Corps Security, The Series (1)(101)

“Come here, Princess. This little man needs a name.” I go to pull her towards me but pause when I see her bite her lip. “Izzy? What’s going on up there?” I tap her temple lightly and smile, knowing that whatever is rolling around up there has been weighing heavy.

“I’ve been thinking . . .” She trails off and looks away. “I don’t just want to name him anything. I don’t know how to explain it, Ax. I want his name to have meaning. Something strong that will always remind us of how blessed we are. Does that make sense?”

God, I love this woman.

“Yeah, babe. I get it. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Hear me out, okay?” She nods her head a few times, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. “The other day, I was looking up names and came across one I think will be perfect.” I pause for a second and wait for her nod of approval before continuing. “So, I found one of those sites that have baby names and their meanings. There was one that means ‘God given,’ and babe, with everything we’ve been through and overcome, if this little guy isn’t a sign of God giving us one hell of a blessing, I don’t know what is.”

In all honesty, the second I saw the name, I knew—that is my son’s name. That is it. I always knew that Izzy was my blessing, my reward for my shit life. But this little miracle we made? That is OUR blessing. Our gift from God for overcoming and surviving everything he threw at us.

“Okay, well? What is it?” She is literally vibrating with excitement. She gets it. I shouldn’t have doubted she would.

“Nathaniel,” I reply and wait. It’s a few seconds’ worth of her blinking her watery eyes at me rapidly before she lets out a breathy echo, repeating my word.

“It’s perfect, Ax. Our gift—Nathaniel.”

“One more, babe. His middle name. I don’t think I need to explain this one but I will. For too many years, I wasn’t there to protect you. I wasn’t there to pick up the pieces when you needed me either. But Greg was. Baby, I don’t know any other way to honor that than to give Nathaniel one hell of a namesake. What do you think—Nathaniel Gregory?”

At this point, I doubt she even registers my words. Tears are falling fast and she is sobbing quietly. But after all of that, her smile is blinding.Yeah, my girl got me.

“Nathaniel Gregory Reid. I love it. Our son, our gift, and our blessing,” She whispers between choked sobs.

“Love you, Princess.”

“Love you too, Axel.”





THE DOCK REVISITED

“Baby?”

I’ve been searching through the house for the last fifteen minutes, looking for my boys. I swear Axel does this just to see me laugh when I finally find them.

“Axel Reid, you come out now . . . I missed my boys today.” Shaking my head in fake exasperation, I continue down the stairs with my soft laughter trailing behind me. “Nate baby? Mama’s home. Where is my handsome little man?”

I trip over a few of Nate’s toys and almost take my head off when I slip on his new favorite motorcycle from Maddox. Axel must have brought it into the kitchen to keep Nate busy while he was fixing lunch. I would be willing to bet he skipped Nate’s naptime—again—so that he could keep playing with him.

My man, he loves his son.

I stop my search for a few moments to pick up the blocks that are scattered all over the floor, before continuing my mission to find my men.

I walk through out the back door, looking around the deck. Our property is vast, so it takes me a second to scan the surroundings for them. The sun warms my skin and the reflection from the lake blinds me momentarily. Now that Nate is mobile, we have been spending more and more afternoons enjoying springtime in Georgia. Today is no different. The sky is a dazzling blue, with not one cloud in the sky. The flowers we planted along the pebbled path that leads down to the dock are in full bloom.

Everything about this once barren house screams life.

Our home.

A shiver of déjà vu wraps around my spine and whispers up my back when I see movements down at the end of the dock. Sitting down with his legs dangling in the lake is my Axel. His bronze, naked back is the only thing I can see from my angle, but judging by his soft swaying, my little man is nestled tight in his arms.

I follow the pebbled path, slipping off my shoes before continuing down the wooden planks. I make sure to keep my steps slow and steady—careful to keep them unnoticeable. I’m only a few steps behind them when his voice reaches my ears.

“ . . . and then your mommy made me the luckiest man in the world. Never thought my heart could get bigger until she told me you were coming. You don’t know this now, but one day you will. Your mom . . . She thinks she’s lucky to have us, but it’s the other way around my little man. Blessed to the max. So blessed, Nate.”