A Marine's Second Chance: A Marine for You/SEALed for You Crossover Novella (4 page)

D
ays passed
before Wyoming received another email from Jeffrey. It wasn’t unusual, as communication and Internet access could be sketchy at times. The delayed response might have landed in her inbox at the perfect time. She woke up an emotional wreck and a message from him was just what she needed to lighten the mood.

I can’t believe my mother told you those stories. I was an innocent child and she’s making it up. I cannot believe her. I miss a family dinner and she tells you something she promised me she’d never tell a living person. Okay, I’m over my shock. Tell me D left the room before Mom started the story about me walking through the school buck naked? Otherwise, I’ll never be able to face her. She’ll rag me about it forever.

Mom conveniently left out that I was sick and dying. That was the worst flu of my life. But did she mention any of that? No. She just told you that I stripped out of my clothes while the nurse thought I was resting until my mother came to pick me up. I was hot from the fever and the cafeteria was always cold. That’s where I was going. My timing could have been better and I could have waited until everyone returned to their classrooms from recess but, no, not me. I wanted to show the world my naked body.

Mom always got a kick out of that story, but thankfully our neighbor, Mrs. Knight, was a kindergarten teacher at the school. She spotted me and whisked me away before I could impress the girls in my class. Even as I fought her she tugged off her sweater, wrapped it around me and picked me up to take me back to the nurse’s office. Mom arrived while all this was going on and was yelling at the nurse because she lost me when Mrs. Knight carried me back into the office. Mom was furious with the nurse for what happened and ranted about how I could have walked out of the school without anyone noticing. You know Mom, she’s always been a worrier.

Do me a favor, if our children ever have embarrassing stories like this, don’t tell anyone. It will scar our child for life. Also tell Mom she’s not allowed to tell any more embarrassing stories about me.

I’m sorry about your parents. Have you heard from them yet? Your mom might take a bit of time, but you know she’ll cool off and come around. She’s upset because she wasn’t the first to know. Maybe your dad could talk to her? Remember how upset she was when we got married? But she came around. Maybe it was more D than your dad who helped bring her around, but the idea of a grandchild would be enough for her to forget about this petty issue. If she wants to be a part of our child’s life, she’s going to have to forgive you. Not that you did anything wrong and where she gets off being angry is beyond me. I’d suggest D trying to talk to her, but since she’s having her own problems with your parents, I don’t think that’s going to help anything.

I don’t mind D staying there, but long-term isn’t going to work. The guest room is going to be turned into the nursery and you need to keep your office. Kicking her out isn’t my style either. She’s family. If you think you two are up for it, then clean up the basement apartment, and let her stay there. She’ll be away from your folks and close by for our little girl. It will also give her a place to stay, where she’s on her own but not alone. Charging her rent isn’t necessary. Let her use that money for college.

This arrangement would work for a few months at least. My contract ends in nine months and decision time is coming. I had planned on reenlisting, but with the baby…I want to be home more. I don’t want to miss all of the things my dad missed when I was growing up. I want to be there when our little girl takes her first steps and says her first word. I want to be home with you and prove to you that I still want you. Maybe even convince you to give me a few more daughters and a son or two. We talked about having a large family…let’s make it happen. I’m not sure what I’ll do yet, but I want to be there with my girls.

The rest of his email was a blur. He wanted to leave the military to spend more time with her and the baby. This announcement took her by surprise. It was so unexpected and heartwarming that she had to read it twice more before it sank in. It was a complete change from when they’d discussed marriage. Shortly after he proposed, he told her that he was career military and didn’t see himself leaving until he was too old to keep up with the younger men. Military life, deployments, and risks were supposed to be with her for years to come, but now it was changing.

Was she happy about it? Hell yes. The idea of him wanting to make that change so he would be there with her and their child was enough to bring tears to her eyes. When she found out she was pregnant, the thought of him leaving the Marines never crossed her mind. This was his career and he loved what he did. She never thought he put his career in front of her, but for the first time he showed that her and the baby were more important to him than anything else.

