Chapter 36

(*Aaron*)

Tonight’s meeting went well. I informed the group about the events that occurred yesterday, specifically the time loss incident. Dr. West asked if I was ready to tell the group about what happened that day, and I wasn’t sure at first, but once I started talking about it, I just couldn’t stop. It has been a heavy darkness in my soul for years now.

It was only after I finished my story that I noticed Quinn at the back of the room, leaning against the wall.

Of course, he would come tonight.

He gave me a nod, then walked further into the room and took a seat in the back row. For the next two hours, I listened to the rest of the group tell their stories. I have always known that I am not the only soldier dealing with PTSD. Hearing their stories has made me feel that the work that Quinn and I do for our fellow brothers in arms is worth so much more than it did when we started G&C Enterprises.

We have done some good for each active or retired service member that we employ or help with our business. Between the housing, the prosthetics making, the new clinic, and so much more, Quinn and I are giving our fellow soldiers chances that they wouldn’t have with just the VA helping them.

An idea strikes me suddenly, so when the meeting is over, I stand up and walk to where Quinn is sitting. There is a questioning look on his face as I stand next to him. I motion to the door with my head, indicating that I want to speak to him outside.

He nods at me, then stands and makes his way outside to wait for me. I walk back to the circle to say my goodbyes for the night, then I walk to the door. Before I can leave, I hear my name being called from somewhere behind me.

Dr. West is walking towards me, so I stop and wait for him to reach me.

“How are you feeling after sharing all of that with the group? I saw Quinn in the back during your turn to share. Will he be with you tonight?” Dr. West asks when he stops in front of me.

I smile at him, and for the first time in a long time, that smile isn’t forced. “I feel lighter than I have in years. No, Quinn has his own life now, but he will be with me for a few hours after this meeting. Then he will be going home to his very pregnant wife and daughter.”

West nods his head. “We can talk more about how tonight went during our next session. Have you talked to your parents yet about family sessions?”

“No. I am waiting until they come back. I want to have that conversation face-to-face.”

“That would be for the best. Alright, you have a good night, Aaron, and I will see you soon.” West nods his head, then turns around and walks away.

After taking one last look around the room, I turn back to the door and then go after Quinn. I find him in the parking lot, leaning against my car. He is looking down at his phone and typing rapidly.

He glances over at me when I lean against the car, too. “What did you want to talk about?”

“The veteran’s program doesn’t have psychological treatment plans in place. We don’t have the therapists for that kind of healing. It was focused on healing the physical wounds, but not the mental ones. We need those, too.”

Quinn smiles at me, then nods his head. “I agree, and that is why Rylan will be interviewing for those positions in the coming weeks. I emailed her a list of potential candidates, and she has since added to it.”

Of course, they are working on this together.

“When were you going to tell me about this?” I am angry that they left me out of this part.

“We were going to tell you when the candidates were coming in for interviews. Rylan wants us both in on those.” He stands up straight, then turns to face me fully. Aaron, we didn’t conceal it from you. We are just starting. We still need to find space for their offices, meeting rooms for group sessions, and more staff. Rylan came to me with this after you took your leave of absence.”

Oh. I nod my head after feeling like an ass. It’s probably a good time to have a conversation with my girlfriend about it. “I’m sorry for getting angry. I want to be involved in that and not kept in the dark.”

“We can talk about it all with Rylan soon, or you can go over what she has come up with so far with her when you see her later tonight. There is also no reason to apologize. I meant to tell you about this after Rylan came to me, but...” He glances down at his phone when it beeps. “I have to go. Annie has a craving for pickles, and she gets grouchy when she is hungry.”

I laugh as I picture her glaring at him. “We are good, man. Go deal with your woman. I will see you at the office tomorrow.”

He nods his head, then rushes to his car.

I want what he has one day. The level of peace he is at now is what I am working for. If I can get there, then I can have the things I have dreamed about for years. That starts with the woman I love.

One day I want to marry her, have children with her, and give her everything that her heart desires. That dream feels like it is more than possible by the day. All I can hope for is that we don’t let the problems we are currently faced with get in our way.

I take a deep breath, then get in my car and leave. On the way home, I make a stop by the flower shop to get Rylan something to make her smile. The lady at the shop gives me a smile and then listens attentively as I explain what I want. Twenty minutes later, I leave with a large bouquet of daisies.

Bright and cheerful.

Something we both need after yesterday.

When I spoke to Rylan at lunch, she was busy and didn’t have time to chat. She promised to see me later tonight after she picked up some things from her place and after she talked to her sister about moving to my penthouse. I want her sister to be safe and feel protected as much as Rylan does.

Men who abuse women and children are scum of the earth, and the world would be better off without them. If murder were legal, I would make sure Grant was never seen or heard from again. After seeing those bruises on Rosalyn, I wanted to give that piece of shit a taste of his own medicine.

I refrain from violence for Rylan.

Thirty minutes later, I pull up to the gate at my house, then press my thumb to the scanner to open the gate. Rylan’s car is parked out front, and I smile, knowing that she is already here waiting for me.

My girlfriend is at my house waiting for me after a long day. Not sure I will ever get used to that, and I don’t want to. After parking behind her car, I get out and then grab the vase of flowers from the backseat.

I know that these flowers won’t make everything better, but I do hope that they at least make Rylan smile. Even if it is only for a moment, I will take it. My girl has a beautiful smile.

