Rediscovering Peace (Military Love Book 1) (26 page)

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S
kye

A few weeks after our engagement, Braden and I closed on the house at the beach and were getting ready to move in. Between work and packing I was still seeing Dr. Ferguson two to three times a week but I was slowly getting better. The nightmares didn’t come as frequently anymore and when they did Braden was always right by my side to calm me down. He had attended one of my therapy sessions with me and finally told me all the details of the nightmare that was haunting him. He had been scared that I would judge him for his decisions but I assured him that none of it was his fault. He still didn’t fully believe it but we would get there in time. He was getting out of the army in less than a week and we were excited. He was currently clearing and getting all the paperwork for his ETS done. He was already enrolled in law school and would be starting about a month after he got out of the military. I was very proud of him for everything he was accomplishing.

Not too long ago I had received the money Oliver had left me. I took every cent of it and donated it to several organizations that helped families of fallen soldiers and soldiers who suffered from PTSD. Keeping the money had felt wrong to me, so this was the best thing to do. At least I knew it would be put to good use.

“Have you guys decided on a date for the wedding yet? I need to start planning your bachelorette party and stuff?” Faith asked me while helping me pack up the living room. She and Caige had found houses too that they would be moving to right after we moved. The moving company would be here in three days to pick up all our stuff.

“We haven’t decided yet. Braden wants to get married before the end of the year. I would like to wait till spring so the weather is nicer and we can actually have a beach wedding. I have always wanted that. Plus we could have the reception in our backyard. I don’t want a big wedding, just our immediate family, Caige, you, Seth and Paisley.”

“Didn’t you forget someone? Jordan and I are still together, you know.” She glared at me. I wasn’t going to tell her that I hoped he would be out of the picture by the time we got married. Not that I didn’t like him, but Faith wasn’t happy no matter how much she tried to convince me and herself.

“Oh yeah. Of course he is invited too. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“Huh?”

Faith was picking invisible lint of her jeans. She was nervous about something.

“Faith, what is it?”

“I asked Jordan to move in with me.” She finally blabbered out. Was she serious?

“Are you sure about that? That’s a huge step.”

“Yes I am sure. He treats me like a princess and though we might not have the crazy passionate love that Braden and you share, I am content. I do love him. In my own fucked up way.”

“Faith Livingston, you shouldn’t just be content. You should be over the moon happy. Does it feel like you can’t breathe if you just think about him leaving?”

“No.” Her focus was on the floor, she couldn’t even look me in the eyes.

“Then you shouldn’t be with him. You should be out there letting the one find you. The one who takes your breath away just looking at him. The one that gives you butterflies. The one who will carry the world on his shoulders for you.” I was getting mad.

“Life is not a fucking fairy tale, Skye. The one that gives me butterflies just at the thought of him is fucking married and not interested in me. Yeah, sure I was enough for a one night stand. But look around, he’s not here. He will never be. So what’s the point of putting myself out there if I know that there will never be anyone who I want as much as Seth? Jordan is safe. I like safe. After all the shit I have endured in my life I need it. Not everyone is as privileged as you to love and be loved in return. Jordan loves me and it feels good. Am I completely and utterly in love with him? No. But I will get there.”

I was sad for her. She deserved the best and more. I didn’t want to see her stuck with a guy that she didn’t truly love. That wasn’t fair to her or him. I knew there was no arguing with her. She had made up her mind and there was no changing it. She would have to find out on her own.

“Fine. If that’s what you want then I will support you. But just know I am not overly happy with your decision. I think it’s stupid but hey, it’s not my life.”

“You’re right it’s mine.” She ended the conversation and walked to her room. I heard the door slam and I slumped to the ground. Faith and I rarely fought, but I had a feeling our friendship just got a little strained. Hopefully I was wrong. She was my best friend and I would do anything for her, but I wouldn’t pretend I agreed with her when I didn’t. The front door opened and Caige and Braden walked in. The sight of the two instantly lightened my mood.

“Hey, baby. How was your day?” Braden leaned down to kiss me.

“It was okay. I got a lot of packing done. Taking the next few days off was definitely a good decision.”

“Where is Faith? I thought she was helping you?” Caige looked around the living room. Our life was packed up in boxes.

“She was. She is in her room. We had a little disagreement and I think she is mad at me.”

“Is it about Jordan moving in with her?” he asked.

“You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?” I glared at him. If Caige would’ve told me I could’ve maybe talked her out of asking Jordan to move in.

“Yes she told me. It wasn’t my place to tell you and I knew you would try to stop her. Skye, you need to let her make her own decisions whether you like them or not. I am not happy either but there’s nothing we can do. She will find out eventually. Jordan is not a bad guy. I just hate that he will get his heart broken sooner or later.”

“I guess you’re right.”

The three of us spent the rest of the evening sharing a few bottles of wine and packing some more. We were almost finished and just had necessities left to pack. Our apartment was a sea of boxes. They were everywhere. I was so glad we hired a moving company. I really didn’t want to carry all this stuff.

