Once and For All: An American Valor Novel (21 page)

He entered her with one hard thrust, forcing Bree to stifle her cry in the sheets.

Danny froze. “Fuck, Bree. Are you okay? I’m—”

She turned her head to the side. “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”

Only then did he begin to move, determined to keep himself in check. But he was fighting a losing battle, especially since days before she’d taken that final barrier of latex and effectively tossed it aside. Now as he leaned over her, blanketing her writhing body beneath his, he covered her hand with his. Bree grasped hold of his fingers, twined and clenched them between hers, nearly cutting off the circulation to his fingertips. The antique bed and hundred-year-old floorboards squeaked beneath them as she cried out his name, begging and pleading with him to take her harder, faster, and the urgency within him rose up with a vengeance. Fighting for his last bit of control, he reached between her legs and roughly stroked the small bundle of nerves there. She buried her face into the mattress, muffling her screams as her body went taut and seized around him, catapulting him into his own release. Completely spent, he collapsed on top of her, his face resting against her sweat-slicked skin.

He was still trying to catch his breath when Bree began to squirm beneath him.

“Can’t breathe,” came her muffled voice.

Shit.

Danny stood up and quickly rolled her over on the bed. She gazed up at him with glassy eyes and soft smile as his hands skimmed over her face, down her neck, across her hips, checking for any visible injuries. “Are you okay? I know better than to get so rough with you.”

With slow, languid movements, she rose from the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning the full length of her body against his. “Oh, no, I’m good.” She lifted her chin, wanting a kiss, to which he happily obliged. “As a matter of fact, I’m very good. The people downstairs might not be too happy, but—” she lifted one shoulder “—who cares?”

God, she was beautiful. And sexy. And fun. She made him laugh. And go a little crazy. But he wanted nothing more than to keep that smile of satisfaction on her face for the rest of his life.

He swept her up in his arms and carried her the few steps to the side of the bed before drawing back the covers. She climbed into bed while he did those routine things that had to be done, like shutting off the lights, double-checking the doors were locked, and putting both their phones on the chargers.

“I hope you don’t have anything big planned for tomorrow. I might need to spend the day recovering.”

He climbed into bed beside her and pulled the covers up around their sweat-cooled bodies. “Nothing that requires you to do more than just lie there.”

She arched a brow and smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

Bree hummed in contentment as she settled against him, and the three little words he longed to say were poised on the tip of his tongue. But he bit them back, determined to save them for the next day.

As her body went lax and her breathing softened, Danny held her tighter, inhaling her delicious fragrance of lemonade and sugar cookies mixed with the heady scent of sex. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, to her temple, and nestled her beneath his chin.

Tomorrow he would tell her he loved her. Tomorrow he would get down on one knee and ask her to be his wife for the rest of their lives. If he’d waited this long, he could easily wait another day. All he needed to do was relax and stick to the plan, and everything would be perfect.

He closed his eyes, and like a kid on Christmas Eve, wished for tomorrow to come faster.

Chapter Twenty-Two

T
HE OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD
ring of Danny’s phone startled her awake. Bree cracked open one eye to read 6:38 on the digital clock and rolled over to face him. “You really aren’t going for a run this morning, are you?” The words weren’t completely out of her mouth before he threw back the covers and leaped out of bed.

“I have to go,” he said, pulling his shirt down from where it hung on the portrait above the bed.

Holding the bedsheet to her chest, Bree leaned up on one elbow. “Go where?”

He continued to dress in the same clothes he wore the night before. “I have to report to HAAF within two hours.”

“Two hours?” She was finding it impossible to make her brain function on so little sleep. All she could do was repeat everything he said.

“Listen to me. I need you to get dressed.” He marched across the room and grabbed up her suitcase from the luggage rack then returned to drop it on the foot end of the bed. “I’ll need you to drop me off at HAAF, but after you can come back here.”

Bree pulled out a T-shirt and pair of shorts from her overnight bag as he turned and headed into the bathroom. “Where are they sending you?”

Not bothering with a bra, she sat up and pulled the T-shirt over her head then slid off the bed to finish dressing. And of course, he returned the moment she was bending over to pull on her white lace thong, giving him more than an eyeful. Danny swore under his breath and she smiled at the teasing thought of that visual.

But he didn’t smile back, his face tense and hard as stone. And that worried her. Even during times of stress or anger, they’d always found a moment of levity. Not this morning.

“You didn’t answer me.” When he stared at her questioningly, she repeated her earlier question.

“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “Even if I did know, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

He was quiet the fifteen-minute drive home and once they arrived she could only stand frozen in the middle of the apartment, watching him rush from one room to the next as he gathered his things.

With his bag ready to go and sitting near the front door, he disappeared into the spare bedroom only to return with a stack of papers. Taking Bree by the hand, he asked her to sit at their small table then placed a sheaf of papers in front of her.

He opened the manila file, beginning with the first stack of papers clipped together.

