Chapter 9 #3
“Craig, I’d never be so presumptuous. I like you. A lot. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to see where things between us can go. But I’d never pull up to your house and inform you that I was moving in.”
Doc didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“Besides, I’m looking forward to being on my own.
I’ve lived with my parents literally my entire life.
I can’t wait to go to the grocery store and fill my fridge and pantry with whatever I want.
To make my own meals. To decorate the way I want to.
I’ve never been able to do any of that before.
I know it’s kind of pathetic, but I’m excited about it. ”
“It’s not pathetic,” Doc reassured her. “I think it’s…adorable.”
Ember rolled her eyes. “Just what I want to be. Anyway, to answer your question, I rented a hotel room for tonight, and tomorrow, I’m meeting with the landlord to move into my apartment.”
“You already rented one? Where is it? Is it in a good part of town? Did you check out the reviews beforehand?” Doc fired the questions at her.
She chuckled. “Yes to most of your questions. It’s not too far from the Army post. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll find something else once I get to know the area. I wanted to be semi-close to the building I bought for my gym, and I was reassured by the landlord that the security was good.”
“Wait, you already bought a building too?” Doc asked, his mind spinning.
“Yup,” Ember said, looking extremely proud of herself.
“Damn,” Doc muttered.
“Hey, when I put my mind to something, I don’t fuck around,” Ember said.
“I guess not.”
“But, Craig…seriously, if you aren’t happy to see me, and were just trying to get laid while you were at the Olympics…
I don’t have to stay. I can just as easily go down to the Austin area.
As much as I want to see where things might go between the two of us…
I really did come with my business in mind. ”
Doc was once more moving before his brain had time to understand what he was doing.
He stood close, cradled her head in his hands, and said in a low, earnest tone, “I haven’t had a serious relationship in a year.
And that one was more serious on her side than mine.
Leaving you in Korea sucked. I never thought I’d miss someone the way I’ve missed you.
I hated not being with you when you went home.
After you posted that letter on your social media, I wanted to hold you and tell you how proud I was of you.
I wasn’t looking for a one-night stand, and I’m still not.
“I’m so fucking happy and relieved that you’re here.
I can’t believe it. And I want to get to know everything about you.
All of it. I want to go running with you and take you shooting.
I want you to get to know my friends and their wives, and spend my evenings and weekends either hanging out with you or working with you and your kids.
A part of me is impressed as hell at everything you’ve done in such a short period of time, and another part is pouting because you obviously don’t need me at all.
You’re incredible, Em, and I want to be a part of your life any way you’ll let me. ”
Tears had filled her eyes by the time he was done speaking, and Doc couldn’t resist leaning in and kissing her once more. He felt her hands slip under his shirt, and he shivered as her nails lightly scored the sensitive bare skin of his lower back.
“I’ve got connections for all the business stuff I want to do, but what I don’t have is friends. I haven’t been very lucky in that area in the past. People either want to be around me because of what I can do for them, or because they’re hoping to get famous.”
“Gillian and the others won’t give a shit about that,” Doc told her with confidence.
“I can’t wait to meet them. You’ve told me so much, I feel as if I know them already.”
“It’s good you said that, because Saturday we’re having a get-together at Oz’s house to celebrate the birth of his daughter. And you’ll get to meet Logan. And I’ll warn you, you’ll have a friend for life once he finds out you were the one who got Shin-Soo to send all that stuff.”
“Maybe we should wait to see if things between us work out,” she said, biting her lip in concern.
“We’re going to work out,” Doc said firmly.
“You don’t know that,” Ember said.
“I do. Wanna know how?”
“Yeah.”
“Because I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.
The last two days have been hell. I’ve missed talking to you so much, I actually made a decision to back off, to try to let you go, because I knew if I got any closer to you, I wouldn’t be able to handle not physically being with you all the time.
But you’re here. You came to me. You made your decision… and I’ve made mine.”
Her lips quirked up a bit. “You’re kinda bossy.”
