My Daddy is a Hero: Gunnery Ser-

geant Aidan Brooks

Copyright © April 2012 Dahlia Rose

Cover Art by For the Muses Design

ISBN 978-1-936668-78-6

All rights are reserved. No part of this may

be used or reproduced in any manner what-

soever without written permission, except in

the case of brief quotations embodied in crit-

ical articles and reviews.

Chapter One

The nightclub in Charlotte, North Caro-

lina was jumping. Maybe it was because it
was filled with Marines on leave or because it
was the perfect Saturday night where the
wind was cool and you could smell summer
in the air. Twenty-seven-year-old Cherish
Walker already had her guy and he was a
definite keeper. They clicked from the time
he asked her to dance and he was at the bar
getting them a few drinks while she sat at the
table with his buddy. Gunny Aidan Brooks
was sexy as hell with green eyes that held
laughter and a jaw line that looked as if it
was sculpted by the gods. He was thirty four
and had a career in the military, first signing
up when he was eighteen years old. His arms
were huge, and she could imagine being held
in them. If she even thought about his abs,
they wouldn’t get past the drinks. His buddy,
on the other hand, was a slime ball. Jose
Rodriguez knew full well that she had a thing

3/152

for Aidan yet he still insisted on hitting on
her behind his friend’s back. It was like he
couldn’t understand why she liked Aidan
over him, and as the night progressed she
liked him less and less.

“So when are you going to let me take you

home?” Jose asked.

“The twelfth of never,” she answered in-

stantly. “Listen, can’t you see I’m into your
friend?”

Jose laughed. “Can’t you see I could give

you a better ride than he ever could, baby?”

He reached out to touch her hand and

Cherish gave him a cold look. “If you touch
me I’ll taser you in the balls and fry those
boys.”

4/152

Jose grinned, but it didn’t travel to his

eyes. “Okay, baby, I get when I’m not
wanted.”

“Obviously not,” she retorted and got up

to find Aidan. “Don’t wait up for your friend;
we’ll be hanging out all night.”

“Bitch.”

Even over the music she heard his words.

Cherish knew that Jose wanted her to hear
him, but didn’t care. She met Aidan in the
middle of the crowded dance floor and stood
on her tippy toes to kiss him. He put the
drinks he was holding on the table closest to
him and pulled her in for a searing kiss that
left her breathless.

When he broke the kiss, she whispered

close to his ear so he could hear her. “I don’t
usually do this. In fact, I never have, but I

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feel a connection with you. Aidan, come back
to my place.”

“Let me just tell Jose I’m out.” His green

eyes darkened with desire.

“I already told him we were leaving.”

Cherish took his hand and pulled him out in-
to the cool Charlotte night.

The streets were pulsating with people

and music as they walked.

Aidan put an arm around her waist and

pulled her closer before teasing, “You’re not
using me as a one night stand, are you?”

“Do I look like that type of girl?” Cherish

asked.

“You never know. You might just want

me for my righteous body,” Aidan said.

6/152

“Righteous?” Laughter spilled from Cher-

ish’s lips. “Trust me. I want more than that.”

“Good because when we head out in the

morning, I want to see my e-mail inbox filled
with messages from you while I’m gone,”
Aidan said. “I’ll call you whenever I can.”

“Don’t all the soldiers heading out say

that for a night of sex with an unknown wo-
man?” Cherish questioned.

“I don’t,” he said huskily. “I feel

something with you, and I’d like to see where
it goes. Plus, you invited me, remember?”

“That’s because I’m a woman who knows

what she wants,” Cherish said, wrapping her
arms around his waist. “And I want you.”

Another two blocks to the second ward

area of Charlotte and they arrived at her
place. It was in one of the new high rise

7/152

condo units that were built around the city.
And the cost was upwards of three hundred
thousand dollars. Cherish had bought her
condo for the full price, paid in full.

Aidan whistled. “You live here? The rent

must be out of this world.”

“I own my place,” Cherish replied and

used her key card to get into the lobby.

“Maybe I should ask what you do for a

living.” Aidan followed her inside.

“I’m a clothing designer, and I own my

own boutiques.”

“I’d like see your work sometime.” Aidan

kissed her fingers before they took the stairs.
“I knew these hands were perfect for a
reason.”

8/152

Cherish shook her head. “You are com-

pletely different than the other men I know.
Most guys are uncomfortable that I make
more money than they do.”

He shrugged. “If a man can’t be secure in

himself, it’s on his head. If he’s not happy, he
should go for his dream. You did it and good
show. Why would I fault you for being
successful?”

Cherish felt a little breathless and it

wasn’t because of taking the stairs. Aidan
Brooks was that perfect fit she had been
looking for in her life. The thought of him
going away to Afghanistan caused tears to
prick her eyes. They would make tonight spe-
cial, and then they would have time to learn
about each other from thousands of miles
away. She had never been one to believe in
love at first sight, but then she met Aidan
and love seemed to punch its way into her
heart.

9/152

Once they got to the fourth floor they

walked down a lushly carpeted hallway. She
stopped at room 419, unlocked the door, and
led Aidan inside. When the door snapped
shut behind him, she looked up and felt her
heart hitch as she gazed into deep, bottom-
less green eyes. He took one step forward
and she took one step back. A sexy smile
spread across his face as he moved again.
Their little dance continued until she was up
against the wall next to her bedroom door.

“Where are you going to go now?” he

growled softly.

“I guess you caught me,” Cherish said

seductively.

He chuckled as he lowered his head to

hers and their lips met. Cherish dug her fin-
gers into his hair and felt like she was hold-
ing electricity in the palm of her hand. Every
part of her tingled as she touched him and

10/152

their tongues parried and played. The barrier
of their clothing kept her flesh from meeting
his. Cherish pressed her body closer to his,
wanting to feel more. As he kissed her, he
undid the tiny row of buttons on her halter
top blouse and trailed his mouth down her
neck to her breasts. She gasped as his hot
mouth closed over her nipple while he took
the other smooth mound in his hand and
rubbed the nipple with his thumb.

“I want to be naked so you can touch me

everywhere,” she panted.

“I’ll get there, but not quite yet,” he

murmured.

His breath was hot on her stomach as his

tongue paved a path around her belly button
and she felt his hands underneath her short
skirt, cupping the cheeks of her ass. She
worked at the zipper and buttons and the
fabric pooled at her feet. Aidan was on his

11/152

knees and he looked up at her with dark de-
sire in his eyes. His eyes never left hers as he
parted her legs and rubbed her clit through
the fabric of her panties. Her hips arched to-
wards his fingers, seeking more of the pleas-
ure he offered. He gave her more than
that—he bent his head and she felt his mouth
on her through her panties. Cherish
whimpered and held his head to her. She
wanted to feel his mouth on her skin.

She pulled her panties down until they

fell around her ankles. “There, now you can
take all you want.”

He gave a soft growl in the back of his

throat, one that made her shiver with need.
His hot mouth pressed against the shaved
skin of her pussy and she bucked against
him. His tongue licked between the folds of
flesh before he spread the lips of her pussy
and sucked on her clit. She wanted to slide
down the wall as sheer pleasure coursed

12/152

through her. As if sensing the weakness in
her knees, he removed his mouth to pull her
down to the floor with him. He kissed her,
his lips and tongue demanding entrance into
her mouth and she could taste her essence
on his lips.

“You taste sweet, like peaches. I think I’m

addicted,” he teased.

She struggled with his shirt, and he

moved away long enough to drag it over his
head and toss it aside. She didn’t care that
they were on the floor outside her bedroom
and not on her king-sized bed. Looking at his
hard muscled body, she could practically feel
her mouth watering.

“I want you completely naked,” she

demanded.

13/152

He took the rest of his clothes off and

came back to her on the carpeted floor.
“Should we head to your bedroom?”

“If you can wait that long,” Cherish

teased, feeling wanton, and ran her hand
down her body. “I don’t think I can.”

“Damn, I’m the luckiest man in the world

meeting you,” he said huskily and nipped at
her lips.

“I like hearing that.” Cherish stroked his

shoulders. “Show me how much.”

The next kiss seared him into her senses

until nothing else mattered. His hands
stroked and massaged her body until she
hungered for him even more. Cherish felt his
hand delve between her legs and cup the
mound of her pussy. His finger stroked and
teased

between

the

wet

slit

before

14/152

penetrating her with his finger and she
moaned against his mouth.

She lifted her head and watched as he

used his fingers to please her. “Damn, you’re
so tight and wet.”

“Oh, Aidan, please,” she moaned.

“Please what?” His husky voice was

against her ear. “Tell me what you need,
baby girl.”

“Use your fingers to make me come,”

Cherish pleaded.

“Look at me. I want to see you go over

that edge.”

She couldn’t resist even if she wanted to.

Cherish was drawn to the green-eyed gaze of
her sexy soldier. In her heart she already
considered Aidan hers and opened herself up

15/152

to him completely. “Oh, God, yes,” she cried
out as he buried his fingers deep inside her.
But Aidan was going to drive her mad, be-
cause he moved his fingers in a slow, deliber-
ate way.

He kept that pace until she begged.

“Harder. I need more!”

“You’re a very bad girl. You want to come

all over my hand, don’t you?” The need was
now evident in his voice as he spoke.

“Yes. Oh, yes, Aidan,” she panted and her

hips followed the rhythm of his hands.

His cock was hard as steel and pressed

against her thigh. She stroked his length,
hoping to give him as much pleasure as he
was giving her. Looking at his face, she could
see he was excited and could feel it in the
tense muscles of his body. He used two fin-
gers now, sliding them deeper, faster and her

16/152

head fell back as ecstasy coursed through
her. She could feel the orgasm building in-
side her, tightening to the point she could
hardly bear it, yet she craved more and
didn’t want it to end. She spread her legs
wider, taking more of his fingers. By now,
she was not able to hold back and a cry es-
caped her lips. She dug her fingers into the
soft carpet beneath her to anchor herself in
the storm of passion that was crashing
through her body. Her hips rose and fell in a
frantic pace. She pushed against his fingers
wildly as her body reached the pinnacle of
desire. Drawn tight like a bow, and with a
scream, the band of need inside her snapped
and she orgasmed with his name on her lips.

“Oh, Cherish. Damn, baby, I could watch

you do that a thousand times and it would al-
ways make me want to fuck you,” Aidan said
roughly.

17/152

“My turn,” Cherish said. “I want to taste

you.”

She pushed him back and knelt between

his legs. She took the hard length of him in
her hand and stroked, watching his neck
arch and tense at her touch. A low moan es-
caped his lips at her ministrations. She bent
low, licked the tip of his cock slowly then ran
her tongue down the erect shaft. Inch by
pleasurable inch, she took the entire length
of him into her mouth. She sucked and
swirled her tongue around the tip, tasting his
pre-come and moaning as the taste of him
sent a bolt of need through her wet pussy.
Aidan grabbed her head and she slid his cock
in and out between her lips.

“You are so good. God, yes, baby, show

me how much you want me,” he groaned.

His body tightened and she loved watch-

ing the strong muscles of his thighs bunch

18/152

and tense as she used her mouth to please
him. He pulled away suddenly, breathing
harshly and his eyes were dark with pleasure.

“If I didn’t stop you, I’d have come in

your mouth and I plan to be buried deep in-
side you when that happens,” Aidan said.

He pulled her to her knees and devoured

her lips in a kiss before he turned her around
and bent her over. On her hands and knees
she could feel his erection against her ass
and wiggled in anticipation. Cherish moaned
in excitement when she felt the tip of his
cock against the entrance of her pussy. Aidan
ran the tip of his cock up and down her slit
until she moaned in frustration. With one
smooth thrust he filled her and she cried out
his name.

“Oh, Cherish, you feel so damn good,” he

muttered.

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This time he didn’t tease her; he pumped

into her at a feverish pace that made her feel
hot all over. The noises their bodies made as
he took her were primal. He reached around
to cup her breasts while he fucked her. “Yes,
yes, yes,” Cherish chanted the words over
and over again. The pleasure had built up
again to a point where it could hold no
longer and took her over the edge. She came
hard and still the sensation and pleasure
continued, one after the other in waves that
seemed to never end. She’d never felt like
this before; didn’t know her body could
reach heights of ecstasy that Aidan was tak-
ing her to. Her pussy had become so wet, li-
quid ran down her thighs.

“Cherish, I can’t hold back,” he groaned.

She felt his cock jump inside her as his
thrusts increased.

