Inevitable Love Read online

  Copyright © 2015 JC Santo

  Inevitable Love (Book 1 of the Navy Love Series)

  Cover Design: Anhalt Photography and Designs

  Cover photo: Dollar Photo Club

  Editing: Amy Donnelly (Alchemy & Words)

  Formatting: That Formatting Lady

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Playlist

  Tessa

  I think I need to reevaluate my friends. Seriously. My best friend Marshall is trying to cause my liver to jump out of my body and find another to inhabit, one that doesn’t consume as much alcohol as me. It’s all Marshall’s fault. I had no intentions of going out drinking tonight, but of course, he pulled the best friend card and lured me out by dangling some 'big news' in my face.

  So, three beers and two shots later, here I am with our usual group of friends at our usual hang out, Gators, impatiently awaiting this big announcement. My head is pounding from all of the drinks we had last night, and I’m sure if my liver could talk, it would have a mouthful of choice words for me and my decisions.

  I look around the table, only to realize, I’m not the only one who’s impatient about this news. Miller, Fuentes, and Reed rode with me. We work together at a helo squadron. We each brought a change of civi’s with us, and after our shift was over, we showered and headed straight here.

  Sheena Thompson, a hang around that just won’t go away, is trying her damnedest to convince J.C., Jared Collins, to take her home again. She’s barking up the wrong tree there because J.C. may look like the boy next door, but he’s the epitome of a man whore. It’s a well-known fact that he never recycles the women he bags, which is why me and Fuentes, or Jo as everyone calls her, refuse to sleep with him. He’s got no luck with Amber Miller, a friend of ours from work either, nor does any man for that matter, she’s happily married to another sailor. Jo and Reed are sitting to one side of me laughing with Isaac O’neal, Marshall’s college friend, as they watch J.C. wrap his next victim around his fingers, all the while ignoring the hell out of Sheena at his back.

  It’s a group thing to always place bets on how J.C. will fare each night we go out. Normally, Jo and I make bank. I missed out on the bets tonight but seeing how she’s excited, and Reed is complaining as he pulls out a twenty and tosses it on the table, shows that she’s still on a winning streak. Reed is our mysterious friend, none of us know too much about him, except that he enlisted to get away from everyone and everything in his past. He’s said he had a troubled childhood, but that’s as in depth as he goes about it.

  “Okay bitches,” Marshall speaks up, quieting everyone down just as J.C. and his toy for the night make their way over to the table. Poor Sheena is trailing behind them, pouting like a schoolgirl, too bad I don’t have any sympathy for her. “So, in case anyone didn’t realize, my birthday is next week…” Really? This is why I was tempted away from studying for my advancement board that’s coming up. I roll my eyes and of course Marshall catches it. I can tell by the arch in his brow that he’ll call me on it later.

  “Calm down fuckers, there’s more,” Marshall harps over everyone’s chatter. “The exciting part of the news is that my twin brother will be here to celebrate with us!”

  Okay, so this news was worth coming out for. Marshall’s brother, Hunter, is a huge mystery to all of us. I’m sure most of the girls are interested already; I can tell by the sideways glances and smirks they’re giving each other. Next weekend is going to be a shit show for sure. I’ll gladly sit back, drink a few beers, and watch them rip each other to shreds in hopes of bagging Marshall’s brother. If anything, it gives me more one on one time with Marshall.

  It’s quite entertaining when we go out. Most people assume we’re a couple, but they typically rule that out pretty fast though since we bicker like siblings, then the women immediately start hitting on Marshall. I honestly can’t blame them, the man is gorgeous. I haven’t seen a recent picture of his twin, but I can only imagine the sex appeal he’s got going on if he’s anything like Marshall.

  Actually, the only picture I’ve seen of Hunter, the infamous fraternal twin, was taken a few years ago. It’s a grainy picture, obviously taken with an old school cell phone, then printed out on paper. In the photo, the focus isn’t on Hunter, it’s on the tiny baby swaddled up in a bright pink fleece blanket. Marshall hasn’t ever given too many details to describe his brother, but he raves about that little girl constantly. He definitely plays the doting uncle role well.

