Navy SEAL Romance: MC ROMANCE: Axel (Bad Boy Alpha Male Military Romance) (Military Suspense Protector Romance) (14 page)

*****

Jake spent his vacation proving to Sarah and Jessie and that he was capable of becoming a father. He opted to stay at a nearby hotel and went to Sarah’s every day; getting to know his daughter and asking about everything she did and learned from the last six years.

When Mae called Sarah to hang out or do things for her wedding, he volunteered to take care of Jessie until she comes back. She was reluctant to leave at first, but agreed after much cajoling from him. He then started to ask questions about Sarah and his heart melted, as his daughter told him how Sarah had been working hard to support her, and that she was happy her mother was finally having some fun and making friends.

Everything he heard about Sarah made him admire her strength and resilience greatly, and he found himself wanting to spend more time with her or at least, the three of them together. He wanted to be part of Sarah’s life too and whenever he saw her talking to another guy, he’d clench his fist in an effort not to come over, plant a fist through his face, and pull Sarah away from him.

It was then that he realized that he was falling fast for the mother of his child too.

But, Sarah was avoiding him like the plague. He needed to do something huge to get back in her good graces, and maybe into her heart.

He turned and caught sight of his poster taped at her daughter’s wall, wearing his jersey and about to throw the ball to someone.

And just like that, he had an idea.

Mae took Sarah to meet her fiancé, Grey, and asked Sarah to play one of her compositions for the wedding. Grey was intrigued and asked her to play it then and there, so when she obliged and blew his socks off, Grey immediately asked her to send some more of her work, telling her that if he liked a couple more, then he was going to hire Sarah to write the music for his movie.

Sarah was thrilled that finally, she was going to be able to follow her dreams in composing music, not just playing the piano like her parents wanted. She had finally broken out of her chains. It took a long time, but she did.

“Thank you,” Sarah said, hugging Mae suddenly and startling her. Mae smiled and hugged her just as tight.

“You don’t have to,” Mae replied, and they smiled at each other. Mae checked her phone and when she finished reading the message, she looked up at Sarah and smiled.

“Hey, I need to make one more stop. Is it okay if you come with me?” Mae said.

Sarah was perplexed, as she followed Mae inside of the football stadium, wondering what in the world Mae had forgotten here that was so important. She lost Mae again and she had no choice but to wander to the audience stands. As soon as she emerged, the lights lit up and Sarah’s eyes widened, as she saw Jake and Jessie standing in the middle of the football field, gaze locked on her. Jake took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Sarah, I’m sorry Mae duped you, but I asked her to do this for me,” Jake said, and Sarah blinked, waiting for him to continue. “I know I messed up by you, and I’m really sorry, but I have never been able to get you out of my head since then and I want you to know that if I could do that night all over again,” Jake paused, making Sarah’s brows furrow, as she waited for his answer.

“I wouldn’t have left you. I would’ve stayed and asked how you were. I would’ve told you how beautiful you are, and that I really do remember what happened between us,” he said, making Sarah gasp at his admission. “But, I’m here now and I want to be able to do all of those things that I didn’t get to do, and then some. I want to be with you every single day, Sarah; you and Jessie and me. I will make up for every moment I wasn’t there and keep proving myself to you for as long as it takes because I love you, Sarah. I love you and our kid, and I’m never going to let you guys go again,” he said.

He bent one knee and pulled out the velvet box he had in his pocket before looking back up in the stands; his eyes widening as he saw Sarah was gone. He stood up and turned around slowly in his spot; trying to find her until he felt someone tackle him. He looked down in surprise, finding Sarah sobbing in his arms, as she clutched his shirt.

“I thought you’d never say that,” Sarah whispered, and Jake tilted her chin up to look at her tear-stained eyes.

“No worries, baby. I’m going to be telling you that every single day until you believe it, but only if you say so,” Jake said.

Sarah smiled; calling her daughter over to hug them, as she kissed Jake softly in his mouth.