20/152

“You don’t have to. Let go, Aidan.” She

reached between her legs to cup his balls and
squeezed them gently.

“Fuck yes!” With a loud, harsh cry, he

grabbed her hips and pumped into her mer-
cilessly. She felt his come fill her with each
thrust until nothing was left and they both
slumped to the carpet, sweaty, damp and
completely sated in the aftermath of their
coupling.

Aidan picked her up and carried her to

the bedroom. “We finally made it to the bed,”
he said and she giggled. In the bathroom
connected to her room, he found towels and
cleaned them both up before slipping
between the sheets and pulling her into his
arms. Cherish could see herself being held by
him like this for the rest of her life. She slept
in his arms, and they made love twice more
that night and each time it was just as amaz-
ing as the first. She wished she could push

21/152

the sunrise away when he got up to get
dressed. She wanted the magical world they
had created to last forever. She watched him
as he dressed, and he knelt beside her on the
bed and gave her a long, lingering kiss.

“You have my number, e-mail and

everything, right?” he asked and then teased,
“Don’t throw them away as soon as I’m out
the door.”

“I would never do that. This thing

between us is crazy and exciting.” She
laughed and then caressed his cheek. “I want
to see where it leads, so you better bring your
butt home to me, soldier.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Yes,

ma’am. I’ll call you when I get settled and
send you a mailing address and all that. See
you soon, peaches.”

22/152

“You’re really going to stick with that

nickname, aren’t you?” She laughed.

“Damn right, and you’re mine,” he

replied and kissed her once more. “Bye.”

She walked him to the door wrapped in a

sheet. “Be safe,” she said as she locked the
door behind him. Tears threatened to fall as
she went back to the bedroom and lay back
on the pillow that held his scent.

She had found the one, the perfect guy,

and he had to leave for nine months. She
hoped the time would fly by because she
missed him already. She turned over and
tried to get some sleep. Aidan’s face filled her
dreams, and she welcomed it gratefully.

* * * *

23/152

Aidan finally got on the plane and looked

down the aisle at all the seats. It was a sea of
green—soldiers in uniform and it was his
platoon heading out for their tour in Afgh-
anistan. For him, it was his third, but some
of the faces were so new and fresh he felt
sorry for them. He pushed that aside, telling
himself that they knew what they had signed
up for when they scribbled their name on the
dotted line. Realistically, he knew none of
them had a clue what to expect because no
training could prepare them for what they
were about to see. They wouldn’t be so inno-
cent when they came back, and he was de-
termined to make sure they all came back
alive.

The bright spot was that he now had

someone he would be coming home to. Cher-
ish’s face flashed in his mind and he
chuckled. He certainly didn’t expect to meet

24/152

her and end up in her bed last night. Nor did
he expect his heart to beat like a snare drum
when he looked into her eyes. She was gor-
geous; brown satin eyes and full lips that
begged to be kissed. Her body was drop
dead, make-your-cock-hard amazing. He re-
called kissing all the way up those long,
ebony legs and tasting her essence. He could
still feel her skin beneath his hand; she was
silky smooth. He couldn’t wait to see her
again. Nine months seemed like a lifetime.

“You look like a cat that ate the cream,”

Jose said from behind him.

“Yeah?” Aidan asked and grinned.

“Maybe I did.”

“You tapped that too, huh? Good for you.

You need a taste.” Jose started to move past
him down the aisle, but Aidan put his hand
on his shoulder to stop him.

25/152

“What do you mean ‘tapped that too?’”

He didn’t know why he asked. He didn’t
want to let whatever Jose was about to say
ruin his good mood and his feelings for
Cherish.

“I mean Friday night when I went out

without you I hooked up with her in the
same bar,” Jose replied. “I know I should’ve
told you, but she is a sweet piece of ass, man.
I thought you should sample it too before
you head out. So I kept my mouth shut.”

Anger punched through him and he

wanted to smash Jose’s face in for touching
Cherish. How could he? He obviously didn’t
know her like he thought he did, and on top
of it she was a liar. If she slept with Jose and
then him, she was not the woman he wanted
in his life. Disappointment mixed with anger.
You’re a fool, he berated himself. He was
thinking he’d found something special and

26/152

Jose tarnished it. He wasn’t that lucky, never
was, and never would be.

“You going to sit with me?” Jose asked.

Aidan almost laughed at his friend’s obli-

viousness to the situation. Jose would prob-
ably want to share intimate secrets about his
night with Cherish and compare notes. Aidan
knew the type of guy Jose was and didn’t
want to spend the long flight seeing who had
kissed the birthmark on her lower back first.
He couldn’t sit with him, not right now. He
just wanted—needed—to be by himself.

“You go ahead and grab your seat, man.

I’ll sit up front and calm down the greenies.”
Aidan forced a smile.

“Suit yourself, man. You don’t seem too

upset we shared the chick,” Jose said.

27/152

“Like you said, she was a sweet piece,”

Aidan replied.

He turned and walked to an empty seat

next to a kid who was so new he looked like
he should be eating cereal at his mom’s table.
Just another piece. He said the words in his
head and knew it would be a long time be-
fore he believed them. Cherish wasn’t who
she said she was, and he wondered how
many more men or soldiers she’d picked up
in that bar. In his pocket he had her address
and telephone number tucked away so he
wouldn’t lose them. He dug his hand in his
pocket and crushed the paper but was not
able to throw it away. Instead, he left the
crumpled ball in his pocket and thought
about what could’ve been.

28/152

Chapter Two

Cherish came home and, like she usually

did, checked her e-mail. Still nothing. The
futility of the situation made her want to cry.
Had their night together been a joke? Maybe
everything she had felt for him and still did
was a myth because since Aidan had left she
hadn’t heard a word and all her e-mails to
him went unanswered. But she had to talk to
him to let him know what was going on.
After all, a man should know when he was
going to be a father in several months. She
sat down and rubbed the little round bump
of her lower stomach. Three months preg-
nant and she was excited to be a mom. She
worried about how Aidan would take it, yet
he had to know. If he was avoiding her calls
because that night meant nothing to him, she
would learn to deal with it. Still, she would

give him the opportunity to be in his child’s
life.

She came upon a plan while she was in

the boutique that afternoon. She was in the
middle of a fun project that reflected her
life—designing a line of maternity wear that
was casual, comfortable and sexy—when she
recalled him telling her that sometimes
people used phone cards to call the prepaid
phones soldiers were allowed to have. She
bought one on her way home and now she
sat on the bed and played with the worn
piece of paper that held his information. “I
hope this works,” she muttered and
scratched out the silver coating to reveal a
code to punch in the phone. She tapped her
fingers impatiently as she waited for the
phone to connect and then it began to ring.
Once, twice, then three times and another
and she thought it was going to go to vo-
icemail when she finally heard his husky
voice.

30/152

“Gunny Brooks. Who is this? And it bet-

ter not be another damn wrong number,” he
said.

“A-Aidan, it’s me, Cherish,” she said with

a little laugh. “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah, you did,” he replied. His tone was

clipped.

“I’ve been trying to reach you. You never

answered my e-mails,” she said.

“I didn’t have anything to say,” he

replied.

Okay, so it was a booty call, she thought

as she rubbed her baby bump and willed her-
self not to cry.

“Okay, then I’ll get right to it.” She took a

breath. “I’m pregnant, and I thought you
should know.”

31/152

“Why are you telling me?” Aidan asked.

“B-because

you’re

the

father,”

she

stammered, unable to believe what she was
hearing. Anger began to boil inside her. “I
thought you might want to know you’re go-
ing to be a dad.”

“Maybe you should call one of the other

men you were sleeping with,” he snapped.

“Excuse me?” she said slowly. In her head

she began to count, trying to hold in her
temper.

“You know, like my boy Jose who you

slept with the night before you got me into
bed.” Aidan’s voice was cold. “I can give you
his number. You should call him and give
him the news.”

“So your friend told you I slept with

him?” she asked.

32/152

“Yeah, he said you were great. Did you

give him the same treatment you gave me?”
he asked nastily.

Her temper came out in droves. “You bet-

ter check your boy, Aidan, because I would
never let that piece of shit between my legs.
He hit on me while you were at the bar get-
ting drinks that night and I shut him down.”
She took a breath, trying to calm herself. “In
fact, he told me I should drop the zero and
stick with the hero, and what did I do? I told
him I would fry his nuts if he touched my
hand again. He is slime and if he told you
that, he is no friend to you in the least. Oh,
and you could have asked me for the truth,
but you chose to believe pond scum over me.
What they say is true, right? Bros before
hoes. That must be the soldier mission state-
ment. And he is the lowest of the low. He
strikes me as the type that thinks he can get
any woman he wants. Here I was thinking
you and I had a connection, but I was so very

33/152

wrong. I need a man, not a boy who believes
gossip.” Hot angry tears began to fall down
her cheeks. She swiped them away. “Believe
what you want. I no longer care. Oh, and
P.S.: I never wanted anything from you.
You’ve seen where I live. Your paycheck
means nothing to me, if you think that’s
what I’m after. I can take care of my baby. I
just thought you should know. Use the in-
formation however you want to, but as for
me, I never want to see or hear from you
again. We don’t need you.”

She hung up without waiting for an an-

swer. If he could believe she slept with his
friend, Gunny Sergeant Aidan Brooks could
kick rocks. She would never regret their
night together because now her true love was
resting comfortably in her belly. Many wo-
men have been single mothers before and
their kids turned out just fine.

34/152

“Don’t worry, baby. Mommy will never let

you down. We’ve got this,” she whispered
and lay back on the bed.

Tears streamed down her face and Cher-

ish didn’t even try to wipe them away. She
was crying because she felt so damn stupid
for expecting more from a one night stand.
She lay on her bed for the longest time,
mourning something that was never there.
When she got up, she would put him out of
her mind and move on with her life. That
was the kind of woman she was. She
wouldn’t think about him anymore. Aidan
was out of her life.

* * * *

35/152

Aidan looked at the phone and then

threw it across the room in anger. As it
smashed against the wall and shattered into
pieces he regretted the action. Cherish was
pregnant and she thought he was the father.
The thought thrilled him and yet he was also
dealing with the thought that she’d slept with
Jose. Her words rang true; Jose was a dog
when it came to women. He’d known the guy
for ten years and called him a close friend.
Anytime they hung out there was a different
woman on his arm and some of them were
skanky as hell. It burned him to no end to
think such a classy lady like Cherish had
slept with Jose. But maybe she hadn’t after
all, and then the question was why would
Jose lie? Because she shot him down. Would
he go that far over petty jealousy? Yes. The
simple answer came to him without too
much thought. He’d been so angry on that
plane and for the last three months had

36/152

worked to forget Cherish. Had he been
wrong this entire time?

Aidan looked at the time; it was late af-

ternoon for her and early morning for him.
He had two days of leave since he’d come
back in from back-to-back convoys. Leave in
Afghanistan meant fueling up with food and
catching up on sleep. He was thinking about
catching a movie on his laptop or going out-
side and whipping some kids’ asses in a soc-
cer game. But instead, he formulated a plan
to find out who was lying. He’d showered
when they came in to the FOB, which was
the shortened way of saying Forward Opera-
tions Base. Back-to-back missions left him
feeling grimy, and as tired as he was, he’d
still rather be clean. Aidan got dressed in his
uniform and picked up his weapon before
heading out of his sleeping quarters. He
jogged over to the motor pool where Jose
worked. Music was playing and he saw a pair
of legs moving to the beat even though the

37/152

rest of the body was under a truck. Aidan
heard a metal clank and a few choice curse
words. Aidan banged his fist on the side of
the truck and cursing came to his ears again.

“Jose, are you letting that truck beat

you?” he called.

He heard the roll of the wheels of the

creeper that Jose was lying on as he pushed
himself out from under the truck. “Someone
should tell Uncle Sam we can only fix parts
so many times before we need new ones. I’ve
welded this fucking oil pan seven times
already and still the new one I requisitioned
for is not here yet.”

“That’s the life of a marine—slow like

molasses until the shit hits the fan.” Aidan
smiled, though inside he was a jangle of
nerves.

38/152

“What’s good, man? I saw you roll out

twice,” Jose said as he pulled a huge metal
tool box over to the truck.

“Yeah, we met up on at least two roads

that were riddled with IEDs. Slow fucking
going.” Aidan wasn’t lying there. “Hey, so
Cherish called me and I gave her your
number.”

Jose stopped cleaning a wrench and

looked at Aidan. “Why would you do a thing
like that? You know me, man, I just bang ‘em
and hang ‘em out.”

