Chapter 2
Alaska was exasperated it was taking so long for her to be processed. From the moment she’d gotten the email from Drake’s mom saying he’d been hurt and was being flown to Germany for surgery and treatment, she’d been on a mission to get to him.
It had been years since she’d moved out of the US.
She’d gotten a two-year business degree from the local community college and immediately started looking for jobs overseas.
She might not be cut out for the military, but she still wanted to see the world.
So she’d taken the first job she’d been offered, as a secretary for a small company in France.
Since then, she’d lived and worked in several different countries.
She’d quickly realized that being invisible wasn’t just a US thing.
No matter where she lived, she tended to fade into the background.
She wasn’t model-gorgeous, her hair wasn’t the stuff of every man’s dreams, she wasn’t tall and svelte.
She was simply too basic to stand out, no matter where she lived.
Alaska mused that if she went to Asia, she might not be quite so forgettable. But even then, she had a feeling she’d find a way to blend into the woodwork.
Over the years, she’d kept in touch with Drake’s mom.
Her own mother hadn’t even blinked when Alaska told her she was leaving the country.
Well, that wasn’t quite true. She’d actually bitched about Alaska being ungrateful and moaned over how she couldn’t possibly pay the rent on the trailer without her help.
Last she’d heard, her mom had moved to California. Alaska had tried to reach out a few times, but the old phone number she had for her was disconnected and all her emails had bounced.
She wanted to be sad about being estranged from her mom, but she couldn’t manage to muster up the emotion.
She’d been less of a mother and more of a burden with every year that passed.
Once Alaska graduated from high school, her mother had spiraled deeper into drugs and alcohol than ever before.
It was the main reason Alaska had gladly taken that first job overseas.
She’d needed to get away before her mom sucked her down with her.
She was currently living in Germany—which was why she’d figured Drake’s mom had contacted her.
Over the years, it had been both a blessing and a curse to hear all about how Drake was doing from his devoted mother.
He’d become a SEAL, like Alaska always knew he would.
Not only that, but he’d apparently excelled.
His mom didn’t know the details of his missions, just that he was constantly being sent all over the world.
Just a few years prior, she’d actually gotten up the courage to send Drake an email.
His mom had given her the address and insisted Drake would be thrilled to hear from her.
Alaska hadn’t been so sure about that, since it had been so long since they’d talked, but she’d been lonely enough to take the chance.
Surprisingly, Drake had seemed pleased to get her email.
Since then, they periodically made contact to say hello and touch base, though not more than a couple times a year.
Drake’s emails were always full of exclamation points and babble about the various locales he was sent to for missions, bits and pieces about his teammates, how he kept busy during down time.
And he’d asked her lots of questions about her life—questions that Alaska rarely answered.
What could she really say? That she was an anonymous worker at yet another large corporation? That she was a lowly secretary making any given country’s lowliest wage? Her life was so dull compared to his, it wasn’t even funny.
She should’ve stopped emailing him altogether, but she couldn’t. Even after all these years, she still harbored a crush on the man. Alaska supposed at thirty-five, she couldn’t really call it a crush anymore, but whatever.
She was constantly surprised when every email from his mom failed to mention an upcoming wedding, or how much she loved a soon-to-be daughter-in-law, or about how adorable her grandchildren were.
Alaska had always assumed those emails would eventually come.
But if Drake had gotten married sometime in the last twenty years, she didn’t know about it.
When she’d gotten the latest email from his mom three days ago, Alaska had assumed it would be another chatty note bragging about her son and updating Alaska on all the hometown gossip. But instead, her words had tilted Alaska’s world on its axis.
Drake had been hurt. Almost killed. He was in a hospital there in Germany, and the Navy had recommended she not make the trip across the world to see him, but to wait until he was transferred back to the US.
His mom had asked if it would be too much of an imposition for Alaska to go see him. Maybe email back and let her know how her baby was doing.
Alaska had no sooner finished reading the email when she was on the move.