“You shouldn’t have any problems with the Tahoe, but if you do, here’s the most recent maintenance records. The tires are fine. Just so happened I had the oil changed last weekend so all should be okay for a while. But if anything happens with it, any problems at all, call this guy.” He scribbled a name and phone number on the top page. “Tell him you’re my wife and he’ll take care of everything for you.”

She craned her neck to read his handwriting upside down. “Who’s Doug Murray?”

“Retired army. Former Ranger. He’s an older guy who helps take care of things around here while we’re deployed. Don’t worry, you can trust him.”

He closed the folder and moved to the second file. “I’ve updated all my paperwork and named you my beneficiary.”

“Danny—”

“This is the business of war, Bree.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “As much as I dislike discussing it, it has to be done. You’ve worked in financial planning. You know this is important. The car payment is automatic deduct. Same with the rent and utilities. There’s plenty of money in checking that nothing should ever bounce, but in the event something happens, I’ve given you power of attorney so you’ll be able to deal with the bank. All the login, password and account information is in this file.”

His thumb swept across the backs of her fingers a few times until he focused on her ring. Carefully, he centered the setting on her finger with the pad of his thumb. “I’ve also signed a living will, giving you medical power of attorney, too.”

Bree pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap. She didn’t want this responsibility. Didn’t want to be the one to make life and death decisions for him. Didn’t want him put in a position where a living will was even considered a necessity.

“Shouldn’t you list your dad for that?” she asked. “Or Mike, even? He’d be the better choice since he’s a doctor. He’d understand things far better than I would.”

He got up from his chair, she assumed to walk away from the conversation. Instead, he came around to her side of the table and crouched down beside her.

“I know you don’t want to do this, but you’re my wife, Bree.”

She could feel the tears building but fought hard to hold them at bay. She needed to be strong even if the thought of putting this information to use was heartbreaking. It took several seconds before she could swallow down the fear and speak without her voice breaking. “I’ll do it.”

He smiled, patting her thigh. “I guess that covers everything. Time to go.”

As they made their way through the parking lot, a cool breeze gusted and a misting rain began to fall, the weather now matching her mood. Dreary. Dismal. Driving to base took less than five minutes, but felt like an eternity. Like everything was happening in slow motion, yet passing too quickly at the same time. After parking, he turned the engine off and stared off into the distance.

“Be sure to always have your cell phone charged and with you. HQ has your number in case of emergency.”

They climbed out of the truck and Danny grabbed his bags from the back. As they walked toward the gathering area, he handed her the car keys.

“How long will you be gone? I’m not asking for specifics,” she quickly added when he gave her the side eye. “Just your best guess.”

Danny shook his head. “There’s really no way of knowing. Could be a week. Could be a couple of months. I promise we’ll celebrate your birthday as soon as I come back.”

Bree swore under her breath. Unfortunately, not so low he didn’t hear her.

“What is it?”

She shouldn’t have put off telling him about the email.

“You planned such a beautiful weekend for me, went to all that hard work. And I didn’t want to say anything to ruin it. But I only have a week to decide and you don’t know when you’ll be back.”

“A week to decide what?” He stepped directly in front of her, bending his knees just enough to bring his eyes level with hers. “Bree? A week to decide what?”

“That friend of mine in Greensboro offered me a job. If I want it, I have to be there by the end of the month.”

In an instant his face went blank, making it impossible to get a read of what he was thinking or feeling.

“And what do you want?” he asked.

What she really wanted was for him to ask her to stay in Savannah, to be his wife forever. But that wasn’t what they’d agreed upon all those months ago, and it wasn’t fair to have this discussion now that he was headed off to God only knew where.

“It’s a really great job,” she heard herself tell him. “An opportunity like this may not come around again.” But she’d turn it down, no regrets, if only he said they might have a future together. She stared into his eyes, hoping to see a flicker of disappointment, anger, something. Instead, nothing.

“Well . . .” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all been leading up to this. If it’s a job you really want, you should definitely take it.”

“What about the—” She didn’t want to say it, much less think about it. The moment she’d dreaded for weeks was now coming to fruition. Her eyes burned. Her chest ached. And she wondered if Danny could hear her heart shattering into a million pieces.

Once again, Danny came to her rescue. This time finishing her thought.

“You want to know about the divorce?”

Bree nodded.

He dropped his bags on the ground and stepped in close, his voice low so only she could hear. “Don’t file anything while I’m gone. Okay? I’ll handle everything.”

Something about his tone sent a shiver down her spine. He must have noticed, now trying to chase the chill away by furiously rubbing the thin cotton covering her upper arms. “Why do you want to wait, Danny?”

She held her breath, hoping he’d say he wanted to forget their agreement. That he wanted her to stay with him forever. Instead, he looked at her with those deep blue eyes, his expression devoid of any and all emotion. The fun, charismatic Danny was gone, with only the hardened soldier remaining.