  Marshall is every woman’s wet dream, but unfortunately for vaginas everywhere, he bats for the other team. He stands just a hair over six feet tall, has light brown hair, and bright green eyes. Marshall is always clean-shaven and has the body of a tatted up body builder. You’d think the man spends hours upon hours at the gym, but he only works out two hours a day max.

  Yes, I’ll admit when we first met each other, I tried to sleep with him. Marshall doesn’t give off the gay vibe at all; he’s masculine without being overbearing about it. He’s a guy’s guy and usually the life of the party. Since our first meeting and my subsequent turn down, he’s been my partner in crime. It’s been a huge joke between the two of us ever since.

  He was my saving grace in this crummy town. I’d do anything for my best friend. Meeting Marshall Stevenson was the best thing about joining the Navy so far.

  Three years ago, when I shipped out from my hometown of Cedar, Texas, I never thought I would find my soul mate. Yes, I know it sounds incredibly corny, but Marshall is my soul mate. I’m not interested in settling down and getting married or having kids; it’s just not in the cards for me. I’m perfectly content with being single and having a good time while I’m enlisted. Things could always change after my enlistment ends, but I’m not one to make a ton of plans. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. I would be perfectly happy going through life as a single woman, as long as I’ve got my best friend by my side, he’s the only man I need.

  I partied hard in high school and would like to think that I've matured since then, but honestly I haven't much. I know my limits now; that doesn't mean I don't still push them. At work everything is so structured, so I let loose on the weekends. And not sure if you're aware, but the men to women ratio in the Navy is definitely in my sex's favor. I do have the occasional hook up; I mean it’s not hard to come by willing guys in my line of work.

  I don’t do relationships, and no, I haven’t been emotionally scarred from a previous one. I just don’t want commitment. I had a few in and after high school, nothing too serious. I was a teenager and wasn’t looking for my future husband or the father of my unborn children. I just wanted to have a good time and that philosophy hasn’t changed. And won’t anytime soon. Trust me, I’m not the ‘woe is me’ type.

  I refuse to settle when it comes to love. I know I’m not looking for it, but if it ever does happen for me, the guy will have to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I know I have unreasonably high standards, wh
ich brings me back to those occasional hook-ups. They don’t meet my standards. It’s why they are occasional hook ups and not relationships, and they never cross over into something more. This is made clear at the beginning of our little arrangement. It’s a casual thing with no feelings involved, no strings attached, and when I’m done, it’s time to move on. The last thing anyone needs is some random dude falling for me when all I wanted was a good lay.

  If the day ever comes that I do end up in a relationship, I know I will give it my all. I just have to stumble onto a guy worth my all yet.

  I’m excited to meet the mysterious Hunter, but not because I’m interested in him. A potential hook up with Marshall’s twin could completely ruin our friendship, and let’s face it, when you have a friend like Marshall, no dick is worth ruining that. I just want to see the differences in the two of them. From what very little I know of him, I can tell he’s very different from Marsh.

  The shithole town where I was born and raised in is one of those places that people never really leave. It’s been three years since leaving, and I still haven’t been back. My mom, dad, and younger sister Tegan have been out here to Norfolk, Virginia to visit me multiple times, and my older brother Tucker has made one trip so far. It’s a bit harder for him to get away since he’s settled down, gotten married, and has a baby on the way. He’s got his own set of priorities, not that it matters, we haven’t ever been close, the six-year age difference and our complete opposite personalities are the reason for that. Tegan on the other hand is twenty-one now, and we’ve always been incredibly close. We’ve always looked out for each other, and she took my leaving the hardest. She still doesn’t accept that this is the path I’ve chosen for myself.

  My family was your normal, typical family setting. My Mom and Dad, Emily and Richard Daniels, are still married after 30 years. They, of course, had us, their three kids.

