Rediscovering Peace (Military Love Book 1) (22 page)

“Call me if you need anything, Dad. I am going to go downstairs and clean up a bit.”

“Thank you, son. I am sorry for what I have put you through. Do me a favor?”

“Anything, Dad.”

“That girl down there, don’t ever let her go again. If she ever decides to walk out on you again, you fight for her. You will never find anyone like her again. She reminds me so much of your mother.”

“I am not letting her go anywhere. She’s stuck with me. I plan to ask her to marry me soon.”

“Good idea, son.” He got up from his spot on the toilet where had been sitting and walked into the bedroom over to the dresser. He opened up my mom’s old jewelry box. When he found what he was looking for he turned around to face me.

“Here. This is your mom’s engagement ring. I know she would love for Skye to have it. She adored that girl so much. I think your mom was more heartbroken than you when you guys broke up.”

I went to say something but my throat was dry and all that came out was a scratchy cough. I felt the tears building in my eyes. Dad never talked about Mom with me anymore and now he was standing here handing me Mom’s ring.

“Thanks, Dad. It means a lot,” I finally managed to say.

“No problem. Now get out of here so I can take a bath.” He chuckled. Dad would be alright. Finally.

When I walked into the living room Skye had already filled up two black trash bags with empty bottles. I hugged her from behind and whispered into her ear, “Thank you, Skye. Thank you for everything. You’re an angel and I am very lucky to have you.”

“Anytime, Braden. We will get through this. I already called around and found a facility that has a few spots open. They said to pack your dad’s bags and bring him by tonight. They said we had to take the opportunity while he is willing to seek help.”

“God, you are the most amazing woman in this world.”

“I am glad that you know it.” She winked at me. “Now go pack the bags while I clean up. I called Martha and she is coming over tomorrow to take care of the rest of the house. Everything will be alright.”

I kissed her on the forehead and went to pack my dad’s bag.

An hour later we were on the way to the rehab facility where Dad would be staying a few weeks to get clean. The alcohol was consuming his life and he needed help. I would forever be thankful to Skye for finally opening his eyes.

Everything felt right again. Now we only had the appointment at the counselor to conquer. I knew together we could do it.

S
kye

Seeing Braden’s dad in the shape that he was in broke my heart. He had always had such a happy personality and his soldiers and friends loved him. He was always so strong but the death of his wife had changed him. Olivia was a wonderful woman who had devoted her whole life to her husband and her son. I had always admired her and her strength. Being a military wife was anything but easy and more often than not did the wives have to deal with a changed husband after deployment.

It took us about two hours to get to the rehab center where Braden’s dad would start his treatment. We were welcomed by a friendly woman at the reception desk and pretty soon we were sitting in the office of the counselor who would be working with him. He talked us through everything. Michael would have to stay at least thirty days and undergo the Twelve Step program. If the facility deemed him strong enough after the thirty days were over he could go home and attend regular meetings with either the counselor or go to AA meetings. Michael was silently crying the entire time while listening and I kept holding his hand to comfort him. We weren’t allowed to have any contact with him for fourteen days. I knew that would be rough on Braden as he talked to his dad every day. But together we would all make it through this.

I still didn’t believe that I had actually managed to convince Michael that he needed help. I’m glad he agreed to do this. I didn’t want to see Braden suffering from this anymore, and I also wanted his dad to get healthy again. Olivia would’ve never wanted this to happen. We scheduled a meeting for when the fourteen days were over. Apparently having a family session was part of the program they offered at the facility to help family members deal with the addiction. After Michael was admitted his counselor showed us to the room he would be staying in. It was kept in a light brown tone and besides the bed and a recliner, it had a bookshelf with a variety of books. It was nice, and I was sure that Michael would be in good hands.

We said our goodbyes and were on our way back to our apartment. Braden was quiet and I knew he was thinking.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“I am fine. It’s just that bringing Dad to the rehab center makes it all that much more real. I have tried to talk him into finding help a million times but he wouldn’t budge.”

“All that matters is that he is getting help now. He needs our support more than ever and I am willing to stand by your side through this. You and your dad don’t have to face this alone. I am right here.”

“Thank you, Skye. I would be lost without you. I am going to spend the next few weeks fixing things around Dad’s house. That way when he comes back he doesn’t have to worry about it. Do you think he will be alright after the thirty days?” The worry about his dad was written all over his face.

“Only time will tell. If he needs longer, then so be it. He needs to heal on his own terms. Alcoholism is not just a button that you can turn on and off. Maybe you should talk to him about selling the house. I don’t think the memories of your mom there are the best thing for him in this situation.”

“I have thought about that too. Everywhere you look there is something that reminds you of Mom. I will either try to convince him to sell or redecorate. Mom decorated the house when they bought it and he hasn’t touched it since she died.”

I squeezed his hand and we remained silent for the rest of the drive. I hoped that when we went to see his dad in two weeks that we could already see a change in Michael. The next few weeks weren’t going to be easy for anyone. I made a mental note to call my mom the next day and fill her in on everything. Since our parents had been good friends, maybe their support would also help him stay on track in beating the addiction.

