“Remember when we were here that first time?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.” It was where he’d started to fall in love with her.
“I was so rude,” she said with a wrinkle of her brow.
“What? No, you weren’t,” Lefty said.
“I sat here for like twenty minutes and didn’t say one word to you. I just stared up at the tower. And you let me.”
“You intrigued me. I loved how you embraced being here for the first time. The joy in your heart was easy to see, and I was honored to experience that with you,” Lefty said.
“I know our path wasn’t easy, but I feel so blessed to be here today.” Kinley looked up at him. “I have you. Your parents have been so amazing; I feel as if I’ve known them forever. And of course we have Dominic. I honestly never, ever could’ve dreamed I’d be as happy as I am today.”
Their life definitely hadn’t been easy sailing. She’d struggled with postpartum depression after having Dominic…and there were even times when Lefty thought he’d come home from work to find the depression had gotten the better of her. But she’d fought hard to overcome it, and with therapy and the right medication, she’d finally managed to do so.
“I love you, Kins.”
“I love you too,” she told him with a contented sigh.
They stood there for several minutes, in the middle of the chaos of tourists and locals alike. Finally, his mom turned away from the tower and said, “Time for lunch! Where’s your father?”
Lefty chuckled. “There’s no telling, Mom.”
“Darn that man. He took Dom on another adventure, didn’t he?”
“Yup.”
Lefty didn’t worry about his son’s safety when he was with his grandpa. Kaden Haskins was even more protective of the toddler than his parents were.
“I’m gonna go find him. Stay here,” his mom ordered.
Kinley giggled as his mom stomped away.
“They’re a pain in the ass,” Lefty muttered.
“They’re awesome,” Kinley countered. Her hands snuck under the waistband of his pants and Lefty felt her fingers brush against the top of his ass.
“Watch it, woman,” he warned.
“This is the City of Love, you know,” she whispered with a grin.
It was hard for Lefty to believe his wife had been a virgin when he’d met her. She was adventurous and almost insatiable now. And he freaking loved it. Leaning down, Lefty took her lips in a long, slow kiss, trying to tell her without words how much he appreciated, loved, and admired her.
When he pulled back, he was proud of the glazed look in her eyes. He’d done that. He felt a little dazed himself.
“That was mean,” Kinley said after a moment.
“No more mean than feeling me up in public,” he retorted.
“You know, I never thought I’d be able to come back here. Not after everything that happened. But now I think this is my second-favorite place in the world,” she said softly.
“What’s your favorite?” Lefty asked.
“Wherever you are.”
Lefty closed his eyes and sighed in contentment.
“Mommy, poop!”
At that, Lefty’s eyes sprang open, and he looked down to see Dominic running toward him with his unsteady, wobbly gait.
“So much for romance,” Kinley quipped.
“You’re my favorite place too,” Lefty told her. Then he kissed her hard and fast before leaning down to snatch up their son as he ran up to them.
Life wasn’t boring, that was for sure. And Lefty didn’t mind in the least.
Five Years Later
Brain watched with pride as his son went through the obstacle course on the Army base. At almost six years old, he was a handful. He’d come a long way from the premature baby he once was. He was outgoing and energetic, keeping both him and Aspen on their toes from morning until night.
Spending time running through the obstacle course was one of his son’s favorite things to do, and since he’d gotten an award from his teacher for being the “helper of the week,” Brain thought he’d reward him.
Knowing that his wife had something special planned, he also arranged with Annie Fletcher to meet them there. The young woman had just graduated from high school and would be heading off to college in a month or so. She’d joined the ROTC program and was planning on following in her dad’s footsteps by joining the Army after college.
Annie had gotten to know Chance fairly well during the last few years, and they’d bonded over their love for the obstacle course.
Aspen had talked to Brain about what she wanted to do, and he’d been all for it.
At the moment, Annie was helping Chance go hand over hand through the rings, and they were both laughing.
“She’s gonna be amazing,” Aspen said, her gaze fixed on Annie. “I just know it.”
“She is,” Brain agreed. “Fletch told me she has her eyes on the Green Berets.”
“I have no doubt she’ll make it,” Aspen said.
“Did you see me?” Chance yelled as he ran toward them. “I did it! I wented through the rings!”
“I saw,” Brain told his son.
Annie followed behind Chance with a smile on her face.
“I’ve got something for you,” Aspen blurted.
“For me?” Annie asked, obviously surprised.
“Yes. I wanted you to have this.” Aspen held something out, and Annie lifted her hand to accept it. She looked down at the pin his wife had placed in her hand, frowning in confusion.
“It’s my Ranger pin,” Aspen explained. “It’s not quite as cool as a SEAL trident, but for me, it meant the world when I finally got to wear it. I was one of the first female combat medics attached to a Ranger unit. Most people thought I wouldn’t be able to hack it. Some even wanted me to fail. But I didn’t. I know you’re heading off to college soon, so I wanted you to have this. To look at it when things get tough. When people tell you that you can’t do something. When they look down on you simply because you’re a woman. Look at this, and know that you can do it. That you’re strong and smart enough.”
Annie’s eyes filled with tears. “I can’t take this! It means something to you.”
“It would mean more to me if you had it. If it inspires you to be better. To follow in my footsteps,” Aspen said simply.
Annie nodded as her fingers curled around the pin. “Thank you.”
Aspen smiled.
“Can I see?” Chance asked, tugging on Annie’s shirt.
She laughed and kneeled down to show the little boy what his mom had given her. Then he quickly lost interest in the old pin and begged Annie to help him on the obstacle course some more.
“Just a bit longer,” Brain told his son. “Then we need to get going to your language lessons.”
“Okay!” Chance said happily. He didn’t have quite the same aptitude as his dad for learning foreign languages, but he was close. He spent thirty minutes every other day with various instructors, learning the basics of several different languages. Brain and Aspen had discussed it, and as long as their son was having fun and enjoying the lessons, they’d keep them up.