“My sister threatened to castrate him,” I said with an impish grin.
“I like that option,” Ray muttered.
“What about you, Ray?”
“I met Annette right after I was first stationed in Texas. We hit it off and were married a few months later.”
The location may have been different, but the basis for the relationship sounded awfully familiar to mine.
“Ultimately, she couldn’t handle military life,” he explained, doing the same thing I had done, looking off into the distant forest, deep in thought. “She didn’t cheat on me, at least not that I’m aware of. She just left me a note when I came home after my last deployment that said she wanted a divorce. Her stuff was all moved out, and the divorce papers were on the kitchen counter.”
“Shit. Marriages don’t seem to work out for many of us in the military,” I told him, though it wasn’t a secret.
“From personal experience I would agree, but many of my colleagues back in Texas are all happily married and solid, so…maybe it just takes the right person. Someone who understands.”
I nodded at his thoughtful response.
“Frank and his wife Susan, have been married forever, too,” Ray added.
Those two were a great couple. Maybe he was right—you just needed the right person.
“You sound like my best friend, Nikki,” I told him. “She and I met at boot camp and served together for almost four years before being separated to different bases.”
He nodded, understanding that level of sorrow more than most people. Being in the military was hard. You often made it through because you had your friends nearby for support. So when that support system was transferred to another base, it hit hard.
“She’s been happily married for more than a decade and lives out in San Diego. She married another fellow service member, which likely helped, though not Army, so not as good as she could have done.” I emphasized that last part for dramatic effect.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. She fell in love and married a Navy SEAL.” I shivered and fake cringed.
“A frogman?” He gasped in mock offense, and I almost smiled. Almost. “Didn’t you go out there to try to rescue her from making such an awful decision?”
Making fun of the other branches was my weakness. “I went out there with that exact mission in mind, but honestly, Amanda is great, and she and Nikki are perfect for each other. I’m happy for her. Though I still give her shit every chance I can.”
“As you should,” he replied, the same teasing smile on his face that I had on mine. “My buddies back in Texas aren’t married to military spouses, but we regularly tease them about their wives being way too good for them.”
I had friends who were the same, too—namely most of the men at Ranger Shield Security. Most of those men had gottenmarried or at least found their forever partner and seemed in it for the long haul. Admittedly, there was a part of me that was envious of what they had, but I also wasn’t ready to just jump into a relationship with a man just because I was lonely sometimes.
Even if a great candidate appeared to be sitting right next to me.
FOURTEEN
RAY
“Three amigos back together,” Chase said, walking up to the bar where Frank and I were sitting. “Kraft and Florida, good to see you both.”
I shook my head at the nickname I hadn’t heard in a decade. When I’d joined Chase’s security business, we’d dropped the nicknames from our Army days. Clearly, he was feeling sentimental and decided to bring them up.
“And you must be the beautiful Tammy,” Chase said to her as she walked up to set napkins down.
She said nothing but just lifted her brow.
“Tammy, this is my buddy, Chase Jackson, the one I told you about,” I explained and watched the recognition dawn in her eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” Chase said, smiling at her, and she smiled back. “You let me know if old Florida here gets out of line.”
“Florida?” she asked, her brows furrowed. “I thought you were from Minnesota.”
