One Year to Forever (Halos & Horns Read online

  “Babe? Are you all right with this?”

  “I-I’m not sure.”

  He gave her an understanding smile. “You want to shower first? I’ll wait.”

  She shook her head. “No, you go on.”

  Ben nodded. “Okay. I won’t be long, I just want to rinse off the sand.”

  Haley closed the door behind her, resting her head against it. She heard the snap and zipper of his shorts, then the sound of his clothes dropping to the floor. She listened, knowing exactly when he stepped into the spray of jets, could hear the water slapping at his hard body. A low groan accompanied the sudden realization that she wanted to be in there with him. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her soundlessly. In a few scant seconds her bikini hit the floor and she’d slipped inside the shower.

  He froze as she placed her hand on his broad back, and then turned slowly toward her, his eyes questioning and hopeful.

  She smiled at him and nodded. “It’s one more first for us, right?” The smile he gave her melted her heart.

  Ben took the bottle of shampoo provided by the hotel and poured the contents into one hand, worked it into her long hair until it was thick with luxurious lather.

  Haley closed her eyes, letting his long fingers gently massage her scalp.

  “Ready to rinse?”

  She nodded and stepped into the spray of warm water. She let it rinse away all traces of shampoo, and then allowed Ben to apply the conditioner. One more thorough scalp massage and she stepped under the spray again. By the time she’d rinsed, Ben was waiting with a washcloth thoroughly lathered with Haley’s shower gel. Rather than making him ask, she closed the gap between them, holding his gaze with her own. Slowly, his hand moved along her skin, spreading the perfumed, silky lather over her body.

  She closed her eyes and sighed, luxuriating in the feel of his hands on her. He turned her gently to wash her back, applying gentle pressure. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the glass wall to keep her balance as his hands moved over her. When his arms wrapped loosely around her she turned to face him. Drawing his head down for a kiss with one hand, she turned off the water with the other. Haley jerked a towel from the wall holder and placed it over the built-in shower seat. His curious gaze turned to one of pleasant shock when she pushed him gently back upon it.

  He sat, looking up at her as she approached. “What’s this?” he asked, as she lowered herself to straddle him.

  She sent him a seductive smile and a wink. “Just another first … don’t worry, Marine. I’ll be gentle with you.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Working on Forever

  December 1st

  Formally discharged Corporal Ben Bonin checked his phone as soon as his plane landed at the Lake Coburn airport. Still taxiing to the runway, he opened his Facebook page, saw Haley’s grinning face and the message, “On our way to pick up my baby from the airport, and we’ll never have to say goodbye again. Benjamin is coming home for good!”

  He sent her a quick text: Just landed.

  She immediately sent back a smiley face.

  He sat back in his seat thinking about the past half year since he’d last seen her at Kaneohe Bay. He’d fed off the memories of her visit for months. All the things they’d done during that week she’d stayed with him, all the ‘firsts’ they’d experienced.

  They’d snorkeled, kayaked, hiked, clubbed, danced, and done a little cliff diving, played volleyball with the guys, and had seen the sights all over the island of Oahu. They’d made some mighty fine memories, that’s for damn sure.

  He closed his eyes, thinking of the many times they’d made love during that visit. He remembered the last time, and how she’d barely held it together for him. Telling him goodbye for another five months that, for one reason or another, turned into six and a half, hadn’t been easy for either of them. It had helped that they could Skype often, and did so, along with phone calls, Facebook messaging, and texts.

  The plane rolled to a stop, and Ben, whose seat had somehow been upgraded to first class, was one of the first people off the plane. He headed down the ramp through the jet bridge into the terminal. Pushing through two sets of doors, he rounded a corner to see his mom, step-dad, sister, and Haley standing there wearing bright gold T-shirts, each of them bearing similar, but different, messages. Haley saw him first and sprinted toward him, proving her shirt’s message of PROUD GIRLFRIEND OF A MARINE. He braced himself to catch her in midair as she, once again, threw herself at him like a projectile rocket.

