One Year to Forever (Halos & Horns Read online

  Still, she couldn’t help but feel guilty at the over-abundance of food spread out on their table and crowding every surface in the kitchen. “I hope you’re right, Matty.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Merry Christmas from the Middle East

  Ben woke at 02:10, five minutes before the alarm on his watch had a chance to alert him. He disarmed it and rose from his bunk to hit the head and wipe the sleep from his eyes. He made his way to the MWR center, an acronym for Morale, Welfare, and Recreation services. As with all things, Marines had butchered that to and even quicker pronunciation of M-dub. He entered the shack with the bag of Christmas gifts his family had mailed to him, happy to have the place to himself.

  Wasting no time, he logged into Skype at 3:55 p.m. Lake Erin time. Within seconds, he had connected to his desk top computer back at home in Lake Erin. He stared into the faces of his younger siblings, Kristy and Zeke. Hushed whispers of “There he is,” and “Shhh—” issued from somewhere off to the side. His mom and step-dad’s faces popped into the view-frame as a loud and somewhat synchronized chorus of “Merry Christmas!” erupted from the speakers.

  “Merry Christmas, everybody!” He tried not to look too disappointed, thinking maybe Haley couldn’t make it for some reason, until his mother’s comment halted his train of thought.

  “Are you eating enough, Benjamin? Haley’s right, you have dropped some weight.”

  “Have you spoken to her?” God only knew how he managed to keep his voice from cracking.

  “Sure I have.”

  Ben thought his heart would jump out of his chest when his mother reached out to someone. “Come over here, little lady. He’s trying to put on a good act, but we know who he really wants to see here.”

  Haley’s sweet face filled the screen looking apologetic. “Sorry, I went to the bathroom. You came online early.”

  He grinned. “That’s because you need to pee when you get nervous.” Laughter resonated from the speakers as Haley blushed and covered her face.

  “Aw, Ben, you embarrassed her.”

  His sister’s chiding didn’t affect him nearly as much as the disappearance of that beautiful face. He deepened his voice and got a little nearer to the screen. “Merry Christmas, Haley.”

  She lowered her hands and fidgeted, pushing onward through her mild embarrassment. “Merry Christmas, Ben.” She raised her finger. “But you were early.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at her defiance. “Yeah, I couldn’t wait another minute to see y’all.” She rewarded him with a brilliant smile. “So, which gift should I open first?” He reached down to lift the bag of gifts, all brightly wrapped.

  Haley stood by, watching Ben’s reactions as he opened several gifts from his family members. They opened their gifts also, making sure he was a part of the festivities. She didn’t need to be the center of his attention during the call. The rare treat of seeing his face for two Skype sessions in a row, especially when he’d normally be stuck at a remote PB or worse, out on a mission with his team, was gift enough.

  Once the gifts were opened, Ben cleared his throat loudly. His furrowed brow and serious tone conveyed some unspoken message to the four other members of his family, who seemed to hold their collective breath.

  Ben’s voice contained a hint of mystery as he spoke. “Haley. It’s time for your gift now.”

  “But I already got that beautiful bouquet of flowers yesterday. And seeing you today is gift enough.”

  He sent her a smile that would charm the feathers right off a bluebird as he leaned forward in his chair, pinning her with his gaze. “I’ll decide what enough is.” Masculine grunts from the two other men in the room accompanied his comment.

  “Oh really? Not if I get up and walk out of here, you won’t.” She crossed her arms, giving her chin a defiant lift. Two feminine coughs and a whispered “You go, girl—train ‘em in the early stages,” from his mom, accompanied a quiet snort of laughter from Kristy.

  “Haley … stay,” he warned, in a low voice.

  She leaned toward the monitor, cocked her head slightly, and quirked her left brow.

  His tone softened as a smile played at one corner of his mouth. “Please.”

  As though she could deny him anything when the mere sound of his voice turned her insides to butter. “Okay.”