The first time I saw her smile, my heart rate skyrocketed. At the time, I told myself it was the heat and the physical exertion from digging trenches around the perimeter of the base. It wasn’t, and I know it now just like I knew it then.

Rylan and some of the other guys, the ones not on trench duty, were playing a pickup game of soccer. My girl is damn good at sports, and the smile on her face when her team won lit up my entire world. That was when I started avoiding her at all costs.

For me, Rylan Danvers was dangerous at that time.

Now, she is my world, my rock, and the very breath I breathe.

I am madly in love with her, and we have wasted entirely too much time.

(*Rylan*)

Today was quite possibly one of the worst days I have had in a long time. Well, this morning started out great. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy hot sex in the shower with an even hotter man?

I certainly did.

It was the rest of my day that sucked. I had to tell two of my patients that they need more surgery and that all the work we have done will have to be started over. They will have to go through all that pain again just to get better. The look of defeat on their faces pissed me off.

Not because of anything they did, but because it made me feel like a failure.

I failed them both.

Then, to make my day even worse, my brother stopped by during lunch. Andrew came into my office just as I was sitting down at my desk. He looked pissed as he slammed my office door.

“I talked to my mother this morning.” He said as he flopped down on the sofa.

Briefly my mind flashed to the last thing I did on that couch, and I had to hide a smirk. “What did she say to have you come looking for me?” I asked, while pulling my sad excuse for lunch out of the mini fridge next to my desk.

“I asked her if it was all true, and she deflected by saying she misses me. Then she begged me to come visit her. I demanded the truth, but all she did was start crying. That in itself was an admission to me.”

We spent the next thirty minutes talking about our father and his will. By the time he left, I was beyond ready to go home. I just wanted to curl up on my bed with a bottle of wine and cry until I fell asleep.

Instead, I found myself driving to Aaron’s house. I let myself into the house and made my way to the kitchen. Once in there, I looked over his wine selection, grabbed a bottle at random, then walked out to the pool.

I stripped out of my scrubs and turned the jacuzzi on. While I waited for the water to warm, I opened the bottle of wine and took a large drink straight from the bottle. Before I climbed into the jacuzzi, I stripped out of my bra and panties, then got in naked.

A moan escaped my lips as the heat and jets did their job. I closed my eyes, let my head fall back on the padded headrest, then just let my mind drift. When I opened my eyes again, I was in Aaron’s bed with his arms wrapped around me from behind.

“Aaron?”

“Yes, baby?” His voice is gruffy with sleep as he nuzzles my neck.

“Thank you.”

“For?”

I roll over in his arms to face him. There is some stubble along his jaw, and when he opens his eyes to look at me, I can see the tiredness lingering in his beautiful brown eyes. I lean forward and softly kiss his lips.

“For just being here when we are both broken.”

“I would rather be broken with you than with anyone else in the world, Rylan.”

Well damn if that wasn’t just the right thing to say. If I were not already madly in love with this man, that line right there would be the tipping point. My beautifully broken man.

The quiet in the room is suddenly broken by my stomach growling loudly. Aaron chuckles, which makes me laugh too. I haven’t eaten since lunch, and I only had half of that sad turkey sandwich.

“When was the last time you ate? All I saw was a half bottle of wine next to the jacuzzi when I found you after I got home.” He says as he pulls away and sits up.

Half a bottle of wine? Oh, my. “I had a few bites out of a turkey sandwich during lunch. I was distracted by Andrew.”

“Well, then, let’s get you fed. You can tell me about that talk with your brother as I cook.” He stands up, then walks to my side of the bed and holds his hand out for me.

I take a moment to appreciate his hard body before I take his hand and allow him to pull me up off the bed. That is when I realize that I am still very naked. There is heat in his eyes when I look back up at him.

Aaron smirks at me, then walks to his dresser, then he comes back with one of his t-shirts for me to wear. “As much as I would like you to stay naked, we will get nothing done that way.”

I laugh as I take the shirt from him. After putting it on, I grab his hand and let him lead me out of the room. After a few minutes, we are in the kitchen, and I watch as he pulls out a pan and then grabs some eggs out of the refrigerator.

“My mom made sure that I knew how to cook, but right now, scrambled eggs seem like a good idea. Now tell me about what you and Andrew talked about today.”

I watch him cook as I tell him about my day, starting with when I got to work and ending with when I woke up in his bed. He asked questions here and there, but for the most part, he just listened to me talk.

That was exactly what I have been dreaming about for years. Someone to come home to at the end of the day who will just listen to me. Someone to cook with, laugh with, and see all the love they have for me shining back at me through their eyes.

Tonight, for the first time in my life, someone is here just for me.

So, after he plated up our dinner, I did the same for him as we sat at the table. I listened to his day, asked a few questions, and held his free hand as we talked. Finally, I believe in that dream.

“What are you doing Friday night?” Aaron asks me as we stand at the kitchen sink cleaning up after dinner.

I think about it for a moment, then shake my head to indicate that I have nothing planned. “Why?”

“I have two tickets to an art show. Black-tie event. I want to show my girl off to the world.”

An art show? My mind instantly thinks of that painting of Aaron that his friend Charlie did. “Charlie?”

He nods his head, then frowns when he sees my expression.

“I guess I finally get to meet the woman you almost slept with.” With that, I turn and walk out of the room.