Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Could life get any better?
Titus “Ghost” Finch glanced around the small backyard filled with tools and lumber. The juxtaposition of this peaceful moment devoid of wounded or dead bodies lying on the ground or gunshots and IEDs filled Ghost with gratitude. Today, it was just a group of friends bound by their service in the military coming together to help one of their own.
And wasn’t that why they fought? For peace? For safety? For family?
Christopher “Abe” Powers’s voice cut through the din of sawing and hammering and interrupted his thoughts. “Hey Ghost, grab that nail gun for me, would ya?”
“Sure thing.”
Titus wiped the sweat from his brow and effortlessly handed the nail gun to Abe, who was working on laying a new board in the middle of the porch. Over by the shed, a power saw whirred, and the sound of laughter from several of the guys made the day go by faster.
The midday sun was high on the horizon. September remained cool—perfect weather for working outside. Titus and a couple of Abe’s friends, plus members of Matthew “Wolf” Steel’s SEAL team, which Abe was a member of, had just returned from a stressful mission. They were on their second day rebuilding the front porch at Abe’s mother’s house and expected to be finished by nightfall.
Abe’s mom owned a sweet little ranch in an established neighborhood of families and older folks not that far from Riverton, where the SEAL team was based. Titus remembered Abe saying he grew up without a father, and his mother did the best she could for him and his two sisters. When Abe was able, he bought the house for her.
Bev, as she asked to be called, had been plying them with all sorts of wonderful homemade food since they arrived.
Titus was sure he’d gained ten pounds. He hadn’t eaten so many delicious home-cooked meals since he was on leave months ago and visited a friend in Colorado whose wife loved to cook.
Bev walked out of the house carrying a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade and a tray of cookies. His stomach growled.
“Thought you all would like a pick-me-up,” she said with a smile.
The men stopped and crowded around her like a bunch of kindergarteners. And why not? The lemonade, homemade at that, would quench their thirst, and the scent of melted chocolate in the cookies, his favorite, made his mouth water.
Titus was mid-gulp when Abe brought up the subject of women.
“So, how’s your love life?” Abe asked him. “You still dating that hottie? What’s her name? Marcy?” He thought for a moment. “No. Maria.”
Fuck, why did Abe bring up Maria’s name just when he was enjoying himself with the guys?
“Maria’s gone.”
Abe raised a brow. “I thought you two were getting married.”
“We were. However, she got too clingy, always wanting to know where I was, who I was with, and when I would be home. Then she started telling me how to live my life, what I could do or not do.”
“You don’t need that shit in your life,” Faulkner “Dude” Cooper exclaimed.
“Damn straight. But it got worse. After we broke up, Maria took to stalking, threatening any woman I dated, and telling lies about me. Almost ruined my reputation.” Titus shook his head. “I had to get a restraining order before the bitch would leave me alone.”
“Humph.” Abe sighed. “That happened to me with a woman I was dating before I got together with Alabama. It almost ruined our relationship.”
“What happened?” asked Titus.
“Adelaide hated Alabama, pretended that she had stolen items from her job. Alabama was fired and arrested. When we finally learned the truth, the police arrested Adelaide.”
“Wow. That’s unbelievable,” said Titus.
The men all nodded.
“Did things get resolved with Maria?” Wolf asked.
“Yeah. I moved away, and Maria found another sucker,” replied Titus. His relationship with Maria made him wonder if a drama-free relationship was just a pipe dream and whether he would ever find true happiness.
“Good riddance,” Dude said. The men all nodded in agreement.
Titus looked around at his friends, who were laughing and joking around.
Abe mentioned he loved helping his mom, as she was alone in the house since his two sisters moved away a while ago.
The guys enjoyed getting together to do something other than training, seeking out insurgents, washing the sand out of areas it shouldn’t be in, and eating MREs. It was nice to see a man who had a solid upbringing and cared for his family. So many in the service didn’t have that growing up and joined the service because it was better than their home lives—men like him.
Titus also enjoyed the company of Wolf’s team. He bonded with them during shared missions and cherished the connections they had formed.
The teams’ significant others were back in Riverside enjoying a girls’ weekend. He’d met most of the women when passing through a couple of times.
The hammering stopped while the guys enjoyed their snack.
“Any updates, Ghost?” asked Dude. “Have you decided what you’re going to do for work, or are you still up in the air?”
Titus sighed. He loved being on the teams—the camaraderie, the heart-pounding missions, the downtime, and especially the frog hogs who stalked the clubs and were thrilled to have sex with them. But that got old real fast.
Now it was time to explore new possibilities, maybe even settle down. Because the one thing he’d learned, even though he grew up in a shitty home, was the love of a good woman made life more tolerable.
“I moved to Haywood Lake, Florida, and bought a gym. Wolf mentioned the Brotherhood Alliance, run by ‘Mad Dog’ Maddox, might be a perfect fit for me.” Titus had visited Chase Maddox and was impressed by what he heard and saw. He looked at Dude. “Do you know Mad Dog?”
“Great guy.” Dude nodded as he placed the saw he was holding down on the ground. “What’s the Brotherhood doing over there?”
“Providing security, among other things,” said Titus. He took a gulp of lemonade, then continued. “I liked that the Brotherhood Alliance’s mission is to empower and restore dignity to people who don’t have the means to do it themselves.”
“Right on,” said Dude.
“Chase also mentioned some of the men who came to work with him were still finding their way in the world and could live on campus as long as they needed to. So, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
“I like that,” replied Dude. “Too many guys and gals are leaving the service with scars, both physical and mental. They need help and something to do that makes them feel needed again.”
“So true,” replied Titus. He liked everything about the program.
Chase had shown him several small cabins surrounding the campus and indicated Titus was welcome to live in one while he searched for housing.
The main facility was huge, containing a large area for the Paws for Caring Training Center, where they trained foster dogs to be companion animals. And a good-size room where Chase said they held self-defense lessons for whoever wanted them—free of charge.
The Brotherhood also had an anonymous donor who was paying for their under-the-table jobs, and Chase was securing grants for their aboveboard jobs. The salary and bonus he’d been offered was generous.
After exploring Haywood Lake, Titus was impressed by what it offered, including all the lakes and parks surrounding the town. It had lots of outdoor activities, which were right up his alley.
Chase also introduced him to several of the guys while he was there.
A couple were single. Several had wives, including Chase. Not that Titus was looking, but for the time being, a sexy woman warming his bed would be nice.
He also stumbled upon a gym for sale tucked away in a peaceful alleyway with plant-filled spaces, benches and nearby establishments like an art store, boutique shops and a vacant bakery. Additionally, there was ample off-street parking. Scents of pizza and burgers filled the air from adjoining restaurants, and soft music played in the background. It was perfect.
Becoming a SEAL was always one of his dreams. Another was owning a gym.
All the permits and plans for the gym had been approved. The empty building was just waiting for him to move in.
Besides, the timing was perfect.
While the Brotherhood campus had a small training room, he planned to open a full-service gym. Everyone he mentioned the gym to was enthusiastic about it and eagerly offered to help.
Finding a kindhearted, drama-free woman to build a life with was another dream, especially after witnessing so much conflict and horror in his own life and on missions.
Titus believed in marriage, despite his father deserting his mom to shack up with a younger woman. They’d disappeared soon after that, leaving his mom heartbroken and never the same. That left Titus to raise himself, as well as his two younger brothers.
Neither of his brothers were married. They had no urge to settle down, and who could blame them?
But Titus wanted the dream—the love of a good woman—one who would have his back, stand by him when things got tough, who was strong and courageous, someone who wanted children and was sexy as hell.
Was that too much to ask?