“Okay,” Sarah murmured against his lips. Jake smiled and kissed her deeply, and once again, Sarah’s head was filled with vibrant colors that were similar to the sights whenever she played, only this time, the music that produced them came from her heart, beating erratically and in concert with his.

Finally, her feelings had reached him.

One Bad Bear

*****

The wind was blustering through the night, smacking the tree branches up against Rochelle’s window. She was tossing and turning beneath her covers, unable to sleep. The nightmares were getting worse and they were only fueled by the terrible weather. When the first bolt of lightning hit the back yard, she sat bolt upright and resigned herself to a sleepless night.

“Urgh…. My God,” she rolled out of bed straight into her slippers.

Pulling on her dressing gown tight around her body, she shuffled out her room and downstairs in search of snacks and a cold glass of milk. Illuminating the dark kitchen with the glow of the refrigerator, she pulled out the milk and a half eaten dish of apple pie that her mother had made earlier. Then, she reached into a nearby drawer for a fork and got stuck by it. She was shameless about her big appetite, and it was one of the things that her mother loved about her. She was always relishing home cooked meals and rustling up fancy dinners during the holiday season; not that her trim body would show it though. Despite her eating at least four meals a day, she was no bigger than a size four and constantly envied by her girlfriends. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head, as she tucked into the pie.

“As soon as you hit your twenties, you’ll balloon into a beast.”

But of course, Rochelle didn’t care about that right now. As she polished off the last bite, she reached for her cellphone and tapped the name at the top of her call list. As she listened to the dial tone, something shone beside her and she noticed it was her father’s sheriff’s badge. She fiddled with it for a moment before putting it back in its place.

“Hey.”

“Hey… Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?” her sister Anna seemed confused.

“Because I can’t sleep and the thunder and lightning is scaring me,” Rochelle whispered.

“Oh yeah? Is the weather real bad down there?”

“Oh, just awful,” Rochelle sighed. “When are you going to be home?”

“Why… you miss me?” her sister chuckled. “I keep telling you, when the semester’s over.”

“But, that’s not for ages!”

Since Rochelle’s older sister had moved up north to go to college, she had been feeling lonely at home. She was always finding excuses to call her up at all times of the day and night, but lucky for her, Anna thought she was cute.

“You do know that it won’t be long until
you
have to leave for college?”

“I know…..” Rochelle sipped at her milk.

“You have applied haven’t you?”

“Yes….”

“Good… and what’s Dad thinking about you finally leaving the nest?”

“I think he’s happy,” Rochelle lied, as her voice quivered.

“Happy? That bastard’s never happy about anything!” Anna was enraged just thinking about him.

“Hey, it’s ok. He’s not been too bad recently, I promise.”

“You’re lying. I can tell sis, he’ll never change.”

Rochelle, too scared to talk about him anymore, hung up in a panic and flung her phone across the kitchen counter. It slid all the way to the other side before falling to the floor with a loud clatter.

“What the hell is that noise?”

She had woken her father and she could hear him rising from the creaking bed in anger. Gulping down her anxiety, she huddled in her seat praying he wouldn’t come into the kitchen, but it was too late. He had already noticed her sitting there through a gap in the banister, and he came marching in with his heavy footsteps shaking her plate on the table.

“What the hell are you doing up at this time of night?”

“I was just… scared of the storm,” Rochelle whimpered.

“Scared? I’ll give you something to be scared about!” He raised his hand as though he was about to hit her.

He moved just a fraction of an inch and she cowered beneath him, flinching at his sudden movement. He laughed at the fear he had inflicted on her and pulled back with a proud look on his face.

“I’ve told you a hundred times. When you go to bed, you stay there. I swear to God girl, you’re gonna eat us out of house and home.”

“But…”

“But, what... Eh?”

As per usual, he was furious and there seemed to be little reason for his outburst, but Rochelle and her sister were used to it and grew up under his reign of terror. If anything, it had made the sisters closer and they never went a day without checking up on each other.