We got to the apartment and headed straight for the bedroom. Neither one of us was in the mood for company. I loved my two best friends but I was happy that soon Braden and I would have our own house. After a quick shower I crawled in bed and soon Braden was behind me. He spooned me from behind and wrapped his arms around me.

“I love you so much, Skye Taylor. I will be forever grateful that you are back in my life.”

I turned around to look at him and smiled.

“I am glad you found me again. I was lost there for a while after everything with Oliver, but you showed me that true love is worth fighting for. I love you too, Braden James. More than words can ever express.”

We fell asleep holding each other. After the day we had, we just had to be close to each other.

I woke the next morning and had to shake Braden awake. He was already late for work, which never happened. Usually he was the one who had to wake me up and make sure I got to work on time.

“Babe, wake up. You’re late for work.”

He sat up straight and looked at the time.

“Fuck. Shit. How did I not hear my alarm?”

“We both slept right through it.”

He scrambled off the bed and threw on his uniform in a hurry. I laughed when he almost tripped over his own legs while trying to put on his ACU pants.

“Keep laughing at me and I will have to punish you tonight.” He threw a pillow at me. I caught it and laughed even more. Finally he was all dressed and gave me a quick kiss before heading out the door.

I slowly got ready for work myself. I really didn’t want to work with Dylan today. I hoped that his attitude would change or I would have to talk to my boss about taking him off my team. I didn’t mind suggestions from my team members at all – I just couldn’t stand people who thought they knew it all better. Plus something about Dylan made me feel uneasy. He hadn’t approached me unprofessionally or anything, but the way he stared at me, mostly my tits, gave me the creeps.

I got to work and set up the conference room. My team and I would have a brief meeting to go over some aspects of the launch before I met with the owners of the vodka company in the afternoon. So far they had been happy with all the suggestions and ideas we had come up with and I hoped to God it stayed that way.

I settled in one of the chairs and waited for my coworkers to arrive. Dylan was the first one to walk in. Go figure.

“Good morning, Dylan. Did you have a good evening?”

“Morning,” he said while staring at my tits again. Ugh, asshole. I really didn’t like being alone with him in one room.

Finally all the others arrived and the awkward tension left the room. I definitely needed to talk to Jake about this. I hated working in a bad atmosphere and if that meant Dylan had to leave my team then so be it. I didn’t care how much experience he had in this field.

“Okay everybody, let’s go over this again. The launch is supposed to happen in a week and I want everything to be perfect. Mr. Logan will be here this afternoon and hopefully sign off on everything.”

The next three hours flew by, and I was confident that the launch would go as expected. Dylan had made some smart ass comments throughout the meeting but I didn’t acknowledge him. After everyone retreated back to their offices, I went straight to Jake’s office. I would take care of this problem right now.

“Jake, I need to talk to you.” He was engrossed in his computer and looked up at my words. He gestured for me to sit down and closed out of whatever he was doing.

“What’s up, Skye? How’s the launch coming along?”

“It’s coming along great. I meet with Mr. Logan this afternoon to go over it again and see if he wants to make some changes. But the reason I need to talk to you is Dylan.”

“What about him?”

“He doesn’t seem to work too well with women. He refuses any advice from me and makes smart comments every time I suggest something. Honestly I don’t like the way he stares at me either. It gives me the creeps. I don’t know but something isn’t right with him. You know me, Jake. I can usually brush these kinds of things off pretty easily. But we are in the last stretch of this campaign and I don’t want the work atmosphere to be strained. I worked too hard for this. I want him off my team. Don’t you have another campaign you can put him on? Preferably with a man?”

“Are you sure, Skye? His experience in this field is excellent. I’ve seen some of his work and I think he could benefit your team. I think you’re overreacting. You know we do background checks on everybody.”

“With all due respect, Jake, I think we are better off without him. I don’t need someone who thinks he can run this show. We are a team and we need to work together as one.”

“Okay, I will put him on Marcus’ team. By the way, you’re doing a great job and I am glad to see that you are happy again. You deserve it.”

“Thanks, boss. For both,” I said and walked out of his office and even though I was happy about having Dylan off my team, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

It was well after 6:00 p.m., and I was still in the office working on some changes Mr. Logan had requested. Braden had texted me earlier to let me know that he also had to work late. He was currently training his guys for the upcoming deployments and often had to work longer. Usually, I would’ve been worried about those long hours but I trusted Braden and knew that he would never betray me like Oliver had done.

Suddenly the door to my office opened and Dylan came in. I hadn’t realized he was still here, everyone had left hours ago. What was it with him? Why could he not leave me alone?

“So, I hear you feel threatened by me. Or why did you make Jake take me off your team?” He hovered over my desk way too close for comfort. I wasn’t going to lie, he was intimidating. He stood at about five feet ten inches and I knew from coworkers that he boxed in his free time. His jet black hair was combed back and was held back with way too much gel. To me he looked like a snake. His almost black eyes narrowed on me.