Rediscovering Peace (Military Love Book 1)
Read Rediscovering Peace (Military Love Book 1) Online
Authors: Steffy Rogers
Rediscovering Peace
Military Love Vol.1
By
Steffy Rogers
Rediscovering Peace – Military Love Vol.1
First edition, May 2015
Copyright © 2015 by Steffy Rogers
Photographer: S.M. Talkington Photography
Editing: Kathy Krick
Cover Design by: Kari Ayasha, Cover to Cover Design
Formatting: Rebel Edit & Design
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
Opa,
I miss you so much it hurts.
But I know you are always with me wherever I go.
Thank you for encouraging me to always follow my dreams.
I wouldn’t be here without you.
Until we meet again.
Mama,
I can’t even start to tell you how much you truly mean to me.
You are my best friend and my rock.
If you didn’t always believe in me, I don’t know what I would do.
I will always love you the mostest!
Military abbreviations used in Rediscovering Peace
PFC
= Private First Class
SPC
= Specialist
SSG
= Staff Sergeant
ETS
= Estimated Time of Separation
Off post
= Off base
FOB
= Forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations
AIT
= Advanced Individual Training. After you complete Basic Combat Training, you’re ready for your next step. AIT is where you learn the skills to perform your army job.
S
kye
“Hurry up, Caige! I can’t be late for this flight!” I yelled through the apartment where I lived with my best friends, Caige O’Donnell and Faith Livingston. Faith just laughed at both of us “Anxious much, Skye?” Today was the day I would finally get to see my fiancé, Oliver, again. Of course I was anxious. We hadn’t seen each other in four months.
Oliver and I had been a couple for a little over a year. I remember it like it was yesterday when I first laid eyes on him. I was out dancing at a country bar in town with Caige and Faith when all of a sudden a deep, sexy voice behind me asked if he could have the next dance. I turned around and was met with the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. Speechless, I started checking him out. His blond hair was in the same short military cut that I have come so used to in this area. I lived in Fort Stewart, Georgia so I was rather familiar with the military. His black V-neck shirt defined the abs underneath it, and I wanted to rip his shirt off and have my wicked way with him. He was about six feet tall and was gorgeous, especially with all the tattoos he was sporting on his arm. I’ve always had a thing for guys with tattoos.
“So is that a yes?” he asked trying to hide his smile from me. He had totally caught me checking him out.
Snapping out of it I answered him, “If you know how to two step!”
“Challenge accepted.” He grinned, grabbed my hand and led me to the center of the dance floor. Luke Bryan’s “I Don’t Want This Night to End” came on and I squealed with excitement. “This is my favorite song!” We started dancing and damn, did he have moves. After we had danced until we couldn’t catch our breath, he led me over to the bar to get a drink.
“So, what’s your name gorgeous?”
“Skye. And you are?”
“My name is Oliver. What would you like to drink, sweetheart?”
“A beer will do just fine.”
He flagged down the bartender and ordered two beers. After getting our drinks he led me to a quiet corner. I glanced around trying to locate my friends. I found them on the dance floor. Faith caught my glance and gave me a thumbs up. She knew I usually didn’t like to talk to strangers. But for some reason, Oliver had me intrigued. I wasn’t sure if it was his looks or the bad boy image he was sporting so well.
“I have to say you really got some moves,” I started the conversation trying to break the ice between us.
“My mom used to force me to take dancing lessons. I hated it. But they sure did come in handy tonight.” He smiled a panty melting smile at me that caused me to feel a tingling sensation going through my body. I hadn’t been affected like this by a man in a while. Of course I have had my share of relationships and dated, but nothing serious ever came out of it. The only serious relationship I have ever had was with Braden Parker whom I had met in Germany. We had been inseparable at the time. Unfortunately, when my dad got stationed to Hawaii eight years ago, we ended our relationship. Braden was my first love. He would always hold a big part of my heart. It’s been eight years and I haven’t been able to open up to anyone else ever since, but I had a feeling Oliver would change that.
Whoa, I needed to slow down. I didn’t even know this guy.
We talked all night. I found out that he was twenty-seven, in the U.S. Army and had been stationed in Fort Stewart for almost three years now. He kept showering me with compliments and I felt the butterflies everyone always talked about. After a while I saw Faith and Caige approaching, apparently danced out for the night. I smiled. My two best friends were definitely catching some looks from the people in the bar. Faith with her long blonde hair and legs I would kill for always got attention. Caige was broody, but his tall lean body and gorgeous face was every woman’s dream come true. He had always been like the big brother I never had and I valued our friendship a lot. He had a no bullshit attitude and always told you the truth. They finally made their way over to our table and sat down.
