For All the Evers

  Thomas was all sergeant when he looked at her. “Bend your knees,” he ordered. And then he let go.

  Fallen screamed as she hit the balcony and crumbled. She rolled over and looked at the open window above her. Smoke streamed out of it.

  “Thomas!”

  Fallen had watched him die once today; she wasn’t about to do it again. But as she got to her feet, she realized she didn’t have her key anymore. It was in the tote upstairs.

  Before she could form a plan, she saw Mr. Orbit dangling out of the window above her. She stepped to out of the way, and he landed and rolled.

  “Jump!” Fallen pulled Lad out of the way.

  Thomas’ tall frame landed the most gracefully of the three. Fallen sighed, but Thomas shook his head.

  “We’ve got to run. This place is about to be engulfed.”

  “I started the fire on the fifth floor,” Lad offered helpfully.

  Fallen tried the sliding door. “These are always locked.” She looked over the side. The next balcony was on the second floor.

  “Maybe we have time.” Thomas grabbed a metal patio chair and threw it through the plate glass. He kicked away the shards at the bottom of the frame and stiff-armed Lad when he tried to run through.

  “Ladies first, asshole.” Thomas entered the smoke-filled room behind Fallen.

  She went to open the door, but Thomas stopped her and felt it first. “It’s okay,” he said. “Let’s try.”

  He opened the door, and they ran down the hallway with Lad behind, limping a bit.

  “Wait for me!” he howled.

  “No,” Fallen said as she pulled Thomas toward the fire door.

  His crazy ass had started this fire, so he was on his own. She focused on getting Thomas out. After taking the stairs as quickly as they could, Thomas checked to see that Lad was still descending.

  Something crashed loudly outside the stairwell.

  “Keep going.” Thomas and Fallen ran the rest of the way to the ground floor, and she pulled him through the hallway door.

  “That one has a padlock!” she yelled, gesturing to the closest exit. “We have to go out the way I broke in!”

  Fallen and Thomas got to the side door in time to see the lobby’s ceiling collapse on itself.

  Lad appeared and headed toward the padlocked door. Fallen yelled for him, but the roar of the destruction drowned out her voice. She grabbed a metal pole from where it was propped by the door. Desta had used it to hold the door open when she smoked.

  When they made their way out, the fresh air almost hurt. They both coughed violently.

  Fallen heard Lad banging on the door that was chained closed. She went to the lock, eyeing the structure. She had to try. She couldn’t listen to a man burn to death, even if he was the worst asshole in the world.

  She started in on the padlock with the pole. Thomas took it from her, swung hard, and the lock burst free. Fallen pulled the lock off, and Lad crashed through.

  Thomas kept the pole and pulled Fallen to him. “We’ve got to clear out. Now.”

  Lad limped behind, and they all increased their pace when they heard an explosion. They were two blocks away when the first sirens wailed.

  Fallen hugged Thomas as they continued to cough. He tossed the pipe at their feet.

  Lad leaned over to spit on the sidewalk. When Fallen could get a good breath, she began to yell at him.

  “You crazy bastard, you’re marching right down there and tell-ing the cops what you did. You almost killed us.”

  “Who is he?” Lad pointed at Thomas.

  “The man who saved your sorry ass twice—when it was the last thing you deserved.” Fallen started coughing again.

  Thomas motioned for Lad to come closer as if he had a secret to tell him.

  Lad inched forward.

  Once he was in distance, Thomas hit Lad with an uppercut that lifted the man off his feet. The left hook Thomas planted on Lad’s cheek resulted in an audible crack. Lad sunk into a boneless puddle on the sidewalk, bruises appearing already.

  “Never touch my girl again.” Thomas stood up and tucked Fallen under his arm.

  Fallen pointed at it the police cruiser in the distance.

  Lad seemed too weak to run as Thomas greeted the officer. “This man here started the fire in that place.”

  The policeman said, “Is that so?”

  Lad didn’t even try to deny it. “That room has caused so much trouble. I just wanted to be free of it.”

  Fallen shook her head.

  “I didn’t want you to die, Fallen. That’s why I was there, bang-ing on the damn door.” Lad stood and put his hands behind his back like the officer asked, words slurring from his facial injuries.

  “And you two were in there because?”

  Fallen didn’t have a great answer as to why she’d been five floors up in a closed hotel. Lad answered for her. “I gave her per-mission to get a mirror from a room. I just didn’t think she’d be here today.”

  Fallen looked at him warily, but nodded.

  Everyone paused to watch as five more fire engines pulled up to the scene.

  “I own that hotel,” Lad said, his voice stronger now. “Tell them to let it burn. There’s nothing worth risking their lives over.”

  “You don’t say… Let’s get you in the car and start running some information. There was an ambulance dispatched. You two should check with them real quick. Your cough sounds like smoke inhalation, and it’s more damaging than you think when you’re all hyped up on adrenaline. We’ll need you to give your statements once you’re able.” He pushed on Lad’s head as he sat him in the backseat.

  Fallen cuddled into Thomas’ chest as she realized what she had.

  “I stole you.” She turned his head to face hers. “I stole you from time.”

