A Marine's Second Chance: A Marine for You/SEALed for You Crossover Novella (6 page)

I
n the three
months since they’d moved, things had been going smoothly. Wyoming and Jeffrey were closer than ever before, even closer than when they were first married. She came to realize that the man she fell in love with had more sides to him than he ever let on. He had an attention to detail when it came to restoring houses that she would have never believed if she didn’t see it for herself.

Larson and Rayleigh were the sweetest babies she could have asked for, and besides a midnight feeding, they slept through the night. Unlike all of the horror stories she heard about when she was pregnant, motherhood was turning out to be easy. Judy warned her that things could change in a moment’s notice and the twins’ sleep schedule could turn suddenly. Even if they were fussy babies, she wasn’t alone. Jeffrey was there any time she needed him, and he even got up with them in the middle of the night.

As she stood here in the nursery, she realized how lucky she was. A year ago, she thought her life was falling apart and that she was losing her husband. She never could have pictured that they’d be where they were and as happy as they were. She only wished that her parents could see her happiness and be supportive. While she doubted it was possible, she would hold out hope that one day her mother would go back on her medication and be part of their lives again.

“What are you doing?” Jeffrey came up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled her neck. “I thought you were done watching them sleep.”

“I am.” She kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake the kids.

“She’s okay. The doctor gave her a clear bill of health weeks ago. Stop worrying.”

Her gaze landed on their little girl. They knew they wanted to name their son after Jeffrey’s father and grandfather, giving them the perfect name of Larson, both of their middle names. They hadn’t decided on a name for their daughter and had thought they had time once he came home from deployment. Their children had a timing all their own and they were unwilling to wait another day.

The birth had been rough but she hadn’t realized how bad things were until Rayleigh was born. While Larson had been ready to come into this world, kicking and screaming, she was hesitant. She fought every push and managed to wrap her umbilical cord around her neck. They almost lost her.

As the sun broke over the horizon, Wyoming and Jeffrey had been forced to watch as the doctors fought to save their daughter. It seemed like the longest minutes of her life and her complete helplessness weighed on her shoulders. Jeffrey held her hand and comforted her, as there was nothing else they could do. But as her cries joined in with Larson’s, she turned to Jeffrey with the first name that came to her.
“Rayleigh. She’s our Ray of hope and Leigh because she has your fighting spirit. We’ll take your middle name, Lee, and make it Leigh since she’s a girl.”

“Come on, D wants to go over some thoughts with you before she meets with Kyle and Staci about the United Homefront Ranch site. She’s nervous and needs you to reassure her that everything is going to go smoothly.” He slipped his hand into hers and tugged her toward the door.

“She doesn’t meet with clients often, maybe…” Her words trailed off and she shook her head. “No, she’ll go and she’ll be fine. I used to want to spend all of my free time working because I enjoyed it, but you know what, there’s more to life than work.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say those words,” he teased as they stepped into the hallway.

“I guess we’ve both changed. Funny what becoming parents can do to you.” She leaned into his embrace.

“Maybe we should have some more kids then.” He kissed the top of her head. “We have a huge house to fill.”

“Not yet.” She gave him a playful swat, hitting his chest. “I know you want a bunch of kids, but let’s enjoy these two before you have me pregnant again. Plus, I’m hoping to enjoy a little more time with my husband before we’re busy with a dozen kids.”

“And that’s why I’ve asked D to babysit every Saturday night. We need some time to ourselves.”

She knew that he meant he didn’t want things to go back to the way they were before. They’d need to work on their marriage, not just work together to raise their children. They had come a long way, but if they were going to make it, they could never forget to show each other that their love was strong. “Every marriage has its ups and downs and when you’ve come through that, the union becomes stronger. We’re in this through thick and thin. I love you, Jeffrey.”

“Oh, Wyoming.” He pressed her up against the wall, dragging his hand through her hair until his fingers tangled in the strands. “My beautiful wife, I love you more than I could ever express. I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you made the right decision staying with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with you.” She leaned into him and allowed their lips to meet again.

B
orn and raised
in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you’re never done learning.

Being the first daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn't until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.

Marissa is blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.

Her writing buddy Pup Cameron, a cocker spaniel, who is always around to listen to her bounce ideas off him. He might not be able to answer, but he’s helpful in his own ways.

For more information:

• @MarissaMDobson
  
• AuthorMarissaDobson