Page 31 of Defending You

She stared through the windshield at the world all around. Rolling hills covered in the deep green foliage of late summer. It seemed calm and beautiful, a stark contrast to how she felt.

“Why did you join the Navy?” she asked, needing to change the subject. “Not that it wasn’t a good decision or anything. I’m just curious.”

“I thought about college, but I didn’t want to end up in debt.”

“No scholarships? You were certainly smart enough.”

His eyebrows rose as if she’d surprised him, but his intelligence hadn’t been a secret. He’d graduated at the top of their class. He’d won academic awards. He’d been valedictorian. “I got a couple, but they weren’t full-ride. I figured I could go into the service, then go to college for free. I watched my parents take risks and struggle financially all their lives, and I didn’t want that. And, honestly… It sounds corny, but I wanted to serve my country. To do my duty.”

“Not corny at all. It’s honorable.” People their age didn’t use the worddutythat often, at least not without a sneering tone. It felt like a concept lost on her generation, but sometimes, life was about duty. Her father had taught her that, always off saving the world. And her mother had taught her, always managing the family by herself, even when it was hard.

When Asher added nothing else, she asked, “Did you always want to be a SEAL?”

“Made that decision after I joined. I was a scrawny kid, but after high school, I grew a little.”

“I noticed.”

That had his lip tugging up. “My dad was the same. Said he grew four inches taller after high school graduation. Went back for his reunion, and classmates he’d known all his life had no idea who he was.”

“I was this height in eighth grade.”

“I remember. You were taller than just about everyone else in our class.”

She had been, and for years, none of the boys paid her any attention. And then they grew, and suddenly, she was popular.

“So you were big and strong and decided to become a SEAL?”

“There’re a lot of big, strong guys in the Navy. I just wanted to do it. The training was…” He rubbed his lips together. “Not easy.”

She didn’t know much about the military, but she knew enough to know that was a colossal understatement.

“I wanted to be the kind of guy who could do it.”

“Like a personal challenge?”

“Exactly. I loved the Navy, being part of a team. The team mindset is even stronger with the SEALs. We learned to depend on each other for our lives.”

“Tell me about some of your missions.”

His eyes flicked her way. “I can’t talk about most of them. But I did get to be a guard at Camp David for a year. Met the president and his family.”

“That’s amazing. What did you think?”

“I wasn’t in the room with them. That’s the Secret Service’s job. I just guarded the grounds. But I was there when the helicopter brought them. The president and his wife could’ve just hurried inside, but they lingered and chatted. The president cracked jokes. He was surprisingly funny and very personable.”

“What an honor.”

“It was.”

“And what about college? Did you do that?”

“Working on it.” Before she could ask, he said, “Double major, political science and criminal justice. I plan to apply for the FBI or Secret Service.”

“You’d be good at either one.”

He lifted one shoulder and let it drop.

“You should ask my dad for a recommendation when the time comes.”