“Congratulations, Captain Essex.” Mitch grinned then clapped him on the shoulder.
“Thank you. Do you have the rest of what I need?”
Returning to the file folder, the JAG officer nodded. “I do. Have you changed your mind in any way?”
“No.”
“Do you understand by signing this agreement, your discharge will not be complete for another sixty days, and during those sixty days, you are still bound by UCMJ and subject to new orders?”
“Yes, sir.” The appellation was automatic.
“You don’t need the ‘sir’ anymore, Captain.”
Brody smiled faintly. “Will still take some getting used to…Mitch.”
“You’ve had a minute. Adapt.” But he smiled as he said it. “Also, you may be recalled to duty at any time in the next three years. If ordered to report, you will have seventy-two hours to present yourself on base and to your commanding officer. Do you understand?”
“I do.” He swallowed the automatic
sir
.
“Sign here.” Mitch indicated then began to flip through the papers to the others Brody needed to sign. “Make sure the contact information is correct. You’ll have to check in for a change in military ID, but beyond that, you’re free to go.”
Free to walk out the door. Free to head home. Free to see Shannon.
“Thanks, Mitch.” The JAG officer had been assigned to his case, but the captain had listened without judgment to his statement and backed Brody on every decision. He’d also gone above and beyond to handle the discharge papers when Brody informed him of his decision.
“My pleasure, Brody. I don’t agree with the AWOL, but I get the reason why. Corporal Barnes out there will escort you to the front.” He packed the papers back into his case then paused. “Oh, I saved the best for last. Your ride is here, too.”
“My ride?”
“Five foot seven, long black hair, bedroom eyes, and a killer smile?”
Shannon
.
Time to go. Pivoting on his heels, he gave Mitch another nod and let himself out. Five minutes and an elevator ride later, he strode out the front doors and into the sunshine. The blaze of summer had passed during his confinement in the box, and the dazzling colors of autumn decorated the trees. How long had it been since he’d even seen those colors?
His interest in them waned swiftly, however, at the sight of the women leaning against a car. Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and denim jacket, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, Shannon personified sexy casual. More, her face lit up with a gorgeous smile, and no trace of shadows haunted her eyes. A bulldog sat next to her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“Wow,” she said as Brody walked down the steps. “You look amazing in uniform.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” At the last step, he dropped his bag and opened his arms.
“Stay,” she told the dog then rushed forward and launched at Brody. He caught her and held her tight, their mouths fusing together in a kiss he’d waited months to give her. Tears dampened her cheeks.
“Hey,” he said against her lips. “No crying. No sadness.”
“I’m not sad.” She rubbed her forehead to his. “I’ve been pissed. Frustrated. Turned inside out, and finally, relieved. Right now? Now I’m happy. So these are happy tears.”
Accepting her at her word, he set her on her feet but didn’t release her. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Drawing back, Shannon swiped away her tears and then caught his hand. “Come, I want you to meet the new guy in my life.”
He grabbed his bag and followed her over to the car. She crouched to put an arm around the bulldog. He wasn’t a puppy, but he certainly wasn’t full-grown yet. Setting the bag on the car, he squatted next to them. “Hey there, fellow.”
“Brody, Raphael. Raphael, this is Brody. You can say hi.” The dog was well-trained because though his body wiggled slightly, he hadn’t moved from his seated position until she told him he could.
“Come here.” Brody tapped his chest, and the dog leaped and greeted him with a few enthusiastic swipes of his tongue. Laughing, he gave the dog a good scratch between the ears and eyed his girl. Her smile grew as she watched them, her eyes softening. He had to ask. “Raphael?”
“I’m an artist, and he just isn’t a Brutus.” While Brutus was the name of the USMC mascot, Brody had to agree. “Down, Raphael.”
The dog dropped obediently, and Brody nodded. “Nice.”
“A gift from Logan and Zach.” She laughed. “Jazz said it was to warm my bed until my Marine came home again…but he’s also getting guard dog training. The loft has all the latest upgrades to security, and the first floor renovations are ready to go.” But it sounded more like a question than a statement.
“You’ve been busy.” He approved.
“More than a little.” She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and canted her head to the side. “I drove up from Dallas because I have to go to Boston, and I thought a road trip together would be fun. Captain Thomas said you’d be free to take the trip, he wasn’t sure about times though. Anyway,” she rushed on, “even if you have to deploy in a few days, you might like to see the fall colors. They’re supposed to be amazing in New England. You can see my show, meet Liam, and we can have some time to ourselves.”
“Sweetheart, it sounds wonderful, and we can take all the time you need. I’m not deploying again.”
“You’re not?” Her eyes rounded. “They discharged you?”
“Honorably,” he grinned. “And by my request. There’s still a chance I can be recalled, but—”
Shannon squealed and threw her arms around him again. Soaking up the tight squeeze of her embrace, he sighed. “It was time, and I was ready. I might be unemployed for a while though. So, you may be stuck with me hanging around a lot.”
Not that Luke wouldn’t hire him for something, and Mitch had mentioned a letter from Archer Morgan about his security firm in Dallas, but those were all decisions for later.
“I was so ready to move to a base or hold tight in Dallas, wherever you needed me,” she confessed, and his love for her fisted his heart.
