32. Emerson
Emerson
“I love her,” I announced when we were in the car on the way back to the hotel. “Did you know, she’s doing the remodel on the house herself?”
“Yeah, babe, you mentioned that,” he returned.
Okay, so, I may’ve had a tiny woman crush on Sidney. But the chick was awesome. Totally and completely awesome. Before she’d accepted a job from a friend of Gumby’s—the contractor who’d been working on Gumby’s house before Gumby’d met Sidney—she’d worked as a handywoman.
A freaking handywoman.
How cool was that?
“Did you see the patio furniture she made?”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“Did you know she made it out of recycled pallets?” I went on ignoring his exasperation.
“Yep. Knew that, too.”
“Did you know—”
“Pleased as hell you like Sidney, babe, but I wanna talk to you about something.”
“Okay, shoot. ”
I turned in my seat to face Thaddeus and caught him smiling at my acceptance.
Damn, he was hot.
“How do you feel about making a stop on the way back to the hotel?”
“Where to?”
“The courthouse.”
“The courthouse?” I scrunched my nose at his off-the-wall suggestion. “To do what?”
“To get married.”
“Married?” I nearly choked. “Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Um. Two problems with that. First I don’t have ID and second I’m not getting married in shorts and a tee.”
“I talked to my friend Tex. We can pick up a certified copy of your birth certificate and a copy of your passport at the Passport Agency at the Department of State building.”
“How is that possible?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. I learned long ago that when John “Tex” Keegan says he can get shit done, it means it will be done.
I’ve learned not to ask, because he won’t tell anyone how he does what he does.
Got word when we were at Gumby’s your birth certificate had been sent to the Passport Agency and now you have a brand-new passport waiting to be picked up. ”
“That’s kinda scary,” I told him.
“You don’t know the half of it, or you’d know that it isn’t scary, it’s world domination shit. Let’s just pray Tex never turns to the dark side or we’re all fucked.”
“Would he do that?”
The information Tex had known while we were in South America had already scared the hell out of me.
He’d been able to track down my every move, knew every man I’d been with, every country I visited, and for how long I’d been there.
He’d also found information on Autumn and I figured she was way better at covering her tracks than I was.
At Zane’s request I now had a thick file on my sister’s every move. Garrett and Tex had been thorough. Even though I had it, I’d decided I wasn’t ready to read it, and Thad agreed.
“Hell no, he wouldn’t. I was joking,” he answered. “After we get your passport we can stop and we both can go shopping. I’ll need a suit.”
“You’re serious.”
“Deadly.”
Holy shit. He was serious.
Did I want to marry Thaddeus? Yes.
Did I want to marry him today? Yes.
Had I lost my ever-loving mind? Possibly.
“Where are the guys and Tatiana?” I asked.
“Brooks and Tatiana took a drive up north to Camp Pendleton to visit a Marine buddy. And Kyle and Max said they were hitting the gaslamp district to relax.”
“Then, no, I don’t want to stop at the courthouse to get married. But we can pick up my passport and birth certificate so we’ll be ready.”
“What does the guys’ plans have to do with us getting married?” he asked, unable to hide his disappointment.
And I loved that he couldn’t. I liked knowing he wanted to marry me today and was unhappy he couldn’t.
“Because they’re your brothers. And when we get married, I want them there. I want Tatiana to stand with me, and Declan, Kyle, Brooks and Max to stand next to you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered and I knew I had him.
I had no issue getting married in a courthouse and if pressed I would’ve gotten married in my shorts and tee, but when I vowed to spend the rest of my life with Thaddeus, it would be before God and his brothers.
I wanted the people closest to Thad to be there to witness us becoming husband and wife.
That was the one thing I wouldn’t budge on.
“Are you cold?” Thad asked me.
“Not at all. It’s beautiful out here.”
After dinner, Thad asked me to go on a walk with him down to the beach.
Brooks and Tatiana decided to stay up in Oceanside for the night.
Kyle and Max were dedicated to their mission of hitting every bar on Fifth Ave and had reported their favorite one was called Trailer Park After Dark.
And Declan was off doing what Declan did, which apparently was none of my business.
I’d asked, and his answer was “noneya.” As in, none ya’ business .
I didn’t press, figuring Declan wasn’t the type of man who liked to be questioned.
Thad had confirmed my suspicions by explaining Declan liked his privacy and his quiet time.
Something the team gave him without hesitation and razzing.
“You know,” Thaddeus started. “There are days when BUD/s feels like a lifetime ago,” he said, staring at the section of beach reserved for the Naval Special Warfare Command.
During the day, the beach in front of the Hotel Del Coronado was full of spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of the sailors being put through their paces as they trained to become a Navy SEAL. Men who were at the height of excellence—the tip of the sword as they call it.
I agreed with Thad. There were days when that time in my life didn’t even feel real.
Like they were memories but they were someone else’s.
But then there were times I could remember picking Thaddeus up from the command for weekend liberty, before he phased up and was able to move out of the barracks, and I’d sit in front of the equipment cages just off the beach and watch the guys run .
They’d come up from the surf, full of sand—wet, tired, their tanks pegged on empty, but somehow, they were still full of piss and vinegar.
I’d stay in my car and watch as the class passed the pullup bars in front of the barracks building and inevitably a handful of them would jump up and knock out a few chin-ups.
I always parked in the same spot. What can I say? It was a nice view.
“I know what you mean,” I returned.
“But then, there are times it feels like it was yesterday and I’ll get a phantom ache remembering the hell my body went through.” He echoed my thoughts, minus the ache.
Thad’s arm around me tightened, and I was grateful at this time of night there were no looky-loos or Frog Hogs watching the beach.
