Forever Try (Tagged Soldiers Book 4) by Sam Destiny (5)

Ryan woke up to an empty bed and a note on the pillow Aimie had claimed the night before. Sighing because he would’ve actually liked waking up to her, he reached for the paper.

He dropped his head back into the pillow, considering sleeping a few more minutes when his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket.

He got up, searching for the offending item before hitting ‘accept’ on a call from Tessa’s soon-to-be husband.

“Jazz,” he said as a way of greeting, somewhat glad about the call because he needed a guy to talk to.

“You don’t sound hung over.” Jazz laughed and Ryan smiled to himself.

“That’s because I’m not. How are things at home?”

Some babbling in the background hinted Jazz was with his son. “Johnny and I are doing the manly things. Watching sports, playing games, you know?”

“He’s hardly a year,” Ryan pointed out.

“He gets a head-start.” Jazz chuckled, then his tone turned serious again. “How are things? Is my fiancée being decent?”

Ryan considered just acting as if Tessa was living it up, but then decided to test the waters.

“Tessa doesn’t drink, so of course she’s decent.”

Jazz sighed audibly. “Of course she doesn’t. She’s pregnant again, which is kinda why I’m calling. I just want to make sure she’s okay and I cannot ask her. You’re a doctor, so you need stay silent, you know? Confidentiality and all that.”

Ryan snorted. “I’m your friend, not your doctor. However, why do you think that?”

“Well, women need products, and mine doesn’t need them anymore. Plus, she’s pale and cranky, and our potato chip stock is dwindling. She hasn’t complained about cramps in a while. I’m surprised it happened so fast, and even more that she didn’t tell me, but I’m pretty sure by now.”

Ryan stayed silent for a moment. “Aren’t you just the perfect stalker?” he joked before changing his tone. “You really watch her closely.”

His friend stayed silent for a long moment, then talked to his son for a few seconds before coming back on the line. “I am. Each and every day I wonder if this will be the day she decides she’s had enough, and she doesn’t want to be with me anymore. You know, the day she walks out because it settles in how much shit we got going on a daily basis. I cannot have that happen, so I make sure to refill her favorite chips, bring her mangoes whenever I see good ones, and just cuddle her that extra bit more. That woman is my life, and I’d do everything to keep her by my side.”

“Sappy.”

“Love, dude. The forever kind, and as soon as she said yes in less than a week, she has no chance to ever get away again,” Jazz said confidently and Ryan shook his head, knowing the other soldier couldn’t see it.

“I got married two nights ago.”

Silence. He wasn’t the least bit surprised about that.

“Hilary?” Jazz asked, his tone cautious.

“Aimie.”

“Good choice. Hilary is a great woman, but she needs someone…not like you. She needs someone as tough as she is. Aimie is amazing. Very loyal and sweet. You need sweet. I did, too. Do I want to ask though? What the hell happened, and Tessa surely and absolutely didn’t approve, did she?”

“When did you know it was Tessa for you?”

Jazz laughed. “You’re so not like Tank at all. Man, emotional talks with a guy. Well, here it goes… When did I know she was going to change my life forever? The moment she sat across from me at the airport, having lunch with me. She was perfect, all messy and chaotic and still very… her. There was nothing fake about her, and I loved her in my hoodie. I couldn’t stop thinking she belonged in my clothes. I knew then, but didn’t want to believe it until she almost told me she loved me.”

“I just,” Ryan echoed. He’d never understood the inside joke going on between the girls until that moment.

“Exactly.”

“The first time I saw Aimie I’d just done thirty-six hours at the hospital although I shouldn’t have, and I’d been at Tessa’s place because of you. She looked at me and blushed. Aimie, that is, not Tessa.”

“You planned this,” Jazz said, almost sounding as if he was in awe.

Ryan chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. “Let’s say I hoped I’d get a chance, and when Tessa and Hilary left us alone early, I thought this was it.”

Jazz whistled. “Brave. Very brave.”

“Stupid. What if she leaves me because this doesn’t work out? I hang out too much with the girls. The weird romantic notions took over.”

“Remember when I said Aimie’s loyal? I meant it. If she didn’t demand a divorce right away, I think she’ll fight for this. And she probably liked you, too. You’re not half bad looking and you’re a doctor. She got a good deal, although I think she sold herself short. She could’ve scored the head of the hospital.”

“A fan of Aimie’s?” Ryan couldn’t hide his surprise.

Jazz seemed to collect his words for a moment before replying, “She’s been on my side from the beginning. Even when the other girls told Tessa to reconsider seeing me, Aimie always had my back although I didn’t know her. I think she deserves a happy ending because she practically created mine. With help, but she did.”