  Her Marine’s mouth twitched with amusement, a sure sign that he knew he already had complete control of the situation. But that was Ben … confident in his abilities. It didn’t surprise her that he found it so easy to tease and flirt from the other side of the world, even in the presence of his family members.

  “Open the desk drawer,” he said, pointing to the area in front of her. “The top one on the right.”

  She rolled back his desk chair so she could pull open the drawer. “Okay.” She kept her eyes on the screen, not wanting to miss a second of seeing the face that, even sleep deprived, made her want to melt.

  “Now reach all the way to the back and the right corner.”

  She slipped her arm into the drawer and reached back, pulling out a box about 4 inches square on all sides, and with a little weight to it.

  “Go ahead and open it.”

  Haley slid her nail under the tape and pulled off the red glossy paper. She took a deep breath and lifted the lid, revealing a square box made of what appeared to be pewter. She flipped it out of the box to examine it. “Oh, how pretty.” she gasped. The black onyx hinged lid bore a fleur de lis design, also pewter, and studded with crystals. She ran her hands over the dazzling surface, admiring its craftsmanship. “I love this, Ben. It’s beautiful.” She held it to her chest and smiled into the monitor.

  His eyes hinted at laughter. “Open the darn thing, would you?”

  Her heart thundered in her chest as she held the box out and gently lifted the lid. Another box lay nestled inside a bed of red silk, this one encased in black velvet. She lifted the box, glancing up at his mother, who stood by with one hand on her chest, her eyes bright with excitement and anticipation.

  Haley took another deep breath and lifted the lid. Diamond stud earrings sparkled from a bed of black velvet. “Oh my God.” Her breath left her in a rush of air. “I can’t believe this. They’re beautiful.”

  His voice, low but commanding, reached her. “Put them on for me.”

  She freed the solitaire studs from the box, slipped off her own tiny drop earrings, and tried them on. Kristy placed a stand mirror on the desk and Haley examined her reflection for only a second before returning her gaze to Ben. “I love them, but honestly, you didn’t have to do all this.”

  “Ask him what carat they are and if they’re real,” Kristy hissed from behind her.

  Haley shook her head without breaking eye contact with Ben. “I don’t care what carat they are, or even if they’re real. I love them.”

  “Of course they’re real, and a half carat … combined.”

  “Way to go, big brother.” Kristy held her fist up to the monitor until Ben returned her virtual fist bump.

  Haley touched her ear lobes. “You really didn’t have to spend that kind of money on me. All I got you was an e-reader.” She waved her hands in front of her eyes to stave off the threatening tears.

  “You are totally worth it, babe.” He nodded, giving her another sexy as hell smile—only one of many that turned her insides to mush. “You look good in diamonds. I’ll have to remember that.”

  “I don’t want you to think I need diamonds to care about you.”

  “I know you don’t, but I wanted to do something special for you. It was worth it to see that smile.” He pulled his gaze from Haley to catch his mother’s eye. “Mom?”

  Monica leaned toward the monitor, kissed her hand and placed it on the center of the screen. “I hear you, Ben—and I love you—we all do. Merry Christmas, Son.” Once the other family members did the same, she began herding them out. “Come on, everybody. Let’s give these two a few minutes of privacy.”

  “Oh, but this is you
r visit. I got to see him yesterday.” Haley turned, torn between wanting to be ‘alone’ with Ben and not wanting to step on anyone’s toes.

  Monica gave her a wink from the door. “It’s fine, Haley. Take your time. You get in a good visit with your Marine while you can.”

  Haley wiped a tear of gratitude from the corner of her eye. “Thanks, Ms. Monica.” She turned back to face Ben, and heard the door shut quietly behind her. “Your mom’s so cool.”

  “Yeah, she understands.”

  “You don’t have any more surprises up those desert cammie sleeves of yours, do you?”

  He laughed quietly. “No. I’m done for the day.”

  She wiped at her brow. “Good. I don’t think I could take much more of this.”

  He leaned forward. “Well, when I get home to you, you’re gonna have to learn. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

  “I mean it, Ben. I don’t need diamonds from you. You don’t have to buy me things.” The smile he flashed tugged at her heart.