“I need you with me, you make me a happy man.” After a moment, he added, “And in front of a minister or at a courthouse. You need to be Mrs. Essex as soon as possible.”
“Anytime,” she said, delight echoing in her tone. “I don’t even need some big, fancy wedding. So, we can check into it in Boston.”
“Well then, let’s get on the road.” He grabbed his bag and glanced at the dog. “Does he need a walk?”
“I’ve been here for three hours. We already went for a lot of walks.” Shannon grinned. “I was really early because I couldn’t wait to see you. Do you want to drive?”
“New car?” He accepted the keys and opened the Dodge Charger’s passenger door. Raphael hopped in and climbed into the backseat to settle on the dog bed waiting for him.
“It’s a lease. I didn’t know what kind you liked or what I wanted, so I thought this would be fun and we could decide together.”
Together
. Damn if the word—and the feeling didn’t sound good. He dropped his bag into the trunk with her suitcase then circled the car to slide into the driver’s seat. It still had that new car smell. “I like it.”
“It’s kickass on the highway.” She’d buckled her seatbelt but angled so she could stare at him. “I have so much to tell you.”
The engine rumbled to life, and Brody put it in gear. “Yeah?”
“Weston pleaded guilty. They haven’t sentenced him yet, but everyone says he’ll be in prison for years. I’ve taken some classes at Mike’s Place. There’s a support group for spouses and families of veterans. James and Lauren recommended it, and I’ve gone every week. I wanted to know everything you might need me to know.” The words spilled out of her like water burbling from a cheerful fountain. “I’ve also been getting some counseling of my own. James recommended a really great therapist, and she and I are working on my PTSD. And….” she exhaled noisily, her expression tightening. “I sold
Her Marine
.”
Surprise filtered through him; she loved the piece. “All of that is fantastic. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you. You’re not mad I sold it?”
“No, not mad. A little surprised though.” He reached over and caught her hand.
“In all the craziness, I didn’t have a chance to tell you someone bid on it pretty regularly. They topped out at a million dollars.”
“Holy shit.” Brody blinked. He thought her work was phenomenal, but…. “That’s a lot of money.”
“I couldn’t believe they were serious, so Henry and Jeanine set up a meeting. Turns out, the buyer—Ian Calder—is a Marine, retired. He’s also a multi-billionaire or something. They’re building a museum in Denver, and they plan to have an entire wing devoted to military service and the Marines in particular.
Her Marine
will be a central part of the exhibit, and eventually, it will travel. When he told me what they were trying to do and how much he would offer, I only agreed if he’d split the check. Half of it will go to Mike’s Place and the other half to me.”
Sounded almost too good to be true. “Are you sure you trust the guy?”
“Mostly, and Luke checked him out. So did Logan, Archer, Rebel, and Derek. They all gave me calls after they checked into it, and Henry and Jeanine think he’s good to go. He even made a donation to Mike’s Place to prove his good intentions. But he’s part of why we’re going to Boston.”
“Calder is going to be there?”
“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “I won’t sell to him if you don’t like him.”
“Babe, you can do what you want with your work. I just know how much the piece meant to you.” She’d been so proud of it, her successful breakthrough.
“I love
Her Marine
, I always will.” She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. “But I don’t need to hold onto it anymore. Not when I have you.”
Damn, if it were possible to love her more, he did. “You have me…no getting rid of me now.”
The sound of her soft laughter filled the car. “Forever.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said, content for the first time in years. He didn’t know what he would do or where they would go, but all that mattered was he had Shannon. She was safe. She was happy. She was his home.
Mission most definitely accomplished.
National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
You can visit Heather at:
Always a Marine
Series so Far (in order by release)
Once Her Man, Always Her Man
Luke & Rebecca
Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here
Logan, Jazz & Zach
Tell It to the Marine
James & Lauren
Introduction of Matt McCall and Damon Sinclair
Features an appearance of Logan Cavanaugh
Proud to Serve Her
Damon & Helena
Matt, James, Lauren, Luke and Rebecca mentioned
Her Marine
Brody & Shannon
No Regrets, No Surrender
Logan, Jazz & Zach
James featured
The Marine Cowboy
A.J. & Sheri
Phone call from Luke
The Two and the Proud
Rowdy & Kim
A Marine and a Gentleman
Brenden & Liam
Appearances of James, Logan, Jazz, Shannon, Rebecca, Lauren
Combat Barbie
Kyle & Mary
Jazz makes an appearance via phone
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Joe & Melody
James makes an appearance
What Part of Marine Don’t You Understand?
Matt & Naomi
Appearances by James and Logan, Damon is mentioned
A Marine Affair
Eli & Rick
Marine Ever After
Paul & Lillianna
Multiple appearances at Luke & Rebecca’s wedding
Marine in the Wind
Greg & Georgia
Appearances by A.J. & Sheri
Marine with Benefits
Derek & Kara
Appearance by Logan
A Marine of Plenty
Charlie & Jana
Appearance by Naomi
A Candle for a Marine
Isaac & Zehava
Appearances by Zach & Shannon
Marine Under the Mistletoe
Kaiden & Rowan
Have Yourself a Marine Christmas
Rebel & Noel
Appearances by Derek, Kara, Luke and James
Lest Old Marines Be Forgot
Tom & Brenda
Appearances by Luke, James, Logan, and Damon