  Thomas nodded solemnly before kissing her fingers. “You sure did.”

  ···

  A little while later, Fallen closed the door to her room and looked at Thomas’ strong back as he inspected the interior.

  “Everything’s really different.” He ran a hand through his dark hair.

  That was an understatement.

  “I’m sorry.” She clicked the lock. “I know you’ll figure it all out. I’ll help you. But not just yet.” She smiled at him.

  “I remember this room from the first time I got to have you.” He turned and smiled back at her.

  “We were in such a rush. Time’s not our enemy any more—although Fenn will be home from school in a few hours.” She unbuttoned her jeans and shimmied out of them, kicking them aside.

  “Oh.” He bit his bottom lip, looking at her legs.

  The hunger in his face and the way he clenched his fist made her want to take off another piece of clothing, just to get his reaction.

  “Not everything’s different.” She pulled her sweater off and piled it on the jeans.

  In her simple white panties and bra, she waited for him. She tucked one foot behind her calf and hugged her middle, feeling real-world forward with him all of a sudden. Their dream world had once been the only place where she didn’t have inhibitions.

  “You are very different. Like an angel.” He took her bait, thankfully, and closed the space between them. His big hands coasted over her exposed skin. She had the chills and a rush of warmth at the same moment.

  “Fallen.” He whispered her name in her ear as he nudged her hair out of the way before pecking her neck with kisses and tiny bites.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. “No fear of drifting off to sleep anymore,” she informed the base of his neck.

  “Hmm.” Thomas pulled her hard against him and let his hands drift to where she pulsed for him. His fingertips pushed into her damp panties. His other hand grazed her lower back and then slipped under her panties. He used both hands on her now, his fingers working from the back and the front in a way that made her knees weak.

  As she lost her balance, gravity added to the friction
he made, and she came louder than she probably should have—from just his hands.

  She was useless now, and he guided her to her simple bed and helped her recline. Her legs spread for him automatically. He went at her through her now see-through cotton panties until she begged for more. What she wanted didn’t have a name, just a feeling, and she needed more of it.

  Thomas stepped away from her at the cusp of another release to take off his shirt. Fallen propped up on her elbows to watch the slow removal of his jeans.

  “You okay, dream girl?”

  “More than okay. But I need to be on top of you.”

  She got off the bed and pointed him toward it. She danced away every time he tried to get closer. Thomas finally shrugged and took the spot she’d suggested. Her man was from the past, but Fallen was about to give him a real future experience.

  She took off her bra and panties and joined him on the bed. First, she knelt between his legs and let him know she appreciated his hard work earlier. She got as creative as she could, using both hands and her mouth to his advantage. And when she was sure he was almost there, she stopped and climbed on top of him.

  Riding him felt selfish. His prone position was such a visual gift. She lavished kisses on him, biting his nipples and tracing the ridges of his muscles with her tongue before lifting to the top of his want and slamming back down in a way that had him tossing and grabbing handfuls of her breasts.

  Taking him to the height of his masculinity made her feel powerful and lovely at the same time. When he was as primal as he would get, she showed him no mercy and hugged him as hard as she could from the inside.

  When he seemed as useless as she’d been earlier, she flopped down next to him with her head on his arm. She watched as he caught his breath. She smoothed his hair off his forehead and touched his nose, then his chin. “So handsome.”

  “You are too much, beautiful dream girl. What was that?” He gestured to the spot above him that she’d just vacated.

  “Love.” She put her leg over his and pulled herself even closer. He rubbed her back with the arm she used as a pillow. “I stole you from time. From fate. And I’m not even sorry.”

  Thomas barked out a deep laugh. “You’re shameless.”

  “I hope so.” Fallen kissed his bicep and put her hand on his heart. The beat was solid.

  Thomas covered her hand with his and winked at her. “Speaking of shameless, look what I found in the pocket of my pants.” He dug under the pillow and pulled out the two rings he’d made out of quarters.

  He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it. “I realize I’m not supposed to be here with you, but I’m so grateful. I’d like to make sure we start that first forever right now.”

  He picked up the smaller ring. “Be my girl here too?”

  Fallen nodded as he slid the ring on her finger. She insisted on putting the larger ring on his.

  He smiled as he rejoined their hands and ran his finger over her ring. “You sure you won’t change your mind? What if this old geezer is too stupid to learn all this new-fangled stuff?”

  She shook her head. “Not possible. My mind has no say in my love for you. My heart is a serious bully, and she’s determined.”

  Thomas pulled his arm out from under her. “You’re saying your brain is against me? Anything else love me?”

  She maneuvered herself when she noticed he was ready for more. “All of me. My mind, too. I was trying to be poetic. But maybe you need to remind me about all this love.”

  Thomas knelt between her legs and looked her up and down again. “Your pleasure is my pleasure.”

  He was inside her quickly, and she swooned. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he stilled.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  She wrinkled her nose, unsure what she deserved thanks for.

  “For stealing me from time. I want to spend all the evers I get right here. Inside you.”

  “Me too,” Fallen breathed. Then he started making all her dreams come true again.