“Well, not in this case, buddy. She’s preg-

nant and if her numbers are correct, you’re
going to be a dad.”

Aidan watched Jose’s face carefully, look-

ing for a sign of deceit and he found it. It was
there in a flare of alarm and the subtle twitch
over his right eye when he was lying. He had

39/152

learned that a while back when they were
playing poker and he looked for that facial
jerk to see if Jose was bluffing. At that point,
Aidan knew his friend had been lying out of
his ass all along.

“Yo, man, I’m not a daddy to no one,”

Jose said. “Fuck if she is dipping her hand in
my check every month.”

“Well, you can’t stop it if she goes to com-

mand. They will make you pay up,” Aidan re-
minded him. “She can get a paternity test
and take you to the bank.”

“Fuck that shit. I never slept with that

chick. Ain’t no way she taking my pay,” Jose
said angrily. “I will fight her ass on this tooth
and nail because…” Jose caught what he said
and slowly lifted his head to look at Aidan.

“So you were lying when you said you

slept with her, and she was telling the truth,”

40/152

Aidan’s voice was deadly calm. “And we’re
friends, right? Yet you thought to fuck with
the one good thing that happened to me in a
long time. Three months I’ve been avoiding
her e-mails and I still have each one. But all I
could think about was how you slept with her
and I couldn’t get past that.”

“Look, man, I’m sorry.” Jose spread his

arms. “She knocked me on the floor when I
was trying to hit on her, and I wanted to get
some payback is all.”

“At my expense. I wanted to build

something real with her. Shit, she’s carrying
my kid and I treated her like crap!” Aidan
shouted.

“Whose says it’s yours?” Jose demanded.

“She could have been fucking anyone.”

“Because she’s not one of the gutter rats

you mess around with, that’s why.” Aidan

41/152

was no longer able to control himself. He
rushed him and grabbed Jose by the collar.
“Don’t even play that, Jose. She told me
everything you said. And I thought, ten years
of friendship, no, Jose would never do that to
me. You cocksucker, I should punch your
face right in. I should pound you into the
ground for this. God knows I refuse to go to
the stockade or take a demotion for your
sorry ass, but you can be assured I’m going
to see you stateside when we get back and
I’m going to beat the crap out of you.”

“Aidan, you know I am a man. If you

need to take a swing, go ahead. I’ll take it,”
Jose said. “Let’s put this behind us, man.”

“Not so easy to do,” Aidan said and

shoved him away. “You see me on this FOB
for the rest of this tour, walk in the other dir-
ection. When we get back to Lejeune, you
fucking put in to be transferred out of my
unit.”

42/152

“You can’t be serious,” Jose said.

“Dead serious. I’m heading to the com-

mand now to put in the request myself. And
this little tidbit will get around. You’re no
friend I need at my back or at the back of any
of my men,” Aidan replied.

“You’re going to fuck with my career for

some black chick in a short skirt?” Jose
sputtered angrily. “You’re gonna give her
your money for a kid that might not be
yours?”

Aidan grabbed him once more. “If that’s

what you have to say, that shows right there
the kind of person you are. You wouldn’t
know, but she freaking takes care of herself
and owns her own business. She didn’t need
anything from me. She’s not some chick I
banged; Cherish is the mother of my child.”
He pushed Jose away and fixed him with a

43/152

deadly stare. Specialist First Class Rodrig-
uez, you may get back to work.”

Jose turned, and Aidan stopped him with

cold words. “You salute and respect your
commanding officer when you’re addressed,
soldier. I said you may get back to work, Spe-
cialist First Class Rodriguez.”

Jose’s face was full of anger, yet he came

to attention and saluted. “Sir, yes, sir!”

“That’s how you do it,” Aidan said coldly

and walked away.

True to his word, he put in a request for

Jose to be transferred. It would be processed
and handled by the time they got back
stateside. That was a minor problem. The
bigger issue would be getting back into Cher-
ish’s life. He smiled when he thought of her
and the baby. My God, I’m going to be a
father. He went to the recreation room to

44/152

place a call to Cherish, hoping she would an-
swer. When he got her voicemail, he knew
the task of getting her forgiveness would be
monumental.

45/152

Chapter Three

Six and a half months. That’s how long

Aidan had been trying to reach out to Cher-
ish. The worm had turned and now she was
the one who wouldn’t answer e-mails, phone
calls and he didn’t even know where her
boutique was located so he could get the
number. In between missions he was desper-
ate, trying to get some kind of response from
her. Each day he wondered how big his child
was inside her and if she was having a
healthy pregnancy. So, needless to say, by
the time he got back to North Carolina he
was frantic. He’d barely landed on base be-
fore he got permission to leave and hauled
ass from Lejeune to Charlotte. In all that
time traveling back, he had planned out how
he would talk to her and ask for her forgive-
ness. He’d jumped to conclusions big time.

The four-hour drive seemed to take forever.
A sense of relief flooded through him when
he took the exit for Uptown, Charlotte and a
few minutes later he found himself in front
of her condo.

He parked his car in a spot close to her

building and locked it before jogging down
the street. Flowers. I forgot the flowers! He
ran back to the car and opened the door to
grab them off the passenger seat. He looked
at his sleek, low mustang and realized
something. He was a dad now, and he would
need a bigger vehicle that could fit a car seat.
He was just about to press the button to ring
her condo when an older woman walked out.
She had Cherish’s coloring and a hurried
look on her face.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. Would you

mind letting me through the door so I can
get to 419?” he asked politely.

47/152

“That’s my daughter’s place. Who are

you?” she asked

Her mother! Ah, shit, not the way I

wanted to meet her. Aidan pulled off his ber-
et and held it to his side. “I’m Gunny Ser-
geant Aidan Brooks, ma’am. I’m the father of
your daughter’s child. I mean your grand-
child. I mean…” He shook his head. “I’m
sorry, I’m frantic. I’ve been trying to reach
her for over six months and she refuses to
answer my calls or anything.”

“Cherish can be stubborn,” her mother

said mildly and held out her hand. “I’m Den-
ise Walker.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Aidan shook

her hand.

“Can you please take me upstairs to see

her? I know you don’t know me, but we’ve
got so much to talk about.” Aidan ran his

48/152

hand through his hair. For some reason, the
whole story came pouring out of his mouth
in one big rush. He took a breath at the end
and said, “This is why I need to see her. I
want to be in her life and our kid’s life. I nev-
er had a family until I was fifteen and my ad-
opted parents took me in. I will not have my
kid not knowing who his or her father is.”

Denise patted his hand sympathetically.

“You have sucky friends, dear.”

He sighed. “Yes, ma’am, I do, but he is no

longer my friend. So will you help me? I
know you don’t know me from Adam, but I
swear I mean her no harm. And after we talk,
I swear I won’t budge while you grill me
about my life. Anything you want to know,
I’ll tell you.”

“I’ll hold you to that, but you can’t see her

here,” Denise said and came off the step so
the door locked closed behind her.

49/152

Aidan felt his hopes had been dashed

against the cold, cement ground. “Well, I’ll
camp out on these steps until she comes
downstairs.”

Denise looked at him and grinned. “I’m

sure you would, but it wouldn’t make a dif-
ference. She’s at the hospital in labor. I came
to pick up her bag.”

He felt a buzzing in his head and leaned

against the wall. “Um, what?”

“In a few hours you’re going to be a dad,

so we better get a move on so we don’t miss
the birth.”

“What do I do with these?” he asked and

held up the flowers.

“Bring them, dear. Women like getting

flowers,” Denise said kindly. “Get in your car
and follow me. I’m driving the red Navigator.

50/152

In fact, maybe you should ride with me. I
don’t think I want you driving in traffic right
now. You look like you’ve lost all your color.”

“I thought I would have time to talk to

her or prepare before the baby came.” He
managed to get the words out, but winced
when his voice sounded like a croak to his
own ears.

Denise laughed and patted his arm. “It’s a

baby. You’re not preparing for a hurricane.
Come on, let’s go. Cherish never told me any-
thing

about

you

so

this

should

be

interesting.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

She waved his appreciation away. “Don’t

thank me, and please call me Denise. Ma’am
makes me feel old, and I’m not in a re-
tirement home yet and hopefully won’t be

51/152

any time in the distant future for that
matter.”

They got into her SUV and she pulled

away from the curb. Cherish was having the
baby at Carolina Medical Hospital and after
going through security downstairs, they went
up to the third floor where the labor and de-
livery ward was located. At the nurses’ sta-
tion, he received a parking slip for
soon-to-be dads and a wristband with Cher-
ish’s information on it. The nurse informed
him that after the baby was born he would
have at least three more on his wrist. She ex-
plained that it was a way to protect the ba-
bies from being stolen at birth. Each time he
or Cherish saw the baby their bands would
be scanned and matched to the one on the
baby’s ankle. He took the information in,
even though it was all swirling around, jum-
bling up in his head. He was scared, nervous,
excited, and a bunch of other emotions all at

52/152

the same time—something he had never felt
before.

If Cherish wanted him to leave would

they kick him out? The thought of having
that band stripped from his wrist scared him.
It would be like saying he wasn’t allowed to
be a father. He followed Denise down the
hall and felt frozen in place when she opened
a door and slipped inside. He took a few
deep breaths, and when he had gathered
himself, he stepped inside. Cherish looked
like a totally different person. For one, she
had a huge belly sticking out from under the
sheets. Machines were beeping and making
fast thumping sounds. Cherish was cursing,
then moaning, then cursing again and her
hair was disheveled. When she looked up
and saw him in his uniform she glowered at
him and her mouth became a firm line of
unhappiness.

53/152

“What’s he doing here? Mom, what did

you do?” Cherish demanded to know.

“I didn’t do anything. I found him outside

your place,” Denise said.

“Well, he can’t stay. I don’t want him

here,” she muttered as she rubbed her belly.
“This baby is trying to rip its way out my
body like an alien. I have no time for him
and whatever crap he’s slinging.”

“It’s my child, too, Cherish. I wanted to

be here,” he said quietly and stepped
forward.

She gave a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, really? I

thought I was a slut who had been sleeping
around.”

The nurse came in with a cup of ice chips

just as Cherish said those words. She hesit-
ated and then walked over to the bed. “Okay,

54/152

sweetie, here’s the ice chips. How are you
feeling?”

“I feel like something is trying to claw its

way out of me and my vagina is about to ex-
plode,” Cherish said irritably. “How do you
think I’m feeling?”

“Cherish Georgia Walker, do not talk to

this nice lady like that,” Denise said in shock.

The nurse laughed. “I’ve heard worse.

She’s trying to do this naturally, so no pain
meds means grumpy mom.” She patted
Cherish’s shoulder. “I’ll have the doctor
come in and check you in half an hour.
You’re progressing nicely and the baby’s
heartbeat is strong.”

“Excuse me, but which one is the baby’s

heart beat?” Aidan asked.

55/152

“It’s the loud fast thump you’ve been

hearing, dear. A baby’s heart beats faster
than normal in the womb,” the nurse ex-
plained. “Look at that monitor with the tiny
heart icon over it. We watch that for any de-
crease in the speed to know if the baby is in
distress.”

“Does that happen a lot? Distress, I

mean?” Aidan asked worriedly.

“Not very often. Don’t worry, soldier.

Momma and baby are just fine.” The nurse
patted his arm as she walked out of the
room.

“Way to reassure him,” Cherish said to

the nurse’s retreating figure and gave a
thumb up. “He’s a real trooper even though
he accused me of being the town whore and
saying the baby belonged to his best friend.”

56/152

“Jose told me the truth, and he is no

longer my friend,” Aidan answered and took
a step closer to the bed.

“Oh, joy. Your slime ball friend admitted

he’s a disgusting liar. Let me get out of bed
and dance through the hallway,” she
snapped. “Big woop. You could’ve asked me.
For three months you avoided me on the
premise of a lie. I want you out of here. Let
me deliver my baby in peace.”

He tried to take her hand, but Cherish

snatched it away. Definitely not going to be
easy, he thought and sighed. “I’m so sorry,
Cherish. If you read any of my e-mails you
would’ve seen how many times I’ve apolo-
gized and begged you to answer your phone.
It was hell over there thinking you were here
alone going through this by yourself. I
wanted you to tell me when the baby first
moved and kicked, and I asked about doctor
appointments. Please, peaches. I’m sorry.”

