Authors: Anne Elizabeth
Exhausted laughter bubbled out of her.
“Look me in the eyes. See only me. Never take your gaze or heart from what we are experiencing. This room, this house, our world, will be ours again. Let’s go to our bedroom and make love.”
Nodding her head, she put her hand on his heart. He scooped her up and took her to their haven. Laying her down on their bed, he relished the sight of her.
Gently, carefully, he helped her take off her clothes…and then undressed himself.
This was the moment he needed, and he imagined she needed, too. Then he ran his tongue down her body, kissing her, caressing her, tasting her until she reached up for him…pulling him toward her. Laying himself on top of her, he sunk slowly into her silky depths.
“Dan,” she sighed. “My love.”
His body pulsed with need, but he couldn’t rush. He needed to satisfy her, bring her again and again until her body was spent. Sliding his hand between them, he found her favorite sweet spot and rubbed tiny circles, listening to her soft moans and breathy sighs.
“More,” she said as he slid inside her. “More.” And her body squeezed and convulsed, begging him to come…to spend his seed inside of her.
When he could take it no longer, he came. “I love you so much.”
Reaching behind him, he grabbed the blanket off the foot of the bed and laid it over them.
“Aria?”
She mumbled his name and then drifted off to sleep.
They had done it, retaken a small piece of their home and their sanity. Step-by-step they would conquer their world again. He wasn’t going anywhere until it was all theirs again.
Lying there with his wife in his arms and Jimmy safe in his bed, he let himself sigh. This was his world to protect and honor. Strange how he had traveled halfway around the world to fight, when an enemy lurked so close to home. He was glad the Op had gone well; all of them had survived. But never again would he leave his family in such a bad position. A team was only as strong as its members, and he wanted to make sure that his teammates, the ones in this house, were more than “good to go.” There was a reason the Navy protected its families, and there was a reason its soldiers and sailors protected this great nation—because we need each other to make the world a safe place.
The next day they learned JC’s wife Jen was still in the hospital after some complications from her pregnancy. On the plus side, one of the surprises had included a baby sister tucked behind the twin boys. Little Jessica was only four pounds and was being kept in the newborn-intensive-care unit until she gained more weight. Her brothers, Jonas and Jason, were six pounds each, and when Aria spoke to Jen on the phone, Jen said, “I feel like I’ve given birth to a litter. Is it any wonder I was as big as a house? I can’t wait to see you!”
After a little shopping at the Navy Exchange, Aria and Dan brought by a basket of items for Jen, including a huge box of outfits for an infant baby girl. JC hovered over his wife as if she were a fragile flower, and Jen seemed to love every second of it.
They tiptoed over to the boys’ bassinets and peeked in. “So tiny,” said Dan, waving at the Casey boys. “I’m your Uncle Dan, and this is Aunt Aria.”
“What do you think? Do you want one?” Aria cocked an eyebrow at Dan.
“Only one? I was thinking three.” His grin was adorable and infectious.
Aria sighed melodramatically. “Only if they come out of your uterus.” She winked at him, and he hugged her.
“Let’s see how it goes.” He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll put it in someone else’s hands, how many we have…”
“For now. But I reserve the right to say stop!” she said, looking up at him and kissing his lips.
“Don’t do it,” said Jen. “This is how I got into this position. In vitro, my ass.”
“Shush… You’ll wake the babies.” JC warned his wife.
“Really? I just gave birth, and you’re actually going to tell me to be quiet,” Jen teased. “Fine. I’ll be quiet. Just so you know, they’re all yours, sweetheart! I’m not allowed to lift anything for two weeks.” She grinned at them over JC’s head and closed her eyes. She’d secretly told Aria it was one week, but she wasn’t letting on to JC, and the doctor agreed. How many times in a woman’s life did her husband totally dote on her and help out? If she was lucky, many times. If she was a military spouse, probably not very often. Usually there was nagging involved.
“Bye,” said Aria with a small wave to the darling boys and another in Jen’s direction. She looked forward to spending more time with her.
“You can take on an army,” said Dan to JC, giving him an encouraging pat on the back.