  “You’re home. I can’t believe it, you’re finally home.”

  He held tightly to her, spinning her in a circle, not wanting to let go. Eventually he had to, as his sister assaulted him, and then his mom. He hugged each in turn, and then gave his step-dad a hug as he shook his hand. He turned to face Haley, only to have her launch herself at him again. He caught her easily and held on, walking to put a little distance between them and the others.

  “Oh God, I missed holding you,” he groaned, as he set her on her own two feet. “And I missed this.” He cupped her face between his hands to kiss her. He pulled his mouth from hers to stare into the twin orbs of chocolate brown he’d seen in his dreams. “I’m here now.” He lifted her chin and dried her tears with the cuff of his jacket. “I love you so much, Haley.”

  “I love you, Ben. Oh my God, I can’t believe this day is finally here.”

  “It’s here. I’m here. We made it through a year of separation, and everything from here on out is gravy, right?”

  Haley’s face glowed with the happiness she couldn’t have hidden if she’d tried. “That’s right.” She kissed him again, and then touched her forehead to his. “Can we go home, now?”

  He nodded. “Let me get my bag.” He walked to the luggage pick-up area to see Mr. Ben pulling his huge duffle from the conveyor belt.

  “Is this all you have, Benjamin?”

  “Yes sir, that’s it.”

  “Well, let’s get the hell outta here, then. I know your dad, step-mom, and brother are dying to see you back home.”

  The five of them exited the building and walked to his mom’s Expedition. They loaded inside and started the fifty minute drive home to Lake Erin. Haley snuggled close to him, and pulled out her phone to send a text out to people waiting at home. His own phone buzzed and he took it out to check for messages. It was Haley’s message that popped up on his Facebook page. She’d posted their mantra for the last thirteen months.

  “A year is nothing compared to forever …”

  He had to smile before leaning over to give her another kiss.

  His phone vibrated in a continuous onslaught of hits and comments to the message she’d tagged him in. He lifted the phone, and noticed she’d posted a second message. His heart filled with absolute joy as he read the addendum to the original message.

  “And forever starts today … I Love you, Benjamin Bonin!”

  He pulled her even closer to his body, buried his face in the silkiness of her perfumed hair. “Oorah, Haley.”

  His girl practically purred with happiness as she lifted her gaze to meet his. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with promise, and a hint of mischief.

  “Roger that, babe.”

  Thank you for allowing me to share Ben and Haley’s story with you. If you enjoyed One Year to Forever, I’d sure appreciate your feedback. I count on reviews from readers such as you all to make improvements to my writing. That being said, please consider leaving me a review with your favorite e-book retailer and/or with Goodreads. Thanks so much.

  Lori Leger

  MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Around the middle of 2013, while researching for MEAGAN’S MARINE, I put out feelers on Facebook, asking if anyone knew of a U.S. Marine who could give me information. I could research on the internet but I needed details of a Marine’s daily life. I received an immediate response from a very proud mother of a recently deactivated Marine.

  Corporal Benjamin Bonin, a Scout Sniper w
ith the 3/3, Weapons Company, had come home the previous December. Ben’s Mom, Monica Chapman, told her son I’d be contacting him via Facebook messenger. As my need for information grew, the messaging graduated to phone texting and emails. Not only did he give me valuable info for MEAGAN’S MARINE, but he and his girlfriend, Haley Broussard, inspired the idea for a subplot using characters like them in my next book. Haley would be written in as an established character’s younger sister. Ben would be her U.S. Marine love interest. Before long, I’d set up a lunch date to meet with Ben and Haley.

  Ben’s hometown of Lake Arthur, LA is a mere fifteen miles west of my birthplace, Gueydan, LA. As it happened, we knew lots of the same people. By the time we met at the lovely Regatta Restaurant in downtown Lake Arthur for an interview, I was on fairly good text messaging terms with the couple.