Without even bothering to check in with her boss, she’d bought a train ticket and was on her way to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest US military hospital in the country.
She’d concocted an entire history for her and Drake before arriving, to increase the odds that she’d be able to see him.
She’d even lied and said she was his fiancée.
It hadn’t been easy, and Alaska had a feeling no one believed her, but now, finally, miraculously, she was being led toward his room.
She hadn’t slept in a day and a half, but she felt strangely energized.
It had been years since she’d seen and talked to Drake, and even though the circumstances were devastating…
she couldn’t help the feeling of anticipation.
She just hoped he wouldn’t blow her cover story to smithereens the second she saw him.
“Your fiancé has suffered quite a few serious injuries,” the doctor was telling her as they stood in the elevator. “Broken bones, infections, and he’s had surgery on his face, and will likely have several more once he gets back to the States. The debris that hit his face did severe damage.”
Alaska winced. She hated to think of Drake in pain.
“But what you really need to understand is that he hasn’t spoken since he’s been here.
At first it was because he took a direct hit to the throat, but since the swelling has gone down, we expected him to be speaking by now.
He isn’t. He’s suffering from an extreme case of survivor’s guilt, and the psychologist believes his inability to speak is a result of him punishing himself for what happened. ”
Alaska had no idea what had happened, except that his entire team had been killed. She wanted to roll her eyes at the doctor and ask how he would feel if he was injured and all his best friends had been killed, but she simply nodded.
“Don’t panic when you see him. He’ll probably be more handsome when the plastic surgeons are done with him.”
Alaska gritted her teeth at the insensitive comment. As if she cared what Drake looked like! She was just grateful he was alive.
“And when he doesn’t talk to you, don’t take it personally. He’ll need to continue seeing someone when he gets back home. SEALs are the best of the best, but that doesn’t mean they don’t suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Thinking about the always upbeat and congenial Drake Vandine suffering from PTSD made Alaska’s heart hurt. She’d make sure to tell his mom everything the doctor had said, and insist he had the best help possible when he got home.
She nodded at the man. “I understand.”
“Don’t be upset if he’s not thrilled to see you. Men like him…they don’t like their loved ones to see them hurt.”
Alaska had a moment of doubt then. Would Drake be pissed she’d gone to such lengths to see him? She hoped not.
“If you need anything, just push the call button on his bed,” the doctor told her as he opened the door to Drake’s room.
Taking a deep breath, Alaska stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was that the curtains were drawn and the room was dark. She frowned. Drake had always loved being outside. Adored the sunlight. And she could tell from his emails over the years, that hadn’t changed.
Without hesitation, she walked over to the window and drew back the curtain, letting in the late-afternoon light.
A low growl sounded from the bed behind her, and Alaska took a deep breath as she turned to face the one man in the world she’d always admired.
By some miracle, she kept the distress at seeing him from showing on her face.
He looked like hell. There were bandages covering his face and head, except for his ocean-blue eyes. He was staring at her with an intensity that she remembered from when they were little. He always had a way of looking at her as if he truly saw her, even when no one else did.
No one else had ever made her feel the way Drake did simply by looking at her.
His chest was bare, and Alaska could see a snarling lion on his left biceps—his huge, muscular biceps. Her eyes traveled down the rest of his body, hidden by the sheet, and a small noise escaped her lips.
Reaching for the chair next to the bed so she didn’t fall on her ass, Alaska sat with a small sigh.
This man…good Lord. Despite his injuries, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life.
The tattoos, the muscles, even the obvious irritation shining in his gaze made her tummy do cartwheels.
She hadn’t seen him in nearly two decades, but it felt as if it was yesterday.
And despite recent events, she saw obvious signs that time had been good to him.
Immediately, her thoughts made her uncomfortable. She was here because he was injured. Because he’d lost his teammates and friends. She shouldn’t be ogling him. Shouldn’t be fixated on his looks.
“Hi,” she said quietly, after a moment.
He didn’t respond.