  I've never been a girly girl. My typical uniform in high school was jeans and one of my collection of rock band t-shirts with my long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and very little makeup. I could never understand how girls spent hours on their appearance just to sit in classes all day and learn about the boring shit we'll 'need' for our futures. My preference on appearance still hasn't changed much. At least not when it comes to my civilian clothes. Work attire is easy.

  College didn't turn out to be my thing. I decided to hold off on college for two years after graduating high school, with honors. Not sure where the bright idea of declining my scholarships came from, Dad has yet to let me live that one down. I flunked out of two semesters at the local community college and decided I didn’t want to go to college anymore. After bullshitting around for another year, I finally decided to join the military.

  It wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve always thought very highly of the men and women who choose to serve our country. Although I never considered myself to be one of the ones who could do that, I talked with recruiters and my uncle, who’s retired Navy, I liked what they had to offer and ta-da! I left the office with a date to have my physical.

  I don’t regret the military at all. I’ve grown up so much in the last three years, met my best friend, and traveled the world thanks to the Navy. If I had stayed back home, I would have ended up a loser. The Navy was my ticket out of that small town.

  Hunter

  “Anna, please, just reconsider. She needs this. Do you realize how long it will be before a trip back is even possible?” I beg for the third time this week. My daughter and I are heading out tomorrow evening for the state of Virginia, where my brother and father live and a new job awaits me.

  If only I could get her mother to take one night off from her persistent partying to say goodbye to her four-year-old little girl. Anna cares about Sawyer, there’s no way a parent cannot care for their child, but she’s just a shitty mom. I don’t think she knows how to care for Sawyer. A lot of Anna’s issues come from her having Sawyer so young, which is also the main reason I’ve pretty much raised Sawyer on my own since the day we left the hospital.

  I honestly don’t know why I’m pushing for Anna to visit with her before we leave. After every visit, Sawyer has some behavior problems for a few days. She’s four, I know she doesn’t fully understand what the situation is, but my daughter isn’t stupid. She attends daycare, and she knows most other kids have a mommy as well as a daddy. And she knows that Anna is her mom, she just has yet to figure out why her mom doesn’t live with us or spend any time with her. It’s a subject that I do not think she’s ready for at this age, and to be dead honest, I’d prefer Sawyer to figure out her feelings on the entire situation on her own. I’ll be there to give her the facts and what happened, but I don’t want her to mold to my opinions either. Which is why I try my damnedest to not allow Sawyer to be present when I bitch about her piss poor excuse for a mother.

  “Hunter, I’ve already told you, it’s just not doable this weekend, I’ve got a ton of studying to do before finals next week,” she says. I laugh with a bit of mocking at that remark. I can hear the music and laughter in the background, I’m not an idiot contrary to what Anna thinks of me. I know what a party sounds like, just because I haven’t been to one in four years, doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how they sound.

  I’m getting more and more irritated by this phone call. It’s Anna’s choice to not be a part of Sawyer’s life and if I keep pushing, it will only cause resentment towards Sawyer. I’m done. Obviously Anna doesn’t have the slightest idea what she’s missing out on, so screw it. Her loss is definitely my gain in this situation.

  “Alright Anna,” I huff out. “I guess I’ll let you know when we make it there. Remember, you’re welcome to call anytime you want to talk to her or to get updates about her. I know she’s going to miss you.” Ha, yeah right, I doubt Sawyer will even notice when her monthly one hour mommy visitations stop. That’s about average for one of Anna’s visits to spend time with her lasted, and they were few and far between as things stood. I just wish she cared more about Sawyer.

  “Okay, I know. I’m sure I’ll call at some point. She barely knows who I am anyway, so why don’t you just text me every so often and let me know about her? Okay?” She answers.

  Wow, you’ve got to be kidding me!

  “Look, I’ve gotta go, we’ll talk soon. Give her a kiss from me. Bye!” And with that, the line disconnects and I’m left absolutely speechless.

