A Special Ops Christmas

By Kristen James

They were ready to call it quits, but Aiden realizes he can’t let his marriage die this Christmas season. Can he make it home to Vivianne in time to save their love?

Vivianne has been so proud of her husband—a Navy SEAL—but his absence while serving has put a strain on their marriage. Due to buried hurts and different circumstances in her life, she needs him more than ever now. Aiden proposed in the snow, and Christmas has always been their special time of year. This year, however, looks bleak and lonely. If only Aiden were here, she could share a special surprise.

A Christmas novella from the author of A Cowboy for Christmas, More Than Memories, Point Hope, and Costa Rica.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristen James
• Release date: Dec 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005938963

Book preview

A Special Ops Christmas

A Second Chance Holiday Novella

They were ready to call it quits, but Aiden realizes he can’t let his marriage die this Christmas season. Can he make it home to Vivianne in time to save their love?

© 2022 Kristen James

www.writerkristenjames.com

www.facebook.com/WriterKristenJames

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More by Kristen James:

A Spy for Christmas - novella

The Billionaire Who Bought Me

Point Hope

Costa Rica

More than Memories, Bk 1 Ridge City Series

A Cowboy for Christmas

Embers of Hope, Bk 1

More than a Promise, Bk 2

A Cowboy for Christmas

In A Field of Oranges

Talk to Me – New Adult Romance

Sarah’s Song – New Adult Music Romance

Chapter One

You’re right. We’ve haven’t gotten along or felt that special spark for several years. I understand why you want to give up. I guess we should get a divorce.

Vivianne

Aiden’s heart stopped. Not like the normal kind of stopping. This was the way his heart stopped beating when an IED—an Improvised Explosive Device—had detonated near Kabul and killed three of his team members.

But this wasn’t a mission where he expected danger. This was his marriage. His eyes stung and watered as he read her email again. First came shock. Then anger. And beneath those emotions there was something strange he’d never felt before.

This was the first time she’d ever ended a note with anything other than Love Always.

Is that what he’d meant when he’d sent that email last night at two a.m.—give up on them? What had he said? Aiden went back to his Sent Box and opened the email he’d shot off to his wife.

Vivianne, baby, all we do is fight. Argue. It’s not worth it. I’m sick of it. Because we want a baby? Because you want me out of danger—when this is my job? This is my profession. It’s what pays the bills. You knew that when we got married…

Wow. That was harsh. Cold. Mean. He hadn’t signed his email at all. Seven years together, three years married, and she wanted a divorce? How could he lose his marriage over his profession?

Aiden was proud of his military career; he had worked hard to succeed and took his rank as Chief Petty Officer seriously. He was devoted to his closely knit four-man team. The unit had successfully completed another mission, and he was grateful.

Despite his pride in his job and his team, Aiden regretted the timing of this particular mission, when he needed to work on his marriage. And right during the holidays.

He massaged the bridge of his nose, cringing at himself. It wasn’t his job, not entirely. The distance and time apart had taken its toll on both of them. While they worked through those issues, all of the normal marriage troubles kept rearing up. Their love ran hot—they needed and wanted each other but they also broke each other’s hearts.

Of course all of their past problems caused fighting. The fighting caused more distance and problems. It had exploded into a never-ending cycle. Sure, he’d been short with his calls and messages home, but he had assumed he had time to work it all out once and for all—when he was home.

He sighed, long and heavy. Why were they talking about a divorce now? At Christmastime? Maybe it didn’t matter that it was the holiday season. It sure didn’t feel like it here.

The team would be flying out for the States in two weeks, unless different orders came down. Plans were always changing; that was a way of life in this job. Still, he was counting weeks instead of months until he could visit home, and soon he would be counting days instead of weeks. The team, as always, would spend three days decompressing at a mandatory TLD—Third Location Decompression area—once they arrived back in the U.S. This initial process allowed military personnel to begin to adjust after an operational deployment. It was especially useful to the personnel in formed units, such as Aiden’s, who often had stress issues or other concerns after a dangerous