Epilogue
Ashlee
6 Months Later
I stepped out of the meeting with my publisher, grinning brightly. That meeting was a positive one, and my medial writing career was looking to be a successful one.
Since I had all my notes from over the years, the first book hadn’t taken me very long to write, and surprisingly, I’d managed to get a publisher’s interest quickly...so much so that they wanted me to write a series. They claimed that my writing style was entertaining as well as informative and that it could speak to other health professionals, teachers, and parents of children with speech difficulties equally, which would turn out to be quite a large market, much more than what I was expecting.
As soon as I was outside, I tugged my phone out of my pocket to speak to the one person that needed to know right away, my rock in all of this.
“Hello?” Matthew answered, sounding about as on edge as I’d been feeling that morning. I already knew that he wanted to know how my meeting had gone, and I couldn't wait to put him out of his misery. “How was it?”
“Excellent,” I squealed. “I cannot believe it; they want me to write a whole series.”
“That’s incredible!” he gasped, so excited for me. “Although I’m not surprised; your book is amazing.”
“Yeah, but you have to say that,” I joked, feeling like I was walking on cloud nine. “The publishers don't.”
“Well, while we’re sharing the good news, I have some for you...” he trailed off, leaving me hanging. “I’ve won an award, one that I didn’t even realize that I was nominated for, for my practice. The awards ceremony is tonight. Do you think that you’ll be back from the city soon enough to come with me?”
“Oh my God, of course I will,” I promised, knowing I would race back if I needed to. “That’s such good news. I can’t believe it. I mean, I can because you’re such a good doctor... Oh, you know what I mean.”
My head was all over the place, jumping about with everything. Ever since the horror of losing my mom, things had been going well for me and Matthew, making us both so happy. That suggested to me that not only was my mom watching over us, but we were also both where we needed to be. We had made the right decision in picking one another. “This will look good for the charity foundation, too.”
We had started up a charity in Mom’s name to help fund research, with Matthew putting in a lot of his lottery winnings, and that cash was going to do a whole lot of good. Not only were we raising a lot of awareness, we’d also commissioned projects to help families of cancer sufferers; housing for family members nearby hospitals, specialized, dedicated nurses to help each patient, funding for new treatments...anything to help others through their own, traumatic journey.
“I have to get things organized.” I could tell that Matthew was smiling as he said that, which made me grin, too. “So, I’ll speak to you later, okay?”
On the drive back home, I called Kerri to tell her the good news, too. We were closer than ever, which helped because she was going through a lot of life changes, too, which meant that we could support one another.
On seeing me finally let my guard down with Matthew, she seemed to do the same for Willy, and now they were in the happiest relationship I’d ever seen. Without all the barriers that she’d set up for herself, she could finally just be, and it was perfect. They were so meant to be, it was crazy.
The other big news, although only the four of us knew about it at the moment, was that they were having another baby, and I was over the moon for them. If anyone deserved to finally have that family unit, it was them. They’d jumped over endless hurdles to get there, but now they’d made it – a sentiment that Matthew and I could relate to.
Despite all the craziness in her own life, she still managed to find time to be happy for me and my successes, and when I told her what had happened with the publisher, she screamed with joy for me.
When I thought about that chat Matthew and I had on that hill, where we both confessed that we wanted to stay living in Florence, I was grateful for that choice. I had my mom’s home, a job that I loved, my man, my best friend: why in world would I want to go anywhere else? I was just lucky that Matthew felt the same way. Things could have gone very differently if not.
Or not. I probably would have followed him to the ends of the Earth.
As I eventually pulled up at Mom’s home, my heart fluttered once more. At one point, Matthew had asked me to move in with him, but I hadn’t felt ready to leave Mom’s home behind, but maybe I would be soon. I didn’t think that I could ever sell it, or even rent it just yet...not when everything was exactly as she had left it, but I might have been ready to try something a little different.
After all, I could talk to Mom in my mind anywhere. I didn’t have to be in her bedroom, even if it was where I felt most comfortable.
Well, Mom, I thought happily. Look where I am now. Who would have thought it? I have a book about to be published, Matthew is doing well in his clinic, and I’m about to get dressed to go to an awards ceremony. I miss you like crazy, but I’m happy, too.
I’d gotten to a place where I never thought I would, and that was a huge step forward for me.
*****
I glanced at my reflection in the full-length mirror once more, hoping that I looked okay. I had opted for a floor-length, maroon gown that hugged my curves in a nice way, but I couldn't help being a little critical of myself. I just wasn't sure if the look was quite right and considering I’d had no time to prepare, I was pretty much stuck with it.
Knock, knock.
Especially since Matthew was already there!
“Coming!” I called out, feeling my heart race all over again. Even after all this time, even after everything that we’d been through, he still gave me butterflies. I guessed that he always would.