Braden and I decided to turn in for the night. We had a few long days ahead of us and I wanted to get some rest before the craziness began. After changing into a pair of shorts and one of Braden’s shirts, I settled in bed. Braden was right behind me and scooped me up in his arms.

“Have you thought anymore about a wedding date?” he asked me.

“Hmm... I was thinking a spring wedding.”

“No way, Jose. I am not waiting till spring. That’s six months away. Sorry, love, but that’s not happening.”

“But at least it will be warm and we can have the reception in our backyard. I don’t want to invite too many people so it would be perfect.”

“Babe, we are in Savannah, it doesn’t get that cold in the winter. We can put up a gazebo in our backyard and have those heater things just in case. I was thinking we could do a Christmas wedding and then have our honeymoon over New Year’s.”

“A Christmas wedding? I do kind of like that idea. Our families will already be spending it together anyways. I don’t know if I can get Paisley to fly here for Christmas though.”

“Are we still doing the beach wedding?”

“Yes. I always wanted to get married on the beach. It’s where I feel most at peace. But only if you’re okay with it.”

“Sweetheart, I will marry you in our living room in our PJs if that’s what you want. You get to choose the location. But as I said, I am not waiting till spring. The sooner you are my wife the better. Three months, that’s all you get.” He kissed me on the forehead.

“Well I guess I better start planning then. Have you decided on your best man?”

“Yes, I am going to ask Caige to be my best man and I want Seth to be the other groomsman. You have Faith as your maid of honor and Paisley as your bridesmaid, right?”

“Yes. I want to keep the wedding small. Only our family and closest friends. So it’ll only be our parents, Faith, Caige, Seth, Jordan and Paisley. Do we invite Seth’s wife?”

“Uh... I guess we should but I doubt she will come. She doesn’t exactly like me.”

“Okay, I will work on the invitations as soon as we are moved into our new house.”

“Perfect. I can’t wait for you to be Skye Parker. That’s all I ever wanted from the moment I met you. You complete me. I love you.”

“I love you too. Forever and always.”

We spent the rest of the night making love and after Braden brought me to multiple orgasms my body gave in to the exhaustion and I fell asleep in his arms. There was no place on earth I’d rather be.

Three days later, the movers were here and were loading our boxes up in trucks. Braden was delegating, Faith and I were cleaning the now empty apartment and Caige was helping the movers with the boxes. After we finished cleaning and getting the boxes loaded, Caige and Braden walked in with a six pack of beer.

“I guess it is real now. A new era starts today,” Caige said as he handed all of us a beer. I declined. I didn’t feel like drinking since I had been fighting nausea all morning. He lifted his eyebrow at me but didn’t say anything. I chose a bottle of water instead and we all reminisced in the times we had spent in this apartment.

“It’s crazy that our time here is over. We had a lot of fun here. Promise we will still all hang out regularly?” I looked at my friends. I was sad that I wouldn’t see them every day anymore. I had become so used to it. It would be hard to adjust to the new situation but our friendships were strong and we would manage just fine.

“Of course, we will have to have a dinner date at least once a week. It sucks that we won’t all live together anymore. I will miss you guys!” Faith exclaimed as she wiped away a tear.

We finished our drinks and hugged each other before we headed to our new houses to catch up with the movers. We all still had a long day ahead of us.

Braden and I arrived at the same time and the moving truck was already there waiting for us as were our parents. Braden’s dad had been released from rehab about two weeks ago and he was doing great. We had found him a house close to ours and had moved all his stuff before he came back. We wanted him to have a fresh start. All of the stuff that had belonged to Olivia was in a storage building we had rented and when time came, Michael could sort through it and keep what he wanted. For now though, we thought it was best if he wasn’t reminded of his late wife. We had furnished the new house with completely new furniture and would let him decorate it. He was attending AA meetings three times a week and he seemed to be on the right track. He told us he was taking it one day at a time but so far he had no desire to go back to drinking. I was grateful that the rehab had been successful. We still would keep an eye on things but I was confident that he would make a full recovery.

We unloaded the trucks and after a few hours all the boxes and our furniture were in our new home. I was exhausted but I wanted to start unpacking immediately. I had a wedding to plan and didn’t have time to spend days unpacking and decorating. Braden ordered pizzas and we sat around our new dining table with our parents enjoying each other’s company. Suddenly the nausea came back and I made it just in time to the bathroom to empty my stomach. What the hell? I hoped I wasn’t coming down with a stomach bug.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Braden had come in and I heard him turning on the water of the sink. He handed me a wet towel and I wiped my face with it. 

“I am fine. I’ve been nauseous all day but I already feel better now. It’s probably just all the stress from moving.”

“Okay. Our parents are about to leave. Do you want to come out and say goodbye or do you want to lie down?”

“I will be out in a minute. Can you bring me my purse? I put my cosmetic bag in there.”

He returned with my purse and left me to brush my teeth when realization hit me. I pulled out my calendar and did the math. Yup, my period was late. I realized then that I hadn’t taken my birth control after getting out of the hospital because I was off my cycle. Fuck. I wanted children with Braden but wasn’t this too soon?

I walked out of the bathroom to find our family heading out the door.

“Braden, I have to run to the store real quick. I will be back in a few.”