Series: SEAL'ed #5
Author: Andi Jaxon and AJ Alexander
Genre: Contemporary/Military Romance
Release Date: December 12, 2018
Justin
I originally joined the Navy as an escape, to become more than a country farm boy. Being a Navy SEAL turned me into a man, but one without a life outside the military. I thought that was all I needed. Until everyone around began to find their Happily Ever Afters’. I realized my life was missing love, something I've been longing for. All it took was one simple letter from home to remind me that everything I ever needed was right there waiting for me.
Becca
Losing the love of your life before he was able to meet his child was the hardest thing I’d ever gone through. I tried to move on with my life, and find a new sense of normalcy with my daughter and myself. One simple holiday act of kindness has set my carefully choreographed life into a tailspin. I could never have guessed writing a simple letter to a deployed sailor would bring us to a place we can finally call ‘Home’ again.
Can these two trust in the things they can not see to find true happiness?
JUSTIN
It’s just another day over here, sitting and waiting for something interesting to happen. It has been about a month since we got here, and I still haven’t heard anything from the pen pal services I signed up for. I’m guess that I must be a little to boring for someone to write a letter too.
No matter keeping these knuckle heads in line and out of trouble is a full-time job when we are on mission. Just as I am about to hop in my bunk, I head the call for mail sound from the chow hall.
“Hey LT, aren’t you coming?” Cowboy asks as he hops of his bunk and heads in that direction
“What’s the point? There ain’t nothing in there for me, besides there the makings of a sandstorm brewing out there. I don’t want to be caught in that.” I grumble as I lay back, placing my hands behind my head.
“Aww no lady friends pinning after you old man? More than enough of me to go around I guess.” Hard-on responds as he claps Logan on the back before heading out the bunkhouse.
“Maybe I need to call the girls and let them know about all the ladies writing you
letters?” I hope off my bunk and follow them, it wouldn’t hurt just to see if maybe I got lucky and someone sent me something. There is always hope, right?
“Fuck you LT! You know I am a one woman, I mean two-woman kind of man.” Hard-On shouts over his shoulder. However, the panicked look on his face is priceless! I have never seen a man more in love with anyone that Charlie is with Avery and Amber. Who would have thought that it would take two women to tame that one.
Once we enter the Chow Hall, I notice Brass and head his way. It was a close call on whether he would be making this mission or not, with his motorcycle accident and all. I think in part of his new-found back bone and that stubborn as hell woman of his he was pronounced fit for duty just in time.
“Hey Brass, waiting on something from that lady of yours?” I ask, taking the seat next to him.
Don’t you mean his Mama?” Hard-On plops down on the other side of him, barely missing the right hook Brass throws his way.
“Layla always sends me something, never know what it is going to be. So, I’m here impatiently waiting just like the rest of you assholes” He grows. I guess Hard-on is till giving him a hard time about his relationship with his girl. I don’t know much about what’s going but I do know it’s not the norm. As long as it isn’t illegal, he can do whatever the hell he wants.
Brass sudden becomes fixated on the door, “Hey Newb, where’s my shit?”
The newest member of our team, Brady, is headed our way. Now that Brass has finally lost the title of Newb he has taken to giving of Brady here a hard time. I can’t say that I blame him, it is a rite of passage in the SEALs. Although it took him longer than most, he is a better SEAL and man for it.
“What shit are you talking about, Brass?” Newb responds
“My laundry you ass. Ain’t nobody got time to be doing their own laundry. That’s what we have you for.”
“Brass, last time I checked you had a Mama for that shit. I ain’t your Mama. Do your own fucking laundry.” Newb says before turning to head out. Guess seeing if he had any mail wasn’t that important.
“Damn! Now I know why you asses gave me such a hard time. That shit feels good as fuck!” Brass says, and we all begin to chuckle. Suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder, turning to see who it is. “Sorry to bother your sir, but there is a letter here for you.” I don’t even register who is speaking before I take the letter and rip it open. The pages smell like a warm spring day and are covered with elegant handwriting that can only come from a woman,
Dear Lieutenant McMillon,
With the holidays approaching much faster than I would like, I wanted to write you a letter to thank you for volunteering to defend our country. Military service is often a thankless job; under paid and over worked. Deployed for months at a time, taken away from friends, family, and loved ones.
I am a CNA at one of the local hospitals and all of us on my shift decided to volunteer to bring happiness to someone else’s life. I am a Marine Corp widow, my late husband always said that mail call the highlight of everyone’s day. Just knowing that someone was thinking about them on the other side of the world made things a little better.
I’ve never been overseas or even on an airplane. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in a different country for months at a time, especially some place as dangerous as an active war zone.
I hope you’re as safe as you can be. The only thing I’ve done is move from Texas to California.
Do you have family or loved ones that write to you or is that why you joined this
program? Do you enjoy being in the Navy?
I have a little girl who is three going on thirteen. I can’t imagine being away from her for months at a time. I barley like going to work every day, time is precious, and we must spend every minute as if it is our last.
I’m not sure what to say except thank you. Thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for everything that you do, all the things that people not in the military don’t know you do.
Sincerely,
Becca
I can’t help but smile. Just this simple letter had changed my outlooking on the day. I’m going to write her back, just to say thank you of course. I’m not expecting anything to come of this, but just knowing that Becca took the time to write me is enough. Maybe she will want to correspond further after this? This definitely gives me something to look forward too, which is a godsend around here.
Review:
Oh my this one tugged my heart and made me feel everything. I really enjoyed the flow of this story and watching the heart of a man grow.
Raised all over the country, I'm a interesting mix of East Coast meets West Coast with a little bit of Southern thrown in, just for good measure. I married a sexy man in uniform who let me spawn and am now raising a mutinous army of hell raisers that I created myself, all while he defends our country. I drink too much coffee until it's late enough to drink too much wine and am sexually frustrated for your freedom. If you see me online, I'm probably sitting in a closet, hiding from my kids. Want to know more about Andi Jaxon? Follow her on social media or subscribe to her mailing list to receive the latest information on new releases, sales, and more!
AJ Alexander is a wanna be psychologist, writer, and author of the recently completed, SEAL’ed Series. AJ’s passion is writing angst filled, happily ever afters that have to be earned by her characters. Women with no backbone need not apply. AJ uses sarcasm and an unlimited supply of song lyrics to bring her romance novels to life.
AJ lives in the angst capital of the world, Seattle Washington with her own personal knight in shining armour and her two beautiful girls.
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