As I swung the door open, I felt stunned as I saw the gorgeous man standing in front of me. He was wearing a tailored tuxedo that showed him in his absolute best light, causing me to fall in love with him all over again.
“Wow,” I giggled, excitedly. “You look amazing.”
“You don't look so bad yourself,” he grinned before tugging at my arm. “But if we don't leave now, we’re going to be late.”
I had to forgive him for all the rushing around because there was no denying from his pale, sickly expression that he was nervous as all hell. In fact, he looked more anxious than I’d ever seen him before, which had me gripping tightly onto his hand in a reassuring gesture.
I wanted him to know that he would be fine, that he was amazing at his job and that I was certain that he would win, but it didn’t feel like the right thing to say. I felt like he needed my silence for a moment, so that was what I gave him.
At least, until the car pulled up at the docks.
“Wait... What is this?” I asked him curiously. Was this some crazy detour for some weird, unknown reason? And why was Matthew looking at me like this was exactly what he wanted? He didn’t say anything; he simply slid out from the car, and indicated for me to follow.
As the fresh air hit my face, I found myself looking up at Willy’s boat, but it looked completely different from the other times that I’d seen it. I wasn't sure quite what it was, but as I turned to ask Matthew again what the hell was going on, he gave me a look that had me silenced. I wasn't sure why, but I suddenly had the distinct impression that whatever was about to happen would be life changing.
“Come with me,” he said calmly to me, finally looking like he was a relaxing a little bit. He reached out and took my hand before leading me onto the deck. As I got there, I clapped my hands across my mouth in shock, drinking in all the beauty of it.
Matthew had clearly gone to a whole lot of effort to clean the place up before decorating it with candles, red roses, and lights everywhere. This was already the most romantic thing that had ever happened to me, and nothing had even happened yet. I could only assume that maybe there was no awards ceremony, after all.
“What’s going on?” I spun around to drink it all in, and when my eyes fell on Matthew again I felt my heart leap up into my throat. He was on one knee, holding out a ring box to me.
What? Oh my God, is this really happening?
As my brain tried to process what was happening, finally coming to terms with the fact that this actually was going to be the most important night of my life, my eyes spotted something else. Something a little too familiar.
“Is that Grandma’s ring?” I asked in shock.
“It is,” he confirmed, causing my eyes to snap up to him. “Your mom left it for me, with a note in case I wanted to finally make an honest woman out of you.”
“She did?” I couldn't believe it; Mom was still influencing my life even from beyond to grave. “Wow, really? Can I see the note?” I still had my note tucked safely away, so I was sure that Matthew did, too. I wondered why he didn’t tell me about the letter in the first place.
“No,” he laughed loudly, indicating towards himself on the ground. “Can I just ask my question? I am down here for a reason, after all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, of course,” I giggled. This had to be such anus proposal, all imperfect and a little crazy. I couldn't have loved it more if I tried. “Carry on.”
“Okay, well I just want to say that I love you...you know that, I love you so much, and I have known for a very long time that you’re the woman that I want to spend the rest of my life with. You’re kind, sweet, funny, the one person that I want to see in the morning, and the last person that I want to talk to at night. We’ve been meant to be for years, but we’ve been through some real trials and tribulations along the way, bringing us to where we are now.”
He grinned up at me, making everything inside of me flutter happily. I hadn’t been expecting this at all, but now that it was happening, the timing felt so, so right. “So, I want to know if you want to tie this hot piece of ass down,” he joked, making me giggle in a girly fashion. “And make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife?”
The answer was obvious; I didn’t even need to think about it. This was where all of this had been leading for many years now, and I couldn't believe that we’d made it. “Yes,” I gasped out loudly. “Of course, yes.”
With that, he jumped up and spun me around in the air, before slipping my grandmother’s ring onto my finger, signifying a new change for the both of us.
This was it, us together forever, and I couldn't have been happier.
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BILLIONAIRE SEAL
By Alexa Davis
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Alexa Davis
Chapter One
an hour before dawn and I'm laying on my stomach in the dirt behind an outcropping of rock waiting for the signal. I survey the landscape, trying to determine exactly how our SEAL team is going to secure the village below without air support. Our mission is to take the village and find the leader of the rogue gang that is holding fourteen servicemen hostage. We'd parachuted in under the cover of darkness and had been humping across the desolate mountain terrain by night for almost a week. This position had been our destination and now all we could do was wait.
"Opie," I whisper. "What's command saying?"
"Nothing but silence, Pow," he replied. "Not sure what's going on."
"We've got an hour before the sun starts to come up," I said looking at the sky. "I guess we sit tight and wait."
"Badger and Rock just said they saw movement down below," he said. I could hear the faint buzz of the radio signal coming from his direction. "Said we might need to be prepared to attract before light."
