Not Issued

By Teresa Crumpton

After more than twenty years of serving his country as an airman in the United States Air Force––six moves, five deployments, two airframes, and countless days and nights without Harper by his side––Jake is more than ready to start the next chapter of his life. A life without a uniform. As his career comes to an end, he can't help but reminisce over the life he and Harper have lived and the couple they have become. 

For Harper, Jake's retirement is both a blessing and the scariest thing she's ever faced. She's ready to take the next step in this journey with him by his side as she's always been, confident that he's her guiding light at every turn. 

Their journey hasn't been an easy one––that is the one thing a military family will always tell you about a lifer––but it has made them stronger. And they wouldn't change a thing.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teresa Crumpton
• Release date: Jul 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781386973591

Book preview

Not Issued

Teresa Crumpton

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Copyright © 2020 Teresa Carol Galinari Crumpton

Published by Teresa Crumpton

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, or other status is entirely coincidental.

Ebooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever known, not known or hereafter invented, or stored in any storage or retrieval system, is forbidden and punishable by the fullest extent of the law without written permission of the author.

For more information, contact the author at http://www.teresacrumpton.com

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Published: Teresa Crumpton 2020

Cover Design: Kristen Hope Mazzola

Formatting: Stephanie Taylor

Edited by: Stephanie Taylor

Contents

Prologue

Dallas/Dating

1. Harper

California

2. Jake

3. Jake

Hawaii

4. Harper

South Carolina

5. Harper

Europe

6. Jake

North Carolina

7. Harper

Oklahoma

8. Jake

The End

About the Author

About the Author

To my loving Flyboy and all of our military friends & family: thank you for your service.

Prologue

Jake

I never thought this day would come. Twenty-two years…and twenty-one of them with Harper by my side. Today is as much her retirement as it is mine, and yet, she’s stressed over making this perfect for me. If only she realized it’s perfect because she’s here with me. Though if she doesn’t know that after more than twenty years together, she’ll never believe it. Another thing she’ll never believe is that if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here with this many years of military service under my belt. She’s sacrificed so much to make my dreams reality. But if you ask her, she’ll deny that she’s ever really had to give anything up to support my goals. I’d argue that she’s given up on her biggest dream, but since she’s more stubborn than I am, I know better than to try.

Senior, everyone’s ready, Technical Sergeant Wells announces.

I’ll be right there, I tell him, checking my medals one last time before heading out.

It’s not like I didn’t check and double-check my blues––or the medal rack––ten times before getting here, or throughout the last few weeks while preparing for today’s ceremony. But you can never be too careful when it comes to the uniform––it’s one of the few things actually issued to us.

Chuckling to myself, I’m reminded of all the times I’ve heard, If the military wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one.

The Air Force would never have issued someone as perfect for me as my Harper.

I can only imagine and shudder at the thought of what type of woman I might’ve been issued. In any event, that woman wouldn’t even have been able to compare to Harper. Nowhere close.

Picking my phone up off the counter, I check to make sure it’s on silent before putting it in my pocket and heading out of the bathroom. My gorgeous Harper waits for me about ten feet away from the restroom, watching me with a look of pride on her face as I approach.

Are you ready for this? I ask.

Honestly? This might be even scarier than when we started dating all those years ago.

I grin, thinking back to the beginning of our relationship. Or rather, when we started dating because we’d had a friendship for eight years before we ever took our relationship any farther. Our friendship began our sophomore year in high school, and even then, I think I knew this strong, beautiful woman next to me would be mine––eventually. And back then, I certainly never would have pictured my unexpected Air Force career, much less staying in this long. There’s no way I would have guessed the crazy road we’d have to travel to get here, either. I guess it’s a good thing neither one of us knew what our journey to this point would look like.

We’ve got this, I whisper, leaning into her before taking her hand in mine and bringing it to my lips for a kiss. I promise.

I know. I just can’t believe this ride is finally coming to an end. Twenty-two years, two aircraft, and six duty stations later, being in one place for longer than five years is going to feel strange. Hell, what am I going to do with you home all the time? There’s not going to be any scheduler that I can go to and tell them to send you out on a mission when you’re driving me crazy! she teases me, grinning as I smile with her.

"Nope. And I