This change was unforeseen, but she wondered if he hadn’t considered it before. The papers for his reenlistment came weeks before and he hadn’t signed them. Had the last deployment been weighing on his thoughts enough to make him consider leaving the Marines? Maybe he realized how close he had come to being injured or killed. But she couldn’t see Jeffrey leaving because of that. He was a man who would rather be there and be in the action than back home on the sidelines. He’d rather be there to help his brothers-in-arms. However, this pregnancy had given him a new insight on what was important.

Life changed all around her. While it felt a little nerve-wracking because she didn’t know what to expect, she was also excited. When he returned, they’d have a whole new future to look forward to together. One that included them being parents.

T
he deployment was going faster
than any of the previous ones for Wyoming. Weeks flew by in the blink of an eye and they were already halfway through. Her pregnancy went smoothly, as well, even though her cravings were out of control. Twenty-two weeks in, and finally their child decided to cooperate enough for them to learn the sex. The first time they tried, the baby was in the wrong position. Now she knew and she couldn’t believe it.

“Stop staring at the sonogram picture.” D shook her head as she handed Wyoming her laptop. “Email Jeffrey and let him know.”

“A girl…”

“I know. I’m going to have a niece.” D dropped onto the sofa. “And a nephew.”

“Twins.” Wyoming was still accepting the news herself. “I can’t believe we didn’t know before.”

“Your little girl was hogging the spotlight, keeping her brother hidden.” D leaned back against the sofa and pulled her legs up under her. “I guess that throws a little dirt on to Jeffrey’s theory that it would be a girl because of the month you conceived in.”

“A little.” She opened her laptop, hit the power button, and watched it come to life. The shock was wearing off, only to be replaced with anxiety. She had begun to prepare for the baby, but she hadn’t considered twins. There was so much that would need to be done. She’d have to purchase two of everything and start from scratch on the nursery plans. Figuring Jeffrey was right, she’d been considering painting the walls pink, but with a boy she’d need to go with a more neutral color and add colors with their bedding and decorations. “At least I’ll never have to worry about telling them apart. If they were identical twins, I could just see Jeffrey calling them by their wrong names.”

“You both wanted a big family and now you’re on the road to it. Does his side have multiples?”

“I don’t know.” Her cell phone rang. She expected it to be Judy calling to find out how the appointment went, and she quickly added before answering, “Guess we’re about to find out.”

“She’s going to be over the moon.”

Wyoming shook her head and didn’t bother to look at the caller ID as she brought the phone to her ear. “Hello, Judy.”

“Well, that’s a name I haven’t been called before.” Jeffrey’s voice filled the line, sending her heart fluttering in her chest.

“Jeffrey…”

“Yeah, baby.” His words soothed her, comforting her from afar. “We’re about to move out, so I don’t have long, but I wanted to find out how the appointment went. Are we having a little girl?”

“Yes—”

A holler of excitement came through the line. “A daughter. I told you! I can’t believe it.”

“You were only half right.”

“Huh?” Confusion filled his voice.

“Twins…a girl and a boy. Your son was hidden behind his sister. That’s how we missed it.”

“Twins.” He repeated it.

“Yes.”

“No fucking way! I can’t believe it. Are you okay?”

“We’re fine.” She placed her hand on her ever-growing stomach. “We just got back from the doctor’s office and I was about to email you a picture of the sonogram. Our babies are both healthy and I’m feeling pretty good. D is taking good care of me, even went out last night to get me ice cream.”

“Dorset. Let’s go, we’re moving out,” a voice said in the background.

“Baby, I’ve got to go. Email me that picture and take care of our babies.”

“Be safe. I love you.” She glanced down at the clock on her laptop and tried not to think about the late hour. Darkness might help give them extra coverage, but it also made it harder for them to spot the dangers surrounding them.
He’ll be okay and he’ll be home soon
. This was his last deployment. The paperwork to leave the Marines had already been filed and processed. He’d be a civilian again before she knew it.

“It’s more important now than it was before,” he added. “Talk to D about what I said in the email. I love you and I’ll be home soon.”

Before she could reply, the line went dead, leaving her with a mixture of emotions. Not wanting to deal with the work she had planned on doing, she shut her laptop and set it aside on the end table. He was right; twins would mean more work and she needed to decide what she wanted to do with her business. She liked his idea, but she was concerned it could cause a divide between her and D. After already losing her parents, she wasn’t sure she wanted to distance herself from the last family member she had.

“You okay?”