That was something else I’d never forget, the women.
And there were a lot of them around the command who hung on the beach, at the gate, and at the bars, lying in wait trying to snag a SEAL.
The name Frog Hog fit, and some of the women embraced the name with affection.
Those were the ones who didn’t want to marry a SEAL, they simply wanted a bedpost notched with as many as she could bed down with.
“You know, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have passed third phase.”
“What?” I scrunched my nose at his statement. “That’s crazy talk. You were kicking ass,” I reminded him.
“No, I wasn’t. I was popping enough five-hundred milligram Motrin I was worried I’d need a kidney transplant.
My knee was jacked from my high-altitude high-opening jump landing, I failed a run because of it, and my motivation was in the shitter.
Every night when I came home from training you had a five-pound bag of ice you’d picked up on your way home from school ready for me to ice my knee .
“And every night you reminded me not to quit. I distinctly remember one night, I was in so much pain, pissed I had a jump the next day and you told me to “man up” and stop acting like a baby. Then you told me if I even thought of ringing out, you’d break up with me.”
I remembered that night. Thaddeus had been in a bad mood, actually, I’d never seen him so agitated.
His knee was still swollen, he was taking an unhealthy amount of Ibuprofen, and his instructor had been riding his ass hard about the high-altitude low-altitude opening jump he needed to qualify.
The parachute would be opened closer to ground, making the impact of the landing harder.
What Thad was forgetting was, his instructor had been hard on him because he’d seen something special in Thad and so had I. The instructor knew Thaddeus had what it took and needed to be pushed to finish strong.
I’d lost my mind that night and did tell Thad if he rang the bell, signifying he’s quit BUD/s, I would break up with him. I also told him I didn’t date quitters. The next day, Thaddeus passed his HALO test.
“I love that you think that, but you would’ve finished even if I hadn’t pushed,” I told him.
“No, agápi mou, I wouldn’t’ve. I’d never admit this to the guys and I may’ve even blocked it out because I’m ashamed to say, thinking on it now, I remember in that moment of extreme weakness thinking the regular Navy wouldn’t be that bad.
I’d still be serving my country, we’d live on base housing somewhere, I’d be deployed less, and it would even be easier to be a husband to you if I wasn’t a SEAL. ”
“That’s not something to be ashamed of, I think everyone going through the hell that is BUD/s has a moment of reflection and wonders if it’s worth it.
If their bodies can handle it. If mentally they can push through.
But I know you, I know your heart, your mind, and your body.
A moment of doubt doesn’t mean you would’ve rung out.
Quitting is not in your DNA. You’re mentally tough.
Your body is strong and you have the heart of a warrior. ”
“That right there is what got me through. You always encouraged me. You were always there supporting me. You pushed me when I needed and you tended to my heart when I was low. I love you, Emerson, and I’m eternally grateful.”
“I love you, too.”
I looked up at him, expecting him to lean down and kiss me, but he was looking over my shoulder at the NSW Command with a thoughtful expression.
Then his gaze came to mine, and he knelt in front of me.
Even on his knee his face was chest-height on me and he didn’t have far to look up to hold my eyes.
He reached out, grabbed my hand, and kissed my knuckles.
“Emerson Pierce, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?”
A question I’d never thought I’d hear. Sure, he’d told me he wanted to marry me. He’d even asked if we could go to the courthouse today and get married. But he’d never actually asked the question. And somehow, even though I’d already agreed to marry him, him asking was huge.
“Yes,” I whispered, not trusting my voice not to crack if I spoke any louder.
Luckily he heard me. His normally handsome smile was bigger, sexier, and it took my breath.
“I’ve carried this ring around for ten years,” he told me, sliding the gold solitaire onto my finger.
“You were with me on every mission, every workup, every deployment. My ring should’ve been on your finger, but instead I carried it with me.
A reminder of you and how much I loved you. My good luck charm.”
I didn’t bother inspecting the ring any further. It looked beautiful, but the man who’d placed it on my finger looked better.
“I love that,” I cried. “I love we both had something of the other person all these years.”
“We can upgrade that, babe. It was all I could afford at the time. I think we can do better now.”
I yanked my hand out of his and covered my left hand with my right, hiding my new treasure from him.
“We will not upgrade anything. This ring has travelled the world, it’s special, you’re not taking it back. Not for any reason.”
“Emmy, baby, you didn’t even look at it. It’s small. I want—”
“Thaddeus, you’re not taking my ring. You don’t get it. I don’t care what it looks like. You picked it. You carried it with you. You thought it brought you luck. And I believe it did, this ring brought you home to me. It is mine. You can’t take it back. Once a gift is given—”
Thaddeus surged to his feet, slammed his mouth onto mine. His hands went to my bottom, and he picked me up. The rest of my statement died on my tongue as he pushed his into my mouth.
Scorching.
Damn, he could kiss.
Thaddeus walked back to our room, with my legs wrapped around his waist. He managed to get the hotel door open, and made his way into the bedroom. Through all of this his mouth was on mine. Total superhero maneuvering. It was beyond hot.
In record time our clothes were on the floor and Thaddeus settled between my legs. I felt the head of his dick nudge my opening as he pitched forward and slid inside of me .
“So damn good to be home,” he murmured against my lips. “Love you, Emmy.”
Thaddeus set a slow, gentle pace and it took a moment for me to answer, but when I finally found my words, the ability to speak was short-lived. So much love was shining in his eyes I was again lost in them.
It would be a long while later, after he’d brought me to the sweetest orgasm and he spilled himself inside of me moaning my name, that I was finally able to voice how much I loved him, too. Though, I’d hoped that while he’d been making love to me, he could feel my adoration.