t imagine a life without you in it.” My heart pounds, every word feels like it’s pulled straight from my chest. It’s something I thought I would never say, but there’s a lot of things I thought I wouldn’t do before I met her. “Lily, you’re more important to me than anything else. I don’t care what it takes—I’ll leave everything behind if it means I get to be with you.”
Tears well in her eyes again, and for a second, I think I’ve lost her. That she’s too hurt, too broken to believe me. But then, slowly, she nods.
“I just... I didn’t think... I didn’t think you’d give up everything for me,” she whispers, her voice shaking.
“I’m not giving anything up,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m choosing something better. I’m choosing you.”
“But you love the Navy, I can’t ask you to give that up,” Lily says, turning to face me.
“You’re not asking,” I reply, my voice firm. “This is my decision. There’s a whole world out there. We can go to Misty Peaks, just like we said we would. You’ve always said it’s peaceful there.”
Her eyes widen, the uncertainty flickering across her face. “Misty Peaks… what would a man like you do there? There’s no Navy in the mountains. You’d get bored, James.”
I let out a soft chuckle, trying to ease the tension. “Maybe I’ll be a Park Ranger. Or work rescue missions—anything to keep the adrenaline going. Hell, I don’t care what I do, Lily. As long as I’m with you.”
She stares at me for a moment, her lips trembling as she tries to hold back another wave of emotion. “You’d really leave everything? The life you’ve always known?”
I reach out, cupping her face in my hands. “I’m ready to leave it all behind for a future with you. I don’t care what I do, as long as it means we’re together. That’s all that matters.”
She lets out a soft sob, and before I know it, she’s in my arms. I pull her close, holding her as tightly as I can, never wanting to let go.
“I love you,” I whisper into her hair. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you, too,” she whispers back, her breath warm against my neck.
We stay like that for a long time, wrapped up in each other. And when we pull back, I see I’ve made the right choice in her eyes. The hope, the love, the future we’re about to build together, it’s all there for us.
“So, why are you sitting in this empty karaoke lounge, anyway?” I ask, glancing around the room.
It’s quiet, the lights dim, the whole place deserted. It’ll be jam packed tonight for the final night of the cruise, but for now, it’s just me and Lily.
“Well, this booth…” Lily begins, a shy blush creeping up her cheeks. “… is where we had our first kiss.”
My heart swells at the memory of how soft her lips were that night. I can’t help but lean in closer, needing to feel them again.
“That’s a pretty good reason,” I murmur. “But I can promise you, Lily, it won’t be our last.”
I kiss her, soft and slow, savoring the way she melts against me, her hands curling into my shirt. This time, it’s not just a kiss. Not like it was that fateful night.
Today, it’s a promise.
A promise of new beginnings. The start of everything we’re about to build together.
And it all starts right now.