Page 1 of CJ

CHAPTER ONE

Christian Joseph ‘CJ’ Abbott was the only child of Milo and Lia Abbott. Milo joined the Navy, becoming a Navy SEAL after a childhood with religion shoved down his throat. His parents wanted him to become a preacher, but his grandfather, Teddy, saved his life in more ways than one.

Almost his entire childhood, Milo thought that Teddy lived withthemin their small home. As it turned out, his parents were living in Teddy’s home, taking advantage of him and his generosity. Something Milo never forgot.

Teddy was now living at Belle Fleur along with Milo and Lia, living the life he deserved as one of the last remaining members of the greatest generation. For CJ, it was like having living history lessons at your fingertips. Between his great-grandfather, his father, George, Matthew, and all the other men, it was an unparalleled education.

“Great-grandpa? Did you like the Army?” he asked. His eight-year-old brain was trying to decipher why anyone would ever want to have people yelling orders at them all day long.

“It was the greatest time of my life, other than helping to raise your dad,” he smiled.

“You didn’t mind people telling you what to do?” he asked.

“There are always people telling you what to do, CJ. You have to decide if they’re the right things to do or not. Just because someone is yelling at you to do it doesn’t mean it’s right. That’s why you were given a brain to achieve rational thought.”

“Rational thought?” he said with a scrunched face. Teddy laughed, hugging his great-grandson to his chest.

“It’s that thing in your brain that knows the difference between right and wrong. The thing that says, ‘this don’t look or feel right.’ The thing that tells you to run when you’re in danger.”

“I think I know what you mean,” he said with a very grown-up nod.

“Are you thinking about joining the Army, CJ?” asked Teddy.

“No, sir.” Teddy let out a long, slow breath, almost relieved. Then CJ spoke again. “I’m going to be a SEAL like my dad.”

“I see,” he nodded. “Well, I think you’ll make a fine SEAL.”

“I’m not very big,” he frowned. “I’m smaller than all the boys here.”

“You’re still awfully young, CJ. You got time to grow. Just eat your vegetables, exercise with the other boys, and take your vitamins. You’ll be just fine. Besides, not all SEALs are big men. In fact, some of the finest I know are smaller men.”

“I sure hope so,” he said with a sad face. “It’s not fun being picked last for basketball.”

Teddy could only laugh, hugging his great-grandson again before he dashed off to play with the boys. He was indeed picked last for the pickup basketball game, but a few years later, he had grown some and was picked somewhere in the middle.

Then Teddy couldn’t help but smile when, in his senior year, he was suddenly the center for the team. Six-feet-seven and two hundred pounds of unrestrained eighteen-year-old hormones. Lord, help them all.

Fortunately for Milo and Lia, CJ was a determined and focused young man with more than his fair share of common sense. In fact, when Milo sat CJ down to talk about the birds and the bees at the beginning of middle school, CJ held up his hands and stopped his father.

“Dad, I know about sex,” said the twelve-year-old. “I know that I’m going to start going through puberty, and I’ll get hair in weird places, and my body will do stupid stuff. I know all of it. I know that having sex without protection could result in a girl getting pregnant or passing diseases to one another, and I know that I have to be responsible enough to stop, say ‘no,’ or ensure that we’re protected. Both of us. Don’t worry, Dad. I don’t have any of those feelings yet, and I know that doing that could end my dreams of becoming a SEAL. I’m good.”

Milo just stared at his son, nodding.

“Well, alright then. Good talk. Do you have any questions for me?” he smiled as they swung their feet in the water at the end of the dock.

“Only one. When the time comes, how will I know that she’s the one? I mean, I know that most people will have sex with more than one person before they get married. But what if I have sex with someone and think she’s the one? How will I know? How can I be sure?”

“That’s a great question,” smiled Milo. “Making love to a woman is a beautiful, sensual, wonderful experience, CJ. But it won’t tell you whether you love her or not. Emotions get all jumbled when you’re making love to someone, having sex with them. It may not tell you anything at all.”

“It won’t?”

“Nope. It will be little things that tell you. The way she laughs or the way she touches her hair when she’s nervous.”

“Like Mom,” smiled CJ. “She’s always touching her hair if she’s nervous.”

“Exactly like Mom,” laughed Milo. “She’ll walk into a room and take your breath away. If she’s sad, all you want to do is make her happy. If she’s hurting, you want to take her pain away and make everything better for her. She is the first thing on your mind in the morning and the last thing on your mind as you fall asleep.”

“Mom must be on your mind a lot,” smiled CJ.

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