  “I’m not talking about things, Haley. I mean making you happy in other ways. Making sure you know how much I appreciate you.”

  “I want you to come home to me.” She left the rest unspoken—healthy, hurt, or crippled. She wouldn’t care, as long as he came home to her. “Home, so I can touch you—hold you.”

  A low groan escaped from him as he leaned toward the monitor, his fingers locked, laced tightly together. “Believe me, I want it too. This time, next year, I’ll be home for good.” His face stretched in a huge grin as he flexed the fingers of one hand. “But in less than five months, I’ll see you in Hawaii.”

  She sighed. “Oh, God. I can’t wait. I still can’t believe you’re paying for my trip.”

  “I can’t wait to see it through your eyes. Kaneohe Bay is such a beautiful place. The entire island is beautiful.”

  Her gaze never left his face as he spoke in a mesmerizing tone, he described white beaches with crystal clear water, waterfalls surrounded by tropical plants and exotic flowers, and secluded lagoons. She listened quietly as he told her about all the things they would do together once she was there. All she could think about was feeling his arms around her again.

  “Ben.”

  He stopped speaking for a moment and focused on her. “Yes?”

  “I want you to take very, very good care of yourself over there, do you hear me?” Try as she might, she couldn’t keep her voice from quavering. “You be careful.”

  “Always, babe. Always.”

  “I mean it, Benjamin. I want you …” Her voice trailed off, as she tried to come up with words to explain herself.

  His eyes sparkled with mischief. “You want me? Damn, May can’t get here soon enough.”

  She sucked in her breath, and then panicked as the screen flashed briefly. “What was that?”

  “Ah hell, we’re getting some satellite signal interference.” He waited for the signal to stabilize before he spoke up again. “Now, you were saying how bad you wanted me.”

  There it was again, that sexy little grin that made her want to jump through the monitor. Holy hell, he didn’t know the half of it. She plodded forward, trying to stay on subject. “I was saying that I want you to know—to really know—that I’m here for you, Ben. I am now, and I will be until you come home, and long afterward if you still want me. I don’t want you to waste one second doubting that I won’t be. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Ben ran both hands through his short hair, and then locked them behind his head. He paused there before bringing his arms forward. He rested his forearms on the table surface and gave her a slow nod.

  “I understand what you’re saying, Haley. I believe I’ve known since that first evening we met, or I wouldn’t have spent one more day with you, much less the remainder of my leave.” He smiled again. “I won’t let you down.”

  By this time, she was a hot mess of confusion, torn between wanting to blubber like a baby, and trying to stay strong for him. “I j-just w …” She had to swallow the lump in her throat to continue. “I want you to come home to me, Ben.”

  “I will. Now come on, you know the drill. Say it for me, will you?”

  She spoke in a watery voice. “A year is nothing compared to forever.”

  Ben’s mouth tightened. “Are you kidding me? Again, and say it like you believe it this time.”

  “I do believe it, but this one year sure is turning into a bitch.”

  “In combat boots, I know, but it’s nothing you can’t take. Say it for me again.”

  She sat up straight and took a deep breath. “A year is nothing compared to forever.”

  “Excellent.” The screen image flickered several times. “Babe?” He reached up with one hand, placed it on the screen.

  “Ben? Can you hear me?” She placed her hand over the shadowed image of his, panicked as it faded out for a full second before it came back. “Ben?”

  “Haley…”

  “I’ll see you later, Marine.” She spoke in a firm voice, praying he heard her before she lost him for good. The image flickered off again, and then came back; long enough to see him smiling back at her as he gave her his standard sign-off.

  “Roger that, babe.” Haley thought she saw him wink before the image faded out, flashed on for a nanosecond, disappeared—and stayed off.

  She cursed under her breath, waited a full minute with no result before pushing the chair back. She gathered her gift and its wrappings, stopped to pick up discarded paper from the earlier round of gift opening, and stuffed it in the white plastic garbage bag someone had left in the room. A tap at the door had her meeting Monica’s gaze.