57/152

“It’s been hell for you, huh? Somehow I

don’t feel very bad for you since I was the
one actually dealing with a pregnancy.” She
sighed. “I’m tired. Fine, whatever. Leave,
stay, do whatever you want. I don’t care any-
more.” She began to pant and gripped the
rails of the bed. “Oh, jeez, Louise, here comes
another one.”

Aidan rushed to the bed. “Take my hand

and breathe through it,” he said. “I’ve been
reading up on birth for the last six months.”

Denise came over and beamed up at him.

“Did you hear that, Cherish? He’s been read-
ing up on babies.”

“I heard, Mom,” she replied through grit-

ted teeth. “I don’t need his help. I can do
this.”

“Jesus, Cherish, don’t be hardheaded. Let

me help you through this,” Aidan snapped

58/152

and then softened his voice. “Let me stay and
see my kid come into the world.”

She looked up at him and he saw resigna-

tion on her face. “Fine. I won’t deny you that.
But after he’s born, we’re taking a paternity
test.”

“You don’t have to—”

She raised her hand. “Yes, I do, because I

won’t have any doubt in anyone’s mind who
is the father of this child. And, again, I don’t
want money or anything like that. If you
want, you can sign over your paternal rights
to me.” Cherish leaned back against the pil-
lows. “Okay,” she let out a long breath, “it’s
easing off.”

“Good. The contractions are about five

minutes apart. This baby wants to come into
the world sooner rather than later. For a first
baby, he’s sure in a hurry.” Denise patted her

59/152

leg cheerily. “You might want to ask for the
epidural now. Maybe you can rest a little if
you’re not in pain.”

“That last part will never happen,” Aidan

added. “I will never give up my kid… Wait,
you said he. Is the baby a he?”

He gritted his teeth as emotion surged

through him. He would never give up his
child. He remembered being a kid and won-
dering why his mother and father never
wanted him. Why did they give him away?
By the time he was fifteen, he certainly didn’t
care and had an attitude the size of New
York.

“Yes, I found out when I was around five

months along,” she answered. “His name is
going to be Marcus James Walker. Marcus
was my dad’s name and James was my twin
brother. They both died in a car accident
when I was a teenager.”

60/152

Aidan felt sad that she had not told him

that before.“I know it’s probably going to be
a no, but can we add my name in there some-
where? I want him to know he’s part of me
too.”

“Why? So you can treat him like you

treated me?” she snapped.

“Cherish!” her mother admonished.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Walker. She has every

right to be upset,” Aidan said softly. “But if
she knew my life and how I grew up, she
would know that I would never hurt my son
in any way. Give me a chance to be a father,
Cherish. Let me have pride in knowing he
has my name in some way.”

She was silent for a moment. “If you’re

going to be in his life, then we can call him
Marcus Aidan James.”

61/152

“I’m going to be the best father to him.

You won’t ever have to worry about that.”
Pride welled up in his chest and he grinned.
“Thank you.”

“I’ll just doubt everything else you say.

Oh, God, here it goes again,” she moaned
and pushed her head back against the pillow.
“Natural birth sucks.”

“I told you to get the meds, honey. I had

two of you, and in those days there was no
epidural,” Denise said.

“Women can do this without meds. It’s

healthier that way,” Cherish said, panting
through the pain.

“Wait until you actually start pushing

him out. Now that’s a doozy,” her mom said.
“I remember pushing James out. I thought I
would go insane. He had been ten pounds!”

62/152

“Mom, be quiet!” Cherish said.

Aidan took her hand and this time she let

him hold it. For that, he was pleased. “Look
at me and breathe like this,” he ordered and
showed her what he had learned from his
reading about birth the last six months.

She glowered at him. “I’m doing that. I’m

not singing an opera here. You try pushing
one of these things out.”

Still, she imitated his actions and from

there her labor progressed quickly. When her
doctor came in to check her progression, he
smiled and said, “Time for a baby!” Then
there was a flurry of activity. And excitement
took a firm grasp of him. The bottom half of
her bed was removed and her feet put in the
stirrups. He was put in a gown and a cap and
so was Denise. One nurse got the incubator
warming and another brought a small table
with sterile instruments close by.

63/152

“And who is this fine gentleman we have

here? I never saw him at your doctor ap-
pointments,” Dr. Hollings said to Cherish.

“I’m the baby’s father. I was in Afgh-

anistan. I just came home yesterday,” Aidan
said with pride and a big grin.

“Well, this is some welcome home

present then.” Dr. Hollings beamed. “I would
shake your hand if I wasn’t all gloved up, but
thank you for your service to our country.”

“Yes, sir, and thank you for taking such

care of Cherish and the baby,” Aidan replied
and paid no attention to Cherish rolling her
eyes.

“Okay, Dad and Grandma, when she has

another contraction, you both lift her legs up
to her chest. Mom, you’re going to push
really hard when you feel that contraction,
okay?” the doctor said cheerily. “Dad, when I

64/152

tell you, you can look and see your son
crowning.”

“He is not looking down there!” Cherish

said, panicked.

“I’ve already seen down there.” Aidan’s

voice was tinged with humor.

“Not like this you haven’t. You are not go-

ing to look at my hootenanny,” she ordered.

“Hootenanny?” everyone else in the room

said in unison.

“Blame my mom for that word,” she

mumbled and then threw her head back and
moaned in pain. “Oh, God, here comes an-
other contraction!”

“Okay, this is it,” Dr. Hollings said.

“Cherish, push hard.”

65/152

Aidan watched sweat break out across

her forehead as she began pushing. She
made a sound of pain that broke his heart
and he took a damp cloth from the nurse to
cool her face. Like most men, he always
thought it was pretty easy to have a baby.
That just showed how much he knew be-
cause he could see the exhaustion claim
Cherish with each passing minute. It took
half an hour for the baby to crown and by
that time she was too tired to even argue
with him when he did look down there.

“I can’t do it anymore,” she sobbed. “This

was a bad idea. I want to go home.”

“Just one more push,” Dr. Hollings said.

“This little guy is helping too. He needs to be
out so his mommy and daddy can hold him.”

“I can’t,” she cried out.

66/152

Aidan cupped her chin, and her eyes

found his. It broke his heart to see her tears.
“Come on, peaches. You have it in you. One
more push.” He firmed up his tone as if he
was talking to a new recruit. “Suck in a deep
breath and push. You can do it.”

She grimaced and nodded. This time

when she bore down, she gave a guttural
moan and it ended on a relieved scream as
the baby slipped out of her body.

“Why isn’t he crying? What’s wrong?”

Cherish asked in distress when the baby
came out silent.

“He’s fine. I’m just cleaning out his nose

and mouth,” the doctor said gently.

Aidan watched and waited with bated

breath as if it would help his son take his
first. Finally, there was a soft cry and then a
loud, angry wail. Cherish started crying and

67/152

laughing at the same time and emotion
clogged his own throat. I’m a father. The
doctor put the baby on Cherish’s chest while
a nurse toweled him off.

“You have a gorgeous little boy,” the doc-

tor beamed. “Care to cut the cord, Daddy?”

“I guess. Sure,” he replied.

Aidan reluctantly took his eyes off the

miracle of watching Cherish with their son
and took the scissors from the doctor. He cut
the placenta and detached his son from the
womb that had kept him safe for nine
months. He touched the soft, dark hair on
the baby’s head and emotion flooded him.
Across from him, Denise was smiling
through her tears. My baby, my wife. The
thought made him happier than he had ever
been in his life. Without a doubt, he knew
marrying Cherish was the next step. All he
had to do was convince her of that. The

68/152

nurse took the baby over to the table to be
weighed and warmed.

“Seven pounds and eleven ounces,” she

called out as she wrapped him up in a
blanket. She walked back over to bed. “Who
gets to hold this little guy first?”

“How about you hand him off to Dad,”

Dr. Hollings suggested. “We’ve still got the
afterbirth to be expelled.”

Aidan took his son from the nurse care-

fully and looked down at the quiet baby. His
eyes were wide and seemed to be looking
straight into Aidan’s face. He had read that
babies can’t see for the first few weeks, but
he was dead sure his son was focused on
him.

“Hey, little guy. I’m your daddy and I’ll

protect you for the rest of your life,” he
promised.

69/152

He felt Cherish staring at them and met

her gaze. Her face became a stubborn mask
and no emotions showed on her face. “Let
me hold him,” she said, and he carefully
placed the baby in her arms. He wished he
had a camera so he could take a picture of
that moment. Pure love and devotion
showed on her face as she touched his little
fingers and toes. The nurse took the baby to
the nursery and while that happened he and
Denise sat in the waiting area until the nurse
told them which room Cherish was being
moved to.

“I can’t lose her, Denise,” he said as they

sat side by side.

“Well, you just fight for her and show her

you love her no matter what,” Denise said
firmly. “I know my daughter, and she is a
mule when she gets her mind set on
something. Don’t let her push you away. And
I’ll run interference the best I can.”

70/152

“You are one rocking grandma.” He

kissed Denise’s hand.

“That’s right, and don’t forget it.” She

laughed.

When he finally had a moment alone with

Cherish in her maternity suite, her eyes were
still guarded and she showed him no
warmth. But she dutifully let him hold the
baby and rock in the recliner while she res-
ted. She also made sure that the nurse took
swabs for the paternity test she had reques-
ted. It seemed Cherish was good at keeping
her word, so he knew she would let him see
Marcus. He wouldn’t be satisfied, though,
until he had her too. He wanted the whole
package.

“This won’t change anything, you know.”

Her voice came to him quietly from her bed.

71/152

“You are supposed to be sleeping.” His

voice was deep and even.

“I dozed, but like I said nothing has

changed,” Cherish replied. “He’s your son
and you can spend as much time with him as
you want. But you and I will never happen.
You broke my heart, and I won’t give you a
chance to do it a second time.”

“Cherish, I…”

But she never let him finish. She closed

her eyes and that signaled she was done talk-
ing. He could talk to her for hours, but her
mind would not change. It was time to take
action, and he was always one to take the
bull by the horns. He would prove to her that
they were meant to be together. One way or
another, he would rebuild the bridge he nev-
er meant to burn.

72/152

Chapter Four

Two weeks later, Cherish’s life was set-

tling into some kind of schedule. Her assist-
ant was running the boutique, and she was
working from home on new designs when
she could. Marcus kept her busy and she fell
more in love with him every day. He still had
his sleep schedule all screwed up. During the
day he slept like a rock and at night he stayed
up. He was a bit colicky and when his little
tummy hurt at night he cried and cried and it
broke her heart. Gas Drop soothed it some,
and her mother’s home remedy of a few
ounces of mint tea helped. But still, Cherish
had the same issue most new mothers deal
with and that was no sleep. She was ex-
hausted. Then there was Aidan and trying to
sort out what was going on with them. He
was true to his word about being a good

father. Every minute he was not on base, he
was at her place helping with Marcus.

It had to be hard for him driving a few

hours each way every trip he made into
Charlotte. But he never once complained. He
had a few weeks of leave coming up and he
was booking a hotel in town so he could be
near. He told her he was actually thinking
about looking for permanent residence in
Charlotte. Well, not just thinking—he had ac-
tually already looked at a few condos close
by. The truth was, she was happy that he was
taking such an active role in being a father.
But she was still so unsure about him after
what had happened when she told him she
was pregnant. A conversation with her moth-
er put the ball squarely in her court. It was
right after she came home from the hospital
and her mom stayed a few days to help out.

“I don’t see how you just talk and laugh

with him like nothing is wrong. You don’t

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even know him,” Cherish said while she fed
the baby in bed.

“Because, dear, I like him, and you didn’t

see his face when he showed up outside your
condo while you were in labor,” her mother
pointed out. “I’m good with instincts and
mine tells me he is a wonderful man.”

“Uh-huh. A good man who acted like I

was some kind of slut on the phone,” Cherish
pointed out. “Mom, he never gave me the be-
nefit of the doubt.”

“Like you are doing now?”

“I didn’t start this, Mom!” she said. “I

wanted to be with him. I could see myself
building something with him and… Oh, nev-
er mind.” Cherish switched the baby to her
other breast and got him settled onto the
nipple.

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“Okay, Cherish, my darling baby girl, I

love you but let’s call it like we see it,” her
mother said gently as she sat down on the
corner of the bed. “You had a one night
stand.” Cherish opened her mouth to speak,
but her mother held up her hand. “Honey,
I’m not innocent. I know what it’s like when
a man sets you on fire.”