"Tell them to fuck off," I said knowing that starting a fight before the helicopters could see us was asking for trouble. "We stay put until the Lieutenant orders us to move."
Opie whispered my order into his headset and waited. Jonathan Michael Morgan had earned the nickname "Opie" because he looked like a young Ron Howard - red hair, freckles and a gap between his teeth that was so wide that we joked about flying a Tomahawk missile through it. He was like my younger brother, but then all the SEALs were my brothers. I just had a soft spot for Opie, and like any younger brother, he did his best to exploit my weakness in order to get what he wanted, which was usually some part of my food. He, and the rest of the team, called me Pow, short for Powell, my last name, as well as for the reputation I'd earned by punching my way out of situations when I'd had one too many to drink. We all had nicknames; it was part of building the brotherhood that kept us alive.
"What'd they say?" I whispered.
"Told you to fuck off, too," he said. I could hear the grin in his voice. It was too dark to see my hand in front of my face, and I was starting to get antsy for the sun to rise. I ran though the mission in my mind's eye again, and tried to pinpoint any potential weak spots. The worst that could happen would be that we all got killed and the warlord executed the prisoners, but since we SEALs had no intention of dying, I knew that could be checked off the list.
I could see the sun beginning to creep up into the eastern horizon and knew that we didn't have long to wait. I watched as people began to emerge from the front of the compound and change guard duties. The two guys in track jackets and Nike's handed their weapons to the two coming on duty. They looked even younger than the other two and that worried me. Young guys tended to panic and make rookie mistakes; they were the most dangerous members of any team no matter how well they'd been trained. I turned and caught a glimpse of Opie as he watched the changing of the guard. He was young, too. A well-trained SEAL, for sure, but still young.
"Pow, command says we should get into position and prepare to engage," Opie whispered. "The copters are within range and the sun will be up in ten."
"Pass it on," I replied and listened as Opie repeated command's orders to Badger and Rock. I watched as the sun edged its way up toward the line that divided night from day giving us just enough light to check our weapons and ammunition. With any luck we wouldn't need to go in shooting since the copters were scheduled to drop bombs on the outer rim of the compound and create a diversion as well as taking out a few of the captors. If their coordinates were right the bombing would be precise and leave few survivors that we'd have to fight. If they were wrong, we'd have one hell of a firefight on our hands.
"Five minutes," Opie whispered. I nodded and ran though the plan one last time. Coppers bomb, we rush the compound, secure the building where our soldiers were being held, prepare for extraction and then get them to the copters that would be waiting just outside of the compound before the SEAL team would slip back into the mountainous terrain. There wouldn't be enough room in the copters for us, so we'd have to hike fifteen miles to the pick up spot. If all went according to plan, we'd be back at the base drinking bear and exerting our bragging rights by dinner.
"Two minutes," Opie whispered. I grabbed my rifle and focused on the activity down at the base of the hill. It looked like the kids guarding the perimeter were carrying semi-automatics. They scanned the hills above the compound and then finding nothing, they kept moving.
"Thirty-seconds," Opie said as we heard the first sound of approaching helicopters. I knew we were on target so I waited for the copters to drop their bombs and prepped myself to head straight down the hill toward the compound entry.
A whooshing sound filled the air and I watched as a missile flew through the air moving in the wrong direction. It cut through the air so quickly that in the second it took Opie and I to turn and follow it's trajectory it hit its mark. The copter exploded in mid-air raining metal down onto the mountainside.
"Anti-aircraft! Anti-aircraft!" Opie shouted into his headset.
"Son of a bitch!" I yelled as I turned and began firing at the men gathered at the front of the compound. Our fire hit its mark and took out several of our opponents, then was quickly returned as the rest retreated back behind the walls. I watched as the second copter veered off course and narrowly missed a missile that had been fired in its direction. No bombs had been dropped on the compound.
"What now, Pow?" Opie hollered over the sound of weapons firing.
"We save our guys!" I shouted. "That's what the hell we do!"
"Command says back off and wait!" he shouted back. "They are sending another copter, it'll be here in ten!"
"Bullshit!" I yelled. "Where are Badger and Rock?"
"Other side of the ridge!"
"Tell them to haul their lazy asses down to the back and blow a hole in the wall while we cover!" I yelled.
Opie radioed the other two SEALs and told them my plan. I knew it was a big risk, but I also knew that if we didn't take control of the situation these guys would kill us and then execute the prisoners. There was no way we were going to let that happen.
I trained my rifle on the front gate and fired at anything that moved. Next to me, Opie was doing the same. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I worked to draw enemy fire and give the guys a chance to blow the backside. I could feel the rhythmic stream of bullets leaving my weapon and found their mark.