“Next time, you’ll get more than a warning,” he snarled. “Bed……
Now!
”

Rochelle ran as fast as she could; taking the stairs two at a time. Once in the comfort of her bedroom, she slammed the door closed and burst into tears. It wasn’t fair. Other girls’ fathers weren’t like this. She looked around her bedroom and felt a wave of sadness engulf her. It wasn’t long until she left home for college, but it was still months away and she couldn’t stay any longer.

Thinking about Anna, she desperately wanted to speak to her again, but as she reached for her phone, she realized it was still in the kitchen.

“Oh no!” her tears became heavier.

There was no way she could go back into the kitchen. She could still hear her father down there on the prowl. But, she had an idea…

The storm was still raging outside and the noise wasn’t any less frightening, but remaining in the house was just intolerable. As she pulled on her jeans and coat, she thought about her mother and how she’d suffer without either of her daughters at home. But, she needed to live her own life because she was finally at the end of her tether.

Resting her forehead against the window, she looked down into the back yard and decided it wasn’t too much of a jump onto the garage roof, and then to the ground. It was now or never.

Hurling as many belongings as possible into her backpack, she took a deep breath and opened the window. The cold air lashed at her face with her wet hair whipping at her eyes. The rain was beating down hard with the noise of the nearby trees creaking and groaning ominously.

“I love you Mom,” she whispered into the night, and then leapt.

*****

She regretted her escape as soon as she landed in the soft mud of the garden, but as she looked up to her bedroom window, she knew there was no going back. Running headlong into the night, she knew it was likely she wouldn’t even make it to the city, but it was worth a shot. In fact, anything was worth a try to get out of the hellhole she knew to be her home.

Reaching the edge of the house, she climbed into her car and wondered how she could start it without waking her parents. She figured there was no use in even trying to conceal the sound. Her home lay on the edge of a deep valley with no one around for miles and any sound would travel far and wide. She’d have to be quick, turn the key and be down the drive in a matter of seconds. For the first time in her life, she prayed the thunder and lightning would come down to disguise the sound of the engine, but as she turned the key, she wasn’t so lucky. The car roared into life with the headlights beaming into the kitchen window.

Her father was sitting there, blinded by the light for a moment before he stood up in a rage. She could see him, as he made his way through the house. Pushing her foot to the floor she sped away as fast as possible, kicking up dirt and gravel as she drove.

The open road stretched out ahead of her, and finally, she was free. All the way through the valley, she was terrified that she’d see the lights of her father’s truck shining in the mirrors, but he never came and, as she slowed down to a steady speed, she wondered why.

Thinking about her mother once again, she tried to swallow back the tears, but it was no use. She felt terrible for leaving her behind without even a hint of an explanation, but she knew she’d understand. However, the tears became heavier and heavier until she was sobbing with her chest heaving, as she gasped for air. She soon became blinded by both the tears and the rain, but she drove on relentlessly with the force of the wind shaking the car along the isolated road.

Taking a quick, but blurry glance to the dashboard, she saw she was almost out of gas and the thought of being stuck out here in the wilderness terrified her.

“Oh my God!” she wailed. “This can’t be happening.”

Then, it came; something rock-hard and heavy with an insurmountable force. It hit the hood of the car at speed, and it brought Rochelle to a screeching halt. She screamed in terror, as she saw the creature that was attached to the front of the hood. As a devoted animal lover, the thought of injuring something so innocent broke her heart. It would seem that her night was getting worse by the minute.

However, the rain was brutal, as it lashed down around the vehicle making deafening noises against the roof. She had to squint to see what kind of animal it was and she wiped at the windshield to see it better. With a gasp, she saw the large paws that were digging into the car and the enormous torso they lead up to.

