Vaughn
Walking out of my office, I find my guys cleaning up around the shop as our day winds down. “Good work today, guys.” They gather around. “Don’t forget about bowl and dine next weekend, and you’re welcome to bring a girlfriend or friend if you’d like. I know Brooke and Courtney will be hanging with us.”
“They need to gather some more friends for us.” Max wiggles his brows.
I shake my head. “Sorry, man, my girl’s not much of a partier. She spent the last eight years busting her ass in school. I don’t think she’ll be bringing too many more friends around.”
“My girl and I broke up, so it’ll be just me.” Nolin looks relieved.
“Sorry to hear that, man.” Callen slaps him on the back.
Surprisingly, Nolin laughs. “I’m not, she was getting to be a pain in my ass. Always complaining about my career choice. She wanted to hang twenty-four-seven and I can’t do that shit. I want to go somewhere with my fucking career and I won’t get there with her up my ass.”
“But you have such a nice ass.” Max slaps him fucking around.
“Okay, okay. I’m out of here. I have to go meet my girl to look at a house. Callen, make sure everything is locked up tight.” Brooke called me last night, really excited that she’d heard back from the landlord on the house that she really liked, and asked me if I’d go with her and Keaton to look at it.
He shakes my hand and tells me he has my back. I thank him and run to the men’s room to change into civilian clothes before leaving. I don’t like going off base in uniform. It draws attention to me, and that’s not something I’m comfortable with. Brooke has two houses to look at, but tonight we’re only looking at one. This is the one she’s most excited about, and when we’re done, we’re grabbing dinner at a little mom and pop place up the street. I think it’s called Joanie’s or something like that. She says she’s heard that they have awesome home cooked southern meals, and being that I love southern food, she thinks it’ll be a good place for us.
I pull up to the address she gave me and as promised, it’s not even fifteen minutes from the base. This is going to be awesome. It’s a nice house. There’s a gorgeous farmer’s porch that runs half the length of the house. The outside looks very well kept, from the siding to the landscaping. I can see why she’s so excited about this place. Brooke pulls in next with Keaton right behind her.
The three of us get out of our cars. Keaton shakes my hand and gives me a man hug. “How’s it going, man?”
“Good. How’s the business?”
“Crazy.” He hugs his sister and then she comes over to me and gives me a kiss.
The three of us walk up to the house. “How was your day, sweetie?”
“It was good. Nothing too crazy blew up on us,” she says as a gentleman steps onto the porch.
“Hello, you must be Brooke.” He’s a sweet older man.
She sticks out her hand. “Yes, sir and this is my brother, Keaton, and my boyfriend, Vaughn.”
The guys all shake hands and exchange pleasantries. “Great, let’s head on inside and I’ll show you around.” He opens the door for us and we all step into a gorgeous kitchen that has light wood cabinets and granite counter tops. I can already see how excited Brooke is about this place. There’s a small dining room to one side of the kitchen and on the other is a spacious living room with a slider that leads to a huge backyard.
“Can we check out the bedrooms?” Brooke’s face lights up.
“Of course, feel free to roam. I’ll give you some privacy.” He leans against the countertop while the three of us wander down the hall. Keaton walks off checking out windows and plumbing while we look at the spacious bedrooms. This house actually has three bedrooms. One of them is quite small, but would make a nice office space for Brooke, while the other two are nice size rooms. The two larger rooms have walk-in closets and the master has its own bathroom. The bathroom has dark cabinets and a light granite counter top. It’s awesome to see Brooke walking around with a huge smile on her face. I can tell she really likes the place and I’m thrilled for her.
Keaton comes walking into the back room. “Hey, this place is in good shape. You shouldn’t have any problems. It has central air too, which the last house didn’t have.”
“Good, because I love it. Now I just have to confirm one thing with Mr. Jacobson and I’ll be good to go.” Keaton and I follow her into the kitchen where the owner is still leaning on the counter. “Mr. Jacobson, you have a beautiful house here.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He smiles with pride.
“I only have one question for you.” She links her fingers with mine.
“Shoot.”