I was so focused on the task at hand that when the explosives were detonated the noise pulled my attention away briefly. I heard the bullet whizz by my left ear as I ducked and reloaded. The familiar roar of a Blackhawk filled the air seconds before I heard the swoosh of a missile fly straight into the center of the compound, sending dirt and concrete flying into the air. I ducked to avoid he debris and then quickly poked my head up over the rock we were covered by to make sure the missile had hit its mark.
"We're clear! We're clear!" Opie shouted as the Blackhawk banked and headed toward its landing spot to await the freed soldiers.
"Let's get 'em!" I yelled over my shoulder as I headed down the hill. Opie followed me, shooting at anything that moved. I was fairly certain that the missile had caught most of the compound’s inhabitants unaware, but I didn't bank on it. I kept an eye out for movement as I plotted our path straight to the building where the prisoners were being held. As we rounded a corner, the two young guys who'd taken over guard duty were frantically trying to dig a third man out from under the rubble. When they saw us, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands over their heads in surrender, as they repeated over and over, “No shoot No shoot!"
Opie and I aimed our rifles at them as we moved forward and kicked their weapons out of reach, and then we motioned for them to lay face down on the ground so we could secure their arms behind their backs. If we had enough room in the copter, we'd bring these two along for the commander to interrogate. For that happen it would mean not all of our soldiers would be coming home alive.
We rounded the corner of the building where our guys were being held with weapons aimed and ready to fire at the slightest threat. I signaled to Opie to cover me as I quickly navigated my way around chunks of concrete and dirt looking for a way into the building. I found a door on the backside and quickly shot the padlock off of the frame before kicking it in. Inside on the cement floor laid ten of the fourteen missing men. They were hungry and dehydrated, but they were alive. I signaled to Opie to get the commander on the radio and order a copter for evacuation.
"Where are the rest of the guys?" I asked as I squatted next to a soldier propped up against the wall. He grimaced and shook his head. I said, "Bring 'em home?"
He shook his head and closed his eyes, as I fought to keep my anger at bay. There was no worse feeling than having to leave a man behind.
"Opie! Where's the copter?" I called as I stood up and surveyed the room. For as bad of shape as they were in, most of the guys would be able to get to the copter on their own. "Badger! Rock! Where the hell are you guys?"
"Five minutes out, Pow!" he replied as I pulled the first soldier to his feet and then turned to help the next one up. As I did, the sound of automatic gunfire filled the air and I heard Opie shout," Enemy incoming! Enemy in—!"
The explosion was deafening and it knocked me back against the wall where I struggled to draw air into my lungs before pushing myself up and running to the door. Outside I could see Opie lying on the ground looking straight up at the sky as he struggled to breathe. I swore under my breath as I yanked my gun around and shot at two enemies positioned on the roof across the way. Once I did, the gunfire stopped. I waited knowing that there was a good chance that the enemy was using the silence as a way to lure us out from our hiding spot.
"I'm coming, Opie," I called from the doorway as quietly as I could. Then scanning the surrounding buildings I dashed toward him, grabbed him under his arms and hauled him back to the safety of our concrete enclosure. His breath came in ragged gasps as I ripped open his flack jacket to see where he'd been shot. The bullets had torn a path across his abdomen and blood was pouring from the wounds. I yanked open my emergency pack and did what I could to staunch the flow. "Hang in there, Opie. Help's on its way and we'll get you out of here in no time. Hang on, man. You hear me?"
"Yeah Pow, I hear you," he smiled weakly. "It's not good, is it?"
"Well, it could be much better, to tell you the truth," I said. "But it could also be a hell of a lot worse."
"I'm not gonna make it, Pow," he said. "I know that. Just tell my parents that I did what I said I would do, will you?"
"Bullshit, Opie," I protested as I pressed on the dressings and felt the blood oozing through my fingers. "You're gonna make it out of here and be able to tell them yourself. Hang on, kid."
Bravely he nodded, and wheezed, "It was a hell of a run, wasn't it, Pow?"
"Best goddamn run of our lives," I said as I heard the sound of incoming Blackhawks fill the air. I realized that we must have taken out most of the guys who'd been guarding the prisoners on our first assault. "Don't you die on me, Opie. Dammit!"
"I'll try, Pow," he said. "Hoo-yah..."
Badger and Rock pushed their way into the room and said, "Copters are landing, Pow!"
"Get Opie on a stretcher and on the first one out!" I yelled over the noise then turned to the remaining soldiers and motioned for them to get up. Most did, and the ones who were unable, we stretchered out. Badger and Rock ran to the front of the compound and collected the prisoners we'd taken and loaded them on a third copter.
As we lifted off, I saw the compound from the air. Concrete, dirt, and bodies littered the landscape, and I wondered how anyone but those of us who lived on this wild ride could possibly understand what we did for a living.