Page 7 of Iggy

He held out a hand. All he could think about was that her name matched everything about her. A subtle sun kissed tan warmed her face, her bright white smile, genuine and loving. Her dark brown eyes sparkled and the beautiful sage green of her dress only enhanced all of her features.

When her hand slid into his own, he gently shook it.

“I’m Iggy,” he said calmly.

“Iggy? Is that short for something.”

“Ignatius.”

“Saint Ignatius,” she smiled again. “Well, Iggy, I hope you save me a dance.”

“You can be sure that I will,” he said finally regaining his voice.

When the ‘I do’s’ were said and the kisses made, the crowd went wild. Iggy turned to find the woman who’d made his heart stop but she was already on one of the boats, sailing back toward the main property.

“Iggy? You okay, brother?” asked Jethro.

“Yeah, man. I’m good. Better than I have been in a long time.”

When the party began, Jennifer finally felt like all the chaos of the last few years was finally behind her. She was home, married to the only man she’d ever loved. Her family was here, even her brother, Sergeant, had come home for the festivities. He looked so grown up in his uniform, so handsome. She watched as Iggy danced with Olive and smiled.

“I think he likes her,” whispered Grayson in her ear.

“She deserves something good in her life,” said Jennifer. “I’ve always liked her and I’m glad she’s close to all of us now.”

“I think he’s glad as well,” laughed Grayson.

Iggy stared at the beautiful woman in his arms. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and make her his but he knew that he couldn’t. Not with this woman. This was a woman that needed slow and steady, not speed and see ‘ya.

“You’re a great dancer. Do they teach dance to Marines?” she smiled.

“I think it’s all the fucking marching we do,” he grinned. “Oh. Sorry for the language.”

“Iggy, I work in the bike shop. Have you been around Gunner, Razor and the guys?” Iggy laughed, nodding his head.

“You said that you’ve been here since you were little. No family left?” he asked casually. She froze for just a moment and he frowned. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No,” she said recovering with a forced grin. “No, it’s fine. I never met my parents, or if I did I don’t remember. They dropped me off at my aunt and uncles when I was just as toddler. It wasn’t a good life, Iggy. I owe everything to the men and women here. And Jennifer. We became friends on that first day of school and we’ve been close ever since.”

“So, no siblings, no other relatives?” he frowned. She knew he was asking out of curiosity but it made her nervous.

“No,” she said too quickly. “What about you?”

“Similar story,” he said calmly. “I was raised in a home for orphaned boys. For the most part it was a good life. Early in my school years I had a horrible teacher who enjoyed hitting the boys. She beat one boy so badly she disabled him for life.”

“That’s horrible!” she gasped.

“It was but the principal in charge of the school caught her, fired her, and sent her for trial. After that, life was good. I didn’t know my parents, knew nothing of where I was born or who they were. Then I went to college, got a degree, and joined the Marines.”

“That’s amazing,” she smiled. “I only remember my parents through a few photos. At least I think they were photos of my parents, no telling. They were really young when I was born. I think my dad was nineteen and my mom was only fifteen. I don’t blame them for leaving me with someone. I blame them for leaving me with those particular someones.”

“I get that,” he nodded. The music ended and he took her hand to sit down and eat one more time before the food disappeared.

“The food here is incredible. I’ve been working out twice a day to keep in shape. I’m going to be big as a house if I don’t.”

“I know what you mean,” laughed Olive. “I’ve been here since I was a kid. The interesting thing is that there are no obese people here. Tailor and Alec are probably the heaviest.”

“Two-hundred pounds of that is most likely muscle,” laughed Iggy. “I would not want to anger those two.”