Page 45 of Bound to the Bodyguard

"Like how vast and varied this world is. How different cultures can be, yet how similar people are at their core." I paused, eyes reflecting the myriad experiences etched into my soul. "How to find a home away from home, even if it's just for a while."

"Sounds incredibly lonely and incredibly freeing at the same time," Raven mused.

"It was both," I admitted, the truth of it settling. "But those journeys, they shaped me. Taught me resilience. Adaptability. The importance of a global perspective."

"Qualities that served you well in your military career," she said, connecting the dots of my life's mosaic.

"Exactly. Those travels were the prologue to everything that came after. They made me who I am today."

"Someone strong. Someone brave," Raven added softly, her hand finding mine, a silent commendation of the road I'd traveled. "Someone I'm very glad to have met."

My heart skipped a beat, warmth spreading through me at her touch, at her words. For a moment, I let the walls around my heart crumble brick by brick.

“There’s more.” I shifted slightly, the leather of the plush couch creaking under my weight. I hesitated, a shadow crossing my features as I ventured into a more turbulent chapter of my past. "Teenage years are rough for everyone, I guess," I started, voice dropping an octave, tinged with the remnants of old battles fought within. "For me, it was like standing at a crossroads with no signposts."

"Which way did you go?"

"In every direction, at first." I chuckled without humor, eyes darkening. "I tried fitting into different crowds, experimenting with hobbies, even shifting my style. But nothing felt right. I was... adrift, searching for a compass to guide me."

"Until you found one?" she probed gently.

"Until I found him—Mr. Davis." My voice warmed with gratitude. "He was my high school history teacher, ex-military. The man had a presence, you know? Disciplined, focused, but fair. He saw something in me that I hadn't yet seen in myself."

"What did he see?" Raven leaned closer, her interest genuine.

"Potential," I said with conviction. "He recognized my restlessness not as a weakness but as energy misdirected. He channeled it, became a mentor. Taught me about honor, duty, the value of serving something greater than oneself."

"Is that what led you to enlist?"

"Partly." I nodded, the corners of my mouth lifting in a rare, appreciative smile. "But it was more than that. Mr. Davis gave me a framework to understand my own identity. Through his stories, I learned about courage in adversity, camaraderie, the weight of responsibility. He made me realize that I wanted—needed—to be part of a brotherhood that stood for those ideals."

"Sounds like he was a reAlexable man," Raven said, squeezing my hand.

"ReAlexable doesn't quite cover it." I glanced away, gaze flickering with unspoken emotion. "He gave me the map I was missing, Raven. Showed me that the struggles I faced were stepping stones to becoming the man I was meant to be. Without him, I might've never found my path."

"Or me," Raven whispered, half-joking yet entirely sincere.

"Or you," I echoed in agreement, heart acknowledging the truth in her words. The journey of my youth, with its trials and tribulations, had indeed led me here—to this woman who saw me for who I truly was. And for the first time in a long while, I felt profoundly grateful for each twist and turn of that winding road.

Raven leaned back, giving me space, her eyes never leaving my face. I appreciated that—her respect for my struggle, her patience. It felt like permission, a gentle nudge to continue.

"Being in the military," I started, pausing as if the weight of my service pressed against my chest. "It changes you. You see things. Do things. Carry things home that you wish you could leave behind."

"Carry things like what?"

"Responsibility for lives," I whispered. "Sometimes it's the lives you save. And sometimes... it's the ones you can't."

"Jerome..."

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the resolve that had seen me through countless missions. "There was this one time—we were deployed in a hostile zone. Our intel was solid, or so we thought." My hand balled into a fist, the knuckles whitening. "We walked into an ambush. Lost good men that day..."

I didn't elaborate further, didn't need to.

"Thank you for trusting me with this.”

Sharing my past with Raven was like shedding armor I hadn't realized I'd been wearing. It left me exposed, yes, but lighter somehow. And as I met her gaze, I saw not pity but strength reflecting back at him—a strength I knew would help me face whatever lay ahead.

The conversation needed to shift. After everything that had been going on, it wouldn’t be right not to look into her ex-husband further. He was the most likely suspect especially after the vows incident.

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