“This way if something happens to me you’ll still have the insurance coverage you need. You’ll get survivor benefits. I’ll die knowing you’re taken care of, no matter what.”

The tears she’d been holding back all morning finally broke loose.

At the thought of never seeing him again, Bree collapsed against his chest, her fingers clutching the front of his uniform. She hung on for dear life, afraid if she let go she’d crumble to the ground. Danny wrapped his arms around her, his hold so tight she found it nearly impossible to breathe.

They remained that way for several heartbeats until they heard his name called from a distance.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go,” he said, removing the grip she held on his clothes. He kissed her fingers before taking her face in both of his hands. He pressed one more kiss to her forehead, another to the tip of her nose, and finally one last tender touch to her lips.

Danny picked up his bags and took a few steps back, taking a long look at her as if committing her to memory. “Good luck in North Carolina, Dunbar. Kick some ass up there.” And then that trademark smile appeared like a ray of sunshine, the rarely seen dimple creasing his cheek. “Just so you know,” he called to her, “you’ll always be my favorite wife.”

With one last wink, he turned and walked away, not bothering to look back.

B
REE
RETURNED TO
the bed-and-breakfast alone. She packed up her things, canceled her spa appointment, and checked out of the hotel. She was hardly in the mood to enjoy a massage, let alone celebrate her birthday. The owners of the bed-and-breakfast were lovely, boxing up the birthday cake Danny had special ordered along with a bottle of champagne. She also received a rain check for her spa day and two nights’ stay, the owners encouraging her to come back and celebrate his homecoming instead. Only problem with that idea was she’d likely be living in Greensboro by the time he returned stateside.

For now, instead of going home, she drove to Marie’s, putting off the inevitable task of facing their apartment alone.

As she climbed the steps of the front porch, she gathered a few items left scattered across the yard by the boys. She rang the doorbell once, to which the dogs barked in response. She waited and waited then rang again, wondering if Marie and the kids were out back and didn’t hear the bell.

Finally, a shadowed silhouette approached the leaded glass door. When it opened, Bree was taken aback by the woman standing in front of her. Marie wore yellow gloves and carried a mop bucket in one hand. Her eyes, red and swollen, told Bree all she needed to know. She walked inside and closed the door behind her.

“He left me one hell of a mess this time,” Marie said, marching through the house to the downstairs guest room they were remodeling. “Dust all over the damn place. I swear, I could clean for days and still not get all of it.”

Bree followed behind her, along with the dogs. But the house was silent. No telltale signs of cartoons or video games blaring. No music playing, either. The only sounds to disrupt the silence were that of rain against the windows and Cosmo’s nails clicking on the wood floors as he trailed behind them.

“Where are the kids?”

“Leah went to a friend’s house after we got back. The boys are at a birthday party. Hannah is next door. Ben and I planned on hanging wallpaper today but—”

On a mission of some sort, Marie marched down the back hallway until she reached the small bedroom facing the back of the house. For years it had been their staging area, a workshop of sorts as they remodeled the house room by room. With the rest of the house complete, the time had come for its face-lift.

Several weeks before, Marie had shown her a sketch of her vision. Crown moulding banded the top of the room. Bright white plantation shutters covered the windows, matching the wainscoting wrapping around the lower half. Unlike the rest of the house, which was contemporary in style, this one was to be unabashedly feminine. The wallpaper a delicate floral and soft chenille fabrics on the four-poster bed. It screamed traditional Savannah, with a view into the backyard of the small rose garden and ivy-covered wall.

She held her hands up momentarily before they dropped limply to her sides. “Now this all gets put on hold. Again.” Marie grabbed the sponge from the bottom of the bucket and dropped to her knees, scrubbing away the fine layer of construction dust from the baseboards. “Sometimes I get so tired of it all. Of our things being put on hold. Of him missing their first steps. Missing their birthdays. And dance recitals.

“I knew what it meant when he enlisted. I knew he’d be absent a lot and I’d have to handle things on my own. And I’d like to think I’ve handled it all just fine, you know? The house hasn’t burned to the ground and I haven’t lost one of the kids yet, so I think I’m doing a pretty good job. But still there are days when I think it’d be easier to just—”

Her words came to an abrupt stop and Marie sat back on her heels. She shook her head as if trying to rid the word she wanted to say from her thoughts. “I don’t know what I think.”

As the tears began to fall, Marie looked in disbelief at the room around her.

Then it all became clear.

This was what Danny had warned her about. That even the strongest fortress had a weak point and could crumble to the ground in a moment’s notice. This woman, whom Bree thought was the strongest woman she’d ever known, a woman who wrangled four kids and ran her own business and handled any crisis with ease, had moments when she, too, broke down and cried, wanted to give up.

Bree sat down next to her on the wooden floors and wrapped both arms around Marie’s shoulders. For those first few seconds Marie held stalwart and rigid. Then her arms embraced Bree and they cried together.