  “Don’t bother with all that, Haley. I’ll catch it later. He had to sign off?”

  Haley bit her lower lip, and shook her head. “We lost the signal.”

  Monica’s smile faded. “I’m sorry. It kind of sucks when that happens, huh?”

  She stuffed the last of the paper into the bag and handed it over to her. “Yeah, it does.”

  The other woman gave her an understanding pat on the shoulder. “Did you at least get to say your goodbyes?”

  “We got to do our thing.” She traced the jeweled fleur de lis on the decorative box. “This is really beautiful. Did he get you to pick this out for me?”

  Monica laughed. “Absolutely not. He bought that and had it wrapped and in the drawer before he left to go back.”

  Haley’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? He did all this while he was home?” She gave her head a slow shake. “When did he find the time?”

  “I think it was his last morning home, when you spent the night here and he let you sleep late.”

  “I can’t believe he did something so sweet and unbelievably romantic.”

  “Well, it’s obvious he’s crazy about you. For my son to go through this much planning in advance, you have surpassed the gold level and gone straight to platinum.”

  “Thank you for sharing him with me today. I can imagine how difficult it is for you all to walk out of this room when his face is still up on that monitor.”

  Monica pulled her close for a one armed hug. “Honey, we’re thrilled he has someone. I figure the more reasons he has to want to come home, the more determined he’ll be to make it back in one piece.”

  Haley took a shaky breath and released it, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry. “I hope you’re right.” She gazed into the woman’s kind eyes. “You have to be.”

  CHAPTER 8

  New Year’s Eve in the Manner of Marines— Deployed and Otherwise

  “For to Marines, love of liberty is not an empty phrase, rather it’s displayed by blood, sweat, and tears for the fallen.”

  —General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis

  December 31st – Afghanistan 21:58 hours

  Journal of CPL Benjamin Bonin: 3rd Marines, 3rd Battalion, Weapons Company

  Here it is, Haley, New Year’s Eve. In two hours a new year starts, our first new year as a couple.
I know I’ll speak to you tomorrow morning sometime, assuming I can get through to you. I also know you wanted me to keep a journal while I was here, so I’ve decided to start tonight. Here, in this shit hole, today is no different than yesterday for all of us out here. Same shit, different day, a hell of a lot more depressing, knowing our friends and families are about to slam a few down and make some noise. God, I hope you’re careful over there, babe. Don’t get me wrong, I want you to have fun, but damn, it kills me when you go out. Not because I don’t trust you, but because of the few dip shits over there who don’t give a rat’s ass about women unless it’s to use and abuse them. Like that prick whose nose I broke the night I met you. What should have been a simple dance, turned into something twisted because one guy couldn’t hold his liquor without turning into a first-class asshole. It kills me that I can’t be there to protect you. I know that you’re with Tex sometimes when you go out. I know he’d probably cause more damage than a broken nose if anyone tried to hurt his baby sister. But I also know you’re out with your girlfriends tonight. So, until I hear your voice or see that beautiful face again, it’ll bug the shit out of me.

  I’m gonna shut it down for tonight being that I’ve got a little surprise in store for a few friends of my own over here.

  See you next year, babe.

  P.S. I know you said I should write this journal like it’s for my eyes only, not yours. Although I have toned down the profanity some, it’s definitely not gonna be squeaky clean. Sorry babe, but it helps me to vent.

  Ben closed the journal Haley had sent him along with the Kindle for Christmas. No sooner had he shoved it in his bag, than his first ‘guest’ arrived, carrying his canteen, as per Ben’s instructions.

  Badge sat cross-legged on the floor of the huge tent. “What’s up with the canteen, man? We gonna toast to the new year with H20?”

  Ben pointed to the canteen. “If you have water in that thing, drink it. Trust me, you’ll need to hydrate.” He pulled out a jumbo-sized bottle of mouthwash, the clear kind, and cracked it open.