AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He intimately knew what it was like to be injured. When he lost his leg, it felt like he lost his identity and his drive for life. For the longest time, he struggled with what was next. Now, he hoped to help others in similar situations keep going, even if it was only for one day at a time. Hell, somedays, it was all he had to give.
“This house is huge!” Brianna interrupted his thoughts with her exclamation.
“This is the main house. It has five bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms. I moved in while my house was being renovated. It makes a great guest house. I considered renting it out on one of those Air B&B things, but it went against everything I wanted for Valhalla. Instead, it has been renovated so each room has its own bathroom. This is where the couples will stay during the wounded warrior marriage retreats. Each room is incredibly private, and sound proofed.” He winked at Max.
“Good. No one to hear you scream,” Max teased Brianna.
“What? I don’t have any idea what you might be talking about,” Brianna teased back.
“A week of having you alone without the kids? Surely you have some idea.”
“Maybe, a little bit of an idea, Daddy.”
“Mmmhmm. I haven’t forgotten the spanking you have coming for the attitude you pulled on the way here either,” he said as he tugged her hair.
“Daddy!” The blush spread up her face and Hudson chuckled.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Bri. It’s nothing I haven’t seen or heard before. Hell, the first time I met you, Max was threatening to take you over his knee.”
“Didn’t take long to make good on the threat,” Max said.
“Anyway, where do you live?” Brianna changed the subject with a groan.
“I made the original guest house my own. With its centralized location and three bedrooms, two and a half baths it was plenty big enough. The previous owners kept it in prime condition like the rest of the property. Most importantly, it is rancher style. Which comes in handy these days.”
“Speaking of,” Brianna started, “how is your pain level? Are you making sure to attend physical therapy? Have you gotten into a group therapy yet?”
“Yes, doctor,” Hudson said with a mock salute. “The Citadel has helped too. It is much more therapeutic than my weekly VA group therapy sessions.”
“The Citadel?” she asked.
“The Citadel is a BDSM Club. It is owned by one of our newest residents. I’ll take you on a tour of it along with the horse therapy arena and the K9 breeding and training program onsite. Several of our residents have taken out small business loans with the VA to give back to the veteran and local communities. These programs bring in income but are also activities included in the wounded warrior retreat that we are building.”
“What is the larger building we saw?” Max asked.
“The lodge. We will house the single wounded warriors for the retreats there. Built in the late 1800’s as a barn, it was later transformed into housing for camps. With eight bedrooms each with their own baths, a custom bar, commercial kitchen where our chef will cook during retreats, large dining area, and a massive great room with two large fireplaces, it is the perfect place for group breakout sessions. With a wraparound deck, exercise room and large hot tub, it was an easy choice to use for the meat of the retreat.”
“How often do you plan on hosting retreats?” Max questioned.
“Right now, we are looking at quarterly. With a few couple and family long weekends here and there. We are getting certified with the Veteran’s Affairs office and have multiple veteran’s groups we are working with.”
“That is amazing brother, I am proud of you,” Max said, the authenticity clear in his voice. “I heard Peter was coming down and joining you?” Max asked, referencing the doctor who performed his amputation in the field.
“Yes. There were a couple of former SEALS I had in mind from the beginning. Mitch, Rider, and Jay were the first three I reached out to. All said yes. They took residence in the three employee homes that were already built and spread out on the property while we worked out the details. We contracted a local veteran owned construction team and made a master planned residential community. We formed a committee and wrote a rights and responsibility agreement for anyone who is interested in residing here. Everyone who lives on Valhalla will start so on a temporary basis either in one of the three employee homes or in the lodge. They will spend the first couple of months on a probationary period before the rest of the members votes on their membership. Each one understands the prerequisites of residing on Valhalla.
“You put a lot of time and thought into this.” Brianna’s voice held a hint of awe.
“You could say that.” The truth was, Hudson obsessed over it. Valhalla was his new brotherhood, his new SEALS. It meant the world to him, and he would give his life to protect it.