  I sit in silence in my classroom for about ten minutes just trying to calm myself from wanting to go to that party and spank Anna’s ass. And not in the good kind of spanking either, the kind you give to a spoiled, inconsiderate, bratty child.

  I know eventually, Anna will want to see or talk to Sawyer. She always does this, acts as if she wants nothing to do with Sawyer, then the moment I give her that freedom, she wants to see her again. She wants to try to be a mother, normally it only lasts a short period of time before she’s back to her old ways, but until I give in to her demands, she relentlessly badgers me.

  At least I didn’t tell Sawyer she’d get to see her mom before we left. It’s sad that a four-year-old little girl is accustomed to this type of disappointment. I’m amazed by my daughter, specifically, her ability to forgive and not hold onto resentments. With her, there is always a silver lining. Leaving that as my last thought, I finish packing up the last of the stuff out of my classroom desk drawers and head home.

  Since we’re not meeting up with Anna, we have a couple hours to kill before dinner with some of our close friends. I make a quick call to my twin brother to make sure everything is set for our ‘vacation’.

  Yeah, I might have forgotten to mention that we are going to stay there permanently.

  After two rings, Marshall picks up. “What’s goin’ on man?”

  “Hey bud. I was just calling to see if you’re okay with Sawyer and me getting there earlier than we had talked about.”

  “That’s fine Hunter, you know y’all can come whenever. But I thought you had to do some school shit first?”
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  “Uh, yeah, someone else took my place, so I’m free to head that away,” I reply. Technically, it’s not a lie. I had volunteered to help clear out classrooms at the school I teach at during the summer break. However, Mrs. Flowers, one of those little old ladies who’s been teaching since the stone age, who everyone loves and respects, asked if she could help with the cleanup. All the volunteer spaces were taken, so I gave her mine. Her husband recently passed, and I understood she was looking for something to occupy her time. I can’t imagine losing my significant other, but especially after being with them for as long as those two were together. I adore Mrs. Flowers, so I couldn’t help but to be the first person to give up my spot. It hopefully made her happy, and just makes our move happen sooner, which is fine by me.

  I hear Marsh’s approving grunt on the other end of the line.

  We finalize last minute arrangements, I let him know we’ll be heading out tomorrow evening, and to expect us in a few days.

  This has to be the longest fucking drive ever. From Denver, Colorado to Norfolk, Virginia. It will be a twenty-something hour drive with a very talkative four-year-old, and all of our shit packed into my truck.

  So far, my beautiful little girl and I have discussed everything under the sky tonight, from getting a puppy when we get there, to stopping for breakfast at ‘the pancake house’ aka IHop for dinner.

  Thank God Marshall has taken the rest of the week off, knowing we’ll be there a couple days earlier than expected. My Dad will also be around, he’s retired but helps Marshall out with his lawn business, so he’ll be in and out of Marshall’s house after we arrive. Plus, he lives right down the road. As soon as we get to Marsh’s place, Sawyer will be all about Uncle Marshy, and I will relax for a bit.

  Things are so hectic right now, between changing jobs, uprooting a Preschooler, moving across country, and dealing with Anna’s constant bullshit, I’m more than ready to go out with my brother and some of his friends for our birthday next week. Apparently, he’s got a few hot women that he can hook me up with. Or at least that’s what he’s been saying for the past three years. He was determined that Anna and I were together, or at least trying to work it out for Sawyer’s sake. After he came to visit and saw that she, in fact, did not live with me, but all the way across town and he witnessed firsthand the tension between us, he quickly let those thoughts die down. Unfortunately for the matchmaking needs of my brother, I’m not interested in a one-night stand, or a little fling. I’ve got too much going on in my life for all that. Now, if he’s buddy/buddy with the perfect woman that I can spend the rest of my life with, then okay, match make away. All of his hang around girlfriends will be sadly disappointed when I don’t run through them like a kid with a roll of quarters at the arcade.