Her breath stopped at the realization she’d hit a bear. It was wounded and lying face down with its blood mingling with the rain drops. She leaned further forward in her seat until the steering wheel was digging hard into her chest. She had to see if it was alive. For a second, she was sure she saw its great body rise and fall with each breath, but she couldn’t be certain.

Creeping closer until her nose was against the glass, she looked for a sign that it was alive, but still, it didn’t move. Then, a flash of green hit her through the darkness. The bright eyes of a beast glared at her through the windshield, and she screamed, stumbling backward into the back seat. The bear was awake and it was angry.

It leaned back with pain in its eyes and growled with Rochelle screaming along with it. Despite all her years living in the wilderness, she'd never seen a wild animal so close. Its claws were digging into the windshield while its teeth were menacing and sharp. She figured one foul swoop to her face would maim her for life. Shaking uncontrollably, she clutched her hands desperately at the leather upholstery.

Eventually, she let go, but only because she was ripping her fingernails from their beds. The pain was a temporary refuge from the fear and she looked down at her broken nails for a moment, but in that split second, everything changed because when she shifted her eyes back up to the windshield, the bear was moving away.

Its anger had dissipated and had been replaced with a deep sadness. Rochelle could see the pain in his eyes and his gaze softened just long enough to look her in the eye once again. Then, it shuffled away. It was badly hurt, and as the fear subsided, the young girl was left feeling guilty. She watched the beast limp off the road and into the nearby woods where it instantly became enshrouded in the darkness.

With the urge to help it, she stared out the window praying that the animal would be ok. Meanwhile, the rain was pummeling the car. She knew she had to escape the area as fast as she could in case her father was on his way, and she felt herself grow cold at the thought. With great trepidation, she climbed back into the driver's seat and took a deep breath. For the first time, she could see the damage done to the front of the car and she gasped.

"Shit!" she slammed her hands on the steering wheel.

Taking a quick glance out the window to keep her eye on the bear, she saw its vague outline amongst the trees. It wasn't running away anymore; it seemed to just be.... keeping an eye on her. Something about the vibe it gave off sent a chill down her spine. She didn't understand what it was doing. With her eyes darting between the road ahead and the bear, she felt her heart race, but then, it raced even faster when she saw the bear move.

Squinting her eyes to see better, she couldn't believe her eyes. It seemed to be moving in the most peculiar way with its giant body becoming smaller. She put the vision down to the trauma of being in the crash and turned her attention back to the car.

She attempted to start the engine, though she thought it would be pointless, and she soon realized that the car was well and truly destroyed and that she was in serious trouble. Still, she twisted the key in the ignition over and over again to no avail. Leaning back in her seat in defeat, she found herself looking back into the woods to see if the bear was still watching her. It was...

Yet, something was wrong because it couldn't possibly be the same animal as before, not with its smaller frame and thinner limbs.

"What the hell is going on?" she slammed the steering wheel once again.

The tears were running down her crimson cheeks freely as she sobbed. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, the rain began to ease, and within several seconds, it had halted altogether. Rochelle breathed a sigh of relief, as she saw the air around her lighten up with the sound of silence permeating the woods.

"Thank God," she whispered into the dark.

Above, the clouds seemed to clear away from the sky and the stars could be seen to twinkle. However, the sudden silence appeared very eerie, and the feeling then grew stronger when the last of the clouds blew away to reveal a full moon. It was shining bright with the craters upon its surface glaring down on the earth. Its white light shone across the front of the car, illuminating the crash's damage and beamed in through the cracked windshield.

It was then that Rochelle could see her surroundings in almost clear light and was now acquainted with the woods more closely. She felt it at first; the fiery stare coming from the beast. It seemed to burn into the side of her head and, for a long while, she was too petrified to move in case she might die of fright, but there was something so compelling about the bear; something so mysterious.

She took one final deep breath and began to move her head toward the trees. Moving as slowly as possible, she dreaded the sight that was about to face her. It was then that her eyes connected with the animals’ and she realized it was no beast, but a man.