“Oh, God, Mom, do we really have to talk

about this? I don’t want to have to wash my
ears out after listening to what you’re going
to say.”

Her mother laughed. “Honey, I went out

with more men than just your father, but he
was the one I loved. Put yourself in Aidan’s
shoes. If one of your girlfriends had told you
the exact same thing about Aidan, you would
have felt the same way.”

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“But I would have called him on it and

not avoided him for three months,” Cherish
pointed out.

“Yes, you would’ve because that’s the

kind of woman you are, but Aidan on the
other hand was probably licking his wounds,
but as soon as he found out the truth, he was
here trying to make amends.” Her mother
patted her leg. “It’s up to you, but if you don’t
give him a chance you might lose out on
something wonderful. Something like what
your father and I had.”

The conversation with her mom stuck

with her. Cherish knew her greatest flaw was
that she couldn’t forgive and forget easily.
Thinking about the callous way he had spoke
to her and then how quickly he believed Jose
still hurt. How do I get past it? she
wondered. Even now when he looked at her
with such passion and desire in his eyes that
it left her breathless, she still pulled away.

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God, she wished they could just press rewind
and start all over again. She wanted to trust
him with her heart the same way she knew
she could trust him with their son.

The baby crying brought her out of her

deep thoughts and she walked into the bed-
room where she’d set up his nursery. His
monkey-themed room always made her
happy. She threw a yellow burp cloth over
her shoulder before she picked him up. It
was six p.m., just around the time he got
fussy in the evenings. It was going to be an-
other long night.

“Oh, my little sugar pie, we’ll get it to-

gether soon,” she crooned and patted his
back. His sweet baby smell filled her nose
and melted her heart. “We’ll get some warm
mint tea in you and some Gas Drop and
you’ll give me a big burp, and then—”

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Her buzzer went off, causing her to stop

mid-sentence. She walked across the car-
peted floor to the intercom and pressed the
button. “Who is it?”

“Your baby daddy,” Aidan’s voice teased.

“Can I come up?”

Cherish rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help

the smile that formed on her lips. She
pressed the unlock button for the door to the
lobby. “Yeah, come on up.”

She unlocked the door and cracked it

open just as she heard the door to the stair-
well open and then close. He wasn’t in uni-
form today but in a pair of faded jeans, a
shirt that showed off his bulging biceps and
toned physique, and a pair of sneakers. He
was carrying some bags in his arms.

“Hey.” He greeted her with a warm smile.

“How’s my little soldier?”

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“He’s doing his usual—fussy and gassy.”

Cherished stepped back and let him in.
“Baby daddy?”

He grinned. “I thought I’d test it out.”

“Yeah, whatever, Vanilla Ice,” she said

dryly. “I was about to give him the drops and
his mint tea.”

“How about I do that and you go catch a

nap. You’ve been dealing with him all day,”
he said. He picked up a burp cloth from a
stack she kept in the living room and put it
over his shoulder. He gently took the baby
with a soft murmur and rubbed his back.
Marcus burped and Aidan grinned. “Check
my boy out. Burping like a man.”

“Are you sure it’s okay if I nap?” she

asked.

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‘Yeah. You’ve got breast milk in the

fridge, right?”

“Yep, I pumped a few bottles this after-

noon.” She was amazed at how casually he
asked about breast milk and all things baby
related.

“Well, shoo, I’ve got him and we’ll be

fine,” Aidan said. He grabbed the bottle with
the mint tea and put it in the baby warmer.
“Don’t we, Marc? Yes, we do, you and Daddy
will watch a baseball game and chill out.” He
looked at her. “Oh, I got him some stuff. You
can check it out later. Have you eaten?”

“I had lunch early. I was working, so I

hadn’t thought about dinner yet,” she
admitted.

“You need to keep yourself nourished,”

Aidan said. “I’ll make us something or order
in.”

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“You don’t have to,” she said hesitantly.

“I know, but I want to.” The deep timber

of his voice always seemed to caress her skin.

“We should talk about some stuff too.”

Cherish didn’t want to break the new peace
they’ve found, but she had to voice what was
on her mind.

He turned to her. “Such as?”

“We need to agree to some kind of sched-

ule for when you can see him, especially
when he gets older.” Cherish met his gaze. “I
don’t want bring the court into it, but maybe
we can work out dates and stuff. You live
close to the base and will probably want to
take him home sometimes. I just think we
should have it in writing. That way we’re
both protected.”

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“I don’t want that. I like how we have

things now.” Aidan’s voice was tense. “If this
is your way of trying to push me away it
won’t work.”

Cherish sighed. “I told you before, I

would never stop you from being in his life,
but as time goes by do you really think you
can just pop in whenever?”

“Why not?” he asked. “Will you have a

new boyfriend? My son won’t be calling any-
one else Dad but me.”

“For the love of God, Aidan, I’m not say-

ing that!” Cherish said in exasperation. “I’m
just saying that we need to come to an
agreement.”

“My agreement is this. Eventually, you’re

going to forgive me and we’ll be together,”
Aidan said. “If we put a piece of paper
between us now, it’ll just be another wall.”

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“I can’t force you into anything, Aidan,

but you have to think about it realistically,”
she said tiredly. “I don’t want to fight with
you.”

“Cherish, please see past what happened

and trust me,” Aidan pleaded. “I won’t hurt
you again.”

She met his gaze and didn’t know what to

say. There had been many months when she
thought she would be alone when he acted
like a complete ass on the phone. Now, he
was in her apartment, holding their son and
begging for another chance. She needed to
use her head this time around because her
heart was screaming yes.

“Um, if you need me just yell,” she said.

“I’ll always need you. I’m just waiting for

you to figure it out,” he replied, never taking
his eyes off hers. She turned and headed

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towards the bedroom without replying. His
voice stopped her again. “Cherish?”

“Yes?”

“I’m a patient man, peaches. I will have

you again and for good,” he said.

Words couldn’t be formed because of the

heat that suddenly flooded her body. She
simply went into the bedroom and sat on the
edge of the bed to catch her breath. God,
what do I do? He already had her heart, and
she was slowly losing the will to continue
saying no. Maybe her mother was right.
Cherish sighed and got into bed. She would
follow the path and go with the flow. Her in-
stinct told her that the path would lead
straight into Aidan’s arms.

* * * *

85/152

She was just behind that door sleeping

and Aidan wanted to go right in there and lay
beside her. That door was the least of his
problems; the barrier she had put up
between them was like a solid brick wall.
Though sometimes it seemed like there were
cracks in her defenses—like today—when he
could literally see her giving in. Aidan knew
by the time she came back out from her nap
that wall would be sealed up tight again. This
time he wasn’t going to give her a chance to
deny him. Aidan planned to keep her off
guard. It was time to step up his game.

“Your mommy is a hard nut to crack,”

Aidan murmured and kissed the top of Mar-
cus’s head as he walked over to get his bottle
from the warmer. “Were you a good boy
today?”

86/152

He sat down on the sofa and turned the

TV on. He found a baseball game and put the
volume down low so that it wouldn’t disturb
Cherish. He’d been in town all day and when
she woke up he would share his news with
her. Aidan put the bottle in the baby’s mouth
and looked down at his son. As usual, his
heart felt full and ready to burst with love for
his child. He never knew a person could love
someone so much. How could people throw
their children away and leave it to the state
to raise them? He would never understand
that. He could see himself in his son; his chin
and mouth. Aidan could swear his eyes were
turning a light green, but Cherish had poin-
ted out that his true eye color wouldn’t be
known for a few months. He didn’t care. He
saw green eyes. The paternity test wasn’t in
yet, but that didn’t bother him. The answer
could be lost forever for all he cared. Every
beat of his heart told him that this was his
son. Anger surged through him when he

87/152

thought about how much he had missed be-
cause of Jose. He hadn’t seen him around
base since they came back and he liked it just
fine that way. He still owed the fucker a
punch in the face for what he did.

Marcus finished the two ounces of mint

tea and he whimpered. Aidan lifted him to
his shoulder and patted his back until he
gave a loud burp. He grinned. “That’s my
boy.” He toed off his sneakers and took one
of the oversized pillows and moved it to the
arm of the sofa before lying back. He settled
the baby on his chest and watched the TV.
Before he knew it, he felt a tapping on his
shoulder. He opened his eyes sleepily and
Cherish was smiling down at him.

“You fell asleep,” she said.

He felt for the baby and sat up quickly.

“Where’s Marc?”

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“Don’t worry. I took him and fed him a

bottle. He is dozing in his crib, though I don’t
know how long it will last,” Cherish replied.
“I ordered Chinese. It will be here in a few.”

“Shit. I told you I’d handle dinner,” he

said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You were tired.” She

hesitated, then said, “It has to be really hard
to commute all the time. You didn’t have to
come into Charlotte today.”

“I was here since last night,” he admitted.

“How come?” She moved away to the kit-

chen counter and began washing bottles and
stacking them in the steamer to sterilize
them.

“I found a place close by. I went in for a

six month lease,” he answered and watched
for her response. “I haven’t signed yet, but I

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have eight weeks of leave coming up and I
want to spend it close by so I can be near
Marcus.”

“You don’t have to do that. You can stay

in the spare bedroom,” she said.

“Won’t that make you uncomfortable?”

Aidan asked. He could see the turmoil on her
face. She had gone into her bedroom and had
come back out offering an olive branch. Yes
was on the tip of his tongue, but still he was
thinking of her first and every step they took
had to be hers.

Cherish nodded. “I’m sure. Besides,

you’re practically here all the time helping
out anyway and you’re his father. You
shouldn’t have to pay six months of rent or a
steep hotel bill to see your son. The bedroom
is empty, and you could take over some of
the night feedings.”

90/152

“Ah, you had a plan,” he teased.

She gave a small smile. “Maybe so.”

“I want more than that,” he said taking

the plunge and voicing his emotions. “More
than just being his dad. I want to be with
you.”

“I know, but Aidan, I’m not sure. I feel as

if you were so easily swayed…” She sighed.
“Honestly, what if you figure out a few
months down the line that being a dad is not
what you want or a relationship with me is
not what you want? I don’t know if I can
trust you.”

“You can trust me.” He stepped closer.

“Do you honestly think I could turn my back
on him or you for that matter? When we first
met, the connection we had was something I
had never felt before.”

91/152

“Then how come it was so easy to throw it

away?” she demanded to know.

“Do you think it was easy?” Aidan placed

his hands on her shoulders and turned her to
face him. “I read every e-mail. I still have
them all in a file named Cherish. It was
killing me not to answer, but thinking that
Jose could have touched you made me
crazy.”

“But he didn’t,” she whispered. “I felt so

much for you, and to have you cut me down
like that… It hurt so much. I went through
the whole pregnancy wondering how you
could think that of me and then I realized we
really didn’t know each other after all.”

“You said ‘felt.’ Does that mean there’s

nothing inside you that feels for me any-
more?” he asked.

“I’m not saying that,” she admitted.

92/152

“Then let’s get to know each other. We

can start over.” He pulled her closer. “Give
me a chance, Cherish. Let me show you that I
can be a good father and a good man to you.”

“I’m doing the best I can, Aidan. I just

can’t jump back into a relationship with
you,” she laughed. “Look what one night of
really hot sex got us?”

“An amazing son whom we both love?” he

asked.

Cherish smiled and his heart skipped a

beat. “There is that, and for him I’m im-
mensely grateful.”

“And the hot sex?” he reminded her with

a slow grin.

“Very hot.” She licked her lips and his

cock throbbed in his pants.

93/152

“I want to kiss you,” he murmured.

“Okay.”

Before she could change her mind, he

pulled her into him and took her lips, and
the taste of her made him groan. Everything
from that one night flooded back into his
mind—the way her body had seemed to
shimmer in the dimmed lights, the way her
body had felt beneath him and how her
pussy had clenched around his cock, milking
him. God, he wanted her, right now, in the
kitchen. As his tongue penetrated her mouth,
he pressed her against the counter and
rubbed himself against her.

She whimpered and wrenched her mouth

away from his. “We have to stop, Aidan. Oh,
we have to stop.”

94/152

“God, let me love you, sweetheart,” he

said and kissed her again hard. “It’s been so
long. I need you so much.”

“I want that too, but I can’t.” She pulled

out of his arms. “I can’t…for at least six
weeks or until I get the all clear from my
doctor.”

He finally understood and felt guilty. “Ah,

shit, I’m such an asshole. I should have
known you needed to heal.”