“I need a bigger Team,” said JC with a semi-panicked look in his eyes. “Maybe if we pull both platoons, we can…”
“I’m here anytime you need me.”
JC shook his head. “Oh, man. Diaper changes.”
“Uh, we’ve got to go.” Dan pointed at the door, and Aria was in agreement. They’d already waded through their own shit storm, and they didn’t need to borrow trouble from someone else.
Together they left…walking through the corridors of the hospital hand in hand.
***
That night a party was in full swing at the McCullum house. Half of Bravo was squished into their house and backyard, including Hammer, Zankin, LT, Dirks, Thomas, Brock, Duckie, Ox, and their families, as well as the rest of the wives group whose husbands were away. The Teams didn’t discriminate—they were all one and on the same footing.
Kids of all ages were everywhere, and the minute someone cried, he or she was picked up, tickled, and/or passed around until the child was laughing again. The Team was family.
Aria knew that she still had a long road to go to recover from Mark’s betrayal. She was not looking forward to the trial. But right now, she’d never felt safer. Her house was more of a home than she realized it could be…welcoming, easy, and open. No demons remained. The specters were stomped out en masse by SEAL Team THREE, Platoon 1-Bravo.
“How are you doing?” asked Dan as he placed another tray of vegetables and dip on the patio table. Food was stuffed onto every surface, and a keg was sweating next to the fence. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. “Overwhelmed?”
“No,” said Aria, and it was true. “It feels like real life…being married and having a home together. Until this moment, life was surreal and it was too hard to enjoy the positive side. Now all of this seems good…organic and natural.”
He nodded.
Aria beamed. These men and women, whom she hadn’t even known three months ago, had brought her into their lives and saved her sanity through the chaos. She was making peace with her experiences. With them there were no trust issues, worries, or concerns…only an easy feeling that she didn’t have to be anything other than what she already was.
Dan put his arm around her. Her husband…what a phenomenal man!
She automatically secured her arm to his waist. Yes, she told herself. She got it! She finally understood a small part of what it meant to be part of a team. It translated to never being alone—even when you felt lonely—and there was always someone to call. The ability to be strong and capable came from your belief in self and watching out for each other…and that love was the strongest gift of all.
Leaning over, she pulled down the back of Ox’s T-shirt. Francis looked around her giant husband as Aria read it: “As the U.S. Navy SEALs would say, ‘Ready to lead, ready to follow, never quit.’”
“True words,” said Dan, noticing his wife’s action, and he hauled her gently into his arms.
“Aye, aye, Chief,” said Aria as she turned into her husband’s embrace. “An excellent saying.”
“In the Navy…‘Outstanding’ is the highest praise.” He dipped her for a very dramatic kiss. “You, Mrs. McCullum, are truly outstanding, and I can never seem to get enough of you.”
Several people laughed.
Declan, Harvey, Hayes, and Miller said, “Hooyah!”
With these wonderful souls surrounding her, it made Aria feel as if it were her wedding day all over again.
“Me, either,” replied Aria as she kissed him again, not caring who was watching. “Life is remarkable. Hooyah!”
I am the wife of a U.S. Navy SEAL (ret.). I wrote this book and the previous one to share some of the more complicated elements of personal life and relationships within the Teams. Being a spouse, whether military or not, is never an easy journey, but it can be a very precious experience…and one of the most rewarding in the world. Thus, I write SEAL romance novels to honor my husband, our friends and families, and our community.
Please note that I attended Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) for my wilderness rescue EMT certification, and I volunteered for a rescue squad in Manchester, Vermont, for a time—this is true. But my romance stories are fictional. Reality is woven into the tapestry of my books, because many aspects of this journey are very “U.S. Navy SEAL,” and they had to be in there.
I am grateful to those individuals who contributed thoughts, read for me, or answered last-minute questions to verify that I was constructing the story and details correctly. Writing is a path of discovery, and there is always more to learn and more to know. If any errors are discovered, they are mine, and unintentional, as I have written the most thoughtful journey I could.