  ···

  After a short stay at the county jail, which was one long inconvenience, Lad Orbit took his box of belongings from the officer on his way out: his suit jacket, his watch, the two wedding bands he’d had in his pocket, and a small antique mirror. It was petite version of the one that had been in the now up-in-smoke room 514. One could almost mistake it for a pocket watch.

  Lad clicked it open and looked into it. For better or worse, in sickness and health, he knew the mirror would always be loyal to him.

  For This Ever

  After the hotel burned down and Thomas joined Fallen in 2016, acclimating him to modern life became their project. He marveled at her tiny, portable cell phone, but almost immediately rejected the television, which overwhelmed him completely. He much preferred the microwave and its ability to get food ready for his stomach in no time at all.

  The newspaper clippings about Thomas from 1945 never changed. There had never been a body mentioned in them anyway, though they learned there was a headstone with his name on it in Manila.

  The worst for Thomas, by far, was that although he had been spared the fate life first selected for him, his brothers and mother had long since passed away. Fallen and Thomas spent hours looking at the personal things and pictures she’d nabbed from the junk men.

  After a few weeks, Fallen took him to visit Adelaide in her new home. She couldn’t get over his resemblance to Eddie. They found a lot in common and enjoyed talking about the war, when her memory allowed for that.

  One night Thomas told Fallen how he’d instructed his brother to take out an insurance policy for his mother during the war. Fallen did some research and discovered that that forethought had kept his mother comfortable all of her remaining days. This brought Thomas a great deal of peace, and he then revealed he’d also had his brother buy some bonds in Fallen’s name.

  They were still maturing when they looked them up. Cashing them out provided enough money for Fallen to buy the house back from the bank and put her mother in the rehab program she needed.

  Thomas moved in, though he insisted on sleeping on the couch until they were properly married. It took them only six weeks to get that done.

  Thomas had insisted that Fallen enroll in the local community college to finish her teaching degree, and he began work at the air museum in town. At first he did maintenance, but he was quickly promoted to historian and was able to offer particularly candid observations about the World War II exhibits.

  Fenn’s anonymous sponsor suddenly became much less interested in supporting him, but without so much debt hanging over them, Fallen and Thomas were able to cover his expenses for the rest of the football season. Fenn was excited for his senior year and what lay ahead for him, particularly since he already had college recruiters leaving messages on his phone.

  Fallen wondered more than once what Fenn must think of Thomas, who certainly looked the part of a contemporary guy, but often became confused over seemingly simple tasks in modern life. But her brother offered only acceptance. He said Fallen deserved whatever made her happy. And she did.

  The Real Thomas F. McHugh

  When I was young, I often visited my grandfather, John McHugh. And during pretty much every visit, he would crank up a parade march, hand the always-present American flag to one of the grandkids, and shout out orders in his sergeant voice as we struggled to stay in formation. We all laughed and giggled when he corrected us.

  I didn’t know we were marching past a picture of his brother until years later.

  Thomas F. McHugh was my great uncle, and my other great uncle’s name was Ed McHugh. Thomas was killed in action on May 7, 1945. That’s the true story. He stepped on a landmine and ended his six years of service to this country. It’s a sad story, but it was just a story to me for a long time.

  It wasn’t until recently that my father and mother showed me a box of keepsakes they had at their house in Florida—important papers, files, and some pictures of Great Uncle Tommy. My father
had laminated all the old, yellowed papers to preserve them.

  It was stunning to see the telegrams and the newspaper clippings about his death all in one place.

  And that got me thinking about what it must have been like for his family. On his last furlough, Great Uncle Thomas took out a life insurance policy for my great grandmother and said goodbye to everyone. He felt his time was coming. When I interviewed Harry Kirby, a Foreign Legion award winner in Florida, he told me all the soldiers were fatalists. So maybe they all did things like that. But to the McHughs, my Great Uncle Tommy was a war hero, and a family one as well. He never had a family of his own, but he provided for his mother long after he was killed.

  So here I am, writing romance novels. I’ve watched over and over as my beautiful readers give their hearts to the characters I create. And I realized that although Thomas didn’t have any direct descendants, my great uncle might be remembered with love if I wrote a story about him.

  For All The Evers is dedicated to Thomas F. McHugh. When you read this book, I hope you’ll think a kind thought about a real man who lived and died for country and family. He was killed on May 7, 1945. On May 8, 1945, the Allies accepted Germany's surrender. My great grandmother did not get news of her son Thomas’ fate until May 29, 1945.

  This book was also written for my mother and father, who never let a flag fly in the dark.

  On the cover of this book and behind each chapter header, the handwriting in the image is a photograph of a letter Thomas sent to his brother, Ed. Thomas’ actual signature is at the bottom of the letter image embedded at the end of Chapter 21. Words can connect us where time fails to offer the opportunity.

  Please visit my website DebraAnastasia.com for more information on Thomas F. McHugh. You can also post your own stories. I urge you to appreciate our older generations while we still have them.

  XO Debra

  Acknowledgments

  Husband and Kids: If not for you I would not be me.

  Helena: Purple Lambo

  Jessica RO: I can’t even explain how much your friendship means.