Page 10 of The Gunnery Sergeant's Ready-Made Family

“I think so too Chase.”

“You do?” Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

“I do, I mean, you have already seen me at my absolute worst,” Stevie chuckled, “remember my teenage perm? Or the purple hair? Or the fact I was so depressed after my parents died that I didn’t leave the house for two months?” Chase remembered all too well, he had been frantic with worry, for both Stevie and Kyle, concerned that he might not be able to get them back to a place of hope and peace. “You have always been there for me Chase, even when I didn’t think I needed you to be. There is no one else that I would rather be fake married to than you. So, if you are sure about this, my answer is yes, yes Chase, I will marry you.” Chase let out a breath he wasn’t aware that he was holding, relief coursing through him. She said yes, Stevie actually agreed to marry him. Despite his proposal being out of necessity, out of convenience for everyone involved, he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. He knows that there will be some that think he has made a mistake, who think he is crazy to take on a ready-made family, but Chase didn't reach this decision lightly, the solution had danced the edges of his mind, not fully forming until after he had bowed his head in prayer, seeking His guidance on what to do. Chase knew that this was the right decision, for him, for Stevie, and for those precious boys. While Chase had always wanted a family, a home of his own, he had put those desires away once he had joined the service, not wanting to have to put any future family through the constant moving around that comes with Army life, not to mention the toll separations sometimes took on a relationship. This way, everyone won, everyone got something that they needed, and more importantly, no one got hurt.

Stevie and Chase decided not to tell the boys just yet, but rather to take a day or two to finalise all of their preparations, and for Chase to complete all of the paperwork needed. Stevie had received, signed, and returned her paperwork in the mail from the lawyer, and he had called yesterday to advise that it had been processed by the court, that she was now legally sole guardian of Finn and Ranger, which would make it easier for Chase to have them added as beneficiaries, which is why he was currently pulling into a parking spot outside the personnel office on base. Armed with a folder full of papers, Chase stepped out of the truck and entered the busy building. It took the better part of two hours, but when Chase finally left, he had successfully added Stevie, Finn, and Ranger to his will, and had listed them as dependents on all of his paperwork so that they could fully enjoy all of the benefits that came from his being in the Army.

Once Chase was finished there, he walked to the housing office, and after showing them his marriage licence and Stevie’s custody papers, his application for housing was processed and he was handed the keys to a three-bedroom house, his first house since joining the Army, their first house together, he and Stevie and the boys. He took a drive past, gazing at it from the curb, not wanting to go in without Stevie, he felt they should do this together, as a team. From the outside it looked lovely, painted the same butter yellow as all the other houses on this particular street, with a front porch and a large green lawn. It looked to be fenced out the back, which was going to be a huge bonus if they decided to get a dog for the boys at some point, and an orange tree spilled fruit onto the back lawn. It looked idyllic, nice, a home to raise a family in, and the very best part was that it was only a couple of minutes drive from where they were now, so the boys wouldn’t have far to go to enjoy all of their favourite haunts.

Starting the truck, Chase wanted to make one final stop before going home to Stevie and the boys, something that he hadn’t told her this morning, something that hadn’t been in his plans yet, something that he felt he needed to do. Parking, Chase took a deep breath, hoping that this was the right course, at least temporarily, and made his way inside, weaving through corridors until he reached his commanding officer’s office, knocking lightly on the door. He didn’t stay long, just long enough to put his request in and to inform his commanding officer of his upcoming marriage. Chase declined the offer of a congratulatory drink, surprised to discover that he was anxious to return to Stevie as soon as possible. Yes, he thought to himself on the drive back to Kyle’s house, this really was the start of a new life for all of them, a new beginning.

“Does that mean you’ll be my daddy now?” Ranger asked, a frown appearing on his forehead. Chase and Stevie had just told him that they were getting married, neither expecting this line of questioning.

“No, your Daddy will always be your Daddy, and I will always be your Chase, that will never change,” Chace tried to explain. “It just means that now, your Aunt Stevie and I will be married, so we will all live in the same house, as we do now until you grow up and then you will live in your own house.”

“You’ll stay forever?”

“I will. And I will help your Aunt Stevie to take care of you and Finn and help teach you things.”

“And play soldiers?”

“And play soldiers,” Chase agreed.

“I go get them,” Ranger hollered, dashing off.

“Well, that went well,” Stevie chuckled.