“Unless you’ve been hanging out at ma-

ternity classes, most men don’t know that,”
she said with humor in her voice. “But as
much as I need my body to heal, I need that
time to also come to terms with us. If I let
you in my life again it can’t be just because
you make my head swim when you kiss me.”

“I understand, and I can give you that

space.” He grinned. “Wanna know a secret?”

95/152

Cherish’s eyes twinkled. “What?”

“When I was in Afghanistan I read

everything I could. Even though I couldn’t
reach out to you, it made me feel closer to
read about the different stages of preg-
nancy.” Aidan admitted. “The guys used to
rib me because I had books in my pack when
we were out in convoys.”

“That’s kinda sweet.” She hugged him.

“I’m glad you told me.”

“We’re going to be together in that bed of

yours, hot and sweating soon,” Aidan said as
he let her go reluctantly. “I’m not letting you
get away, Cherish. I won’t make the same
mistake twice. You’re mine.”

“Four more weeks to go. You might get

tired of me.” Cherish moved past him when
her buzzer sounded. “The food is here.”

96/152

“That’s never going to happen, peaches,

and you know it,” he said.

He meant every word, because Cherish

Walker had his heart and his entire being.
Aidan was beyond happy and relieved that
she offered to let him stay. He would be close
to her and Marcus. Listening to Jose had
taken away vital months where they could
have been building a strong foundation for
their relationship to stand on. He wasn’t
going to waste another minute in letting her
know she was the one for him. He was given
a miracle the night he found her and then
given another miracle to have a second
chance at being in her life.

97/152

Chapter Five

In the weeks that followed, Cherish

seemed to open up more and more to him.
He saw the bricks of that defensive wall she
had built loosen and crumble. She was his
again and they were closer than ever. Yet
sometimes the memory of what went down
between them seemed to filter into her mind
and she would pull away. When that
happened, he held her tighter and refused to
let her pull away. The nights they sat on the
sofa and made out like teenagers left him
wanting and aching. But he wouldn’t change
a thing; he was with the woman he loved. He
just hadn’t voiced the words to her yet. Mar-
cus was also changing. His son was filling in-
to little pudgy legs and arms. His eyes were
clear as he looked around. His soft baby hair
was growing and curling at the ends. He

watched Cherish call his name in a little
sing-song way and he would swear on
everything that he was smiling. His son was
only six weeks old, but Aidan was certain he
was advanced for his age.

There were only a few weeks of leave left

and he couldn’t think about leaving them to
move back to Camp Lejeune. He wanted to
broach the subject of making their living
situation permanent. He wanted to marry
Cherish Walker. The paternity test came in a
week after he was staying with her. He
wanted her to tear up the envelope because
to him it was unnecessary. But for her own
peace of mind and to prove to him that she
was exactly who she said she was, Cherish
wanted him to see it. The lie Jose had told
still stuck with her and this was her way of
getting vindication. He was Marcus’s father;
he’d never had a doubt of that.

99/152

Today they were going to visit Aidan’s ad-

optive parents. They lived in Union County
so it was about an hour drive from Charlotte.
Cherish came back from her doctor’s ap-
pointment just as he was packing up the
baby bag.

“Hey, peaches, how was your doc visit?”

Aidan asked. He leaned over and gave her a
soft peck on the lips. That simple move filled
him with pleasure; it felt so right, so com-
fortable, like they had been together for
years.

“Perfect. Everything is A-okay,” she said

with a smile.

“That’s great,” he said and stuffed a few

diapers in the bag. “Do you have a cool pack
to keep your milk cold?”

100/152

“Yep, they’re in the fridge, but you don’t

get what I’m saying, Aidan. All systems are
go.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

Realization finally hit him and he looked

up. “You mean we can…”

“Uh-huh.” Cherish nodded slowly.

“Well, damn, baby, let’s cancel this trip. I

can call my parents and tell them some other
time.” Aidan grinned.

She laughed. “No, we’re not. We’re going

to go introduce our wonderful little man to
his grandparents and then come home for a
relaxing night. Now, tomorrow night, my
mom is coming over to babysit. We’re going
out for a nice dinner and I booked us a room
with a Jacuzzi at the Hamilton Inn. You’re
going to romance me, Gunny Brooks, and
then make love to me all night long.”

101/152

His desire kicked up a notch and his

jeans felt tighter just thinking of what he
would do to her tomorrow night.

“That sounds perfect to me.” He picked

up the baby bag and walked over to her. Aid-
an drew her into a long kiss. “You grab Marc
and get him in the car seat, and I’ll get this
stuff downstairs.”

“You taking the Pack ‘N Play?” she asked

when he picked up the extra bag sitting
beside the door.

“Yep, all the essentials for baby’s first trip

out,” Aidan replied. “We’re prepared to
handle everything.”

Her laughter followed him as he headed

out the door. They’d found a good center and
he felt a sense of peace run through him.
After a half an hour they were on the road
and heading towards the home where he

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grew up. They were in his new car that he
had purchased two weeks after Marcus was
born. Gone was his sleek sports car and now
he drove a silver Nissan hybrid SUV. He had
felt no loss trading in his old car for the new
one. In fact, he had felt a sense of pride. A
sports car gave the impression he was still
looking to sow his oats. He glanced through
the rearview mirror at the car seat in the
back which held Marcus who was fast asleep,
and a small smile crossed his face. He’d sown
his seed quite well in his opinion. Maybe one
day he would get a motorcycle and he and
Cherish could go out riding in the moun-
tains. That would be when Marcus was much
older, of course. His life was with them both,
which made his future brighter than it ever
had been before.

His parents’ property came into view

after they had passed through a small, seem-
ingly empty town. This was the place he had
grown up after years of bouncing around in

103/152

the Charlotte foster care system. Darlene and
Matthew Brooks wanted a child and they saw
through his churlish I-don’t-give-a-crap atti-
tude. They adopted him even though Aidan
had thought most adoptive parents wanted
babies and young children they could mold.
The small farm they owned had horses, cows,
chickens and Fred—an old rooster that
seemed to be immortal he’d been around so
long. Aidan fit right in and soon felt as if he’d
lived there all his life. They were good people
and even when he got out of line, Mathew
could talk him down out of his anger or box
his ears if necessary. Everything they did for
him was out of love.

He parked the car and got out and

stretched. He looked up and saw his parents
open the front door and rush across the patio
and down the steps; happiness was written
all over their face. Cherish got out of the car
and before she could even close the door

104/152

behind her, his mother had her in a tight
embrace.

“Oh. Oh, okay,” Cherish said in surprise

and gave a little hug back.

“We’re so happy to see you—meet you.

Oh, goodness. Look at me, I’m about to cry,”
his mother said.

“Cherish,

meet

my

mom,

Darlene

Brooks,” Aidan said amused. “That big, burly
lumberjack is my dad, Matthew.”

His mother pulled away and beamed at

Cherish. “Please call me Darlene. We’re so
very thrilled to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Cherish’s

voice was warm.

105/152

Aidan took the car seat from the car.

“And this is Marcus Aidan James, your
grandson.”

His mother made a sound that was a mix

of a squeal and a coo. “Look at him!”

Matthew Brooks came over to look. “He’s

a fine one, that’s for sure.”

“Come inside so we can get him out of

that thing and I can hold him,” Darlene said.
“I’ve made chicken pot pies for lunch.”

Cherish followed Aidan’s mother while

Aidan and his father trailed slowly behind.
“You look good, son, happy.”

“I am, Dad. I couldn’t tell you how

much.” Aidan grinned.

“She’s the one, then, huh?” his father

asked.

106/152

“That and more. Look at the boy she gave

me,” he said. “It’s like all the pieces of the
puzzle of my life have fallen into place.”

His father nodded. “I know the feeling,

and I’m happy for you.”

By the time they got inside, his mother

had the baby in her arms and was cooing
down at him. His father took him next and
sat in his recliner, rocking him in his arms.
Aidan saw a look of pride cross his father’s
face as the tiny baby was nestled safely in
those big arms. Marcus would have a lot of
love in his life from all of them. It was a
blessing he had never been aware of until the
Brooks came into his life, but now, his son
would have it from his very first memories.

Later, while Marcus napped in his Pack

‘N Play, they ate lunch around the table and
his parents regaled Cherish with stories
about life on their small farm. Including

107/152

stories of Aidan’s youth that made him wince
at the memory.

“You make me sound like a holy terror,

Mom,” Aidan teased after yet another story
of his teenage years.

“I think Mr. Newton would say that you

were especially when he caught you in that
souped-up car you owned parked near the
woods,” his father chortled.

“You were fresh,” Cherish teased.

“Hey, I was a seventeen year old with ra-

ging hormones,” Aidan pointed out. “The girl
said she wanted a ride and I wanted her at
the time. I came to find out though that she
was more trouble than I cared to deal with.”

“All stories aside, he was a good boy,”

Darlene said with affection in her voice.

108/152

“When we adopted him, I knew there was a
loving boy beneath all that anger.”

“We shouldn’t talk about that, honey.

He’s here with his girl.” Matthew patted his
wife’s hand.

“No, it’s okay, Dad. I don’t mind her

knowing things about my life, even the bad
parts,” Aidan said and looked at Cherish.
“She’s a part of it now.”

The look that passed between them was

almost electric. Yes, she and the baby were
the most important part of it now.

“You don’t have to,” she said gently.

Aidan shook his head. “I want to.” He

took a breath. “I don’t even know how long I
was at the foster homes,” he said. “It’s all I
ever knew. One of the workers said I was
there from the time I was only two years old.

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I got bounced from one home to the next.
Mostly it was people looking to cash in on a
government check and took kids until they
didn’t want to foster anymore. After a while,
I became so hardheaded and willful I just
stayed in group homes. I got into trouble at
school and basically was an arrest looking to
happen. I was fifteen sitting outside in the
front yard of the home when these two came
walking up.” He smiled at his parents. “I’d
just bummed a cigarette off a guy and my
dad slapped it out of my hand and said,
‘Those things will kill ya, kid,’ and I said, ‘We
all gotta die sometime, old man.’”

His dad chuckled. “That’s when we knew

this one was meant for us. Darlene said when
she saw him that he was ours and she was
right. We didn’t care how old the child was,
just as long as he or she needed love and a
family, and he was it.”

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“The rest was history, so to speak. He

came to live with us as a foster child and
then we adopted him a year later,” Darlene
said with a smile. “The day he legally
changed his name, his exact words were, ‘I
don’t need a name—that means nothing to
me. You two are my real parents.’ Family
means a lot to him, Cherish. You and Marcus
will always be treasured. I can promise you
that.”

“I have no doubt of it,” Cherish answered,

smiling at Aidan.

Just then Marcus chose to give a little cry

and Darlene shot up out of her chair. “I’ve
got him. Oh, I get to feed him this time.”

“He’s going to be spoiled rotten by the

time he’s one,” Cherish said with a laugh.

“As if there was any doubt,” Aidan’s dad

said. “Load the dishwasher, kids. We’re

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going to play with our grandson.” He left the
room and followed the sound of Darlene’s
fawning over Marcus into the family room.

“I love your parents,” Cherish said as she

stood and began to gather up the plates.

“And I love your mom,” Aidan said. “We

should have a christening party when it’s
time for him to be baptized.”

“You really want to do all that?” Cherish

asked.

“Yes, I do.” He came around and pulled

her into his arms. Even though she was hold-
ing dirty plates, he kissed her deeply.

Cherish broke from the kiss. “Your par-

ents are in the other room.”

“Trust me. They kiss too,” he murmured.

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She laughed. “We were told to load the

dishwasher.”

“But I’m getting my dessert,” he teased.

“Okay, one more kiss and that’s it,” she

agreed.

After that lip lock, he wanted to throw her

down on his parents’ dining room table and
ravage her. After they loaded the dishwasher
and cleaned up the kitchen, they made their
way into the family room where all attention
was on Marcus. It was well after six when
they finally said goodbye and got on the road
back to Charlotte. Traffic was thick and by
the time Aidan unlocked the door to Cher-
ish’s condo and they got inside, Marcus had
gone from a whimper into a full-fledged wail.

“I think his first trip out has left him a bit

grumpy,” Cherish said. “Time for a feeding
and a change.”

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“I’ll get all this stuff put away,” Aidan

said.

