Free A Special Ops Christmas by Kristen James Page A

one else existed. Very slowly, she tilted her head, her smile turning
flirtatious and curious. Her lips were glossy red, decorated for the holiday.
    At the time, Aiden had just completed BUD/S training on The
Strand in San Diego in the Navy SEAL program. He was stacked, his muscles
fine-tuned and sculpted. That evening at Mc P’s, people parted for him as he
walked her way, never taking his eyes off her face. Once there, he offered his
hand. “I’m Aiden O’Riley.”
    “Vivianne Basile,” she said. Her last name sounded French,
and he guessed her features might hint that way as well. It was love at first
sight. Aiden wasn’t looking for “the one” or even thinking about settling down,
but in that moment his life changed course. Soon he was taking her out almost
every night and calling her during the day. After a month, they went to Bear
Mountain for a weekend ski adventure. Vivianne had told him how much she loved
the snow; he surprised her with the trip.
    They arrived at the resort and hit the slopes within an
hour, discovering they both loved to push themselves to the limit. He already
knew she was ambitious—she was working and putting herself through nursing
school—and she played even harder. She’d get a wicked grin when she tried to
outdo him. Aiden loved that about her.
    That evening, they were walking outside, holding hands, when
it started to snow. Vivianne laughed and spun with her arms out.
    The flakes grew fatter and fell quicker. She grabbed his arm
and spun him against her to dance. When she looked up at him with snowflakes on
her eyelashes, he hoarsely whispered, “I love you, Vivianne.”
    She smiled even wider.
    His love for her was so compelling, so authentic, that when
he told his friends, no one even mentioned that he’d only known her a month. He
asked her out to dinner and a movie, another ski trip, and then a whirlwind mix
of serious and crazy outings, anything just to spend time together. Aiden
couldn’t get enough of her, and she was head over heels in love with him.
    How had they gone from that—complete, happy, wildly in
love—to looking at a divorce?
    “What’s up, bro? Why the face?” Daniels slapped a hand on
his shoulder. Although this snapped his mind out of his memories, Aiden didn’t
move. He didn’t look up from his iPhone where the email still stared back.
    “Bro?”
    He finally shook his head. “Nothing.”
    His best friend didn’t buy it.The two
had known each other far too long and could read each other with just a glance.
They had met in San Diego during BUD/S orientation and had endured the rigorous
training together. Their friendship had strengthened over the years as they
faced danger after danger during missions and shared their personal ups and
downs. Aiden respected Daniels’ skills as well as his in-your-face, no bullshit
personality.
    Daniels sat down on the edge of his bed and leaned over,
elbows resting on his knees. Aiden pulled in a breath and started to explain,
but he couldn’t talk. His chest and throat constricted. Running his hand down
his face, as if that’d wipe away this pain, he handed his phone over.
    A few seconds of silence followed. Then, “Damn.”
    Suddenly his phone whacked him in the chest.
    “What the hell?” They both spoke the exact same words at the
same time.
     Daniels leaned across the space and shoved Aiden’s
shoulder. “I told you when my mom died and when Ricky cheated on me. Why
didn’t you say something?”
    “I know, I know.” Aiden was defenseless. Daniels’ dark eyes
were full of hurt and worry. Aiden felt like he was crouched in a deep hole,
shovelfuls of dirt clobbering him, burying him. Even though he had a tough
exterior, he possessed true compassion for people he cared about.
    “You said it helped when you went home in September. Things
have been falling apart since then, and you’ve said nothing?”
    War and tours of duty had put a strain on the marriage.
Aiden had known that, but he had believed,