Valentine

1

Justin Glass

I should know better, but I don’t give a flying fuck what society or even my best friend, Watson, has to say about it. I’ve been waiting to claim my little Dove for the longest six months of my life and now I am about to claim what’s mine.

Remembering the first moment I saw her, I have to adjust myself. She was seventeen and way too young for me, but that didn’t stop my yearning for her. She was wearing a peach sundress that barely reached her pussy and white Keds. I hated that she wore that out in public. Immediately and irrationally jealous, I almost swallowed my damn tongue looking at her. I need to know if her short, pale blonde hair is as soft as it looks.

Her mama had just married Watson at the courthouse in Fayetteville, North Carolina when she breezed in from the local high school. She was madder than a wet hen when she found out about the impromptu wedding. I wasn’t too happy either, seeing as they met in the bar only the night before, but looking at Val, I finally understood how he could fall so fucking fast.

At that moment, our eyes connected and so did our souls, as crazy as it seems. I knew she was going to mine; it was just a matter of time. Time, as it turns out, was only six months until she was legal. Thank God. One hundred eighty-two and half days until I could make her mine. Four thousand three hundred eighty hours until she could be under me, taking my cock like I know she was meant to do. Her tiny frame under my much larger one would look so obscene, but I digress. I can think about her for hours and now isn’t the time for that.

I have been at the fucking mall for hours looking for the perfect eighteenth birthday gift for my girl, but nothing seems good enough for her. Really struggling, I pass a jewelry store before turning my happy ass right back around and going inside. Getting ahead of myself, I purchase a modest engagement ring for her. It’s a solitaire diamond in a platinum setting. Gorgeous just like my little Valentine.

When my granddaddy died, he left me with a nice nest egg and sprawling mansion outside city limits. Despite this, I am not flush with cash as I’ve been updating the house into a palace fit for my queen. I know that I can make her happy. Watson and I started a thriving construction company. We handle any job from building new homes to renovating large estates. We have plenty of clients to keep us busy. We also have plenty of workers to help us when our workload gets too demanding.

At thirty-six, I know better than to put the cart before the horse, but every single conversation I’ve had with Val has given me hope. I eat dinner with them two, three times a week and I’ve kept a semi-respectable distance, but I am done waiting. I wait while the store clerk charges my debit card. With the ring tucked safely in my pocket, I walk out of the store whistling. Not having been with a woman in years, I am looking forward to her in more ways than one.

As I sit in my car in the parking lot of the mall, I feel the darkness creep in. One of the reasons that I love working in construction. I don’t have to deal with too many people on a daily basis. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Twice a week, but sometimes more as needed, I see a therapist who helps me, but even I know that isn’t enough.

Having grown up in nearby Lumberton, I know the area pretty well and was glad to be stationed here. Watson and I have been best friends since the first day of kindergarten. Lumberton Elementary had a lot of little wannabe thugs in the early nineties and I saved him from getting his ass beat on the playground. Man, recess was brutal back then but from that day forward we did everything together right up to turning down football scholarships and joining the Army together. We’ve made it through three tours of Iraq and a random tour in Africa. Now retired, we’ve taken the skills we learned and turned it into a thriving career. I know I should feel some type of way about taking his stepdaughter for myself, but I don’t. Two weeks ago, Eliana, Val’s mama, told us she was pregnant and that she and Watson were going on a Valentine’s Day weekend trip to Savannah. Now, Val is old enough to look after herself, but they pulled me aside and asked me to be available in case she needs me… What about me needing her? I consider this the perfect opportunity to tell her how it’s going to be.