I am often asked what it is like to be married to a SEAL. In my opinion, it is exciting, humbling, soul touching, and filled with complexities and simplicities that can blow one’s mind. Every birth is an outstanding celebration, and every funeral, whether the individual is known intimately or is a distant fallen son or brother, rips our hearts out. Fallen Teammates are embraced and loved for their sacrifice and courage, and those individual sparks are a tragic and horrific loss to the community.
Like the rest of the planet, we are disheartened by age and illnesses that sneak up on those we cherish, and it takes away pieces of our favorite people and family one memory at a time or swallows them in one gulp. The unique spirits of these amazing souls stick with us, and we carry them through our day, month, year, and into the future. We see their smiles in their children and grandchildren, and we laugh about how they would react to something or toast them with a beer. We hold each other, remembering to laugh a lot, to seek fun, and to live with newness like a child’s wonder, even when we feel gloomy.
As spouses, when we fight, we make up quickly and easily, especially after misunderstandings, because we’re determined to honor our friends by appreciating and celebrating life. Day in and day out, there is always something new on the horizon, yet there are parts of our world that are steadfast—our love and respect for each other and well-wishes for those who fight on.
To me, the best part of marriage is being with my extraordinary man, who chose me to accompany him on this path. My husband makes me feel so well loved as he teases the hell out of me, which I am learning to enjoy but would never tell him, and at the same time is right by my side for every difficult challenge. Being retired, our lives are different than active-duty ones; active duty wives handle a lot more on their own. Yet there are similarities: the missions stay with my husband, and thus with me; PTSD and injuries are unfortunately often part of the combat-related time in the Teams; Teammates make up a large part of our family, and we both remember daily those who died.
What advice would I give those in relationships? Marry your best friend! Don’t settle for less. Pick a person who can go toe-to-toe with you, challenge you to be better, and will never quit. There are a lot of paths, some up and some down, but the true winners of the game of life are the ones who live boldly, give generously, and celebrate every day as if it is their last. If you’re only as strong as your partner then you both need to be fierce. Remember strength comes from the spirit and a willingness to be courageous, loyal, and determined.
Live life boldly! Dream every dream bigger than the last. And remember, though there is always someone out there to criticize, tease, or remind you of your shortcomings, the fact you stepped up to the experience of living means they can all kiss your ass. Enjoy!
Hooyah & hugs! ~AE
1 pound of elbow macaroni (or your favorite pasta, keeping in mind that angles allow it to grab the cheese better)
2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
A dash of ground pepper and sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of parsley
1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar (mild)
1 1/2 cups of grated Gouda or Swiss
8 ounces of cream cheese or Velveeta
Optional:
1 cup of ham or bacon
1/4 cup of scallions
1.
Boil water in a pan and cook the elbow macaroni until it’s tender. Drain the water out using a strainer. Add in the milk, butter, and cheese and place the mixture over a medium-to-low stovetop setting, stirring constantly so it does not burn. When the items are melted and evenly spread, add in the ground pepper and sea salt. If you decide to add in the optional items, do this now. Mix well.
2.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
3.
Butter an oven-safe pan. Pour the mixture into it. Cook in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven, or until the top has a nice golden-brown appearance and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
…and that’s the way Hammer likes it!
Dry Ingredients:
3/4 cup of flour
A dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
Cold Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
6 tablespoons of margarine or butter (at room temperature)
Add these ingredients last:
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate or dark-chocolate chips
1/2 cup of white-chocolate chips
Optional:
1/4 cup of crushed pecans (almonds or walnuts are good, too!)
1.
Mix the dry ingredients together, and then add in the cold ingredients. Stir with a large spoon until the mixture is doughlike and all one color.
2.
Then add in the oats and chocolate, as well as the optional nuts. Make sure these items are well distributed throughout the dough.
3.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
4.
Place a teaspoon-shaped ball of dough on a greased cookie sheet, leaving room for its neighborhood to grow. Then place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on your oven and your altitude. (Those individuals who live above a 4,000’ elevation need to add an extra egg.)
Enjoy Jimmy’s favorite treat!
Anne Elizabeth has been making these recipes for years.