“I am Faith, Skye’s BFF. This is Caige. He claims to be her BFF too, but I think she’s just keeping him around for his looks.”
I busted out laughing. Faith had a bubbly, open attitude and Caige and her loved picking at each other.
“I am Oliver. It’s nice to meet you guys.” He shook their hands with a smile.
Caige stayed quiet most of the night, just observing. I didn’t think anything of it – it was just how he was. We understood each other without words. When it came time to go we made our way over to the cabs that were waiting outside the bar. Faith and Caige got in the cab while I said my goodbyes to Oliver. I hated that our night already had come to an end.
“Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?” He looked at me expectantly.
“I would love that. I work till five p.m. but after that I am free.”
He took out his phone and I gave him my number. With a kiss on my cheek, he opened the cab door for me.
“I will see you tomorrow, sweetheart. Have a good night.”
I smiled and got in the cab. When we finally got home I hopped in the shower to get ready for bed. I went to the kitchen and found Caige sitting there.
“I don’t have a good feeling about him, Skye. Something seems off.”
I turned from the fridge glaring at him.
“What do you mean, Caige? You don’t even know him. Hell, you didn’t even make an effort to talk to him tonight.”
Caige shrugged. “I don’t know, babygirl. I can’t put my finger on it. Please be careful.”
“Caige, I like him. I know I just met him, but I have a feeling that he will be around in the future. I want to get to know him. And I want you to be part of that. You’re my best friend and I value your opinion, but please don’t ruin this for me. Give him a chance. For me.”
“Okay, babygirl, whatever you want. But if he hurts you, I will beat his ass. Goodnight.” He hugged me and went to his room turning in for the night. I made my way to my room. As I lay in bed I heard my phone go off. It was a text from an unknown number.
Hey beautiful. I had a great night. Thank you! I can’t wait to see your pretty face tomorrow night. Sleep well and sweet dreams. Oliver
I had lots of fun, too. :) See you tomorrow. Xoxo Skye
I was excited to see what tomorrow would bring. With a smile on my face, I fell asleep.
I was barely able concentrate at work the next day. I just wanted to get the day over and see Oliver. He was the only thing on my mind all day. I was surprised. I wasn’t usually like this. It took me a long time to agree to go on a date with guys. Yet Oliver had somehow managed to invade my thoughts and actually had me excited to go on one. All day I was thinking about what I would wear. I called Faith.
“Any plans for lunch?” I asked when she answered.
“No not really. What do you have in mind?”
“I need something to wear for tonight. Let’s use the hour and go to the mall.”
Faith agreed to meet me for some lunch time shopping. I knew she would, that girl breathed for shopping. As lunch rolled around I informed my boss I was going to head out. He just waved at me, deep into his presentation. I met Faith in front of my office building and we made our way to the mall.
“An hour is really not enough for shopping,” she complained as I was trying on outfit after outfit. We finally decided on a blue sundress with silver sandals. I felt pretty.
Once I made it back to the office I flew through meetings, with my thoughts on the evening ahead. Oliver had texted me earlier. After I gave him my address, we had agreed to meet at seven p.m. I was giddy with excitement. When five p.m. came around I darted out of my office eager to get home and ready. I put my hair in a loose ponytail and let some strands hang out. I put some attention on my makeup. I wasn’t a girl who wore a lot of makeup but tonight I decided to put some on. Once I was ready I headed into the living room where I found Caige and Faith lounging on the sofa watching a movie. “Wow! You look great, babygirl! What are the plans?” Caige was looking me up and down approving of my dress.
“Oh, Oliver is just taking me out for dinner at that new swanky restaurant that opened not far from here.”
“The Boulevard? Nice. Have fun but not too much,” Caige told me.
Caige was acting the part of my big brother again. At 6:45, the doorbell rang. Oliver was early. Grabbing my purse, I headed down the stairs of our apartment building. I stopped in my tracks when I saw him standing there waiting for me. He was wearing a washed out pair of jeans that hung low on his hips, a blue dress shirt and cowboy boots. He looked amazing. I smiled thinking about how his shirt matched my dress.