“It was my mom.”
“So why would speaking to your mom rile you up so badly?” she asked, moving closer to the kitchen. Riley followed behind her.
I looked between the two of them, then downed the rest of the water. “Because it seems that not only was I a complete jackass to Nat, but she wasn’t the only person giving info to O’Hara.”
“Your mom ratted you out?” Riley asked, stunned.
“She didn’t fucking rat me out. She didn’t know. She said a man called the house and spoke to her and my grandma and was asking about Cassie. They didn’t know what it was for, and from the sounds of his questions, they thought that something had happened with me, so they told him what they knew.”
Cassie shut her eyes as she breathed loudly through her nose, and Riley just shook his head.
“That jackass is using people close to me to hang me fucking dry. And after speaking to my mom last night, I realized that she knew about this shit just as much as Nat did. I was fucking wrong for going off on her like that. I fucked up.”
“What the fuck, man? Now what?”
I looked to Riley, who stood consoling Cassie. “Now, I move forward to beat this motherfucker at his own game.”
“What does that mean?” Cassie asked, looking and sounding completely worn out.
“Now, baby. We get married now.”
“What?” she asked, shock taking over. “What did you say?”
“We’re already engaged, Cassie. The best thing for us to do now is to get married. It cuts some of the weight from O’Hara’s argument that I’m some dick who gets off by fucking my students. It also ties us, hopefully making it harder for the Marine Corps to separate us, and it cements us. I want you here. I don’t want you sleeping in some fucking barracks room, always looking over your shoulder for the next psycho to come your way. I want us to be Mr. and Mrs. Cruz, making a life right here together.”
Her face softened with my words. The goofy expression that had been a sense of comfort over the years with Riley was back as he stood looking proud as fuck. I didn’t give a shit if I looked or sounded soft in front of him—Cassie was my number one priority, and even though this probably was not the way she envisioned getting married, I wanted to marry her right away and be one with her.
“I don’t even know what to say, Alex.”
“Just say yes, again. This is our first step together, babe. A show of solidarity in the face of adversity.”
“Your grandmother…if she knows you’re in trouble because of me—”
“Cassie, I’m not caring about my grandmother right now. My focus is on you. Making you happy, and keeping you safe. I want to be your husband like fucking yesterday. Say the word and I’ll make it happen.”
She swallowed, then looked toward Riley who was grinning like a fucking loon. His smiles seemed to be permanently etched into his face, breaking me down while allowing a smile of my own to creep through.
“I’ll be your fucking witness. This shit is beautiful.”
Cassie looked to him again and finally smiled. “Okay, let’s do it.”
I picked her up and kissed her, swinging her around in a show of elation. She’d just made me the happiest fucking guy in the word. Kissing her felt like hitting the fucking jackpot. Her soft, moist lips pressed up against mine, reminded me that she would be mine, in every way that counted, and I couldn’t be happier with the thought of it all.
“Hey, man,” I said to Riley as we pulled apart. “I’d love for you to be my witness. It’s going to be quick. We need to be able to get in first thing this weekend.”
“Yeah, I’m there,” he answered.
I lifted Cassie off the ground and slung her over my shoulder, her boots hitting me in the legs. I walked down the hallway but came to a halt at the sound of Riley’s voice.
“Can I bring Nat?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. And I’ll make sure that you clear shit up with her long before then.”
I turned and looked back to him, his goofy expression long gone and deep sincerity taking its place. “You’ve got it, man. I’m all over that.”
He smiled, then turned back for the couch. I couldn’t believe it, but I had just given in. It wasn’t as if I didn’t need to, but before Cassie, I had never admitted my wrongs and damn sure wasn’t one to spew apologies all over the fucking place. Cassie was doing things to me that I had never allowed before, and strangely enough, it all felt so good, so necessary.
When I got her into the room, I laid her down on the bed and helped her undress out of her cammies. “Only a few more days of this name tape,” I said, holding up her blouse that held her last name on one of the breast pockets.
“I know. How crazy is that?”
“Not crazy at all, Mrs. Cruz-to-be. I can’t wait to make you my wife, Blondie. Cassie Cruz has a beautiful fucking ring to it.”
She laughed. That beautiful, heart-warming, sensual laugh that had been missing in the past twenty-four hours. She undid her bun and allowed her long, luxurious hair to flow. I laid down next to her, gently rubbing her legs as she lay there in nothing but her underwear.
“I’m going to put a ring on your finger and spend every day tirelessly working to make you the happiest fucking girl on this planet.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“It’s true. Then we’ll tackle all of the looming bullshit, but as long as we’re together, Cassie, I’m damn certain that we can make it through anything.”
She turned to the side and kissed me while running her hand over my chest. I prayed that she wouldn’t want to jump to sex at that moment because I wasn’t ready to give it to her just yet. I wanted her, wanted her bad, but I wasn’t ready to jump that hurdle just yet. Time would mend the hurt that lay under the surface, and I needed time to get through this little hiccup, no matter how madly in love with Cassie I was.
Chapter 6
Cassie
Alex and I were really going to do it. He was ready to take the plunge.
For a moment, a piece of me feared that he was only jumping to marriage as a solution to our problems, but after listening to him gush over me carrying his last name all night long, that thought quickly faded away. This man, who had risked everything for me, was being dragged through the mud, and kicked every step of the way, was now wanting to throw the middle finger up to everyone who been trying to tear us apart.
I missed hanging with Dalton the night before, and I could hear the disappointment in his voice when I told him I’d needed a rain check, but Alex and I had stayed cuddled up together for most of the night. I figured I’d make it up to him with lunch because I knew that through all of this shit, he’d been there for me, but I was turning into a horrible friend.
I walked to O’Hara’s office to check in and be his little bitch for the day, I was surprised to hear him and Captain Hedlund exchanging words in such fierce and angry tones. Captain Hedlund was usually reserved, so it was a bit shocking to hear his voice elevate with exasperation. From what I could make out, he was wondering why O’Hara was still holding on to me—why I hadn’t executed the orders that were sitting in Admin awaiting me.
“While she is under investigation, she stays in this unit, Captain. We have the pre-trial hearing on Monday. Should be moving things along briskly from there,” O’Hara responded with a slight chuckle in his voice.
“This could have been handled as a strong NJP, First Sergeant. At least for Pfc. Bennett anyway.”
“I’m not NJPing anyone,” he hissed. Even without seeing him I could picture those small, beady eyes turning into reptilian slits as he unleashed his venom out through his words. “There is a lack of fucking respect for the Corps here. We have an NCO who thinks he walks on goddamned water and a boot who believes the rules don’t apply to her. Now I know it is your job—your duty—to represent them to the best of your ability, and I don’t fault you for that, but it is also my job to uphold the values of the Marine Corps, a Corps that has given me everything I could have ever wanted. A Corps that I took a bullet for in Kandahar. A Corps that is so thickly embedded into me that I can’t fucking breathe without it. So excuse me for skipping the simple NJP and wanting to exercise some discipline where it is clearly lacking, Captain.”