Doc shrugged. “Comes with the territory. I’m a Delta Force operative, Em. I’m used to making life-or-death decisions at the drop of a hat.”
“This isn’t life-or-death,” she noted.
“Wrong. Without you, I’m not sure I’d have much of a life.
” Doc had never been so blunt and honest with a woman before.
Especially not this early in their relationship.
But the rightness he felt when he’d pulled up to his house and saw her there wasn’t something he could explain.
He understood her wanting to live on her own, and respected it.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be seeing her every day.
“Wow. I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Ember said quietly.
“I’m not an easy man to be with,” Doc warned her.
“I’m hardheaded and stubborn. I’m also very protective.
But I understand needing to make it on your own.
I’ll stand by your side and support you however you need and want me to.
I actually like that you’re independent, because you’ll need to be when I’m away.
I won’t be able to tell you where I’m going or how long I’ll be gone when I get deployed.
It’s hard to be with a military man, and even harder to be with a special forces soldier.
But I swear I won’t cheat on you. The thought makes my stomach turn.
Things won’t be easy with me, but I know that I can make you happy if you’ll let me. ”
“Shit, Craig, now I’m crying,” Ember said, as she wiped away a tear.
Doc pushed her hand out of the way and brushed the wetness from her cheeks. “These had better be happy tears, because I can’t stomach the thought of hurting you.”
“They are,” she reassured him. “I don’t need or want a man to take over my life.
I’ve had enough of people doing that to last a lifetime.
I need you to support my dreams and aspirations.
To be there if I need you. To laugh with me.
To watch cheesy movies. To help me break out of this bubble I’ve lived in my entire life. ”
“You’ve got me,” Doc said immediately.
She smiled. “What would you have said if I’d told you I didn’t have a place to stay?”
Doc grinned back. “I would’ve informed you that I have three empty bedrooms, and that you were welcome to any of them.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup.”
“So we’re on the same page then?”
“When it comes to you and me? Absolutely,” Doc reassured her. “The guys are gonna be so jazzed to know you’re here.”
“They barely know me,” Ember protested.
“They know all they need to know,” Doc said.
“And what’s that?”
“That you had my back. That you stood by me and didn’t lose your shit when things got tough. That goes a long way with them.” He paused. “And it helps that you’re drop-dead gorgeous and famous to boot.”
Ember laughed and shoved him a little. “Whatever. Finish my salad, Army man.”
Doc loved seeing her look so happy. She seemed a hundred times more relaxed than she’d been in South Korea. This was the real Ember, and seeing her blossom was fucking beautiful. He was also glad to do as she ordered. Little did she know, she had him wrapped around her finger already.
He wasn’t concerned at all that things were moving so fast between them. It felt right.
Moving back around to the salad he’d abandoned, he continued chopping the vegetables. Within ten minutes, he’d set a large bowl full to the top with “green stuff” in front of Ember. Then decided to nuke himself some leftovers from the night before.
Doc couldn’t remember a better dinner.
Ember couldn’t remember having a better evening. After she’d eaten the delicious salad Craig had made for her, and he’d given her the grand tour of his house, they’d sat on his couch and talked for hours.
She’d caught him up with everything that had happened after she’d gotten home from the Olympics.
He already knew most of it, but he wanted to know the tiniest details.
He’d scowled when she’d told him more about her parents’ reactions to her retirement and changing her social media passwords.
He’d laughed as she recounted how Samer had talked to her for two hours, trying to teach her all the dos and don’ts for her own accounts.
She’d told him about her meeting at the gym with the men and women she’d trained with for several years, and how mostly supportive they’d been.
They talked about the crazy people online who had nothing better to do than spew hatred in the form of awful and mean comments.
She’d even told him how relieved she was to have lost a million followers after posting her heartfelt letter on Instagram.
If those people were only hanging out to see the perfect pictures and endorsements that she hawked on her account, good riddance.
She’d much rather interact with people who were genuinely interested in making the world a better place.