  I’d done a little Facebook lurking on their walls so I’d recognize them immediately at the restaurant. Armed with my notebook and pen to jot down some notes, I thought I was prepared for our little meeting.

  As soon as I entered the restaurant, they stood to greet me. After a few brief introductions, I sat back and gazed at them, realizing that all the snapshots in the world couldn’t do the real Ben and Haley justice. That’s how perfect they were together.

  I sensed an initial shyness in Haley, a sweet, beautiful young lady with sparkling brown eyes and a bright smile. I realized soon after striking up a conversation with Ben—a handsome, athletically built young man—that his man-of-few-words demeanor wasn’t a result of shyness, but rather the quiet, self-confidence he exuded. As I watched the two of them together, I could tell these two people knew exactly what they wanted out of life—and it began and ended with each other.

  They constantly touched, communicated with looks, and soft words, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences. At other times they broke into quiet laughter, because neither could answer one of my questions.

  I asked Haley what it was like having Ben eight thousand miles away, and in danger, for so many months at a time. She turned those big, brown eyes on her Marine and reached for the hand he held out to her.

  “I tried to keep busy, but when I couldn’t do that, I tried to sleep as much as I could. That’s the only time I didn’t miss him.”

  Honestly, I think Haley thought I was only there for Ben’s viewpoint. But this is a romance that would be read by mostly women. I needed her thoughts and feelings as well. I learned that while Ben was away, she dealt with her nerves in different ways: she ate pounds of sunflower seeds, never let go of her phone, checked for messages constantly, and picked at her cuticles and nails. She waited anxiously, hoping for a short but sweet phone call at the end of each mission. Those only occurred if the Satellite phone was in their area of operation once his sniper team returned to the patrol base. She lived for those other calls…when his unit headed back to Forward Operating Base Delhi for some R&R. That’s when they got the chance to Skype their families. He’d set his alarm for 2 a.m. and crawl out of bed and head over to the MWR (Morale/Welfare/Recreation services) shack, where he could Skype Haley and various members of his family in relative peace. Afghanistan time is about 10.5 hours ahead of Louisiana.

  As we talked, I took notes when I remembered to, and by the time I left there, I was certain of two things: Ben and Haley would have their own book, and I wanted those two faces on the book cover. That’s not a difficult thing to happen when you’ve been friends with a fabulous photographer for over twenty years. Enter Joan Granger, of Simple Memories Photography in Welsh, LA.

  I gave Ben enough time to hit the gym so he could get back into “Marine” shape. No regrets there … It was ridiculous how good he looked. I told them what I wanted them to wear to the shoot but added “Bring extra changes of clothes, because when Joan gets a look at y’all she’s going to go ape-**** crazy taking pictures. I know she will.” She did, of course, and I stood back and let her do her thing.

  She got so many wonderful shots, angles, and poses of those two I nearly lost my mind trying to choose ONE for the cover. In fact, I couldn’t. I’ve decided to have the same version of the book with two different covers, one for regular print and e-book, and another for the large print edition.

  So, after nine months of working on this book, I’m finally ready to publish. Before all of you out there who know Ben and Haley personally, jump up to say “That’s not what happened!” let me explain. Ben and Haley are real people, some of the things that happened in the story really happened. This book, however, is a work of fiction, based loosely on true occurrences. I worked their characters into a story with a pre-existing timeline as well as storyline.

  I was terrified of writing a love story that spans a year, especially when the couple is separated by eight thousand miles for most of that time. It turned out to be much easier than I’d imagined, thanks to Ben and Haley and their inspiring stories.

  I’d like to add that Benjamin’s contributions, in the form of journal style entries, were so well written I could practically have put them in the book as they were. Unfortunately, I had to spread some of the info out over various scenes to avoid what we call an ‘info dump’.

  I can only hope that you, the readers, are as satisfied with the results as I am.

  Thanks for your time, and allowing me into your homes via the written word.

