Chapter 22
Griz wanted to hop in his car and drive back to Elowen’s place. Spending time with her had changed everything. Before, he’d thought he could stay in the military and delay retirement. Now he wanted to finalize his retirement and get out as fast as possible.
He’d set up a meeting to get the paperwork rolling. That meant he’d have to talk to his team. They deserved to know. It wasn’t a conversation he relished having.
Because he had work and needed to get things in order, he cleaned his place then went shopping. He did his meal prep while he washed his clothes. By eight that evening, he knew Elowen would be sitting outside drinking a glass of wine, so he sent her a text.
Griz: Hey, I hope your day was good. I’ve washed my clothes, done my meal prep, and cleaned my house.
Elowen: After cleaning the cabin I went to town. And I have to say wow, you all did so much and I didn’t have to really clean up much. I’m sitting outside drinking wine.
Griz: Good. You deserve some relaxation time.
Elowen: I think I need to start building the woodworking shop.
Griz: That would be good. It would give you something to do to keep you busy.
Elowen: That’s the goal. I need to be exhausted to fall asleep.
Griz: I have to go to bed early tonight. I’ll be up and at base by seven in the morning.
Elowen: Get some sleep.
Griz: Same to you. I miss you.
Elowen: I miss you too. I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks.
Griz wanted to call and have phone sex, but more than that, he wanted to just hold her close all night.
Phone sex might not set the tone he wanted for their relationship.
They needed a lasting commitment to each other, not just fun and sex.
Sex would happen, but he didn’t want her to think he was shallow and couldn’t have a deep relationship.
Before he dropped into bed, he sent a note to his commanding officer, telling him he wanted to talk.
The guy would know what it was about, or Griz hoped he would.
He’d made up his mind and retirement was the right path forward.
Leaving the SEAL teams would be difficult, but he wanted to move forward with his life.
The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in the past, holding on to something that he couldn’t be a part of because his body was giving out.
After taking time off, he felt better than he had in years. That was a sure sign he was pushing himself too hard. If he didn’t change something, he could end up getting hurt, or worse, getting one of his buddies injured.
The next morning came way too early. Going back to work after spending time with Elowen was difficult to say the least. Arriving early, he headed into the area where they had their offices and began taking stock of everything he had stored in his locker.
Cleaning this place out wouldn’t take long. He needed to start separating out items that belonged to the Navy from the items he’d bought. The door opened, and he turned, seeing Sharp.
“Hey, you’re here early. I had a bitch of a time getting up.”
Griz chuckled. “Same. I didn’t want to come in this morning. Speaking of that, I’m going to start the process for retirement.”
Sharp stilled. “Really?”
He nodded. “It’s time.”
Sharp reached out and shook his hand then slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll miss you, but I totally understand.”
“Why will you miss him?” Jay said as he stepped in.
Griz saw that the other men had arrived. It was time to tell them all that he was leaving. “I’m putting in for retirement. I think it’s time.”
Squat patted him on the back as he passed by. “Your woman is good. Heck, I’d leave, too, if Asher lived somewhere else. I would hate to be away from her.”
Shine shook his hand. “I’ll miss you, brother. But I get it. How long until your time is up?”
“Around five months, maybe six. I just think it’s time.”
Apple came over and hugged him. “I’ll miss you, man. You’ve been a great mentor. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the years. I hope I can hang on as long as you have.”
Griz chuckled. “You’ll do great in your career. You’re all tops. I know you’ll all do well.”
Sharp looked like he was going to speak when their phones went off. Griz groaned as he pulled out his device. Something big must have popped off for them to get a text this morning.
He read the text and shook his head. They weren’t headed out, but they would end up spending the night on base. Just great.