“My boyfriend has a dog, and it’s important to me that he can come here once in a while. Would you be opposed to me having pets in the house?”
He sighs, and I can see the fear in Brooke’s face as he contemplates his answer. I’m about to tell Brooke not to sweat it, but he finally smiles. “You’re a veterinarian, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I assume that means you know how to take good care of animals. I’ll tell you what, if you’re willing to give me an extra five hundred in your deposit just in case, then I’ll allow animals in the house.”
She jumps up and down, clapping her hands, she’s so excited. “That’s fine. I know there won’t be any damage. He’s a great dog and I promise to keep the house really clean.”
The gentleman smiles. “Well, I’ll run your background check, and as long as everything comes out good, we have a deal.” He holds out his hand and they shake. I hold mine out next and thank him for agreeing to the pet, and for his time. We all walk out of the house, and when I get to the front lawn, Keaton hugs his sister goodbye and shakes my hand.
“Are you ready to get some dinner?”
“Yes, I’m famished.” She steps closer, grabs my shirt, and pulls me down for a kiss. “Thank you for being here today.”
“Angel, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Come on, I need to feed you.”
I walk her to her car and open the door for her, but she quickly turns to me. “Speaking of feeding, who has Brody?”
I love that this woman cares so much for my dog. “Callen has Brody.” A huge smile spreads across her face and she climbs in. “I’ll follow you.” She nods and I close her door. I jump into my car and we head off. She’s right, the place isn’t far at all. It takes us maybe ten minutes to get there.
We pull into the lot and manage to find two spots side by side. She meets me at the back of the car, our fingers instantly interlock, and we walk into Joanie’s BBQ hand in hand.
As soon as we’re through the door, we’re greeted by a young hostess. “Two?” she questions.
“Yes, please,” I respond.
She smiles and says, “Right this way.” We follow her to a corner booth. Brooke slips in and I sit directly beside her. I like sitting next to her as opposed to across from her. “Here are some menus. Your waitress will be right over.
“Thank you.” Brooke gives her a smile and we both begin looking over the menu.
There’s so much to choose from for a small place, I’m quite impressed. The place is simple with just a few pictures scattered about the walls. The smells coming from the kitchen have my stomach rumbling. “I think I’m going to get messy and have some ribs.” I put my menu down and wait for Brooke to decide.
She places her menu on top of mine and tells me she’s all set too. The waitress comes over and we place our order. She’s going with pulled pork. “How’s the sleep been going?”
“Not too bad. I’ve been trying some things that the app suggests and it’s seems to be helping, I guess. Brody woke me last night, but I don’t remember dreaming anything, and I was able to go right back to sleep.”
“He’s probably learning the sounds and movements you make while you’re dreaming, and so he’s able to help you quicker. What are some of the things you’re trying?” I chuckle as I try to figure out what to say. “What’s so funny?” she asks.
I suddenly feel self-conscious over the things I’ve been trying, and I don’t like it. That’s not typically me. I think it’s one of my biggest struggles lately. I feel weak, and usually I’m strong and confident. “It’s just some of the things they recommend sound strange. Like there’s a video about relaxing your body. I’ve tried it both nights. I feel foolish doing it, but if it’s going to help, then I’ll continue to do it as long as I’m alone. I also started drinking night time tea.”
“I like night time tea. I haven’t drank it in a while, but I used to get anxiety over tests and the stress would keep me up, so I would use that to help me unwind.”
“It’s pretty good. I don’t mind the taste of it. One of the coaching tips was to change the way I think about sleep, and it makes a lot of sense, but it’s easier said than done.” The first time I watched the video of this woman speaking in a slow relaxed voice, I wanted to scream at the coach. See the things I see in my sleep and tell me you can change the way you think about sleep. “I’ll be honest, at first I thought it was complete bullshit, but then I went through the videos and listened to them. It started to make sense.” I shrug my shoulders and look down at the place mat on the table.
She puts her hand on mine and gives it a squeeze. “I’m proud of you. You’ve tried something outside of your comfort zone.” I feel like a fucking pansy, but I bite my tongue because clearly she’s happy with the effort I’m putting in.