While he unpacked the bag and rinsed

the bottles, she sat on the sofa and un-
buttoned her blouse to breast feed the baby.
Aidan’s hands stilled under the running wa-
ter as he watched Cherish free her full
breasts and Marcus settle on a nipple. It was
an amazing thing watching her nourish their
son, but even more than that, desire curled
in his belly. It had been a long time since
he’d touched her and felt her skin against
his, and it had been even longer since he’d
seen her breasts. She must have felt his gaze
because she met his eyes and hers spoke
volumes. They wanted the same thing—each
other.

“I’m going to go grab a shower and…” He

cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’ll be in the room.
If you need me, yell.”

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“Okay,” she said.

Was he crazy or could he also hear her

need in that one word? Being home with her
after the nine-month stint in Afghanistan
had been heaven, but it had also been tor-
ture. He couldn’t stop dreaming of her and
that first night they had together, and now
the doctor gave her a clean bill of health. His
mind couldn’t settle on anything more than
making love to every inch of her silky body.

In the bedroom he paced the floor and

did pushups to try and work out the restless
energy. After half an hour of that, Aidan blew
out a frustrated breath, walked into the bath-
room, undressed, stepped into the shower
and turned the water on cool, hoping that it
would also cool the heat coursing through
his body. But of course the images in his
head were of taking her in the shower, her
wrapping her long legs around his waist and
burying his cock deep inside her. Her breasts

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were bigger than the last time he’d seen
them. Lord, he wanted to bury his face
between them. He sighed and turned the wa-
ter colder. He let out a yelp as the water
turned colder than he had anticipated and he
could only stay under it for a few seconds. He
jumped out and found one of the thick cotton
towels from under the sink. Tomorrow
couldn’t come soon enough. He walked out
of the bathroom with the towel wrapped
around his waist and stopped in his tracks.
Cherish stood a few feet from the bed, com-
pletely nude.

“Marcus is down for a few hours and I

figured that tomorrow was a bit too long in
coming. Make love to me, Aidan.”

He couldn’t even pretend to say no. Aidan

let the towel fall from around his waist and
strode over to pull her into his arms. Their
lips met and he lost himself in her smell, her
taste and the way her body felt pressed

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against his. Her nipples were already beaded
hard and her skin begged to be touched. He
planned to taste all of her. He’d dreamt of
her every night for most of the year even
when he didn’t want to. He sat on the side of
the bed and pulled her to him and kissing
her stomach.

“I hate the stretch marks,” she said.

“You’re simply gorgeous, and this body

brought my son into the world,” Aidan said.
“Don’t ever try to hide your body from me.”
He skimmed his hands up her waist to cup
her breasts. “They’re bigger and heavier than
last time.”

“That’s because I’m nursing,” she said

breathlessly.

“Is it okay to kiss you there?” he asked.

She laughed huskily. “You better.”

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He lifted the fullness in his palms as he

kissed the hard nipples and sucked them
gently. There was a little squirt of milk on his
tongue and it was sweet. The taste surprised
him and he sucked again deeper. The taste of
her milk filled his mouth and Aidan groaned.
He didn’t know that it could be so arousing
tasting the milk that nourished their son. He
heard her inhale as his fingers moved lower
between her legs while he played at her
breasts. He found her pussy already moist
and slick as he moved his finger slowly over
her clit. She gasped out his name and spread
her legs farther apart in a silent plea. Her
body trembled and it delighted him to no
end.

“You want me to make you come like our

first night together?” he asked softly, his fin-
ger continuing its manipulation of her clit.

Cherish nodded, but he wanted to her say

it. He teased her by slipping his fingers

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deeper between the folds of her pussy, circ-
ling the entrance of her slit. Yet he didn’t
give her the pleasure she sought. She
lowered her hips to force his digit inside her
but Aidan moved his finger back out to circle
the sensitive bud.

“I want you to tell me what you want,” he

encouraged. “I want to hear my name on
your lips.”

He wanted to be in her every thought and

breath. She was so accustomed to being
strong that Aidan wanted to prove to her
every day for the rest of their lives that she
could depend on him to love her and please
her in every way. He was going to make sure
she gave herself to him totally. This was a
new start for them both.

“Aidan, it’s you who is always in my

heart. Please put your fingers inside me,”
Cherish begged.

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“Oh, baby, I’ve been waiting for you to

say that for so long,” he whispered.

He slowly slipped his finger inside her,

not wanting to hurt her in any way. He
groaned when he felt her pussy contract
around his finger and she began rocking her
hips back and forth as he pleasured her. He
pushed deeper and Cherish cried out. He felt
her hands tighten on his shoulders. Aidan
pulled her nipple deep into his mouth and
sucked ravenously while he fucked her with
his fingers.

“Oh, don’t stop, Aidan. Please, please, I’m

going to come!”

Her pleas sent the heat of desire shooting

through him and his cock throbbed painfully
between his legs.

“Yes, baby, come for me,” he groaned.

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He watched her body tremble as she

reached the height of pleasure. He found her
g-spot buried within and used his fingers to
send her over the edge. Cherish gave a little
scream and her juice flowed against his
hand. Her moans were driving him crazy.
He’d never wanted a woman as much as he
wanted her, never loved anyone like he did
her. Aidan pulled her down to the bed and
lay next to her. She came to him willingly
and pushed her body against his and their
kiss was fierce and hot. His tongue dueled
with hers and then twined sensuously
together.

“I need you,” she whispered against his

mouth.

Cherish climbed over him and took his

cock in her hand. She positioned him at the
entrance of her pussy and slid slowly down
on him. He was thick and her pussy sheathed
him like a velvet glove. God, she’s so tight!

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Aidan gritted his teeth as pleasure assaulted
him. His hands cupped the smooth cheeks of
her ass as she moved up and down on him.
The rhythm of his thrusts became hers and
they were soon moving in unison.

“Jesus, God, Cherish,” he panted.

She was slick and with each move, her

wetness took him deeper until he thought he
would die from the sensations that assaulted
him.

“Cherish, I love you. I love you so much!”

“I love you too,” she said and rode him

faster, picking up the speed and then slowing
down again.

He arched his neck as she sucked on the

sensitive skin near the base of his collarbone.
Cherish took his turgid length inch by tortur-
ous inch slowly and then picked up the pace,

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driving him insane with the pleasure of it.
Aidan raised his head to take one of her
nipples in his mouth. He grabbed her hips
and held her still while he pumped into her
hard. He was rewarded with a low cry escap-
ing her lips. Their harsh breathing filled the
room. She surrounded him in every way—her
scent, her voice and smell. Aidan felt himself
reaching the pinnacle and impaled his entire
length into her repeatedly until they both
went over the edge into their orgasm and
Cherish slumped against him. His orgasm
had been so intense it left him reeling. After
lying together for a while, he went to the
bathroom on shaky legs and came back with
a cloth to clean her up.

“You don’t have to do that,” she

protested.

“I want to. You’re my world, so let me

take care of you,” he murmured. “I didn’t
hurt you, did I?”

123/152

“Not that I know of, but I might be a tad

sore later,” she said with a smile and then
patted the bed beside her. “Come to bed.”

Just then they heard Marcus’s soft wail

coming through the baby monitor and Cher-
ish laughed. “I don’t think I even needed to
bring the monitor in. I can hear him without
it.”

Aidan grinned. “I’ll go get him and warm

some milk.”

He threw on some pajamas and by the

time he came back with Marcus she was sit-
ting up in bed wearing one of his army T-
shirts. He sat beside her feeling like he’d won
a million dollars. There was no better sight
than seeing the woman he loved in his bed
and their child cradled between them.

124/152

Chapter Six

“Mom, are you sure you have everything

you need?”

Cherish chewed her bottom lip worriedly

as she watched her mother holding Marcus.
She knew she was having a case of separa-
tion anxiety. It was the first time she would
be away from Marcus since he was born. She
should’ve gone for a simple night out and
then come home instead of staying away un-
til morning. She was beginning to doubt her
plan.

“Cherish, this is not the first time I’ve

dealt with a baby,” her mother said firmly.
“You and Aidan go on and have a night on
the town.” She looked down at Marcus who
was looking up at her. “Me and my grandson

are going to watch Dancing With The Stars
and vote for our favorite.”

“Come on, sweetheart. Your mom has it

covered.” Aidan took her hand and led her to
the door. “Did I mention you look
gorgeous?”

“Okay, okay. See you later, Mom. Call if

you need us. You have the number.”

“Yes, Cherish, I have the number and

everything will be fine.” Her mother gave her
a look that Cherish knew meant her patience
was wearing thin.

Aidan steered her out the door and closed

it firmly. Outside, the night air was sweet
and warm. Sometimes she swore that the
weather in Charlotte skipped spring and
went straight to summer. She didn’t even
need a coat or a wrap as they walked down
the street to where Aidan was parked. He

126/152

helped her into the car and she looked at him
when he slid behind the wheel of the car. He
looked good in a pair of dark jeans and a
printed short sleeved loose T-shirt. His
strong muscled arms flexed as he drove and
she stared appreciatively. The man had an
amazing body.

It seemed it had only been a few minutes

before he was parking at a small secluded
club. It was Wednesday night and The Loft
was a sleek, new entertainment spot that
boasted live music and had low, romantic
lighting. It featured a two story balcony with
red leather seats shaped unusually. Hand in
hand they took the elevator up and was
ushered in by one of the bouncers at the
door. Music filled the air and people sat talk-
ing, laughing or just being close. Cherish
loved the ambiance of The Loft and she loved
being there with Aidan even more. They
found one of the little circular booths open
and claimed it before another couple could.

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“I’ll go grab us something to drink. What

will you have?” Aidan asked.

“A Shirley Temple.” She smiled. “No alco-

hol until I’ve weaned Marcus to the bottle
completely. You get a beer. I can be the des-
ignated driver tonight.”

“Trust me. I plan to be stone cold sober

when we hit the hotel room.” He winked at
her and she laughed.

After he left to get their drinks, she

looked around the room. Her eyes spied two
men who were standing nearby kissing. She
was going to look away quickly, but the one
standing closest moved and she gasped. It
was Jose, Aidan’s slime ball friend who had
caused all the problems between them in the
first place. Holy crap, he’s gay! She dropped
her head low in case they saw her, and her
mind reeled at what she saw. It all began to
fall into place—the way he had acted that

128/152

night. He was a soldier who was living a lie
and trying to live up to it as best he could.
How would Aidan react? She felt as if she
was caught with a secret that she certainly
didn’t want. She was gnawing on that bit of
information as Aidan walked back over with
their drinks and her gaze flew to where Jose
and his partner were talking. If Aidan saw
them would this turn into some big scene?
Aidan didn’t strike her as the type who was
intolerant of other lifestyles but after what
Jose did, who knows how it could play out.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you still worry-

ing about Marcus?” Aidan asked as he took a
seat beside her. “We can go home if you
want, baby. We don’t have to stay.” He put
the drinks on the table and slid hers in front
of her.

“Um, no. No, I’m fine. I mean, I know my

mom will be fine taking care of him.” Cherish

129/152

took a deep breath. “Look over to the left,
closer to the door and you’ll see what I saw.”

“What?” He turned his head to look just

as Jose’s friend pulled him in for another
long kiss. Aidan’s eyes widened. “What the
hell? Is that Jose?”

Cherish nodded and clutched his hand

nervously. “Don’t make a scene, Aidan.”

He looked at her. “Why would I?”

“I don’t know. I mean, he’s a marine

who’s obviously gay. I didn’t know how you’d
feel about that,” she admitted.

“How I feel about it is that I don’t care

who a soldier sleeps with, man or woman, as
long as I can trust them to watch my back,”
Aidan replied. “He’s been lying all this time
and caused a rift between us, almost making
me lose out on my child. Jose being gay is

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not the reason I would make a scene. But I
would punch him in the face for almost ruin-
ing my life with you.” Aidan sighed. “This ex-
plains a lot though. Now I understand the
reason he is the way he is. It has to be hard
living a lie. I have to go over there and talk to
him.”

“Um, okay, I can wait here,” she said. She

didn’t know if she should intrude on a
friendship that had been around longer than
her and Aidan’s relationship.

Aidan stood and held out his hand. “No,

sweetheart, we’re together on this. He did it
to you too.”

She silently took his hand and they

crossed the floor. She saw the exact moment
Jose caught sight of them coming; fear and
alarm were written all over his face. He
looked around as if he thought he could

131/152

make an escape but then seemed to resign
himself to the confrontation.

“I didn’t think I would see you here,” Jose

said.

“Obviously,” Aidan said.

Jose turned to his friend. “Can you ex-

cuse us for a minute?”

The man nodded and walked away, and

then tense silence ensued and she wished she
was anywhere but there at that moment.

