“I wouldn’t do that.”
“What? Why? Are they being redeployed?”
“No, but if you go to Pendleton, you’re going to miss him because I heard he’s heading to your place.”
Realization dawned. “Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. Just tell Colonel Holt that Gunnery Sergeant Tazwell Roos said hello.”
“You know Walker?”
“Not sure if you could say I know him, but I served under him.”
“We’re having a get-together at the house to welcome Hayden home. Why don’t you come? I mean, if you’d like. It’s nothing formal. Just some people getting together for food and booze. Walker would love to see you. He lives in the Seattle area now, but he loves being here near so many Marines. Between you and me, I think he misses it.”
He looked hesitant. So I relented, pulling out a business card, scrawling the address as legibly as possible. My normal handwriting was barely legible to me. Heidi refused to read anything I wrote and made me email or text her.
“Here. Feel free to drop by anytime this afternoon. I won’t mention I invited you, only that you said to say hi, so there’s no obligation to attend if you have plans or just plain don’t want to.”
He took the card with a smile, patting me on the shoulder as he said, “Thanks.”
He faded into the crowd, and I took off back the way I came, sliding into my car when I got there. Traffic was a nightmare. Ifinallymanaged to get out of the snarl of sailors and Marines looking to disappear behind the doors of their homes for what I hoped was all happy homecomings and some much-needed peace.
Once out on the open road, I pushed the SUV hard, risking a ticket, but if Hayden was going to surprise me, I fucking wanted to be there when he arrived.
Thirty minutes later, I roared up the street toward the beach house. A grin to rival the Grinch’s curled my lips up until a full-blown smile exploded across my face. My dimples deepened until they tugged at my cheeks.
He was here.
His car was in the driveway, and he stood halfway between it and the house. Heidi was on the front porch. She waved at me and turned back into the house, shutting the door behind her.
I whipped into the last free spot in the driveway and slammed the car into park before jumping out. Music playing out back turned up by several decimals, but I ignored it. I rounded the front of the SUV, weaved between the other cars in the driveway, and moments later, Hayden wrapped me in his long, thickly corded arms, pulling me off my feet—a feat, given the miniscule difference in our sizes. I’d never had anyone manhandle me the way he did. That first night, it scared me, not that I thought he’d hurt me, but because of my body’s reaction to him doing it.
“Fuck, Papi. It’s so fucking good to see you,” I said when he lowered me back to my feet.
My eyes drank in his beautiful face, noticing the darker tone to his skin from living on a ship in the Pacific for weeks on end. I loved it. The coloring was something people the world over risked skin cancer or paid out the ass to achieve.
My hands moved from his face down his freshly shaved face and neck to his broad shoulders. I grasped his biceps to put some space between us to take in the uniform. Fuck he was smokin’ in civvies, but the khaki, blue, and red uniform looked like it was custom designed for him alone.
“Damn, no wonder you lifted me so easily. Did you live in the gym? You’re beefier than you were.”
He smirked, snaked an arm around my waist, and tugged me against him. My nipples tightened, and my dick twitched as our bodies aligned. He stared down at me and licked his lips as his gaze moved to my mouth.
“A guy can only beat off so many times. I had to find another outlet to blow off steam.”
I preened a little at his words. Yeah, we were married, but we hadn’t talked about exclusivity. Silent laughter rumbled in his chest, pressing his ribbons into my chest.
“Were you worried, vato?”
“No,” I lied.
“Liar.” He smirked, then sombered. “So was I. We hadn’t talked about it, but your comment about limits had me on edge.”
“Let’s talk about it now, and get it out of the way. I don’t like limits or labels, but unless we choose to open things up and are both fully onboard with the idea, then you’re it for me. I might not’ve had a relationship before, but I was raised to respect my partner and the sanctity of marriage.”
“Sanctity of marriage and open relationship…”
“Don’t go there, Papi. You can respect the sanctity of marriage without being monogamous. It’s what the people in the relationship choose as limits for their union. Don’t get stuck on what societal norms say a marriage is ‘supposed’ to be. It’s about open, honest communication, respect, and love.”