“And you matched off Evy already, so…”

Jazz laughed. “You spend a lot of time with those girls. Tell me you don’t want to see them happy?”

Ryan couldn’t argue with that, but he knew he was already on the way making sure another one of them would be.

“How is she dealing with your nightmares now?”

Jazz stayed quiet for a moment. “Don’t tell me you have them, too,” he pleaded, his voice subdued.

“Different ones from you, but yes, I do. Not as often, but…how does she not freak out?”

“Well, buddy, here comes the hard part. Make her love you so much, she will not run no matter what. Somehow I managed that, and now I’ll make sure she has nowhere else to go.”

“Jesse, she loves you. She wouldn’t go anywhere else,” Ryan assured him.

Jazz laughed quietly. “I don’t believe that until my ring is on her finger and she has my name. Trust me, I know what she went through because of me. I’ll be a sap for the rest of my life, but I’ll be her sap. I don’t care what others think of me. Okay, I gotta run, John’s getting impatient. Watch over her and my baby, okay?”

“Promise.”

“Good. I cannot wait to have them back. Tell your wife ‘hi’ from me, and I’m sorry for her bad taste and poor decision-making when she’s drunk.”

Ryan hung up, laughing, before getting dressed. He wanted to make his way down to breakfast, even if he still had to wait hours until the girls showed up.

* * *

Aimie blinked, checking if the blonde across from her was awake, then she stretched as if she’d had the best night’s sleep in forever.

“Don’t even pretend, Aimie Jennison. I know you slipped into your bed shortly after five,” Tessa muttered, her brown eyes watchful and yet amused.

Aimie blushed, drawing her blanket over her head.

“I planned on coming back last night, but cuddling was so nice. I mean…I missed being close to someone, you know? And…” She trailed off, wondering how best to say it while Tessa reached for her phone, smiling instantly and typing out a message before focusing on Aimie again.

“And?” she prompted and Aimie sighed.

“I wanted to be close to him. After I came, after that day at Hilary’s, when Tank left right away again, Ryan kept contacting me. He asked me for coffee and lunch and whatnot, but I didn’t think he could really like me.” She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity—or rather insecurity.

“Why shouldn’t he?” Tessa asked, sitting up.

Somehow that woman managed to shine like the sun first thing in the morning. She was one of those girls who could get up, slip into jeans, run a brush through her hair, and be ready for whatever.

“Because I’m tiny and Australian and sometimes swear too much and I’m shy as hell.”

Tessa shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything that’s not to like. However, why didn’t you stay? I wouldn’t have killed you, you know? Maybe him, but not you.” She winked, but Aimie couldn’t even smile, blushing even more.

“Yes?”

“Morning breath, rat’s nests, things like that.”

Tessa arched a brow. “Human things?”

Aimie chuckled. “I don’t want him to see me human. I want him to think I’m a magically cute creature and he’s lucky to have married me. Even if it can’t last.”

Tessa stood at that point, crossing over to her.

“Why can’t it last, Aimie? He was determined enough to get you in front of an altar here and have your hand in marriage. I think he’ll be determined enough to make it last, too.”

“He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know my bad moments, my horrible moments, my weak ones. He hardly even knows my good moments, Tess.” And it was true. She loved the idea of being Mrs. Ryan Spencer, but it equally terrified her because she didn’t want to be that woman. His wife would have to live with him, to show him her face when she was PMSing, and have him around when she felt like crying.

Instead she wanted to be a person he saw when she was prepared for it, when she could be charming and fun and all the things someone would need in a partner.

“You have a few months, Aims. He can get to know them all. And I’ll tell you a secret, too. He’s a soldier. He went on tours. He is a doctor. He saw horrible things. Do you think his days are all sunshine and puppies? I bet he has bad days, moody ones. Those are the days you need because those are the days that show you if you work. Honestly, everyone can be happy when the days are easy and everything’s smiles all around, but you only know if he’s good for you if he manages to make you smile during the moments you don’t want to. It’s about cheering him up when his mood is sour. That’s what relationships are about. Jazz didn’t know anything about me when he kissed me at the airport. He didn’t know much more when he left after three weeks, but he knew I loved him, and I knew he loved me back. Hell, he didn’t even know much about me when he returned, but knowing I was in love with him was enough for me to pull through. There was desperation in our love, hopelessness I don’t wish on anyone, but Aimie, none of that is in your marriage. You can go and see where it leads. You can go and see if you’ll find the L-word in it.”

Aimie sat up as well, thinking that Tessa had a point. The thing between her and Jazz had been unconventional at best, and although Ryan and Aimie didn’t start out loving each other, there must’ve been something that had caused him to do such a crazy thing, to conjure up an insane plan.

“In the end, I might be divorced.”

“In the end, you might be happy,” Tessa replied.