“You had the baby?” Jose directed his

question at her.

“Yes, a little boy. His name is Marcus.”

“He’s mine if you’re wondering. I didn’t

want a paternity test but Cherish insisted,”
Aidan said pointedly. “After what you pulled,
I couldn’t blame her.”

132/152

Way to put it out there, she thought and

put her hand on his arm. “Aidan…”

“No, he’s right. I fucked with your rela-

tionship,” Jose said. “You have every right to
out me for it.”

“Jesus, you think that is why I came over

here? To out you?” Aidan demanded. “I want
to know why you did what you did, especially
if you know this is who you are?”

“Because I saw the way you looked at her

and how it just clicked between you two.”
Jose snapped his fingers. “I was jealous. You
were going to be yet another friend who
moved on and got married, and I’m still
stuck and can’t be who I really am. I wanted
to pull her away from you, and trust me, she
was not budging. Then you got on that plane
looking so fucking happy and the words just
came out. I hated myself for it, but then
months went by and I left it alone until you

133/152

told me she was pregnant. I know I fucked
up big time and you have every right to want
to smash my face in.”

“You don’t have to hide who you are or

who you love anymore,” Aidan said. “That
law has gone down the drain. A lot of sol-
diers have opened up about their sexual
orientation.”

“Yeah, and they’re still being shunned for

it,” Jose replied angrily. “Everyone thinks it’s
okay, but you don’t see the message board
where soldiers are being shut out of bath-
rooms because guys don’t want to shower in
the same room with a gay guy, or they end up
being jumped from behind when their de-
ployed.” The anger rolled off him in waves.
“Half the stories of lesbian women who are
fondled or even raped in deployment are not
even reported. And if it is, then it’s quietly
swept under the rug. They want it to look
perfect in the news, but that pretty surface

134/152

you hear about, that’s all it is: the surface.
It’s better—safer—to keep your mouth shut
until your time is up and you leave the damn
corp.”

“I didn’t know it was so bad,” Cherish ad-

mitted. “I completely hate what you did,
Jose. Jealously is an awful thing, but I do un-
derstand things from your point of view.”

“You almost cost me my kid, man, and

you know how my life was, how I felt about
family,” Aidan said.

“I beat myself up for what I did to you

and also because I lost a good friend,” Jose
said. “But I’ve decided that I can’t hide any-
more, and I don’t want to. I’m gay and a
marine and anyone who wants to mess with
me because of it is going to get a fucking
fight.”

135/152

“I’ll stand at your back, man.” Aidan held

out his hand. “I can’t see you fighting a battle
alone even after what you did.”

Jose clasped his hand and looked at both

Aidan and Cherish gratefully. “Thanks, man,
and after all I did, you’re a bigger man than
me. But you don’t have to. There won’t be a
fight with our boys. I signed those transfer
papers and I’m heading to California. Paul,
my partner, is from that area and we feel it
will be good to make a fresh start there.”

“That’s good, and I wish you both the best

of luck. But you need to apologize to Cherish.
She was hurt in this too,” Aidan pointed out.

“I’m so very sorry, Cherish,” Jose said,

and she could hear in his voice that he meant
it.

She still felt wary of Jose, but if Aidan

could try to forgive him so could she. “It’s

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fine, Jose.” She took Aidan’s hand. “We
found our way back to each other. That’s all
that matters.”

Jose’s friend made his way back and he

introduced Paul to them. They talked for a
few more minutes before she and Aidan went
back to enjoying their night out. It all felt
very surreal talking to Jose and finding out
about his relationship with Paul. No matter
what happened, she mentally wished him a
happy life and hoped that where ever he
ended up, he wouldn’t feel the need to hide
his true self from the world.

She turned her attention back to the man

that held her in his arms while they danced.
His hard, lean body was pressed against hers
and everything felt right. This was where she
was meant to be.

After a few more slow dances, they were

heading to the hotel. It seemed that Aidan

137/152

had packed a little something extra in the
overnight bag because when she came back
to the room after filling the ice bucket, the
room was dark except for the glow of tea
candles he’d placed around the room. He
called her over with a crook of his finger and
she moved towards him like a magnet drawn
to its mate.

“You look amazing by candlelight,” he

said and tipped her head up to his with one
lone finger under her chin. “Cherish, I love
you so damn much. It terrifies me that I al-
most lost you.”

“But you didn’t, Aidan. I’m yours,” she

whispered. “Let’s leave that in the past. Our
future begins now.”

Aidan bent low to take her lips and as

they kissed he lifted her off her feet. The on-
slaught of his lips and tongue devouring her
mouth made her want to rip his clothes off.

138/152

He walked over to the bed, and they toppled
together on the soft mattress and she
giggled. Cherish sat up quickly and stripped
off her dress, leaving only a scrap of lacey
material covering her perky breasts.

“You make me tongue-tied when I look at

you,” he said.

“Let’s find something else for you to do

with that tongue then,” she said and pulled
him back in for a kiss.

She loved the taste of him. The clasp of

her bra opened easily under his fingers and
her full breasts spilled free. Aidan groaned
and bent his head to taste them and Cherish
moaned as his tongue laved her nipples. Her
man had an expert mouth and an expert
touch that did delicious things to her.

“Did I mention how much I love your

breasts?” Aidan murmured. He sucked a

139/152

nipple into his mouth and she held his head
to her breast.

“More,” Cherish begged, and her head fell

back in pleasure.

Aidan obliged and took the other nipple

into his mouth. She cried out in agonized
pleasure and felt his cock jump in response.

“I want you,” Cherish said breathlessly.

“Not until I make you scream,” he

replied.

That made her pant with anticipation as

he kissed his way down her stomach and
pulled off her panties as he went. His eyes
never left her as he stood and undressed.
Candlelight flickered over his muscled body
and hard cock.

140/152

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart. I

want to see you all wet for me,” Aidan said
softly.

Cherish bit her lip and did as he reques-

ted. He said her name almost reverently and
ran a lone finger along the swollen lips of her
pussy. She moaned his name and parted her
legs even wider in a silent plea for him to slip
his finger inside her. Instead, he raised the
digit to his lips and licked it slowly. He bent
his head between her legs and his tongue re-
placed the action of his finger. Cherish
arched upward at each flick of his tongue
and held his head to her. Aidan groaned and
delved between the soft folds of flesh to suck
her clit.

The sensations rolling through her were

driving her to the to the edge of reason. Her
head thrashed back and forth on the bed as
she felt reality slipping away and she
plunged deeper into a pleasure-filled haze.

141/152

Her excitement was building and she knew
he could see it, maybe even feel it. He gave
her what she needed and slid his finger deep
into the warm caverns of her pussy.

“Yes!”

The soft scream escaped her and she

pushed her hips against his hands to take
more of his fingers until she came. He didn’t
stop and oh, God, she couldn’t control the
wanton feelings that coursed through her.
He brought her to climax again and it was so
fierce her body arched off the bed.

“Oh, baby, that was so good. I love seeing

you come for me,” Aidan crowed. “One more,
sweetheart. Let me see you let go.”

He was driving her crazy with the

constant movement of his fingers that it
quickly sent her spiraling into another round
of ecstasy. Her juices dripped and she

142/152

pumped against his hand trying to savor the
last waves of sensation. She opened her eyes
and looked at his face. His deep green eyes
had a look of passion and intensity that en-
thralled and aroused her all over again.

“I’ve got to taste you again,” he muttered.

He held on to her thighs, pulling her

closer to him and burying his face into her
pussy once more. His tongue burrowed deep
inside, tasting her flavor.

“Aidan!”

The action wrenched a cry from her lips

as her hands grabbed his head and pulled his
face deeper into her soft wetness. She could
tell he was excited by the guttural moans that
came from between her legs. His tongue furi-
ously penetrated her wet pussy; flicking,
tasting, and thrusting until she was delirious
with the pleasure of it all. Cherish lost

143/152

control and pressed against him, riding his
face, smearing her juices across him. Aidan
knew just how to make her come again. He
slid three fingers deep inside her while still
tasting her. Cherish bucked as she pushed
him deeper and her body convulsed and
tightened as she felt the warm gush of her
release.

“Now, Aidan,” she cried out. “I want your

cock inside me.”

He gladly obliged and sank deep inside

her as her legs wrapped around his waist.
His groans were long, low and primal. They
moved together in unison, thrust meeting
thrust, her hips lifting towards his, trying to
take more and give more all at the same
time.

“Tell me you’re mine forever.” Aidan’s

voice was a harsh whisper by her ear.

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“Always, Aidan,” she answered. “Only you

and always you. I love you so much. Oh,
baby, I’m going to come.”

Even as the words left her lips, Cherish

began to tremble and her pussy clenched
tightly around his cock. He pulled her to him
and he took her nipple in his mouth. Cherish
cried out as the pleasure inside her crested
and flowed over her in waves. Aidan followed
and let himself go. He fell into the abyss with
her and she heard him repeating her name
over and over again. The aftermath of their
coupling was hot, slick bodies lying together
with tangled limbs and entwined fingers. He
kissed her closed eyelids and then her nose,
making Cherish smile.

“I love you.” He said the words and kissed

the top of her head. “I fell so hard for you on
that first night, baby. Nothing else mattered
after that.”

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“I love you too, Aidan,” she replied and

sighed. “Even in those months when I
thought I’d lost you, I still loved you.”

He turned on his side and faced her. “In

that case, Cherish Walker, will you marry
me?”

“Why, Gunny Sergeant Brooks, a propos-

al. I don’t know what to say,” she teased.

He cupped her face and kissed her hard.

“Say yes and make me the happiest man in
the world.”

“Yes, a thousand times, yes,” Cherish

answered. There could be no other answer
for this man she loved.

“I want you and Marcus to be close to

me,” he said. “We can buy a house close to
base,” he said hurriedly. “I don’t mean you
have to give up your place here. I know you

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have your boutiques in town and you’ll need
to be here sometimes—”

Cherish placed a finger to his lips to stop

his words. “I think it’s a fine idea. I have an
assistant who manages just fine in the store
here, and she would love the promotion and
pay raise. How about we find a place close to
Charleston and I can open another store
there? Chic can do with an expansion.”

A slow smile spread across his face.

“You’re very agreeable. I thought I would
have to convince you.”

“Hmm. I’m in the arms of the man I love

after he just did amazing things to me. I can
expand my business and buy a house with a
large backyard for our son to run around in.
Everything sounds like perfection to me,”
Cherish replied.

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“And along the way, maybe a little girl

and another little boy.”

She laughed. “Anything is possible, my

love.”

“There might be a chance that I will be

deployed again. I don’t expect to, but noth-
ing is certain until all the troops get to come
home,” Aidan explained. “I’m going to
change my MOS to recruiter or trainer but
nothing is definite when it comes to the
military.”

Cherish stared into his eyes. “You don’t

have to explain, Aidan. I know what I’m sign-
ing up for. If that happens, you know we’ll be
here waiting for you and you’ll have to keep
yourself safe to come home to us.”

He kissed her. “You’re my peach. You

know I’ll love you forever, right?”

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“Yes, because I feel the same way.” Cher-

ish smiled.

“I’m not looking forward to going back on

duty and not seeing you and my boy as much
as I want,” he said. “These past few weeks
have been amazing.”

“Well, I guess we’d better get to the house

hunting part so we won’t have to be apart for
long. And you know, Marcus told me the oth-
er day that he would like to see where his
daddy works so we should probably go with
you for a few days so he can have a look
around,” Cherish said solemnly.

A snort of laughter came from Aidan and

he joked, “I knew that kid was smart, but
talking at two months old is monumental. I’d
like to show you both Camp Lejeune.”

“Uh-huh.” Cherish was touching and tra-

cing his body with her finger. She kissed his

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shoulder, biting the skin gently. Her finger
roamed down his chest, down to his waist,
and cupped his cock. She felt it jump in her
grasp and begin to harden instantly. “How
about we do this again? I think you forgot to
kiss a spot.” She pointed to a patch of skin on
her stomach with a wicked grin.

“Well, I don’t want to be rude and make

the other parts of your body jealous,” he
murmured.

His lips met hers and Cherish let the

world fade away. They would head home to-
morrow to their beautiful son and take turns
holding him while they made plans for their
lives. She couldn’t wait until Marcus was old
enough to ask what his daddy did for a liv-
ing. Cherish knew what her words would be.
Your daddy is a soldier who protects his
country and us. Marcus, your daddy is a
hero.

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The End

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