“Thanks, I’m really trying.” The waitress puts our food down in front of us. “Listen, I really want us to move forward in our relationship, I love you, but I need to take some time to pull my stuff together so I don’t hurt you again.” I turn to face her and she has a look of fear on her face. “Sweetie, I’m not saying I want us to break up, but I want us to sleep apart until I know I’m doing better with the nightmares. I’d never forgive myself if I attacked you again. What if I hurt you?”
“I get it, and I think it’s brave of you to admit it.” She digs into her pulled pork.
“You do?” I thought she was going to freak out on me. I don’t want to hurt her physically or emotionally, but I need to make myself stronger for both of us.
“I do, and when you’re ready for us to start spending the night together again, you let me know.”
Lord, how did I end up lucky enough to have a wonderful woman like this? “Here’s the thing. I haven’t had an episode like I did at the beach in a while, and as a matter of fact, it only happened one other time. It’s how I learned that fireworks were a trigger for me, and now I know sand at the beach can be too. I think part of the reason I had the episode at the beach was because I was tired. I’m thinking if I can get my sleep under control and continue working on the other self-coaching tips, then I’ll be okay. That said, if I can keep the nightmares at bay, then come next weekend when we get together for the Bowl and Dine event on the base, maybe you’ll consider staying with me at my place?”
A huge smile spreads across her face. “I’d love that.” She just made my night. I know she’s happy, and now I have something to aim for. I’ve always been a goal-based person. I’ll bust my ass over the next week and a half doing my exercises to make sure I’m better for her, and then I’m going to plan a really romantic night for the two of us. “What’s that grin for, Vibe?” She nudges me with her shoulder. I can’t believe she used my nickname.
I laugh. She busted me in my dirty thoughts. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about how happy you make me and how lucky I am to have such an understanding girlfriend.” I wiggle my brows at her.
She bites her lip and leans in. “I find myself pretty lucky too.” She kisses me gently. “And I love you.”
The waitress comes back over. “Is there anything else I can get you two?”
“Shall we share some peach cobbler?” I continue staring into Brooke’s beautiful blue eyes. She barely nods but it’s enough to tell me what she wants.
I look up to the waitress. “We would like to share some peach cobbler please.”
She laughs at our flirting. “I’ll be back with your dessert and some containers for your leftovers.”
“Thank you.” I give her a smile and she walks off.
The waitress comes back a few minutes later with our dessert and the containers she promised. Once we pack up our leftovers, I pick up the spoon and dig into the cobbler, feeding the first bite to Brooke, who licks her lips and opens wide. When the cobbler hits her tongue, she closes her eyes and moans gently, savoring the flavor. The look of ecstasy on her face makes my cock twitch. She’s slowly chewing the dessert with her eyes closed. “You keep that up and you’ll be back at my house, so I can put that same look on your face.”
She opens her eyes and giggles. “Sorry, but that’s some pretty heavenly cobbler.” She picks up her spoon and scoops some up. I thought she was going to take more for herself, but she returns the favor and feeds it to me. Damn, she’s right—this cobbler is delicious. We continue feeding each other until our dessert is almost gone. That’s when the waitress drops the bill. I ask her to hold on a second and I instantly hand over my credit card so she can run it. It’s getting late, and we both have to work tomorrow.
As soon as the waitress returns with my slip and card, I sign it, setting it aside for her. “Are you ready, sweetie?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.” A yawn escapes her.
I take her hand and walk her to her car. When we get there, I feel like there’s so much I need to say, but I can’t come up with the right words. “Thank you for having dinner with me.”
“Vaughn.” She looks down for a second, and then back up at me. “I’ve waited a while now for you to see me as a woman and not Remy’s sister. I want you to know it was worth the wait and I’m not going anywhere. Take care of yourself so we can move forward. Show me the man I know you are.”
I nod. “Good night.” I give her a chaste kiss and open the car door for her.
She climbs in, and just before I close the door, she tells me she loves me. I close my eyes, taking in her words. When I open them, her window is down. “I love you too, more than you know.” I turn and walk away, not wanting her to see this weaker side of me.