  In Corporal Benjamin Bonin’s honor, I will be donating 25% of proceeds from all e-book sales of this book to NON-PROFIT organizations most dedicated to aiding wounded U.S. Veterans, and their families as they struggle to heal and survive. Families of military personnel shouldn’t have to lose everything they own if their loved ones are injured during military actions.

  Here are the two I will set up accounts with:

  OPERATION HOMEFRONT (95.1% of its earnings goes to program expenses…4 out of 4 stars rating on Charity Navigator) HTTP://WWW.OPERATIONHOMEFRONT.NET

  FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION (94.7% of its earnings goes to program expenses…4 out of 4 stars rating on Charity Navigator) HTTP://WWW.FISHERHOUSE.ORG

  Cover Photography

  By Joan Granger, owner of Simple Memories Photography, Welsh, LA

  (Large Print Paperback Edition)

  Snapshots of Ben & Haley

  All snapshots courtesy of Haley Broussard

  The Kaneohe Bay reunion … Absolute joy.

  It doesn’t get much better than this, does it?

  Ben and Haley enjoying the beautiful beaches

  More beach…

  Against a Hawaiian Sunset

  Haley and Miss Red Dakota

  Haley and Dakota doing their thing …

  Portraits by Charlotta Benoit

  (C. Benoit Photography)

  The following shots were taken after Ben’s discharge.

  Other Work by LORI LEGER

  La Fleur de Love Series

  Book One: Some Day Somebody

  Book Two: Last First Kiss

  Book Two and a Half: Hart’s Desire (Novella)

  Book Three: Brown Eyed Girl

  Book Four: Heaven in Your Eyes

  Halos & Horns Series

  Book One: Green Eyed Temptation

  Book Two: Sarah Smile

  Book Three: Meagan’s Marine

  Book Four: One Year to Forever

  Seasons of Love Series

  (Multi-Author Anthology Series)

  Book One: Hearts, Hearths & Holidays (Bells Will be Ringing)

  Book Two: Spring Promise (Loving Cat)

  Book Three: Sweet Summertime Love (Still Loving Cat)

  Book Four: Christmas by Candlelight (Baby Blues Christmas)

  Book Five: It’s a Summer Thing (Full Circle Summer)

  Full Circle Love

  (The four part collection of Cat & Zach novellas combined)

  Prime of Love Series

  (A series dedicated to mature characters finding love and laughter

  through the everyday twists and turns of growing older)

  Book One: Running Out Of Ra
in

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  When Lori Leger isn’t being a wife, mom, doting grandmother, and Mistress of Procrastination, she’s writing stories set in her beloved state of Louisiana.

  She has nine novels published in two series: La Fleur de Love and its spin-off Halos & Horns series. She has also contributed to, as well as published, short stories in each of the five Seasons of Love anthologies, a collaboration with several other authors. Full Circle Love combines four of her “Cathryn and Zachary” stories from the anthologies into one four-part book. It is a companion book to book one of her new Prime of Love series, RUNNING OUT OF RAIN. All of her books are available in both electronic book and print formats, and all set in her home state of Louisiana.

  She’s a contributor to the Sweet & Savory Cookbook of Authors, published by Top Ten Press.

  Lori also has an article published in the non-fiction book Writing After Retirement: Tips From Retired Writers, published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, and edited and compiled by Carol Smallwood and Christine Redman-Waldeyer.

  Lori’s Prime of Love Series is dedicated to mature characters finding love and laughter through the everyday twists and turns of growing older. She has a second planned for a fall 2015 release date, and a third set for the summer of 2016.

  Several of her books have attained best-seller ranking and continue to earn good reviews from readers and review websites.

  Lori’s Website

  [email protected]

  [email protected]

  Facebook Author and Fan Pages

  http://www.facebook.com/Llegerauthor

  http://www.facebook.com/LoriLegerAuthor

  http://www.facebook.com/CajunflairPublishing