That night, over dinner, Chase told Stevie, Ranger and Finn all about their new house, and once they had finished eating, they took a drive over to the new house and went inside to look around. It was larger than Chase had dared to hope, with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, along with an odd nook on the landing, underneath a window, which Chase thought would be a great spot for Stevie to set up her computer. He was sure a small desk would fit there and made a note to come back tomorrow and take some measurements. Downstairs there was a large lounge room, kitchen, dining room, and laundry. It was spacious and clean, Chase knew they would have very little to do before they moved in. Taking them outside, Ranger was thrilled to find that hidden behind the overflowing orange tree was a wooden cubby house. The yard was fenced, and along with the orange tree was a vegetable patch that Chase had been unable to see from the road, and what looked to be a lemon tree. Stevie gushed over the flower beds out the front, the drive back to Kyle’s house full of ideas on what she would plant there and how she had always wanted a flower bed. Chase was happy that he could help make this dream happen for them all.

Not wanting to waste any time, Chase arranged for him and Stevie to visit the chaplain the following day to discuss their upcoming nuptials, Ranger and Finn were happy to join the playgroup that operated from the church hall.

“Stevie, I wonder, would you give us a few minutes please?” Chaplain Barnes spoke.

“Of course, I’ll just go and check on the boys,” she smiled at Chase as she left the room.

“Forgive me, Chase,” the chaplain fixed him with a hard stare, “but it was only a matter of weeks ago that you sat here and told me that you and Stevie were not involved, that you would never put her through the truth of Kyle’s death, I, therefore, find it surprising to see you both sitting before me, asking me to officiate at your wedding. Would you care to elaborate?”

“Stevie and I have reached an agreement, chaplain, both of us have prayed about it and this is what we feel urged to do, guided to do. We both know the stakes, we both know what we are gaining by marrying each other, and neither one of us is entering into the marriage with our eyes closed.”

“I see, and just what are you getting Chase?”

“I am getting the family I have always wanted; I am securing the friendship that has endured for two decades, that will survive redeployments and relocations. Ours is a marriage of convenience and mutual friendship only, that is how we both want it. Stevie and the boys get security, the benefits I can give them because of my role in the Army.”

“Friendship and mutual understanding are firm foundations for a marriage, that is for sure, but what if you decide you want more later on, what then?”

“We have discussed this chaplain, I assure you, that is not on the cards for either of us, for a number of reasons.”

“Have you told Stevie the truth about her brother’s death?”

“I haven’t told anyone.”

“Maybe you should. It does no good to keep secrets Chase, no good for anyone.”

Chase kept going over the chaplain's words throughout the rest of the week as he helped Stevie to pack up Kyle’s house and prepare their new home for them to move into. True to his word, he found a small desk that fitted perfectly under the window on the landing, and he and Ranger fixed and repainted the cubby house. Stevie painted the boy's room, deciding to keep them in the one room for now, not liking the thought of Chase having to sleep on the sofa, and arranged for the removalists to come the day of the wedding, Chase and Stevie deciding to start their marriage in their new home. Two days before their wedding, Chase moved over to their new home, wanting to give Stevie and the boys some time alone before they became a permanent family. It was odd, the quietness of the house without them, but he wanted to do this right, he would see them again soon enough.

The day of their wedding dawned bright and clear, not that Chase minded, he would have been just as happy had it been raining. When he had first proposed to Stevie, he hadn’t given much thought to what his wedding day would look like, choosing instead to focus on what was really important, not the day of their wedding but rather the marriage that they both hoped to have. Stevie and Chase had quickly agreed that the wedding would just be the four of them, the chaplain and his wife were to act as witnesses. Chase wore his dress uniform, wanting to look nice for Stevie, not thinking too much about why that was, and took the short drive to the chapel, where the chaplain and his wife waited to greet Chase. They stood outside until they saw Stevie arrive, the chaplain's wife going across to help her while Chase and the chaplain headed inside.

Despite not wanting any fuss on their behalf, once Stevie and the boys were inside the chaplain’s wife hurried over to the piano and started playing the wedding march, beaming up at Stevie and Chase. Chase caught Stevie’s eye and smiled. She looked stunning in her navy blue A-line V-neck knee-length chiffon cocktail dress complete with pockets. She had sent him a text earlier, apologising that the dress was all she could find at short notice, but seeing her now, Chase thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He regretted not having thought about hiring a photographer, even if this was only for convenience, they should at least have a photo of their day. After being declared husband and wife, it was once again the chaplain's wife who came to his rescue, whipping out a disposable camera and insisting on taking the entire roll, even showing Ranger how to work it so that he could take some photos of his own. The entire day had been lovely, and Chase and Stevie thanked the chaplain and his wife profusely before they left to head to their new home, and their new life.

---