Aimie groaned and dropped back into the pillow. “You wanna know what’s worse?”

Tessa grinned as if she already knew. “You want to sleep with him, don’t you?”

Blinking at her friend, Aimie wondered how she knew that. “Yes. Is it so obvious?”

Tessa shrugged. “He’s hot. Hell, a hundred women probably wanted to sleep with him since we came, and—”

“True. You should’ve seen how they treated me last night. One called me his sister. As if it was impossible someone like him could enjoy my company any other way.”

Maybe they should just get their marriage annulled, because she’d never be considered good enough for him by anyone.

“The only people who need to know what this is between you and him are you and him. And he knows you’re not his sister. He looks at you as if he wants to eat you most of the time. Trust me, he doesn’t regret what happened. What worries me, though, is that he has to bind a woman to himself before he allows her to get to know him. I wonder what dark secrets he has. Maybe he’ll cuff you to the bed and have his wicked way with you. Or maybe he’s into blindfolding…quickies at work? Maybe he has a red room…you know, one of those with whips and chains and—”

“Shut up, Tessa.” Aimie squirmed because she liked the idea of him having control over her, of surrendering to him and not being able to hide away if she felt like it.

And that was what she already knew would happen once she’d dare the step of sleeping with him. She had a habit of trying to cover up her flaws with her hands.

“Breakfast?” she suggested to avoid thinking about Ryan’s hands on her. God, her skin was heating just from the thought.

“It’ll be an early one then. The rest probably won’t join us for a while,” Tessa pointed out, but Aimie didn’t care. It meant she could go down in her sweats and with her hair piled on top of her head, looking lazy and unprepared for the day.

Ryan wouldn’t be down after all, and Tessa sure as hell wouldn’t care.

* * *

The breakfast room was almost empty and she wasn’t the least bit surprised.

However, Ryan was already there, abandoning his plate by the buffet the moment he spotted her.

“I should’ve gotten dressed up. I look horrible,” Aimie muttered in panic, but when Ryan reached her, he just picked her up, spinning her briefly before lowering her back on her feet and pressing a kiss to her lips.

He was beaming and then cupped her cheek. “Good morning, wife,” he greeted her and Aimie felt how Tessa passed her, as if thinking it was safe to leave the two alone.

“Good morning husband,” she replied and he leaned in again to kiss her, making her realize she’d planned to brush her teeth after breakfast—like she always did.

Thankfully he didn’t seem to mind.

“Wake up next to me tomorrow,” he pleaded quietly and Aimie exhaled slowly.

“Maybe, if you’re good,” she whispered and then winked. He laughed shortly and she couldn’t help but think he was too damn cheery.

“Have you been drinking already?” she asked and he chuckled, squeezing her tighter to himself.

“Absolutely sober. Jazz wanted me to tell you something though. He’s sorry for your bad decision-making when you’re drunk.” His eyes were shining and she knew he had gotten Jazz’s approval…whatever he’d needed it for.

“You really are happy I said ‘yes,’ aren’t you?” she asked in utter disbelief and he nodded, his smile getting smaller as he turned serious.

“You’re mine now in name, and Aimie, I will work hard to make sure you’ll also be mine in heart.” A quick smirk crossed his lips. “But I’m going to wait on all my romantic words until we’re back home. You’re moving in with me, Aimie, aren’t you? This is us, all in or nothing.”

She was terrified of all in, but she was even more terrified of nothing.

Standing there, she realized that she wanted him. It hadn’t been a weird moment of longing back in the bar when he’d almost kissed her. She hadn’t longed for just anyone to kiss her, only him.

“Are you serious? Can we not agree to just meet daily and all and take it slow?”

He shook his head, panic entering his eyes, and she lifted her hand to his cheek, cupping it and brushing her thumb across his lips.

“We cannot agree to that. Please, move in. How do I know you really fell for me because of who I am, instead of the glimpses you’d get? I’m working shifts this week, only a few because of the wedding, but I want you included in my routines. In fact, I wanted them changed to accommodate you. Whatever you’re afraid of, Aimie, I promise it won’t happen. You can have a room so you have a place to go, and I’m not saying I’ll lock you in. We’ll find you a car to move around in. Imagine me to be your new roomie.”

Roomie? She didn’t like that term. “I don’t kiss my roomies,” she fussed and he closed his eyes, clearly having misunderstood.

“If I move in, I move in because we’re married, and that means I get room in your closet to have my clothes next to yours, and I’ll have room next to you in bed. It’s just terrifying. You need to be honest and tell me when you want me gone, okay?”

“And you tell me when you want to go, okay?”

She nodded and then drew him in so she could kiss him again. She loved it, loved everything about being close to him and yet she couldn’t help but wonder what the hell she’d gotten herself into.