She glanced up to see D with her eyebrow cocked in question, as she watched her intently. “I…”

“Oh no, what’s wrong? You’re not going to fall to pieces on me, are you?” D scooted down the sofa toward the chair Wyoming was sitting on. “Do you want some ice cream? I’ll get you some. Whatever you want, just name it.”

“I’m fine.” She grinned at her sister. “Having twins changes things. I have jobs lined up months in advance and scaling back like I planned isn’t going to work when you consider twins. A baby is a lot of work, twins even more so.”

“What are you saying?”

“I never asked you to work with me full-time because I’m a control freak and I’d be a demanding boss. We’re not only sisters but we’re best friends and the idea of causing a conflict between us because of work didn’t sit well with me.” She ran her hand over her stomach, trying to soothe the babies within as they kicked and fluttered. “You know my work inside and out and I’ve freelanced stuff to you in the past, so I know you can handle it. I’d like for you to consider leaving your current position to work for me full-time. You can handle the jobs I have scheduled and once I’m back to being able to work, we’ll be able to take on double the jobs. Considering how much Judy promotes the business, I have no doubt that will fill quickly. I already have a waitlist as long as my arm.”

“I know you considered going to college but you could put that on hold until next year. If this is what you want to do, you don’t need to go to school for it. I’ve gone the degree route and I didn’t learn anything in college that I didn’t already know. It was a waste of money, but at that time I thought I’d end up working for someone. I started doing some freelance work just to pass the time while Jeffrey was deployed.”

“That’s when you did the website for Judy and Peter,” D added.

“Yes and my world opened up. My business took off practically overnight and now I have more work than I can handle.”

“Your office isn’t big enough for both of us to work out of it and you just turned the basement apartment into living quarters for me. Maybe we should have swapped that. I mean, if I’m going to work here with you, then we’re going to need more of a workspace. With some work, we could turn the basement living area into what we need.”

“That’s the other thing.” Wyoming kicked off her shoes and adjusted in the recliner, making herself comfortable. “With Jeffrey leaving the Marines, there’s no reason for us to stay here. This place is too small for twins. The workspace would be inadequate for me, let alone for the two of us if you take the position.”

“You’re moving?” D’s jaw hung open slightly in surprise.

“Jeffrey received a job offer. With Peter, believe it or not. I knew nothing about it until two weeks ago when Jeffrey emailed me to discuss it.”

“How? I mean, Peter offered Jeffrey a job? Doing what?”

“It’s hard to believe.” Wyoming chuckled. “Jeffrey worked with a family friend all through high school restoring houses, so he has experience. When Peter heard that Jeffrey wasn’t reenlisting, he decided it was the perfect opportunity. They’ve had some issues in the past, but Peter wants to make things better between them. They also want to be part of their grandchildren’s lives and with Mom and Dad being absent, these kids deserve to have that.”

Giving D a moment to absorb the information, Wyoming grabbed the bottle of water from the coffee table in front of her and took a long swig. “There is a place a few miles from my in-laws that Peter is almost finished remolding. It’s perfect. A large four-bedroom house with an artist’s studio and a guest house. Jeffrey suggested we sell this place and move there. You can have the guest house and Peter assures him the studio is large enough that I can hire half a dozen workers and it won’t be crowded. The kids will have a huge yard to play in and there’s even an in-ground pool.”

“Leave Virginia Beach…I don’t know. What happens when the kids are old enough and you don’t need me—”

“This isn’t a temporary position. I want you to become my partner. There’s no one else I’d rather be in business with, and I know you have the same dedication to this that I do.” Wyoming scooted to the edge of the chair and slowly rose. “Just think about it. If you’re not interested, I understand. When we move, we can work out something and you can stay here. I’m going to go take a hot bath. If Judy calls, tell her I’ll call her back in a bit, and don’t you dare tell her twins.”

Without waiting, Wyoming headed down the hall toward the master bedroom and the Jacuzzi tub that was calling her name. She needed a little bit of time to herself and a hot soak in the tub seemed like the perfect idea. It would give her time to adjust to the news of having twins. More than anything, that revelation was the one that threw her off-kilter. A son and daughter at once. Was she ready for two babies? Not that it mattered; they’d be here in just a few months. Ready or not.